Scouting the area still seemed to lead to nothing, so Esme drove them to Wasaga Beach. Looking around, something seemed off. They noticed that the change rooms were uneven, with bags scattered around the sand, and there was a CRV astray in the middle of the beach.

"Let's go swimming!" Esme cheered, taking off her running shoes and speed-walking toward the water.

The beach wasn't busy, even with a few towels and beach umbrellas still set up. Scanning near the edge of the water, he noticed that the boats were still there. Hearing a splash of water, he spotted Esme lying on her back in the cold water.

"Superheroes need a break," she cheered, lifting a fist in the air.

Jason looked back up, seeing an actual boat moving from a distance, heading in their direction. It was travelling at a fast speed directly towards where the two of them were.

"Esme, we need to move!" he called, making her raise her wet hair and look back. She grabbed his hand, speeding toward the changing rooms.

The boat thudded to a stop in the sand while someone laughed scornfully. Someone jumped out of the boat from the front, landing with ease. Behind them, they dragged what seemed like a log. Jason walked toward the person, seeing Greyson dragging a body tied to a rope.

"Oh, hello, brother," he spat, stopping.

Scarlett slowly walked over, laughing scornfully. Luke followed behind, except he appeared drenched from head to toe. Rope was tied around his body while he gritted his teeth, glaring at Greyson.

"We were searching for bodies in the river," Greyson stated.

"Untie me!" Luke yelled, "I did nothing wrong!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have tried pushing me off," Scarlett snarled, her hand on her hip.

"You wouldn't move out of the way!" Luke exclaimed.

Greyson stared back at him with a hard glare, but Jason noticed that he shot Scarlett with the same expression.

"What are you going to do with the body?" Esme asked, holding her foot up, which still had bandages on it.

"Bring it to town to get buried," Greyson said.

Greyson dropped the rope with the boy and went to untie Luke. It made him jump while wearing a sadistic grin on his face.

"Drag the body," Greyson ordered.

Luke logged it over his shoulder as he ran toward their CRV. Greyson stayed quiet while Scarlett eyed the two of them as they walked away towards the CRV. The three of them ended up driving off, but information is still not clear on why they, of all people, would go check for bodies.

Luke almost murdered Ashley by whipping her with rulers, making it exceedingly doubtful that they intended to perform some kind action. Based on his experience at the moment, Greyson wanted to find out more information.

"Hey, have you ever tried controlling those energy beams with your hands?" Esme asked as she sat down on a pink beach towel.

Jason stared at his hands at her remark. All he has been using has been his own fighting skills, except when he fired at Stick and at the apartment wall when he tried saving the child. In both of those moments, he was panicking, but in Stick's case, he felt anger.

"No," Jason said.

"There's no fun in that. You should try because you will disappear soon," Esme said.

Jason closed his eyes and faced his hands toward the water. Did it come naturally or under pressure? Perhaps the combination of fear and rage about Bella being taken again.

He remembered seeing her tied up, her eyes on the verge of tears. The flashback of that thought made his body fill with rage. It spurred something inside of him, as he felt something fire off onto the sand. It left a black mark in the sand that had a small mix of blue left over.

"You could kill someone with that. Maybe that's why you're a high rank," Esme exclaimed, leaning over and staring down.

He didn't exactly understand Scarlett's ranking system, or even that it was real in a sense. Now, seeing him do his own actions along with Esme's words, it all makes sense. This energy power in his hands could kill a handful of people. Medium must mean they can cause a lot of damage but can't kill a group of people.

"You'll be shooting them like lasers in no time. At Uden, a lot of us would practice our powers with Greyson," she said, walking back over toward the calm water and putting her feet in it.

It was strange that Greyson would actually practice with the other freaks, but then again, nobody knew where these powers came from. They all just magically appeared from thin air somewhere, like in space.

"A lot of us started developing them earlier, before this started. Some a couple years ago or months ago," Esme explained, holding her arms out and hopping around the cool water. "Not many of you Simcoe people seemed to have developed them or be aware of them."

