Greyson skimmed the list of known supernatural abilities, dismissing the low to extremely low rank. Most hadn't even discovered their power yet.

He was looking for something else.

Anyone ranked higher than him could become a problem. Someone with an ability he couldn't anticipate could become a bigger one.

"Esme has superhuman speed. Collin can force people to experience guild through hallucinations, and Cindy can teleport," James explained, scrolling through the document. "They're all medium ranks."

Greyson studied the list. Esme and Collin were from Uden Academy, and both already learned how to control their abilities.

That made them useful.

Nevaeh wasn't a student at Uden. Her ability was different than ordinary mind reading: she could hear people's secrets, but only when those secrets crossed their minds.

She couldn't search someone's memories at will, yet one stray thought could expose a carefully buried crime.

Greyson considered her one of his most useful assets.

His eyes flickered to Scarlett, who lounged effortlessly, twirling a strand of her hair. He clenched his fists. Every tick of the clock reminded him that in nine days, he might vanish forever.

"Nine days," he said sharply. "We need to figure out how to stop it."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Why don't we just record what happens when someone's birthday rolls around?"

James glanced up from his laptop.

"You've spent days chasing theories," Scarlett continued. "We already know when people disappear. We just haven't bothered to watch it closely."

Greyson stared at her.

"You could have suggested that earlier."

"You could have asked,

He looked at James. "Whose birthday is next?"

James scrolled through the birthday list.

"Collin turns fifteen tomorrow. One thirty-four in the afternoon."

"We'll do it in the gym. James, find the cameras. Scarlett, get Collin to the gym."

"Let me guess. You want me to seduce him?"

"It would work."

Scarlett snorted. "He's gay."

Greyson bit down on his pinkie nail. "Then trick him. Or send Luke's thugs."

"And ruin the fun?" Scarlett smirked. "David Hollis. They were caught kissing in the dorms, remember? I'll tell David that Collin has something important to confess."

James looked up. "After Collin, it's you and Jason."

Greyson narrowed his eyes, bouncing his knee. Scarlett had already uncovered gossip about the two of them.

Luke was still monitoring security with Henry's group, watching for any misbehaviour.

Greyson also needed to find that thing named Ashley.

"We're heading to Uden," Greyson said firmly. "Time to see what Oscar and Preston were talking about."

James tucked his laptop under his arm. It contained several stolen school files. Accessing them was illegal, but no one could prove James had obtained them.

They piled into a car, and Greyson drove toward Uden.

Uden was still locked down—exactly as Greyson demanded. They climbed the creaky metal stairwell on the east side until they reached the top floor. He froze in the doorway.

The moment he stepped inside, he stopped.

The floor had been eaten away in an enormous patch. Charred planks curled inward around the hole, their edges blackened as they'd been exposed to an invisible fire.

He approached the hole and peered into the classroom below.

Whatever had caused this hadn't simply scorched the floor. It has destroyed it.

James dropped to one knee.

"The substance entered Ashley's system back in the ditch," he said. "And it didn't stop leaking just because her wounds healed. Luke's torture might've made it worse."

Greyson glanced at the ruined floor. "Would it change her rank?"

"Possibly. But I don't think this is a normal power increase." James examined the black residue on a splintered plank. "It could be altering her body. Or her body could be reacting to it. Until I know what this stuff is, I'm guessing."

Luke entered the room, wearing a frown on his face. "I need you to get Collin," Greyson ordered.

Scarlett was handling the situation, but Greyson knew Collin would try to manipulate her with guilt. She didn't care; she never felt guilty for taunting girls or seducing guys.

"Tomorrow we need to see what happens during this disappearance," Greyson said firmly.

Luke nodded, resting the nail-studded bat against his shoulder.

Those were tactics Luke used before, especially when someone took something from him. He was their age and average height, but he was mentally disturbed.

There were times he planned to kill someone out of a pathetic reason when all they needed was a slight punishment for a wrongdoing.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Nevaeh appeared in the doorway moments later. She glanced around the classroom with school chairs stacked against the wall. Her black hair was straightened, and her almond-coloured eyes glanced at the two of them before she pulled out a list from the small black purse she carried.

"Well?" Greyson spat, eyeing her.

"Gossip," she said as she strode towards the black chalkboard.

Holding a piece of yellow chalk, she began to sketch out small pictures on the blackboard.

Her first drawing depicted a card accident, with four figures standing near a person lying on the road in a twisted position. Her second drawing showed two figures dragging a limp body through tall grass toward a ditch.

She tapped the chalk against the board.

