I texted my sister before last period and asked if she would pick me and my friends up and drive us to our house after school. I was surprised when Romy said yes. She was even nice to us in the car—especially when she heard Anji and I were going to audition for the musical. She seemed super excited to help us figure out our audition songs and gave us a bunch of pointers for looking confident up onstage. She told us it was a little-known secret that the musical director loved Disney movies, especially The Little Mermaid, and told us he would go nuts if someone sang one of the songs from a classic Disney film. Anji seemed doubtful, but Romy promised she was telling the truth, and I believed her for the first time in a while. It was really nice to see the sister I remembered from before the divorce making a guest appearance.
As soon as we got to my house, my friends and I hid out in my room, eating Doritos. We didn’t have long before Anji would have to go home for family night, so I knew I couldn’t stall if I wanted their help. “Okay, so here’s the thing . . .” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I’m pretty sure something really weird happened to me on the night of the eclipse.” I pulled my legs up against my chest and propped my chin on my knees. “When I didn’t come back to the roof at Velvet’s house on my birthday, it was actually because something happened. And since then, a lot more strange somethings have been happening.”
“Like what?” Anji asked casually.
I felt my cheeks flush. What I was about to tell them sounded so stupid and crazy outside my own head. It sounded impossible inside my head too. I stuffed a few chips in my mouth then finally began, “So that night, I got lost when I was trying to find my way back from the bathroom. The eclipse was about to start, and I was alone on this other part of Velvet’s roof trying to figure out how to get back to you guys. I don’t exactly know what happened, but I was walking and all of a sudden I . . . collapsed or something. When I woke up again, the eclipse was over and Velvet was with me. She was saying all these things to me that didn’t make any sense.” I took a breath and shook my head. “But I had this dream while I was out—a dream that, afterward, I realized might have actually been kind of real. And I’ve been having more dreams like it. But I’m pretty sure they’re not only dreams. I think they’re things that are actually happening, but I don’t remember.”
I looked up at my friends. I knew I wasn’t making any sense, but they weren’t laughing at me or looking at me like I was crazy. They both just looked curious and a little confused. I took a deep breath and went on, trying to explain myself better. “Here’s the thing: Ever since my birthday, people have been telling me about things I’ve said and done—when I was pretty sure I was asleep—that seem totally unlike me. When I wake up, I get brief flashes of memories, but they’re those fuzzy-edged memories you have when you wake up. Like dreams you can sort of remember, if you really try hard, you know?”
My friends just stared back at me. They didn’t know. In their silence the only sound was the rustle of the chip bag. “Like amnesia?” Jonathan asked finally. “You’re forgetting things?”
I sighed. “No, I don’t think so. But I don’t know. All I know is that people have been acting really differently toward me since the night of Velvet’s party. People keep telling me about things I’ve done that sound really fun! And my hair!” I grabbed at the ends of my hair and tugged, as if pulling it would make it pop off like a wig. “I woke up one morning with purple hair, and I seriously don’t remember dyeing it.” I flopped back onto my bed and closed my eyes. “And you know how people are talking about me hanging out with Will and his friends at the river? Don’t remember that, either.” I told them about my wet sneakers, and how I’d stayed home sick the day before and couldn’t remember signing up for the fall musical auditions, and my weird dream about yelling at the kooky bus guy and how he gave me a new travel mug that morning. “Even though I don’t actually remember doing any of these things, it’s clear that—somehow—I am. It’s almost like I’m living a secret double life. Like there are two of me or something.”
Anji nodded solemnly. “You know this sounds strange, yes?”
“It sounds impossible. I know.”
“Okay.” She chewed on her lower lip. “So what happened that night at Velvet’s party? When you collapsed or whatever.”
“No clue,” I said. “I thought I heard someone behind me, but I might have imagined that. It’s like I just fell asleep and totally missed the eclipse.”
“What’s the last thing you remember before you blacked out?” Jonathan asked.
“I was trying to get back to you guys.” I felt myself flush. “And I was thinking about all the things I would wish for during the eclipse.”
“Whoa.” Jonathan’s eyes widened. “What did you wish for?”
“I didn’t wish to fall asleep during the eclipse,” I said, avoiding the question. “The wishes don’t matter. What I’m worried about is what could be happening. Why does it seem like I’m doing all this strange stuff, but I don’t remember doing it?”
Anji chewed her lip. “Do you think you’ve been sleepwalking, and you just don’t know it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
“Have you ever been a sleepwalker before?” Jonathan asked.
