Things weren't any better at Toronto General Hospital. River stood with a pillowcase over his head with two cut areas for the eyes. Out of anyone, he had the most ambushing of questions. Why did you confess? Are you lying about what your mother did? Did you like being a model? Will you go back to modelling when this is cleared up?

It was all tiring, which is why he attempted to get some ice coffee from Tim Hortons. Even if Cecile had told him that it was bad to drink caffeine, he didn't care anymore.

"Look," Nevaeh said as she handed him his phone. He saw the video of Mia running through the hospital halls being chased by security. "They probably have more charges on them than any of us."

He could feel people staring around at him as Nevaeh held some cash. Maybe he draws attention to himself by covering his face, but it's the only way. Any other way, even a mask would show his hair or his face.

"Mia sent me a Snapchat saying that Eden's siblings all turned up at the hospital. Security is being extra careful because they think they're going to beat someone up," Nevaeh said.

They stood in line at a Tim Hortons in the hospital, since most of them are still allowed to roam free. Most of what he knew seemed to be at Sick Kids, but there were a few he knew here.

"Did they say when we have court?" River asked.

Nobody knew, but it had to be soon. The news reports were everywhere, with people being interviewed who weren't highly injured. They especially wanted to interview him because of everything that happened in that place and with his mother. He didn't want to talk, but he had to accept that his mother goes to jail or not.

It wasn't even that, but if he goes to jail. Would it be true that he does? It's not that he has done much harm, especially considering that he arrived later.

While Nevaeh ordered the food, River put his hands in his pockets. It felt weird because he wouldn't do this at all since hand placement always had to be seen. If his hands were in his pocket, it would be seen as unprofessional.

"Am I getting stared at?" he asked.

He wasn't a fan of attention ever since he modelled. Despite whether the cameras were flashing brightly or the crowd was clapping, he still felt that all eyes were on him.

"You and me," she said.

He felt a bag in his hand as he gripped it. His opposite hand had a clear cup that was cold. It definitely had to be his iced coffee, but he didn't expect it to be cold in his hand.

"Let's eat where less attention will be," Nevaeh stated.

River wasn't exactly sure where that could be. If he took off this pillowcase, bystanders would be recording videos, asking questions about how he felt about his mother's arrest. He didn't want more attention than he already had now and even in the past.

They looked around the busy cafeteria, which wouldn't exactly help. People were gathered around them, but they were clean like them. He didn't feel clean, even after taking an hour-long shower of washing the dirt and sweat off his body. None of those involved in the chaos felt clean because he'd seen fights or death.

"You stick out a lot," Mallory stated, appearing in front of them. "I mean, most of them are eyeing us already. My parents actually came."

"Mine haven't," Nevaeh said. "How about you reveal yourself, Highlighter, because you want to be a normal teenager? I want to be in some pictures too."

River sighed, slowly removing the pillowcase with one hand. When he did that, phones were pulled out or people were dashing toward him.

"Oh my gosh, you're River Dunlop!" Girls freaked.

People on social media weren't just fawning over his mother's clothes, but he did have fans. He rarely posted on social media about anything, and when people asked why he stopped, he wouldn't answer.

"Oh my gosh, that's so cool. What's also cool is that you cheated on your boyfriend," Nevaeh stated.

The girl with blonde hair widened her brown eyes at Nevaeh. He knew it was her powers that allowed her to hear whatever the girl was thinking about.

People surrounding them went silent and stared with wide eyes. The freaks still had their powers, which made them much more of a threat.

"And now you're panicking because your boyfriend got injured in a car accident. Karma can be a bitch sometimes," Nevaeh chimed.

People still asked questions, regardless of what people had done. Cindy bopped in front of them with her arms crossed, wearing a glare.

"I'm not here for pictures," she said dryly. That's the last thing Cindy would ever want. Even as people still recorded or tried to push through and get his input.

It was the main reason he hated undercover journalists when he had been modelling. They always asked questions, especially about what he saw himself doing in the future. If he had never quit modelling, that would have been his future regardless if he didn't want to.

"Well, we're waiting to see if Extra shows up and does a report with us. I mean, I know we're streamed all over, but I want some fame action," Nevaeh implied.

River felt like a deer in headlights. Even if he had been used to the recording and pictures, it felt different now that it wasn't just modelling. The majority of this was due to his mother's arrest, along with being involved with everything in Simcoe. He wanted to be like any other normal teenager, so that started with not wanting the attention.

He looked at his iced coffee and drank it before walking out of the cafeteria with his head down. Nevaeh scurried to catch up, while Cindy bopped away because he didn't want to be ambushed with questions.

