James approached a large stone house, the weight of the information pressing on his mind. Someone had given him Jason's location after the incident at Uden, but now that he was here, the street felt too quiet.

He stood at the bottom of the stone steps for nearly a minute before moving.

The house looked too clean.

No shouting. No music. No broken glass.

Nothing like what he'd seen.

His fingers tightened around the laptop strap as he climbed the steps slowly. If Greyson discovered where he was, he'd probably throw him into a wall before asking questions.

Still, he knocked.

The door opened, revealing a slender girl with bronzed hair neatly braided down her back. She wore leggings paired with a purple shirt, the faint glow of morning light catching on the golden necklace around her neck, engraved with the name "Teagan."

"Is Jason here?" James asked.

Teagan hesitated, her hand still gripping the edge of the door. "Yes," she said.

He stepped inside, the door shutting quietly behind him.

The interior smelled faintly of lemon cleaner and pancakes. Grey-and-white framed spotless furniture that looked too expensive to actually use.

Holding his laptop tightly against his side, he moved forward carefully. The difference between this place and Uden's chaotic dorms made him feel even more out of place.

Suddenly, a blur of movement shot in from the adjoining room.

Esme skidded to a stop in front of him, flashing a peace sign.

"Hey, James! Did you finally ditch Greyson and his loser squad?" she grinned.

He and Esme were the same age, but they might as well come from two entirely different worlds. She was all energy and motion, always surrounded by people, while he kept to quiet corners and screens.

They hadn't really spoken until they crossed paths at the secret club, where only people with supernaturals abilities gathered in secret.

Scarlett knew he had an ability, and he had no idea how she found out. He'd flown under the radar—more brains than brawl—the geek who preferred data over danger.

But his ability was different: not partial strength like Devon's single arm, but full-body enhancement power. And Scarlett saw it as usable, since Greyson would be furious if he found out. That's why he agreed to follow her request before May 18th.

"I need to talk to Jason about something," James said.

Esme's eyes flickered to the laptop tucked under his arm, then back to his face.

"Let's go!" she declared, spinning on her heel.

She led him down a hallway with three doors before she kicked open the last one.

James stepped into the room and froze. Jason lay sprawled across a queen-sized bed, his body a patchwork of dark bruises and raw welts.

"You've got a visitor," Esme chimed, flopping casually on the edge of the bed.

Jason groaned and let his head sink into the sheets. "Why is James here?"

"For information," Esme replied, swinging her legs.

James set his laptop carefully on the black nightstand. He pulled up the same graphic he had shown to Greyson.

"These are all the collapse sites we've tracked," James said quietly, angling the screen toward Jason.

Jason pushed himself upright with a wince and blinked at the display. "That many?"

"Those are just the only major ones," James said, pointing to a cluster near a residential street and another behind the daycare.

"Major?" Esme echoed, her eyebrows furrowing.

James nodded. "They're where most people have died."

Esme blinked, stunned. It was an unusual break from her normally fearless energy.

"Were all these created by Ashley?" Jason asked quietly.

James zoomed in on a deep hole near the outskirts, close to Wasaga Beach.

"Yeah. No one else has a supernatural ability capable of digging holes through the earth like this," he said firmly.

Jade had mentioned Cindy might be here, but there was no sign of her. If he couldn't find Cindy, then Jason was the only person he could turn to. Even if Greyson wouldn't like it, someone had to act before things spiralled further out of control.

"Why is she doing it?" Jason asked.

"Shouldn't you know the answer?" James pressed, watching the flicker of doubt on Jason's face.

"It's meant to kill," Jason said.

"Kill people?" James asked.

"You can't tell Greyson," Esme said, standing up. "Not about this."

James pressed his lips tight, his stomach twisting. Every instinct screamed to tell Greyson or Scarlett, but he knew he couldn't.

If Scarlett found out he had hidden something, there was no telling what she'd do.

"Please, James," Jason whispered, struggling to push himself upright with a trembling hand.

James's eyes caught the deep black and purple bruises along Jason's side—fresh marks from Luke's punishment during their last hostage ordeal.

"Okay..." James trailed off as Esme hugged him. The close contact made his face feel hot. He wasn't used to receiving physical contact from girls.

"We saw Ashley last night, and Divina, who is the goddess," Jason said. "Divina hasn't shown up here yet, but they're coming to take Ashley down. Ashley's convinced Divina was the one who broke in."

