“Whoa.” Emmett tries to hide his reaction, but I see the momentary look of awe on his face. “Are you sure it’s safe for a saram and a halfie to pass through?” He points to me and himself, reminding me that I’m keeping the biggest secret of my life from my BFF.

Noah nods. “Totally safe. Good luck, guys.”

We hurry in after Hattie, and the barrier feels cool and almost liquid, as if we’re passing through a wall of Jell-O.

Once we’re on the other side, we find ourselves standing on the beach underneath the Santa Monica Pier, and the gentle night breeze is blowing wisps of hair onto my face. Hattie’s a few feet away, but there isn’t another soul out for miles. From the damp outline on the sand, it looks like high tide has just passed, but I hope the spell will still work the way it’s supposed to. I take off my shoes and feel the soft sand squish between my toes. It’s still warm from a day of soaking up the summer sun, and it feels so good that I dig my feet in.

My eyes move up to the sky and I freeze. The moon is as red as a tomato.

“Guys,” I call out. “Look up. The moon is bleeding.”

Emmett wolf-whistles. “Wow, yeah, that’s a blood moon, all right. It’s the sign of a lunar eclipse. What a beauty.”

Hattie joins us in studying the sky. “That’s funny—I was just reading about a solar eclipse that happened in New Zealand today. You know, when the sun goes completely black, not red. What are the chances…?”

Emmett shakes his head. “You must have read it wrong. You can’t have both a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse on the same day. It’s impossible.”

Hattie frowns. “But I’m sure it was in today’s news.”

Emmett crosses his arms. “Dude, do you know how much Battle Galactic I play? Our squad is the best in the galaxy, and I know space like the back of my hand.”

Hattie raises her eyebrows.

“Em’s obsessed with that game,” I explain. “You know, the one that’s like Fortnite Battle Royale but set in space? It’s turned Emmett into a total astronomy geek.”

I leave Hattie and Emmett to argue it out, and I walk toward the water, mesmerized by the way the moon paints a crimson glow over the Pacific. This is going to sound odd, but sometimes the sky makes me feel a bit…well, sad. Like when you forget something you know was important, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t remember it.

“Anyway,” Hattie says, coming over. She holds up the chalice and Noah’s knife. “Back to the plan. This is how we’re gonna do this. I’ll take Emmett’s ring and—”