Mark's voice cut through the silence. "I think we're lost."

"We are," Scarlett replied flatly.

Greyson hadn't planned for things to unfold like this after leaving the island. He expected a straightforward ride back to town, but instead, they found themselves aimlessly walking through the thick darkness.

"Rick's is over there," Yara said, pointing to the outline of the gas station.

Walking with the group had been manageable for a while, but the task of locating Simcoe was proving far more frustrating and difficult than he anticipated.

"Esme, didn't you bring that map, Esme?" Bryce asked.

Esme dug through her pockets, finally producing a large, folded map of Ontario.

Before she could unfold it, Greyson snatched it from her hands.

"Hey!" Esme protested.

"River," Greyson called sharply as River hurried over. "Use your light."

He tapped his temple, causing a faint glow pulse from his body, illuminating their immediate surroundings.

Greyson scanned the map, searching for Simcoe, but it was nowhere to be found. The map displayed the larger, well-known towns, leaving the smaller settlements and winding road shrouded in darkness.

"There," Scarlett said, tracing an outline of the map.

Her frown betrayed a flicker of frustration, though she didn't seem overly bothered by leaving the island. Greyson had at least managed to bring back a decent stash of the food packed tightly in the suitcase.

"We're on the back road," Greyson said, his finger gliding slowly across the map as he traced a narrow path leading toward the town's outskirts. "We'll go—"

Most of the group scattered, rushing toward Rick's gas station.

"Don't expect them to be loyal," Scarlett remarked. "They'd all run off."

Greyson scowled at the map. "Then we'll leave them," he said flatly. "They can find their own way back."

Without another word, Greyson started walking forward, determination set in his stride. Scarlett rolled her eyes but followed. River shuffled awkwardly behind them, stealing nervous glances over his shoulder as they veered down a narrower road.

"Are you sure you aren't going the wrong way?" Scarlett teased, smirking.

Greyson's eyes narrowed. "We're on the right path," he snapped, the shadowed road ahead.

Darkness and snow swallowed the world around them, the bare trees towering on either sides like silent sentinels.

"Wrong way."

Greyson halted abruptly, eyes darting into the shadows. "Come out or die," he spat fiercely.

Scarlett smirked, arms crossed. "Are you talking to an imaginary friend now?" she snickered.

Greyson pointed to his temple with furrowed eyebrows. "There's a voice in my head," he explained. "Someone's toying with me."

"It's probably just Divina toying around," Scarlett said.

Greyson frown deepened at the mention of Divina. Ashley was illiterate and never spoke inside his mind. Besides, Divina hadn't been these parts in a long time—though he was aware Emma might share some strange connection with it.

"I think it's that way," Scarlett said, nodding toward a narrow side road blanketed in thick, untouched snow.

They kept walking, each crunch of their boots muffled by the thick snow. Greyson's mind raced with questions and possibilities. He had to get back to town—everyone needed him—but whose voice had whispered inside his head?

"I'm not throwing you off. I can't help you yet."

There it was again.

"Who are you?" Greyson asked silently, awaiting an answer.

"Ashley is scared of me."

The realization hit him like a jolt: someone—or something—could make Ashley afraid. Pride flared inside him; this mysterious presence had chosen to speak only to him.

"You aren't the only one."

Greyson twisted his mouth sourly, gripping his hand hard on the suitcase handle. "Do you hear it?" he snapped, glancing back at Scarlett.

River's eyes flickered between Greyson and Scarlett. "Hear what?" he asked nervously.

"That voice," Greyson clarified, tapping his temple multiple times.

"Yes," Scarlett replied, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't know who it is."

"What does that voice want from us?" Greyson asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Who knows? Let's just get to town because my feet hurt," Scarlett grumbled, gripping her suitcase again.

As he walked, he wondered, why only him and Scarlett? Did they have any sort of connections to the mutants in this bubble? Nobody had telepathy that he knew of unless someone had been toying.

"Aren't you curious?" Greyson pressed. "It's only us who can hear that voice. It has to be mean something."

This voice wasn't just a noise—it was an advantage. A secret thread of knowledge threading itself through their minds, guiding them in ways nobody else could understand.

If it truly knew how to stop Ashley—how to escape this place—then following it might be the only way for answers.

"Do you know where Cindy is?" he asked, glancing back at the two of them.

"Probably in town," River remarked.

"I mean literally."

"Probably her house..." River trailed off with a shrug, lips pressed together.

Cindy bopped from place to place, never staying long enough to be tracked. She had been on the island with them, but finding her wound be tricky.

