Panic gripped me as I waited for someone to tell me what had happened to Issy. She’d been right beside me before we’d gotten knocked back, and I’d not heard her voice since then. Was she okay? Had she hit the ground just as hard as I had?

  I craned my head, trying to look for her, but a giant dead spider blocked my view of half the quad, and Phoebe was still clinging to me. Her body shielded out the rest of the space.

  I’m fine! Issy reassured me. Barely even hurt! I landed on a pile of spiders. All dead, thankfully. It wasn’t the nicest crash mat, but it was definitely softer than the concrete, so I’ll take it.

  Relief washed over me, and I tried to let out a laugh, but I quickly realised it was a mistake. The laughter caught in my chest, throwing me into another coughing fit that left my eyes watering. Phoebe leant back, her expression concerned as she watched me.

  Luckily, it didn’t take long for me to catch my breath again, and the moment I stopped coughing, I began to push myself up. The movement sent agony burning through me again, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to stop moving until I was sitting upright. My eyes found the building on the far side of the quad, and my mouth fell open as I took it in.

  What the hell was that? What happened? I asked the others, hoping they’d already figured it out.

  I have no clue, came Issy’s reply.

  Her voice was soft, her tone concerned, and that worried me almost as much as the row of smashed windows that seemed to span the entire width of the building. It was only on that one floor, though. A few other windows had been shattered, but the glass remained in the frames. It must have had some kind of coating or film on it, something that meant it stayed together rather than raining down onto the stone below, but the blast that had thrown me back must have removed it somehow.

  If it had, did that mean the barrier that stopped Livvie from being able to hear our thoughts was also gone? I wasn’t sure if it was a physical thing, if something had been placed against the glass to block her power, but a weak spark of hope flared to life in my heart.

  What about the others? I asked. Have they said anything since—

  No, she replied.

  My hope died, immediately being eclipsed by fear as I continued to stare up at the building. They were okay, I told myself. They had to be. They couldn’t die. It wasn’t possible, and I repeated that to myself again and again, but I didn’t truly believe it. If they were alive, they’d say something. They’d find a way to let us know, and they hadn’t.

  Before I could reply to Issy, a sound distracted me. The low boom seemed to echo around us. I lifted my hands to my ears in a desperate attempt to shield them from the deep noise that made the inside of my head feel like it was being gripped tightly, and I felt my weak grip on the water, still shooting into the air around us, shatter. The pressure grew more intense, and lights danced in my vision, but it disappeared after just a moment.

  Silence filled the quad as strands of webs fluttered through the air, torn free of the buildings, and glass glittered as it rained towards the ground. It would have been almost beautiful, if not for the fear that seized me and made it hard to breathe or form thoughts.

  What the hell was that? Mel asked. Phoebe… is that you?

  Phoebe stared up at the fire working its way through the remaining web on the building to our right. It seemed to sweep across the surface, melting the white material away and revealing the broken windows below. They were entirely black, I realised, the thought sending ice down my spine. Just like the hole Livvie had made when she broke into the building, nothing could be seen through any of the gaping windows.

  No, Phoebe thought, her voice breathless from fear. I… I don’t know where that’s coming from.

  Should we… what should we do? Mel asked, looking towards Issy.

  I could only look away from the windows for a second to glance at Issy’s pale, terrified face. It felt like if I took my eyes off them for any longer, something would happen. I wasn’t sure what it would be, but I knew it was bad. There were too many windows, though. The buildings on the far sides of the quad were too broad, and I couldn’t watch it all at once. Instead, my gaze roamed back and forth as I waited. Something was about to happen. I could feel it.

  It wasn’t the spiders, though. I hadn’t noticed before; I’d been too distracted by my injuries and the noise, but they weren’t attacking anymore. They’d started to retreat, slipping away into the shadows and scurrying across buildings as they hurried to get away.

  Why? The question ricocheted through my mind. What had happened to make them leave? Was it the noise, whatever that had been? Perhaps it wasn’t just a device to break the glass. Maybe it was also to drive the spiders back, but that still didn’t answer the question of why.

  We should stop them, a quiet voice in the back of my head whispered. We should have stopped the spiders from leaving. The people of Nottingham needed to be protected from them, and that was our mission. It was why we’d been called to the city, after all. We needed to get rid of the spiders and stop them from terrorising anyone else.

