With just a minute left on the clock, Caveroop were down by three points.
Aaron Sullivan, feeling the weight of his team's hopes, dribbled past Caveroop defenders with a blend of skill and desperation.
He passed to his teammate, Mark Johnson, who made an impressive shot from the corner. The ball swished through the net, Caveroop was now only down by one point.
Caveroop called a timeout, their coach furrowing his brow in concern. They had one last play to make.
The whistle blew, and the game resumed.
With only seconds left, Aaron Sullivan received the ball and prepared for what seemed to be a game-winning shot. But Jesse, with unmatched focus and bravery, dashed toward him.
In a breathtaking moment, he leapt, blocking Aaron's shot just as the buzzer sounded.
The crowd erupted in a mix of shock and exhilaration as the referee signaled the end of the game.
The scores was tied.
The game would go into overtime.
In the overtime period, the Warriors showcased their resolve.
With two minutes remaining, Jesse stole the ball from Aaron and dashed down the court. He passed it to his teammate, Daniel Martinez, who was about taking the winning shot then there was a blackout.
There was panic in the court as everyone muttered to each other,
"What's going on?"
Mrs. Adams, sensing the tense atmosphere, said,
"Everybody calm down."
"What's going on?" a blonde girl from the crowd, an Underdogs fan, asked.
"It's just a temporary issue. No need to worry," Mrs. Adams said, then turned to one of the security guards and signaled him to check out what happened.
"What's happening?" Pink asked as she turned to Clary. "Why is there a blackout?"
"I don't know," Clary said, then gasped suddenly, remembering the dream we both had. "Jennie," she muttered to herself and headed out.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Pink called, but Clary didn't look back.
"Are you really going after her?" Summer asked, placing her hands on Pink's shoulder stopping her from leaving as well.
"Yeah, I can't let her wander off on her own. If she's out there, then I think she sensed danger," Pink said, removing Summer's hand from her shoulder and setting out to go. "You coming?"
After much thought, Summer gave in, and they both slipped away.
The hallways were quiet; it seemed everyone was at the basketball court because they were all excited about the games.
"Where to?" Pink asked as she and Summer trailed behind Clary.
"The clinic," Clary replied with haste.
"Why there?" Summer asked, but Clary didn't reply, as she was in a hurry to prevent a catastrophe.
As they walked quickly, they spotted Eska carrying me, who was unconscious, on her back.
"Eska!" Pink called upon seeing her, then gasped when she saw me. "What happened?"
"It's Regina. She's in the school."
"Oh no!" Summer gasped as they all turned to look at her. "That can't be good. We've got to hurry!"
"Erm, Joy is in the staff room. She's hurt pretty badly," Eska said.
"We all can't go to pick Joy up," Clary blurted.
"You and Eska head toward the clinic. Summer and I will go help Joy," Pink said, and they separated.
...
Back at the basketball court, the security guard who was sent to check on the power crisis returned to report his findings to the principal.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, controlling her expression so as not to raise an alarm among the visitors.
"I'm very certain, ma'am," he assured.
Then she sighed, thinking,
Why now of all times.
...
When they reached the staff room, they found it in disarray.
"God, what happened here?" Summer asked. They then spotted Rejoice lying unconscious on the ground and ran to her aid.
"She's still breathing," Pink signaled, and they both carried her up and rushed to the clinic.
Upon reaching the clinic, the power was restored. They stumbled upon the battleground that had once been their clinic.
Seeing the shock on everyone's faces, they slowly lowered Rejoice to the ground and approached.
It was indeed a terrifying scene. Zack stood holding Annie, who looked dumbfounded at Resa, Alexa, and Charles lying lifeless on the ground.
Clary froze, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Regina was tied to the wall with magic, and Jennie was nowhere to be seen. Raymond, at the entrance of the clinic, held the staff in shock at the catastrophe he had caused.
...
"Timeout!" the referee blew the whistle, and the players retired to their lockers, murmuring to one another.
He looked at Mrs. Adams with great disappointment and shook his head before the lights came back on.
...
Meanwhile, at the clinic:
"Wh-Wh-What happened?" Pink sputtered, terrified by the scene. "Why isn't Resa getting up?"
No response as her eyes widened.
"Annie," Zack said softly.
Annie was murmuring to herself, looking devastated.
"It's not my fault; it's his fault." It was as if she was trying to clear her head of guilt.
"How did this happen?" Clary asked after regaining herself, but nothing was said. Then she yelled, "What the hell happened here!"
Raymond swallowed and said, "It was an accident." He paused before continuing, "Annie and Jennie just won't let go. Annie wants me to manipulate grades for her…"
"And you killed my sister!" Annie yelled. "You killed her!" Her voice deepened, her eyes darkened with rage, and a mysterious wind blew furiously across the place, causing an upheaval. Everyone had to brace themselves.
When it finally stopped, Annie was gone. Both Resa and Alexa's bodies were gone; only Charles remained.
"Oh no!" Clary said frightfully, then called out, already in tears, "Annie!"