Jason looked at the girl and shook his head. He, Cindy, Nevaeh, Devon, and Ashley would be the noticeable ones. Everyone else seemed to be unaware of them or brush over the fact that they had supernatural powers. Perhaps this only happened to a small number of people in whatever experiment they tried to create. Clearly, it ended up being wrong.

"There are still some freaks at Uden, such as Bryce, Eden, Tumbles, and Maverick," Esme rambled, face-planting into the water. "Tumbles falls over a lot, so it's sometimes hilarious."

"Aren't you cold? It's the start of May," Jason asked.

"I use the water to soak my feet since it makes them feel better and gets the blood off. It's better than the sinks at Uden," Esme said, speeding out of the water with sand all over her feet.

"Uden looked pretty clean when we went there."

Esme shook her head while they walked back toward the cart. "It has a new end instead of using the east-end building. Most Uden people aren't saints, Jason. More than half are admitted because of problematic issues, while the others are for being rich," she said, sticking a thumb up.

He did notice that those he encountered had some sort of behavioural issue. He hasn't witnessed all the freaks that linger at Uden Academy, but he wondered what powers they were capable of.

"Don't worry, I'm not one of the problematic ones; I just have a lot of energy!" Esme exclaimed, jumping into the driver's seat and starting the golf cart. "My mother wanted me to go there for a couple of years because of their education system."

They sped down the highway back toward town. His mind drifted back to what Vickie was and how she explained that Ashley was scared of someone. If he had to guess, Vickie was dead, and she was some zombie that was talking to them from the dead. In Ashley's case, he had no idea.

"You know how Vickie said that Ashley was scared?" Jason inquired. "Why do you think Ashley's scared of this goddess coming?"

"Ashley is scared of Jesus Christ Superstar," she said, laughing at her own joke. "That was presented at Uden Christmas, and it was a nightmare. Greyson took the star down in the middle of the performance with his power," she zigzagged along the highway.

Jason latched onto the wheel, leaning across to control it. "They presented religious praise at Uden?" he asked.

"Religion is apparently supposed to help with our mindset. There had been those devoted Catholics who set examples. It's the same with sex education, which doesn't happen until sixth grade. You know that sex before marriage stuff? Or even taking birth control later on in life," Esme explained.

It didn't occur to Jason how much Uden sounded like a nightmare. It wasn't in horror, but that's probably why the kids acted out. They had no freedom like he did with sports or not having to take any religion classes since their school was public.

"I think that this goddess could be either someone breaking in or, as I was thinking about this in the water, someone gaining them," Esme said.

"I doubt anyone would gain them," Jason stated.

Nobody could break into this place even if they tried digging or swimming their way out. If someone gained access to powers, it's not like they knew who the person was going to be. These powers have been magically in their system for days, months, or even years. If someone did gain them, most likely they would have a high rank.

"Never know," Esme curled on her tongue.

When they reached town, they saw Zane, Bella, and Devon in the main plaza. They were sitting on the grass, eating some ham sandwiches that someone must've brought or made. Bella was the first to stand, rushing over toward them. He didn't realize how much he missed having her by his side.

"Did you find her?" she asked.

"Vickie created these illusions, and Ashley is evil," Jason explained.

"Are you sure it's Ashley?" Bella questioned him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Ashley fears some goddess that hasn't arrived yet," Esme said.

The goddess was something that didn't make sense. Ashley is now considered one of the main threats that they have to avoid, but why would she fear someone who hasn't even been in this place yet?

"Doesn't that mean someone is coming into the bubble?" Zane questioned, drinking a vanilla protein drink.

"We thought that could be a possibility. Esme thought of a worse solution," he started. "Someone gains them."

"I doubt anyone could gain those powers. It seems physically impossible," Zane implied.

Jason nodded and glanced up at the sky. In the past week that he's been here, it's only been a blue, sunny sky. Thunderstorms were usually quite common in May, along with temperatures that felt like summer weather, but all this felt like an illusion.

"Has the weather seemed off?" Jason asked them.

"Now that I've noticed, it's only ever been sunny or cloudy. Isn't May prone to rain?" Bella asked.

"Normally we get rain at least once a week," Jason said.

