It was unusual to witness a boy cry. Perhaps it was because Nevaeh wasn't used to seeing them cry in front of her. Boys often act as if they haven't cried in six years, but not River, because he had shed an ocean of tears.

Cindy had gone to inform Emma of what had occurred at the bubble with his mother and the others. She was taking a long time, which meant she was picking up the least gossip.

"Sorry," River's voice cracked, his head against her shoulder. "It's just that they never would have listened."

It was now dark outside, with streetlights gleaming in the distance on the opposite side of the bubble. They had attempted to communicate with others on the outside, but it failed. Some people were still swarming around and taking pictures like they were movie stars. Perhaps it is from the latest gossip from the outside world.

"Why did she do it?" River asked.

Nevaeh knew River was referring to Cassandra. She had no obligation to expose the truth by using those strange powers of hers that allowed her hand to go through the bubble.

"She's nice," Nevaeh said.

She guessed that the reason Cassandra did what she did was because that's how Scarlett's been trying to raise her.

Nevaeh cast a gaze at the bubble, where most people had gone for the night. Cars drove by normally on the outside, yet everything felt confined. Not just the bubble secluding them inside this place, but seeing the outside.

It had been almost a year since she had seen her father. He still appeared the same, even scolding her about her behaviour.

It's not that he could control her actions because they were feared by others. It wasn't because of the abnormal powers, but because they have survived what would be considered worse than a world war.

"What are we going to do now?" River asked, taking his head off her shoulder.

"Try not to get murdered in our sleep," Nevaeh said. "Can you believe we used to live in that society?"

They used to live in a society where laws existed and parents nagged at their children. Where leaving for school was normal and getting an average grade on a test in math she'd forget to study for. The outside where supernatural powers didn't exist and where a town that was once her home was burned to ash.

This would all leave a stain on everything that happened in this place. They might be able to restore Simcoe as time passes, but she doubted it. Everything in Simcoe was burned to the ground, leaving them to sleep in tents, RVs, or even in sleeping bags.

"No," River answered.

"I want to get out, but we know the reality we face," Nevaeh sighed.

"Court," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Greyson and Jason will undoubtedly be in jail, as will the crackheads, and the rest of us will be charged with felonies," she said, rolling it on her tongue.

Felonies because, on the outside, it's wrong to steal. They had to break the law in order to live, because if it had been like four months ago, they'd be dead.

Nevaeh didn't care because she knew her parents might disown her. After her behaviour during the sighting in front of police officers with her father present, she wouldn't be surprised if she turned out like others.

"How about instead of a mansion, we all live in a house?" Nevaeh suggested.

"I haven't lived in that before," River said.

Nevaeh often forgot he was a millionaire due to the way he detested it. She'd love to be rich someday and go travel to all the fancy beaches all over the world.

"See, we can go to all those takeout places like McDonald's at 1 a.m."

She had no idea where they were going to live, but it sounded like fun because they'd be able to be teenagers. It wouldn't be the chaos that Mia and the other three created, but they would be having fun like in the beginning.

The beginning was discovering the gossip that had given her migraines until she slept or took ibuprofen. All of them are trying not to die from something called God. The many schemes Greyson and his crew had performed where she was always reporting the information, because Uden's side was always eventful.

She wondered if burning Ashley's body by Cassandra would completely free them. Whenever she tried to hear what the mutant child knew, there was a piercing screech through her mind.

"I've never had McDonald's," River said.

"We're getting you some fries, hotcakes, and chicken nuggets when we get out," Nevaeh said.

"I was never allowed to have that," River mumbled.

Nevaeh wondered if Cecile just fed him some lettuce on a plate like a rabbit. She used to watch all the modelling shows with her two sisters, Anya and Ophelia, since they were both teenagers when she was in middle school. Sometimes on the shows, they'd eat only half a carrot or sometimes small pieces of chicken.

"Yes, but that was in the past; don't you want to be a normal teenager?" Nevaeh inquired. "You overcame your eating disorder, escaped your mother, and found people you enjoy being with."

Nevaeh had discovered people she enjoyed hanging out with. Not just for listening to gossip but also for connecting, like River and Mia. All of those crackheads were entertaining, but Eden had to be the one with the lost marbles.

