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I really hoped it wouldn’t come to this. We really enjoyed having Onyx around. She was one of the kindest, caring people I knew, and she always had creative ideas and suggestions that helped the team out. But I already knew what she was thinking, because I knew what it was like to be in her place. I didn’t have to put myself in her shoes, because I was already there, and I shared her sentiment. Living in the safe house had been great , because for the first time in my life, I’d felt a reprieve from the constant humiliation and dehumanization. Onyx needed a safe house of her own now.

We heard a door open and turned to see Nadine, Chloe, and Talia stepping into the gardens. They looked apprehensive, like they didn’t want to interrupt anything, but Onyx stood and waved them over.

“We got rid of that bitch,” Chloe said harshly as the three of them entered the gazebo.

Onyx just looked sad. “I appreciate you’re trying to cheer me up, but talking shit about my mom isn’t going to help. I know what I need to do. I have to leave Octavia Falls. As long as my mother’s here, I can’t stay. I have to go somewhere where she can’t find me or get in contact with me.”

“That can’t be the only way,” Nadine said sadly. “We don’t want you to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave, either,” Onyx replied. “But I need to follow my gut, and this is what I feel I have to do right now.”

“This isn’t a permanent solution,” I said gently, though I knew there was nothing I could say to convince her to stay. Her mind was already made up, and I couldn’t fault her for her decision.

“I know leaving town isn’t going to undo everything she’s done to me, but at least I’ll have a chance at a good life,” Onyx said. “I know the coven needs help right now, and I committed to helping the council restructure our healthcare system, but as long as I’m around my mother, I can’t do my job. I wanted to be a leader, and someday, I will be in that position. But to do that, I have to go somewhere where I can be of more service, and I truly believe I’m going to better help our community outside of it.”

“Where will you go?” Talia asked.

“With permission from the council, I’d like to go to Malovia,” Onyx requested. “I want to be a part of real change, and I think I have what it takes to begin fostering peace with the fae. I want to work on building diplomatic relations with the king and queen there. If I can’t be here, that’s what I need to be doing.”

“It seems you’ve put a lot of thought into this,” I remarked.

“I have,” Onyx said. “I’ve stayed because I thought it was what was best for the coven, but I’m realizing that if I don’t have the tools to thrive here, I’m never going to be able to help in the capacity I want to.”

“You need to do what’s best for you,” I stated. “The coven needs you, but if your community can’t take care of you and give you what you need, then it doesn’t deserve to keep you.”

“You come first,” Nadine agreed. “Whatever you need to do, you have our full support. We’re just really going to miss you.”

Onyx choked back tears. “I’m really going to miss you guys, too.”

We wrapped Onyx in a group hug and held her for a long time. It was sad and melancholy, because it truly felt like the goodbye hug that it was. This wasn’t just some idea Onyx came up with in the heat of the moment. This was real, and we had to come to terms with the fact that one of our closest friends was leaving for good. I didn’t know when or if we’d ever see her again.

We didn’t want to see her go, but we also didn’t fight to make her stay, because no matter how hard this was, we all knew this was what was best for her.

Didn’t make it any easier, though.

Onyx finally drew away, wiping her eyes. “Thank you all for being here. I’m ready for this, and that means it’s time to turn in my resignation papers.”

“I’ll come with you,” Chloe offered.

Chloe and Onyx headed off in one direction, and Nadine and I followed Talia back to Grant’s room.

“Do you think this is the right decision—sending Onyx to make alliances with the fae?” Talia asked as we entered the building.

“I’m not sure,” I confessed. “But I do know that sometimes being there for a friend means giving them space, and right now, we have to support whatever Onyx decides.”

Nadine sighed heavily. “I wish we could fix everything for our friends. Grant’s sick, and Onyx is going through a crisis. Jess is leaving town. Everyone’s having problems, and it seems there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“We can be there for them,” I said. “That’s all we really can do.”

“We need to prepare better for these kinds of things,” Nadine insisted. “The priestesses are still out there building an army. We can’t predict what kind of emergencies we might face in the future. If one of us gets sick, or we get separated, we need a way to stay in contact with each other—magical or otherwise.”