“Never,” I said. “At least, not that I know of. Really, it doesn’t seem like sleepwalking. I’ve done a little research, and it sounds like most sleepwalking people usually do nonsensical things, and then wake up in some random place. It’s not like you’re actually going about your regular-life business when you’re sleepwalking. I mean, some people do normal stuff, but when I poked around online, it looked like the longest anyone’s been known to sleepwalk is half an hour. I have hours of missing time. Like all day yesterday when I stayed home sick to sleep!”
“Why did you stay home to sleep?” Jonathan wondered. “My mom would never let me stay home to nap. That is, like, my dream day.”
I laughed. “The first few times any of these weird things happened were at night. I wondered if I could prevent anything else from happening if I kept myself awake all night. So to test it, I set my alarm to wake myself up every fifteen minutes on Wednesday night. But now it seems like whatever is going on can happen during the day, too. Whenever I’m asleep. Like yesterday, while I thought I was home sick, but apparently I wasn’t.”
“That was a good theory, though,” Anji noted, rubbing her hands together. “What other theories have you come up with?”
I took a deep breath. “Honestly? I’m worried I’m going crazy. Is it possible I’m like Jekyll and Hyde?” That was as far as I’d gotten on my own. I stuck a little piece of my hair in my mouth and chewed it. Was it possible I was slowly being poisoned by my hair dye? I spit it out.
Anji jumped up suddenly and said, “What if your mom’s been right all these years?”
I looked at her curiously. I had told her about my mom’s magical obsessions the week before my birthday when I was explaining why it was such a big deal I’d been born during an eclipse. “You mean, what if this is something weird? Like, magical?”
“Whatever is going on seems to have started the night of the eclipse, right?” Anji said. “There has to be some connection.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Now that Anji had brought up the idea of magic, I reluctantly told them about how the moonstone had changed on my birthday. Then I held it out for both of them to see. Anji grabbed it from me and studied it closely.
“With the moon and everything, have you considered that maybe you’re a werewolf?” Jonathan laughed, but I could tell it was just to break the tension. “But I guess that would mean you turn into a wolf for these secret outings. I ate lunch with you yesterday, and I don’t remember you being furry.” He squinted a little as he studied my face. He reached out and tipped my chin back. “Is that a small shadow of a beard I see?”
“I’m not a werewolf,” I said, tossing my slipper at him.
It felt good to open up to them, but I was also a little worried—deep down—that somehow voicing my secrets aloud might change things. Of course I wanted to figure out what was happening to me, and why. I worried that I was losing control of my own life. But at the same time, I wondered if it was wrong that I liked some of the side effects of my forgotten moments? The way Will was acting toward me and how we were becoming friends again; the way I was starting to feel like something more than a footstool to Velvet; how refreshing it felt to be noticed.
“I really am concerned I’m going crazy,” I admitted. Then I added quietly, “But, you guys, the most messed up thing is that I’m sort of enjoying the way people have been acting around me this week.” I groaned. “I hate that my life feels so off schedule. You know I hate veering off plan. I didn’t mean to sign up for auditions. I didn’t mean to start hanging out with Will again. I never would have dared to dye my hair purple. Of course I want those things . . .” I trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken. The part where I added but I never would have the guts to do them.
They both nodded solemnly, saying nothing for a few minutes. I could tell they were taking it all in, trying to figure out how to deal with me. Just like I’d been doing for the past week.
“What does it feel like when you wake up after one of these dreams?” Anji asked, cupping the moonstone in her palm.
“It feels like it always does after you wake up from a super-weird dream,” I said. “I remember little snatches of events and conversations, but nothing that comes together as a full memory.” I told them sometimes I could remember specific things, like the way I’d tasted cookies when I woke up the morning after I’d gone to the river with Will. “I am super tired, but I guess that’s because it seems like I haven’t really been sleeping. Whenever I’m supposed to be sleeping, I’m apparently going out and doing stuff instead. So I guess my body hasn’t really had a full night’s sleep in a week?”
Jonathan asked, “Why do you think this is happening?”
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling hopeless. “I can’t explain any of it, and it’s scary, actually, not having control over little snippets of your life. That’s where you guys come in.”
“I’m glad you told us,” Anji said. She heaved a sigh. “I can’t believe you were keeping this to yourself, Lucia. I don’t know what Velvet did to you to make you not trust people, but you have to learn to lean on your friends again. That’s what we’re here for.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. “Thank you. I really need a friend right now.”
“You have two!” Jonathan said, gesturing wildly at himself and Anji. “One, two!”
I laughed and felt some of the fear begin to melt away. I had told them everything, and nothing terrible had happened. “So . . . will you guys help me?”
“Call me Nate the Great!” Jonathan said, pointing his finger in the air. “Jigsaw Jones! Hardy Boy!”
“I’m not calling you any of those things,” Anji said drily.
