Henry didn't want to be stuck driving with some kid named Devon. He bounced in the backseat, even though he was still injured.

Up front, Stick hunched over, eyes glued to the floor. Ever since the accident that killed Vickie, he hadn't been the same. He kept to himself, drank constantly, and barely resembled the athlete he used to be.

Stick had never been the type of guy to down three beers in one sitting. Now, he barely blinked between bottles.

Watching his friend spiral didn't just irritate Henry. Something cold settled in his gut every time he saw it. Still, he wasn't about to bring up what had happened.

Around Greyson, guilt didn't mean much, and confession didn't earn forgiveness—it brought punishment.

"This is gonna be awesome," Devon said, bouncing in his seat.

"Shut up, kid," Henry said, narrowing his eyes.

His ribs still ached from the last punishment, and every bump in the road made it worse. The kid needed to be quiet before Henry snapped for real.

Greyson's orders were clear: get Devon to Burger King without anyone noticing. He said it would trigger the shift called the "prewar," the window before Greyson and Jason clashed on their birthdays, when everything could still be changed.

If Henry ended up in the prewar with Finn, Stick, and even Maverick, it would be an interesting experience. He'd be glad when Jason got kicked to the curb.

They pulled the SUV up behind Burger King. Devon practically leapt out, excitement lighting up his face.

Henry's hand went to the pistol at his side, but Stick moved slowly, gaze still fixed on the floor.

The back door was ajar. They slipped through the dim hallway and stopped in front of two white doors with grey handles—one for the freezer, the other for the fridge.

A faded-green wrack held long containers of chopped lettuce and other ingredients. The place felt abandoned, except for the low sizzle of oil frying somewhere out of sight.

Stick stared at the box as if it wanted to bite him. Henry swallowed a groan. They didn't have time for this—not with Greyson waiting.

"Dude, come on," Henry muttered. "Don't start freaking out now."

He glanced at Stick, then looked away.

Vickie.

He shoved the thought aside and kicked a loose piece of plaster across the floor. They had a job to finish and that's all what mattered.

Devon swung open the fridge door. Inside were two racks: one stocked with drinks— bottled water, apple juice, orange juice—and the other piled with condiments like lettuce and tomatoes.

"We need the frozen stuff," Henry said.

"Move."

Devon grinned and drove his oversized fist into the wall.

The plaster caved in with a loud crack. A chunk of it struck the floor near Henry's shoe, followed by a shower of dust and splintered wood.

Devon pulled his arm free.

Beyond the new hole, a freezer gleamed with frost.

Henry stared at the damage. "You couldn't just open the door?"

"Uh, what exactly are we looking for?" Devon asked.

Henry didn't look up. "Stick, grab the boxes of Whopper patties from the top shelf."

The boxes sat high on the top shelf. Stick hesitated, then stretched for the nearest one. It slipped from his hands and thudded against the frozen ground.

"Load it into the SUV, Stick," Henry growled. "Unless you want another round of Luke."

Henry wasn't doing this because he gave a damn about Greyson's stupid food run. He was doing it because screwing up meant Luke, and he had no intention of getting hit again.

"It's freezing," Devon said, teeth clattering as he shivered in his shirt and shorts.

Henry yanked the freezer door open and stepped backward into a stack of juice cartons.

His heel caught the bottom crate. He crashed against the wall as cartons toppled around his feet, spilling on the floor.

"What the hell—"

A knife glinted in the doorway.

Nelson stood there between them and the exit, gripping the handle.

"Put it back."

He stood rigid in a grey Burger King uniform, black sweatpants loose around his legs. His brown hair was tied back so tight it stretched across his forehead.

Devon puffed up. "Why? You own the freezer or something?"

Nelson stared him down. "This is my store. Put the stuff back."

Henry's eyes flickered to Stick, who had already let the box slip and crash onto the floor.

Stick stared at it.

"Pick it up," Henry said.

Stick's fingers twitched at his sides. For a second, Henry thought he'd bend down and grab it. Stick had always been the first to laugh when someone screwed up.

Now he couldn't even look at the box.

"Stick."

"I'm not doing it," he muttered, head hanging low.

"Greyson's gonna kill you!" Devon shouted, eyes wide.

Stick didn't answer. He just turned, walked to the back door, and shoved it open.

Henry stayed quiet, eyes fixed on the door long after it slammed shut.

Stick had been behind the wheel when Vickie died.

He had helped move the body too—another reason Henry couldn't understand why the guilt was eating him now.

"Keep the damn Whoppers," Henry snapped, grabbing what he could, and stormed out.

