Zoe, Olivia, and Lanie all crowded together, doing their best to protect the box of explosives. "You hand over that bomb you're carrying," said Circe, "Or else all three of you will be killed!"

"Never!" said Lanie. She fired a bolt of energy at Circe, but Circe just absorbed it with her hand.

Olivia looked at Circe with a burning hatred. "You've caused us a lot of trouble," she said. "You trained Miss Johnson to turn boys into girls, which led to the disaster of the Y. F. F. H. You kidnapped Bailey, you kidnapped Rachel, and your men even killed Bailey!"

"Need I remind you, you trespassed on our property," said Circe.

"Because we wanted to rescue Bailey-who you'd kidnapped. And then she was killed."

"Well, what a shame," said Circe.

She had finally gone too far. Olivia lunged forward and tackled Circe. The witch was so surprised, she couldn't stop Olivia from pinning her to the floor. But she got over her shock pretty quick. Circe grabbed Olivia's arms and rolled her off of her body. She grabbed Olivia's hair and used it to yank Olivia back toward her so she could put her in a headlock.

"Pathetic girl," said Circe. "Did you think your feeble strength would be any match for my magical abilities?"

"She's not alone," said Zoe. She grabbed Circe's arm and pried it off of Olivia, allowing Olivia to wriggle free of her grasp. Circe angrily hit Zoe and sent her stumbling backward. Zoe hit the door of a nearby supply closet and accidentally knocked it open. Several boxes of ropes and duck tape fell out.

Wait a minute, Lanie thought. Ropes and duck tape?

"Hey!" said Lanie. She summoned the biggest, most powerful orb of energy she'd created yet and threw it at Circe's chest. The witch did not burst into flames and die, but she still fell over like she'd been hit by a charging bull.

"Quick! Tie her up!" Lanie commanded.

Fortunately, Olivia and Zoe got it. Olivia held down Circe while Zoe got a rope and tied it around Circe's wrists like handcuffs, immobilizing her and preventing her from getting back up again. Lanie tore off a strip of duck tape and stuck it over Circe's mouth so she couldn't even use any verbal spells.

"Quick thinking, Lanie," said Zoe. "So what are we gonna do with her now?"

"Take her into the generator room," said Lanie. "We'll leave her there to die when the bomb goes off."

Circe writhed and screamed through the duck tape, but it was no use. Lanie and Zoe both dragged her, one on each side, after Olivia as she carried the box of explosives into the generator room. Lanie and Zoe laid down Circe beside the generator and then went to help Olivia with the explosives. Using the directions Ricardo had given them, they rigged the bomb to explode after a delay of 20 minutes.

"Okay," Olivia said when they'd set the timer, and the seconds had started ticking away. "Now we run."

The three of them left the generator room, but then Zoe faltered. "Wait," she said. "What if Circe-"

"No one will find her," Lanie said, closing the door behind her. "Now let's go!"

The girls sprinted through the corridors, aiming for the garage where Ricardo would be waiting with his truck. When they reached the garage, they found Saige, Miles, and Rachel there with Conner, Carter, and Ricardo. But to their surprise, there was also Mr. Al and a squadron of his witch-hunting soldiers.

"Mr. Al?" Zoe asked. "How did you-"

"I'll explain later," said Mr. Al. "Did you set the bomb?"

"Yes," Zoe answered.

"Then let's go."

Mr. Al and his soldiers piled into the van they'd come in, along with Zoe, Miles, Lanie, Rachel, and Conner. Olivia and Saige got back into Ricardo's truck with Carter and Ricardo. The two vehicles drove out of the Genetics Engineering garage and sped down the street. They didn't come to a stop until they were two blocks away from the Genetics Engineering building.

"We made it," Conner said when they'd stopped. "We actually made it out!"

"But what about the bomb?" Rachel asked. "Did it-"

As if in answer, there was a loud BUH-DOOM noise as an explosion ripped through the Genetics Engineering building. The whole building was blown apart, collapsing on itself as flaming debris flew everywhere.

"We did it!" Zoe exclaimed. "We took out Genetics Engineering!"

"Yes, you did," said Mr. Al. "And to think that I barely did anything to help you..."

"Hey, you did save us from Josie and Lauren," said Miles.

"Well...yes. I did do that."

"Where was Circe?" Rachel asked.

"We locked her in the generator room where the bomb was set," said Lanie.

"So she got hit with the full force of the explosion," said Rachel.

"Then she's dead," said Mr. Al. "Even a witch couldn't survive something like that."

Lanie, Zoe, Rachel, Miles, and Conner all fist-bumped each other. "Then our work here is done," said Zoe.