"I love you." He tensed, like she'd just revealed some huge secret.

"You love me romantically?" River asked with genuine shock.

"I love you like a best friend," Nevaeh said.

"I thought you only said those words to your lover?"

Nevaeh finally noted how much River did not know about love. He didn't have any idea that girls could say they loved a boy they weren't dating.

"Nope, you can say it to close friends. It's like that family love," Nevaeh explained.

"Oh," he said.

Nevaeh could see tears at the edges of his eyes. Could the words be out of fear or confusion? Maybe it had been both, but she wasn't sure.

"Cecile never said that," he gasped, almost seeming surprised.

Nevaeh wasn't surprised because they were famous. It was just like actors or singers were, but in fashion and modelling.

"Your mother is sick, if you ask me." Nevaeh expected him to find the words offensive, but he nodded.

"My mother was always setting high expectations while making me do stuff I didn't want," River grumbled.

"How can you love your parents when they treat you like shit?"

Nevaeh didn't know. It might be because parents can come to hate them for their behaviour, like with Mia or Bryce.

"I don't know, and I don't care," River said, almost nodding to himself.

Hearing a scuffling sound, Nevaeh glanced back to look around. She spotted the followers standing there. She wondered if most of the followers had been destroyed.

"It looks like we have to fight," Nevaeh stated.

During this whole situation, Nevaeh never had to fight anyone. Did her power come at an advantage? Of course it did, or she wouldn't be alive. It might be a hard battle, but she wanted to fight.

"Let's kill some followers," she implied with a smirk.

"We actually fight them?" River asked.

"Unless you want to die," Nevaeh chimed.

"I can't believe he saved my life," Mallory said for the sixth time.

She no longer cried, except for the odd sniffle. Ashley fled off after killing Stick, which Angel was shocked she didn't try to burn the rest of them. They were now somewhere, while he was carrying James on his back.

"I think it gave him that sense of accomplishment or forgiveness," Angel implied.

Mallory was mainly filled with questions about why he did it or didn't move out of the way. Angel didn't know Stick very well; other than that, he murdered someone named Vickie.

Had sacrificing his life been his own redemption? Do people actually get redemption from dying? It seems like a bitter ending, but maybe it has been worth it all.

"Do we head back? We can't exactly kill followers with James hurt," Mallory panicked.

"Definitely, since Emma needs to heal him," Angel said.

They were all injured, and Angel had difficulty walking straight with his head aching. He could feel the wound through his sweat, which stung, leaving him to grit his teeth.

He didn't know exactly where they were. They kept walking down a dark road, even with his mind sleepy. He wanted to collapse on the ground, lying there until he had healed his wounds. He knew Emma wasn't going to come searching for them because she had a responsibility at camp, regardless of whether she panicked more than Mallory.

"I think there's a car over there," Mallory said, pointing to some dim lights from a distance.

They couldn't run due to their injuries, and they would just stumble their way there.

"It's so far," Mallory complained.

Angel was pretty sure if they went halfway, they'd fall over.

"We can try," Angel said.

They tried to run, but they stopped because it made their legs feel like jelly. He knew they would be stuck here until that person came to them or they melted.

"Do you think they see us?" Mallory asked.

"Maybe," he said, his steps uneven.

"Who do you think Divina will choose? Will it choose people who have offered themselves?" Mallory asked.

He didn't exactly understand this whole selection that Divina had to perform. The last time he ever encountered that thing was seeing it roaming the streets, looking for Ashley, before that whole conflict with Luke occurred.

It felt like yesterday when he was coming back from making some formula at the daycare. He saw Teagan on the ground with the knife in her chest, blood soaking her shirt. He raised a hand with the power he discovered, which glued Luke to the ground with the inability to move.

"Where are we?" James rasped, squinting at the light ahead.

"We don't know, but there's light," Mallory implied, brushing some dried blood from her chin.

"Did Stick really die?" James asked.

"He died for a good reason," Angel remarked.

"All of us might die," Mallory whispered, playing with her pink sleeve.

Suddenly, the car came closer in their direction. Someone climbed out of the car and was standing there. He wondered if it was those followers who could maybe drive cars.