“If there’s a mystery to solve, I’m your guy!” Jonathan cheered.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Anji laughed. “If you’re going to solve this mystery the way Jigsaw Jones or Nate the Great would, maybe you should start hunting for some sort of code to crack. Or a magical coin.”
Jonathan pulled his eyebrows together. “A magical coin, eh?”
Anji and I both broke into a fit of giggles.
He held up his hand. “Don’t laugh . . . you may be onto something.”
We laughed even harder. He held out his hand for the moonstone. “What about this? It seems connected somehow. It’s like a clue, yes?”
I agreed and told them what I’d learned about moonstones. Jonathan took the stone and turned it over and over in his palm. He gave Anji a pointed look and said, “Never diss the magic coin. Which, in this case, is actually a magic stone. Maybe. This is definitely a thread we should follow.” He glanced up. “Do you have a microscope?”
“Why?” I asked. “And no.”
“We should get a closer look at it,” he said. “I have a microscope at home. I could take it home with me and see if there’s anything weird?”
“Umm . . .” It made me a little nervous to think about giving up my moonstone, even if it was only for a short while. What if something terrible happened to it . . . or to me? What if he lost it? But I didn’t want Jonathan to think I didn’t trust him.
“I’ll bring it back first thing tomorrow.” He smiled. “Please? We have to track every lead, yes?”
“Let me think about it for a little bit,” I said sheepishly. Eager to change the subject, I said, “The other thing is, my mom has this old friend who’s really into dreams and stuff. Suze. She’s kind of odd, but . . . I don’t know. Maybe I should talk to a doctor first.”
“I definitely think it would be worth talking to your mom’s friend,” Anji blurted out.
“But everything my mom believes in is stupid,” I said, feeling only a little bit bad for being so blunt.
Anji shook her head. “That’s not true. I don’t think you can dismiss it without considering the possibility that something magical could be going on. There’s no reason not to talk to this lady and see if she can give you any interesting information, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Jonathan agreed.
“You both think I should meet with her?” I scanned their faces. They nodded. “I have to admit, as dumb as my mom’s magic monkey business is, I have a weird feeling about all of this.”
“Do you think this Suze chick might be able to help?” Jonathan wondered. “And have you tried talking to your mom about what’s been going on? She seems like the perfect person to talk to, since she’s all into this stuff.”
“I haven’t told my mom anything other than mentioning the weird dreams,” I admitted. I didn’t tell them I hadn’t shared anything with my mom lately, that I wasn’t about to confide in her unless it was absolutely necessary. “I know she’ll freak out and tell my dad, and that’s the last thing he needs to deal with.” My heart was racing. “Do you think there’s something seriously wrong with me?”
Anji wrapped an arm around me. “I don’t know.” She leaned her head against mine. It felt so good to have other people who knew.
Jonathan smiled reassuringly. “I am glad you told us, so you’re not worrying about this by yourself.”
“I wish you had trusted us enough to tell us sooner,” Anji added.
Jonathan went over to my desk and opened the laptop. “Mind if I do a little browsing online?”
“Feel free,” I said. “I’ve searched on everything that I thought could be even a little bit connected. I hit a dead end.”
Jonathan poked around online for a while. While he searched, I pulled out a few of the books my mom had given me for my birthdays. Anji and I read about witchy magic and paranormal activity and hauntings. None of it seemed at all connected, except the moonstone bits I’d already read, and there wasn’t much in that section that seemed relevant.
“This book is mostly about horoscopes and astrological signs,” Anji said, pawing through a slim book. “Were you born on a cusp?”
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“What’s a cusp?” Jonathan asked. “Cusp makes me think of custard, which makes me think of dessert. Got anything good in the kitchen, Lucia?”
“Lucky Charms?” I offered. “Help yourself. Cupboard next to the fridge.”
Jonathan dashed downstairs and returned a minute later with an overflowing bowl of Lucky Charms. “Your dad’s down there,” he said. “Cool guy. He says hi, and seemed surprised that you have friends over. Not bad surprised, just surprised.”
“He’s home?”
“Yeah,” Jonathan slurred through a mouthful of colored marshmallows. “He’s watching TV.”
“Of course he is,” I muttered. “That’s all he does, ever since my mom left. I wish I could figure out some way to get him to go out with friends or something again. He needs to move on.”
“Have you suggested that he go out?” Anji asked. “He might just need a nudge.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to hurt his feelings and tell him I think he’s kind of a loser.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you don’t. But you’re thinking it? That’s almost worse. Why don’t you just try being honest?”
“The truth hurts,” I said.
Jonathan took another huge bite of his cereal, slopping a bit of milk onto my rug. “Sorry,” he said. “Hey, you never told me what a cusp is, Anj.”
