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For a few weeks a false sense of security had returned to the students of JYP’s school. Maybe it was the fact that the HCA had quieted down, all but halting their attempts to terrorize mutants. Maybe it was the The Mutant Registration Act being officially shot down by the government. It seemed as if things were going to be okay. And they were for some time, and everyone was happy. All of the girls—including Akari—sat with each other at lunch. There was still some tension, yes, but it had simmered down a significant amount.

Then came chaos in the form of four white vans with dark-tinted windows carrying a small army of men and women dressed in black ski masks. They broke through security at the front gate of the school, boasting gas bombs of thick, white mist that seemed to hang thickly in the air before evaporating. The people on guard were lucky enough to be backhanded by the tip of the ugly, metal guns the men and women carried instead of being killed. They were knocked out quickly and the intruders stormed the gate, throwing their gas bombs at whoever they stumbled across. The men and women began rounding up students and professors one by one, holding them at gunpoint.

When the screaming, shouting and gunfire first erupted, Jeongyeon had been in class with Nayeon and Momo. Everyone stood up at once, and the professor urged everyone to remain calm. “Remember your training,” she instructed, moving toward the hallway. “We’ll need everyone to help.” Silently everyone moved forward. Nayeon immediately took Momo’s hand, walking side by side with her.

“The HCA?” Jeongyeon asked, looking back at her friends.

“Who else?” Nayeon hissed, expression looking serious but terrified.

The hallway was filled with other nervous and surprised students and professors. The professors were gathering, pointing toward the sound of the commotion. It was toward the front of the school, by the entrance. In a giant mob, the crowd moved forward, breaking into a sprint. Momo let go of Nayeon’s hand and Nayeon shot her a look that said: “Don’t. For the love of god Momo, please don’t.”

But Momo was Momo, through and through. If she had to put herself in danger to help someone she would every time. She gave Nayeon a soft, reassuring smile before she disappeared in a blur, running ahead of everyone else and leaving Nayeon with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

There were more gunshots, more shouting. Everyone ran faster. Nayeon had pulled out her neuralyzer, ready to go back in time and warn everyone that this attack—whatever it was—was going to happen.

“Get down!” someone yelled, and Jeongyeon pulled Nayeon down to the ground with her. Something small and round flew over the heads of the students, hitting the tile floor with a clink. A release of white gas broke from the metal bomb and spilled into the air in seconds.

Before the gas could spread to the area around her, Jeongyeon snapped and the chaos around her paused. There was no more screaming, just a vast quietness. Jeongyeon took a breath, forcing air into her lungs, before she stood up and surveyed the situation. At the end of the hallway, blocking the group’s path to the front of the school, there stood four people wearing ski masks, boasting assault rifles. They were running toward the group, mouths open mid-shout. The HCA. It had to be them. The bomb they had just thrown was no doubt releasing something to block their powers. JYP had warned the students that the HCA now had access to such devices after Jihyo and the rest of the girls had encountered them after being lured into that trap by Akari.

Jeongyeon dragged herself forward, feeling like she was moving through molasses with every step. She couldn’t pause time for long, so she’d have to act fast. After carefully dodging the air filled with gas, Jeongyeon eventually made it to the four intruders. She grabbed the gun from the man in front of the group, having to pry it from his hands, but getting it away from him nonetheless. She examined the gun, not knowing how to use it, but figuring holding it with her finger over the trigger would be intimidating enough. She set the gun down carefully and pried the remaining guns from the other three strangers. Her body felt like it was surrounded in jelly now, as if gravity was weighing down on her with more intensity.

What could she do now? She looked back at Nayeon, still curled up on the ground, face hidden by her arms. She carried a gun back with her to Nayeon, dancing around the gas in the air once again. She bent down beside Nayeon and placed on hand gently on the girl’s back. “Nayeon,” she yelled, shaking the girl. “Nayeon!” she yelled again with more urgency. She concentrated very hard on waking the older girl up, closing her eyes and furrowing her brow. After a moment, Nayeon suddenly gasped and then quickly bounced up, looking around at the scene in front of her with wide eyes.

“Behind you,” Jeongyeon informed, and Nayeon spun around quickly, crying out when she saw Jeongyeon with the gun. “I grabbed this from one of the HCA people...but there’s three more guns. We need to point the guns at them so when I start time again they’ll be disarmed and confused. The gas is going to spread and stop us all from using our powers. There’s nothing I can do about that now, but if we have their guns then we’ll at least have the upper hand. We should get behind them and scare them from there...maybe we won’t inhale the gas if we move far enough away from the bomb.”

