Greyson scanned the list of students known to possess supernatural powers—most ranked low to extremely low, and many didn't realize they had powers at all.

What concerned Greyson the most were if any student ranked higher than himself, as they could pose a threat.

"Esme has amazing speed, Collin can make you see your guilty conscience vividly, and Cindy can teleport. Those are some medium ranks," James explained, scrolling through more of the document.

Both Esme and Collin both from Uden Academy, already had a solid grasp of their abilities.

Nevaeh, however, was from outside the academy. Her power allowed her to hear people's secrets—though only when they were thinking about them. It wasn't quite mind reading, but close enough to make people nervous. With her on his side, Greyson had a reliable way to tell when someone was lying.

Greyson's 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 just nine days, he might vanish forever.

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

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

James glanced up from his laptop, eyes curious.

"You've been chasing theories for days," Scarlett said. "We already have the information."

Greyson stood slowly, eyes fixed on James. "Whose birthday is next?"

James scrolled through the birthday list. "Collin's is tomorrow at 1:34 p.m."

"We'll do it on the gym. James, find the cameras. Scarlett you're in charge of seducing Collin."

Scarlett laughed. "Seductive won't work. He's gay."

Greyson chewed his pinkie nail. "Then trick him or send Luke's thugs."

"Actually, I might have a better plan," Scarlett said, smirking. "You know David Hollis? They were caught kissing in the dorms once. I'll tell just David that Collin has a confession."

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

Greyson narrowed his eyes, bouncing his knee. Scarlett had already dug up gossip on those two. Luke was still monitoring security with Henry's group, hoping no alarms were triggered.

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 carried his laptop at his side, loaded with multiple accounts and secret files. Few stolen documents on there—school files that were technically illegal—but no one could prove it.

They piled into a car, and Greyson sped 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 floor inside looked as if it had been melted by some invisible fire—massive, jagged holes burned through the wooden planks, the edges curled and charred.

Greyson stepped cautiously toward the ruined floor, leaning over the edge to peer down at the classrooms below. The destruction wasn't isolated; the scorched trail stretched through several rooms. It looked like something had gnawed and burned its way forward, leaving behind nothing but ruins.

James dropped to one knee, scanning the scorched floor. "Whatever caused this isn't natural... The substance got into her system back in the ditch. Even after healing, Luke's torture didn't stop it from leaking."

Greyson frowned. "She can burn through the floor now. Does that mean her rank has changed?"

James shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's like a transfusion, but not with blood. Maybe some experimental chemical or something else entirely. Whatever it is, it reacts with her body in ways we don't understand."

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, a sinister grin spreading across his face, holding a baseball bat with nails in it. They were tactics that Luke had used in the past, especially when someone took something of his. He was their age and average height, but he's 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.

Suddenly, Nevaeh entered the room, staring right and left at the classroom with school chairs stacked against the wall. Her black hair was straightened, and her almond eyes glanced over at the two of them before pulling out a list from the small black purse she carried.

"Well?" Greyson spat, eyeing Nevaeh.

Nevaeh was known for hearing dark secrets and revealing them—if people were thinking about them. Once, she even overheard Luke discussing his near-murder of a child.

"Gossip," she said as she strode towards the black chalkboard. With a piece of yellow chalk in hand, 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. In her second drawing, two figures were shown carrying a flat body that resembled a hill, surrounded by tall grass.

"Stick hit some girl, and they hid her in a ditch," Nevaeh started. "I heard it was Stick, Finn, Henry, and some guy named Andrew Carters."

Since committing crimes was not tolerated, Greyson knew Stick and his group would receive Luke's punishment. The punishment was akin to torture, leaving the person hanging on by a thread, waiting for death.

"They're on hospital check. Find them and punish them all." Greyson's voice grew cold.

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. It wasn't normal because it created a huge hole in the flooring that could have only been caused by bugs or if someone held a lighter to it for a long time.

"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 wasn't a fan of search parties, especially not ones that made crawl. The thought of digging through ditches possibly tainted by that strange purple substance made her stomach twist. No one knew if it was a chemical or something worse. Infection was a guess; mutation was a fear.

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

Zane drove with quiet force, hands steady on the wheel of 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—collapsed, barely breathing, half-submerged in the ditch.

The firetruck rolled past abandoned sedans and jackknifed transport trucks, their shadows long in the late afternoon light.

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

Then Esme was gone. In a blink, she appeared beside the truck, as if she'd glitched through reality. She leaned casually against the door, her pigtails bouncing like nothing has happened.

"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."

At least some Uden Academy students weren't total assholes when it came to getting something. Maybe that was a rare thing at the school, or there was more good people than they'd seen.

"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 yanked open the door just as Bella reached for it, tumbling onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. and fell to the floor of the truck. Wispy copper hair framed her freckled face, and her neon-purple athletic top clashed boldly with her grass-stained sports shorts .

"Tell Luke he sucks," Esme shouted over her shoulder to David, flashing him a thumbs up. "I 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 tired 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.

