Greyson slid open the wooden drawer, narrowing his eyes at the faint purple glow inside. The substance bubbled and hissed, its surface shifting as though something beneath it was alive. He knew better than to touch it. A single drop might burn human flesh.

Carefully, he lifted the vial and placed it on the test tube rack. He smiled inwardly.

Then every light in the room blinked out, plunging the office into darkness.

"Hey!" he called out through the empty office.

He crossed to the light switch, fingers brushing the chipped paint.

Flick. Nothing.

Flick again. Still nothing.

He slumped into the chair, biting his pinky nail. The office settled into silence except for the faintest creak or shuffle. Beyond the window, the last streaks of orange and purple bled across the evening sky.

"This is how you're getting closer," someone said.

Greyson's eyes snapped upward as his hands instinctively lifted, ready to act.

"Show yourself or die!" Greyson snapped.

He ground his teeth, tracking the soft footsteps through the dark.

"Down."

He leaned over his desk, eyes narrowing as they spotted a plush doll standing. Made of beige fabric, it had brown yarn hair tied into pigtails and two bright blue button eyes. It looked like an ordinary child's toy, which was clearly one of Maverick's illusions.

"It's not an illusion," the doll said flatly.

Greyson used an invisible force that lifted the doll into the air. "What the hell are you?" he growled.

The doll twisted free from the invisible grip and landed on the desk. The impact sent loose papers fluttering, scattering across the floor.

"They call me Divina," it said, spinning on one soft foot.

"Goddess," he said.

"I'm not some ugly doll." Divina's voice was neither feminine nor masculine, but something in between.

"Then, what are you?" Greyson asked, leaning forward.

Divina waddled across the desk and grabbed a black pen from the scattered papers. It sketched messy pictures.

"I am not nothing," Divina snapped, tapping the pen against the paper. "God has taken on a pathetic human body and intends to kill you all. The vanishing begins in less than two days. I won't allow it."

It pointed at a drawing that vaguely resembled a slice of cake decorated. He stared at it, trying to make sense of the crooked lines and uneven shape.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"The vanishing," Divina said impatiently.

Greyson studied the doll, weighing its words. It knew about the vanishing, Ashley, and apparently his connection to whatever was coming. That didn't mean he trusted it. For all he knew, this was another of Ashley's tricks.

Could he really trust something that had appeared out of nowhere claiming it out stop Ashley?

Divina slammed the pen down onto a stick person. "Me."

Greyson narrowed his eyes. "You're going to break through the barrier?"

Divina's stitched red mouth curved into a crooked smirk. It looked strange when the mouth moved and the eyes didn't.

"See, when that happens, we can stop God if..." Divina trailed off, hesitating before finishing the sentence.

"Why am I the closest?" Greyson pressed.

The doll tilted its head, red mouth twisting. "You're looking harder than anyone."

Greyson grinned.

Divina recognized him for his knowledge.

"Is there something more I need to do?" he asked.

Scarlett stepped inside, her gaze landing on the doll.

She stopped.

A grin slowly spread across her face.

"Are you playing with dolls?" she mocked.

"Yes," Divina replied.

Scarlett's laughter faded, replaced by a frown. She stepped closer to the desk, eyebrows furrowed, and leaned closer to examine it.

"We have talking dolls now?" Scarlett asked, reaching out to grasp the doll's side for a better look.

The doll slipped from Scarlett's grasp and leapt onto the desk. It stumbled and straightened with one chubby arm pressed to its chest.

"This isn't the national anthem," Scarlett snickered.

Divina snatched up the pen again and quickly sketched a messy heart, then pointed at it. "That."

"A heart?" Scarlett asked, her hands on her hips.

"You break in with a heart?" Greyson grumbled.

He didn't understand what the heart had to do with anything he was receiving. Divina knew what needed to be done with Ashley, and this thing was entrusting him with the information.

Divina tossed the pen aside and rifled through the papers on the desk, as if recalling something important. Then it grabbed the pen again and sketched a stick figure of a girl.

It placed one stitched hand on the drawing.

The ink began to move.

Greyson leaned forward at the stick figure stretched beyond the paper, its outline twisting and filling with colour. Within seconds, a girl stood where the drawing had been.

She examined her pale hands, flexing her fingers before looking around the office.

"Cool," she said, hopping down from the desk.

"What the hell?" Scarlett blurted out.

Greyson stared at the doll, now shaped like a pale girl with thin black hair and glowing eyes. She kicked up one narrow leg, a smirk stretching her lips.

