Greyson slid open the wooden drawer, his eyes narrowing at the glow emanating from within. The purple substance pulsed faintly, its surface bubbling with a hiss. The liquid looked alive and he knew it could dissolve anything it touched, including human flesh.

Carefully, he lifted the vial and placed it on the test tube rack inside the desk. As he smiled inwardly, every light in the room blinked out, plunging the office into darkness.

"Hey!" he called out through the empty office.

He marched to the light switch near the door, flicking it up and down with growing irritation. Nothing. The lights stayed dead. He slumped back in the chair, biting his pinky nail, his eyes drifting to the deepening colours of the evening sky beyond the window.

"This is how you're getting closer," someone said.

Greyson's eyes snapped upward as his hands instinctively lifted, ready to act.

"Show yourself or die!" Greyson snapped.

He ground his teeth, straining to catch the direction of the soft footsteps echoing toward him through the dark.

"Down."

He leaned over his desk, eyes narrowing as they spotted a plush doll standing. Made of beige fabric, it had brown yarn hair tied into pigtails and two bright blue button eyes. It looked like any ordinary regular child's toy, which was clearly one of Maverick's illusions.

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

Greyson used an invisible force that lifted the doll into the air. "What the hell are you?" he growled.

The doll twisted free from the invisible grip and landed on the desk. The impact sent loose papers fluttering, scattering across the floor.

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

"Goddess," he said.

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

"What are you, then?" Greyson asked, leaning forward.

Divina waddled across the desk and grabbed a black pen from the scattered papers. It began sketching messy pictures.

"See, I'm something," Divina said, tapping the pen on a rough drawn thought bubble. "God took on a stupid body and intends to kill you all. The vanishing happens in less than two days. That cannot happen."

It pointed at a messy doodle of what looked like 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 the pen down onto a stick person."Me."

"You're going to break through the barrier?" Greyson asked, eyes narrowing.

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

"See, when that happens, we can stop God if..." Divina trailed off, hesitating before finishing the sentence.

"Why am I the closest?" Greyson pressed.

Divina dropped the pen, its chubby arms resting against the yellow dress. "You're the most 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, and Scarlett stepped inside, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. When she spotted 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.

"Yes," Divina replied.

Scarlett's laughter faded, replaced by a frown. She stepped closer to the desk, eyebrows furrowed, and leaned closer to examine it.

"We have talking dolls now?" Scarlett asked, reaching out to grasp the doll's side for a better look.

The doll slipped free from Scarlett's grasp and leapt back onto the desk. It stumbled momentarily before straightening, one chubby arm rising against its chest.

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

Divina snatched up the pen again and quickly sketched a messy heart, then pointed 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 rifled through the papers on the desk, as if recalling something important. Then it grabbed the pen again and sketched a stick figure of a girl. Placing a hand on the drawing, they watched as the girl began to materialize, her icy eyes scanning her own hands.

"Cool," the girl said, hopping down from the desk.

"What the hell?" Scarlett blurted out.

Greyson stared at the doll who had taken shape of a regular human, with thin black hair eyes that glowed in the surrounding darkness, and pale white skin. She kicked up one narrow leg up with a smirk stretching her lips.

"This might be fun to use," Divina said with a devious grin.

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

"I don't," Divina replied, "but this form can hold until the vanishing."

"Could you stop what Ashley's planning in the next few days?" Greyson asked.

"This body will vanish the day you two don't," Divina said, eyes locked on him. "I handle God's damage, but I'll need help learning this town and finding people I can 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 really just going to call you Divina?" Scarlett asked casually, leaning back against his desk.

Divina chuckled."God isn't smart enough to recognize me," it said with a sly grin. "Now, 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 into 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 to Scarlett. "Where is he?" it demanded.

"I'll show you," Scarlett said, turning on her heel.

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 hatred burning in Divina's eyes was terrifying. He hadn't needed anyone to explain; he could feel it in his bones. If that thing ever gained a fully physical form, it would be dangerous.

