Greyson glanced over at the list of students he knew had supernatural abilities. It ranged from the level of low to extremely low, where they are mainly unaware of their own power. All he needed to know was if anyone ranked higher than himself. If someone did, they could pose a threat to him.

"Esme, who you know has amazing speed; Collin, who can make you see your guilty conscience vividly; and Cindy, who can now teleport. Those are some medium ranks." James implied, scrolling through more of the document.

Esme and Collin were both from Uden Academy and already knew a decent amount about how their own abilities worked. Nevaeh, who isn't from Uden, can hear secrets willingly, like mind-reading. Having her would allow Greyson to know who is actually telling the truth around here.

He would disappear in nine days if they didn't figure out a way to stop people from vanishing. He glanced toward Scarlett, who twisted one of her dark locks; her lips puckered together. Letting out a frustrated groan, he slammed his head on the desk.

"Why don't we just video record when someone's birthday comes up?" Scarlett suggested as she glanced at the two with eyebrows raised.

James looked up from his laptop, while Greyson seemed intrigued by her recommendation. Scarlett knew automatically; he was rattled from not being able to find that girl with the purple liquid.

"Who has an upcoming birthday?" Greyson questioned.

James scrolled through the whole list of Uden Academy enlistments. They were sorted by upcoming birthdays to people who were nowhere near turning fifteen.

"Tomorrow's Collin's birthday," James stated.

"Time?" Greyson asked, standing.

"1:34 pm," James said, scrolling through the list.

"We'll do it in the gym. James will locate the cameras, and Scarlett will seduce Collin," Greyson said.

"Seductive actions don't work on someone who's gay," Scarlett implied.

Who else could get the boy to come here? An ambush situation with some of Luke's people?

"Actually, I may have a way," Scarlett started, smirking, leaning her body toward him, and looking directly into his eyes. "Have you heard of David Hollis? They were spotted kissing in the dorms one time. I'll just say David has a confession."

"After Collin, it's you and Jason," James informed.

Greyson narrowed his eyes, bouncing his knee. In the mix of the situation, Scarlett already found out the gossip about the two guys. Luke still watched highway security with Henry's group, hoping they wouldn't do anything foolish. Better yet, find that thing named Ashley.

"We're going to Uden," Greyson spat. "Let's see what Oscar and Preston meant."

James held his Dell computer at his side; various accounts were loaded on it. Only a few knew that James had documents that would be considered illegal on his computer. Nobody would bust him for stealing them since they have private information.

Loading into a car, Greyson sped back to Uden. The academy was still guarded as he walked toward the narrow metal staircase at the east end. When they got to the top floor, he stopped in the doorway. It appeared as if someone had melted bubble gum and turned it into nothing but a crisp. Slowly walking over, Greyson leaned over, seeing it run to the bottom.

James sat against the maroon wall, documenting what had been known. They knew whatever substance had entered her system had been in a ditch. Even after she was healed, Luke tortured her while a purple substance poured from her body.

Now, apparently, this girl can burn through the flooring with ease. Did this girl have a high rank? Scarlett had said she ranked low, but that came before the ditch incident.

"I think it could be a transfusion," James said.

"I thought that only happened with blood?" Greyson asked.

"That's true, but wasn't it stated that it entered her knee?" James inquired.

Greyson slowly looked back at James, who typed down the information and prediction for this substance. Maybe a chemical leak from a truck or even a spill from the hospital. That didn't make any sense because chemicals are normally produced through the mouth, not an open wound.

Luke walked into the room, wearing a frown on his face. "I need you to get Collin," Greyson ordered.

Scarlett may be handling the situation, but he knew Collin would use his guilt to mess with her head. Even if he knew, Scarlett didn't feel guilty for taunting girls and seducing guys.

"Tomorrow we need to see what happens during this disappearance," Greyson said firmly.

Luke nodded with an evil grin, holding a baseball bat with nails in it. They were methods that Luke had used in the past, especially when someone took something of his. He may be their age and average height, but he's disturbed in his head. There were times he intended to murder someone out of a pathetic reason when all they needed was a slight punishment for a wrongdoing.

