𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

"You lost Sam?" I narrow my eyes at Emma as Marie and her, Sam, and Jordan meet us outside to go to Shetty's house... unfortunately.

Emma's eyes widen. "Pff, whattt? No, no, you told her?!" She whisper shouts to Marie.

"Yes, I texted her that you found him." Marie stresses.

I push past them to Sam. "Sammy." I swallow, guilt lodging itself in my throat that I've spent the day doing anything other than spending time with him. I just got him back.

"Illie." He smiles. "I had the best day!" He envelopes me in a hug. "Missed you."

"That's good." I chuckle, exhaling shakily. "Missed you, too." I pull away turning to Emma with a pointed look.

"Jordan already got on to me, it's okay." She holds up her hand. "I'm sorry. I was shitting myself worried and as Jordan said, I can't imagine what you must've felt." She says all in one breath before sighing loudly.

I shift my eyes to Jordan as they look down, avoiding my gaze. "Did they?" Why does the knife in my chest keep twisting? They glance up at me, their Adams apple slowly moving as they swallow.

"To Shetty's?" Marie's voice interrupts... staring.

"Yeah." I nod. This better be fucking good. I tear my eyes away from Jordan, feeling their heated gaze the entire way there...

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

We hurry up to Shitty's house and as we approach the front door notice it's cracked open... shit. Wasn't Magnet supposed to be here? With Cate? To watch the snake.

Marie pulls out her knife as I shut my eyes for a moment, soaking in the sunlight. Victoria's words play through my head of Marie and I working together before I reopen them, nodding. Jordan, right next to my side, pushes the door open and I step inside first hunger and irritation only fueling my desire to get this fucking over with.

"Cate?" Marie calls out.

"Cate!" I shout after no response. We walk through the kitchen and I slow to a stop when I see Cate out of the corner of my eye in the living room. She's standing with her hands folded together in front of her, Shetty distanced behind her.

"Cate?" Marie questions as we approach. "Your eye..." I narrow my eyes looking closely to find her eyes bloody as they were earlier when we woke up.

"What happened?" Jordan asks at the same time I ask, "What's going on?"

"I'm okay." Cate assures. "And now she'll do whatever we want."

I scoff. "And we're just supposed to believe you?" Where the hell is Andre?

"Maybe you should rest." Marie offers. I roll my eyes, Marie.

"I feel fine." Cate exhales, shaking her head. "It wasn't my powers that were fucking me up. It was the pills she was giving me." She tells us. Jordan eyes Shetty out of the corner of my eye and I glance over my shoulder to find Sam waiting in the entry way. Good. He shouldn't have even came, but we couldn't leave him alone... clearly. "I've never felt better."

"Great." I bite.

"Cate." Shetty speaks up. "Listen to your friends. They care about you."

"Shut up." Cate snaps at her. "You had your chance to talk and now it's my turn."

My nostrils flare. "We aren't her friends." I hiss. "Thanks to you two being fucking pals!" I spit out. "Mmm, it doesn't fucking feel good to be drugged and manipulated, does it, Cate?" My arms heat up, begging me to light this room up. The room brightens as the sun shines through the windows. "You chance is running out." I warn Cate. "So I'd hurry."

"Please, Cate, you don't have to do this." Shetty begs. "I love you." Please.

"I know you love me." Cate scoffs. "It doesn't change the fact that you're a fucking bitch!" She snaps. I snort to myself. Oh, God, isn't this just... fucking funny?

I hate Cate, I hate Shetty, Cate hates her now... what a vicious little cycle of betrayal and lies.

"Cate, what the fuck is going on?" Jordan asks sharply.

"Don't worry, we're on the same side." Cate speaks gently.

"No, the fuck we're not." I laugh at her like she's insane. Did we walk into a different dimension where everything doesn't exist?

"Okay, sorry, can I get a quick SparkNotes version?" Emma cuts in. "Cause I have no idea what the fuck you guys are talking about."

Cate turns back to Shetty. "Tell them what you told me." She demands.

I glance over at Jordan finding them already looking at me with the same questioning expression. Glad we're on the same page.

Shetty lifts her chin. "This school is a front. Thomas Godolkin was a behavioral scientist. He built this place to figure out what makes Supes tick." My ears are ringing. Jordan shifts between each foot. "Their weaknesses, how to control them." She pauses. Stop. "You're not here to study." Stop. "The school is here to study you. You're subjects. Not human."

"We're better than humans." Sam abruptly chimes in. Everything is a lie.

Everything is a Goddamn lie.

It's a facade. This school. Is a facade.

"Mmm. You forgot to mention the virus that's supposed to kill us all." I hum angrily.

"Iliana and Jordan found out she has some kind of virus to kill the kids in The Woods." Marie turns to Emma, filling her in on what I quickly told her while we were waiting for them to meet us. Information she deserved since she told me about Sam. "But she wants to make it more contagious."

"And take out us subjects." I spit out. "Right?"

"She wants more than that." Cate looks at her. "Don't you?"

