Everyone can wear a facade like it's nothing, especially when it doesn't mean anything. A small gesture of kindness, such as a smile or words of praise, can easily trick those around them. However, occasionally those simple acts have something dangerous buried within them.

"Why was he having a mental breakdown?" Mia asked dumbly.

"Did you miss the whole conversation?" Bryce asked with a grin.

"Even Eden knew the conversation," Will remarked.

Most people at Uden Academy knew Eden Weber as the reformed Catholic girl, not the girl known for her criminal behaviour.

"The police remembering Eden had to be the best part," Bryce said. "I didn't realize the documentary was out."

"Police officers remember me as much as Mia remembers drugs," Eden said.

"Meanwhile, Mia gave drugs to a girl who overdosed and had an addiction," Will added.

"Okay, people literally need to be more responsible because everyone knows drugs are bad," Mia said.

"Has that stopped you?" Bryce inquired.

"I don't take drugs, duh," Mia said dumbly.

As they walked, Will pushed her onto the highway.

"Don't bully me!" Mia exclaimed, rolling on her back.

They've all managed to bully each other in some way. They weren't just the crackheads escaping campus and running down to the nearest bus stop. Well, Mia has mainly been the one bullied by all of them, especially Bryce.

"How is that bullying? You fell down," Bryce said.

Eden looked over, narrowing her eyes at the sight. "Is that the hospital?" she inquired.

"Can we play hospital?" Mia asked.

The hospital didn't look in good condition on the outside. There was glass smashed in windows or even in the automatic doors that were stuck open. The cars that were once in the parking lot were flipped over and destroyed, becoming nothing but flattened metal.

"Yes," Will affirmed as they went running.

They were supposed to be looking for followers, but it's all like old times. None of them cared about the dangers, because who cares?

"Wait, let's try leaping over this," Mia called, pointing at a slanted stop sign. She went running, but tripped and fell to the ground.

"All of us knew that would happen when you went running," Bryce called.

They stumbled their way into the darkened hospital with the broken automatic doors. The pink light glowed through the windows, shining on some flipped chairs or abandoned wheelchairs in the middle of the lobby.

"I wonder if they have our files here or people we know," Will said.

"Where do they even keep files? All of us were kept on the rehabilitation floor for a reason," Bryce remarked.

Yes, they had been transferred to the mental health floor. Uden Academy advised them to stay after one of their second escapes from school, during which they got into difficulties with the police.

According to Heather Harp, who gave the suggestion, it'd calm their behaviour. However, it didn't happen because you cannot change all four of them together.

"Bro, faking that we all turned Jesus crazy had to be the best part," Will implied.

"Adults are just stupid," Eden said.

They crept up a rear staircase and forced open the mental health floor door. The floor was painted light blue, and the doors were barred. However, glass had been damaged in order to get access.

"They have to have information from Uden Academy students. Not all medical files should be at the school," Mia rambled.

"I remember the headmistress visiting us. Eden, you literally lost your shit," Bryce said.

The headmistress went to visit the four about coming back to school. Eden didn't like the idea of waiting those three days, so she threw her chair because things had to go her way.

If things didn't go her way, she'd find a way to take advantage of their mistakes. She would resort to violence or drugging because that's how she got her point across.

She had grown up witnessing violence, which seemed natural to her. Witnessing the physical abuse of both her and her siblings or watching her mother fight with her older siblings.

"They only kept us there for a week, and according to the school nurse, it would have been better not keeping us there but separating us," Will implied, spinning in an old chair.

"Will gets put in cooking classes," Bryce said, but laughed. "Eden turned into a fake Jesus freak while I, unfortunately, stayed with Mia."

Eden started flipping through some thick medical files in the drawer at the front desk. She opened one, smirking and scanning over the information.

"Mia is described as a troubled teen with a large drug addiction," Eden began. "The patient has frequently attempted to break out of her room. According to Heather Harp, she is described as smoking multiple times a day."

"I don't have a drug addiction; I'm a dealer," Mia remarked as she flipped through the dusty stack of documents.

Eden grabbed her own file, scanning over the documents. "They have all my police records here," she said dully.

"Well, I'd assume because you're a criminal, but that's just a guess," Bryce said, glancing through some files.

"Apparently, I lack empathy, engage in aggressive behaviour, and don't feel remorse for anything I do. It seems that may be true," Eden sighed.