Nevaeh could also be an outside source for information; however, he ditched her at Rick's.

"We'll just ask someone in town after you do your grand speech," Scarlett stated dully.

"Exactly" Greyson replied, lifting his chin slightly. "They need one of the high ranks."

Greyson had heard that Zane sent him to get him, but there were some rumours about Emma actually bringing him back. He knew it was the wise choice for him to be going back to lead these helpless people.

"Don't do anything that will make people mad."

Was this voice actually telling him that he makes people mad? It's how you have to get stuff done around here. If people get hurt in the mix, that becomes the only way.

"Make sure Ashley doesn't kill more people."

Greyson would kill Ashley himself. Is this what he gets for Heather's and his father's rejection? He had a crazy stepsister bent on killing everyone. Heather, meanwhile, had earned bad karma for raising a daughter with dyslexia and barely able to see.

Why was he the one thrown away and someone with a disability accepted? It wasn't fair, and that's what he resented the most. That's why he'd try to kill her. He could do it, but he needed a plan. Henry and Finn had tried shooting her, but that didn't work. Karma got them as well, leaving them both dead for different reasons.

"I'll make my grand speech, and then we'll find Cindy. We need to figure out whose voice this is and what they want," Greyson stated.

Strangely enough, Ilya felt a sense of normalcy return. It was a nice sensation, one that she got from the drugs Mia gave her. Although these drugs often left her feeling spacey and forgetful, they succeeded in pushing away all the stressors. This led to a new routine where she found herself taking at least three pills each day.

"Ilya!" she snapped from her daze, seeing Layla. "You've been spacey lately. Are you still having problems?"

"Nope," Ilya started. "Feeling great."

With those words, she felt a wave of relief wash over her; all of her nerves seemed to settle as long as she had something soothing to quiet the chaotic thoughts racing through her mind.

"Okay, you can take a break," Layla said.

Ilya turned and made her way to the back room, feeling the weight of exhaustion pull at her limbs. Inside, she lay down on one of the soft mats and wrapped herself snugly in a pile of warm blankets. She reached into a small duffel bag filled with clothes and personal items, carefully shutting the door with her foot.

As she rummaged through the bag, her gaze fell upon the drugs tucked away neatly. The sight lit an overwhelming craving within her that felt impossible to resist.

She popped a pill into her mouth without hesitation. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, but that was the comforting part—the part that made the world quiet and bearable. She shoved the small bag of pills deep into the bottom of her bag.

Lying on her back, she stared up at the ceiling. Her thoughts drifted like leaves on a slow river, each one spinning and twisting until she felt herself float in a dizzying, gentle current of calm.

Slowly, she forced herself upright, trying to shake the daze. She could keep working. Even if sleep threatened at any moment, she reasoned, maybe it was better to lie back down. Her body sank into the mat, willing her eyes to close.

The door opened to Angel, who looked down at her. "We need help with a situation," he said.

Ilya forced herself upright, fingers clawing at the wall for support as her legs wobbled beneath her.

She stepped into the room and froze—the floor was slick with vomit.

"Can you grab a towel? I'll bring him to Hanna," Layla said, voice tight with worry.

Together, Ilya and Angel began cleaning, but the room spun. Her vision doubled, and she pressed a palm to her forehead, talking a deep breath to steady herself.

Everything was fine right now. It's not from the drugs she had been given earlier; those were meant to help her, not create double vision.

She nodded to herself and carried the towel outside. The snow bit at her hands, every movement a struggle, but she scrubbed relentless. Slowly, the stain lifted, and she hauled the wet towel back inside, shivering with every step.

Her steps felt uneven as she walked into the dirty kitchen. She leaned against the sticky kitchen counter for support and took another breath, trying to gather her thoughts from the dizziness.

Ilya felt her own breathing was shallow, but she shrugged it off. She took a seat with a small group of children, gently rubbing their backs in an attempt to comfort them.

Ilya went to rub the next bunch, but she stumbled over. "I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said, standing and using the walls for support.

She walked to the back room, quickly grabbing the medication from the bag, and stuffed it in her red coat. Gulping nervously, she entered the small bathroom, leaving the door open an inch.

Her reflection made her flinch. Her cheeks were hollow, her skin pulled tight over her bones. She traced the sharp dip of her ribs with one finger and swallowed hard.

Setting her forehead against the cold wall, she felt her heart racing while her breathing slowed, each inhale thinner than the last.

"Why do I feel weird?" she whispered.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cold tile, the ice biting through her thin clothes.

