Cassandra woke up to the scene beyond the barrier—ambulances idling, police officers lingering as if unsure whether to advance or retreat. She rubbed her eye, exhaustion dragging at her limbs at the cost of draining Ashley's powers settled in.

Maybe there had been a better way.

Something inside her snapped the moment her gaze landed on Heather Harp—the woman who had given her father away. The very sight sent a surge of emotions coursing through Cassandra's veins.

Rage surged through her, sudden and blinding. Someone like that didn't deserve fairness—didn't deserve anything at all.

This wasn't about justice. It was something different—revenge, festering and bottled up. Her mother had warned her not to seek revenge, but the women had been right in front of her.

Cassandra had never felt that furious before—aside from when dealing with Ashley. It was because Ashley had intended to cause harm, something Cassandra didn't like.

Staring at the outside world, she watched as police officers waved their arms, trying to get her attention. A group of reporters stood nearby, microphones in hand, asking questions she couldn't hear.

Cassandra was not in the mood to listen to adults blab nonsense, trying to figure out why she caused that earthquake.

She pushed herself onto shaky legs, one hand pressed to her temple as she searched for Divina.

The thing paced nearby, a crooked grin stretching on her face as she drank in the chaos beyond the barrier.

"Quite a showing. Where did that stupid thing run off to?" Divina snarled.

"It can't run," Cassandra stated.

"Why not get rid of the high ranks?" Divina asked, folding her arms. "Quicker that way."

"It has no form of transportation. Ashley relied on followers or her speed to get places," Cassandra replied.

Divina began laughing, causing Cassandra to frown. She didn't like Divina's personality. Bella should have been here—alive, growing, living her life. Instead, it had been stolen, twisted into this thing wearing her face.

"I can't believe I can get my powers early," Divina said with a devious grin. "Break it down. Make it beg. That's how you get results."

"No," she spat, crossing her arms.

"No?" Divina tilted her head. "Shame. I was hoping for some entertainment."

Cassandra's eyebrows drew together—and with a flick of a hand, Divina slammed into the ground under an unseen force. A sharp pulse of pain followed, blooming behind Cassandra's eyes.

Divina tried to stand, but it didn't work.

"Maybe it's fun for you, but I'm here to end this. I'm not toying like some sick freak," Cassandra snapped.

"You're no fun. Watching it squirm would be so satisfying," Divina said with a wicked grin.

Cassandra released her grip, her breathing uneven.

Around them, the fields stretched wide—mostly mud now, dotted with rotting crops and uneven holes. But outside The Bubble, the land was different. Trees still held their leaves, standing tall and unbroken against the early morning light.

"I'll handle this my way," Cassandra snapped, turning away.

Part of her wanted to leave Divina here to rot, but she couldn't. Not yet. Divina was the only one who could help kill Ashley.

"But—" Divina began, only to hit the ground again under an invisible force.

"I said no." Cassandra's voice was sharp. "Draining powers takes energy out of me. You're human, Divina. That changes things."

Divina struggled to catch up. "Why not just zap over to it? Save us the boring walk."

"And burn through my energy for what? A shortcut?" Cassandra snapped, her eyes narrowing.

The image of Bella haunted her—the real Bella, full of kindness, not this twisted version driven by greed and cruelty.

Divina's tone turned cold, almost clinical. "Why do you care about these humans?"

Cassandra trembled as she raised her hand. Divina flinched.

To anyone watching, it might look like a threat. But she could erase Divina's existence from Bella's body.

"Because they didn't ask for any of this," Cassandra said through clenched teeth.

With a sudden surge, Cassandra lifted Divina into the air and slammed her down once more. Divina's eyes spun wildly. Everything had to go Cassandra's way, especially after what Divina had dome to Bella.

Closing her eyes, Cassandra sank to the hard ground and conjured a peach into her palm. She stared down the empty, snow-free road ahead. The sky was glowing faintly with dawn, the soft light making it harder for Ashley to hide.

Divina slowly sat up, brushing herself off while smirking defiantly. "Funny, isn't it? A human wielding all that power. Doesn't sit right."

Cassandra conjured another peach and hurled it straight at Divina's face. The fruit made a loud splat, splitting in two as juice dripped down her cheeks.

