Deep, mournful bells began to ring throughout the courtyard. Luna slammed her hands over her ears. It was midnight in the not-quite middle of nowhere! People, if there were any, were probably sleeping! Alex and the Others had covered their ears too, shoulders hunching and grimacing against the volume of the bells.

Luna squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. Something about the melody felt familiar, but it was so loud and jarring she couldn’t think, couldn’t concentrate long enough to follow the rhythm to guess what notes would come next.

The song ended as abruptly as it began, replaced by a single bell chiming twelve times.

“Okay,” Harlow said, a little loud. “Okay, good, I can hear myself.”

“Did that sound familiar to any of you?” Luna asked, hopeful for help.

“Yes!” Harlow’s eyes widened with excitement. “But I’m not sure where it’s from. And twelve chimes definitely didn’t make sense. It’s not noon.”

Stella frowned at Harlow and said, “Oh, this is going to be a long weekend.”

“Maybe the clocks are broken or work in reverse. Vampire hours. There’s a rumor about that, right, Luna?” Nicole asked.

“Ah, not you too,” Stella whispered.

Luna froze, hand wrapped around her phone as she was about to pull it out of her pocket. Unlike Harlow, who seemed excited and ready to theorize, Nicole, while not exactly mocking, definitely never joined Goldspiracy. Her question was a challenge, but not a good one.

Certain rumors about Jewel had been classified Persona Non Grata—meaning they were only talked about inside the forums with trusted members. No outsiders allowed. The rumors were fantastical, improbable, and didn’t always make sense, but they were fun. Outside their space, they lost the magic of secrecy and possibility.

Nicole was just trying to bait her like some of the kids at school had done before. Sarcasm and subterfuge undetectable until it was too late. She definitely couldn’t be trusted.

Besides, the vampire rumor was years old. Jewel clearly and undeniably aged, so it had been ruled out.

Luna shivered from the cold and the challenge. She didn’t like to lie, so chose another way out by shrugging and then looking at Harlow, who gave a subtle nod before looking away.

Good. An actual ally, she thought. They would definitely talk later. Hopefully, she’d be able to count on Harlow as well as Alex during whatever came next. Because something was coming.

Jewel would not let her down.

The front door clicked.

Silently, they all turned toward the sound on instinct, but Stella whispered, “Finally.”