"Mallory?" someone called, and she jumped at the call of her own name.

"Jade?" she called.

Jade jogged toward them, staring them all over. It was a relief that they would be driven back to camp instead of lugging their way through the road.

"Where's Stick?" Mallory gave a thumbs down. "I got Esme before she fought Ashley."

Angel returned his attention back to the car after observing Jade's eyes linger on James for a longer period of time. The good news was that she did find Esme, despite the fact she had just gone off.

"Is she crazy? Stick died while there were four of us!" Mallory exclaimed.

"She might be in control for a bit, but there are two disadvantages," Jade sighed.

They followed Jade over to see Esme, who had her feet frozen to the floor in the back seat. She was slouched in her seat, but when she noticed them, she grinned.

"Hey guys!" Esme greeted, showing her feet. "Can you get this off? Jade won't let me."

"Emma's going to be so mad," Mallory said.

"You already know Emma's not going to heal your feet," Jade remarked.

"I'll convince her somehow," Esme said, but she had a nervous smile.

Emma would probably freak out and refuse to heal Esme's feet by maybe throwing a towel at her.

"Whoa, what happened to James?" Esme asked, trying to peer through the window.

"He got thrown into this tree." Mallory panicked, wincing when she moved her arms.

"You look awful," Esme said.

"Here, put me down," James rasped.

He slid off Angel and hobbled his way to the car. He watched James lean against the car, looking directly at Esme's frozen feet. In that split second, she grabbed his face awkwardly and drew it to her lips quickly.

"Did you use your super strength?" Esme awed, pulling back and trying to bang her feet against the seat.

"Yeah," James said.

"Did you beat up Ashley? That always works well," Esme beamed, slowly chipping away at the ice.

"We did some damage," Angel implied.

The damage they did was barely anything compared to what Jason or Greyson could do. They gave her a couple scratches, but that girl was never fazed by any of the injuries she received.

"Jade thinks I can't do it all by myself. Ashley will probably trip over her feet if she speeds like me," Esme remarked.

"That thing can kill you," Jade mumbled.

"Cassandra was enraged with me too. She came speeding over with her face like Emma's when she gets embarrassed," Esme laughed.

"We should get back to camp," Angel implied.

His own mind felt dizzy as he wobbly pulled open the door, crawling inside. He closed his eyes before he could even stop himself, leaning against the window. He didn't have many injuries, but he felt dizzy in general. It might be from hitting his head or walking for such a length of time.

"My feet are growing numb!" Esme complained.

Jade broke the ice on Esme's feet by holding a hand on it.

Esme glanced back at them, poking James in the cheek. "I bet you were such a badass!"

Angel had fallen asleep on the drive back, but it wasn't Esme's screaming that woke him up; it was Emma, who was banging her hand on the driver's window. When Angel stumbled out, he spotted her with eyes wider than tires.

"Were you insane?" Emma exclaimed, staring directly at Esme.

"I missed you too, Emma," Esme mumbled.

"I warned you that it's a risk. Cassandra even said that nobody should go after her alone," Emma rambled, throwing her hands up.

"We have some injured," Angel stated.

Emma whipped around and dashed over to James first, horror on her face. Angel saw Hanna come running over, helping himself to his feet.

"Where's Stick?" Emma panicked, holding a hand on his forehead.

"Dead," Mallory murmured, looking down at the grass.

"Okay, let's go to the tent," Hanna said.

He was guided to a tent that was set up with a cot and some sleeping bags on the ground. There was a bag of medical supplies in a basket someone found in a trailer, which was mostly medication and bandages.

"Ashley attacked us," Angel stated.

Hanna sat in front of them, grabbing some ointments to put over the wound on his head. She put two small bandages on them since there was barely any left.

"I was almost burned to a crisp, but Stick saved my life," Malley said. "He ended up having a huge hole through his stomach."

"At the very least it wasn't a bad death," Hanna said.

Angel wasn't sure if that had been the best term to classify it. Did she mean it in the sense that he saved someone rather than just being mercilessly killed?

Emma came crawling over to him, setting a hand on his forehead. He felt the pain fade. making him sigh in relief.

"Heal my feet next!" Esme complained.

