Since Jason and Greyson stopped the mysterious process, no other fifteen-year-old had vanished from The Bubble. No more kids were taken by unseen forces. No more fell prey to Ashley's manipulation. The silence was supposed to bring relief. Instead, it settled over the town like pressure before a storm.

Greyson hadn't returned since his exile, but his absence didn't feel like a victory—more like the quiet before a deeper, darker storm. And now, something had shifted in the air, something Jason couldn't name.

The days of endless ice cream, chocolate-covered snacks, and bags of chips were a distant memory. The supply had dried up, replaced by dented cans with faded labels. Now, every meal felt more like survival than comfort.

Jason stood inside Party Culture, once Coffee Culture—a distraction from the chaos outside. Nevaeh had rebranded it, hoping to make people forget the horrors they'd endured.

The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Nothing about The Bubble felt like a party anymore—not with empty shelves, hollow eyes, and music turned loud enough to drown out the fear.

Strobe lights flickered in bursts of pink and blue, flashing against the black-painted windows and turning familiar faces into strangers. For a few seconds at a time, the place felt less like a dying town and more like a nightclub.

Laughter echoed, punctuated by the shuffle of bodies swaying to the loud music from a dusty boombox spinning old pop CDs.

At the counter, Nevaeh smirked, her eyes gleaming as she poured watered-down pomegranate juice into mismatched cups. "Quit standing there!" she yelled over the blaring music.

Nevaeh and Nelson had launched Party Culture after Burger King's downfall. The party hub brought in some quick sales, but it soon drained their already dwindling supplies.

"Where's the housewife?" Nevaeh teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Not into partying anymore?"

Jason pressed his lips together. "She's just not up for it."

Bella hadn't been the same since Teagan's death. She barely left the house. When Jason tried to step outside, she clung to him—not angrily, not dramatically—just afraid. Afraid of losing him.

Nevaeh rolled her eyes. "Can't she just loosen up? She used to party before."

"I'll talk to her," Jason replied.

Mark stumbled in, arms loaded with bottles of beer and wine. They'd been stockpiling, fearing people would drink themselves into oblivion. Lately, that fear was becoming a grim reality.

Despite everything, Party Culture was packed. People danced with wild energy, while others slumped in booths, their eyes bloodshot from crying or sleepless nights. The air reeked of sweat, mixed with the faint, artificial sweetness of watered-down juice.

Yet, there had been a recent issue. Luke had broken into Foodland again, stealing cans of food. Esme had chased after him but was injured when he used his noodle arm to slash her neck, causing it to bleed.

"Bro, do you see how thick the clouds are?" Mark shouted over the music.

Jason frowned and followed Mark to the front door. The sky was shrouded in a thick grey haze. Not overcast—wrong. The clouds hung low and unmoving.

It was the first time in weeks that the ever-blue sky had shifted.

"Been like this for an hour," Mark said, glancing upward. "And every time I go back inside, it gets darker."

A chill ran down Jason's spine. He wondered if the dark clouds were a sign of someone with no control over their powers. If someone could manipulate the weather, it might help water the crops.

"Those are snow clouds, not rain clouds." Jason looked over at Emma, who had a water bottle in her hand. "My dad taught me the difference. Snow clouds are more hazy."

The plaza was now drenched in darkness, with streetlights flickering to life. People around were pointing up at the sky and murmuring.

"This is definitely it," Emma mumbled to herself.

Emma had told Jason she felt something bad was coming. It wasn't bad—it was dangerous. Divina had warned about a storm and how Ashley had been off the radar for months.

"Are you sure it's not Greyson?" Jason asked.

Greyson had always stirred up conflict for power, but his plan had backfired. He hadn't set foot in town since their birthday—only a few of his minions slipped in to steal food.

The sky darkened further, and Jason couldn't shake the nagging feeling that they were on the edge of something far worse than food shortages.

"Probably just a phase," Mark said, shrugging off Emma's concern.