Her hands trembled as she rifled through her bag. One pill. Then another. Each swallow promised the calm she craved—but it never came.

Dizziness swirled around her. The room tilted. She reached for another pill, desperate, and felt her strength slipping with every heartbeat.

She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her palms to her temples. "Stop," she murmured.

She reached blindly into the bag again. The pills rattled softly as she tipped another into her mouth and lay back against the floor, breath swallow, chest barely rising.

It would be so nice to sleep for a little while. Just until everything made sense again.

"Ilya, are you okay?" Angel called, opening the bathroom door before screaming.

She lay still on the cold floor, lips and fingernails a terrifying shade of blue. Panic ripped through him, and he shook her again and again. His heart hammered, every second stretching impossibly long as she remained motionless.

"Bailey!" he shouted.

The short seventh grader came rushing back down the hallway, stopping in the doorway. Her eyes widened in shock as she dropped the book she had been clutching in her hand.

"What do we do?" Angel asked frantically.

"Ilya! Wake up!" both of them called.

"What's this?" he asked, spotting the weapon and holding up a bag filled with pills. "There's no way Hanna gave her this."

Neither of them had a clue what those pills were or where they had come from. He remembered the medication shortage at the infirmary, which didn't explain why Ilya had so many.

"We need Hanna, but how are we going to do that?" Bailey panicked.

"I'll run there." He rushed out, standing.

His mind was racing as fast as his heart; questions flooded his thoughts. Why wasn't she waking up? Is there an illness that causes that? Where did she get those pills? Who gave them to her? Was it medicine or something worse?

Pushing open the church doors, he rushed downstairs, seeing Layla with Hanna. There were still people sick in the basement on stained mattresses from vomit, with the entire place smelling of urine.

"We need help!" he exclaimed. "It's Ilya."

They both rushed out of the infirmary without taking the sick child downstairs. The children were important, but this was something that had to be dealt with first.

"What's wrong?" Hanna asked.

"I found her on the bathroom floor, passed out, and now she won't wake up."

They rushed around the children who were playing nearby; Bailey was still trying to wake up Ilya.

Hanna shoved past Bailey and dropped to her knees beside Ilya. Two fingers pressed hard against her neck. She waited. Moved them slightly. Waited again.

"I don't feel a pulse," she said.

Angel's stomach dropped. "What do you mean you don't feel one?"

Hanna swallowed. "I mean I can't find it."

Bailey held up a bag of pills, her hands shaking. "She had these."

Hanna took them, her face tightening as she looked through the bag. "These didn't come from the infirmary," she said. "Whatever she took it was too much."

Layla backed away as if the words themselves might touch her. "Is she—"

"Yes," Hanna said. "She's dead."

Angel felt his own eyes water because none of them noticed she was taking drugs. This should have been known since she was still recovering from her addiction.

"Where did she get them?" Layla's voice cracked.

"I have no idea. Ilya should have known the dangers of these drugs," Hanna replied, shaking her head. "These look like medications, but they definitely aren't."

"What are we going to do?" Angel asked.

"We're going to get Zane to ask for his input," Hanna stated. "This place has a drug dealer roaming."

"He left with the map," Yara stated.

"Did you expect him to wait around and raid a gas station that had nothing?" Bryce snickered.

The interior of Rick's was dark and empty. Not a single chocolate bar remained on the shelf.

The building itself was small and cramped, and the only things Mark could see were a few old magazines scattered across the floor.

"We're officially going to die," Emma murmured.

Esme smacked the back of Emma's head and kicked a leg into the air

"That's why we have to beat her up," she said. "Watch this."

She launched herself toward the dusty counter around the cashier's area, trying to boost herself up.

Her foot slipped. She slammed into the floor with a loud thud.

"You're a literal idiot," Bryce laughed.

"Do we have any clue what roads we should take?" Mark asked.

He stared out the window into the surrounding darkness. It swallowed everything beyond vague silhouettes. Normally, these roads were lined with trees, but most had been knocked down during the storm.

"We went here once, but it's hard to see the roads," Emma said, starting to pace.

There was a lot of them, and none were good with directions. It didn't help that they had no light to see where they were going.

"Let me try, since I'm taller," Bryce said as he hopped on the cash register.

"Screw you," Esme spat.

"If we keep walking, Tumbles is going to be a bloody mess, and Emma will pass out," Nevaeh stated with a smirk.

"I'm getting better at my clumsiness," Tumbles said, waving her arms around.