"Gross," Divina muttered, wiping her face.

"You should know all your answers," Cassandra snapped.

"You really think it's just about trapping your parents? Its motivation changes the moment it sensed you," Divina said.

"You mean when I stopped the storm in my mother's womb?" Cassandra replied flatly, taking a bite of her peach. "Or how my growth rate is linked to my powers?"

Divina plucked the ruined peach from the ground, half-laughing as she wiped her sticky hands. "You know, anyone ever tell you you're just like your father?"

Cassandra didn't respond right away. She stared at the dirt road ahead, the peace resting heavy in her hand. They did say that often. That she had his determination. His intensity. His refusal to bow down.

But lately, it felt like she was being asked to carry more than even he ever did.

Divina kept going. "That's exactly why God tried to wipe out everyone. But its plan failed. It wanted to trap followers to keep them close, so it could kill in the human world."

Cassandra's eyebrows drew together. "Did something go wrong?"

"Oh, you could say that." Divina said, tapping her chest. "We went wrong. Fallen stars. Slipped through some loop in space... and ended up here."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "Who made God's substance?"

Divina smirked. "Bella's father."

Bella's father had been responsible for this mess. Cassandra didn't understand how that could be possible—or even how the substance was created. People always said that chemicals could create dangerous things, like drugs.

Divina's tone shifted, more explanatory now. "He was dying. Desperate. Sick enough to make something illegal and unstable. Dumped it in a ditch to hide the evidence. That ditch? That's where particles formed. And that's where God latched onto someone through a wound."

Cassandra looked down at her hands, flexing them slowly. That kind of contamination had infected everything.

"So all do this... started with one man," she said quietly. "One choice."

Divina nodded. "And humans were helpless. Until you showed up."

Cassandra blinked. She'd seen proof in her parents' memories—the storm that almost never ended or the power plant incident.

She was the pause in the storm—the moment everything stopped spinning.

Maybe because she was never meant to be born in the real world. Maybe that's why her power broke the chaos.

"You see how this bubble was created? That human named Ashley didn't exactly create it. The last mutant power granted that day those fifteen and older vanished. This meant all the energy formed around the powers caused that human to create it with the tissues," Divina said.

"So, Ashley's powers were the last developed?"

"No, some random human. God intended for those fifteen and older to vanish because they didn't have powers. From the beginning, everyone here had their powers, but they were unaware of them in Simcoe."

"Why only Simcoe?"

"See, this wasn't just about the substance. We—the fallen stars—knew the powers arrived to earth. My powers were scattered and randomly chosen. Uden Academy develops them first, then spreads to Simcoe."

Cassandra still didn't fully understand how it worked, but the basic truth was clear: this was unavoidable since the start.

"Now we get to defeat that thing." Cassandra watched as Divina laughed.

Cassandra looked off toward the horizon. She wanted to defeat Ashley quickly, but at the same time, it pained her. She just wanted her parents to get the peace and happiness they deserved after the hell Ashley had been causing.

Heather felt a sharp ache in her head as she slowly regained consciousness. A dull, throbbing pain pulsed behind her eyes, making it difficult to focus.

As she blinked, the light blue wall across from her came into view. She narrowed her eyes, struggling against the haze clouding her vision. The bright light streaming in from the window made her wince, forcing her to turn her head slightly.

That's where she noticed the small television mounted in the upper corner of the room.

A hospital.

Fragments of memory came rushing back.

Cassandra.

Her face twisted with rage

Heather's chest tightened. This hadn't been random. It had been personal. Deliberate.

Why me?

"It's good you're awake," a voice said gently.

Heather turned her head slightly, wincing at the movement. A nurse stood beside her bed, offering a small smile.

"My name's Hayley. You've suffered a concussion," she explained. "And... there are reports suggesting the incident may have been targeted at you."

Targeted.

The words echoed in Heather's mind, heavy and suffocating.

Of course it was.

Her thoughts spiralled back to the moment before everything went black. Cassandra had been standing there—watching her, furious. Not just angry but full of something deeper. Something colder.

Cassandra was supposed to be her granddaughter.

And yet, there had been nothing familial in her eyes.

Only hatred.

The sound of laughter from the hallway cut through her thoughts.

Bella Foster.