"Stick was driving. Henry was with him, along with Finn and a boy named Andrew Carters."

Greyson stared at the random drawings.

"They hit her and left her there?"

"They dumped her in a ditch and drove away." Nevaeh pressed her lips together. "One of them was thinking about it earlier. That's how I heard."

Greyson's jaw tightened. He didn't care whether Stick and his thugs regretted what they had done. He cared that they'd believed they could get away with it.

"Find them," he ordered Luke. "All of them."

Luke shifted the bat on his shoulder.

"And then?"

Greyson stared at them.

"You know what to do."

In the real world, criminals would face consequences for their actions, especially if they were keeping the crime a secret. Either way, Greyson didn't mind that Luke sought after them.

"On other less dramatic news, Emma is apparently overwhelmed by something, and Jason, along with Bella and Zane, have gone searching for Ashley," Nevaeh stated.

Greyson didn't care much about finding Ashley. The main reason for finding her was so James could test the mysterious substance that seemed to course through her veins.

The damage made no sense. No ordinary chemical Greyson knew of could eat through the floor like that, and a lighter would have left scorch marks rather than an enormous hole.

"There's other gossip, but it's not something you seem to care about," Nevaeh slyly said before walking out of the room.

Greyson leaned over James, who had turned his laptop facing back toward him. The bright screen was flashing information about this new substance that he was going to determine before Jason.

Bella had never been a fan of search parties, especially ones that involved poking around ditches contaminated with an unknown purple substance. The thought alone made her stomach twist. Nobody knew what the purple stuff was. A chemical spill was one possibility or an infection.

They'd taken precautions: goggles, long rubber gloves, and surgical masks scavenged from the school's science lab.

Zane drove with quiet focus, his hands steady on the wheel as the firetruck rumbled down the highway.

Yara Larson sat beside Bella in the back, staring out the window in silence. She was the one who'd found Ashley half-submerged in the ditch.

The firetruck rumbled past abandoned sedans and delivery vans. A transport truck lay half-buried in a ditch, its cargo doors hanging open.

Zane kept his eyes on the road.

There were no adults, rescue crew, or anyone coming to help.

Up ahead, two figures stood on the shoulder: Esme Butler and David Hollis, both from Uden Academy.

Bella barely had time to see them before Esme disappeared.

A gust of wind buffeted the firetruck. When Bella looked again, Esme was leaning against the passenger door, her cooper pigtails bouncing as though she'd been there the entire time.

"We're looking for Ashley," Zane said through the open window.

"The purple stuff?" Esme asked, casually flicking her hand toward the ditches. "Toxic, apparently."

Apparently, Uden Academy managed to produce at least one person who wasn't a complete asshole. Bella wasn't sure if that made Esme unusually decent or whether they'd judged the entire school too quickly.

"Wait, need more help?" Esme called out, suddenly appearing in front of the truck in a blur of motion.

Zane hit the brakes. "Could use more," he admitted.

Before anyone could object, Esme grabbed the door handle. Bella reached for it at the same time, but Esme pulled it open so quickly that they collided. A second later, both girls were sprawled across the floor of the truck in a tangle of limbs.

Wispy hair framed Esme's freckled face, and her neon-purple athletic top clashed boldly with her grass-stained sports shorts.

"Tell Luke he sucks!" Esme yelled at David, giving him a thumbs up. "Don't know Ashley, but anything beats standing around playing security statue."

Esme bounced in her seat as Zane drove them down the abandoned highway.

"Oh, I'm Esme," she said with a quick grin.

Jason glanced back at her, "I'm surprised there are actually helpful people at Uden."

Esme laughed, shrugging. "Not all of us are crazy or total jerks. Some just get sent there because their parents have money. Emma's nice too, but insecure big time."

Zane eased the firetruck to a stop, the tires crunching on the gravel.

He climbed down into the ditch first, boots sinking into the wet soil. The others hesitated, then followed one step at a time.

At first glance, the ditch looked ordinary. Muddy water pooled between clumps of dead grass, and the wet soil clung to the edges.

Then Bella noticed the colour.

It wasn't brown, but dark red.

"Murder?" Zane asked, looking back at Jason.

Jason stepped closer to the liquid, the dark red swirled in the sunlight. Bella grabbed his hand just as he reached out. He nodded, reading her unspoken fear—one wrong move and he could end up like Ashley.

"Maybe it's blood from her injury," Jason said.

Esme's eyes widened. "That much?" she leaned closer. "No way. That looks like murder."