She doesn't care for anything that'd be considered wrong in a normal person's eyes. When she drugged Bella, caused arson, or beat up people when she didn't get what she wanted. She's someone who should be behind bars, but they assumed Uden Academy would heal her completely.

"You still have nightmares?" Bryce called, looking down at a document.

"I don't have nightmares," Mia said dumbly, waving a hand.

"I'm talking about the person who'd wake up screaming when we slept over." Eden widened her eyes at Bryce's comment. "The person who'd cry in our arms the odd time."

"Of course I don't," Eden spat bitterly. "Why the hell would I have nightmares about them? Abuse and poverty aren't issues I deal with now."

"Well, you've told us your mom was an alcoholic who killed your older sister, plus the whole ordeal with what your brother did." Will said.

From the beginning, her family was dysfunctional. Her parents decided that having six children wouldn't be a problem even when their ages ranged from fifteen to four years old. She wasn't sure when things started getting bad, but probably when her father stopped coming home.

When she was eight, she witnessed her mother kill her older sister Louise. Her sister had suggested making tacos for their sister Mariah's birthday, who was turning twelve. In her mother's drunken rage, she slammed her vodka bottle across Louise's head, who fell hard into the wall and was killed.

Her brother Beckham was fifteen when he grabbed a knife from the counter and stabbed their mother four times. She watched it happen with her older brother Peter, who was only a year older than her. The thing was that none of them cared their mother died except her younger sister Iris, because she was four.

Beckham told the police that their mother stabbed herself after killing Louise out of guilt, but that was far from the truth. So, they had to act upset when their mother died, except none of them cared.

Since their father basically left, they were thrown into foster homes. The problem was nobody wanted to adopt five kids who may have killed their mother, so she ran away one day from the foster home.

That's when she stumbled upon Sanguine in an alleyway where a fire was being burned. She didn't fear people who were twice her age with tattoos and coloured hair. They made her feel she belonged somewhere and protected her, despite being on the run.

"I don't have nightmares anymore," she spat. "I just do what needs to be done."

"Sociopathic Eden is controlled somewhat," Mia slurred.

She wasn't the only problematic child in her family. Unlike her brothers, Beckham and Raiden, who liked seeing their mother get what she deserved, she was like her sister Mariah. Both of them fake the act of sadness without feeling anything deep inside.

"Whoa, isn't this Ashley's document?" Will asked, holding up a file.

They sat in a circle, grabbing documents from each other. There were some papers about eye examinations she received in the past for surgery to improve her sight. Another one talked about being diagnosed with dyslexia she experienced.

"Ashley Iverson? I thought Jason's last name was Harp." Mia inquired, staring blankly at the folder name.

"Different parents," Will said.

"This girl sure had a lot of problems. Heather must've gotten karma," Bryce remarked with a smirk. "Wait, what's this?" He held a purple piece of paper in his hand.

"Doctors thought Ashley had something more wrong with her?" Will inquired, clearly oblivious to the meaning.

Eden grabbed a different document from the desk, narrowing her eyes at the paper. "The hospital knew about some chemical leakage, but there aren't any names."

Adults have always been irresponsible when it comes to accomplishing anything. It was like the incompetence foster homes had in deciding if they should be housed together or split apart.

When Sanguine was disbanded, the police took her to the station to call her parents. Since she didn't exactly have parents, they called her grandma, the only person who cared for her safety.

Apparently, the foster home failed to share that she was gone for years. This led to a police investigation of her foster home, and her grandma admitted she knew about some of the abuse she suffered along with her siblings.

Since all her siblings were already in different towns, they didn't know where to place her. Schooling in Toronto wasn't an option anymore because her grandma was old and couldn't take care of her. They thought about it, but Uden Academy would be considered her care until she graduated.

"You can't just spill some chemicals in a ditch. They either get dumped or thrown out," Mia implied, staring at the document.

Hearing a creak, Eden stood, pointing her gun up. She slowly started to go to one of the hospital rooms, all with white doors.

"You think those creepy followers are here?" Mia asked.

Eden kicked open the closed doors. In each room, they had a metal bed frame with a small mattress and a white desk. The window was caged up so people couldn't jump out that barely shined any light inside the room.

"Mia will die first," Bryce said.

"Okay, maybe, but Eden has my gun!" Mia complained.

Eden was used to handling guns since she was taught to use one. Sanguine always had people with guns since stealing was an occurrence for food or protection.