"Divina?" James echoed, frowning.

That name sounded too close to "Divine" to be a coincidence. Did that mean they really knew what had happened here? Was his theory linking Ashley to some higher power closer to the truth than he had dared hope?

"It's more like a network..." Jason said. "People connected to Ashley somehow."

"David was part of that system, too," Esme said.

Greyson had told James that David's death would be ruled a suicide. But if David was tied to Ashley's system—an entity built on destruction—why would he willingly join her?

"We have to protect ourselves," Jason said grimly. "Make sure none of us vanish."

It wasn't just about figuring out how to directly stop the vanishing—it was also this connection between Ashley and Divina.

"Does Divina seem powerful?" James asked.

"Extremely," Jason replied. "But they don't have a real body. It's more like shifting shapes—different forms depending on what they want to be."

"God chose Ashley as a host body," James gasped, staring at Jason and Esme.

"It's not some demon-possession thing," Esme said, waving a hand. "It's weirder than that. It's like a monster."

"Maybe Ashley created this," James muttered under his breath.

"Why create this?" Jason asked. "Just so Divina and Ashley could fight?"

"Probably to buy time before Divina breaks through the barrier," Esme said. "Didn't Ashley say she was hiding?"

"From everything we've seen and heard, Divina taunts Ashley constantly," Jason said quietly. "Cindy told us the same thing."

James swallowed hard at the mention of Cindy's name. She should be here, sharing what she had learned. For now, all he could do was listen.

"Divina's true form... it could go either way," Jason said. "Good or evil—there's no guarantee which we're dealing with."

Would Divina turn out like Jason or Esme by trying to save everything? Or would they be another Greyson—or worse, another Luke? If that power could tip either way, it felt like a gamble James wasn't willing to take. One wrong move, and they'd be dealing with something far more dangerous.

"But what if they're good and still kill people?" Jason asked.

Esme gave a thumbs-up, her grin returning. "It's still bad to kill people, duh."

The bedroom door swung open, snapping James out of his thoughts. Bella stood in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes and wearing comfortable clothes.

"Teagan made breakfast," she said, looking directly at James. "Isn't he with Greyson?"

"James brought some new information," Jason said, managing a faint smile as he met Bella's eyes.

James stepped aside to grab his laptop. The smell of breakfast—pancakes and eggs—drifted through the air, oddly comforting in the quiet house.

He followed behind Esme, but his eyes kept flickering to the shadows in the corners, unused to such calm.

"Have you eaten yet?" Teagan asked, catching James off guard.

He gave a quick nod before awkwardly sitting across from Esme on the couch. She didn't look at him but stared down at her scarred feet.

"Emma could probably heal them," he suggested.

It felt strange being here without Greyson or Scarlett. Esme had been at Uden too, but they'd barely spoken before all this.

"I've tried," she muttered, letting out a groan. "But I always end up tearing them open again."

"What's it like... being around people from Uden?" Bella asked, between bites of pancake.

James hesitated. "It's... alright."

"James is one of the hackers at Uden," Esme said, bouncing on her toes in her socks.

"They're evil people, James," Bella spat.

He said nothing. The truth hung heavy because Uden was full of bullies. Kids who mocked, who fought, who thrived on fear.

"Uden Academy? Built on bullies," Esme said bluntly. "It's never been an innocent place. Greyson's one you don't want to cross. But between Greyson and Luke? Honestly, I don't know who's worse."

In James's opinion, Luke was worse than Greyson. Although Uden Academy went up to grade twelve, it was typically the older students who exhibited the worst behaviour.

"Scarlett? Yeah, she's the kind of girl you don't want to fall for," Esme sighed. "Beautiful, but cruel. I'd watch out for her and maybe Eden too."

"The religious girl?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Esme said. "You haven't heard the stories probably, because she's reformed. At least, that's what they say."

James knew exactly what Esme meant. He'd seen the streamed video that everyone at Uden whispered about but nobody dared openly discuss it.

"Eden was sent to Uden Academy by the police," Esme said. "She's not the only one, but she's the only one I know of."

"The police sent her to Uden? How does that work? Did she kill someone?" Jason asked.

Esme shrugged. "Don't know."