Now, Jason sat on the long couch with Bella, Esme, Zane, and Emma, the dim lamplight casting shadows across the floor. Zane had just finished telling them about what they'd witnessed—the fires and damaged it caused.

Jason couldn't decide what had been worse: the horrifying number of homes reduced to ash, or the three agonizing hours of One Direction songs blasting on loop from the boom box they'd salvaged in the basement. Somehow, though, it had managed to lift Bella's spirits a little.

Their new house was small but cozy, with a cramped kitchen and shelves lined with books—everything from biographies to teen novels. The books gave them something to distract themselves with their rare free time. Not that they had much of it.

"Divina wasn't messing around today," Bella said. "She can grow objects in her hands."

"Maybe that's what Ashley meant when she called it a grower," Jason muttered.

"Divina can grow things and use Greyson's power. So why did you stop her?" Zane asked, eyeing Jason.

He'd been asking himself the same thing. Maybe it was pure instinct to breaking up fights back in town. But this wasn't some schoolyard argument. This was between a goddess and his stepsister. No. That wasn't Ashley anymore. That was something else. It was a monster hungry for destruction.

"I'm not sure," Jason admitted. "We just happened to be there when it all went down. And Divina was furious."

A loud knock echoed through the quiet house.

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

Jason stood and crossed the room to the door. When he opened it, Scarlett stood there with a girl with uneven black hair.

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

"Oh no, we're not here for that," Scarlett replied with a sly smirk.

"Are you planning to stop Ashley together?" the black-haired girl demanded.

"We might have to," Jason muttered under his breath.

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

Jason didn't recognize her at all. It had only been about three weeks since everyone aged fifteen and older had vanished, yet this girl was completely unfamiliar.

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

"Didn't expect to see you here, Emma," Scarlett said, raising an eyebrow.

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

"You can't stop Ashley," the black-haired girl hissed.

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

"I said no," the girl repeated.

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. "What are you? Some kind of freak that controls gravity?"

"Why can't we?" Bella asked, frowning.

The girl smirked, placing a hand over her chest. "It's my job," she said.

Scarlett snickered, tilting her head. "I think you owe them an introduction."

"I'm Divina," the girl said with a wicked smile. "And honestly? You all seem strangely slow."

Jason felt the air drain the room. It was Divina. The same merciless force he'd seen brutally beat Ashley earlier, eyes glowing with delight.

At last, Esme broke the silence. "Wait, didn't you say you didn't have a body?"

Divina casually waved her arm up and down, and Esme felt the invisible grip loosen, freeing her.

"I found a loophole," Divina declared, crossing her legs with a smug smile. "Most of you were there when I was nothing more than grass."

"I'm a healer here," Emma said nervously, meeting Divina's cold stare.

Without warning, Divina strode into the kitchen, until she accidentally knocked over a pot of cold pasta water. The heavy pot clanged loudly as it hit the floor, sending a splash of water over her bare feet.

"Ew," she said with disgust.

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

She grabbed the pot, twisting it in her hand with a mocking grin. "You think this would work? Actually, no."

Then she turned sharply to Jason and Bella.

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

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

"Wouldn't want to end up looking like Ragnar," Divina laughed, glancing around.

Suddenly, her eyes locked onto something just behind Jason. Without warning, a hardback flew across the room and smacked him square in his face.

"That's for interfering," she hissed.

Divina stormed out the front door, and Scarlett followed closely behind. Just before disappearing, Scarlett shot Emma a raised eyebrow, then pulled the door shut.

"Another problem," Bella sighed.

Jason noticed Emma looked shaken with her eyes wide, and hands clenched on her lap. "Scarlett's going to tell Greyson," she whispered.

"Don't stress it. Who cares?" Esme said breezily, flashing a smile.

"I'm probably going to get punished." Emma blurted as she shot up the sofa.

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

"Then just say you don't want to help at Uden," Jason said firmly.