"Just tell them some Bible verses, Eden," Will called from the empty floor.

Scanning the area, she didn't see anything abnormal. Hearing a sound above her, she glanced up. Dodging to the right, part of the ceiling crashed to the ground. Staring at some followers, Eden fired at them. Before they could react with power, they had popped to the ground.

"Who knew you were quick with guns?" Bryce said with a smirk.

Eden pointed the gun at the purple substance. "They taught me to be," she said flatly. "I doubt they are done."

She was correct because the ones that she shot reformed themselves like clay, staring enraged at her. It was time for her innocent facade to truly drop.

"Food?" Zane questioned.

"There's a store inside," Yara rambled.

The only food inside had been from seeds or Talia, but she had gone out, follower destroying.

"Cassandra brought it through the bubble," Yara remarked.

Divina did state that Cassandra could bring things in through the bubble. It would be extremely beneficial if she had brought in a grocery store. Although it's a risk to send people to help deliver food, but they needed it urgently.

"How far?" Zane asked.

Yara pointed past the campground, straight ahead. "We'd have to walk or use the golf cart," she said, jerking her thumb to a white golf cart.

Glancing around, followers were still guarding the area with different weapons in their hands. Almost all freaks have been out fighting, along with some without.

"That had to be one of her plans," Zane said.

She was intelligent because nobody else could do that. They have been going through starvation for months with people eating anything, including dog food.

"Let me see this," Zane remarked as he travelled with Yara to the golf cart. It's not exactly doing well on the fields because it's a golf cart. If they hit one bump, they'd go rolling down into the ditch.

Glancing around, he had to let someone know he was leaving. Someone had to be in charge while he was gone for a bit, but who?

Seeing Emma and Mark, he narrowed his eyes in thought. There was no way he could leave Emma in charge because she'd be panicking every two minutes. However, Mark has been trusted now that he has been sticking with hauling in fish.

"I need a favour, Mark," Zane started. "I need you to lead, since I'm going to figure out this food business."

Emma stopped pacing to stare at him. "I think someone died!" she freaked. "Who could have died? Do you think Esme did, or Bryce, or..."

"Why do you think someone died?" Zane asked.

"It feels weird, like when Ashley was burning Simcoe," Emma said, squeezing her hands together.

"Why do you want me to lead?" Mark asked, clearly perplexed by the situation.

"I don't see anyone else stepping up that can," Zane implied.

There was nobody else that could step up. Those around either were guarding around or cooking up some fish that they had gathered before Simcoe was burned to ash.

Mark glanced around the area, where people were still guarded throughout. "Sure..." he trailed off.

Zane nodded, walking to hop in the golf cart. When he started it, there was still enough gas for driving since the gas pipes were no longer frozen.

"It's that way," Yara implied, pointing straight ahead as you could see the silhouette of a building.

An actual building had been transferred inside this hell, just how they could see the outside world. Driving down the gravel road, Zane glanced around for any followers.

It's possible now that Ashley's scared. Not of them, but her plan is failing. Zane didn't know himself; other than that, someone had to die.

It's unfortunate that someone has to give up their life, but it's all a choice again. Divina chooses who it wants to use, but he didn't have a clue who it would want.

Going through a field, he spotted it. The building with beige brick was just positioned there. It seemed like it had been constructed recently with open doors.

"How did she even get that inside?" Yara asked with a gasp.

They got off the golf cart and walked inside the dim building. From the first step you took, there was a muffin. Zane rubbed his eyes, thinking it might be some kind of illusion.

Yara rushed over, ripping open the clear container and pressing a finger on the muffin on the ground. "It's real," she gasped. "I don't remember the last time I had a muffin."

Zane couldn't remember either, but he didn't realize how good the food tasted. Real food, not just fish, corn, and cabbage.

"We need some type of system to bring the food. Small bits, so that we don't run out," Zane said.

Zane spotted apple cores on the ground, along with an empty box of brownies. They weren't the only ones who had been here.

"That takes a lot of gas," Yara implied, wiping her eyes. "It's all some miracle. You realize if Cassandra was never born, we wouldn't have this."

They wouldn't, because nobody could bring a grocery store inside. They'd mostly eat up small amounts, such as before the storm.

"Focus on those that need the most food. All the young children died, which left no actual children," Zane sighed.

"We all need food," Yara implied with a mouthful of a blueberry muffin. "We could take some stuff back, like the meat, if it's still good. I wonder who got killed."