If that bubble could keep them inside, it could probably control the weather. It wasn't that not having rain was a bad thing, but it prevented having to clean up the mess.

How does one even clean up after a storm? Greyson probably has a bunch of people who'd move branches for him. Even having Luke chainsaw them, which brought fear to those around.

"If we're being kept inside, it definitely will change the weather for us," Jason implied with a nod. He looked over toward the covered hole with cement blocks stacked around it. With how deep the hole went, it was definitely something Ashley planned to murder people with.

Ilya found that managing the daycare was calming at times. Sure, there have been a lot of sleepless nights, but she's been managing. She sat down on a bench near the playground area and watched a bunch of them play.

It made her smile to watch them slide down the slide or play with the chalk. Maybe going into the field of a DSW or even an ECE could become convincing. From what she's heard, they work with children in daycares. The only bad part seemed to be behaviours such as yelling or screaming at each other while crying.

They try to keep them in age groups. The daycare wasn't exactly the biggest, having a main room, a kitchen, and a room for newborns at the back. Since the discovery of every house in the area, no newborns have been left alive. That back room had been set up as a sleeping area and break room for them. For the most part, she never left this place.

"Ilya, I'm thirsty," Aaron said, standing in front of her.

"We go back inside in a few minutes." He pouted, his arms crossed, not moving.

If she had kids one day, she hoped that they wouldn't be as stubborn as this kid. He was constantly demanding things and never seemed to get along with any of the other children.

Ilya stood, opened the yellow door, and walked toward the kitchen, grabbing an apple juice box. She walked back outside, where Bailey was helping one of the girls who fell off her bike a minute ago.

"Aaron pushed me!" Sally pointed at him with rushing tears.

"Did you push her, Aaron?" Ilya called as the five-year-old looked up at her with a frown.

"No! Give me my juice box!" he ordered.

"Where's it hurting?" Ilya asked, rushing towards Bailey and Sally.

Sally pointed toward her legs, which had a small rip in the knee of her pink leggings. She rolled up her pant leg and revealed a visible scrape from wood chips that were scattered near the playground.

Ilya wasn't sure who was lying. Bailey must've missed it because she had been in the small kitchen putting together snacks for the afternoon. Plus, it didn't exactly work to ask for witnesses in a daycare.

"Here, let's get you a bandage," Ilya said softly.

Bailey helped Sally to her feet while she held Sally's hand. Glancing over and seeing a grin form on Aaron's face, she gave the juice box to Sally. Ilya opened the back door and sat Sally up on a chair. From the counter, she grabbed a bandage. Peeling it back, she started to cry again.

"Ilya, when is my mommy coming back?" Sally cried.

"Soon," Ilya said, placing it on Sally's knee.

How soon will it be? Would it be days, months, or years? Maybe they would never get out of this place. No, don't think negatively. Focus on caring for children who are in need of help. Ilya knew that if she thought about the issue repeatedly, she wouldn't be able to stop. Plus, her mental health had been beginning to get better.

Sally slowly got down from the seat, grabbed Ilya's hand, and looked up at her. "Did they all go on vacation?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, they'll be back soon," Ilya said, crouching down.

Ilya had a feeling they wouldn't be back soon. She's tried writing her thoughts down on coloured paper before the shifts in the evening start, since her therapist recommended she writes down what happens each day and how she feels. It was always the same: exhaustion and fear that something would happen to the children.

When she brought Sally back outside, someone stood a few meters away from the fence. It was a girl staring directly at them but not doing anything. It was hard to see from the distance, but she noticed they had ginger hair.

Ilya walked beside Bailey, who was standing at the edge of the grey gate. She had gotten to know the girl recently, who had an interest in writing; she had actually written a couple of stories for the children. She had no supernatural powers either, but she said it was a lot better than being stuck at Uden Academy.

"That girl showed up after you went inside," Bailey said.

"Can we help you?" Ilya called.

"Can you go away?" Bailey shouted.

The person slowly sank into the ground, melting the surrounding grass and forming a large hole. The two girls jumped the fence and ran over to where the person had disappeared. The first thought she had when she looked down into the hole was that it seemed like the one that killed some children.