“I agree,” I said. “We’ve all been learning how to astral travel, and we can use it if all else fails. It’s something even humans can do, which means we should be able to use it even if we’re cut off from our magic. We need to agree on a place on the astral plane where we can meet if we ever get separated.”

We didn’t want to bother Grant with any heavy topics, so we stopped outside his room. Through the curtain, I could see that he had fallen asleep.

“We could meet at the Olson estate,” Talia offered.

“That’s too obvious,” I countered. “If the priestesses found out we were on the astral plane, they could come looking for us, and we don’t want them messing with our spirits while they’re outside our bodies.”

We all still wore our protection beads we’d received from Professor Ward after her death. They protected us from astral travelers and spiritual spies. I could still feel the magic pulsing through the beads, and we were protected, for now. Either the priestesses were too preoccupied building their army, or even the Master Wand couldn’t break through this spell, because the protection charm hadn’t been broken. But that didn’t mean the priestesses wouldn’t try if they got desperate.

“There’s one place they don’t know about,” Nadine stated. “The abandoned mansion behind the school.”

“Everyone knows that place is there,” Talia said.

“They know it exists, but they don’t know what that place means to us,” Nadine pointed out. “They wouldn’t think to look for us there.”

“That’s the perfect spot,” I agreed.

“That mansion is protected by magic,” Talia pointed out. “Will the spell prevent us from going there on the astral plane?”

Nadine wore a contemplative look. “We’ve never tried. We should test it out.”

“Nadine and I can handle that,” I offered. “You should stay here with Grant. We’ll let you know what we find.”

Talia nodded. “All right. I’ll keep you updated on his progress.”

Nadine and I left the hospital, and we drove home. The house was empty except for the cats, because Professor Wykoff had taken Marcus and Rose to story time at the library. It was nice coming home to a quiet house in the middle of the day, because we rarely had this time off work.

I kicked off my shoes, and Nadine put on calming music as we climbed into bed together. We had to lock Rishi out of the room, or he’d bat at our faces and wouldn’t let us meditate. Isa curled up in Nadine’s arms, and Oliver snuggled against my leg.

Nadine curled into me. “Meet you on the other side.”

We fell into a deep mediation together, which was getting easier to do the more we practiced. I pictured my spirit melting into the mattress, imagining my body and mind separating. Soon, my body felt as if it was spinning, and I lost all sense of direction as I meditated to the astral plane.

As I became aware again, I found myself transported to the grounds outside the abandoned mansion. We hadn’t been there all summer, and it was as beautiful as ever, with ivy growing up the side of the house. The stone steps leading up to the front door were cracked, but there was a charm beneath the layers of overgrown bushes and towering trees. This had been our place when we’d been attending Miriam College of Witchcraft, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until now.

The abandoned mansion was even more beautiful on the astral plane. Here, colors didn’t quite match up with their shapes, so each ivy leaf glowed a rainbow of ethereal colors, displaying all shades of green at once. The house itself glimmered against the backdrop of a purple sky.

Nadine was already standing on the front steps, waiting for me. Isa’s and Oliver’s spirits prowled at her feet.

“You made it,” Nadine teased.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” I said.

I was still staring up at the towering turret in wonder. This building was on the verge of falling down on the physical plane, but here, it seemed more solid. It felt like looking at two images at the same time—as if I could see the potential of what this house could be, overlaid against the dangling shingles. I couldn’t tell which was real.

I took Nadine’s outstretched hand, which was solid against my own, though my skin tingled where we touched. We approached the doorway, and together, we stepped straight through the wall. I got the overwhelming sensation that I was coming home.

Nadine paused in the entryway and looked back at the door. “It looks like the home’s protection spell still lets us through on the astral plane.”

“Then we can tell the others this is our official meeting place,” I said. “Though let’s hope we never have to use it.”

The sound of a cat meowing caught our attention. Isa and Oliver were standing at our feet in spirit form, but it sounded like it’d come from down the hall. Curiously, I stepped forward.

“Here, little fella,” I called, though I didn’t know if the cat could hear me.