"I would have thought there were more reporters," Nevaeh remarked.

River shook his head because the hospital was restricting them from entering the hospital.

"I know I'm supposed to start acting like a normal teenager, but it feels weird. Cecile said coffee was bad, and donuts make you fat," River muttered.

That's why seeing sweets made his stomach feel nauseous, or looking at the amount of calories something had. That's why everything either had to be gluten-free or had a fridge and freezer filled with fruits and veggies.

"It's not that I see her around telling you those rules, do you?" Nevaeh inquired.

People still eyed him even when he tried to speed walk away his way to the elevator. There were nurses or doctors that even stopped to stare because they wanted his input about what he claimed his mother sexually assaulted him.

"We won't have peace even if your mom is going on trial. All of us still have supernatural abilities, so we're bound to get pictures and videos streamed," Nevaeh stated.

They aborted out of the hospital and out into the garden, where they sat. It was dark, but there were lights that glowed around on the siding. There were different flowers growing in pots, but it was cold due to it being April.

He sat on a bench with his head in his hands. Luckily there wasn't anyone outside due to it being dark outside and the evening, but he felt people were watching from their hospital rooms.

"I can't even hide in my room, or nurses will start asking questions," River muttered.

He knew he had to talk to lawyers about his own case, but he didn't want to talk to them. They would have endless questions that he didn't want to answer, like what truly happened that night.

"I mean, most of us are just recording the chaos from other hospitals. See," Nevaeh said while showing him some Snapchat stories.

It consisted mostly of Mia, who was being dragged back to her room. River knew the crackheads were delinquents who had gotten into trouble with the law, so their presence on trial has become a dangerous thought.

"I don't think hiding out here will do much good," Noah Richers, also known as Stripper, said. His arm was in a sling, and he had bandages wrapped around his whole body.

"Isn't that the arm you broke?" Nevaeh asked.

River didn't know this boy. He's heard about someone that strips randomly, but people have said he controls his habit.

"Yeah, apparently I did some nerve damage with it. I honestly don't feel it from Emma's healing," Noah said. "It's crazy how many people are swimming around for information. I could barely get a sandwich without people staring."

"Court isn't going to be pretty to begin with. The number of charges people can lay is insane. It's not just with the brothers or crackheads, but all of us," Nevaeh sighed.

"I'm glad I'm not involved with the freaks' trial. I heard they're actually putting Mia with all the freaks because of past charges," Noah snickered.

River looked around the garden they had. It had benches surrounded by a stone pathway with some small trees and flowers. There were older people being pushed in wheelchairs or children walking with their parents.

"They want it to be in one session. Each freak will get their chance to talk, while non-freaks will get a separate trial. People like Zane, Mark, and Hanna will all be questioned due to their major roles," Nevaeh sighed.

It was that quick? Have the adults all around decided they need someone to blame, so it falls on the freaks? It's not that any of the freaks have said they still have their powers.

In her hospital room, Cindy stared out the window but didn't say anything. The sky was dark, as the television was streaming many articles of gossip they had gotten from survivors.

"Do you know if your sister is at the other hospitals?" Her mother asked as she slowly looked over at both her parents. They didn't know because it happened long ago, when there had been bigger stressors.

"She died," Cindy said coldly.

They should have realized this since she wasn't sharing a hospital room with her. They should have known Melany was always responsible when it came to calling or texting where she was going.

"She was shot, and I was stabbed in the eye. That's why there's that new scar on my face," Cindy grated.

It felt less stressful when a parent didn't show up than when one did.

"Who shot her?" her father asked.

She felt that day repeat itself in her mind, where blood was dripping down one cheek and tears the other. She was sitting on the ground with a knife in her eye while Melany stood in front of her, protecting her from Luke.

"Luke, but he's dead," she spat. She remembered crying a lot and turning heartless, and that it made her angry. If she could shut off the memory, she wished she could, but Melany told her to move forward.

She should be in the eighth grade, which means she'd graduate school this year. However, there is no school to attend or even a ceremony to occur.

Cindy bopped away from her hospital room and into one of the sitting areas on the main floor. She ran a hand over her face because it's stressful talking about it with her parents. Everyone involved in that hell knew how much it affected her, even knowing that she wouldn't talk about it willingly. Telling her parents is a different story because they want to know the whole scene, but she can't handle telling that.

There were people around her staring, but she knew she had to stay in the hospital. It's not that she knew Toronto well at all, especially since it's huge.

"You good?" Cindy looked up to spot Mark, who was eating some chicken nuggets from McDonald's. She may have gotten fed, but they were still far from healthy bodies.

