Vanished

Chapter Twelve

When they got back to Simcoe, Jason laid on Bella's couch. He had minor injuries this time due to Greyson's wrath, but Scarlett allowed him to get away without much physical harm. It was good that they at least got away before anyone was seriously hurt.

Bella sat on the end of the couch, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, with a bandage wrapped around her thigh. Cindy ended up dressing it once they came back since she got shot with a nail gun.

Zane had gone back to the fire station, resulting in him knowing they had to act soon. Due to his actions, Jason didn't even have any words to say to Mark. He still couldn't believe Mark had chosen to help Greyson by leading him right into their hands.

Esme has sped off somewhere in town, saying she wanted the freedom to run around. It surprised him that Luke hadn't gone after her.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked, bending in front of him.

Jason removed the ice from the back of his head, and he was quite certain he had suffered a concussion from the blow. He remembered learning from volleyball after one of his teammates got a ball hard to the head. He groaned slightly, moving his head, making Bella automatically place a hand on the back of his head.

"Well, I'm okay," he sighed.

Jason thought back to Ashley. Zane told him about her disintegrating most of the wall at Uden. From what he remembered, Scarlett had ranked her low. Did the supernatural abilities change over time? Maybe that's what happened in some twisted part of this bubble.

First, people aged fifteen and over seem to vanish. Next came being trapped, plus that leakage that may or may not have changed Ashley. If that purple substance wasn't blood, had this injection been some kind of monster?

Jason felt his heart race as Bella slowly tried to calm him down. She held his hand and slowly rubbed his forearm. Looking up at her, she smiled at him. He leaned up slightly, used his opposite hand, and pulled her down to kiss her.

If this had actually been reality, Jason wouldn't have had a chance with Bella since she was always hanging with the older students. Even kissing her seemed like a fantasy from another universe.

He released the arm from around her neck, pulling back as her face clouded with a blush. "Thank you," he said.

It didn't feel right going back to his house. Knowing the exposed secret and that even Ashley, being his stepsister, didn't feel right. He was supposed to grow up in a house with a twin brother, who is the exact opposite of him.

"I think you should prioritize your Simcoe role over going to Uden," Bella said, her cheeks flushed.

Slowly, he sat up, but felt an intense rush of pain through his body. Bella wiped the side of his temple, where dried blood was visible.

"I need to figure out Ashley's incident," Jason mumbled. He spotted the unsettled expression resting on her face, looking toward the wall.

Bella took a breath and looked back at him. "Zane said there was another hole on Park Street that caused the deaths of some children," she said.

Jason widened his eyes, gripping the side of the couch. He should probably check in and see if anyone got injured, or close the road off so people don't try jumping in it for fun. In the worst case, people might actually die by trying to avoid the hole.

Bella automatically pushed his shoulders down, making him wince in pain. "No," she said, her eyebrows narrowing. "Zane and some others were helping gather those that did survive. I know you two will vanish soon, which means we need to find a way to prevent it."