"Oh, Nevaeh, Bella left her soldier," Bryce remarked, making a wave like the queen.

Mark was surprised that Bella left Jason. It seemed unlikely that she chose to walk away. Ever since Teagan's death, Bella had been making an effort to keep Jason trapped inside their house.

"We left before the waterworks," Esme said as she attempted to climb on the cash register.

"How interesting. That's some gossip to spill around," Nevaeh commented. "I found the juiciest gossip, though."

"Ashley died!" Yara exclaimed.

Nevaeh shook her head. "Emma probably knows," she remarked.

"It's not our place to say," Emma whispered.

"Please! Please!" Esme pleaded, grabbing Emma's shoulders and shaking her.

Emma eyes darted across the group, fear and uncertainty written in every glance.

Mark felt his stomach tighten; this wasn't about death but it was something far more explosive.

"I know who the mother of the child is," Emma whispered, voice trembling.

Preston materialized beside them, his eyebrows furrowed. "Wait... the mutant child real?"

"Yes, but I'm not saying who," Emma said.

Esme shook her violently enough that she looked like she'd pass out. Her eyes were spinning in circles, while Mark still had no clue why someone would think of having a child here.

"The mutant baby stops the storm as a fetus," Nevaeh implied.

Mark knew it wasn't possible to do that. People have been gaining these powers, but someone being born in this hell? It's not impossible, but being a mutant child is in the real world.

"Don't they throw baby showers?" Tumbles asked, gripping the cash register.

"Yes, we're going to go to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cake!" Esme cheered, raising her fist.

"I don't see a Dairy Queen around here," Mark said.

The thought of Dairy Queen brought back memories for Mark; he had always enjoyed their Oreo blizzards, which he often got when they visited a town with one.

"It's going to be a wildfire when people spill the information. Just say it, Emma," Nevaeh pestered.

Mark watched Emma glance out the dark window. "Scarlett's pregnant," she whispered, chewing her lips.

Mark frowned, his eyes widening. Scarlett was going to be having a baby in this place? How on earth were they supposed to even deal with having one around here?

"I'm not surprised," Bryce commented nonchalantly while lifting a piece of the ceiling.

"She's having a baby?" Esme asked with disgust, jumping down from the cash register.

Tumbles blinked. "Wait... how does that work?"

Bryce and Esme both started laughing. Mark pressed his lips together, fighting a smile. It's not every day someone asks that question.

"Sex," Nevaeh said, patting her head while Tumbles' face grew red.

"Don't tell her! She's nine!" Emma shouted.

Mark ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, let's focus on getting back," he stated.

Nevaeh opened the door, looking around from outside. "We lost our highlighter, so we don't have a light," she remarked.

The whole area was in pitch darkness without a single light. He also knew that this gas station was literally in the middle of nowhere, and walking may take them hours.

"Let's play manhunt!" Esme cheered, raising her fist.

"I love that game!" Yara exclaimed.

"Esme, we'll die if we play manhunt!" Emma freaked.

"Stop being such a buzzkill. Wait, isn't Sunny's near here?" Esme asked.

"We'd have to go through that field for a bit," Mark pointed out.

"Let's go! Tumbles, get on my back!" Esme exclaimed.

Tumbles jumped onto Esme's back, wrapping her arms securely around Esme's neck. Her bright toque was pulled down low over most of her face.

The group went out through the small door leading outside, except for Bryce. He confidently walked straight through the glass with a smirk. The whole outside was plain dark; there was a single light to guide the way.

"Why does it have to be in the middle of nowhere? Can't I just run?" Esme complained.

"No!" Emma freaked.

All of them trudged through a snowy field that reached up to Mark's knees. With every step they took, they caused giant holes, which Yara and Preston ended up face-planting at least once.

"I see something!" Yara called, looking back.

The group froze and turned. A shadowy figure stood motionless. As they watched, they noticed that the person was slowly walking around the large piles of snow.

"Run!" Emma cried.

They all bolted forward as the person behind them followed them. The figure seemed to be picking up speed as it began jogging towards them. They were surrounded by nothing but the wide-open field of snow around them that they could hide in.

"Do you see any sign of it?" Esme called.

Mark shook his head. His heart pounded hard in his chest like a drum; he knew this pathway might be correct, but fear gripped him. Someone was following them, which meant this thing was going to kill them easily.

"It's too dark!" Yara called.

The person behind suddenly broke into a run.

Footsteps crunched through the snow.

Someone screamed, and the group ran faster.

"I agree with Emma that we're going to die!" Preston exclaimed, despite being invisible.