The memory replayed vividly—Bella laughing by the clear amusement of Ashley in pain. Nearby, she had been on the ground, consumed by something far darker than fear.

Rage.

Pure, uncontrollable rage.

A soft knock on the door broke the silence.

"I'll give you a moment," Hayley said before stepping out.

The door opened and Lola Foster stepped inside. She was the mother of Bella Foster, and worked at the local pharmacy.

She looked exhausted. Pale. Her movements were stiff, as if the weight of everything was pressing down on her.

She sat heavily in a chair across from Heather and took a shaky breath.

"My husband...," she began, her voice trembling. "He told me something a few months ago. Something he shouldn't have kept from me."

Heather frowned, her head still throbbing. "Jay?"

Lola nodded.

Jay was Lola's husband, and they had been married for sixteen years. Their relationship began in their teenage years when they attended the same high school in Simcoe.

"He was working on a cancer treatment. Something groundbreaking. It was supposed to help people—make things easier." Her hands twisted together in her lap. "But something went wrong."

A chill crept through Heather.

"Our boss found out," Lola continued quietly. "He ordered Jay to get rid of it. To dispose of everything."

Heather's eyebrows furrowed. "Dispose of it how?"

"He poured the fluid into a ditch on the outskirts of town," Lola admitted, her voice breaking.

Silence filled the room.

"And now?" Heather asked cautiously.

Lola swallowed hard. "Now everything is changing."

She hesitated before continuing.

"Jay isn't well either. He's had a brain tumour for almost a year." Her voice cracked. "And Bella..." Tears welled in her eyes. "I haven't seen her since we could see inside."

Heather's stomach dropped.

"I saw Bella..." she said slowly.

Lola's head snapped up. "Is she okay?"

Heather hesitated.

"She hit Ashley in the head with a shovel."

The words hung in the air.

Lola stared at her, frozen in shock.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Ashley was gone—no longer the daughter she had known. She had become something else. Something dangerous.

Something that could kill them all.

"Maybe it's just trauma," Lola said weakly. "People change under stress..."

"Maybe," Heather murmured, though she didn't believe it.

Not after what she had seen.

Not after Cassandra.

Cassandra hadn't lost control.

She had made a choice.

"You need to rest," Lola said quietly, forcing a gentle smile as she stood. "You have to recover."

Heather didn't respond.

She just watched as Lola left the room.

Alone again, Heather stared toward the window, her thoughts racing.

There was something bigger happening.

Something none of them fully understood.

And if she went near the barrier again, she might not survive a second time.

In Simcoe, everything had been burned to a crisp.

Scarlett stood in the middle of what used to be the plaza, her boots grinding into a mixture of ash, dirt, and shards of glass. The ground shifted slightly, unstable in places where heat had warped the pavement.

For a moment, she didn't recognize it.

She knew part of the layout—where the benches used to be, the way the buildings had framed the streets—but everything else had been erased.

The church had collapsed inward, its structure cracked like a ribcage. Bricks were scattered across the ground, darkened and cracked, some split clean in half from the heat. The stained glass windows were gone, leaving jagged outlines that cut into the morning light.

The other buildings hadn't fared any better. What remained of them were hollow shells of blackened frames, collapsed roofs, melted siding that had hardened into warped shapes along the ground.

The air still carried a burnt, chemical smell.

The only place untouched was the park.

It just sat beyond destruction. Rows of graves stretched across the grass.

"It could be that she was being respectful," Mallory said quietly.

Scarlett didn't answer right away.

The graves had changed. What used to be covered property were now marked by thin wooden sticks. The storm Ashley had created months ago had torn everything else away.

Nearby, trees had been split down the middle their trunks blackened and hollow. The grass was dry, brittle, and grey-green.

"Do you think they'll get gravestones?" Mallory asked. "It just... doesn't feel right like this."

"If someone wants to sponsor," Scarlett said. "But it looks slim."

Mallory's gaze lingered.

"Some of these people mattered. Melany always helped with medication. Ilya helped with the daycare." She hesitated. "I know Nelson started a new section, but it doesn't feel the same."

Scarlett looked toward the ruined street.

Burned out cars sat half-sunken into the road. A street sign had melted at the base and tilted sideways. Entire sections of houses were missing, leaving exposed rooms.

