A few months later...

The winter break bonfire was held at Ellen's house this year. She had a heated pool so everyone went swimming. Ian was laying on a lounge chair while talking to his friends. "So how has your winter breaks been?" Gurge asked.

"Mine has been fine," Ian said. "I've spent most of it cooped up in my house so I can hide from the press."

"Do you still talk to anyone from the lab?" Sadalia asked.

"Only Lucas and a few others," Ian said. Sadalia nods as Ian takes a sip of his drink.

"So I'm just going to say what we've all been thinking," Parthenope said. "Everyone in school can see it but you two, so it's time we ask. When are you two finally going to make it official?"

"What do you mean?" Ian asked.

"You two have been flirting with each other since summer break," Gurge said. "We're all just waiting for you guys to finally confess to it. You can't even try to deny."

Before Ian or Sadalia could say anything, Ellen swam over to them. "It's time to roast marshmallows," she said. The teens then go to the bonfire and grab sticks. They impale marshmallows onto the sticks and roast them over the fire. Sadalia rested her head on Ian's shoulder and Parthenope gave her a look.

"Last question about the lab, I promise," Athlea asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Did you ever figure out why you were taken to the lab?"

"I honestly have no clue and I'm not sure if I want to know," Ian said, blatantly. "The head scientist said it was going to change the world and we'd hear about it on the news in a few years. I now want to try and focus on getting my life back to normal."

Lawerence Hawthorne was broke and somewhere in Westerhall with his team. "Ok, we're not in the best shape," he said. "We only have the clothes on our back, but we still have some of the DNA took from the experiments. We just need some sergeants."

He pulled out a vessel that said "Minerva." He smirked as he looked at it. "Enter phase two," Lawerence said.