"You aren't getting them healed," Emma spat.

"Why?"

"You know why."

Emma wouldn't heal them because she went off alone. If she did that at night, she might be dead.

"Plus, your face is still all torn in some places," Emma implied, chewing on her lip.

"I could run fine," Esme remarked.

Angel didn't think that was what Emma wanted to heal. There were some parts of her skin peeling, with some old scars bleeding down her chin.

"No, you couldn't," Emma refused.

"Are you not doing it because Bryce is away?" Esme asked.

"No."

"Oh, I know!"

"Don't say it," Emma whispered, focusing on healing James.

"If you're going to be a disruption, Esme, leave the tent," Hanna said.

"My feet are numb too from Jade's ice," Esme rambled, wobbly sitting on the grass.

Angel wasn't sure if Emma would end up healing Esme's feet. After all, she might end up taking off running if she did.

Tears flowed harder than they have in months. Cindy covered her face because it had been a sight that brought overwhelming emotions. The flashback came back when she saw Melany die with the bullet in her chest. How she could helplessly do nothing because of her own eye.

"You need to stop crying," Melany said, crouching in front of her.

Cindy couldn't, since the reality was that Melany would fade away after the last follower was killed. She didn't want that to happen, but she knew that Melany wasn't alive but was almost an illusion.

Is this how Emma felt when she told the truth? It was like having her chest ache as if someone had pulled her heart out.

"I can't help it," Cindy sobbed.

What happened to the caring girl she had been when Melany was alive? She was cold without thinking of others' feelings. She pulled Melany in for a hug that didn't exactly feel normal. It felt like she was present but almost faint.

"I miss you so much."

"I do too," Melany said, but she wasn't crying.

"It's been so hard that I couldn't step foot in there without getting flashbacks," Cindy admitted. "I'm such a cold person."

Coldness was the only way she acted toward others. If she got close to people again, they would turn out just like Melany by sacrificing their lives. Closing her heart away was the only way to prevent her from being hurt again.

"I know it's hard without me, but it's all about acceptance," Melany stated. "You have to move forward without me by your side."

Cindy felt her eyes widen, pulling back to stare at Melany. She knew exactly what Melany was implying. The reality of this situation is something she couldn't bring herself to do.

"Accept that I won't be there in the future; I won't be there for your graduation or to help you get through high school," Melany said with a sad smile. "I won't be there to catch you when you fall, but others will be. You're still mad at yourself, but you helped deliver the child I couldn't."

"Should I just sacrifice myself then?" Cindy whispered, sounding vulnerable for the first time in a long time.

"No," Melany started. "Avoid death, especially from Ashley. You have to keep living for me."

"My goal is to live." Cindy's voice cracked. "It's pretty hard in a place like this."

"You fought Luke, and you are alive," Melany implied.

Cindy gulped at the mention of his name because somewhere out there, he is still a follower. She hoped someone had managed to at least get rid of him completely after everything he's done.

She had originally come back to tell Emma about what happened with River before seeing Melany. She's supposed to be helping in case some fight does pop up. It's not that any of them know how many followers remain, except for Cassandra.

Now, she felt she couldn't bring herself to go back. Yes, she had witnessed an actual prosecution happen. How an actual parent can lie about their actions, especially someone famous.

"You are growing past my death, though." Melany's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "You helped with Cecile Dunlop getting charges laid against her and got witnesses, plus you defended against someone who needed justice."

She saved River from more emotional distress than he already experienced. It was the emotional pain people experience, especially him, Emma, and herself.

"All because you are still gaining people you can trust. People that you can call home."

Cindy stared, awestruck, because Melany has always been the one with better emotional intelligence. It was why she was so good with understanding the knowledge of Ilya's depression.

"But..." Cindy whimpered, brushing her tears away with her palm. "I've been so mean to people..."

Lashing out at people by refusing to do jobs or ignoring the many calls she received about injuries.

"When people are in pain, they do things like that. Now, you have to help defeat the rest of the followers," Melany stated.

"That means you vanish," Cindy whimpered.

"I'll always be in your heart. So, go help them fight to survive." Melany pulled her into a hug, closing her eyes with a shaky breath. "Do it for me."

"I love you."

