Neil looks just as surprised, his eyes wild as he looks from the empty spot where Derek used to be up to me. I can only nod, still gaping, and a second later he's gone, too.

"Oh my god," I breathe, far past stunned now and veering dangerously into outright scared.

It's a trick, I think. It has to be a trick. There are wizards in this place, I know because I've met the most famous wizard ever, so it's not an impossibility. Neil had looked shocked, but he's already shown me he can be a good actor and--

Oh my god.

Between one blink and the next, everything's changed. Actually, I'm not sure I've even blinked at all, but the sun is gone, the air reeking of smoke and sulfur and rot. It still looks like the park, but the trees are sorta bent and withered, what used to be the picnic table looks rotted out and mangled.

"Derek!" I shout, my heart leaping in relief when I spot him only a few yards away. Neil's with him and they both look as shocked as I feel.

This definitely no longer feels like a trick.

Without another thought, I'm running towards them, heart in my throat. "What's happened? What is this?"