A cat poked its head out from behind a doorway, perking its ears and tilting its head at us. At first, I thought it was standing on a piece of furniture around the corner, but it leapt out from behind the doorway and appeared to be floating in mid-air. The cat somersaulted in the air, leaving behind a trail of colors. The cat had a solid gray coat of fur, but here on the astral plane, it glowed a bright purple and magenta.

The creature let out a happy trill, and Isa and Oliver leapt into the air to greet the cat, floating alongside it as ethereal beings. The cats sniffed one another, then started licking each others’ ears in approval.

“Aww,” Nadine cooed. “It’s a spirit cat. He must be really lonely living here by himself.”

“Technically, not living,” I joked.

We stepped forward, and the cat let us scratch him behind the ears. He purred loudly, which seemed amplified in our spirit form. The sound was really comforting.

“I wonder how long he’s been here,” I mused. “If he was left behind by the previous owners, it’s been over a decade.”

“He’s been here a while,” Nadine stated with certainty. “Every time we’ve come here, I can feel a welcoming but lonely energy. I think this cat has been waiting for company.”

“You don’t have to wait anymore, buddy,” I told him as I stroked his tail. “We’re here.”

The cat’s ears perked up when I said the word buddy .

“Is that your name?” Nadine asked. “Buddy?”

The cat jumped, then spun around in a circle.

“Either way, I think he likes it,” I said. “Don’t worry, Buddy. We’ll come to visit you as often as we can.”

I scratched him under the chin, and Buddy pulled away to sniff my fingers. He must’ve decided he really liked me, because he started rubbing his cheeks over my knuckles and purring even louder. Buddy crawled up my arm, until he was standing on my shoulders and nuzzling against my face.

Then he bit me in the ear, and his sharp fangs pierced me as hard.

“Ow, Buddy!” I scolded.

Buddy jumped down from my shoulders and scurried over to the stairs near us. I held my ear, but the pain quickly subsided, like I’d only imagined it.

Nadine chuckled. “You must’ve done something he didn’t like.”

“I didn’t do anything. I was only petting him.”

Buddy cocked his head, and I realized there was intention behind his eyes.

“I think he was trying to get my attention,” I said. “It looks like he wants us to follow him.”

Buddy hopped down from the stairs and ran down the hall. Isa and Oliver chased after him, and Nadine and I followed. Buddy stopped in front of the door that led to the primary bedroom and pawed at the floor.

It’d been years since Nadine and I had been in this part of the house. Being back here made my heart skip a beat as I thought of the night we’d shared together in this very room. It’d been here that we’d gotten back together after our breakup, and here that we’d seen each other naked for the first time. That night had been a massive turning point in our relationship, and I would forever cherish it.

“I think he wants us to see what’s inside.” Nadine went to walk through the door, but she stumbled back as if she’d been shocked.

I caught her, though she didn’t appear hurt. “You okay?”

She eyed the door curiously. “That’s weird. This door shouldn’t be solid.”

Instinctually, I reached for the door handle to test it out, and my hand met solid metal. I twisted the handle, and the door swung open. I was surprised to see the bedroom I expected to find there was gone, replaced by what appeared to be a small, dark closet. It was filled with all kinds of odds and ends, some of them hovering in mid-air, like gravity didn’t exist here. There were two items that stood out amongst the other—a black robe, and a scythe.

I reached out to run my fingers over the smooth fabric of the robe. “It’s… mine. All this stuff is mine.”

“Lucas, it’s your stash!” Nadine exclaimed. “We found it, just like how we found mine back at my dorm room at school during our astral travel lessons.”

“I wonder how Buddy knew.”

“I think he recognized your scent,” Nadine said.

I pulled my reaper robe out of the closet and slipped it on. It was completely solid, and I ran my fingers over the fabric to help make sense of it. “I don’t understand why it’s here of all places.”

“You keep your stash wherever you feel safe and at home, right?” Nadine asked. “It makes sense that you would keep yours here, because this has always been a safe place for us.”

“But I never came here until I met you,” I pointed out. “I had my magic long before then.”

Nadine shrugged. “Who’s to say the location of your stash can’t change? After everything that happened at the school, I’m certain my stash isn’t in my dorm room anymore.”

“Where do you think it is?” I asked.

Nadine pressed her lips together. “Probably back at the estate, though I’m not sure what door it’s behind.”