If they didn't get enough food, Henry figured he could always pin on Devon. The kid talked too much anyway. With Stick checked out and useless, someone had to take control of the task they were ordered.

Honestly, if it were up to Henry, Devon would be the one locked in a freezer.

Henry slammed the car door shut and tossed the stolen food into the backseat. Sliding behind the wheel, he glanced at Stick, who hadn't moved and still stared at the floor.

"Let's head to my place. We'll have a few drinks," Henry suggested, starting the engine.

As they rolled down the streets, he zoned out behind the wheel, the empty streets blurring past like one of those old racing games at the arcade.

When he finally pulled into his cracked driveway, he hit the brakes hard, jarring them slightly in their seats.

Henry shoved through the screen door and dropped into his chair at the rustic wooden table in the middle of the kitchen.

Over the past week, he'd gone through what little supplies were left in the house. It wasn't like he was the only one drinking, but with his parents gone, no one was around to stop them.

He dropped into his usual seat at the table, cracking open a cold beer from its cap with a sharp pop.

Across from him, Stick was already near the end of his bottle.

"How did I go from being golden boy to murderer?" he mumbled, slowly turning the bottle in his hands.

Stick used to walk through school like nothing could touch him. Now he hunched over the table, eyes glassy, fingers shaking around the bottle.

Stick's voice cracked. "No team's gonna want me. Not after..."

Henry looked away. The word "killer" hung between them even though Stick didn't say it.

Henry hated how small Stick sounded. He hated how much it made something ugly twist inside him.

"Just stop thinking about it," he said. "You always used to be good at that."

Stick lifted his head.

For a second, Henry saw the old him—the guy who would've laughed in his face and called him an idiot.

Then Stick looked down at the bottle again.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Guess I'm not good at anything anymore."

Henry had to get Stick to refocus and get his head back in the game, if he still wanted to continue helping Greyson. Soon enough, he might end up killed by Luke.

The door opened, and Finn stepped in, a fresh red mark stretched across his cheek. Vickie's death had shaken him for a few days, but he'd already moved on.

There were bigger problems to face now.

When Jason and Greyson disappeared, it will be him at the end of May.

Henry didn't miss his mom or Tyler. He missed having someone to blame when things went wrong, maybe, but not enough to wish they were back.

Besides, nobody nagged him about his grades anymore.

"Did you bring Devon back?" Finn asked, breathless.

"We left him," Henry said flatly.

Finn's face twisted in panic. Maybe leaving Devon wasn't the smartest move, but Henry didn't care. He was done following someone else's orders. For once, he was doing things his way.

"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the highway?" Henry asked.

Finn nodded, eyes scanning the room. He was just a fifth grader who had joined his group, and he had witnessed Vickie's murder.

Finn hadn't been punished by Luke and Greyson, as far as Henry knew. He crouched to tie his shoelaces, even though they were already tight.

"Devon's being Devon again," Finn muttered.

Why should he care about some freak causing trouble? Burger King did have good food, but they had managed to obtain the vegetables they put on the sandwiches. Wasn't he just some freak messing up the town?

Henry rolled his eyes. "Then leave him. Not my problem."

He wasn't about to waste his time cleaning up after some loudmouth kid. Greyson gave him orders, and being close to him was all that mattered now.

Jason slumped on the couch, staring at his reflection in the dark TV screen. Every breath sent another ache through his battered side, but Luke wasn't what kept him awake. It was James's information.

How many holes had been created? How many people had fallen in them?

The worst part was knowing some of the locations remained a mystery even to Zane.

Across from him, Bella sat silently in a chair, eyes closed. They'd both agreed that getting involved again would only drag them deeper.

Between him, and Greyson, it was always something: fights, disappearances, accusations, and the kind of injuries that left permanent scars.

In The Bubble, it was rare to meet anyone who hadn't been burned, twisted up in Greyson's games or left hollow by the silence that followed.

A knock shattered the silence, echoing in the house. Jason flinched, his breath catching in his throat. For a split second, he nor Bella moved. In a place like this, a knock rarely meant good news.

Jason pushed himself upright, his side tightening so hard he nearly sat back down.

He forced himself to his feet and shuffled toward the door.

When he opened it, he was met by a familiar pair brown eyes: Mark. Of all people. They hadn't spoken since the Uden incident, and Jason still wasn't sure what side Mark had landed on after betraying his trust.

"Can we talk, bro?" Mark asked.

Jason gave a quiet nod and stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. He stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Mark had never explained why he'd backed Greyson by leading Jason right into a trap. Just silence. That betrayal had left a crack between them, one neither of them had to fix until now.