“Okay,” Nayeon replied, looking forward to see the guns Jeongyeon had taken from the intruders laid out on the floor. She moved forward, avoiding the gas and grabbed one. “Who else are we going to give the other two guns to?”

“I don’t know if I can unfreeze anyone else,” Jeongyeon admitted, stepping forward with Nayeon and grabbing another one of the guns, while Nayeon grabbed the other. They each had two in their hands, and they were quite heavy. Jeongyeon’s breath was becoming laborious and her face was turning pale. Freezing time for this long was quite straining. “I’m barely holding on now. Let’s set these two down next to whoever we think is the most capable, that way someone can grab them as soon as time starts up again.”

In the end, they chose to set the guns down next to their professors, figuring they’d be the most capable with a gun. The walk behind the four people in black ski masks might as well have taken a century with how sluggish Jeongyeon moved. As Jeongyeon passed the four assailants, Jeongyeon gave each one a hard shove, sending them falling backward onto their backs on the tile floor. They each hit the ground with a smack, faces remaining unchanged: angry and focused. They’d sure feel that in a minute.

Finally Nayeon and Jeongyeon were in position. They aimed the assault rifles at their attackers on the ground.

“We need to find Momo,” Nayeon whispered.

“We will, let’s just try to stay alive first,” Jeongyeon replied. “You ready?”

Nayeon nodded, and Jeongyeon snapped her fingers. The world erupted into sound and motion.

The attackers, now on the floor, cried out in delayed pain at their fall, surprised at their sudden change in position and the fact that their guns were gone. The students cried out as the gas spread throughout the hallway. They coughed as it filled their lungs. Unfortunately for Nayeon and Jeongyeon, the gas spread fast, and it was only a matter of time before it filled their lungs too.

“Don’t move!” Jeongyeon roared. Startled, the four people on the ground craned their heads back to see Nayeon and Jeongyeon only feet away, alternating between aiming their guns from person to person. “Don’t move or we shoot!”

“Damn mutants,” one of the men on the ground muttered, putting his hands above his head. “Do you even know how to use that, little girl?”

“Wanna find out?” Jeongyeon warned, and the man on the ground grumbled.

The professors found the guns beside them and pushed in front of the students, who were now forming a half moon around the people on the ground. The HCA members were surrounded, however gunfire from the front of the building was still sounding. More of them were still causing havoc, which meant more students and professors were in danger.

“Let’s get them tied up until the police come,” one of the professors instructed. “Can someone go get some rope from the gym?” A few students volunteered and ran there. Jeongyeon, Nayeon and the other two professors with guns left them pointed at the HCA members until the students returned with the rope.

Students carefully moved forward and began bounding the wrists of the attackers. “Don’t touch me,” the only woman of the group cried, as Jae began to bound her wrists. “Filthy mutant! You’re an abomination!” Jae avoided her smacks and continued to tie a tight knot.

“That gas disables our powers temporarily,” Nayeon told the professors. “With theses guns at least we stand a chance. We need to go help the people at the front of the school.”

“Alright, we can handle these four fine for now. You two go up front and be careful. Remember, you’re practically human now.”

Jeongyeon and Nayeon nodded, retreating a few steps before turning around and sprinting down the hallway toward the sound of the echoing cries. Nayeon opened they’d find Momo up ahead soon.

The gunfire first started when Mina was alone in her room, attempting to get some studying done. She jumped up, pulling her earbuds out. Her first thought was Akari—she had to get to Akari. She ran out her door, slamming it closed behind her, running into the hallway—

—smack-dab into Chaeyoung. The two girls collided, sending them both stumbling backwards.

“Mina, are you okay?” Chaeyoung asked, with wide eyes. “I heard gunfire so I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” Mina assured, “but we need to find out what’s going on. I need to find—”

“—hey!” a voice called, and Mina and Chaeyoung both turned to see Dahyun running toward them. “Did you guys hear that?”

“Gun shots,” Chaeyoung confirmed. “It sounded like it came from the front of the school, we need to go now.”

Chaeyoung grabbed Mina’s hand and began pulling her forward. Together they rushed further into the school with Dahyun right behind them. “I need to find Akari,” Mina told Chaeyoung with a shaky breath. “If she’s in the middle of this there’s no telling what she’ll do. She might be in her room.”