Suddenly, Nevaeh appeared in the doorway, staring right and left at the classroom with school chairs stacked against the wall. Her black hair was straightened, and her almond eyes looked over at the two of them before pulling out a list from the small black purse she carried.

"Well?" Greyson spat, eyeing Nevaeh.

Nevaeh was known for being the girl who could hear dark secrets and reveal them to the world. The downfall of her powers is that she can only hear them when they're thinking about them. One prime example would be if she heard about Luke almost murdering a kid.

"Gossip," she said, walking toward the black chalkboard. Grabbing a piece of yellow chalk, she began drawing little pictures on the blackboard.

It first appeared to be a car with four people standing near someone on the road with their arms and legs facing in opposite directions. The second picture she drew had two people carrying the flat body, which looked like a hill with a lot of grass around it.

"Stick hit some girl, and they hid her in a ditch," Nevaeh started. "I heard it was Stick, Finn, Henry, and some guy named Andrew Carters."

Committing crimes wasn't going to be condoned here, which meant he got Luke's punishment. It was like torture, where you are hanging on by a limb, just waiting to die.

"They're on hospital check. Find them and punish them all." Greyson's voice grew cold.

If this were the real world, people would get punished for crimes they committed. Especially keeping the crime secret, unless they were waiting for the confession. Either way, Greyson didn't mind that Luke sought after them.

"On other less dramatic news, Emma is apparently overwhelmed by something, and Jason, along with Bella and Zane, have gone searching for Ashley," Nevaeh stated.

Greyson didn't care much about finding Ashley. The only reason he wanted to find her was so James could test the substance that seems to flow through her veins. It wasn't normal because it created a huge hole in the flooring that could have only been caused by bugs or if someone held a lighter to it for a long time.

"There's other gossip, but it's not something you seem to care about," Nevaeh slyly said before walking out of the room.

Greyson leaned over James, who had turned his laptop facing back toward him. The bright screen was flashing information about this new substance that he was going to determine before Jason.

Bella thought having a search party seemed risky. Having this many people could possibly increase the chances of developing that substance. That's why they were all wearing clear goggles, long rubber gloves, and surgical masks, found in the science lab and the main office.

Zane drove the two of them along, with Yara Larson riding next to her. The young girl saved Ashley when she spotted her in the ditch.

They were pulled to a stop after seeing more security on the highway. There were two people; someone named Esme Butler and David Hollis both stood at the side before Esme ran to them in a flash. She blurred when she ran and stood next to the tall fire truck.

"We're looking for Ashley," Zane said.

"Apparently the substance is toxic if you're looking for that too," Esme stated, waving for them to go.

At least some Uden Academy students weren't total assholes when it came to getting something. Maybe that was a rare thing at the school, or there were more good people than they'd seen.

"Wait, do you need more help?" Esme asked, speeding in front of them.

"We could use more," Zane suggested, stopping the truck.

Esme tugged on the door handle as Bella opened it, and fell to the floor of the truck. The girl had wispy copper hair that was braided into pigtails. She wore a purple and green athletic top with sports shorts and had a Fitbit on her wrist.

"Tell Luke he sucks," Esme said, giving David a thumbs up before rolling the window back up. "I don't know Ashley, but security is boring."

Esme bounced in her seat as Zane drove them down the abandoned highway. The entire thing was empty, with cars and transport trucks still flipped off the road.

"Oh, I'm Esme," she said with a slight grin.

"I'm surprised there are more helpful people at Uden," Jason implied, glancing back at the girl.

"Oh! Not all of us are crazy or bitches, but some just get sent because they are rich," Esme exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. "Emma is nice too, but insecure big time."

Zane automatically stopped the fire truck. He climbed out, slowly going down into one of the ditches that was along the left side of the highway. They all climbed out, seeing the ditch that had dead grass that used to be filled with dirty water, now filled with blood.

"Murder?" Zane asked, looking back at Jason.

Jason walked closer to the liquid before she grabbed his hand. He glanced back at Bella, nodding her head. She had no idea what would happen if he fell into the ditch that was filled with blood, since it could turn into an Ashley situation all over again.