  I knew I should have leapt to my feet, ignoring the pain that still gripped my body, and dashed after the creatures. I should have done what we’d been told to do and rounded them all up, killing them without mercy or hesitation, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They were no longer the biggest threat. The person or people who’d lured Livvie and Alice into the building, the ones who’d blocked our powers and smashed the windows… they were.

  Ask Avery, Phoebe urged Issy. Ask her what’s going on. She’ll know. Maybe… maybe it’s one of the criminals we locked up before. They must have broken free and developed new tech or something…

  Yeah… that would make sense, Issy replied.

  “Avery,” Issy said, her shaky voice audible in the otherwise silent space. “What’s happening?”

  But there was no response. We waited, our fear growing stronger and stronger, but she still didn’t reply.

  Maybe something happened, I suggested, feeling the need to say something to reassure the others. Like a power cut or something? They’re probably just rushing around trying to get the backup generators working, and then Avery will be back to blabbering in our ears.

  Yeah, maybe, Issy replied, but it was clear she didn’t believe me, and I didn’t blame her.

  I didn’t believe my words either. I had no clue what was going on or why she’d stopped talking to us, but it scared me. I’d gotten so used to having her there, even if I ignored what she was saying half the time. It just made me feel better to know there was a team watching over us.

  This could be a test? Phoebe suggested. Maybe they’re trying to see whether we’ll still follow orders even when things have gone wrong. Avery always reminds us how important that is, right?

  She does… Issy thought. But I don’t know. This doesn’t feel like a test.

  Issy’s words drove a dagger of terror into my heart. She was right. It felt too real, too unexpected, to be a test, and I already knew that, but hearing her think those words made it worse. She was the strongest of us. She was always calm and collected. No matter what happened, she never panicked, but it was happening. She was trying hard to keep it together, but the tremble in her voice was impossible to miss.

  Maybe— Mel started to think, but that was as far as she got before breaking off, her eyes fixed on the ominous dark windows.

  My eyebrows drew together as I stared up at the black barrier, trying to work out whether my eyes were playing tricks on me. It seemed like, for just a moment, the barrier had flickered. It seemed to glitch, becoming brighter before fading back into the impenetrable blackness once more.

  Should we… go up there? Phoebe thought slowly. Maybe, if we go through… we’ll find the person who’s controlling it? Then we can just fight them, and it’ll be over?

  No! Issy cried. Just… I don’t know! Just wait for now. I’m trying to work out what to do! Maybe if we just…

  She trailed off as the barrier flickered again. My heart seemed to stop beating, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath as I gazed at it, waiting to see whether it would happen again. Restlessness thrashed within me, begging me to do something, but before I had the chance to, the barrier disappeared.

  It only took a second. A blink, and it was gone. In its place was a line of people. They stood in the shattered windows, staring down at us. They were entirely motionless. No one spoke, and they barely even seemed to blink. They were just watching us.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Something pulled at the back of my mind, trying to get my attention. There was something about the people… I just wasn’t sure what. My mind must have noticed it, though. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but I must have realised something subconsciously. It just needed to cross into my awareness, and then I’d figure it out, but I couldn’t make that happen. Irritation flared within me as I tried to force the information to reveal itself to me, but it hovered just out of reach, taunting and teasing me.

  I huffed, my attention returning to the bodies lining the buildings. There was something… almost familiar about them. I wasn’t sure quite what it was, but I almost recognised them. Something made me think I knew them. Or some other version of me did. In another world, I must have known them.

  But that was all I could figure out. I didn’t know who they were or what they were doing there, and I narrowed my eyes, examining them. Everything about them was unremarkable, though. There was nothing about the clothes they were wearing that stood out or caught my attention. It was all just plain.

  They were dressed in all black. Their uniforms, or costumes, or whatever it was, were entirely black, and a gun was strapped to their hips. I’d fought people who looked like that before. I was almost certain of it. It was fairly normal clothing for people who were trying to be menacing to wear. It looked like something a spy would wear in a crappy film.

  Confusion tugged at me. Was that where I recognised them from? The world where I was training to be a spy? It wouldn’t have surprised me if some people dressed up like that at the Academy. The younger ones, probably. The kids who were new to it and were still caught up in the excitement of what they were doing.

