Greyson opened the wooden drawer and was met with the purple substance that seemed to glow and bubble as if were alive. The strange substance could melt anything, including human flesh. He placed it on the test tube rack inside the desk and smiled inwardly, just as all the lights turned off.

"Hey!" he called from inside the empty office.

He marched toward the light switch near the entrance, flipping it up and down, but the lights wouldn't turn on. How cheap was the electricity in this building? Biting his pinky nail, he sat back in the chair, staring at the evening sky.

"This is how you're getting closer," someone said, prompting him to look up and extend his hands.

"Show yourself or die!" Greyson spat, gritting his teeth as he heard the soft sound of footsteps.

"Down."

He leaned over his desk and spotted a plush doll made from beige fabric. The doll had brown yarn for hair in pigtails and bright blue button eyes. It looked like a regular child's toy—obviously one of Maverick's illusions.

"It's not an illusion," the doll said.

Greyson used an invisible force to hold the talking doll in the air. "What the hell are you?" he growled.

The doll flung itself from his grasp and landed on the desk. As it hit, loose papers scattered and slid to the floor.

"Divina, they call me," it said, spinning in a circle on one soft foot.

"Goddess," he said.

"I'm not some ugly doll." Divina's voice was neither feminine nor masculine—it was something in between.

"What are you then?" Greyson inquired.

Divina waddled across the desk and grabbed a black pen lying among the scattered papers. It began drawing pictures that appeared messy.

"See, I'm something," Divina said, tapping the pen on the drawing of a thought bubble. "God took on a stupid body and intends to kill you all. You vanish in almost two days. That cannot happen."

It pointed at a doodle of a slice of cake decorated with curvy lines. It looked more like a box than a dessert.

"You and Jason are the most important people in the vanishing," Divina said.

Greyson felt intrigued by all this information being explained. Since he was the most important, that obviously meant he is considered the most important out of all the freaks.

Divina slammed her pen down on the picture of a stick person."Me."

"You're going to break through the bubble?" Greyson asked.

Divina's stitched red mouth curved into a smirk. It looked strange when the mouth moved and the eyes didn't.

"See, when that happens, we can stop God if..." Divina rested silently before saying anything else.

"Why am I the closest?" Greyson pressed.

Divina dropped the pen, its chubby arms resting against the yellow dress. "You're intently searching."

Greyson grinned at the praise. Divina recognized him for his knowledge.

"Is there something more I need to do?" he asked.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing Scarlett. She stepped into the dark room, scanning her surroundings. When her gaze landed on the doll perched on his desk, a smirk spread across her face and she burst into laughter.

"Are you playing with dolls?" she mocked with amusement in her laugh.

"Yes," Divina replied.

Scarlett's amusement faded. She approached the desk, eyebrows furrowed, and leaned closer to examine it.

"We have talking dolls now?" Scarlett questioned as she reached out to grab it by its side for a better look.

The doll slipped from Scarlett's grasp and leapt back onto the desk. It stumbled slightly, then stood firmly between them, placing one chubby arm at its chest.

"This isn't the national anthem," Scarlett snickered.

Divina grabbed the pen again and draw a messy heart before it pointed the pen at it. "That."

"A heart?" Scarlett asked, her hands on her hips.

"You break in with a heart?" Greyson grumbled.

He didn't get what that heart had anything to do with the information he was receiving. Divina knows what needs to be done with Ashley, and this thing is entrusting him with the information.

Divina tossed the pen aside and searched the desk, as if remembering something. Then it snatched the pen again and drew a stick figure of a girl. Pressing a hand on the image, they both watched at a girl began to materialize, examining her hands.

"Cool," she said, jumping down from the desk.

"What the hell?" Scarlett blurted out.

Greyson stared at the person who had drawn themselves a regular human body. She had thin black hair, icy glowing blue eyes that shimmered  in the surrounding darkness, and pure white skin. She kicked up one narrow leg up with a stretching her lips.

"This might be fun to use," Divina remarked, grinning deviously. Then her expression shifted into a frown, as if something had occurred. She turned on her heel, looking at both of them. "It's strange."