“There’s no time!” Chaeyoung replied.

“I’m on it,” Dahyun assured. She blinked and her body blurred slightly until there were two Dahyun’s running side by side—an identical copy of herself. “I’ll go back to her room, you go ahead,” the Dahyun on the left said, spinning around to head back toward Akari’s room. Mina’s eyes widened, never having seen Dahyun’s powers in action, but she was thankful for the younger girl’s help. The three girls continued to sprint on, turning a corner to head to the foyer near the front gate.

When they reached the foyer, they were all startled to see a group of students rounded up against the wall, guarded by about six men wearing black ski masks with assault rifles. Mina raised her hand and the six men immediately dropped their weapons, shouting as they strained against the control of Mina’s mind. In another second the men dropped like flies, now sound asleep. Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Mina rushed over to the group of students, who looked very relieved to see Mina and her friends.

“They’re releasing the gas that blocks our powers,” Jihyo, who was among the group of students, explained. Next to her was Sana, who looked pale and scared. Dahyun immediately ran to her and held her closely. She was shivering.

“There’s more of them,” another student replied, stepping forward. “I think they headed toward JYP’s office.”

“Is anyone hurt?” Chaeyoung asked. Everyone shook their heads.

“But I think they were going to kill us all,” Sana whispered. “We need to stop the rest of them.”

“You guys find somewhere safe to go, and grab their guns to bring with you just in case. We’ll go toward JYP’s office to see if we can find the rest of the HCA since we can use our powers,” Dahyun said.

Jihyo nodded, picking a rifle up off the ground and holding it awkwardly. “Be safe,” she pleaded.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Mina began running toward JYP’s office. “Akari was in her room,” Dahyun informed Mina as they ran. “I’m bringing her to the front so she can meet up with Jihyo and everyone else.”

Mina was amazed at how Dahyun could know that while being here with them at the same time. She wanted to know more about how the whole duplication thing worked but she knew now was a bad time to ask. Instead she focused on moving quickly and keeping up with Chaeyoung.

Running up the stairs, down the hallway toward the offices, the three girls skidded to a halt seeing a group of professors slumped down against the wall. There was blood...lots of blood. Mina, Chaeyoung and Dahyun rushed to the aid of the professors, immediately checking for a pulse. Some of them groaned at the light touch, others remained still. “They’ve been shot,” Mina replied, examining the wounds. “We need to find—”

“—Miss Suzy!” Dahyun yelped, kneeling next to a woman laying on the floor with a pool of blood forming beneath her. “Oh god,” Dahyun yelled, noticing the bullet wound piercing the woman’s chest. “Miss Suzy?” Dahyun replied, gently tapping the woman’s shoulder.

The older woman stirred, opening her eyes slowly. “Dahyun, be careful,” she whispered. “There’s bad people here.”

“Can you heal yourself?” Chaeyoung asked, gently lifting the woman’s head off the ground and placing it against her lap.

“Normally yes,” Suzy wheezed. “But the gas...they released...my powers are gone…”

“They’ll come back in a few hours,” Chaeyoung replied. “Just hold on until then, okay?” Chaeyoung tightly gripped Suzy’s hand, which felt unnaturally cold.

“We need medical supplies for everyone,” Mina replied. “I’ll run back and get them from the health center, okay?”

“I’ll come with you,” Dahyun responded, duplicating herself once again. “And I’ll stay here with Chaeyoung,” the other Dahyun said. “We need to stay here in case the HCA come back.”

“Be careful,” Chaeyoung called to Mina as she and one of the Dahyuns began to run down the hall towards Suzy’s office, which wasn’t too far away. With her dad being a doctor, Mina had basic knowledge of medicine, and so she knew a few things to grab to help stop the bleeding of the bullet wounds.

Mina quickly went through the supplies in Suzy’s office and grabbed gauze as well as sterile dressing. Dahyun kept watch as Mina grabbed a large amount of dressing and together they ran back to the hallway where Chaeyoung and the other Dahyun were waiting. Chaeyoung sighed with relief as soon as she saw Mina and Dahyun. Mina handed each person gauze and dressing, instructing them to apply direct pressure on the wound and to wrap it tightly. “The more blood they lose, the less of a chance they’ve got. We need to stop the bleeding.”

Chaeyoung and the two Dahyuns did as they were told, patching up the five men and women all on the ground. “We need to find Nayeon so she can go back and warn everyone about this,” Chaeyoung said as she wrapped Suzy’s wound tightly. “I’d call but if she’s hiding I don’t want to put her in danger.”