"Humans are taller than I expect," Divina said, flexing her fingers. "This might be fun to use."

"I thought you said you didn't have a body."

Divina glanced down at herself.

"I don't."

He frowned. "Then what am I looking at?"

"A temporary form. It'll hold until the vanishing."

"Could you stop what Ashley's planning in the next few days?"

"This body will vanish the same day you two don't," Divina said, eyes locked on him. "I handle God's damage, but I'll need help learning this town and finding people I can trust."

Greyson bit his pinky nail in thought. Who else could he trust this information with?

Luke was a possibility, but he could be thoughtless with information.

James was another option, but Greyson was starting to get suspicious he was planning something behind his back.

"Are we really just going to call you Divina?" Scarlett asked casually, leaning back against his desk.

Divina chuckled without blinking. "God isn't smart enough to recognize me," she said with a sly grin. "Now, I need a place to stay."

Greyson suggested, "You can stay with Scarlett in her dorm."

He could feel Scarlett gaze on him with narrowed eyes. This would be the perfect way to keep it secret from Jason or some of his other minions from finding out. There was always Nevaeh around to deliver the information by bending part of the truth.

Suddenly, Greyson felt himself being yanked into the air by an unseen force. He glanced down in confusion, catching Scarlett's sly smirk, while Divina glared up at him.

"Do not play games with me," Divina hissed through clenched teeth, dropping him into his chair. "You won't send a search party looking for God. Are others sending parties?"

"Jason formed one," Scarlett replied.

Divina's gaze snapped to Scarlett. "Where is he?" it demanded.

"I'll show you," Scarlett said, turning on her heel.

Divina stormed out of the office.

Scarlett trailed behind with a slight smirk.

Greyson couldn't allow Divina to beat Jason before him, but he knew Scarlett would keep that thing in check.

Jason hadn't expected to stumble upon a fight between Ashley and Divina. He certainly hadn't expected it to end with a shattered water fountain and a crowd of stunned onlookers.

The sight alone was enough to leave him speechless. But then Divina lifted an enormous chunk of fountain as though it weighed nothing. The concrete hovered effortlessly above the ground, defying everything he thought he understood.

The hatred smouldering in Divina's eyes sent a chill down Jason's spine. He hadn't needed anyone to explain it; he could feel it in his bones.

If that thing ever gained a fully physical form, it would be dangerous.

Now, Jason sat on the long couch with Bella, Esme, Zane, and Emma, the dim lamplight casting shadows across the floor. Zane had just finished telling them about what they'd witnessed—the fires and damage it had caused.

Jason couldn't decide what was worse: the horrifying number of homes reduced to ash, or the three agonizing hours of One Direction songs blasting on loop from the boom box they'd salvaged in the basement.

Somehow, though, it had managed to lift Bella's spirits a little.

Their new house was small but cozy, with a cramped kitchen and shelves lined with books—everything from biographies to teen novels. The books gave them something to distract themselves during their rare free time.

Not that they had much of it.

"Divina wasn't messing around today," Bella said. "She can grow objects in her hands."

"Maybe that's what Ashley meant when she called it a grower," Jason muttered.

"Divina can grow things and use Greyson's power. So why did you stop her?" Zane asked, eyeing Jason.

He'd been asking himself the same thing.

A few weeks ago, he would've stepped between them without a second thought.

Ashley was his stepsister, after all.

But this wasn't some ordinary schoolyard argument. He was dealing with a goddess and someone equally dangerous.

Ashley wasn't the girl he'd lived with anymore.

Whatever had taken hold of her was hungry for destruction.

"I'm not sure," Jason admitted. "We just happened to be there when it all went down. And Divina was furious."

A loud knock echoed through the quiet house.

"How rude," Esme mumbled, sipping her iced tea.

Jason stood and crossed the room to the door. When he opened it, Scarlett stood there with a girl with uneven black hair.

"I'm not fighting Greyson early," Jason said flatly, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

"Oh no, we're not here for that," Scarlett replied with a sly smirk.

"Are you planning to stop Ashley together?" the black-haired girl demanded.

"We might have to," Jason muttered under his breath.

"No," the girl snapped, glaring as she shoved past him and stepped into the dimly lit house.

Jason didn't recognize her at all. It had only been about three weeks since everyone aged fifteen and older had vanished, yet this girl was completely unfamiliar.

He followed her back inside, where the others were already watching.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Emma," Scarlett said, raising an eyebrow.