James knew they would be trying to pull him toward Simcoe's side. The urge to belong somewhere that didn't demand blind obedience, like Greyson did.

Scarlett's orders weighed down on him, but he could always tell her everything. Staring at the Microsoft document filled with details about this trapped place, he wondered if he should risk it.

Cindy had two things weighing heavily on her mind: Divina and the kiss she had accidentally witnessed.

Emma, who usually stayed at Uden, was now at the infirmary due to healing a broken leg. Cindy just sat on the cot, watching her heal the boy's leg, but inside, she wrestled with guilt for keeping what she had seen secret.

Emma had told her that she had ended it, but from what Cindy had witnessed, Scarlett and Greyson were drawn to each other like magnets. It wasn't just a whim to have sex going into the eighth grade. They were her age when they'd done that. Cindy herself would never commit such an act at her age.

Scarlett's words still echoed in Cindy's mind—how she brushed off kissing like it was nothing. But Cindy couldn't agree. A kiss was still a kiss, especially if it wasn't the first one since whatever happened between her Scarlett and Greyson.

That meant there was more to their story than they were admitting.

Cindy didn't like gossip, but this wasn't just idle curiosity—she needed answers. The urgency hit her all at once, and she stood up so suddenly that Emma flinched in surprise.

"Sorry, I have to do something," Cindy said quickly, teleporting into the plaza.

She closed her eyes and pictured the plaza in her mind—the stone fountain, the crowded benches, the faint smell of coffee from Coffee Culture.

Her power wasn't perfect, since she couldn't teleport directly to a person, only to a place she could picture clearly. From what she'd figured out, as long as she focused on the location, that was where she would land.

The world blurred for a heartbeat, and then she landed with a soft thud on the asphalt.

Her gaze swept across the plaza. Andrew and Trevor were no longer tied up, but they had been left that way for an entire day without food or water. Someone would slap them if they dared to ask for anything.

It was cruel, but Cindy couldn't make herself feel sorry for them. Not when she knew she wasn't like them anymore.

She wasn't human.

She was a freak.

So was Emma with her healing abilities.

Cindy made her way toward the mayor's office, guessing Greyson might be inside. She knocked once, and the door opened on its own.

Greyson was seated at his desk, barely looking up. "Did you talk to James?" he asked.

"No..." Cindy said slowly, trailing off as she watched his smirk fade into a frown. "I was actually looking for Scarlett."

Based on from what Cindy had heard from Emma, Greyson was unlikely to openly admit what happened between him and Scarlett.

"Scarlett? Why are you looking for her?" Greyson asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I just need to talk to her," Cindy replied.

"She should be watching James," Greyson said, chewing on his pinky nail as he stood up. "Bop around."

She tried teleporting around the plaza, but navigating through the crowds of people wasn't easy.

"Shouldn't you be with James?" Scarlett's asked slyly.

Cindy spun toward her. "I need to ask you something."

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Scarlett's arm and focused on an empty house nearby. Once inside, she slammed the door shut behind them with a loud thud.

Cindy stared at Scarlett and asked bluntly. "That wasn't your first kiss with Greyson after you slept together, was it?"

Deep inside, she hoped Scarlett would deny it, but the sly smirk spreading across Scarlett's lips sent her heart racing.

Scarlett dropped onto a bright green couch. "You're quite smart," she said, clearly amused.

Cindy's mind raced, connecting all the dots. If that wasn't their first after sleeping together, then Scarlett and Greyson had kissed while he was still dating Emma.

"That's cheating!" Cindy blurted out.

Scarlett shrugged casually. "It's not really cheating if you're not officially together," she said with a smirk.

Cindy frowned. To her, any kind of betrayal felt wrong. She remembered what had happened with Melany's ex and how it hurt, and her stomach twisted at the thought. Loyalty seemed so simple.

"Do you really think Greyson would date someone that insecure?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You used her?" Cindy whispered in disbelief.

"Yup," Scarlett confirmed with a cold nod as she stood up.

It was one thing to cheat, but another to entirely manipulate someone for personal gain. Such behaviour felt cruel and unforgivable.

Cindy knew that if Emma ever found out, her heart would shatter.

Scarlett smirked and winked. "You'll keep our secret, right? Or maybe I'll spill the beans about that little crush you have on Jason."