"Sorry about what I did," Mark began. "I thought Scarlett would have the answers about the disappearances. Thought she'd give me information they would out. She lied and threatened to tell Greyson if I didn't obey. I shouldn't have done that."

It was a surprising shift from Mark, who usually fed off scraps of information. Jason hadn't expected an apology, not really. But despite everything, they were friends. And maybe that counted as something.

Jason stared at him for a moment.

"You led me straight into a trap."

"I know."

For once, Mark didn't try to defend himself.

Jason glanced to the side, his injured side aching. He still remembered the betrayal, but he remembered the weekends practicing volleyball together.

"I forgive you," he said at last. "Just don't make me regret it."

Mark nodded, then pulled an Aero bar from his pocket and offered him it.

"Uden's full of dangerous people, bro. I've never crossed paths with Greyson or Luke directly."

Jason chuckled dryly. "I don't think they'll even notice."

Mark's voice dropped low. "I think they're planning something, but not just another fight."

"Greyson wants to fight me," Jason sighed. "How did we go from fishing every weekend to trying to avoid getting beat up?"

"You mean you getting beat up?" Mark said.

Greyson's hatred had grown fierce enough to reveal a painful truth: his brother's resentment ran deep.

It made matters worse when she got remarried and had another child.

"I've heard stuff about the war, but this is different." Mark's words left an uneasy feeling inside Jason.

Uden had no teachers to break up fights. No police to drag two high ranks apart before they tore the plaza to pieces.

If he and Greyson fought, who would stop them?

Nobody.

Jason had never even considered the legality of any of this. Could someone actually get arrested for using powers in a fight?

It felt like they were living outside any rules, in a world where justice was blurred and consequences were often deadly.

"Nevaeh heard bits and pieces, but nothing concrete," Jason said.

He opened the door to Bella's house, where she sat quietly, her eyes fluttering open as she caught sight of them.

"You finally made up?" she asked with a small smile.

Jason didn't hesitate, rushing to her side as she rose unsteadily to her feet. Her hand found his shoulder, gripping it tightly for balance, while her tired smile flickered faintly.

In just three days, he and Greyson were supposed to disappear.

Nobody even knew what that meant.

He couldn't shake the feeling that James and Scarlett held pieces of the truth, secrets carefully guarded from everyone else.

"Someone found a body in a dumpster at Uden," Mark interjected. "Preston's been keeping Nevaeh in the loop."

Jason's mind immediately jumped to Ashley, who had been responsible for opening mysterious holes near Uden. Despite the many students at that school, only a handful seemed caught up in these strange incidents.

"Nevaeh said the guy's name was David," Mark added.

The name tugged at Jason's memory—he'd been there when they first met Esme. There were two figures standing watch before they left town to find the strange purple substance.

"Apparently it was suicide," Mark said.

People here often wrestled with dark thoughts, so suicide wasn't uncommon in this place. Without their parents, hope was fragile at best, but some clung to the idea that maybe they'd see their parents again someday.

"I think someone found him and put him in there," Mark said. "You don't see many Uden students go to Simcoe."

Jason couldn't help but wonder if the divide between Uden and Simcoe was more than just physical. Lately, most people seemed to follow Greyson's orders without question, considering he was the mayor.

The only ones who willingly crossed over to Simcoe were Esme. Emma had been around too, but after the incident with Luke's arm, she retreated back to Uden.

Suddenly, there was a loud slamming at the front door.

Mark swung it open to reveal Ashley.

Jason barely recognized her.

Her glasses were cracked, one rain boot hung half off her foot, and dirt streaked her clothes. Normally, she'd be emotional about looking like this. He could practically hear her crying about bullies causing this sort of appearance.

Now, she didn't seem to notice any of it.

Her eyes had shifted from green to an unnatural purple.

Where is Divina?" she demanded.

He took a step back. Whatever had changed in Ashley, it had taken away more than usual insecurities.

"Isn't it just grass?" Bella asked quietly.

Ashley's teeth clenched tightly, her face twisting with rage.

Jason had rarely seen her this furious. It only happened once when he'd accidentally left her iPad charger behind at a hotel during his volleyball tournament.

"No! They're somewhere!" Ashley spat, her fists clenched tightly.

It felt like a twisted game of hide-and-seek—tracking down a shadow of Divina, but never the real thing. The fear of what 'they' might be lurking just out of reach gnawed at everyone's nerves.

In their mockery and confusion, it felt like Divina could be anything. But the most unsettling possibility lingered: if Divina was human, and unaware of what they were capable of, then the danger wasn't just finding it. It was in what it might unknowingly become.