"I love you too, so go defeat those followers."

Cindy bopped away, her eyes still teary. Glancing over, she spotted a follower charging right at her.

"Yay!" Nevaeh cheered, still staring directly at a follower. "We've got to finish fighting these two boys."

Cindy bopped away from where the follower appeared. When the boy turned, he held out his palm as a vine came out like a rope. She ducked, wiping her eyes, which felt raw.

"River is tied up by that vine," Nevaeh remarked.

Cindy pushed the follower hard to the ground, searching around for something. She needed to find anything she could use to hit them because she wanted to keep living.

Cindy spotted a medium-sized rock, wobbling as she picked it up. She dropped it more than threw it; that follower disappeared, along with the tight vine around River.

"That ached," he rasped, wobbling as he approached them.

Nevaeh still tried to fight off the follower by reflecting their guilty secrets, but she had dark bags under her eyes. River grabbed the rock, tossing it like it was simple.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they charged us with manslaughter," Nevaeh stated.

There weren't any people on the outside who had seen it, but some of these people died from the storm. Maybe it wasn't all the storm, but people who had accidentally been burned.

"There shouldn't be many left," Cindy whispered. She felt tired herself—not from the fight but from all the crying she did. It almost caused her eyes to water again, but it didn't.

"I'm guessing Bryce's group might have some, or maybe that other group," Nevaeh implied.

"There've been so many of them," River remarked, running a hand down his face.

All of them were tired as Cindy looked out where normal society is. People out there get the comfort of sleep, while here you barely sleep a good five hours anymore. Especially now that Ashley's committing murder with all the freak abilities.

"Can we head back now?" River asked with his head hanging. "This day has been too long."

Seeing how a boy who had been scared of contact ended up hugging the two of them. Cindy had never been close to River, but he seemed to trust her among the few here.

"I'll bring us back," Cindy stated, holding out her hands for them to grab.

When they both grabbed them, she closed her eyes, feeling her own mind doze off. Snapping from her daze, they landed back in camp near one of the fires. River had a few cuts from the vines, but they weren't serious enough for Emma to heal.

"You made it back," Bella remarked.

Cindy stared at her in contempt. Six months ago, this was the girl who'd she would fight with constantly about the toxic behaviour she used over Jason without her acknowledging the reality. Now she was facing the reality of the situation for once.

"Hello, housewife," Nevaeh snickered.

Bella had her lips pressed together and one small piece of paper in her hand. "I need you to give this to Jason," she said, handing it to Cindy.

"I'm pretty sure they're coming back soon," Cindy muttered.

"It's an if situation. You can read it," Bella whispered.

Cindy opened the paper to scan over some of the words. Within the first paragraph, she had widened her eyes.

"If that's your decision," Cindy said flatly.

The letter was a goodbye letter addressed to Jason. It was obvious she wasn't telling him about the decision she made, especially since she was confronting them.

Nevaeh grabbed the paper to read the letter. "This is quite depressing," she said.

Cindy knew the prime reason Bella would want to sacrifice herself, but she doubted she'd be chosen. Divina most likely preferred a freak to a normal person.

"I'll talk to him, but I'm not telling him," Bella mumbled.

"I doubt you'll be picked," Cindy spat with crossed arms.

Cindy didn't feel sorry for Bella, even after Melany told her everything. If she decides to sacrifice herself, it's her own problem. She knew that some others would be like her, but not for the same sake.

Bella had annoyed many people, especially during the storm. Some were envious of her, but Cindy knew Bella had realized how her fate should end.

"I still might," Bella whispered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Haven't you thought about what the soldier will say when he gets back?" Nevaeh asked.

"I'm still keeping it secret. Only give him the letter if I'm chosen," Bella mumbled, nodding her head.

Bella didn't seem scared to die or anything. Cindy didn't even know what the sign of someone being chosen was. The thing she did know was that Cassandra had to call it.

"We'll have to see," River whispered.

Cindy grabbed the letter back and read the words over again. She would live for Melany's sake, which meant not dying. If Bella did end up being Divina's choice, something would be the same. The once-golden boy and girl would die by sacrificing themselves.

Cindy and Melany's last conversation... When Melany talked about not being there, I started crying.