***

The funeral was held a week later in Chicago. Olivia and Saige both hosted the gathering at a local cemetery where Bailey's recovered body would be buried. Several girls who'd known Bailey at the Y. F. F. H, such as Stephanie, Piper, Sarah, and Andrea, showed up to pay their respects to their old friend. Zoe (who turned back into Zack for the funeral) came with Miles and Skylar, as did Mr. Al. Carter and Ricardo came, too, as did Lanie, Rachel, and Conner.

Olivia and Saige both stood on either side of Bailey's casket. "My friends," she said, "Thank you all for coming here today. We are here to honor our sister and friend Bailey. She was a beautiful, kind, loyal, and courageous young woman."

Piper started to tear up. "I remember when she was first assigned as my roommate at the Y. F. F. H," she sobbed.

"Some of you may not have gotten to know her the way we did," said Saige, "But if you met her, then you know how special she was."

Olivia placed her hand on Bailey's casket. "I probably knew Bailey the best out of anyone," she said. "She and I...it felt like we were sisters. Recently, I fell out of touch with her and started to neglect her. Now I see that it was one of, if not the, biggest mistakes I've ever made. But since we avenged her death by destroying Genetics Engineering, we ensured that her death was not in vain. Now, we will always remember her for what she did for us. Her kind and joyous spirit will live on in all of us."

Olivia, Saige, Stephanie, and Piper all worked together to lower Bailey's casket into the ground. After she'd been buried, the onlookers started to mingle and share stories about Bailey. As they did, it was hard not to cry.

Towards the end of the event, Lanie, Rachel, Conner, Zack, Miles, Olivia, and Saige gathered together once again. "Well, I guess this is it...in a way," said Lanie.

"I know," said Olivia. She knew Lanie, Rachel, and Conner would be going right back to Atlanta, and she was sad to see them go. After everything they'd experienced together, they already felt like family.

"It was great meeting you," said Saige.

"You too," said Conner. "Want to keep in touch?"

"Of course," said Olivia. "We're not just friends-we're family. And family is always there for each other, no matter what."

"Speaking of staying in touch," said Miles, "I guess I should give you my phone number."

"Yes, please!" said Rachel. "Do you want me to come visit you sometime?"

"Nah," said Miles. "I'll come visit you."

Lanie and Conner exchanged glances. "Wow," said Lanie. "I think Rachel's got herself a boyfriend!"

"You guys can visit us, too," said Zack. "Any time you like."

"Believe me, we will," said Saige.

***

Even after everyone else left, Olivia still stayed at the cemetery, looking down on Bailey's grave. She read over Bailey's engraved name, reflecting and basking in the memories of her friend. As much as it hurt to say goodbye, it brought Olivia comfort to think that Bailey might be looking down on her from Heaven, supporting her and cheering her on.

After a while, Olivia knew it was time to leave. She turned and left the grave, heading for the cemetery's exit. But as she was leaving, she heard a voice say "Hey."

Olivia turned, and when she saw who had spoken, she froze in her tracks. "What the..."

"Hi," said Christina Aceves, Olivia's ex-girlfriend. She smiled awkwardly and waved. "Remember me?"

"Yeah," said Olivia. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about Bailey," said Christina. "I thought about coming to the funeral service, but I didn't want to make things too awkward with...you know..."

Olivia nodded gravely. "Well...I'm sure Bailey would appreciate you paying your respects," she said.

Before Olivia could leave, Christina spoke up again. "Look, Olivia, about us, well..."

"You want to tell me why you just up and left me like you did?"

Christina bowed her head in shame. "Well, I was feeling really stressed with school, and I wasn't sure if I wanted the extra burden of carrying our relationship," she said. "But then I heard you were really depressed about our breakup, and I started to feel bad."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yes." Christina shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Look, I know you're probably scarred from our breakup, but...well..."

"You don't want to get back together again, do you?" Olivia asked.

"Maybe, if you feel like you want to."

For a second, Olivia was tempted. For weeks before Bailey and Saige had come knocking on her apartment door, she'd wanted nothing more than to patch things up with Christina. But now that she'd gone through her adventure fighting Genetics Engineering, and was picking up the pieces from everything that had happened, getting back with her old girlfriend suddenly didn't seem so appealing. A part of her still loved Christina, but it wasn't consuming her anymore.

"Actually, I think it's best if we don't," said Olivia.

"You think so?"

"Yes." Olivia took a deep breath before saying "I know we have a lot of good memories together, but now...it's probably best if we just leave it in the past."

Christina slowly nodded. "I think you're right," she said.

"Well...goodbye, Christina," Olivia said, going in to give Christina one last hug. "I hope you find everything you're looking for."

"You too," said Christina. And with that, the former girlfriends parted, ready to start forging their new paths in the future.

***

And so ends Swarms And Sisterhood. It may not have gotten as much viewership as I hoped, but I'm glad I got to finish it. And to those of you who did stick it through to the end...thank you so much. And please feel free to let me know what you thought of this story. If there's one thing I enjoy more than writing, it's hearing people's reviews and getting feedback from them.