"I doubt there are many weapons around here," Scarlett said. "Greyson probably hid anything useful."

She knew he wouldn't leave anything out in the open.

Back then, everyone carried something. A knife. A bat. Anything.

Just like now.

"Uden Academy probably has a lot," Mallory said. "Didn't Luke store some weapons away?"

Scarlett nodded slightly. "In the equipment shed."

She remembered Oscar and Maverick hauling things out.

They started down the dark street.

Mallory flicked on the flashlight, the beam cutting through the dim, smoke-dulled dawn. The sky was a strange mix of orange and grey-blue, like the sun couldn't fully break through.

They had to keep ambushing Ashley.

Keep forcing her to use her powers.

Wear her down.

Two months.

That's how long Divina needed before her abilities fully developed—before she could actually fight back.

Scarlett didn't think they had that long.

There had to be something faster.

Her thoughts shifted.

Cassandra.

Cassandra noticed everything. Talked about everything. She'd get excited over things that used to be normal—someone jumping over a fire, cars starting.

Scarlett should've been raising a baby.

Instead, Cassandra had grown into a teenager.

Fifteen.

Like some of them.

And somehow... more than that.

She was changing. Learning to use something Scarlett barely understood.

They stepped inside a half-burned house.

The kitchen was gone entirely, reduced to charred cavity that smelled faintly of melted plastic. The rest of the house had survived just enough to stand, though parts of the ceiling sagged and sections of drywall collapsed.

"I don't think there's anything here," Mallory muttered.

Scarlett opened a cabinet.

Empty.

Another one—its door snapped off the hinges and dropped to the floor.

"Do you think it was a bad idea for the crackheads to go to Uden?" Mallory asked.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "You think Eden will burn it down?"

"She used to burn cars!" Mallory whispered urgently.

Scarlett remembered the countless times she had witnessed Eden and Luke getting into fights. While it was not uncommon for students in older grades fight, those two insane people would fight within a meter of each other. The only ones who would intervene were the teachers, security, or the two police officers stationed onto school grounds.

"What if she just decides to—"

"That place can go to ash," Scarlett cut in. "Then the government will probably ship us all off somewhere else in Canada."

Mallory looked down. "Our parents will take us back if things get worse..."

"My parents couldn't care less about me," Scarlett said. "I'm a teen mom, so I'd be getting those long lectures about unprotected sex."

She stepped into another room, scanning the floor.

Drywall. Ash. Splintered wood.

"What's that?" Mallory whispered suddenly.

Scarlett followed her gaze.

At first, it looked like a person.

Then it moved.

Its skin was a deep, bruised purple, stretched too tightly across its frame. Its legs bent inward at unnatural angles, forcing it into a jerking, uneven gait. Its arms were slightly too long, fingers reduced to three thin, elongated shapes.

Its head tilted.

Not randomly.

Like it was listening.
"It looks like one of those followers," Mallory whispered.

They crouched behind a burned bed frame, the metal warped and twisted.

"I don't think Cassandra made these," Scarlett said quietly. "Her abilities—they don't work like that."

Mallory glanced at her. "You're sure?"

Scarlett hesitated.

Cassandra could manipulate energy. Drain it. Redirect it. Shield people.

But create something like that?

"No," Scarlett said finally. "She's focused on Ashley. On weakening her."

The creature reached a fallen tree and gripped it.

It twisted.

The trunk snapped sharply.

Mallory flinched.

"Is it dangerous?" she asked.

"I don't think it knows what it's doing," Scarlett said. "That doesn't make it safe."

The creature walked forward—and slammed directly into a wall.

It paused.

Adjusted.

Kept going.

Like it didn't understand space.

Or pain.

Scarlett felt something twist in her chest.

It reminded her—just slightly—of Cassandra when her powers first started growing stronger.

Not the same. Not even close.

But uncontrolled.

Partly unaware.

"Shouldn't Cassandra be able to stop it?" Mallory whispered.

"Only if she knows it's here," Scarlett said. "And right now, she's focused on Ashley's speed. That's the priority."

Mallory swallowed. "What if Ashley made these while Cassandra was distracted?"

Scarlett didn't answer.

That felt right.

Too right.

"Maybe they eat us," Mallory whispered.