Before Jason could respond, Jade glided up to them on her ice, sighing. "Preston stole food again."

Luke wasn't the only one turning to theft. Preston had been using his invisibility to swipe food from Foodland—and anyone with a stash. Esme had caught him once, but only because he was with Maverick and Henry in an SUV.

Jason hadn't seen much of Henry lately, or Stick, who had become increasingly withdrawn after hitting Vickie. His guilt had consumed him, and his appearance had drastically changed. His weight has ballooned, and his once-muscular build now looks bloated and unrecognizable.

Despite being punished by Luke, Henry stayed loyal to Greyson.

It seemed like everyone in town had picked a side, like it was a game of dodgeball. But this wasn't a gym game, just two brothers at odds, each with their own vision of leadership and what their sides had to offer.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the plaza, whipping hair into the air and making shirts flutter.

"Chilly," someone commented as they exited Party Culture.

Jason froze. It was the first time the weather had shifted like this. It had never been cold in The Bubble, especially not without warning.

The boy who had just stepped out of Party Culture froze mid-step. His shoulders jerked once—then he started coughing. Not a small cough. A violent, tearing sound that bent him forward as he clawed at his throat.

Emma rushed to his side, but the coughing only grew more intense. The boy fell to his knees, vomiting onto the ground.

Emma turned her head, lips pressed together in disgust. "Okay, get him to the infirmary," she said, forcing out the words.

Mark quickly scooped the boy up, and Jade formed an ice path to the church. Jason followed, struggling to keep his balance on the narrow ice. They made their way down to the infirmary, where Mark laid the boy on a cot.

Emma placed her hand on the boy's forehead and flinched. She jerked her hand back like she'd touched a stove.

"He's burning up," she whispered.

Jason touched the boy's forehead, and it felt scorching. This wasn't something normal, even for someone who wasn't familiar with illnesses.

"Someone grab a cloth," Emma called out.

Mark rushed to the bathroom to grab an old rag and soak it in water. Emma placed a garbage pail next to the boy's side; his face was red, his coughing uncontrollable, and he was vomiting again.

As Mark pressed the cloth on the boy's forehead, Emma placed her hand on his chest.

"Is this the flu?" she asked, glancing at the two of them.

"Where's Cindy?" Jason asked, his voice tight with concern.

The only two people who could make a proper diagnosis were Melany and Cindy. But, since Melany had been shot and Cindy hadn't been seen in months, no one else knew.

Emma shook her head, muttering, "I'm not sure where she is."

Cindy hadn't been to the infirmary in a while. Ever since Melany's death and her resentment toward Luke, she'd been struggling to cope.

It was similar to how Bella reacted, but Cindy had chosen to isolate herself instead. Jason has been trying to encourage Bella to go out, but nothing was working.

The boy on the cot began shaking and stopped coughing. He breathed heavily, as if the air around him was freezing, like he'd fallen into the snow.

Emma stepped away from the boy, turning her back as she took a long drink of water. It reminded Jason of how Melany used to care for everyone's health before she died.

No one has stepped up to fill her role, and those who've tried to help didn't have much knowledge about medication.

"That isn't the flu, and no one's got a cold or anything," Emma said, turning back toward them.

"Cindy might know more about this," Jason chimed in.

He had no idea why anyone would already be getting sick. It could be an allergic reaction to something they ate or drank. Someone in his class had once had an allergic reaction to ice cream and thrown up.

There's also the issue of food. They still have canned supplies to eat, but only in small portions each day. People have been losing weight, and some no longer look the same. This could be a sign of whatever is causing this illness, but he didn't know for sure.

Emma slid the thermometer under the boy's mouth. They waited.

The device beeped.

Emma stared at it. Blinked. Shook it like it might be broken.

"That's not possible," she murmured.

Jason grabbed it from her.

120°F.

His stomach dropped.

Jason knew one thing for sure: people weren't supposed to have a temperature of 120. They could die from that kind of temperature.