From what he gathered, Scarlett's ranking system might place Divina at a high rank. That alone was alarming.

So far, he and Greyson were the only high ranks.

"Shouldn't you just be checking the water?" Bella asked.

Ashley's glare sharpened. She marched toward Bella so fast that Jason barely had time to step in front of her.

He stepped in front of Bella, raising his hands. Ashley's eyes burned with fury.

"Let me pass," she growled.

She paused, glancing at Mark, then back at something invisible. Jason's chest tightened.

Then, she screamed.

Ashley dropped to her knees, hands covering her ears. Every trace of colour vanished from her face.

Jason didn't want to stick around and find out what was happening, but Ashley eyed them again.

"Stop being a coward!" she shouted, looking around at the cream ceiling.

Jason's hands gripped Bella's tightly. Her fingers trembled against his. "We have to go—now," he said urgently.

He stepped forward, but an invisible force slammed into his chest. Air burst from of his lungs as he staggered backward.

"Who is it?" Ashley snapped, thrusting her hand toward the empty space in front of her.

Jason heard nothing.

Then a voice slipped in his mind.

"Someone."

He froze. The words hadn't come from Ashley, Bella, or Mark. It hadn't come from anywhere he could hear.

Ashley's expression changed. Her anger vanished, leaving her pale and trembling. Slowly, she lowered her hand and covered her mouth.

She knew the voice.

He was almost certain of it.

Without waiting, Mark threw open the door and bolted into the street.

Jason grabbed Bella's hand and ran, pulling her with him as their footsteps echoed in the pavement.

"Who spoke inside my mind?" Mark panted, glancing over his shoulder as they skidded to a stop in front of a small brick house.

"Divina," Jason said between breaths, still clutching Bella's hand tightly. "It's a powerful thing."

Mark gave him a wild look. "And Ashley's just crazy?"

"Yup," Jason replied.

As Jason scanned their surroundings, he looked around the neighbourhood. The houses were crammed together with barely any space between them, and each front lawn had oak trees. However, Bella's house seemed out of sorts in comparison to the average housing around them, since it was a lot bigger than the others.

"She's not the same person I used to know," Jason sighed.

He didn't say it aloud, but the connection he once felt with Ashley was gone. Ever since the twin reveal, everything about his family had started to feel different, as if some invisible balance had shattered.

Jason caught Mark staring past him, eyes wide.

He turned and his breath caught.

Thick black smoke poured from Bella's roof, carrying the sharp smell of burning wood throughout the street.

For a split second, the three of them stood frozen, stunned by the horror unfolding before their eyes.

Then the panic hit, and they bolted into motion.

"That's my house!" Bella screamed, as she took off running toward the flames.

"Get the fire department!" Jason shouted over his shoulder to Mark, chasing after her.

As they neared the burning house, his stomach dropped.

Flames climbed over Bella's roof, and black smoke rolled across the street. Embers drifted toward the neighbouring houses.

No sirens sounded or adults that came running.

Bella lunged for the front door.

He caught her wrist and hauled her back just before she reached the steps.

"My pictures are inside!" she cried, fighting against his grip.

"You can't go in there!"

"They're all I have left!"

Jason's eyes darted to a coiled gardening hose lying on the front lawn next door. He snatched it up but paused, uncertain how to connect it properly.

"Put it in the spigot," Bella instructed, pointing at the metal tap sticking out from the side of the house.

He turned the handle with all his strength, but the water pressure sputtered weakly.

The fire raged on, relentless flames curled at the edges of the roof, while shingles cracked and curled. The blaze crept along the right side of the house, reaching out the neighbouring homes, swallowing them one by one.

Footsteps pounded behind him.

Zane, Yara, and Esme sprinted into the street.

Zane grabbed another hose, aiming a stronger stream around the house, trying to corral the flames.

Jason focused, using his finger to intensify the water's force, but it barely made a difference. didn't do much. He knew if he unleashed his powers directly on the flames, things could spiral out of control, making the blaze worse.

Esme darted past Jason, her hands swiftly grabbing the black gardening hose from him. She angled its stream towards the heart of the fire, trying to merge its weaker spray with the stronger blast from Zane's hose. Despite their combined efforts, the flames resisted.

Slowly, the pressure from the hoses began to wrestle the flames into submission, dousing the inferno that had ravaged the nearby houses.

One home stood gutted, its white siding reduced to nothing but ash.

Bella's house had taken most of the damage. The roof had caved in, walls blackened, with only an ember glowing faintly in the smouldering remains.

Bella stood in the middle of the road, staring at what remained of her house.

