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"Did you see that?" Abana said to Connie, staring at the nearest computer monitor. They were in a small temporary office in their camp with a few computers. A whirring fan rocked from side to side above and an old, tired couch sagged in one corner. Despite the fan it was still baking hot inside. The group of parents and trusted volunteers had made a base camp facing the barrier in the desert and had wired up CCTV cameras all around the barrier. It was a day after Connie had arrived and so far all they had done was watch reels and reels of past footage, just to fill her in. "It was about four days ago," she continued, "Look! Here!" She pointed at another screen displaying lines of data. "Just here for a second, the J waves drop massively sending the temperature right down. It's been dropping ever since. The amount of energy needed to create that is huge. We haven't been able to recreate anything like it." Connie raised her eyebrows. "Would a nuclear bomb cause that?" said Connie.

"Well that is the question. We don't know whether Major Onyx just detonated the bomb ahead of the plans we got informed about. It also raises the question of whether our sources are correct."

"The source, I'm guessing, is our mysterious donor and leader," Connie said. Abana nodded. "How do you know that you can trust this guy? I don't like the sound of him or her." Abana sighed and shook her head. "Connie, he is the only link to our kids." She turned around and stared forlornly out the window towards the barrier. "I wish I could tell what's going on in there. God knows what this new data means. I pray to God they are okay."


Sam and Astrid sat in silence, huddled under a blanket. A dead stillness had enveloped the FAYZ. It was still snowing. Everyone had been panicking. Snow in California was an unusual sight, which normally brought joy but now everyone was just afraid. Edilio and his group had been working hard, herding everyone into the cramped boathouses and handing out blankets. Kids who had been used to running around barefoot and shirtless were frantically rushing around, grabbing any items of clothing they could find. It was chaos. It was the FAYZ.

The adults could no longer be seen as they had been blocked out by the frost – the barrier was a sheet of misty glass. Sam didn't know if the 'BIG FREEZE' as the kids were calling it was a blessing or a curse. A bunch of kids had broken off from the others and had started fighting. One boy threw a punch which hit another full in the face. A crowd began to gather around them, all armed. Edilio came in looking worriedly at the situation. 'Uh…Sam it's time for you to do your thing.' Sam sighed and heaved himself to his feet. 'Well done for rounding them up. I guess I'll have to go and do one of my famous speeches,' Sam said with a dry, empty laugh. He looked stooped and defeated, old before his time.

Sam followed the sound of screaming and sobbing into the main boathouse. Children were coughing, some already with purple lips and swollen toes as Lana and Dahra rushed around. Toddlers huddled together, sobbing. The older children were muttering something angrily in a group. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Everyone turned to face Sam. A young girl of about five or six stood up quietly and gave him a small, shy smile, indicating for him to stand on her chair. He tried to smile back but tears pricked his eyes. He couldn't take this anymore. They had starved, battled Caine and the Gaiaphage, suffered a plague, darkness…and now they were going to freeze to death. Thin blankets wouldn't be enough to keep them alive at these temperatures. Reluctantly, Sam stood up on the battered wooden chair. There was a cough from the audience. 'Okay everyone. I know this is hard and I know it's scary. But we'll get through it. We always do.'

'Then why the hell is my brother dead?' a boy shouted from the audience, sparking off a torrent of indignant shouts. Sam thought a rare thought: I wish Caine was here. He took a deep breath. 'Okay. Silence!' he shouted and gradually the noise died down. 'Here's the plan.' Sam paused. What could they do? There was no point in staying by the lake now that it had frozen, since there was no shelter. Their crops would die in the cold but at least they would have water – they could melt the snow. The problem was warmth and shelter. And then he realised. 'We're going back to Perdido beach.'


He took the water bottle. Shook it. There was a small splash – probably his last mouthful. He had to find more water somewhere. This better be worth it. Caine unscrewed the lid and pressed it against Diana's cracked lips. He trickled the remains of the precious water onto her lips. He waited. Nothing. He gently poured the rest onto her lips. She didn't move. He shook her shoulders.

"Don't do this to me, Diana. Please," Caine cried. Suddenly she coughed and licked her lips. She blinked.

"This heat must really be getting to you, Caine. I think you're going soft." She gave a wry smile and coughed hoarsely. "Give me the water," she rasped.

"Umm…"Caine said.

"Caine, I've been unconscious, lying in a baking desert for hours. Give me the water," she said through gritted teeth.

"You see…" Caine mumbled, "The thing is…"

"WATER!" she screamed. "NOW!"

"There's none left," Caine muttered quickly.

"WHAT? You idiot! You walked into the DESERT with barely any water? You stupid dumbass. You just go strolling off for a walk in the BURNING sun with one bottle of water! Urrgh. You just can't do anything right without me can you?"

Caine gaped. She hadn't changed a bit. In fact, she seemed even more beautiful than he remembered. But still…still sneering and righteous with that cold, calculating look. He couldn't stand it.

"You bitch! You ditch me for Sam, leave without a trace. I've spent days walking, trying to find you and this – this is the thanks I get! You would be dead if it weren't for me!" Caine shouted, working up a rage. He whipped up rocks from the sand and threw them into the distance using his power. He screamed, launching rocks into the air in a whirlwind, faster and faster, smashing them against each other. How dare she! Boulders crashed into each other, exploding into fragments. He unleashed his anger, chips of grey rock flying into the air.

Then suddenly he heard her voice, far away. "Caine." He slowed, rocks still flying but slower now, gradually stopping. She moved forwards, her eyes locked into his, those deep brown eyes and long curved lashes. The rocks dropped. His hands fell to his sides. "Caine," she said. She stepped forward, cupping his head in her hands, and kissed him.

"You –" he tried to speak but she kissed him harder and he gave in, letting her take it all away – the pain, the stress, the fear. He kissed he back, falling into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her closer to him. How he had missed her.

She pulled back slowly, tears glistening in her eyes. "Oh, Caine," she said, "you can be so, urrgh, oblivious." He opened his mouth, ready to shout but she put a finger on his lips. "And yet the thing is," she said, giving an exasperated sigh and shaking her head as though she didn't quite believe it, "the thing is…" she looked deep into his eyes. "I love you."

But suddenly, Caine heard a cracking sound behind him. He spun around, expecting to see someone but instead he saw the barrier of the FAYZ. A layer of...frost was stretching across it. Spreading out, crawling rapidly across the wall. Soon the whole barrier was covered in a thick layer of ice. He shivered. It had suddenly turned bitterly cold. What was happening? And then he realised - the FAYZ was freezing. A slow smile spread across his face.