"My parents want to know about Melany's death. It'd be easier if they got the memory implanted," she muttered.

Cindy knew being out of the bubble was stressful, but she didn't like the endless questions.

"Yeah, my parents want to know all about how the destruction happened. It's pretty hard telling them I saw some girl I knew burning Simcoe."

It all started to derail at the moment of Luke's attack. When the storm came with the endless dangers that came during those weeks of wicked illnesses and third-degree burns. It was all the dangers people knew until one danger led them to be alive. The dangers of unprotected sex led to Cassandra's birth, which saved them from dying like flies.

"So many people died," Cindy murmured.

It wasn't just Melany, but there were hundreds of deaths, including of people she met, like Esme.

"Wouldn't have imagined Bella and Stick would sacrifice themselves," Mark stated.

The golden boy and golden girl who lost their status from people vanishing and a downfall.

"They had it coming, even if it sounds heartless," Cindy spat. "Stick and Bella both knew they couldn't be redeemed after the actions they committed."

It was a fate that had been coming since the day Eden exposed them. Cindy saw that the two were never interrogated in school, but it switched once all the partying and drama seemed to stop.

"Stick saved a life while Bella set Jason free," Mark said.

That was how their sacrifices were made when they chose for their lives to end.

"They were saying they found nothing left of Ashley, Divina, or Cassandra's bodies," Mark stated.

Cindy would have assumed between the burning fire that set them all from Simcoe.

"Cassandra saved us from more harm," Cindy remarked. She may have been a second Greyson with that determination and ambition, but she wanted to save them all.

Lives may have been taken even when Cassandra was alive, but she saved them from the storm or horrors that could have followed. It could have been more than hypothermia or even something worse for them all.

It wasn't just simple death that was caused, but things like drugs. She knew the dangers of drugs, and Hanna was constantly lecturing Ilya, but she found a resource for drugs she shouldn't have stumbled upon.

Mia wasn't Hanna, who told her that she couldn't have them because drug dealers don't refuse an offer. She said she could, but Mia only buys drugs so she can sell them. The girl who has been buying and selling drugs since sixth grade. That was one of the real dangers of the crackheads. They're delinquents, so they know how to get resources through theft or illegal activities like getting into clubs.

"Most of the accusations will be against us freaks because of all the destruction that has been called for. I think people are worried about the power plant," Cindy said.

The power plant, where they had attempted to get hydro, but Luke screwed it up for everyone. That resulted in him dying because of Scarlett's injuries. Everyone had gruesome injuries, but Jason did cause the hole in the building.

If she closed her eyes, she could remember things she didn't want to remember. It may have given her some measure of freedom from her parents, but Luke's attack was a constant scar in her mind. They are all expecting them to walk into court without the pain some of them endured. Seeing death like it wasn't new because people had died every day in that place.

Cindy looked out the dark window at the glowing lights of buildings. People stared when they walked by because they all knew them as the survivors, who were freaks.

"Hopefully court goes smoothly, but it won't," Cindy muttered.

There were barriers from not just the endless questions but those attending court.

"You mean the crackheads?" Mark inquired.

They would be the four to somehow cause a disruption in the middle of the court session. It could be between laughing or getting sidetracked somehow.

Suddenly, there was a loud alarm that started blaring throughout the whole building. Cindy covered her ears and looked at Mark, who seemed confused. Was someone having a heart attack?

"Why is it so loud?" Mia asked, eating a cake pop.

Cindy knew one thing, and that was Mia wasn't supposed to be at this hospital.

"Did you run away from the hospital?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, I escaped for fun," Mia said dumbly.

Cindy stared blankly as Mia pressed her face against the glass window, admiring the view of the glowing lights.

"Eden's gonna yell at me, and Bryce will probably hit me in the head," Mia sighed, catching sight of a security guard rushing around the floor.

Cindy knew that it was just running from the police for Mia. She's heard they ran from the police often in Toronto, which means this became no different from stealing or buying something illegal.

"I haven't even done anything bad. Why are they getting so stressed that I left the hospital?" Mia sighed, ducking behind Mark.

Security ran past, but there were people who gave them stares. Everyone gave them those stares, but most were out of fear, anger, or pity. It wasn't simply because they survived death, but some still had supernatural abilities.

The judgment was worse than she had seen. Even trying to tell her mother that she has teleportation is like a battle. Everyone assumes they will be the same, but they are damaged in ways that some can't fix.

"This is just like running from the police. However, I don't think my body as a distraction will work," Mia huffed.

"I doubt that's the thing they want to focus on," Cindy said dryly.