  But there were so many. Too many people stared down at us, probably more than the number of trainees in the Academy I was in, and there was no way they’d all dress up like that. Unless that was what they wore when they went out on missions? I’d not been there long enough to find out about that, but maybe that was what happened? And perhaps they didn’t care about subtlety or hiding what they were doing in that world. Maybe everyone was aware of the Academies.

  Why would they target us, though? The Academy only went after criminals. They only attacked dangerous people, and we weren’t dangerous. We were working with the government, just like the Academy. They had no reason to try and bring us down.

  Slowly, something dawned on me. An awareness crept into my mind, the realisation slow but bringing pure terror with it. They weren’t from the Academy, but I knew exactly who they were. I’d seen that uniform before. I’d worn it.

  My chest heaved as I sucked in air and squinted up at the people, looking at their faces for the first time. It was a different world, I told myself. The chances of me recognising any of the people I’d trained with were low. They couldn’t cross between the worlds. Not like I could, at least.

  I wasn’t sure, though. There were so many faces that seemed familiar, but at least I couldn’t see her. That didn’t mean she wasn’t there, though. I could have missed her. She could have been in the line, but my eyes may have skipped straight over her. Or maybe she was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to exact her revenge.

  They have guns! Issy thought, her voice breaking through my panicked thoughts. I have no idea how strong they are, and I doubt they’ll be able to hurt us, but I don’t want to risk it just in case. Grace, can you fly? We need to get in the air. It’ll be harder for them to hit us, and we can evade them until the backup Avery called gets here. The helicopter shouldn’t be far now.

  I didn’t answer her, though. I couldn’t. A strange, muffled buzzing seemed to fill my ears as I continued to stare up at the people. There were too many of them, and I knew there would be more hiding deeper in the buildings. They were probably on the roof too, and any one of them could have a disc on them. If they managed to catch me, if they pressed it into my skin…

  Did they know who I was? Did they even know I was in that world? Was that why they’d attacked? It couldn’t be. I’d not been there long enough. It wasn’t like I’d been frequenting the world for weeks. It had been less than a day. There was no way they could have tracked me there. It must have just been a coincidence.

  Thoughts flashed through my mind so quickly that I could barely keep up. It was a power grab; that was all it was, I decided. The founders used to talk about that all the time. They wanted to seize power from every world, attacking when it was at its weakest and most vulnerable, and then, in the confusion that followed, they’d be free to do as they pleased. They could tear the world apart, taking what they wanted and discarding the rest.

  But who were they, I asked myself. Who were the people and the founders? What had they even founded? I had no idea. The frantically racing thoughts weren’t coming from me. They were coming from another version of me, one who knew too much, who’d seen too much, but I didn’t have access to everything they did, and no answer came.

  It’ll be fine. People have shot at her before, and we’re always fine, I heard Phoebe think, her voice distant before she turned towards me, leaning in closer. Grace, I’m going to carry you, okay?

  I blinked, forcing my eyes to focus on Phoebe’s worried face. She thought I hadn’t answered Issy because I couldn’t do it… because I was too injured to fly and didn’t want to admit it, I realised slowly.

  I can fly, I thought, the act taking much more effort than it should have.

  It’s okay, Phoebe replied, giving me a reassuring yet worried smile. I’m strong enough to—

  She broke off suddenly, falling silent. Her eyebrows pulled together as she slowly looked down, confusion appearing on her face. My heart thudded as my eyes followed her gaze, spotting the small dark shadow on her otherwise bright blue uniform.

  Phoebe reached towards it, her trembling fingertips brushing against the growing stain. Redness coated them. Dark red liquid trickled down her fingers, the movement hypnotic and slow.

  “Oh,” was all she said before beginning to tip towards.

  My muscles cried out in pain as I caught her, but I hardly noticed as I struggled to hold Phoebe upright. Her body was limp, though. She couldn’t hold herself up, and my hands shook as I cradled her in my arms, holding her against my body.

  “No, no, no,” I said, words slipping from my lips as I stared down at her. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. They can’t hurt us, right? We’re the Shooting Stars. Nothing hurts us, right?”

  Phoebe laughed weakly, and a small fleck of blood appeared on her lips.

  “Right,” she said, her voice far too soft. “Nothing hurts us.”

  “Phoebe!” I heard someone scream from behind me, but I wasn’t sure who it was.