"She can be here if she wants," Esme said, chewing on some crackers.

"You can't stop Ashley," the black-haired girl hissed.

"Make me," Esme shot back, sticking out her tongue. She was about to rush off but fell flat onto the laminate flooring.

"I said no," the girl repeated.

She hadn't raised a hand like Greyson usually did. Instead, her eyes were narrowed with cold intensity.

"I can't move," Esme groaned, looking at the girl. "What are you? Some kind of freak that controls gravity?"

"Why can't we?" Bella asked, frowning.

The girl smirked, placing a hand over her chest. "It's my job," she said.

Scarlett snickered, tilting her head. "I think you owe them an introduction."

"I'm Divina," the girl said with a wicked smile. "And honestly? You all seem strangely slow."

Jason's chest tightened.

He didn't realize he'd taken a step back until his heel hit the edge of the couch.

It was Divina.

The same merciless force he'd seen brutally beat Ashley earlier, eyes glowing with delight.

At last, Esme broke the silence. "Wait, didn't you say you didn't have a body?"

Divina casually waved her arm up and down, and Esme felt the invisible grip loosen, freeing her.

"I found a loophole," Divina declared, crossing her legs with a smug smile. "Most of you were there when I was nothing more than grass."

"I'm a healer here," Emma said nervously, meeting Divina's cold stare.

Without warning, Divina strode into the kitchen, until she accidentally knocked over a pot of cold pasta water. The heavy pot clanged loudly as it hit the floor, sending a splash of water over her bare feet.

"Ew," she said with disgust.

She pointed two fingers to the ground, and the water disappeared.

She grabbed the pot, twisting it in her hand with a mocking grin. "You think this would work? Actually, no."

Then she turned sharply to Jason and Bella.

"You stopped me from killing God today," she growled. "But, it was cool that I broke the water fountain, right?"

"I think we should go. You don't want to be ugly," Scarlett remarked.

"Wouldn't want to end up looking like Ragnar," Divina laughed, glancing around.

Her gaze flickered past him.

Jason didn't have time to move.

A book flew across the room and hit him square in the face.

He staggered back a step, more from shock than pain.

"That's for interfering," she hissed.

Divina stormed out the front door, and Scarlett followed closely behind. Just before disappearing, Scarlett shot Emma a raised eyebrow, then pulled the door shut.

"Another problem," Bella sighed.

Jason noticed Emma looked shaken with her eyes wide, and hands clenched on her lap. "Scarlett's going to tell Greyson," she whispered.

"Don't stress it. Who cares?" Esme said breezily, flashing a smile.

"I'm probably going to get punished." Emma blurted as she shot up the sofa.

"Calm down," Esme said, grabbing Emma's ankle and yanking her back to the floor. "You're the healer, not some panicked patient."

"Then just say you don't want to help at Uden," Jason said firmly.

Emma pushed herself up despite Esme still clutching her ankle. He glanced at her feet, still raw and scraped, wondering if Emma would heal them.

"I'm not healing your feet. Go take another bath and put on the cream yourself," Emma spat.

"But, I'm the fastest! I need my feet fully healed," Esme whined

"No," Emma muttered.

"See? Just say no," Esme said proudly.

Jason realized she'd been trying to get Emma to speak up for herself.

"Maybe," Emma mumbled.

Jason's gaze landed on the dark circles shadowing her eyes; it was clear she hadn't slept in weeks. Whether it was Esme's relentless energy or the weight of being the healer, she looked utterly drained. She rubbed her tired eyes and pushed her bangs aside, folding herself on her knees.

"You need to figure out that problem with Greyson," Emma finally said.

She was right. Greyson was already his own kind of attack on their birthday, though no clear plan had taken shape. He assumed the fight would be chaotic, but he knew deep down he'd need backup.

"I want to run around with a gun. Pew! Pew! Pew!" Esme exclaimed, spinning around and firing imaginary bullets at an invisible enemy.

"I'd start preparing the day before," Emma advised.

Jason furrowed his eyebrows, confusion clouding his mind. Slowly, a flicker of understanding began to settle in. He hadn't known his brother for long, but Greyson always seemed to have a backup plan up his sleeve.

"Do you think they have a plan?" Zane asked.

"They don't tell me much anymore," Emma murmured quietly. "Just about injuries, but never how or why it happened."

"Do you know who might be leading it?" Jason asked.

Emma avoided everyone's eyes, chewing her lip nervously. He recalled that she had dated Greyson once, which might explain why she seemed so guarded about his plans.