Scarlett's grip tightened slightly on the edge of the frame.

"Don't let it get close enough to find out."

The front door creaked open behind them.

Scarlett turned quickly.

Mark. Angel.

Both breathing a little too fast.

"Okay, what is that?" Angel whispered.

"It broke a tree," Mallory said quickly. "Like snapped it—and it didn't even react."

Scarlett's eyes dropped to Mark's hands.

A clear bottle or nail polish remover.

A lighter.

"I didn't realize we were giving each other manicures," she snickered.

"It's acetone," Mark said. "It'll burn."

Angel nodded. "We test it. See if it reacts."

Mallory looked between them. "We're setting it on fire?"

"We're figuring out how to kill it," Angel corrected.

"We aren't the crackheads!" Mallory whispered, panic tightening her voice.

Bryce had burned part of the counter in a science class, and Eden had accidentally set the teacher's desk ablaze. The teachers said it was an accident, but it had been intentional.

Scarlett wanted to laugh, because it was a stupid idea to try to use fire. Although she wanted to try anything to get out of this place.

Mark moved toward the door slowly, unscrewing the cap. "Ready?"

They slipped outside, staying low, moving along the side of a collapsed wall.

The creature stood in the road.

Still circling.

Still listening.

"How do we get close?" Mallory whispered.

"We don't," Mark said.

He stepped out just enough and threw the bottle.

It shattered at the creature's feet.

For a split second, nothing happened.

Then the creature's head snapped upward.

Toward them.

It heard that.

"Now!" Angel hissed.

He flicked the lighter and threw it.

The flame caught.

Fire surged outward and the creature screamed.

Not like a person.

Higher. Sharper. Warped.

It lunged forward.

Too fast.

"Move!" Mark shouted.

They scattered as it stumbled toward them, its movements jerky but aggressive now. Flames climbed up its legs, spreading across its torso—but it didn't stop.

It slammed into the side of the house, cracking the already weakened structure.

Mallory screamed.

Mark grabbed her arm, pulling her back as part of the wall collapsed where they had been standing seconds earlier.

The creature turned again.

Still burning.

Still moving.

Its skin split open in places, glowing faintly beneath the surface like something unstable was breaking apart.

"Why isn't it down?!" Angel shouted.

"Keep distance!" Scarlett snapped.

The creature staggered forward again—then jerked violently.

Its movements slowed.

Then broke.

It collapsed onto the pavement, twitching as the fire consumed what remained of it. This time, it didn't get back up.

They stood there, breathing hard, watching until the movement stopped completely.

"Okay," Angel said quietly. "That works."

Mallory's voice shook. "We have to burn them?"

Scarlett stared at what was left. "If they're all like that... yeah."

Mark exhaled. "We don't have enough supplies for that."

"River has fireworks," Scarlett said. "That might help."

Angel frowned. "Still not enough."

Scarlett looked around the destroyed plaza again.

Then toward the road leading out.

Now that Scarlett thought about it, using gasoline wouldn't work. It would catch fire, but that might fry their skin.

"Cleaning chemicals?" Mallory suggested weakly.

Mark shook his head. "Where do we even find that?"

Scarlett's expression shifted slightly.

Focused.

Decided.

"We go to Uden Academy."

It's been awhile since she had gone to Uden Academy. The last time she was there was when they left for the power plant to turn on the electricity, but that obviously didn't work.

Mallory's head snapped up. "They might've already burned it down!"

"Not yet," Scarlett said. "And if it's still standing..."

She looked at the others.

"They'll have chemicals. Labs. Storage."

In the past, she used chemicals in science class but also to create schemes. Once she convinced this brainiac named Douglas to switch their carton dioxide with another group to cause an explosion with the bunsen burner since they set the burner too high.

"They won't be all gone?" Mark asked.

"We've had the idiots play around with them," Scarlett said. "Greyson kept them off limits?"

They were only used for their experiments that had gone wrong.

Angel nodded slowly.

Mark tightened his grip on the lighter.

Mallory didn't look convinced—but she didn't argue.

Scarlett glanced once more at the burning remains in the road.

Then turned away.

"We keep moving," she said. "And next time we don't let it get that close."

We finally figured out who created the substance and that's why Divina choose Bella.