  My gaze found the dark patch on Phoebe’s uniform, and my training kicked in. I knew what I had to do. It was just a precaution, they had said. It was unlikely that any of us would get injured, but they made us do first aid training, just in case.

  “I’m sorry. This might hurt a little,” I told her before pressing my hand against the wound.

  A wince appeared on her face as a thin trickle of blood dripped down her chin.

  “It doesn’t hurt at all,” she lied, her eyes fluttering shut.

  My heart clenched painfully, and I forced myself to apply more pressure. There was too much blood, though. I could feel it welling up between my fingers and running over the back of my hand. There was so much blood, and I could only do so much.

  “Hey, open your eyes,” I said desperately. “Look at me. Please, Phoebe!”

  For a moment, she didn’t respond. My eyes darted back and forth, taking her in and searching for any sign that she’d heard me. She couldn’t die. She just needed time. Then, her body would heal itself. That’s what always happened. Ever since we’d first transformed, we’d been able to heal ourselves. It just took some time, but she’d be fine. She had to be fine.

  “Sorry,” Phoebe breathed as she blinked and met my gaze. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

  Tears ran down my face, dripping onto her uniform, but I couldn’t wipe them away. Both my hands were occupied, and I couldn’t stop pressing on her wound.

  “Why are you sorry?” I asked, trying desperately to hold myself together and keep Phoebe talking.

  As long as she kept talking, she’d stay alive. If she stopped, if she fell silent, then it would be too late, but maybe if I kept her talking, she’d be okay. The helicopter would get to us soon, and they’d have a medic onboard. If Phoebe couldn’t heal herself, they’d be able to do it. I just needed to keep her talking until it arrived.

  “I… I don’t think I’m strong enough to do this. Not… not like you.”

  A soft whistling sound came from beside us, followed by an ear-piercing scream. Fear gripped my heart, but I couldn’t look away from Phoebe to see which one of my teammates had just been shot. They’d be fine. It wasn’t a fatal hit, I lied to myself.

  “What do you mean?” I asked her, my eyes flicking back and forth between hers. “You’re so strong, Phoebe. Stronger than I am.”

  Her body spasmed as she coughed, sending a splatter of blood down her face. I gripped her even tighter, praying to anyone who’d listen to please, please, let her be okay. She had to be. I couldn’t… I couldn’t cope without her. I needed her. Without her, I had no one. I was alone, and I couldn’t do it.

  “It hurts, Grace,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “It hurts so much.”

  “That’s good, though,” I said desperately. “In movies, they always say it doesn’t hurt when they die, right? They say they can’t feel anything, don’t they?”

  Phoebe coughed again, and her eyes slipped shut, but she didn’t open them. Not that time.

  “Yeah.”

  “So, that means you’re fine. You’re going to be okay, right?” I asked her, needing to hear her say it.

  “Yeah…”

  I bit my lip, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.

  “Please… please, Phoebe. Just… hold on,” I begged. “Just a few more minutes, and you’ll be okay. The medics will be able to help you. Please, just… stay with me.”

  She was silent. Phoebe didn’t say anything, and her eyes stayed shut. I wept, clinging to her body. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be dead. She was just… unconscious. She’d probably just passed out from the blood loss, but that was fine. She could make more blood, or the medics could do a transfusion or something when they got to us. They normally had blood packs on the helicopter. They’d be able to help her.

  Something slammed into my shoulder, and I almost dropped Phoebe, but I caught her just in time. Her head lolled back, but she didn’t react. Pain spread through me, threatening to choke me, but I refused to let go of her as the world began to spin.

  Sunlight blinded me. My vision was a blur as I blinked, my chest tight with heartbreak, and agony radiated down my left arm, making my fingers numb. I barely noticed, though. The pain of Phoebe’s death still clung to me and threatened to choke me.

  It wasn’t real, I realised with a burst of relief as I looked around the car. My mom hummed along to her music loudly, completely oblivious to the despair that I’d been feeling. It was just another world. Phoebe might have gotten shot there, but that didn’t matter, not really. It wasn’t real. None of it was real.

  But my arm hurt. My chest felt like it was on fire, and that pain was real. It wasn’t as strong as it had been in the other world, but it was still horrible. If my injuries could do it, if they could pass between the worlds, what if hers could too?