“Oh, right,” she said, glancing up from the book she was paging through. “If someone’s born on a cusp, it means they’re born on one of the days that kind of falls between two astrological signs. Sometimes, if you’re born on a cusp it sort of splits your personality in two. For example, I’m just reading about people born between August nineteenth and August twenty-fourth. They’re on the Leo-Virgo cusp. So a lot of times they can be either super-duper outgoing, or extra secretive. It says here that Leo-Virgo cusps are really good at figuring out when to speak up and when to keep quiet.” She looked at me. “It also says people born on the Leo-Virgo cusp need to let others into their lives to share their feelings. Hiding away is a bad thing . . . sound like anyone we know? A certain someone who kept all these weird happenings to herself? Hmm?”
“Me?” I asked. “I wasn’t born in August. My birthday was last week. I’m a Libra, the most boring sign ever. We’re all about balance. We like harmony, and peace, and keeping other people happy. We’re also, apparently, very charming.” I grinned at her.
Anji nodded. “But listen to this. It’s kind of interesting: ‘This cusp is influenced by Leo’s flair for the dramatic and Virgo’s lack of sociability. When the strengths of both signs come together—combining the power of two signs—these individuals will really discover their true abilities.’ ”
“I’m still not an August baby,” I reminded her.
“The power of two,” Anji said, looking up from the book. “Bringing together two halves of your personality . . . it’s kind of what’s happening to you, isn’t it? You’re usually all quiet and shy and secretive, but in these dreams you’ve been having—or whatever is happening—you’re acting like a different person. It’s almost like another side of your personality is coming out, yes?”
“Maybe,” I said. Jonathan wiggled his eyebrows.
“Okay, here’s what we know so far,” Anji said, ticking things off on her fingers. “You have a changed moonstone, have been having weird dreams about things you kind of wish you had the guts to do, odd things are happening when you think you’re asleep . . . and it all started on the night of the eclipse. Which was also the night of your birthday.”
“Yep.”
She asked, “It’s all connected somehow, don’t you think?”
“I think it must be,” I agreed. “So what do the moonstone, my birthday, the eclipse, and my dreams all have to do with one another?”
Neither of them said anything. Finally, Jonathan shrugged and said, “No clue. Jigsaw Jones and Nate the Great can only take me so far. And unless you give me the moonstone for the night, we’re kinda stuck on that lead.”
“We’ve got to go see this Suze chick,” Anji said finally. “We’re stuck. There’s no rational way to explain any of this, so I think our only choice is to talk to one of the people you call crazy.”
“She’s not crazy,” I said. “Just a little unusual. Floaty.”
“Whatever she is, she’s a lead. You call her, and we’ll go with you to talk to her,” Anji instructed.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” I saluted her. For once I was happy to have someone else take the lead.
“In the meantime,” she said, “we have to figure out how you’re going to get some sleep. We need to keep your sleepy-time wanderings to a minimum.”
I knew she was right, but still a part of me was curious about what else might happen if I did let myself fall asleep. What would happen if I just let go?
“What if Anji spent the night?” Jonathan suggested. “She could keep an eye on you if you went to sleep. You could take turns, being Lucia lookout. And hey, if Anji’s here to protect you, you wouldn’t need your moonstone, right?”
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” I said, glancing at Anji and ignoring Jonathan’s question.
“You wouldn’t. But you should,” she said, fixing me with a stern look. “That’s what friends are for. Maybe that’s not the way your friendship with Velvet worked, but that’s how it works with me. True friendships are built through trust and helping each other.”
“Okay, then,” I said, relief washing over me. “Will you stay over?”
Anji cringed. She looked sheepish and said, “Um, but tonight is family night. I know my parents won’t let me. How about tomorrow?”
“I can stay for a while tonight,” Jonathan offered. “No family night for me. My mom’s working late. I’m guessing your dad wouldn’t be super psyched about me staying over, but I can definitely stick around for a while. We can hang out and maybe you can nap or something while I’m here to watch over you?”
We all cracked up when he said that. The thought of napping while Jonathan sat over me and kept watch seemed seriously creepy. But a nap was really appealing, and I was happy that he was willing to hang out even without Anji being around. I wondered if Anji was okay with us spending time without her—Velvet would have been insanely jealous if she were in the same position. “Is that okay with you?” I asked her. “If the two of us hang out without you?”
“Of course!” Anji said without a moment’s pause. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Then, yeah,” I said. “Sounds good.”
“I promise I’ll figure out some way to convince my parents to let me stay over tomorrow night,” Anji vowed. “This is going to be super fun. Me, you, and nighttime Lu!”