"I thought you said you didn't have a body," Greyson interjected.

"I don't, but this could work until the vanishing," Divina said.

"Could you prevent what Ashley does in the next few days?" Greyson asked.

"This body will vanish the day you two don't," Divina stated, her gaze fixed on him. "I deal with God's damage. But I need help getting to know this town and people who I can actually trust."

Greyson bit his pinky nail in thought. Who else could he trust this information with? Luke, probably, but he can be thoughtless with information. James was another option, but Greyson was starting to get suspicious he was planning something behind his back.

"Are we just going to call you Divina?" Scarlett asked casually, leaning back on his desk.

Divina chuckled slightly."God isn't smart enough to know it's me," she replied with a grin. "Okay, I need a place to stay."

Greyson suggested, "You can stay with Scarlett in her dorm."

He could feel Scarlett gaze on him with narrowed eyes. This would be the perfect way to keep it secret from Jason or some of his other minions from finding out. There was always Nevaeh around to deliver the information by bending part of the truth.

Suddenly, Greyson felt himself yanked into the air by an unseen force, as though an invisible hand had seized him. He glanced down in confusion, catching Scarlett's sly smirk, while Divina glared up at him.

"Do not play games with me," Divina hissed through clenched teeth, dropping him onto his chair. "You won't send a search party looking for God. Are others sending parties?"

"Jason formed one," Scarlett replied.

Divina's gaze snapped toward her. "Where is he?" she demanded, grinding her teeth.

"I'll show you," Scarlett said.

Divina stormed out of the office, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. Scarlett trailed behind with a slight smirk. Greyson couldn't allow Divina to beat Jason before him, but he knew Scarlett would keep that thing in check.

Jason hadn't expected to interrupt a fight between Ashley and Divina, especially one that ended with a shattered water fountain in front of stunned onlookers. The sight was shocking enough, but even more astonishing was Divina's ability to create an illusion so powerful that it could manipulate a massive chunk of the fountain as if it were weightless.

The intensity radiating in Divina's eyes—burning with pure hatred—was terrifying. If that thing ever gained full physical form, it could unleash destruction beyond anything they'd seen so far.

Now, under the cover of night, Jason sat on a long couch alongside Bella, Esme, Zane, and Emma. Zane had just finished telling them about what they saw today—the fires and damaged they caused.

Jason couldn't decide what had been worse: the horrifying number of homes turned to ash, or the three agonizing hours of One Direction music that had played on a loop from the boom box they could in the basement. Still, it had lifted Bella's spirits a little.

Their new house was cozy, with a small kitchen and shelves filled with books—everything from biographies to teen novels. It gave them something to do in their spare time. Not that they had much of it.

"Divina wasn't playing around today," Bella remarked. "And she can grow objects in her hands."

"Maybe that's what Ashley meant by grower," Jason said.

"Divina can increase the size of objects and use Greyson's power. Why did you stop her?" Zane asked, eyeing Jason.

He'd been asking himself that. It had been pure instinct to break up fights in town, but this wasn't some local squabble. This was between a goddess and his stepsister. No, that thing wasn't Ashley anymore. It was a monster hungry for destruction.

"I don't really know," Jason admitted. "We had happened to get there. Divina was pissed."

A loud knock echoed through the house.

"How rude," Esme mumbled, sipping her iced tea.

Jason went to the door and came face-to-face with Scarlett, and a girl with uneven black hair.

"I'm not fighting Greyson early," Jason said flatly, shutting outside and shutting the door behind him.

"Oh no, we're not here for that," Scarlett replied slyly.

"Are you planning to stop Ashley as a group?" the unknown girl demanded.

That hadn't been the exact plan, but they might have to get answers from her.

"We might have to," Jason mumbled to himself.

"No," the girl snapped, glaring, and shoved past him into the dimly lit house.

Jason didn't recognize her at all. It had only been about three weeks since people aged fifteen and older had vanished. Still, she didn't look familiar.

He followed her back inside, where the others were already watching.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Emma," Scarlett said with raised eyebrows.

"She can be here if she wants," Esme said, chewing on some crackers.

"You cannot stop Ashley," the black-haired girl hissed.