"There's another person!" Yara freaked.

Nearby stood a silhouette of two people standing side-by-side.

"I'll stop them!" Esme exclaimed, speeding away before anyone could interject.

Mark walked as the two people in front disappeared in an instant. Goosebumps clawed along his arms, and it wasn't just from the cold.

"Followers!" Esme called. "That means that's Ashley!"

This wasn't how Mark imagined himself ending up after bringing Greyson back from the island. He assumed they would go back to town and get whatever sorted out.

"Run before she uses Greyson's power!" Emma yelled.

Mark's heart pounded. Through the pitch-dark snow field, he could barely make out trailers and piles of snow—potential cover, maybe, or traps. He pointed, trying to guide them.

"There! That's our way!" Mark called, pointing forward.

Esme bolted ahead, weaving between obstacles. Mark stayed close, forcing himself to focus on each step despite the fear gnawing at his chest.

"It's like a maze," Esme said.

Mark struggled to maintain his footing; his legs felt heavy beneath him as panic surged through him.

The campground was huge. Searching in the dark wasn't helping.

"What's all the noise?" James called, coming out of one of the trailers as Esme crashed into him. They all stopped around them, breathless.

"We need help!" She panicked as Tumbles rolled herself off Esme. "Ashley's coming."

"Jason's there," James said, pointing at one of the trailers.

Mark rushed over to Jason's trailer, banging on it repeatedly. After a brief moment, Jason opened the door and squinted his eyes. He looked around before focusing back on him.

"Dude, we need help. Ashley's coming here," Mark said.

Jason rushed out, already dressed as Jade stumbled her way out of one of the other trailers.

"And you're sure it's her?" Jade asked.

"Basically, she's coming, probably to kill Emma," Esme remarked.

"Why?" Jason asked with a sigh.

A cold voice echoed behind them.

"Because she knows."

Everyone turned.

Ashley stood before them.

"You know what stopped the storm from the goddess."

Mark feet suddenly left the ground.

He gasped.

An invisible force tightened around his chest as he rose in the air. He struggled against the grip, desperately attempting to break free.

"I'll kill her," Esme said, flying at Ashley before she said those words.

Ashley flicked her wrist with a sour expression across her face, sending Esme hurtling towards one of the trailers with an invisible force.

"What do you know?" Ashley repeated.

Emma pressed her lips together as she seemed to raise her hand mindlessly. "Stop toying around, God."

"Stop toying with that body!" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with her lips pressed together.

"I'm not toying; we're connected. She has her normal body, but this is only for a limited time," Divina said, a wicked grin forming on her lips and taking another step forward. "She feels our fear for that human. Don't you get it? That human can do more than my doodle body ever could."

"Emma, you're being a little risky," Bryce called.

"It's Divina," Jade interjected, her lips pressed together.

"Yes, but I'll have their powers!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Using Greyson and Jason's power as your reliable source? Don't you understand that humans have power?" Divina laughed mockingly. "It talks to them."

Mark felt the suffocating grip vanish. He dropped to the ground, his legs shaky and weak. He watched all the colour drain from Ashley's face.

"You're underestimating that mutant child. It stopped your danger, or is your mind too stupid to understand that?" Divina taunted.

Mark stumbled as his knees buckling. He felt arms catch him, preventing a complete fall. James and Jason both steadied him.

Ashley's eyes burned with fury.

"I'll kill that stupid mutant child."

"That human being will be stronger than us combined. Don't you get it, God? You're useless," Divina sneered.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed from Emma's palm, lighting the dark surroundings and Ashley's face on fire. The searing heat caught her by surprise, and she screamed in agony as she frantically dashed around, desperately trying to extinguish the fire that blazed.

"What powers?" Ashley barked.

"Why would I tell an idiot? Maybe someone here is pregnant." Divina motioned with a hand. "Maybe someone is the father here, or maybe they had that human."

Ashley stared at Divina, her expression filled with confusion. Her body was covered in gruesome burns; it looked like someone had taken a blowtorch to her skin, leaving behind dark red patches with bubbles.

"Give me one!" Ashley demanded.

Divina paused for a moment, tapping a finger mockingly on her lips. "Deflection."

"You're lying!" Ashley exclaimed, with a mix of anger and fear on her face that wasn't well covered.

"You could shoot that light, and it would burn you instead."

"It can't get rid of my domain."

"Who got rid of that storm? I don't recall it being you or me."

"Tell me another power!"

"It's Father's power," Divina implied before falling to the ground and passing out.