Yara quickly turned her gaze away from the strange liquid as Zane crouched down at the edge of the ditch. He poked the thick red fluid with a stick, stirring it gently. It didn't splash like liquid should. The dark red mass stretched in thick strands from the stick.

"Grab the gloves and test tubes," Jason called.

Yara hurried back with the supplies, handing them out quickly.

Zane pulled on his rubber gloves and lowered the stick into the thick substance. Carefully, he transferred a sample into a clear test tube.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the red fluid began separating from the water, leaving tiny purple particles suspended between the two layers. They drifted slowly through the tube, refusing to dissolve.

"Should we bring this to Greyson?" Zane asked, holding the test tube up to the light.

"Nah," Esme said with a dismissive wave. "Let him handle the messy stuff. We've got better things to do."

Despite being a sixth grader, Esme buzzed with relentless energy, bouncing on her toes instead of standing like the rest of them.

Jason turned the test tube slowly, his eyebrows furrowed. "Who here actually knows enough to figure this out?"

Zane tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Cindy or Melany might. They've got the science know-how."

As they climbed back into the truck, Bella caught Esme shifting in her seat, wincing slightly. The girl had kicked off her worn-down running shoes, revealing bruised, scraped soles streaked with dried blood. It was clear her speed came with a price.

Esme glanced over at Bella and smirked. "Yeah, the feet as a side effect." She propped her battered sole on Bella's lap like it was perfectly normal. "Superspeed. Medium rank."

She wiggled her shoes.

"The scrapes don't bother me that much. The shoes, though? Total tragedy. I've destroyed, like, six pairs."

Jason knitted his eyebrows. "Are you on Greyson's side of things?"

"Nope," Esme said with a shrug, kicking her foot up. "I just like to practice my speed around here when I'm stuck doing security. Heard some girl got hit nearby, so I went to check my usual spot."

It was crazy to think someone had actually been hit in this place. It was safer to bike or walk, since that could prevent death.

"Some girl named Vickie from Simcoe. Stick hit her, or so Nevaeh says," Esme added. "Heads up, Nevaeh can dig up your darkest secrets. And Collin? He messes with your guilt, creating illusions that get under your skin. But don't worry, he's gone tomorrow."

They reached the church without anyone saying much.

Esme slipped her socks back on, wincing as she pulled the fabric over the scrapes on her feet.

Jason carefully carried the test tube into the infirmary, where Cindy and Emma were sitting. Bella hung back near the railing, unsure if she should reveal the strange substance that might be linked to Ashley.

Cindy looked up as they entered. "Hey!"

Jason held out the test tube toward her.

"Take a look at this," he said.

Cindy held the test tube up to the light, watching as the blood slowly sank and the water swirled around the tiny purple particles.

Bella wasn't a science expert, but even she could tell this wasn't a normal chemical spill. Whatever this substance was, it had been there long enough before The Bubble began.

"That's not lean or anything like it," Cindy said thoughtfully. "Melany thinks it might be purple-K—a potassium bicarbonate chemical—but that's usually a deep purple. This is way lighter."

Cindy passed the test tube to Emma, who had been standing silently in the corner. Her eyes lingered on the swirling purple liquid before she shook her head and handed it back Jason.

Bella had expected a stronger reaction—maybe even alarm—but Emma seemed go carry more worries.

The tension in the room shifted subtly as Esme collapsed onto a cot, peeling off her socks with a wince. "Looks like my feet need some attention," she muttered.

Cindy grabbed a pack of alcohol wipes and gently began cleaning the scraped skin. Esme hissed and flinched as the wipes turned black with blood and dirt.

Just then, Melany appeared back in the infirmary, her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned the room. "Emma, break time."

Emma nodded silently and headed toward the stairs.

"Thanks for telling me where Bella was," Jason said gently.

Emma gave a quiet nod. "No problem," she said as brushed past them, her hand trailing along the black railing.

Bella watched Jason hesitate before following her outside.

Emma's eyes were glassy, her lip trembling as she sank onto the bench outside. She ran her fingers through her dirty blonde hair, trying to collect herself.

"Sorry," she whispered, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. "I found out something recently, and I can't stop thinking about it."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Emma slightly looked up toward the church, trying to avoid eye contact with all of them. It had never been Bella's first priority to help someone, since it was something she never used to notice at school.

Emma's voice dropped. "I'm dating Greyson... and there's something I found out."

She stopped, twisting the hem of her shirt between her fingers.

Bella waited.

"He slept with Scarlett," Emma finally said. "Back in seventh grade."

Bella hadn't been surprised by Greyson's past. She was surprised that he'd let Emma believe she understood him without telling him something important.

