Thank you to the recent guest reviews I've received. I will take some of those ideas into account (mostly cause I used the other references to the books in this story already).

Super-Jacin-t: Part Seven

Commonwealth, The Earthen Union

Any other time Winter would look at her phone during class, she's either looking at her lock screen which is a photo of her and Jacin at the school dance, a stray text message or a like or comment on one of her pictures, or a random weather alert telling her that it's about to rain. It's a horrible reflex, but it's clockwork for her at this point. But when she looks this time, there's an endless number of news alerts. Everyone's phones are going off.

Winter's whole world halts as she reads incoming headlines and news reports about the volcano erupting in Capella Valley and affecting the whole country. Lava pouring everywhere, affecting Enyo the most but seismic blasts have spread throughout the country, including Artemisia.

Winter looks up from her phone for a moment and she's suddenly on top of the staircase of her old childhood home. She's crouched, gripping the railing. She doesn't look beside her but can sense Cinder kneeling beside her. Winter can see Levana answering the door, barely catching glimpses of the soldier at the door handing her the letter. She can't hear his words but she knows what he's telling her: Winter's father died overseas.

And that was the moment her life changed. She's suddenly having flashes of all the therapists and psychologists belittling and berating her for her namesake, gender, age, and race. She's hugging Jacin. The walls are bleeding. She's laughing at the mall with Iko and Kinney. The walls are bleeding. She's at the beach, dancing on the sand. The walls are bleeding. The fire's caught up with her and her face is bleeding … just like the walls.

Jacin's dead. He can't be. But he could be? None of the messages incoming are from him or any of their friends or their families. They're all dead. Blood on the walls.

Her mind can't focus. She can't find anything to pinpoint her concentration.

Did she take her meds? Where are her meds? She needs some.

Her mind floods with moments with Jacin. Kinney and Iko make appearances as well. Articles would only say that Artemisia was impacted because it's the capital. It's important. It's probably the only city a foreigner can name in Luna.

She'll throw up. Her head is spinning and now her vision blurs as all these repressed tremors and delusions come to the forefront like lava in Capella Valley.

"Winter."

She's suddenly back in her classroom, phone screen still full of alerts. Winter exhales, her breath shaky as she looks up at her teacher with tears in her eyes.

When did she get in class? What class is this? When did she get to school?

"I have to go," Winter says.

Without any other words, she grabs her stuff and scurries out of the classroom. If her teacher or her classmates called out for her, she heard nothing over the conversations in her mind. Every joke Iko's told, flirt Jacin's attempted, and a snarky comment from Kinney - all their voices ringing and bouncing against her skull. She has to tell herself to breathe but she can't. Her feet move on autopilot down the halls of classroom doors and lockers. Other students have left class, pacing on the spots or leaning against lockers with phones to their ears or eyes glued to screens.

Other Lunars, she assumed, trying to call loved ones and getting nothing. She can read the panic on their faces, chewing lips, fidgeting, and running hands through their hair. Even Lunar News sites were crashing due to traffic from people trying to tune in and the incoming updates.

Winter stops in the middle of the stairway, unsure of when she got here. She unlocks her phone and tries to call and text anybody in Luna, but nothing goes through.

That's the moment her knees give out and she drops on the stairs. Her sobs come out so loud they echo. She isn't sure who wraps their arms around her but she grabs them in a hug and starts crying on them regardless.

"Thank the stars I found you," Cinder says, rubbing Winter's shoulder.

-o-

Wolf also walked out of class to call his mom. He's already tried her a few times but knows that she's probably on the line trying to call their family back home. Either way, he'll see her later and get all the updates. His hometown was hit the worst and, despite his family making it out, they still have lives there. He can't imagine being forced to leave and then have nothing to come back to … or maybe he can when he left Luna the first time, but he was a baby who barely had roots there.

He walks down the hall and slows his pace when he sees Cress trembling next to an astronomy bulletin board. She turns around and her eyes are red-rimmed as she holds a phone to her ear. Probably trying to call her mom and hearing nothing. Nobody is. When they lock eyes, the tears fall out and a small cry escapes her mouth.

Wolf heads over to her and hugs her tightly.

Besides, Lunars stick together.

-o-

Winter finally parts from Cinder, not bothering to wipe her eyes or swat the tears that sit on her curls. Her phone still isn't giving her any updates that aren't volcano related. She wants a personal message, not one everyone has access to via the internet. Cinder still has an arm around her, occasionally checking her phone for anything but is only getting the same alerts as Winter. She sighs, leaning against Winter and resting her head against hers.

"I can't…" Winter mutters, holding back a cry with her shaky voice. "Jacin-"

"I couldn't get through either," Cinder reassures. "Nobody can. We'll try again later. Look, I texted Levana to sign us out so we're getting out of here. Maybe she even has sketchy contacts she can try to reach. Can you get up?"

Cinder looks over at Winter and she's completely checked out. It reminds her of when they were sitting in the back of the car. Winter barely spoke on the way over, not on the plane or the car. She was trapped in her mind from all the trauma she left behind in Luna. Cinder isn't sure if Winter would survive this if anything happened to their friends back home, especially to Jacin. Cinder her self is worried about them, but she has to stay strong for winter.

"Okay," Cinder says as they remain seated on the stairs, "we'll sit here for a bit."

"I have to tell you something," Winter whispers.

"What is it?"

"I haven't been taking my meds as often. The walls are bleeding and I can't stop it."

Cinder's heart drops. "Oh … oh, spades. We need to get out of here."