Emma pushed herself up despite Esme still clutching her ankle. He glanced at her feet, still raw and scraped, wondering if Emma would heal them.

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

"But, I'm the fastest! I need my feet fully 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's gaze landed on the dark circles shadowing her eyes; it was clear she hadn't slept in weeks. Whether it was Esme's relentless energy or the weight of being the healer, she looked utterly drained. She rubbed her tired eyes and pushed her bangs aside, folding herself on her knees.

"You need to figure out that problem with Greyson," Emma finally said.

She was right. Greyson was already his own kind of attack on their birthday, though no clear plan had taken shape. He assumed the fight world be chaotic, but he knew deep down he'd need backup.

"I want to speed around with a gun. Pew, pew, pew!" Esme exclaimed, spinning around and shooting imaginary finger guns through the room.

"I'd start preparing the day before," Emma advised.

Jason furrowed his eyebrows together, confusion flicking across his face before clarity settle S in. He hadn't known his brother for long, but Greyson always seemed to have a backup plan up his sleeve.

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

"They don't tell me much anymore," Emma murmured quietly. "Just about injuries, but never how or why it happened."

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

Emma avoided everyone's eyes, chewing her lip nervously. He recalled that she had dated Greyson once, which might explain why she seemed so guarded about his plans.

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

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

It should have been obvious that Luke would act. Losing his arm hadn't dulled his madness—if anything, it fuelled his thirst for revenge, much like Maverick's relentless illusions after losing his fingers.

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

"You think Ashley managed to get the substance?" Jason asked.

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

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

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

"I'm so ready to give Luke a beating!" Esme exclaimed, grinning as she punched her palm.

"We have a new player in this bubble now," Zane said, eyes scanning the group. "One who could either save us or kill us all."

Scarlett felt like she was babysitting. Divina had no grasp of what it meant to be human, and yet she wouldn't stop rattling off detailed torture plans for Ashley. Talking to her was like talking Luke, just without the constant glare.

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

"I don't do makeovers for other girls," Scarlett shot back.

Divina glanced at the compact mirror on her lap, then back at Scarlett. "Is that why so many people stare at you?" she asked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She liked looking good and there was no shame in that. Expensive makeup, clothes shopping, overnight delivery—all of it secretly ordered online under her mother's name, using a spoofed email account. The academy banned persona purchases without parental permission, but rules like that were made for people who didn't know how to hack.

She glanced across the room over at the empty bed. Her roommate, Sarah, had taken a position at the daycare, which meant Scarlett was now stuck sharing her space with this thing. Honestly, she'd rather lock Divina in the shower and throw anyway the knob.

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

It was still hard to believe the girl lounging across from her had once been nothing more than ink on paper. The entire situation was strange. She couldn't help but wonder: was Divina a one-time accident, or were more of these creations coming?

"Ragnar's a total dumbass," Divina said idly. "It never would've considered using someone with actual intelligence."

Scarlett raised a brow. Was this bonding? It might've been the first time she felt a flicker of connection with another girl. Usually, she relied on wit, charm, or just stayed close to Greyson and whatever scheme he was running.

"Can you kill Ashley?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes," Divina said. "I just need to come up with something new."

A flicker of hope stirred in Scarlett's stomach. If anyone could end this nightmare, it might be this bizarre thing sitting across from her. But even if hope grew, she knew Divina's obsession was narrow: Ashley was the sole target, and nothing else mattered.

It felt strange being back in her old dorm. Lately, she usually crashed at Greyson's dorm, though nothing beyond making out happened, despite waking up in tangled limbs more than once. Sure, she liked Greyson, it wasn't that she understood love.

Scarlett knew love wasn't just about having felt it, but it was about understanding what it meant. She'd never been in a serious relationship, only kissed a few guys, but what had this S moments taught her about love? She couldn't say.

Her family hadn't exactly been a source of love either, especially after her mother went from a speech pathologist to stripper almost overnight, after her father left. He'd been the lawyer with the money, and when he walked out, everything changed.