“We could go check,” I offered. “It’s good to know we can move our stashes, in case their safety is ever compromised.”

Nadine bent down to scratch Buddy behind the ears, and he purred loudly. “Thanks for showing us this. We’ll be back again to see you. We promise.”

Buddy gave a cheerful meow, then bowed his head to say goodbye.

To get back home, all we had to do was visualize where we wanted to go. Our spirits materialized back in the main room of our suite. Isa and Oliver followed us in spirit form. Rishi noticed us right away, circling around our feet like he was happy to see us. I bent to stroke him on the top of the head, but I couldn’t touch him in my spirit form.

“My best guess is that my stash is at the entrance to our suite,” Nadine said, but when she tried the door, her hand went straight through it.

“Maybe the bedroom?” I suggested, only that didn’t work, either. We went around the suite trying different doors, but nothing happened.

“The only door we haven’t tried is the bedroom closet,” I offered.

I stepped straight through the bedroom door, where mine and Nadine’s bodies were soundlessly sleeping on the bed. Isa’s spirit jumped onto the mattress, and she stared down at her body in Nadine’s arms.

Nadine followed me into the bedroom. She tried the closet door, and she let out a gleeful yelp when the door swung open. “I found it!”

The door swung open to reveal a small closet with her things inside. A folded piece of paper floated by our heads.

“Oh, hey. I forgot I had this.” Nadine plucked it out of the air.

“What is it?” I asked.

She handed me the piece of paper. “See for yourself.”

I unfurled the paper to find my own handwriting on the inside.

Our hands entwined

Just like our fate

The day we met

You stole my heart away

I’m forever yours

I’ll always be

Because you’ll always have

This part of me

“It’s one of the first poems I wrote for you,” I realized. “I didn’t know you’d kept it.”

“Of course I did,” Nadine said. “I keep all of them. They’re really special. I love looking back on them.”

“It means a lot that you keep them,” I told her. My body stirred on the bed, and I realized I was starting to wake up.

Nadine noticed, too. “Looks like our time on the astral plane is over.”

I held out my hand to give her the poem back, but before I could, the room around me vanished. My eyes opened, and I lay flat on my back on the bed. Nadine awoke beside me, and the cats both stretched as they came out of the meditation.

Nadine rolled toward me, and I curled her in my arms, but I paused abruptly when I heard the crinkle of paper. Nadine looked confused, and we both sat upright. I glanced down at myself to see I was still wearing the reaper robe I’d put on while we were astral traveling, and the poem I’d been holding was in my hands—just as solid as the bed beneath me.

Nadine stared down at the piece of paper. “Lucas, how are you still holding that poem?”

“I don’t know.” I ran my fingers over the robes, and those were solid, too. “I must’ve conjured it.”

“But the poem wasn’t in your stash to conjure,” Nadine pointed out. She reached out for it, and it crinkled in her hand. “And if you’d have conjured your robes, you wouldn’t be wearing them. This is different than conjuring magic. It’s like you pulled objects straight from the astral plane onto the physical, but I don’t know how that’s possible. I’ve never heard of magic like that.”

“It’s got to have something to do with my reaper magic,” I theorized. “The reaper plane is another level of existence that goes beyond even the astral plane, so it stands to reason I have some sort of influence on the astral plane that other people don’t. If I can move souls between realms, then maybe I’m powerful enough to move objects between planes of existence, too.”

“This could be useful,” Nadine mused.

What she was getting at clicked immediately. “Do you think the priestesses are hiding something on the astral plane?”

“It could be possible,” Nadine theorized. “They might have some sort of weapon that we don’t know about hiding there, and if they aren’t showing their hand, we don’t know what’s coming.”

“Then I’m going to use whatever spare time I have to keep searching the astral plane,” I decided. “We don’t have enough information about what the priestesses are planning. We know they’re building a golem army to attack on Halloween, but there could be information that we’re missing. We could use astral traveling to learn more about their planned attack. We need to make sure, just in case.”

We had to at least try, because if the priestesses showed up with even more surprises, we were done for. I needed to get ahead of whatever they were planning.

Otherwise, the coven wouldn’t survive the outcome.