"I want it to spread across the globe and kill all of you." Shetty admits. Mmm. There it is. There it fucking is. After being told for years Dean Shetty was a kind woman, you could trust... she started with Luke. And now she might as well fucking kill me too. But I'd like to see her try.

"Holy fuck." Emma lets out.

"Why?" Marie raises her voice. "We don't want to hurt you." Well- "Or anyone. You know that."

"Don't lie. Tell her." Cate snaps immediately.

Shetty glances at Cate before looking back at us. "Homelander."

My head is fucking spinning.

"So... so all this because he lasered that Starlighter dude?" Emma throws her head in her hands for a moment, clearly her head is spinning too. We all turn to her. "No, sorry, it's fucked-up, don't get me wrong." Emma quickly continues. "But, like, killing all of us seems... seems a little melodramatic."

"Homelander?" Marie doesn't understand.

I shake my head, taking a step back as my brain flashes through everything from earlier.

The file. The plane. The sear marks on it...

"He did it." I say quietly. "The plane. Your family."

"What?" Marie asks. Right... didn't exactly have enough time to tell her everything.

My eyes lock with Jordan's horror-filled ones.

"It's not just him." Shetty says, returning Jordan and I's focus to her. "You all leave a path of destruction behind you. You have ruined countless lives. Just look at what you did to your parents." She shakes her head at Marie. "You can't help it. It's your species."

My blood boils. "No, you don't get to play that fucking card with Marie! You are the reason Luke is dead!" I scream at her, my body physically shaking as I flex my fingers, causing sweat to drip down her forehead.

"Tell them what your last assignment was for me." Cate says to her.

A grin appears on her face. "Kill everybody in The Woods."

"Jesus Christ." Jordan mutters. "Did you?" They ask Cate.

"Of course not, Jordan." Cate declaims at them. "I'm trying to show you what kind of monster she is." Her eyes flash to all of us. "She wants to wipe us off the face of the Earth. They all do, so we have to strike first." Shetty pulls at her jacket as her body temperature rises. "Starting with her." Cate states, turning back to Shetty.

"Cate, make me forget. We can start over." She shutters. "I'm gonna take care of you." Please. Fucking shut the fuck up.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut the fuck up." Cate raises her voice with each word. Mmm. Thank you.

"Cate!" She cries out.

"Indira." She snaps, swallowing. "It's time."

Shetty's breathing picks up as she brings her arm out from behind her and I blink, what the fuck, bringing out a large knife.

"Fuck. Cate." Jordan lets out in shock.

"Holy shit." Emma panics.

Shetty slices her neck open, blood pouring out instantly, and I smile. Finally. Everyone gasps.

"Oh my fucking God!" Emma shouts. "Holy fuck."

Shetty drops to the ground. Marie gasps, stepping forward and Cate grabs her hand. "Don't help." Cate orders her.

"Iliana." Marie turns to me. Jordan steps up behind me and I hold my hand up.

"Let her die." I say.

"Ilia-"

"Let her die." I turn to Marie, looking at her directly. "I don't give a fuck. She made the virus, she tortured Sam, she killed Luke, she manipulated you, she sent me away..."

"This is the only way." Cate tells her. "We can't trust anybody. They'll only hurt us." I hate that I'm with Cate on something, but if she didn't have Shetty cut her fucking throat I would have singed her myself.

Marie starts breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face. Oh, fuck. She's having a panic attack... "Cate, Cate." Her parents. The memory... we saw in Cate's mind.

"I'm so sorry you have to relive this." Cate tells her gently. I do feel sorry for Marie, but Shetty deserves no sympathy from me.

Suddenly, she stops breathing, stilling.

"What just happened?" Marie chokes out.

"Justice." Sam's voice rings out into the air.

Justice. For Luke. For Sam. For Marie. For me.

Dean Shetty is fucking dead. And I haven't felt this... way since Luke died.

Like I'm finally in control again. And not drowning.

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hey, heyyy... welcome back!! We have officially made to the end of episode 7... what...

Honestly I thought episode 6 took a long time bc of all of Iliana's memories, but dang this episode felt like I was on it for 5 years lmao. Which I'm not complaining at all, it just feels weird to finally finish it bc I feel like I've been on it for a HOT minute.

I cannot believe there's only one episode left to go... like... HUH?!

Sooo... how do we feel about this chapter? What do y'all think?! I'm very excited to hear y'all's thoughts about Iliana's reaction to Shetty... are we shocked? Not shocked? I would actually be very shocked if someone is shocked lmao. Since the MOMENT I watched that scene I was like ohhh Iliana is not helping & will be so glad lmfao.

I still had Marie want to stop it & freak out/panic bc even though she's on Iliana's side ofc I still think she would react that way (but I did not have my love Jordan run over to try to help Shetty bc fuckkkk noooo. Did we not all see what Shetty did??? Especially what she did to Iliana? Nope, bye!)

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!! I am so sad we are on the final stretch of Golden Facade, but also proud & excited!! Don't be afraid to comment your thoughts, questions, & reactions!! And until next time to kick off episode 8, mwah!! <333