"It could always be her blood from the wound?" Jason suggested.

"Normal wounds don't normally leave blood seeping, unless it's a huge murder," Esme gasped.

Yara turned away from looking at the substance as Zane crouched down in the ditch that was filled with the liquid. He held a stick and was mixing it around, seeing that it wasn't causing any reaction but sticking to the stick as a solid instead of a liquid.

"Grab the gloves and test tubes," Jason called.

Yara went back to grab the latex gloves and glass test tubes she brought over as Zane placed the gloves on.

Bella leaned over, seeing him have the tube filled with a mix of water, blood, and purple particles. When he capped the test tube, they looked closer at the substance. Normally, one can't see particles, but they were visible.

"Should we bring this to Greyson?" Zane questioned.

"Nah, let him do the dirty work," Esme said, waving her hand.

This girl sure had a lot of energy for a sixth grader, who bounced on her toes eagerly. It seemed that everyone at Uden didn't want to follow Greyson around as puppies.

"Who do we know will understand this?" Jason questioned.

"Cindy or Melany may," Zane suggested.

When they climbed onto the black leather seats, Bella noticed Esme rubbing one of her legs. It wasn't injured, but the soles of her running shoes were worn down to nothing.

"This? It's because of my speed ability. I'm one of those wackos that's got superpowers," Esme explained as she laid her leg down on Bella's thighs. She took off her dirty sock; the bottom was covered with scrapes and dried blood. "Honestly, they don't hurt, but I'm a medium toward the ranking system."

"Are you on Greyson's side of things?" Jason inquired.

"Nope, I just speed off around to practice when I have to do security. Apparently some girl got hit, so I had to go to my regular place," Esme rambled.

It was crazy that someone had actually been hit in this place. It's safer in a sense to bike or walk, since that does prevent death.

"Some girl named Vickie? From Simcoe, apparently, Stick hit her. That's what Nevaeh said," Esme said. "Better warn you that Nevaeh can know your darkest secrets. Collin can mess with your guilty conscience by seeing illusions, but he vanishes tomorrow."

They reached town at the brick church, where Esme slipped her socks back on. Jason carried the liquid down the stairs, seeing only Cindy and Emma. Bella stopped near the stairs, unsure if she would expose them because they had hints of the substance that may be in Ashley's body.

"Hey!" Cindy beamed a smile, standing.

"Look at this," Zane remarked.

Cindy grabbed the test tube and looked through it, seeing how the blood sat on the bottom and the water merged around the particles. Bella may not be a brainiac, but she knew that wasn't a simple chemical spill in the ditches. This substance either had been created or placed before the start of The Bubble.

"That's not lean but something else entirely. Whatever you discovered isn't human chemicals, but Melany said it could be purple-K, which is a potassium bicarbonate chemical. The thing is that purple-K is normally dark purple, but this is light," Cindy explained.

She handed it to Emma, who stared at it. All she did was shake her head, stand, and hand it back to Jason. It surprised Bella that she didn't smash it or anything.

"Oh, apparently my feet need to be treated," Esme sighed, walking over with her shoes off and kicking one leg up at a time. She sat on the white cot and threw her socks to the ground.

Cindy walked toward her, grabbing alcohol wipes, and slowly wiping against as she hissed in pain. Bella noticed all the blood and dirt that seemed to come off the edge of her feet.

Melany walked back into the infirmary, staring with knitted eyebrows. "Emma, break time." She stood and walked toward them, just staring at them. Glancing at them from the stairs, Bella watched Jason smile at the girl.

"Thank you for telling me where Bella was," Jason said.

"No problem," she murmured, walking past them using the black railing.

Bella looked at Jason before he rushed to catch up to the girl. The girl had visible, watery eyes, and her lips were slightly quivering. Sitting down on the bench, Emma ran her hands through her dirty blonde hair.

"Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I've just found out something recently, and I can't get it out of my head."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Emma slightly looked up toward the church, trying to avoid eye contact with all of them. It has never been her first priority to help someone out who was in distress, since it was something she never used to notice at school.