"Make me," Esme retorted, sticking out her tongue. She was about to rush off but fell flat onto the laminate flooring.

"I said no," the girl ordered.

She hadn't raised a hand like Greyson usually did. Instead, her eyes were narrowed with cold intensity.

"I can't move," Esme groaned, looking at the girl. "Are you some kind of freak that controls gravity?"

"Why can't we?" Bella asked.

The girl placed a hand on her chest and grinned deviously. "It's my job."

"I think you should introduce yourself," Scarlett snickered.

"I'm Divina. And all of you seem oddly slow," the girl said with a wicked smile.

Jason felt the air leave the room. It was Divina. The same being he watched savagely beat Ashley earlier with a twisted sense of delight glowing in their eyes.

Finally, Esme broke the silence. "I thought you didn't have a body."

Divina waved her arm up and down before Esme became free from her grasp.

"I found a loophole," Divina declared, crossing her legs. "Most of you were there when I was grass."

"I'm a healer around here," Emma said nervously, seeing Divina staring at her down.

Without warning, Divina strode into the kitchen, but accidentally knocked over a pot of pasta water. The heavy pot clanged against the ground, splashing cold water over her bare feet.

"Ew," she said with disgust.

She pointed two fingers to the ground, and the water disappeared.

She picked up the pot, turning it around in her grasp. "You think this would work? Actually, no." She slammed the pot onto the stove burners.

Then she turned sharply to Jason and Bella.

"You stopped me from killing God today. It was cool that I broke the water fountain, right?"

"I think we should go. You don't want to be ugly," Scarlett remarked.

"Don't want to look like Ragnar," Divina laughed, glancing around.

Suddenly, her gaze locked on something behind Jason. A second later, a hardback book slammed into his face.

"That's for interfering," she hissed.

Divina bolted out the door, with Scarlett trailed behind. She raised her eyebrows at Emma before shutting the door behind her.

"Another problem," Bella sighed.

Jason noticed that Emma looked shaken, her eyes wide. "Scarlett's going to tell Greyson," she whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Who cares?" Esme breezed, smiling at her.

"I'm probably going to get punished." Emma panicked, standing quickly from the sofa.

"Calm down," Esme said, grabbing Emma's ankle and tripping her back to the floor. "You're the resident healer, not some patient."

"Just say you don't want to help at Uden," Jason stated.

Emma pushed herself up, even with Esme still clinging to her ankle. He wondered if she was going to heal her feet, considering they were still covered in scrapes and cuts.

"I'm not healing your feet. Go take another bath and put on the cream," Emma spat.

"But, I'm the fastest! I need my feet to be completely healed," Esme whined

"No," Emma muttered.

"See, just say no," Esme said proudly.

Jason realized she'd been trying to get Emma to speak up for herself.

"Maybe," Emma mumbled.

Jason noticed the dark bags under her eyes; it was clear she hadn't slept in weeks. Maybe it was Esme's constant movement, or the pressure of being the healer, but she looked completely worn out. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her bangs aside, sitting on her knees.

"You need to work on that problem with Greyson," Emma finally said.

She was right. Greyson was planning his own type for attack when their birthday rolled around, but he didn't have a specific plan in mind. He assumed they would just be fighting each other, but he knew he would need backup.

"I want to speed around with a gun. Pew, pew, pew!" Esme said, mimicking finger guns around the house.

"I'd start preparing the day before," Emma advised. "That's how things are."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows together, but then he understood what she was meant. He may not have known his brother for very long, but Greyson always seemed to have a second plan.

"Do you think they have a plan?" Zane asked.

"They don't tell me much anymore," Emma said quietly. "Just about injuries. Not how or why."

"Do you know who might be leading it?" Jason asked.

Emma avoided everyone's eyes, chewing her lip. He remembered that she had dated Greyson at one point, so she may have some insight into his intentions.

"Tell us, Emma," Esme urged, shaking her shoulders.

"Luke," Emma admitted, leaning over to take a sip of water.

It should have been obvious that Luke would do something. Even after losing his arm, he was crazy and would likely seek revenge, just like Maverick had done with his illusions after losing his fingers.

