Jade could hate on where we lived—and she did—but from here, we could see the stars. That was what mattered to me.

“Come on, kiddo,” said Dad. “I have a big meeting at City Hall in the morning.” Dad was on the town selectman council for Moose Junction, and every month they had a meeting to decide on taxes and tourism and other boring stuff. I mean, I knew it was important—but I was also glad I didn’t have to talk about any of it. As we walked back, we could see our breath with every exhale. Even in early August, the nights got so chilly around Moose Junction that you could find yourself wishing for some mittens. When we passed in front of Eagle’s Nest, Simone was gone from the porch, and the house was completely dark.

“Gary! Abby!” Harrison waved from across the dirt road. He was one of our regulars; he came every August and stayed in Bluebird. “Stargazing? What a great night for it.”

“Getting ready for the big eclipse,” said Dad. “We can’t wait.”

“My two kids are coming that week. It’s truly going to be something, isn’t it? Hey, by the way, how’s Blair doing? I heard about—well . . . I heard.”

Blair McCourt. Eighteen years old, shiny brown hair, white teeth, sparkly eyes, ballerina, straight-A student, golden child. Man, that girl’s going places, they used to say in town when she walked by. My sister and my best friend and my favorite person in the world.

Well, she sure went somewhere. Harvest Hills Center for Eating Disorders, where they could teach her how to eat again. Not exactly New York City.

Everyone was always asking about Blair in these sad voices. Father Peter Patrick would grip Mom’s hands after Mass and say he was praying for Blair. She always smiled and said thank you, but I could tell it made her feel weird. I mean, a whole town of people knowing your personal, private business is just strange, even when they’re trying to be nice about it. It’s like she was worried he was going to bring Blair up in a sermon or something.

Everybody needs their secrets. That’s all I’m saying.

Dad just smiled. He was good in tense situations. Something about his eyes made everyone feel calmer. “She’s doing well, Harrison. Thanks for asking. Hopefully coming home in the next few weeks here.”

“Good. Good. You tell her to stay strong in there.”

“Okay. We will. Good night now.”

When we got home, I kissed Mom good night and headed to the attic. I had a hard time sleeping unless Jade was home, so I usually waited up for her with my eye through the telescope. I went to it, still pointed at Eagle’s Nest, and looked through the window.

There he was, in the corner room, in the pitch-dark. Staring across the lake: Dr. Leo Lacamoire.

What’s funny about the moon is that it’s always the same size, even though we can only see slivers of it sometimes. It can be hard to see a full moon, glowing like a giant orb, and believe it’s the same moon you can only see a tiny slice of on other nights. Right then, as I looked at Dr. Leo Lacamoire, I knew that I was only seeing a tiny slice. The world would turn, and the moon would orbit, and soon I’d see the whole thing. The reason Dr. Leo Lacamoire was in Moose Junction, Wisconsin, instead of at some resort in Tahiti or teaching astronauts at NASA. I would know the full story of the trials and tribulations of Dr. Leo Lacamoire, PhD, world-renowned scientist. But right then, that sad, sad sliver of a face was all I could see.