"Maybe Jade could put some ice on him," Jason suggested.

"It might just melt it," Emma said.

Jason didn't want to go hunting for Cindy, but that might be their only option. He wasn't sure if she'd agree or if he could even find her.

"It could just be a cold," Mark shrugged.

"I'll try to find Cindy," Jason volunteered.

He rushed up the infirmary stairs and pushed open the brown door, seeing many people looking up at the dark sky. It was so cloudy that it looked like evening instead of the afternoon. He had to remind himself that it was just a phase. Whoever was controlling the weather must have gotten sick of the constant sunny days. September is supposed to be when it gets cloudy and temperatures begin to cool.

Jason knew Cindy often went to her own house. It was one of the few houses that hadn't been burned down by Ashley. It didn't seem like a good idea to go find her, but he had to. That illness the boy had wasn't normal; it was a virus. How exactly do viruses work? He wasn't sure and hoped that only this child had it.

Esme sped toward him, stopping abruptly. "Can't find Cindy?" she asked, breathless, as Jason nodded.

She started to speed off, but he grabbed her shirt.

"Calm down," he said as she yanked his hand away.

Esme sped off without a sound, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. She still had the same amount of energy she always had.

Glancing over at Foodland, Jason's eyes lingered on the guards standing up front.

Due to food shortages, they had severed ties with Uden Academy, a decision that had left the town more fragmented than ever. The stealing had been a desperate mix of impatience and survival, grabbing whatever goods they could find.

Jason wasn't sure what he'd do if he found Cindy. The illness was unlike anything they'd seen before—an eerie, unpredictable thing that spread through the wind.

He wondered if anyone at Uden Academy might know something about this illness, but no one came to mind. He could only speculate if they had discovered anything.

At Uden Academy, little had changed. The hum of the fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead as Greyson rose abruptly from his desk. Preston slid boxes of berry granola bars across the empty surface.

"Most of what I found was in abandoned houses," Preston muttered, his voice flat.

Greyson grabbed one and ripped the wrapper open with his teeth. The dry berry granola bar crumbled between his fingers as he shoved it into his mouth—food like this was rare now.

Since being banished from Simcoe four months ago, monotony had been suffocating. He had punished Luke with his strange arm that Ashley had given him.

Why did Luke attacked the daycare without following his own orders? The mistake still gnawed at him. He bit down harder on the granola bar.

Greyson had sent people to town for food, but he knew there had to be a better way. If he kept sending them out, Jason would burn one of their bodies as an example. He stared out the at the darkening sky beyond the window. Something was coming.

"Is some freak controlling the weather?" Greyson asked, eyes still fixed on the window.

Preston shrugged, his eyes darting to the window. "Some say it just started."

Lights flickered along the highway to town. Divina had warned them they had four months until something happened. Could this storm be what she meant? Endless rain or snow for weeks would make it easier to cover his tracks.

Using his henchmen, the guards would be too distracted by the storm, leaving them vulnerable. Sending an SUV to gather the last of the food might work, but something about this plan felt too simple. There had to be more to this.

James had gone to Simcoe, and Greyson needed him back. He wasn't just a computer geek; he held a medium rank, one Scarlett conveniently failed to mention.

Grabbing another granola bar, Greyson marched out of the office, Preston trailing behind. He descended the stairs, veering left toward what would be the gym, then paused at the door to where the pool, glaring back at Preston.

"If I catch you following me, I'll throw you into that wall." Greyson growled, shoving open the maroon doors to the changing room, leading into the pool.

The walls were white, and an empty lifeguard chair lay toppled on the floor. The deck was tiled maroon and white, with one large window on the left, offering a dim view of the schoolyard.

The indoor pool stretched out before him, lanes lined for racing, and a small pavilion stand with a white towel draped over it. Scarlett floated on her back, staring up up at the dim, flickering lights.

"Food," he called, holding out the granola bar toward her.

"I'll eat it later," she said, swimming lazily toward the ledge. "It's nice to get away from those thugs who don't shower."