Her understanding of relationships came more from cheesy romance movies and binge-watching Gossip Girl, her favourite show, than from anything real.

Scarlett opened her eyes and spotted Divina staring down at her, fingers twitching with glossy nail polish still dripping wet. "Don't sleep," she warned.

"You messed up your nails," Scarlett said with a smirk. "So, when you finally take Ashley down, does the whole barrier come crashing down too?"

Divina scrubbed off the ruined polish, rubbing it roughly with a scrap of fabric. "No, this isn't a real body," she said with a sly smile. "I'm still just a form, but human."

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

Divina wiped her hands on a crumpled shirt left on the dresser—Sarah had fled in such a hurry she hadn't packed a thing.

"See, Ragnar is like me," Divina explained. "It took a host body infused with godrian—that purple substance that seeps through the ditches around here. We're creations, of sorts. I have this form only as long as Greyson and Jason don't vanish. Though..."

Divina met Scarlett's eyes but didn't finish the thought. She felt a cold pit open in her stomach. Whatever came next, it wasn't good.

A knock came at the door. Divina stepped forward, and with nothing but a thought, the door opened silently.

Greyson stood there with a frown on his face.

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

Scarlett rose from the bed and smirked as she stepped toward him. "Here to get your hair brushed?"

"Just making sure you're not slacking off on your task," he said.

Scarlett waved a dismissive hand, mock horror on her face. "Well, she's no scared little girl from Uden, that's for sure."

"Have you told anyone else?" Greyson asked.

"I did," Divina replied flatly.

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

"Why would you do that?" he pressed.

"Because I'm not letting humans get killed by that thing. Those are my rules for who I tell," Divina said bluntly.

Scarlett smirked. Someone defying Greyson orders wasn't something she expected, but it was satisfying. Not that he could do much when no one fully understood this doodle.

"I thought we were clear on that," Divina said coldly.

Greyson said nothing, but his look spoke volume.

"We are," he hissed through gritted teeth.

Divina's tone dripped with disdain. "I don't care if you're planning some shit, but just keep me out of it."

Scarlett couldn't help but grin. Greyson had worked so hard to find this thing, and now he couldn't even control it the way he wanted.

"Don't get your panties in twist," Scarlett teased, hands settling on her hips.

"I'm not," Greyson said calmly. "Just planning for tomorrow."

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's still teaching people to shoot," Greyson said. "Preston and James are joining us, and James is already setting up monitors to track everything."

Scarlett shook her head as she headed back to her bed. "So, we're basically running an experiment that won't change a thing?"

"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.

It wasn't just about Greyson. She knew Luke had his own plans, and if James told Jason about the vanishing, it could change everything.

"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 grumbled, pushing herself up and heading for the door.

Scarlett sighed, planting herself in front of him with hands her hips. "Tick-tock," she mocked.

Greyson reached out, briefly clasping her hand before letting go. "Make sure Jason doesn't find out," he warned, then turned and strode toward the door.

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

Greyson turned back, closing the distance between them. His lips hers softly at first, the n with growing urgency. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.

When they pulled apart, their breaths mingled, faces mere inches away. Her eyes flickered from his gaze to his lips.

They kissed again, before 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 dropped onto her bed with a sigh, draping an arm over her eyes. Their relationship wasn't just about making out more for hours. Sometimes they slept together. No sex. Just sleep. It had happened more than once, especially back when he was fake-dating Emma.

Divina strolled back in with a half-eaten piece of bread hanging from her mouth. "Bread is distinguishing," she muttered through a bite.

"What?" Scarlett asked, grabbing her birth control without looking. She dry-swallowed a pill, something she did out of habit, especially before heading to Greyson's dorm.

"Make sure your boyfriend doesn't do anything stupid," Divina snapped, dropping on the opposite bed. "Don't go chasing Ragnar or stirring out more of this. We can't have people dying from it."

"That won't happen," Scarlett said.

It wouldn't happen, especially not with what she had in mind.

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