The ditch looked normal at first: muddy water, dead grass, the kind of place you avoid unless you had to be there.

Then Bella noticed the colour.

Dark red. Not water. Not mud. Something else.

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

Jason stepped closer to the liquid, the dark red swirled unnaturally 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 just her blood from the wound," Jason said.

Esme's eyes widened as she leaned closer. "Normal wounds don't just bleed like this, unless it's something serious 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 or drip like normal liquid. Instead, the substance clung to the stick like a solid.

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

Yara hurried back with the supplies, handing them out quickly. Zane slipped on the gloves and carefully dipped the stick into the fluid, then transferred it into a clear test tube.

Inside, the mixture swirled strangely—water, blood, and tiny purple particles suspended like specks of dust. It was unusual to see anything that distinct floating in a liquid like this.

"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 seemed to have extreme energy as she bounced on her toes. It seemed that not everyone wanted to follow Greyson around like puppies.

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, those are my speed ability. I'm one of those wackos with superpowers." She rested her bruised foot on Bella's lap, toes twitching slightly. "I'm a medium rank. The feet don't really hurt, but I shred shoes like crazy."

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 that 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 carried the test tube carefully down the stairs, 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. "Take a look at this," Zane said, nodding.

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, buts only shook her head slowly 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," as she brushed past them, her hand trailing along the black railing.

Bella watched Jason hesitate, then follow. Emma's eyes were glassy, her lip trembling as she sank onto the beach outside. She ran her fingers through her dirty blonde hair, trying to collect herself.

"Sorry," Emma 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 has never been Bella's first priority to help someone out who was in distress, since it was something she never used to notice at school.

Emma's voice dropped. "I'm dating Greyson... and—" She stopped, swallowing hard, her fingers twisting the end of her shirt.

Bella blinked. It didn't seem like Greyson would date this girl. No, it wasn't about dating her; it was that he would date someone. Scarlett seemed to be his right hand in a lot of plots, and it seemed he had no time for romance.

"I found out that he had sex with Scarlett," Emma blurted. "In the seventh grade."

Bella may be someone who wants to wait for sex in a committed relationship. But knowing that people who didn't even date just had sex, to which no feelings may be attached. Perhaps there are feelings but no idea how to act on them.

"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. It must've felt awful—dating someone who didn't seem built for romance, only to find out he'd shared something intimate with someone else long before.

"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 towards them.

"Lucy overheard Luke and Greyson's talking about it," Esme explained. "She said it was nothing serious. You probably shouldn't worry."

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 sparks of romantic feelings. It felt hollow, like their connection was built on impulse or convenience.

But then again, she didn't know the full story. Scarlett and Greyson were experts at hiding things. The fact Emma had to hear it from someone else, not Greyson himself, made Bella's stomach twist. Relationships weren't supposed to be built on half-truths or secrets.

"That thing looks weird," Esme said, nodding toward the test tube.

The blood had dissolved completely into the water, leaving behind a swirling violet fluid. Slowly, the colour deepened, darkening until the tube almost seemed to absorb the light around it.

What had they stumbled upon in that ditch? Who knew enough science to give better input than Melany?

Jason couldn't take his eyes off the test tube in Zane's hand. What had once been a glass was now coated in black—as if the substance inside had leeched its way through the surface. test tube had turned the outside completely black.

"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."

The unease wasn't just about the fridge, but the substance itself. It radiated 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 who he played volleyball with. She was probably searching for information.

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

They skidded into the chaos of the abandon 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, revealing spoiled fruit and a half-frozen bottle of vinegar wedged between containers. Zane slid the blackened test tube carefully behind the bottle, hiding it placed behind it.

"Shut it!" Bella hissed.

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

Suddenly, Ashley's voice cut through the room. "What are you doing?"

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

Ashley's gaze swept over them, dark and unreadable, but Jason's eyes locked onto the unnatural purple glow burning in hers. 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.

Slowly, she extended her hands, fingers curling as an unseen force rippled through the air.

Without warning, Emma and Esme were yanked upward, suspended midair by an invisible grip that squeezed the space around them. Their legs kicked wildly, shoes thudding helplessly against the cafeteria wall.

"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.

A heavy locker door flew across the room, smashing into the back of Ashley's head. She crumpled to the ground with a harsh thud.

Luke stepped forward with a cruel grin spreading across his face. "I win."

Greyson moved beside him, eyes fixed on Jason. Before Jason could even react, Greyson thrust his hand forward. An invisible force slammed Jason into the nearest row of tables, rattling the wood beneath him. He groaned, struggling to push himself upright.

Jason saw that Greyson's eyebrows seemed to raise, seeing both Esme and Emma with him. Greyson and Luke then walked out the cafeteria door, with Luke carrying Ashley from under her stomach.

They had scoured everywhere for Ashley but found no trace. 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 questioned.

"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 said urgently.

Mark and Zane bolted toward the lot to retrieve it, but Esme had already sped off, barely visible.

Jason ran with Emma and Bella, who both seemed bothered by the situation. 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