"Do you know any freaks who control the weather?" Greyson asked, his tone blunt.

"No freak I know of," Scarlett replied, lifting herself out of the pool, dripping wet. "Unless Ashley's decided to play Mother Nature out of boredom."

"Why now?" Greyson snapped, his frustration growing. "Why wait four months?"

Scarlett shrugged, tearing open the granola bar wrapper. "Maybe she got tired of the sunny weather."

She quickly finished the granola bar, sitting on the bench, before rising once she was done. Greyson hadn't realized he had been scanning Scarlett's body until she snapped him from his thoughts.

"Yes, I'm wearing a bikini. Too much for your eyes?" Scarlett said with a sly smirk.

Her weight had dropped, like everyone else's at Uden Academy, but she was still beautiful. None of them still had the same healthy bodies they'd had four months ago.

"No," he muttered, his tone flat.

"I thought you said nobody was allowed into the pool."

"The leader gets an exception."

Scarlett arched a brow. "Did you come to go swimming then?" she asked as she smoothly slipped back into the water.

Greyson crouched on the wet deck, watching the water bead and slide across her skin. "Preston is right outside."

"And if he comes in, he'll get punished," Scarlett mocked. She was always aware of what he would do if someone disobeyed set orders.

"I should be figuring out a plan," Greyson said.

"Doesn't the Dauntless Leader need a break?" She slyly inquired, setting her elbow on the ledge of the pool.

"I don't have a swimsuit," he said.

"It's not like I've never seen you in your underwear before."

Greyson's face flushed at her comment. He stood and removed his shirt, undoing his belt and leaving him in his underwear.

Scarlett swam back, giving him room to enter the pool. At first, he hesitated, thinking he should get back and figure out a plan for getting food. He sank himself into the water but felt the coldness and glared at her.

"Too cold?" Scarlett snarked.

He dunked under, savouring the cold water as it washed away the grime clinging to his body. When he resurfaced, he dragged a hand through his wet hair, gasping for breath.

"See? Doesn't that feel better than trying to take over the world?" Scarlett asked, swimming closer, her hands brushing against his cheeks.

Greyson could feel their chests pressed against each other, sending a chill down his spine. "Sometimes," he replied, kissing her with his hands on her bare sides.

The touch nearly made him pull away, but Scarlett kissed him back, her lips urgent and unrelenting.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed against the door, making Scarlett pull back with a smirk playing on her lips.

"Were you expecting visitors?" she slyly asked.

The door to the boys' changing room swung open, and Luke marched in, his face creased with a frown. "Some kid got burned by the snow," he growled.

"The snow doesn't cause burns," Greyson corrected sharply. "Get him in here."

Luke walked away and returned with a boy named Isaac, who was part of Henry's group of thugs.

"Show him," Luke commanded, his noodle arm wrapped around the boy's neck.

Isaac held out his hand, which was covered in large third-degree burns, and his skin didn't appear on his palm.

Greyson roughly grabbed the boy's wrist, causing Isaac to whimper in pain. "The snow started falling, so I put out my hand, but the flakes started burning my skin," he explained, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Wait in my office and give me five minutes," Greyson instructed.

Luke hauled the boy out of the changing room, and Greyson turned to face Scarlett. Her arms were crossed, her eyebrows furrowed, but he knew she was just as suspicious as he was.

"Burning snow?" Scarlett asked as Greyson emerged from the water.

Scarlett followed him out of the pool, grabbing her own towel and drying off quickly. She handed it to him, but his mind was already on the bigger problem—finding new clothes. He watched her walk to her changing room, then turned to see her smirking at him.

"Would you like a bra to change into?" she mocked. "I'll grab you some clothes. Give me a few."

Scarlett returned, clad in black leggings and a dark purple long-sleeve shirt, the fabric clinging to her slender form as she held a bundle of clothes in her arms, her movements fluid and purposeful.