"So, I'm actually dating Greyson, and um..." Emma admitted.

It didn't seem like Greyson would date this girl. No, it wasn't about dating her; it was that he would date someone. Scarlett seemed to be his right hand in a lot of plots, and it seemed he had no time for romance.

"I found out that he had sex with Scarlett in the seventh grade," Emma rushed out.

Bella may be someone who wants to wait for sex in a committed relationship. Maybe even wait until she gets married. Knowing that people who didn't even date just had sex, to which no feelings may be attached. Perhaps there were feelings but no idea how to act on them.

"Sex is supposed to be once you're married, though?" Yara questioned, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Scarlett told me. I asked because there has always been something hidden between them," Emma murmured.

Bella looked at the girl with a slight smile. Knowing such a thing must be horrible to think about, especially since she is dating Greyson, who doesn't seem to be one for romance.

"I knew about it," Esme said.

Bella looked over to see the girl playing with the white bandages on her feet. She was wearing black sandals now, which seemed uncomfortable when she walked toward them.

"Lucy told me she overheard Luke and Greyson's conversation," Esme explained. "According to Lucy, there were no strings attached or anything. You shouldn't worry."

Bella wondered how someone could sleep with someone without feelings. There was no love attached or even a like in the slightest. That meant the relationship may have just been built around lust.

Lust for the body or for comfort from someone. Bella wouldn't know the whole thing, since those two don't exactly say the whole truth. It made her scrunch her face up, keeping such a secret from someone you're dating. It's not supposed to be built on lies or secrets.

"That thing looks weird," Esme said, pointing toward the merging substance.

The blood dissolved within the water, except that the whole test tube was filled with violet fluid. The tube slowly turned dark instead of clear, making most of them jump back in fear.

Zane still held it up, looking up at it. What had they stumbled upon in that ditch? Who knew enough science to give better input than Cindy?

Jason wondered how something could turn a once-clear tube black through the whole tube. The purple substance was inside while Zane moved it back and forth.

"We need to store it somewhere," Zane implied with panicked eyes.

Jason tried to think of anywhere they could store this substance. It had to be out of reach for those around them. They could store it in someone's house, but anyone could sneak inside and raid the house that wasn't empty.

"Maybe a fridge?" Jason questioned.

All of them still seemed uneasy at the suggestion. It wasn't just because of the storage area, but the substance in general.

"School fridge in the cafeteria," Bella spoke, as she seemed to be eyeing something near the pharmacy. Seeing that famous smirk while talking to some guy, made the connection that it was Scarlett.

"School!" Jason called.

They rushed the opposite way toward the long school, since it wasn't too far from the church. Esme sped her way there, despite almost crashing into the brick building. Entering inside, the once-clean building had paper or even broken lockers on the ground. Some rode their bikes through the dusty white tiles, which flew when Esme ran around the halls.

"Found it!" she called from the end of the hall.

The cafeteria had knocked over chairs at the long brown tables. Food had been raided from the back fridge, where plums and some ingredients were still inside. Setting it behind a bottle of vinegar, they saw how the fridge seemed to flow that black colour inside.

"Shut it!" Bella called.

Zane automatically slammed the white fridge shut, pulling a chair against it. This would be the best solution until they found a different spot.

"What are you doing?" They all jumped at Ashley's voice.

Zane had let out a girlish scream, causing Esme and Emma to both laugh, trying to avoid the problem in front of them. Ashley was staring at all of them with a frown, looking slowly back and forth around the room. She was still dressed normally, like before, but Jason could clearly see her eyes were purple.

"Just grabbing a snack," Jason remarked, staring at the girl.

Ashley's eyes landed on both Esme and Emma, who stood beside each other. She narrowed her eyes at them before slowly walking toward them. She held both hands out, using an invisible force to slowly lift Esme and Emma in the air, both of whom started to choke.

"Stop!" Bella cried.

Zane went to grab a chair from one of the tables, but Ashley held him in place with an invisible force. This resulted in the chair being thrown against the wall and landing on the ground.