"Divina can handle Ashley now. You need to focus," Bella said, looking at Jason.

"You think Ashley got the substance?" Jason asked.

"I definitely think Greyson's up to something," Esme added. I'm not sure what though."

"Don't go running to Uden," Bella cautioned. "Let's focus on the next few days and handle whatever comes."

Her words lit a fire in his chest. He wanted to stop Greyson, but she was right. They couldn't act blindly and risk injuries.

"I'm so ready to give Luke a beating," Esme exclaimed, grinning and punching her hand.

"We have a new player in this bubble now," Zane said, looking at all of them. "One that will either save us or kill us all."

Scarlett felt like she was babysitting. This thing had absolutely no sense of what it meant to be human, and yet it wouldn't shut up about different torture plans for Ashley. Talking to her was like talking Luke, just without the constant glare.

"I don't want a makeover," Divina said.

"I don't give girls beauty makeovers," Scarlett replied.

"Is that why so many people stare at you?" Divina asked, looking into her makeup mirror.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She enjoyed pampering herself, secretly ordering expensive makeup and clothes online. The academy technically banned it unless approved by parents, which is why she hacked her was around it be using her mother's name with a false email.

She glanced over at the empty bed across from her. Her roommate, Sarah, had taken a position at the daycare, which stuck Scarlett sharing her room with this. She'd rather lock Divina in the shower.

"I'm the girl guys fawn over," Scarlett said.

Hard to believe the things settled across from her had once been on a piece of paper. The entire situation was insane. She wondered if this creation was a one-off occurrence or if this thing would create more humans.

"Ragnar is such a dumbass," Divina said idly. "It never would've thought to use someone intelligent."

Scarlett raised a brow. This might've been the first time she was bonding with another girl. Usually, she used her wit or stayed by Greyson's side with his plans.

"Can you kill Ashley?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes," Divina replied. "I just need to figure out a new way."

Scarlett felt a flicker of hope stirring in her stomach. If anyone could end this, it might be this bizarre thing in human form. Though it was clear Divina's obsession was solely focused on targeting Ashley.

It felt strange to be back in her old dorm. She usually stayed nights in Greyson's dorm these days, but with no sexual action. Sure, they made out, and there were mornings when she wake up with limbs tangled together. Even if she did like Greyson, it wasn't that she understood love.

Scarlett realized that her understanding of love wasn't merely about experiencing it, but it was also about what love truly meant. She hadn't been in a serious relationship before but she had kissed guys. The thing was that she couldn't remember much of what they taught about love.

It wasn't exactly her family had much love either, especially after her mother became a stripper after her father left. From being a speech pathologist into a stripper in a matter of seconds. Well, her father had been the lawyer with the money.

He understanding of relationships and romance was shaped more by the cheesy romance movies or Gossip Girl, which happened to be her favourite show.

Scarlett opened her eyes and spotted Divina looking down at her. "Don't sleep," she said, flashing her hand with dripping nail polish still wet on her nails.

"You messed them up," Scarlett replied with annoyance. "Will the bubble fall when you beat Ashley?"

Divina shrugged nonchalantly and scrubbed off the nail polish. "No, this isn't a real body. I'm still a form, but human," she slyly said.

Scarlett's raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Not your real body? What are you then? A ghost?"

Divina dried her hands on some of Sarah's clothes left on her dresser. She hadn't done much sorting since Sarah left the dorms in a hurry.

"See, Ragnar is like me," Divina began. "It took a host body infused with godrian—that purple substance in the ditches around here. We'd be considered creations, but I have this until Greyson and Jason don't vanish. Although..."

Divina met her gaze but said nothing else. Scarlett had a sinking feeling that this wasn't even the worst it.

A knock came at the door. Divina stood in front of it and opened it with nothing but a thought.

Greyson stood there, making a smirk form on her lips.

"Oh, you," Divina said, sounding disappointed.

"Have you come to get your hair brushed?" Scarlett asked, rising from the bed to stride toward him.

"Making sure you aren't dismissing your task," he said.

"Well, she isn't one of the scared girls in Uden," Scarlett replied, waving a hand in mocking dismay.