"Tell us, Emma," Esme urged, shaking her shoulders.

Emma hesitated.

"Luke," she said finally, leaning forward to take a sip of water.

It should have been obvious that Luke would act. Losing his arm hadn't dulled his madness—if anything, it fuelled his thirst for revenge, much like Maverick's relentless illusions after losing his fingers.

"Divina can handle Ashley now. You need to focus," Bella said, looking at Jason.

"You think Ashley managed to get the substance?" Jason asked.

"I definitely think Greyson's up to something," Esme added. "Not sure what exactly, though."

"Don't go running to Uden," Bella cautioned. "Let's focus on the next few days and dealt with whatever comes our way."

Her words lit a fire in his chest. He wanted to stop Greyson now, but she was right. They couldn't rush in blindly and risk getting hurt.

"I'm so ready to give Luke a beating!" Esme exclaimed, grinning as she punched her palm.

"We have a new player in this bubble now," Zane said, eyes scanning the group. "One who could either save us or kill us all."

Scarlett felt like she was babysitting. Divina had no grasp of what it meant to be human, and yet she wouldn't stop rattling off detailed torture plans for Ashley. Talking to her was like talking to Luke, just without the constant glare.

"I don't want a makeover," Divina said.

"I don't do makeovers for other girls," Scarlett shot back.

Divina glanced at the compact mirror on her lap, then back at Scarlett. "Is that why so many people stare at you?" she asked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She liked looking good. There was nothing wrong with that. Expensive makeup, clothes shopping, overnight delivery—all of it secretly ordered online under her mother's name, using a spoofed email account.

The academy banned personal purchases without parental permission, but rules like that were made for people who didn't know how to hack.

She glanced across the room at the empty bed. Her roommate, Sarah, had taken a position at the daycare, which meant Scarlett was now stuck sharing her space with this thing.

Honestly, keeping Divina trapped somewhere until she stopped talking would have been ideal.

"Guys fawn over me," Scarlett said.

It was still difficult for her to believe Divina had been nothing but a drawing on paper. The entire situation was strange.

She couldn't help wondering whether Divina was a one-time accident or if more of these things were still out there.

"Ragnar's a total dumbass," Divina said idly. "It never would've considered using someone with actual intelligence."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. Was this bonding? It might've been the first time she felt a flicker of connection with another girl. Usually, she relied on wit, charm, or just stayed close to Greyson and whatever scheme he was running.

"Can you kill Ashley?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes," Divina said. "I just need to come up with something new."

Something resembling hope stirred in Scarlett's stomach. If anyone could end this nightmare, it was probably this bizarre creature sitting across from her. Unfortunately, Divina's obsession was narrow: kill Ashley.

It felt strange being back in her old dorm. Lately, she usually crashed at Greyson's dorm, though nothing beyond making out happened, despite waking up in tangled limbs more than once.

She liked Greyson. That much she understood. Love was another matter entirely. She needed to understand things before she could trust them, and love was difficult to dissect. She'd never had a serious relationship, only a handful of kisses that taught her boys liked the attention from her.

Her family wasn't a good example. When her father left, her mother had abandoned her career as a speech pathologist and became a stripper almost overnight. Whatever Scarlett knew about love and relationships, she'd learned elsewhere. Mostly from romance movies and binge-watching Gossip Girl.

Scarlett opened her eyes and spotted Divina staring down at her, fingers twitching with glossy nail polish still dripping wet.

"Don't sleep," she warned.

"You messed up your nails," Scarlett said with a smirk. "So, when you finally take Ashley down, does the whole barrier come crashing down too?"

Divina scrubbed off the ruined polish, rubbing at it roughly with a scrap of fabric.

"No, this isn't a real body," she said, almost amused. "I'm still just a form, but human."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Not your real body? What are you then? A ghost?"

Divina wiped her hands on a crumpled shirt left on the dresser—Sarah had fled in such a hurry she hadn't packed a thing.

"Ragnar is like me," Divina explained. "It needs a host. Godrian saturates the body—that glowing purple stuff leaking through the ditches—and binds it to the consciousness inside. We're both creations, in a way. I have this form only as long as Greyson and Jason don't vanish. Though..."

Divina met Scarlett's eyes but didn't finish the thought. She felt a cold pit open in her stomach. Whatever came next, it wasn't good.

A knock came at the door. Divina tilted her head—and the handle turned on its own. The door eased open without sound.

Greyson stood there with a frown on his face.