Her dark hair was still wet as she pushed it behind her while he took the clothes. She followed him into the boy's changing room but turned away to give him privacy.

"That kid is crying in your office," Scarlett said.

He looked at her once he was fully dressed and threw his wet clothes into a trash can. They walked out of the changing room together and up the stairs to his office. When he entered, he was taken aback by the sight outside. The snow danced gently to the ground, creating a blanket of white snow.

As Greyson sat down in the office chair, he felt smaller. Most of them were losing weight and had limbs that made some look like drug addicts.

Luke roughly grabbed Issac's wrist, twisting it to expose the burnt skin. Scarlett watched from the side with her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

"And this snow did this?" Greyson asked, his finger jabbing toward the swirling snow outside.

Isaac nodded weakly, a pained moan escaping his lips as tears welled in his eyes, his body trembling in pain and shock.

Greyson didn't care about the guy being healed but about the reason.

"We need to run a test," he snapped.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Scarlett said as he glared back at what she meant.

The snow was falling harder than Greyson had ever seen, a thick, unrelenting storm that blurred the outside.

Luke stared wide-eyed at the swirling chaos beyond the window, his face a mask of disbelief.

All that could be heard was the furious hiss of the snow pounding against the glass.

"Come quick!" Tumbles shouted as she burst into his office, her body wobbling with frantic step.

Greyson swiftly followed the girl, who was using the wall to support herself. When they reached the front door, it made him stop.

The guards staggered inside. Their coats smoked. Skin peeled from their cheeks in strips. One of them screamed when the air hit their face. Two other people were violently coughing on their knees, shaking and crying.

"We need James, and we need others to get these people to town," Greyson commanded. "Scarlett, you'll head to town and get James back. Luke, gather all these feeble people to Emma."

"And how are we going to avoid getting burned or catching this nasty illness?" Scarlett asked.

"We'll need winter gear like coats, snow pants, and hats. I'll have Henry and the others search the school. Tumbles, stay with these people and make sure they don't move."

Tumbles hesitated, her eyes flickering between the others before she finally nodded.

As he made his way to the dining hall, he noticed the small number of cans on the table. Henry sat at the far end of the table, his eyes meeting Greyson's. Despite the widespread starvation, Henry still appeared as the same snow globe.

"I need you to find winter gear now," Greyson snapped.

Henry furrowed his brows and asked, "Does this have to do with the strange burn on Isaac?"

Greyson nodded his head, arms crossed. Henry got heavily to his feet, with Finn sitting behind him. Due to his guilt, Stick had abandoned the idea of being on his side, which Greyson didn't care about.

"Whoever finds the most gets a granola bar," he declared.

Instantly, they scrambled to scour the school, their desperation fuelling their search.

Greyson stared out the dining hall windows, his gaze lost in the swirling chaos of darkness and violent snow. He turned to Scarlett and Luke, his eyes flickering between them, his mind churning with silent thoughts.

"Scarlett, you're with Preston. Luke, round up Oscar and the rest of Henry's thugs. Get the sick and burned to the back and bring them to Emma," Greyson ordered, his eyes narrowing.

Sending Luke would be the only way for them to listen. Greyson knew Scarlett could bring James back here to figure things out and run a test.

Finn stumbled in, arms weighed down by boxes of winter gear. Thick coats, bulky snow pants, and mismatched gloves piled high from the security office.

Scarlett grabbed a heavy black coat with a deep, oversized hood that shadowed her face.

"I couldn't find any hats," Finn said.

Greyson needed all the protection he could get to avoid these types of burns. He couldn't go to town himself, but his people could handle small tasks. This had become a crisis that Jason may have orchestrated. It could be some freak on their end, and that's what he needed to find out.

Luke had mentioned how Ashley had given him that new arm of his that could whip people. This wasn't about that, but it was about putting a test to this danger.

The danger has finally begun! This may cause more conflict than before, along with dangerous choices.

Cover done by _chanceuxx_
-Lexi