"Wasn't there one of these on the main road?" Bailey asked.

Ilya nodded, glancing around to see if that girl stood anywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. She felt her heart racing because she didn't know if that girl would harm the children. If that did happen, she needed to find the best way to protect them all.

"What's that?" Bailey pointed out, seeing some of the purple substance at the edge of the hole.

Knowing about how the supernatural powers had been forming, it seemed like something from a science fiction movie. It was like the ones where they magically appear at birth or are acquired by something.

Before she could think of more questions, gunshots were heard. The two girls froze where they stood, not daring to move from the shooting. Ilya spotted Angel running inside for a brief moment before coming back to wave a hand at them.

"Some boys are shooting at that girl!" Angel panicked.

Ilya slowly made her way back toward the gate, opening the door and shutting it. She felt her entire body tremble at the thought of people shooting guns. She didn't know where people would have gotten guns or would think to shoot at someone.

"Apparently one accidentally killed someone," Angel said, his face drained of colour.

"Bring the kids inside," Ilya said, rushing as Angel began guiding them all inside.

Inside, many were screaming and crying, with gunshots ringing outside the door. "Huddle in the corner!" she called as they rushed to the left side, where a long train set had been.

The loud gunshots kept going off repeatedly again until it stopped. It made Ilya tremble, still hugging the children attached to her. Even if she appeared to be the mother, she didn't feel it in the slightest.

Once it stopped, Angel slowly stood and walked toward the doorway. Opening it slowly, he checked left and right. Ilya felt her heart race because she didn't know if someone was actually hiding behind Kid Palace or standing right at their door.

"This didn't seem like some sort of target practice just on that girl," he trailed off. "This was intended."

Prying the arms of children off of her, she stood and peeked her head out the door. It made her hand tremble through the doorway, seeing the sight. There were five bodies on the ground, blood staining the main plaza. Xander loaded some of the bodies into a wheelbarrow, wheeling them away from the scene.

Shutting the door slowly, she reached into her pocket, pulled out an antidepressant, and swallowed it dry. It may help calm her stress from this overwhelming situation. Even with everything going on, she had to remain positive.

Scarlett sat beside James, recording more data on his computer. "Any new abilities?" she asked.

"The only one I'd say is Devon, who has super strength with one arm," James implied.

"Don't you have an ability that rests deep within?" she asked, trailing two fingers up his arm.

Scarlett knew that James had a supernatural power. It happened twice: once when she placed a hand on his wrist when she was trying to find out if other people around her had powers and what they were. The second time was about three days before the adults vanished, when she witnessed him punching a wall. He apparently got frustrated because the wifi stopped working when he was in the middle of gaming.

"Don't tell Greyson," he said. "I know you let Jason and the others go for your personal reasons."

Scarlett considered what to do in this situation. If she kept it secret from Greyson, it would be usable in the future when one of his plans ends up messing up. No, she could use it in the future if James ever betrayed her trust.

"I won't tell if..." she started, glancing at him once again. "You follow my orders." He nodded his head various times at her. "Since we know how to prevent the vanishing moment, we're telling Jason."

"What do you gain out of that?" he asked.

"Greyson is now focused on this goddess and the substance," Scarlett explained, placing her hand on his cheek. "Wait until the day before Greyson's birthday."

If Greyson can order and Luke can torture, she's able to follow her own sideline ideals. If she had to use people in the mix, so be it. That's how it's always been between those at Uden, especially getting everything.

Greyson walked in with a furious expression plastered on his face. Scarlett stood to her feet while he paced back and forth in the office. She knew automatically that something had gone wrong.

"What's got your panties in a knot?" Scarlett asked.

"Some dumbasses spotted Ashley and started shooting. They killed five people," Greyson spat. He bit at his pinky nail while she put a hand on her hip.

"Just send them to get punished like normal because we all know Luke is dying to torture people."

"Ashley got away," he snapped.

It's understandable why Greyson wants Ashley for discovery, but wasn't being furious unimportant? It's some dyslexic freak that can make big holes. It's no different than a wrecking ball slamming into a wall.