“Don’t you think she would’ve gone back in time by now if she could?” The Dahyun closest to Chaeyoung asked. “She might not be able to use her powers...or worse.”

“We need to find the other gunmen on this side of the school, then we should go back to look for Nayeon,” Mina suggested. “We need to eliminate the threat first and then worry about undoing all of this.”

Chaeyoung couldn’t argue with that. After everyone was patched up as best as a few untrained students could do, Chaeyoung quickly called the police, but they told her someone had already called and that help was already on the way. Feeling slightly relieved about that, the girls continued down the hallway on the lookout for any more of the masked thugs. There had to be more somewhere on this side of the school. Keeping alert, the girls moved stealthily and Mina was ready to use her powers at the first sign of any shadowy figure.

They reached JYP’s office and his door was slightly ajar. Dahyun gave Mina and Chaeyoung a worried look before she slowly pushed his door open all the way. There was no one inside the office, however it did look as though a tornado rolled through...the place was a disaster, with paperwork all over the floor and chairs tipped over. “Where could they be?” Chaeyoung asked.

“Let’s head back toward Nayeon then,” Dahyun suggested. “Maybe we’ll run into the goons then.”

The goons. That made them sound like villains in a cartoon, not gun-wielding people out for blood. By the time the girls reached the main foyer once again with the large staircase, they found the group of students they’d left there earlier was gone, moved somewhere safe hopefully. The people Mina had knocked out were still sleeping on the ground. They looked almost peaceful.

Then the air was ripped apart as a bullet sailed toward the three girls faster than the speed of sound. Before any one of them could react to the sight of a group of men moving toward them from a side hallway there was the sound of a gun firing––so loud the world around them rang fiercely, causing Mina to grind her teeth as the force of hot metal kicked her right side back. She fell to the ground as pain erupted through her body. Her body felt like it was on fire. It felt as if someone whacked her with a metal baseball bat as hard as they could repeatedly.

As the warm blood oozed out of her new wound, all Mina could hear was the sound of screaming. It was Dahyun, she realized. She tried to call out to the girl, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It was getting harder for her to breath and her vision was blurred with her tears. There were a few other cries, deeper and sharper—cries of the men who had shot her. Mina could slightly make out what looked like a few Dahyuns, circling the men as they continued to fire at the increasing amount of bodies surrounding them. She saw another girl come running—Chaeyoung—and the guns flew out of the men’s hands, flying back to hit themselves in the face with a crunch. The force sent them crumbling to the ground.

There was more screaming. As Mina’s face was pressed into the hardwood floor, she could make out more feet gathering into the large foyer space. She could tell they were more students who must’ve come running at the sound of the gunshot.

Next thing Mina knew she was being lifted off the floor, at least partially. Her head was now resting against someone’s chest and she felt very cold and numb. “Hang in there,” she heard someone say—whoever it was who had lifted her head off the ground and was holding her close now.

Her eyes were closing though. The darkness was comforting. It was calling to her. There was no pain there. “Mina!” a voice shouted, shaking her from her almost slumber. The pain came rushing to her once again and she cried out. “Stay with me.” She felt soft fingers pressing at her side over the wound, causing her to whine in pain.

It was a soft, pleasing voice. A voice she’d grown very fond of. She let it engulf her, letting it take her back to the time she’d just arrived at JYP’s school. She was quite nervous about fitting in, feeling less than human after spending years locked away in a place that seemed bent on making her into something animalistic.

She was enjoying her time alone at lunch reading a book she’d just picked out at the huge library in the school. She’d began to love reading. It’d become so familiar to her, being it was the only thing that helped her stay sane as she was locked away in her room in the facility. Books helped take her to far off places.

Quite invested in the story already, Mina was shocked when the book was ripped from her hands. Aggravated, her eyes widened and she jumped back slightly, watching as the book floated up on its own until it was nearly five feet off the ground. Mina stood up and reached for it, only to find the book dodge her hand and float higher. She huffed and looked at the book before she heard the sound of muffled laughter. She followed the sound and snapped her head in its direction, seeing a table of girls in their school uniforms. One had her hand extended in Mina’s direction. She had short hair styled in a way that reminded Mina of a movie star. The girl looked young and a bit mischievous, and was no doubt the one causing Mina’s book to levitate. Mina glared at the girl and they made eye contact briefly. Something passed between them then, a feeling Mina couldn’t quite describe.