How did she know? Only Nevaeh and Melany knew about that. Keeping this secret was far worse than a kiss. Maybe just tell her about the kiss, and that's it.

"Come, we have to find James. I've heard he went to Bella's," Scarlett said, holding out her hand. "See, all of us are nice, but I'll keep that secret."

In an instant, they teleported into an empty bedroom. Cindy watched as Scarlett walked over to a black nightstand, digging through its drawers. She pulled out a small package of pills, a tube of mascara, and some mints.

"She'll notice!" Cindy whispered, her eyes wide.

Scarlett shrugged. "Birth control," she said, waving the small pack before slipping it smoothly into her pocket.

Scarlett opened the white bedroom door, revealing a narrow hallway. Voices echoed from a nearby room. She knocked, and when the door opened, Esme stood there, looking confused.

"James is apparently supposed to talk to me?" Cindy asked.

"I—" James stammered, his eyes wide.

"Have you told them yet?" Scarlett cut in.

James shook his head repeatedly, then climbed off the bed.

"Come, James," Scarlett ordered.

Cindy watched as he obeyed without hesitation, trailing behind them as the three exited the house.

She pressed a hand to her chest, heart hammering. Emma had been used. Her stomach turned, and she swallowed hard. Did anyone else know? She didn't even want to think about what would happen if Emma found out.

Emma had thought she was dating Greyson, yet he'd been sneaking kisses with Scarlett. It didn't exactly feel like a real relationship at all. Maybe it wasn't just kissing for seduction, but that they loved each other.

"Don't tell Greyson," James finally said.

"Of course not," Scarlett replied smoothly. "Cindy just needs to give us a quick overview us of what's going on."

They stepped into another abandoned house, where the kitchen walls were lined with faded red wallpaper curling at the corners.

Scarlett disappeared into the bathroom and returned moments later, arms full of toothpaste, mouthwash, and body wash.

James shuffled his feet, glancing at the floor. "I talked to Jason about the holes."

"What about them?" Cindy asked, leaning forward.

"He said they are designed to kill people," James muttered.

Cindy's eyes widened. Her stomach knotted. She glanced at Scarlett, who kept packing toothpaste and mouthwash into a reusable shopping bag, like nothing happened.

"What does she gain from that?" Scarlett asked.

"So she has followers now..." James trailed off. "Divina supposedly has the power to beat Ashley."

"Divina?" Scarlett repeated.

"Goddess," he corrected quickly.

"Then where is Divina?" Scarlett asked, but he just shrugged.

"It must be like how they had that leaf body..." Cindy trailed off.

"The main message was to protect ourselves and not vanish," James implied.

Cindy couldn't figure out exactly how to process this information. Was it important for their future? Or was she going to disappear at some point?

"You can tell Greyson about the killing aspect," Scarlett remarked.

Cindy wondered if Scarlett was using James for personal reasons. If that was the case, why would she? She didn't even want to ask, considering she had a secret over her that she didn't want to reveal.

"Don't worry, Cindy. I'll keep our secret," Scarlett said, smirking.

Liking Jason had to remain a secret, especially from Bella. She didn't know Bella well, but apparently, she was dating Jason.

Cindy teleported to the church infirmary.

Emma was drinking some lemonade against the wall, and Melany was reading a book about diseases on one of the cots.

"How did things go?" Emma asked.

"New information about Ashley has been discovered," Cindy explained.

She couldn't admit that she was hiding a massive secret from a friend who had been slowly gaining self-confidence.

"Emma!" Cindy exclaimed as she stood up. "I need to tell you something."

She couldn't tell her about being manipulated by Scarlett and Greyson. It was something she could never tell anyone, except maybe Melany, but confronting the situation was right.

"I caught Greyson and Scarlett kissing," Cindy finally managed to say.

"I'm not surprised," Emma replied, her lips pressed together.

Cindy felt a pang of worry for Emma. She wondered if she would cry or just get really quiet. Emma had ended things with Greyson recently, and Cindy knew this would sting.

"It's in the past, so it shouldn't affect me," Emma said, forcing a smile.

However, Cindy could tell from that smile that a part of Emma was still felt deeply affected by the new information. Cindy herself had never been kissed, so seeing one in action seemed strange.

Movies and television shows often portrayed kisses in similar ways, but in real life, kisses could have different meanings. She wasn't aware of Greyson and Scarlett's relationship status, but one was for sure—that kiss had been in full public view for anyone to see. She could only assume that Greyson would want to keep that private.