The idea twisted uncomfortably inside her chest. She had always thought intimacy meant trusting someone enough to let them see parts of you nobody else got to see. She didn't want to rush into that just because someone liked her or because everyone else seemed to be doing it.

She wanted to know the person beside her would still be there when nothing got difficult.

"Sex is supposed to be once you're married, right?" Yara asked nervously, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Scarlett told me," Emma murmured, barely looking up. "I asked her directly... because there's always been something off between them. Like something they weren't saying out loud."

Bella offered Emma a small smile. She couldn't imagine discovering something so intimate about someone she was dating from another person.

"I knew about it," Esme piped up.

Bella glanced as Esme adjusted the white bandages on her feet, now stuffed awkwardly into a pair of black sandals. She limped a little as she walked toward them.

"Lucy overheard Luke and Greyson talking about it," Esme explained. "Apparently, it wasn't serious."

She paused, glancing at Emma.

"I mean, that doesn't mean it doesn't suck. Just... maybe it didn't mean what you thought it meant."

Bella couldn't wrap her head around it—how could someone sleep with another person without any real feelings? Between Greyson and Scarlett, there never seemed to be love, not even a spark of romantic feelings. It felt hollow, like their connection was built on impulse or convenience.

Bella couldn't imagine dating someone while constantly wondering what they were hiding. How could Emma ever felt secure with Greyson if she couldn't trust him to tell the truth?

"That thing looks weird," Esme said.

Bella turned toward the test tube.

The red fluid was gone.

In its place, violet fluid swirled, slowly darkening until the colour seemed to swallow the light around it.

Whatever was happening inside that chemical, she had a feeling it was far more dangerous than a chemical spill.

Jason couldn't take his eyes off the test tube in Zane's hand. The glass had turned completely black, as though the substance inside were seeping through it from the inside out.

"We need to put it somewhere, now," Zane said.

Jason's mind raced, scanning every possible hiding place they hadn't already compromised. It had to be somewhere no one would think to look—somewhere not just hidden, but forgotten. A house was too risky; even an empty one could be broken into. Whatever this thing was, he didn't want it falling into the wrong hands.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe a fridge? It's not perfect but it's somewhere no one would look."

It wasn't just about the fridge that made him uneasy. The substance itself seemed to radiate something none of them of them could explain.

Bella's eyebrows furrowed. "There's still one in the school cafeteria. Old and gross, but perfect for hiding this thing."

Jason's eyes flickered toward the pharmacy entrance. Scarlett stood there, talking to Luca Heath, both whom he played volleyball with. She was probably searching for information.

"Let's move, now!" Jason snapped.

They skidded into the abandoned cafeteria. Chairs lay flipped, trays scattered, and mold crept on forgotten food. A faint hum came from the old white fridge, standing as their only hiding spot for the blackened test tub.

Esme darted ahead, her form almost a blur. "I found it!" she shouted, pointing toward the fridge.

Jason swung the door open. Spoiled fruit and a half-frozen bottle of vinegar filled the shelves.

Zane slid the blackened test tube behind a bottle, hiding it from view.

"Shut it!" Bella hissed.

Zane slammed the fridge door, and Jason wedged a battered chair against it, creating a makeshift barricade.

"What are you doing?"

Ashley's voice cut through the cafeteria.

Everyone froze. Zane let out a startled, high-pitched yelp, while Esme and Emma exchanged nervous laughs, trying to mask the growing dread.

Jason turned toward Ashley, and stopped breathing for a second.

Her eyes glowed purple.

It wasn't a reflect or a trick of the light. A cold, unnatural purple seemed to burn in her eyes.

This wasn't the Ashley he knew.

Her voice was softer, but there was no warmth in it. Like someone had erased the girl behind the words.

"Just grabbing a snack," Jason said, heart pounding.

Ashley's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly purple. She ignored Jason completely, focusing on Esme and Emma.

Ashley slowly raised her hands, curling her fingers as though she was gripping invisible strings.

Emma's felt left the floor first. A second later, Esme shot upwards beside her.

"What the—" Esme kicked wildly, trying to find something to push against, but the air offered nothing.

Emma reached for her wrist, only for them to jerk higher, as if an invisible hand had tightened around their bodies.

"Stop!" Bella's voice cracked.

Zane lunged for a chair, swinging with everything he had—but his body froze mid-motion, seized by the same invisible force. The chair ripped from his grasp and shattered against the wall.

The locker door struck Ashley across the head, and she collapsed.

"I win," Luke said, grinning.

Greyson moved beside him, eyes fixed on Jason.

