The world was crumbling around Ethan, piece by piece.

Three days had passed since Jordan's machine had transformed her, and the aftermath was unfolding in ways she couldn't have imagined. What had started as a desperate attempt to hide from her parents while Jordan tried to fix his mistake had evolved into something far worse.

Chapter 18: Another Day, Another Blow
The following day, Yuqi walked into school with trepidation gnawing at her insides. Her parents had promised to handle the situation, but Yuqi wasn’t naive enough to think things would change overnight. As she approached her locker, her pulse quickened. The image of the graffiti inside her locker the day before was fresh in her mind, and she dreaded what she might find today.

I was out shopping at my local mall, just finishing with the anchor store near where I parked. I wanted something to nibble on and was on my way to the food court. I noticed a large crowd up ahead, more than is usually congregated around the food court.

As I approached, it seemed to be one of those survey groups, a lot of young people carrying clipboards actively engaged with customers of the mall as they tried to shop.

What caught my attention, the most was one of the group who appeared to be a male, was sporting bright pink lipstick.