Was that how romantic relationships worked? How Jason and Bella look out for each other and make sure the other was safe? Or like Greyson and Scarlett?

Jason and Bella seemed to be on the normal side, since Scarlett had pushed Greyson away when she appeared. Wasn't there a difference between dating someone for their looks versus their personality traits?

Emma stood up and looked at the two. "Gotta go to Uden," she said, walking up the stairs.

Cindy immediately grabbed Melany's wrist and led to the back of the room. "I need to get this off my chest," she started, looking around. "You can't tell anyone this, but Greyson used Emma. Their relationship wasn't about feelings at all. And that kissing incident wasn't the first time."

Melany covered her mouth with her hand. Cindy felt bad for telling someone about it, but she knew that Melany would keep a secret. After all, Melany had known about her crush on Jason before even Scarlett did.

"Scarlett told me, and she knew about my crush..." Cindy trailed off.

"Keeping secrets can do more harm than good," Melany said softly. "I don't know Scarlett well enough to assume what she'd do. I won't say anything, and remember not to think about it."

The thought of keeping a large secret was already causing enough stress on her. Every time she thought about it, her stomach twisted in knots. She couldn't believe that Emma had been used by them all this time, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Using someone is heinous," Melany said, her voice filled with disgust. "Did you really catch them kissing?"

Cindy nodded, still speaking in a hushed tone. "It's a strange relationship." She noticed Ilya walking into the infirmary alone.

"Do you need help with an injury?" Melany asked.

"Do you have these antidepressants?" Ilya asked as she held out an empty bottle of Zoloft.

Melany searched through the small pill rack, trying to find the specific brand. "Does it have to be that one?" she asked.

"I think I'll be fine with a different brand," Ilya replied.

Melany handed her a small amount of pills in her palm. "We have to save some for others," she explained.

"Thank you."

Ilya slipped the pills into her pocket, and left.

Cindy frowned, holding the small bottle. "What do these even do?"

Melany shrugged, flipping through the medical book. "They help with sadness, anxiety... when someone feels down for a long time. Like, they might stop eating or stop doing things they like."

Cindy nodded slowly, trying to picture it. It made sense, but she still felt a little confused.

"Ilya comes here often," Melany commented, as she was usually the one who spent the most time in the infirmary. "I hope she isn't taking them all at once."

Emma usually helped with the wounds, while Melany was in charge of medication that could help for headaches or upset stomachs.

"Do you think she has depression?" Cindy questioned.

In The Hubble, it might be possible that someone is going through that. Although she kissed her parents dearly, she felt the urge to focus towards helping others.

"Maybe," Melany said.

Cindy stood and leaned on the wall. "I still don't get what happened to Ashley," Melany remarked.

It wasn't as though Cindy had any clue into Ashley's situation. The incident involving the purple substance that had entered her knee seemed to have transformed something within her.

"Probably from the substance," Cindy mused aloud.

She played with her silver charm bracelet, which had four charms of different flowers around it, all shaded pink.

Melany owned the matching bracelet with a blue charm, but had stopped wearing it due to treating injuries. Their mother had gifted them the bracelets last Christmas, since it was something both of them wanted.

"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen," Cindy heard the unease in Melany's voice.

Cindy had the gut feeling that Greyson would plan something. Even though finding information became simply to help, Uden may have something planned up their sleeve.

Luke's arm had been cut off, which could result in revenge.

"And I've seen a vision," Melany began. "I can't tell if some sort of mutant power or déjà vu, but there's this girl I keep seeing in my mind. She appears to be around my age, with bright blue eyes and dark hair. In the vision, she's extending her hand towards someone with a glowing white light."

If Melany could see visions, that might predict the outcome of this situation. Yet, if this was someone they didn't know or an unknown mutant person Uden is hiding, it might change many things.

"Do you think it could be Divina?" Cindy asked.

"It could be possible, but since there are abnormalities occurring, I'm guessing it's someone we don't know."

Feeling chills run through her body, Cindy pressed her lips together. Melany ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. Neither would be ready if some attack happened, but fighting shouldn't be happening; they should be working together. If Simcoe and Uden are two separate sides, Cindy could only feel the worst had just begun.

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-Lexi