Bryce and Jade rushed to Emma's side, lifting her gently as Ashley seethed in fury. When she disappeared through the ground, there was a small hole that revealed the dirt below.

"More powerful than Divina and Ashley combined? Whose child is it?" Jason questioned.

The group exchanged glances filled with uncertainty. Each of them contemplated the weight of what they had discovered. Were they even allowed to expose this truth they'd discovered?

"You can find out when you pay a visit to town," Nevaeh said with a smirk.

"Sunny's is basically complete," Jason implied.

Esme came wobbling over, holding her head. There was some blood dripping from the side, but the majority of it was stained from earlier.

"Is Emma up yet?" Esme asked, gritting her teeth.

Emma was still unconscious, despite what had just happened a moment ago. He didn't know how such a thing happened or why he was targeted to be killed by Ashley. Then again, she kills without reason.

"They have a CRV!" Yara called, jumping with excitement.

"Take us all to town," Mark breathed, his heart still racing from the recent events.

He honestly couldn't believe he was alive; he thought he'd be thrown like a pancake to his death. Maybe, but he didn't understand how Ashley had that power.

"We would have to eventually," Jade mumbled.

"Your brother probably isn't there yet," Nevaeh implied, rocking on her heels.

Jason ran a hand over his face, sighing. From what Mark could tell, Jason didn't seem to be taking his recent breakup too hard—at least not outwardly. Rumours went around them about the letter she gave Bryce and Esme, who rambled about what it said.

"Fine," Jason grumbled.

Everyone scrambled into the seats while Mark climbed into the trunk. He knew the rest would be squashed together since everyone was still wearing puffy winter coats.

"Let me drive!" Esme called, trying to step around people.

"Go sit in the back," Jade spat, pushing her back lightly.

Jade took control of the steering wheel while Jason sat in the passenger seat up front. The entire vehicle was squishy, especially since the trunk wasn't big at all. There were some people sitting on the floor with the snow from their boots melting all over the place.

"Who designed this? This CRV sucks," Preston complained loudly.

"Let's hope there isn't more chaos at Simcoe," Jason grumbled.

Mark knew there would be chaos because that's why they had to get Greyson in the first place. It's not that Jason was going to come and help.

"Can we play a game?" Tumbles called from lying on the floor in the backseat.

"Yes, let's play the quiet game," Jason spat.

"That's boring! How about truth or dare?" Esme called.

"Let's focus on the main task at hand," Jade implied.

He knew going back meant he'd go back to do the duty of mostly shovelling snow. He thought about maybe getting a fishing crew together since there is barely any canned food anymore.

"Oh, I left Mia alone to watch Uden Academy," Nevaeh said.

"Good luck!" Bryce laughed. "Will is probably around now, which makes it worse. Mia and Will basically share one brain cell. They'd be those people going to stores shirtless. They are also ones that would throw a remote at the television if someone got voted off the Bachelor they liked."

Mark wondered what kind of insane people they were. He hasn't done anything daring like that with Jason, or even in general. He has gone out to beach parties, but those were often after intense beach volleyball games.

"I'd probably start there first," Bryce snarked.

"We're going to Uden, and we have to find Mia," Jason mumbled.

"At least you aren't dealing with Eden; she's quite stubborn," Bryce said. "Especially old Eden."

"Old Eden?" Yara asked.

"Uden Academy is full of delinquents, right, Jade and Esme?" Bryce inquired. "Some get more involved in delinquent activities than others."

"Such as you," Esme implied, pointing at Bryce.

"I'll tell you one thing you should be warned about," Bryce started. "I'd classify Eden as Uden Academy's top delinquent."

Mark stared, shocked, along with most of the people in the CRV. Isn't Eden that Catholic girl who praises the Bible all the time?

"Wait, what type of activities?" Yara asked.

"She assaulted a police officer when we all got charged with shoplifting," Bryce started. "We're used to stealing stuff, but Mia's dumbass didn't cover her tracks."

"Aren't you supposed to go to jail for that?" Tumbles asked.

Mark knew it was something that you would go to jail for. There have been those small fights at his own school, but nobody is ever arrested. In those action movies he's watched, the bad guy who beats up the police officer is always arrested.

"Uden Academy had to pay for the charges, and we were under school arrest for months. After all, unlike your parents, Tumbles, our families wouldn't even pay a nickel for us," Bryce stated.

Well, we learned a lot in this chapter, that's for sure.

Ilya's death I planned to show the harm drugs can cause, especially if they fall into the wrong hands.
-Lexi