"Have you told anyone else?" Greyson asked.

"I did," Divina said plainly.

Greyson's eyes narrowed, locking onto Divina with a sharp gaze. She flipped through a fashion magazine, seemingly unbothered by the simmering anger in his expression.

"Why would you do that?" he pressed.

"Uh, because I'm not letting humans get killed by that thing. My rules for who I tell," Divina said bluntly.

Someone defying Greyson order made Scarlett smirk. It's not like he could do anything—not when they didn't fully understand everything surrounding this doodle.

"I thought we were clear on that." Divina's voice turned cold.

Greyson didn't respond, but Scarlett could tell what he wanted to say just by the look her gave her.

"We are," he hissed through gritted teeth.

Divina's tone was laced with disdain. "I don't care if you plan some shit; just keep me out of it."

Scarlett found it all very amusing. Greyson had worked so hard to find this thing, and now he couldn't even use it the way he wanted.

"Don't get your panties in a knot," Scarlett quipped, placing both hands on her hips.

"I'm not. I'm just planning for tomorrow," Greyson stated.

Scarlett knew they were going to do that experiment. She was interested in seeing it, but uncertain too. In the Bubble, people died every day—from the holes, allergic reactions, drowning in the lake or falling off a roof.

She thought back about Trevor, someone she never liked. He barely said a word after being humiliated in public, left in only boxers. It wasn't the first time he tried taking on Greyson. That fight was over in a few seconds, and that was before Greyson even had his powers.

"Luke is still teaching people to shoot," Greyson said. "We'll have Preston and James join us. I think James is already setting up a monitor to track it all."

"So, we're basically doing an experiment that means nothing?" Scarlett asked, making her way back to her bed.

"It's not meaningless," he hissed. "We'll get to see the true outcome."

Scarlett glanced over and noticed that Divina seemed uninterested in the conversation. Her attention was elsewhere on fixing holes and preventing more deaths. Even if Scarlett couldn't get more information from her, she still planned to use it in her own way.

Not just for Greyson. She knew Luke and he had their own plans. And if James told Jason about the vanishing, it might help in more ways than one. It might even stop Greyson from disappearing, which could be the key to their freedom.

"Is that all you needed?" Scarlett asked, watching him look around the room.

This wasn't the first time Greyson had been here. He'd been in her room many times to plan schemes or discuss if someone had a new rank.

"Well?" Scarlett promoted, waiting for a response.

"I'm hungry," Divina complained, standing up and exiting the room.

Sighing, Scarlett stepped in front of him, hands her hips. "Tick-tock," she mocked.

Greyson grabbed her hand, held it briefly, and then let go. "Make sure Jason doesn't find out," he said, turning on his heel and walking to the door.

"Only a handhold? Is that enough to satisfy you?"

Greyson turned back, walked toward her and kissed her. She kissed him back, fingers twisting in his wavy hair. She pulled back, their faces still inches apart, her eyes drifting from his to his to his lips.

They kissed again, and then she pulled back once more.

That familiar pit of lust stirred deep inside her. Maybe it was because she's always used boys or male teachers to get what she wanted, and never having an actual relationship.

She still took birth control, just in case. She started after a teacher almost assaulted her in the classroom before he got caught. Greyson had him to the hospital for four months.

Greyson nodded and left the room.

Scarlett flopped back on her bed, an arm over her eyes. Their relationship wasn't just about to making out more for hours. Sometimes they slept together—no sex, just sleep. That had happened more than once, especially when he was fake dating Emma.

Divina opened the door with a piece of bread in her mouth. "Bread is gross," she irked, but ate it anyway.

"What?" Scarlett asked, reaching for her birth control. She dry-swallowed one pill something she usually did before heading to Greyson's dorm.

"Make sure that boyfriend of yours doesn't do anything stupid," Divina spat, sitting on the opposite bed. "Don't go searching for Ragnar or chasing after all that. We can't have people dying from it."

"That won't happen," Scarlett said.

It wouldn't happen, especially with what she planned to do.

Divina finally has a body but how will she act to those around, especially Ashley.
-Lexi