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“It’s normal for kids to rebel against their parents,” I say. “It’s part of growing up, forging your own identity apart from theirs, and all that.”

“Maybe so.” She reaches for the flat iron, checks to see that it’s ready, then has a go at my hair. “But Arthur’s no ordinary parent, and I hate the idea of disappointing him. I owe everything to him.”

I wait. Wait for her to reveal something beyond how he rescued her from some sketchy children’s home. But Elodie seems uninterested in sharing her history. Finishing up with my hair, she starts straightening hers.

“I mean it, Nat,” she says, her voice edged with anxiety. “You have to return before he gets back.”

“Iwill,” I insist, even though there’s really no way I can guarantee such a thing. It’ll take as long as it takes, and there’s still the issue of finding my way back.

“But if something were to happen, and he finds out that—”

“He’ll never know you had a part in it,” I say. “Unless you tell him, of course.”

“Why would I do that?” she asks.

“Exactly.” I grin.

When I’m dressed and my hair is hanging to my waist in a shiny flat sheet, Elodie hands me a tiny backpack and says, “Apparently, they were all the rage. Don’t ask why, because there’s just no explaining it. But you’re definitely gonna need it, since those jeans allow no room for pockets, so whatever you’re bringing with you, you’ll need to stash it in there.”

After I fill the backpack with the book, the unread letter from my mom, and a small wad of cash that Elodie gives me, I look at her and say, “ToThe Magician?”

She shakes her head. “No. The timing’s all wrong. The waxing moon is still days away, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to wait.”

“Then what the heck is all this for?” I ask, wondering if she intended to stall me so that Braxton could wake up and—

“I’ve decided to send you out the right way,” she says. “The safe way. If nothing else, at least we can be sure you’ll land in the right time and place.”

I take a breath and nod. I can’t argue with that.

With one final look in the mirror, I follow her to the control room, and just as I’ve always suspected, Elodie has access to parts of Gray Wolf that are strictly off-limits to the rest of us. And as I take my place on the launchpad, I’m secretly glad to be leaving this way. It really is safer. And, after her crash course on how the book works, I’ve got a pretty good grasp on how to find my way back should I need to.

“The portal will stay open for two hours,” she says.

I turn on her then. “That’s not nearly—”

She holds up a hand. “Then I’ll send another every day for the next two days, until Arthur returns. After that, it’s on you to find your way back.”

I nod. “And the clicker?”

“Oh, shit.” Elodie’s eyes widen. “I can’t believe I forgot. I’ll be right back!”

The sight of her fleeing sets my belly to churning. Still, I’ve chosen to trust her, so I remain right in place, all the while hoping I’m not making a colossal mistake.

“Elodie?” I call when it’s starting to feel like it’s taking too long, or at least longer than my nerve-rattled brain tells me it should. “El—” I start to call out again, only to have my voice fade when I see someone else walking toward me instead.

Braxton.

With a bandage wrapped around his head and another taped to his neck, he looks so vulnerable my heart splits on his behalf. And when his blue eyes meet mine, I wonder if he’ll ever be able to forgive me for this.

“Tasha?” He squints as though trying to make sense of what it is that he’s seeing. “What are you doing—where are you trying to go?”

I gnaw the inside of my cheek. This is not at all how it was supposed to go down. “Did you get my note?” I look beyond him, desperately searching for Elodie, but she’s nowhere in sight.

“What note?” he says. “Tasha, what’s this about?”

My stomach drops to my knees, and my heart sumersaults. “You didn’t get the note?” My voice pitches high, panicky.

Braxton shakes his head, clearly confused. But not nearly as confused as me.