Suddenly, Ashley got slammed in the back of the head with a locker door, sending her flying to the floor.

"I win," Luke deviously smiled.

Greyson stayed by his side while Jason held his hands out to use his power. Greyson flew him into tables with an invisible punch before he could even use them.

Jason saw that his eyebrows seemed to raise, seeing both Esme and Emma with him. They then walked out the cafeteria door, with Luke carrying Ashley from under her stomach.

"Damn," Zane finally breathed out, coughing.

"Probably heading for Uden to run a test," Esme coughed out, placing her hand on one of the chairs.

"What was she after?" Bella questioned.

"What if she sensed we had that substance?" Emma whispered, making them all huddle back together.

They had looked everywhere for Ashley and found her nowhere. Going out into the fields seemed pointless, since mostly corn and beans grew near the south end. Wasaga Beach would have nothing more than sand. Uden Academy is north, mostly large bushes and the highway.

"Is whatever substance she got injected with something more than just a substance?" Zane questioned.

This whole thing might not just be some chemical from some leakage or anything. What if it's something more than that?

"Some monster or something? Oh! Maybe those demons you see in Supernatural or The Vampire Diaries!" Esme exclaimed, holding up a fist.

"No, this isn't a demon, but I'm guessing it's a monster," Bella implied.

"It's a choice between letting Uden test her or getting her," Zane said.

Jason turned, seeing Mark in the doorway breathlessly. His cheeks were flushed before he looked over at Esme and Emma, turning his eyes back to his own.

"They're doing research," Mark said.

Jason gripped the back of the table because that would mean they'd find out more information about the substance. If they found more information, it could lead to them finding a way out of this bubble and discovering what caused the behaviour change in Ashley.

"I think we should go," Jason said.

Bella felt that going to Uden Academy a second time and getting injured wouldn't sit well with her stomach. They could end up getting injured again since they don't know all the students at Uden Academy.

"We'll take more people with us this time."

"I know Uden, and plus, I miss running around in it," Esme explained.

He looked at Emma, who still seemed to doubt being involved in this situation. Jason watched Emma slowly nod her head, biting her lip. He still saw the agitation resting in her grey eyes, but this needed to be done.

"Grab the fire truck," Jason uttered.

Mark and Zane rushed off to get it, but Esme sped off to beat them, barely visible. Jason ran beside Emma and Bella, who both seemed bothered by the situation. He understood why Emma might be, but Bella had to accept that they needed to rescue Ashley.

Opening the entrance door, Zane had the fire truck pulled up front. They climbed into the back, with Zane speeding his way there.

Before they could reach Uden, one group of security stood blocking the entrance. Esme leaned out the window, looking at the group of three guys and two girls.

"Why are you here?" one of the guys asked.

Jason leaned out through the right window. "I'm here to see my brother," he said.

All five of them began to mumble to each other before they parked in front of the doors. Esme and Emma looked around, deciding which doorway they could have Ashley.

"Let's just go through the main doors for now," Jason called, which had the opposite effect.

Luke stood with the cream locker door still in his hand. There was a sadistic grin on his lips while Henry and Finn stood beside them.

"Sorry to tell you, Greyson's pretty busy," Luke snarled.

"Catch me if you can," Esme said, sticking out her tongue and speeding past them down the left hall.

"Get her!" Luke roared as Henry, Finn, and another girl ran down the hallway.

Bella and Emma went forward, while Jason went with both Zane and Mark. He trusted that Esme could get away from them, but one of them would have to cut them off at some point.

Mark stopped, making the two run into him. Scarlett sat on a chair in front of the gym doors, legs crossed, and a sly smirk plastered on her face.

"Sorry boys, I can't let you in there," she said as she stood and leaned close to Mark, her hand on his chest. "Thanks, Mark, for agreeing. I told him to bring you here."

Mark believed Scarlett's idea, which probably means getting something in return. Jason gritted his teeth at the girl as she cupped her hand on his cheek.

"His choice, not mine," she stated, sliding her soft hands down and returning to her seat. "What substance do you have hiding?"

Don't forget to comment and vote!
-Lexi