"It could be anyone because we don't know where Ashley's location is. It's Ashley's endgame, which will soon be Divina's," Zane implied.

They may create a food system, but Ashley could burn this place to a crisp. Unless Cassandra had done something to prevent that. Zane didn't know what, but he hoped for something.

"You sensed something here?" Jason asked.

Greyson watched Cassandra stare down at the water. There was no ice causing the entire surface to freeze, but apparently something was in the water.

"Isn't that what I said?" She groaned, both hands on her hips.

"There's something in the water?" Jason asked.

"I just said that!" she sourly snapped.

They've been fighting follower after follower, leaving Greyson's body feeling tired. For once, he actually wanted to stop for a moment, but Cassandra was determined to get this done.

"We're getting close. There are still some others fighting, and someone died," she rambled, facing her palms at the peaceful lake.

"Who died?" Jason asked.

"Stick," Cassandra said with her eyes closed. "Why did they call him Stick? He isn't a tree."

"Because he used to be skinny as a stick," Jason remarked.

Watching Cassandra slowly raise her hands, Greyson saw something rise from the water.

"There's a follower," she said flatly.

Greyson felt intrigued, his eyes narrowing at the sight that travelled toward them from the air.

"Is that a body part?" Jason asked.

It floated above them and looked like it might be part of a shoulder blade. It looked like the piece was cut off in a horizontal direction that only half of it was sliced.

"Is it a puzzle?" Cassandra asked with a cocked head, letting the piece fall on the sand.

"It's a body," Greyson stated, knowing whose body it had to be. "Luke's."

Cassandra narrowed her eyebrows, placing a palm above the part. Slowly, it disappeared like dust.

"This is Ashley's strongest fighter," Cassandra said to herself. When she went to face the lake, she quickly turned as if she had heard something. "You can't hide."

Greyson glanced around as he felt himself soar in the air, floating as Ashley stood furious below. She was still burned to a pulp, with most of her hair gone and her skin still red.

"I killed one of your people," Ashley snarled.

"Killing is wrong, but you deserve to be erased from this earth," Cassandra grated.

"Those three that had been there were left burning."

"You're an awful liar. I know something we can do; Jason, fire at Ashley."

"Don't you dare!" Ashley yelled.

Cassandra smiled as Jason faced his palms at Ashley, firing. Ashley fired back, but it ricocheted off of them and onto her own body. Cassandra laced her hands together before directing one at Ashley. The white light shot at Ashley, who let out a bloody scream.

"Release," Cassandra whispered, as there had been a bright light.

Greyson squinted as he tried to make out what had been occurring. When the light disappeared, they landed carefully back on the sand. He knitted his eyebrows together, staring at a strange sight in front of him.

"Time to take out the trash," Cassandra sighed, grabbing Ashley by her hair and throwing her into the lake like a rock.

Her body made a large splash as their attention turned toward a girl. She was unconscious, with dark hair and pale skin, like paper.

"Wake up!" Cassandra yelled, shaking her violently.

Greyson found himself placing a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. It made her stop to look back at him with a smile.

"Isn't that the girl body Divina always used?" Jason asked.

It was the exact body Divina used. He remembered it drawing a body just using a piece of paper with a black dress with arms still covered in blood, just like before.

"Fine, I'll take a different approach," she sighed, placing a hand on the top of the girl's head.

The girl screamed, running around with her arms covering her head. Her body shook, and her head kept looking back and forth.

"I didn't even do anything," Cassandra said, crossing her arms and turning her gaze to the lake.

"Stop," Greyson spat.

The girl stopped running around to look around her location. She glanced over, her eyebrows knitted together for a moment.

"Wait," she started, rubbing her eyes multiple times. "Why am I like this?"

Greyson glanced at Cassandra, who had her palms lifted toward the lake. More pieces of Luke's body began to appear in the air before they would disappear.

"I don't hear a thank you," Cassandra spat, not facing the girl. "I actually thought you'd die, but you still might."

"How'd you do it?" she breathed.

"Have you been missing everything that's been happening?" Cassandra groaned, slowly getting rid of Luke's chopped-up body.

"No..." she trailed off.

"You realize you're going to die, real Ashley," Cassandra said.

Greyson knitted his eyebrows together. He remembered Cassandra saying something about that real persona being transferred into a body, but he didn't expect it to be Divina's.