The girl dropped her hand in horror and Mina felt a thud on the top of her head, causing her to cry out and immediately rub the spot where the book had fallen. It hurt like hell. Mina picked up her lunch tray and book and immediately made a break for the school. The thought of a bunch of strangers seeing her cry terrified her, and so she ducked her head down and held her breath as she walked away.

Then later in the library where Mina retreated to because she felt safe there, she saw the same short-haired girl again. She looked apologetic and guilty, no longer mischievous. And she stumbled through an apology in such a way that Mina couldn’t help but immediately forgive the girl. And as the girl rambled on about something, Mina watched her intently as an idea dawned on her. This girl could be her friend, a true friend. She could actually belong here.

The memory faded as Mina felt cool hands on her face. “What happened?” another familiar voice shouted. This voice was not soft, but rather harsh and panicked.

“She was shot,” Mina heard someone else answer. Mina strained her eyes to focus on the face hovering over her own—Akari. Akari looked down at her with eyes Mina had seen before many times while out in the field on missions. They were eyes filled with hate...burning with rage. Something inhuman.

Akari snapped.

She ripped a gun from Jihyo’s hands and fired it with deadly accuracy at the men and women wearing black that the students had managed to round up—even the ones already passed out on the ground from earlier. Head shot, head shot, head shot. The HCA members fell like dominoes, limp and dead.

Jihyo screamed at Akari to stop, but even her loud voice was lost over the sounds of the assault rifle firing. Akari kept firing at each body, long after they were dead. Jihyo approached Akari, taking her shoulder and saying something in her ear. Whatever it was, Mina couldn’t tell. She was barely hanging onto consciousness at this point.

“They’re dead, okay!” Nayeon screamed at Akari. “And now the whole world is gonna think we’re all murderous monsters! We would’ve had their sympathy but you just threw that all away! Do you understand what you’ve done?”

Akari clicked on the safety and set down the gun she was holding. She took a step back, away from the group of girls all gathered around Mina. “They hurt her…” Akari muttered. “She’s dying!”

“The police and EMTs are on the way,” Sana assured. “She’ll be okay.”

“But what if she isn’t?” Akari asked, angrily at first, looking down at her hands and curling them into fists. “What if she isn’t…?” she asked again, this time sounding defeated and sad. She looked at Mina, lying limply in Chaeyoung’s arms and her hands began to tremble. Mina’s eyelids were drooping shut every few seconds but they’d snap open now and then as she fought to stay awake.

“You!” Akari rushed forward toward Nayeon. “Turn back time! Undo this!” Akari begged, taking Nayeon by the shoulders and shaking her.

“I would if I could,” Nayeon choked out as tears spilled down her cheeks. “But I can’t use my powers. I inhaled the gas earlier.”

“How convenient!” Akari roared. “The one person that could fix this becomes useless when we need her the most. What good are you then?” She pushed Nayeon backward, causing the red-headed girl to stumble. Momo, who Jeongyeon and Nayeon had found shortly after running off on their own, rushed to her girlfriend’s side and steadied her.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Momo growled, face turning dangerously serious.

“You don’t think I’d give everything to go back?” Nayeon yelled at Akari, tears spilling down her cheeks freely now. “This is all your fault! You’re the one who got the HCA this technology in the first place. If they didn’t have this gas then there’d be no way they could’ve gotten past the front gate!”

“Nayeon…” Sana warned, clinging onto Dahyun’s arm with wide eyes.

“Mina could die because of you...Momo and Sana almost died because of you...you bring nothing but misery,” Nayeon spit out. “You’re a monster. You don’t deserve to be here in the first place.”

Akari dug her fingernails into her palms with so much force that it began to draw blood. The rage she’d felt earlier had let a floodgate of memories poor in, and now Nayeon’s words were helping her piece things together.

Akari took a step forward and Momo stepped in front of Nayeon to protect her. The two girls glared at each other. Akari imagined the life from Nayeon until she was dry and dead the thought greatly satisfied her.

“Stop,” Mina yelled out as loudly as she could. “Akari, please.”

Akari spun around to face Mina, who had lifted her head to look up at what was taking place. The girl looked incredibly pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked like death. And the blood spilling through her upper chest, flowing through Chaeyoung’s desperate fingers as she tried to put pressure on the wound, made Mina look like she was in a scene from a slasher movie.