"Wasn't Henry's crew after them?" Scarlett asked.

"That snow globe Henry and Finn shot most of them. I thought about throwing them into the lake," Greyson grumbled.

"I told you that'd be stupid," Scarlett said. "I've already seduced those hormonal boys, so that tactic is out of the picture."

"Find Stick," Greyson demanded.

"Well, I'd have to find Henry first since they are normally together."

"With Luke."

Scarlett despised anything she had to do with Luke. Sighing, she agreed and set off for Uden. From prior knowledge, they'd be there or drinking. Since Luke enjoys seeing people suffer, it's definitely Uden.

Taking one of the SUVs, she made her way down the road. Nobody questioned her when she came because she always had a valid reason. None questioned her own schemes, thinking they had been all for Greyson. After all, many girls here already knew she was cruel. Scarlett found nothing wrong with being called cruel because she knew but didn't care.

Walking inside and opening the gym door, she spotted Henry on the ground with a bloody nose. Luke held him by the back of his shirt, displeased at seeing her.

"What? I'm busy," Luke spat, punching Henry in the cheek.

"Where's Stick?" She demanded, but Henry's eyes didn't meet hers. Luke punched him hard in the opposite cheek, making his face appear like a blowfish.

"Home," Henry mumbled as Luke kicked him in the stomach. "76 Park Ave," he elaborated. She smirked and walked away from the boy. Hearing the echo of his scream made her shut the door behind her.

She groaned, driving back toward Simcoe, because the music in the car wouldn't play anything. Stopping the vanishing from taking Greyson away may happen soon, but what happens after that? Are they free to go or stuck in this place? If their analysis doesn't work around the disappearance, Scarlett would be stuck with Luke. Knowing already that Luke would ditch her right away.

"Why are you in this SUV?" Scarlett spoke bitterly as Preston revealed himself sitting in the backseat.

"Spying," Preston stated.

"I can tell Greyson, and you'll know what he'll do," Scarlett said, looking around the many streets.

Scarlett wasn't a driver or originally from Simcoe, which made finding the houses difficult. The only time she'd ever been there was going to the pharmacy with a teacher because she got the wrong birth control pills.

She turned down another road and stopped in the middle of it. "Stay," she ordered, walking toward the white door.

She slammed her hand on the door multiple times, but she heard nothing. She twisted the golden knob open, making her glance right and left. On one side, there was a small kitchen, while ahead, there was a living room. Lurking through the house, she grabbed extra candy and stored it in her pocket.

Walking down a hallway, she spotted the basement staircase. "Stick?" she called with annoyance.

The smell of beer lingered as she spotted Stick passed out on the couch downstairs. Did this guy intend to drink the days away? Looking around, she spotted a bottle of water on the small bar. Grabbing it, she opened the cap and poured the water all over his face.

When he jolted up, he almost passed out again on the floor. "You're coming with me," Scarlett said.

Stick had wide eyes, and bloody marks remained from Luke's torture as he stayed silent. The torture was like something she had seen on someone before, since that's how most ended up.

"Come," she ordered, pointing up the staircase.

The two walked outside with Stick staggering out of his house. His clothes were sweaty, and beer spilled on his shirt, making her irked. He climbed into the back seat, his eyes staring at the seat. No words, but just his own silence. Speeding toward Greyson's office, she climbed out and marched up the staircase.

"Do you know why Henry launched an attack on Ashley and others?" Scarlett asked when they reached Greyson's office.

Stick had his eyes glued to the ground, but Greyson used his mind to have him make direct eye contact. He was still trying to avert his eyes, but it wasn't working.

"Finn said something about them wanting to kill Ashley," Stick's voice muffled.

Scarlett watched Greyson narrow his eyes in thought before a thought seemed to cross his mind. It obviously wasn't going to be something about torture, because Luke was already having his playtime with the snow globe and Finn.

"Since you've committed murder, why not do it again? No torture, of course," Greyson said. "I'll make it easier and just do Finn."

Stick still didn't say anything to him but stared with widened eyes and sweat forming on his face. Scarlett didn't like Greyson's choice of actions, but they may have to be done.

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-Lexi