"There are about ten followers left who need to die. After that, it's goodbye," Cassandra said, turning back to Luke's chopped body.

"I thought Ashley was god?" Jason asked.

"Didn't you hear how I could separate the soul? However, she's still going to die. Sorry to rain on reunions, but I doubt Father likes this because I don't," Cassandra said.

"Wait, I'm going to die?" Ashley questioned.

Cassandra bit her pinky nail, his own habit. Greyson didn't have any words for Ashley, but Jason stared blankly.

"Why does she die, Cassandra?" Greyson asked.

Cassandra's eyes glowed at the question. It was like someone had turned a switch and her frustration went away.

"It's not a real body that maintains regular force, but it's all an illusion, like those followers," Cassandra explained, staring into his eyes. "This means she didn't want to be on God's side."

"I didn't," Ashley stated.

Greyson glanced down at all the pieces of Luke's body, chopped up like fruit. Whoever did this seemed to enjoy whatever they were planning.

"Why'd you give me a body?" Ashley asked.

"Is your personality naturally stupid?" Cassandra asked, turning the last body part to dust. "You should know this information."

"I'm just confused," Ashley said.

"It's not that confusing. You die once all the followers are gone, which might be tomorrow."

It was already tomorrow; they would be all gone. Well, that had been quicker than he thought.

"Do you announce it at any given time?" Greyson asked.

"I was going to wait a bit after we got back," she rambled. "I say words, then someone will step forward. Then we deal with Ashley's backup plan, which I haven't figured out yet. We probably should start walking back, but we aren't taking you. You'd cause more panic and confusion, which they don't need. All you're doing is waiting to die."

Cassandra reached over, squeezing his own hand. Greyson knew it wasn't a matter of panic and confusion. No, Cassandra didn't want Ashley coming with them at all. This has been to separate god from that thing. All she wanted was for the followers to be gone. That had been Cassandra's goal, which she wouldn't stop from seeing some girl.

"I agree," Greyson said.

"Talk if you wish; we aren't," Cassandra stated, walking ahead as Greyson followed behind. "I can't stand her. For some reason, it worked before all the followers left, which did show she didn't want to be with God."

Cassandra chewed on her pinky nail, glancing around the area. Most of the beach was destroyed with fallen trees or broken debris.

"Did you choose it?" she asked, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

Greyson knitted his eyebrows together; she knew what he had been referring to. Cassandra ran a hand over her face, and she shook her head.

"Did you even tell Mother?" Her words had been muffled because of her hand. "You know, it probably won't happen."

"It's not for nobility or whatnot," he started. "It's not that you have told her either."

"I can't yet," she whispered with clenched hands. "I don't want to make her sad. That means you have to tell..."

"When we get back," Greyson remarked.

"You better." Cassandra's voice sounded almost hurt. "Mother wouldn't like it if you didn't," she looked up at him with teary eyes.

Greyson stared, but he didn't exactly know how to respond. When he cried to his adoptive parents when he was younger, they said don't cry over it.

Cassandra approached him and locked her gaze on him. She hugged him, which made him tense at first before he wrapped his arms around her. She was a bit shorter than Scarlett, as Cassandra shook her head on his shoulder.

"She can't lose you too," she murmured. "She'll be sad, and I don't want her to be sad when I tell her."

Greyson felt tears in his eyes because it was all so overwhelming. Everything leading to when it happens and the words he's been scared to say.

"I care about you two a lot, and I know you do too, because I hear it, father. I love you, so tell those words, okay?"

Greyson knew he was going to say those words. However, hearing it from his own child was overwhelming in a way he'd never experienced.

Cassandra pulled back, wiped her own tears away, and smiled. Jason came walking over, leaving Ashley standing on the beach.

"I didn't say anything to her," he stated.

"Okay, time to go," Cassandra said as she began to walk away.

Greyson knew seeing that sight hurt something in his heart. Could it be because the crumbling truth is coming back on him? Maybe, but he'd tell Scarlett because she needed to know. Greyson knew the reasons he decided to give himself, which weren't for power.

"Did you say anything?" Cassandra's words snapped him from his thoughts.

"No," Jason responded.

"Hopefully everyone else can deal with their followers," Cassandra sighed. "It's not that we can deal with it on our own, but Divina's endgame is nearing."

Well, a lot of new information was spilled.

Are you enjoying Cassandra's character?