Akari remembered the first time she’d seen Mina. She looked so young and innocent—not cut out for the life she was drawn into living at the facility. Akari felt for her, but she was also happy to see her, as selfish as that sounded. Mina was a friendly face, someone who actually understood Akari’s struggles. Someone who looked at her like she wasn’t a trained circus animal. Akari remembered the look on Mina’s face as she turned around and walked out of the facility, leaving her there to rot in that room and be put down like a rabid dog. The betrayal she felt came flooding back, like a slap in the face.

But then Akari remembered Mina’s face when she woke up here in the school after Mina had wiped her memories. It wasn’t angry, or vengeful, but hopeful. She remembered Mina lightly patting her arm when she said: “I’ll do my best to help you find yourself again.” Akari remembered Mina’s shy smile when she admitted she liked spending time with her.

Akari dropped to the ground and crawled forward toward Mina. Everyone else flinched and stepped backward in fear. Akari looked up at them and began to tremble slightly. She was by Mina’s side, and Mina was looking up at her tiredly. Chaeyoung gave Akari a threatening look as she pulled Mina closer to her. She had no idea what Akari would do now.

“I’m sorry,” Akari whispered to Mina. “I’m so sorry for everything. I remember...I remember everything.”

Mina’s eyes widened but she didn’t look alarmed, as Akari seemed more distressed than angry.

“But just hang on...please...help is on the way.” Akari took one of Mina’s hands, which felt alarmingly cold, and she squeezed it.

Mina opened to say something but instead of words coming out she wretched and a bit of blood spilled from her lips. Her eyes looked distant, like she was suddenly looking at something far away behind Akari. Her breath was becoming ragged and uneven. It’s clear blood was now filling up her lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe.

“Oh god,” Chaeyoung cried, burying her head into Mina’s neck and sobbing. “Mina I love you, I love you, I love you,” she whispered over and over again, just loud enough for Akari to hear it.

Akari squeezed Mina’s hand more tightly. “I won’t let you die,” she whispered to Mina. “God, I have so many powers but I’m still useless now. Unless…” her voice trailed off as an idea suddenly came to her.

Chaeyoung looked up at her suspiciously.

“I can take life away…” Akari began slowly, “but what if I can give it too.”

Jihyo knelt down beside the girls, wanting to hear what Akari was saying more clearly. Everyone else remained at a distance, watching with tear-filled eyes. “You think you can save her?” Jihyo asked, looking at Akari earnestly.

“I’m not sure…” Akari admitted. “But I can try.”

Akari looked at Mina’s vacant eyes and pushed all her emotions to the surface. She thought of all the powers she had stolen from other mutants and the extra energy she carried around with her because of it. If she could just figure out a way to transmit some of that energy to Mina...maybe she could heal her wound.

She thought of all her powers...her ability to manipulate water, teleport, shape-shift...and imagined them as balls of energy, separating from her body and going into Mina. Perhaps if she wanted it badly enough, it could happen.

She wished it with all her might...for just one of her powers to transfer to Mina. Whenever Akari took a mutant’s power...essentially their life force, she felt stronger and rejuvenated. Perhaps it would be the same effect. The voice in her head screamed as she closed her eyes and projected everything she had at Mina.

Mina’s empty eyes began to clear again, and she blinked slowly. She coughed slightly and Akari’s grip on her hand softened. “Mina, just hold on a little longer,” Chaeyoung begged.

The sound of sirens wailed in the distance and Momo ran outside to direct the police and cops to Mina as quickly as possible. An entire team of policemen and women entered the premise on high alert, followed by EMTs carrying stretchers and medical bags. Momo quickly explained to them that the threat had been eliminated or contained. There were still other groups of HCA members being held at different points in the school.

“She needs help,” Momo gestured to Mina. “But there’s more injured back toward the bedrooms. I’ll take you there.”

“And there’s people injured back by the offices too,” Dahyun replied. She duplicated herself so she didn’t have to peel herself away from Sana and offered to take the doctors up to that wing of the school. Mina was rolled onto a stretcher, pulled from Chaeyoung’s arms and lifted away. Chaeyoung trailed behind the EMTs like a lost puppy, not wanting to leave Mina’s side. Akari stood up and watched as Mina was taken away with shimmering eyes. It might have been a trick of her mind, but for a moment Mina briefly looked like someone else.

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This chapter was so intense for me to write...hope you all liked it. Do you think Akari actually transferred one of her powers to Mina? If so, what effect do you think it will have on her? Also...where was Tzuyu this whole time??