They are all worried about them doing something with their supernatural powers. What if someone burns down a building? Maybe some nurses will get flung out the window to their deaths by a thought. What if someone kills gravity so they can no longer walk?

"Well, I'm running back to the hospital," Mia whispered, and she took off.

"They were saying that Bella's dad couldn't even go on the stand because he died three weeks ago," Mark spoke as Cindy eyed him.

"They will probably have her mom confess, but she might just cover everything by saying there was no other way," Cindy muttered.

"All of us are at least facing charges, but it depends on what the government rules out. They said the hospital knew something was wrong with Ashley," Mark breezed.

Cindy heard about the document Eden found. That would be proof that charges could land on Heather, because it's a supernatural power that created that chaos in the first place.

James stared at the window at the glowing lights. He looked back on his charged laptop, scrolling through the endless amount of articles and comments about this whole situation. He heard about them going to court, but it didn't serve their purpose. Everyone knew the overall facts: two stars fell from space; Ashley created the bubble and caused wreckage through the experience in the bubble.

It all sounds inhuman—whatever Bella's father created that had been dumped in the ditch or it taking over Ashley's body through an open wound.

"I get that they want court, but don't they already have the gathered facts?" Angel asked.

James looked over at the boy he shared a room with. Angel didn't have much of a big role until the end, when all the daycare had gone to ash.

Ilya had overdosed, the children had been sick, and Layla died by suicide. However, he was the one who stopped Luke from killing all the children. Just like himself, he didn't have much confidence in using his power until he fought off everything that happened.

"The government doesn't want to get blamed. Simcoe is ash, but I'm guessing some worked outside in a hospital," James said.

One of the nurses came in named Susie, and she handed Angel some medication. "I'm quite surprised you didn't have any seizures during the Simcoe tragedy. Did anyone say you had any?" Susie asked.

"They've been controlled lately," Angel remarked.

James looked back at his laptop. He remembered people saying Angel did have epilepsy, but James had assumed he'd be having seizures without medication.

"I'm sure your neurologist will be quite glad to hear that," Susie beamed, but she had a strain in her voice.

Susie walked out of the room as Angel took the medication with water. "They even act strange when I have an actual condition. Nurses are supposed to be nice, but all I see is the horror and fear," he muttered.

James looked at the IV in his arm, providing sugar and whatever else they needed in their bodies. They've been living off cabbage or carrots until Cassandra brought in Foodland from the outside.

"They fear or hate us because they blame us for Simcoe being in ashes," James mumbled.

There were pictures the police or reporters had taken. Some residents had posted pictures on Twitter or Facebook of their charred houses. One of his old teachers posted the remains of Uden Academy on their school website, and most of the comments were laughing emojis.

Those older than those who went to Uden didn't care because they were away from that prison, but adults cared. Teachers lost their jobs or files that held information that shouldn't have been seen, such as Jason and Greyson's birth certificates.

"A lot of the teenagers don't seem to care," Angel remarked. Some find it interesting or cool about the supernatural powers or how Simcoe could no longer be a town.

"It would be difficult to even try to rebuild that place. Ashley burned everything there, mostly," James stated.

He saw the power plant destroyed or even saw Uden Academy being burned by a reformed Catholic. There is blood on the roads or memories that won't go away, such as being shot in the leg.

James pressed on a news report as they had been discussing the findings. They would explain how tragic Simcoe's loss would be for the citizens, but that was to save face.

"They will blame all our supernatural abilities, which is why we're going to court in the first place. It's to place blame on the kids because they don't know better," James said.

He scrolled up, seeing one of Ashley, Divina, and Cassandra. Seeing how Cassandra's anger was directed at them, telling them about how selfish they were. She had empathy, but she was determined like Greyson. She must've known the moment she was born that she'd die as the star she had become.

"They will definitely show videos of Cassandra causing her earthquakes or when she brought in Foodland," James stated.

Due to visiting hours, parents couldn't come past 10 p.m. His mother and father had come, which had become surprising considering he hadn't talked to them in years. They said they would be okay if he wanted to go back to Windsor, where he was from. He hadn't decided due to seeing what most of the other freaks would be doing.

Angel's parents had come, but they spoke Spanish most of the time, so he didn't have a clue what they were saying. He assumed they'd take him back, seeing them hugging and crying.

However, most parents seemed wary, especially those who had gone to Uden Academy. He had to tell Esme's parents about her passing, which was hard to do in general.

Jade's parents didn't show, which they already heard the news about her, or they refused to come. James could have assumed either, but he knew court came next. However, he knew this wasn't going to be the result they wanted.

Do you think the freaks will be charged?