"My pictures," she whispered.

Jason approached her, but she didn't seem to notice him. Her gaze remained fixed on the collapsed roof, where the last of the flames flickered beneath the smoke.

"Bella."

She shook her head.

"Everything was in there."

He pulled her into his arms. She trembled against him, and he held her tighter, wishing he had something to say to make it better.

He didn't.

The only water they could ever get came from lakes or taps. Nobody could spray water out of their hands, stopping the flow with ease. His power could burn anything between someone's fingers or even half an arm.

Jade could use ice, but it's only good for cooling a surface area.

He remembered that one science experiment they got to do in class was testing the vaporization of ice and fire from a Bunsen burner. It was stated that the fire would just melt the ice instead of putting it out.

"This is the best we can do for now," Zane said. "But what started the fire?"

Yara remained focused, her steady stream of water washing over the smouldering debris. Yet patches of flames still flickered atop blackened wood and charred siding.

"We still don't really know what started it," Jason admitted. "But Ashley showed up here, looking for Divina."

"Remember how Divina warned us that Ashley is trying to kill people?" Zane inquired. "Maybe her ability goes beyond creating holes. We've had to deal with a lot of fires today already, and people say they saw Ashley too."

Ashley must be determined to find Divina. The thing said that they weren't here yet but could speak inside their minds. Maybe it could be worse, and Divina is actually the real monster here. With the power impact from yesterday, it wasn't an easy concept.

Bella's hands shook. "Holes, then fires... what does she want from us?"

Jason clenched his fists. Ashley wasn't the same anymore—something else had taken over her.

Mark's eyes flickered to the smoke. "Scarlett knows her old rank, but that's it. Nobody really knows what she can do now."

No conclusion seemed to add up. Cindy had said Greyson had been the closest of them all. He didn't understand how, because half the time, he's been sending people to do his dirty work.

"If Ashley's overall goal is to kill all of us, shouldn't we find a way to stop her before you vanish?" Bella asked faintly.

How could they even stop Ashley? God or whoever they are.

There are only three days that remained before he and Greyson disappear.

James told them the incidents and specific locations where people were dying off like flies. Zane and a few others had stepped in to assist, but the situation was far from straightforward.

Devon appeared to align himself with Greyson, and nobody else could lift heavy objects.

Esme could potentially help rescue those trapped in the holes, but her shoes often fell victim to weak and tear, resulting blisters.

"We need to figure out a strategy," Zane urged. "Any weaknesses you know?"

Jason tried to think of an answer, but it was no use. In addition to her dyslexia, she had a hard time reading and writing at her grade level.

"Wouldn't it just be smarter to kill her?" Yara suggested bluntly, her shirt and arms wet.

"How do you stop someone who can melt?" Zane countered skeptically.

"Jade," Jason said quickly. "She has ice powers, which can be harder to melt."

"I could try and get her help, but I don't think it will work," Esme said, bouncing on her toes with the hose still flowing.

"Ice can't hold it forever, bro. It's always sunny," Mark said.

The weather in May often changed between hot and cold days. It usually got warmer near the end of the month, but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

"We aren't in Florida," Esme said, placing the hose onto her running shoes. "The ice doesn't break easily like you might think. Besides, it only works as flooring. I'll go speeding around and find Jade."

She took off, running down the street at a fast pace. The gardening hose was now on the street, and water was flowing around. Hopefully she could find Jade, but he wasn't exactly sure if the girl would help.

"Jade could maybe stall her, but there is still Greyson," Zane implied.

"I'm fighting Greyson on our birthday," Jason replied. "In the mean time, keep spreading the word about the Ashley situation. We can't have more people getting killed."

As he glanced back at Bella's charred house, its walls now reduced to ashen remnants, Jason felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. They needed a safer place to stay, and staying at his own house was no longer an option.

"I'm gonna help gather blankets for the daycare," Mark said awkwardly.

It felt good to be able to talk to him normally. There was no tension between him being used, but reconnections have happened in the bubble.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Bella asked, her blue eyes red from crying.

Jason looked back at the ruined house.

"I don't know."

In three days, he and Greyson were supposed to disappear. Maybe they'd leave The Bubble completely or disappear into the unknown. Nobody knew, and he was terrified of finding out.

Bella looked at him. "You're not going to leave me, are you?"

He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to promise everything would be fine, that they'd find a way to stop Ashley, and the fight with Greyson wouldn't change anything.

Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her.

"I won't leave," he whispered.

Bella held him tightly.

He wished he believed his own words.

Don't forget to vote and comment!

-Lexi