"Oh, you," Divina said, sounding disappointed.

Scarlett rose from the bed and smirked as she stepped toward him. "Here to get your hair brushed?"

"Just making sure you're not slacking off on your task," he said.

Scarlett waved a dismissive hand, mock horror on her face. "Well, she's no scared little girl from Uden, that's for sure."

"Have you told anyone else?" Greyson asked.

"I did," Divina replied flatly.

Greyson's eyes narrowed, locking onto Divina with a hard gaze. She flipped through a fashion magazine, seemingly unbothered by the simmering anger in his expression.

"Why would you do that?" he pressed.

"Because I'm not letting that thing kill humans. That's the only rule I have about who gets to know," Divina said bluntly.

Scarlett smirked. Watching someone defy Greyson was satisfying, especially when he couldn't immediately do anything about it. He was used to people following his plans. Divina clearly hadn't received the memo.

"I thought we were clear on that," Divina said coldly.

Greyson said nothing.

"We are," he hissed.

Divina's tone dripped with disdain. "I don't care if you're planning some shit, but just keep me out of it."

Scarlett couldn't help but grin. Greyson had worked so hard to find this thing, and now he couldn't even control it the way he wanted.

"Don't get your panties in twist," Scarlett said, hands settling on her hips.

"I'm not," Greyson said calmly. "Just planning for tomorrow."

Scarlett knew they were going to do that experiment. She was interested in seeing it, but uncertain too. In the Bubble, people died every day—from the holes, allergic reactions, drowning in the lake or falling off a roof.

She thought back to Trevor, someone she never liked. He barely said a word after being humiliated in public, left in only boxers. It wasn't the first time he tried taking on Greyson. That fight was over in a few seconds, and that was before Greyson even had his powers.

"Luke's still teaching people to shoot," Greyson said. "Preston and James are joining us, and James is already setting up monitors to track everything."

Scarlett shook her head as she headed back to her bed. "So, we're basically running an experiment that won't change a thing?"

"It's not meaningless," he hissed, voice tightening. "We'll see what actually happens."

Scarlett glanced over and noticed that Divina seemed uninterested in the conversation. Her attention was elsewhere on fixing holes and preventing more deaths. Even if Scarlett couldn't get more information from her, she still planned to use it in her own way.

It wasn't just about Greyson. She knew Luke had his own plans, and if James told Jason about the vanishing, it could change everything.

"Is that all you needed?" Scarlett asked, watching him look around the room.

This wasn't the first time Greyson had been here. He'd been in her room many times to plan schemes or discuss if someone had a new rank.

"Well?" Scarlett prompted, waiting for a response.

"I'm hungry," Divina grumbled, pushing herself up and heading for the door.

Scarlett sighed, planting herself in front of him with her hands on her hips. "Tick-tock," she mocked.

Greyson reached out, briefly clasping her hand before letting go. "Make sure Jason doesn't find out," he warned, then turned and strode toward the door.

"That's it?" she teased. "Just a handhold?"

Greyson turned back, closing the distance between them. His lips touched hers, testing. Then the hesitation dissolved, urgency replacing it.

Her fingers slid into his hair, tightening just enough to pull him closer.

When they pulled apart, their breaths mingled, faces mere inches away. Her eyes flickered from his gaze to his lips.

They kissed again, then pulled apart.

That familiar heat coiled low in her stomach. She'd always treated boys like tools—leverage, distraction, advantage. She'd never had anything that required vulnerability.

She still took birth control, just in case. She started after a teacher almost assaulted her in the classroom before he got caught. Greyson had him to the hospital for four months.

Greyson nodded and left.

Scarlett dropped onto her bed with a sigh, draping an arm over her eyes. Their relationship wasn't just about making out more for hours. Sometimes they slept together. No sex. Just sleep. It had happened more than once, especially back when he was fake-dating Emma.

Divina strolled back in with a half-eaten piece of bread hanging from her mouth. "Bread is gross," she muttered through a bite.

"What?" Scarlett asked, grabbing her birth control.

She dry-swallowed a pill without looking, the motion automatic. She'd started the medication months ago and never stopped. Control was easier when it was preventative.

"Make sure your boyfriend doesn't do anything stupid," Divina snapped, dropping on the opposite bed. "Don't go chasing Ragnar or stirring out more of this. We can't have people dying from it."

"That won't happen," Scarlett said.

It wouldn't happen, especially not with what she had in mind.

Divina finally has a body but how will she act to those around, especially Ashley.
-Lexi