By the time we weave our way through the tree-cloaked pathway toward the beach, I know something is wrong. My heart pounds in my ears, and my skin feels too hot and tight for my body. My throat is dry, and I constantly swallow to keep it moisturized. I’m starting to worry that I breathed in that potion, and I check my arms to see if its effects are visible on my skin.
“Something’s wrong with me,” I say to Elijah, who suddenly goes ghostly quiet.
“Yep.” It’s a short reply, his voice so thick it almost sounds like he’s choking.
I stop walking, realizing he was closer to the potion when it crashed to the floor. If it affected me, it must have hit him harder. “Elijah, are you okay?”
He stops short as his gaze locks onto the distant beach. The massive bonfire flickers like a beacon, its fla
