James stopped at the foot of stone steps, clutching his laptop bag. Someone had given him Jason's location after the incident at Uden, but the silence unsettled him.

The house looked immaculate. No shouting, no music, or no broken glass.

Nothing like what he'd seen.

He waited nearly a minute before forcing himself up the steps.

If Greyson discovered where he's gone, James could easily imagine himself being thrown against a wall before he got the chance to explain.

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 house smelled of lemon cleaner and pancakes. Grey-and-white furniture lined the spotless living room, every cushion arranged with almost unnatural precision.

He glanced at the pristine coffee table, then at the staircase leading upstairs. This place looked like nobody was allowed to make a mess.

He tightened his grip on his laptop. At Uden, he was used to shouting, slammed doors, and threats of someone starting a fight. Here, even the furniture looked untouchable.

Esme shot out of the adjoining room and skidded to a stop in front of him, flashing a peace sign.

"James! What, did Greyson bore you to death?"

She leaned around him, checking the hallway.

"Please tell me you came alone."

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, then stopped when pain caught his side. He braced one hand against the mattress and leaned toward the screen.

"That many?" he asked.

"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.

"Almost certainly by Ashley," he said, enlarging the image. "Look at the depth and the spread. I haven't seen another ability do this."

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 noticed the dark 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 said David's death would be ruled a suicide.

James stared at the map, remembering how confidently Greyson had said it. At the time, he accepted the explanation. Greyson always seemed to know how to make a story sound convincing.

But if David had been connected to Ashley's network, what had he actually been involved in?

"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 kept her gaze on 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 hated prying into other people's relationships, but she couldn't ignore what she'd witnessed. Every time she tried to dismiss the kiss, another question surfaced.

Why had Scarlett brushed it off so easily. And why did Cindy have the feeling Emma was the only person that should know the truth?

She shot to her feet, startling Emma.

"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 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.

Kissing someone was bad enough, but using Emma like that? Cindy couldn't understand how anyone could do something so cruel and then act as if it meant nothing.

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

Scarlett smirked and winked.

"You'll keep this between us, won't you?"

Cindy hesitated.

"I'd hate for Bella to hear about your little crush on Jason," Scarlett added lightly.

Her stomach dropped. Only Nevaeh and Melany knew. How had Scarlett found out?

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" she tilted her head. "It's not like I'm asking much."

Cindy stared at her, suddenly understanding Scarlett hadn't told the truth out of trust. She'd told her because she knew Cindy couldn't walk away easily with 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 an overview 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.

Emma looked up expectantly, and Cindy immediately felt the familiar knot tighten in her stomach.

Another secret. Another thing she couldn't bring herself to say.

But she'd already seen what happened when someone was kept in the dark. She didn't want to become the kind of person who could look Emma in the eyes and pretend everything was fine.

"Actually, Emma? There's something I need to tell you."

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

Cindy watched Emma closely. She wasn't crying, but the tightness around her mouth made Cindy wished she'd kept quiet. Had she'd just reopened a wound Emma was trying to forget?

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 grabbed Melany's wrist and led her 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 entering 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 hesitated before handing Ilya the medication.

"Make sure you only take it as prescribed," she said. "And don't mix it with anyone else."

"I know." Ilya tucked the pills in her pocket. "Thank you."

She left before Melany could ask anything else.

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 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 Bubble, 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.

"There's something else," Melany said quietly. "I've been seeing a girl in my mind."

Cindy turned toward her.

"I don't know if it's a power or some kind of déjà vu. She looks around our age. Dark hair and bright blue eyes." Melany rubbed her arms as if she were cold. "She's raising her hand toward someone, and there's a glowing white light in her palm."

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.

"Have you seen her before?" Cindy asked.

"No. But every time the vision comes back, it feels less like a dream and more like a memory I'm not supposed to have."

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