Greyson flicked his hand. Jason's feet flew from under him, hurtling backwards. His shoulder struck a table with a sickening crack, sending papers and broken plastic skidding across the floor.

He groaned, struggling to push himself upright.

Through the blur of overturn furniture, he saw Greyson glance towards Esme and Emma. For the briefest moment, his eyebrows lifted as though his presence surprised him.

Then Luke bent down, hauled Ashley over his shoulder, and followed Greyson toward the exit.

They had searched everywhere for Ashley but found no trace of her. The fields to the south were little more than endless rows of corn and beans, barren of clues. Wasaga Beach held nothing but shifting sand and cold water, while the north led Uden Academy.

"Damn," Zane finally breathed out, coughing.

"Most likely heading for Uden to run some kind of test," Esme said hoarsely, fingers gripping the edge of a nearby chair.

"What was she after?" Bella said.

"What if she knew we had the substance?" Emma whispered, her voice trembling.

"Do you think whatever she got injected with is more than just some chemical?" Zane asked.

"Some kind of monster, maybe? Like those demons you see on Supernatural or The Vampire Diaries!" Esme exclaimed, her fist punching the air.

"No, this isn't a demon," Bella said quietly. "But I'm pretty sure it's something worse. A monster we don't understand."

"It's a choice between letting Uden run tests on her or rescuing," Zane said grimly.

Suddenly, Mark stumbled into the doorway, breathless and flushed, sweat beading at his brow. His eyes darted to Esme and Emma, then quickly went back to the rest of them.

"They're doing research," he said, voice strained. "Serious research."

Jason fingers curled tightly around the edge of the back of the table. If Uden was researching the substance, it meant they were getting closer to understand what it was, what it did, and maybe even how to break whatever trap they were stuck in. And worse, it might explain what had changed Ashley.

"I think we need to go," Jason said firmly, noticing the flicker of unease on Bella's face. "But this time, we'll take more people."

"I know Uden better than most," Esme said with a smirk. "Besides, I kinda miss tearing through those halls."

Jason glanced at Emma, catching the hesitation etched on her face. She bit her lip, then slowly nodded, the uncertainty in her grey eyes still sharp and unsettled.

"Grab the fire truck," Jason ordered. "We're not wasting time walking."

Mark and Zane sprinted toward the lot. Esme had vanished in a blur, racing ahead to the truck.

Jason ran first, Emma close behind. Bella hesitated for a split second before following.

He understood why Emma might be anxious, but Bella needed to accept that they had to rescue Ashley.

Zane swung the firetruck around and screeched to a stop at the school's entrance. They piled into the back, heart pounding. But before they could even make it inside Uden, a wall of security guards stood waiting by the gates, blocking the entrance.

"Why are you here?" one of the guards demanded.

Jason leaned halfway out the window. "I'm here to see my brother."

The guards exchanged a began to mumble to each other before they finally moved out of the way and led the firetruck park in front of the doors.

Esme and Emma scanned the building, eyes darting hallway to hallway, searching for any clue that might lead them to Ashley.

"Let's try the main doors," Jason offered.

Waiting beyond the entrance stood Luke, Henry, and Finn—like they were expecting them. Luke gripped a dented cream-coloured locker door in one hand, his sadistic grin stretched wider than ever.

"Sorry to disappoint," Luke sneered, stepping forward. "Greyson's a little tied up right now."

Esme flashed a mischievous grin, stuck out her tongue, and vanished in a blur down the left hallway.

"Get her!" Luke bellowed, and Henry, Finn, and a girl none of them recognized tore off after her.

Bella and Emma broke off to the right, while Jason stayed close to Zane and Mark, weaving through the chaos. He trusted Esme to outrun her pursuers—if anyone could, it was her—but deep down he knew someone would have to interpret them before they regrouped.

Mark stopped short, forcing Jason and Zane to stumble into him. There, lounging in front of the gym doors like she owned the place, sat Scarlett—legs crossed, arms draped over the chair, and that signature sly smirk plastered on her face.

"Sorry boys," Scarlett purred, rising from the chair and stepping close to Mark, her hand resting lightly on her chest. "I can't let you in there. And thanks for the help, Mark. I asked him to bring you here."

Jason couldn't shake the question burning his mind—what was Scarlett's real motive for pulling Mark into this? His glared hardened as she turned toward him, brushing her hand across his cheek with unsettling ease.

"It was his choice, not mine," she said smoothly, her fingers trailing down Jason's face before she turned and sank back into her seat. "Now, what substance are you hiding?"

Don't forget to comment and vote!
-Lexi