A couple of weeks ago I got a random idea about Naomi working in a library and having certain gifts, which I have eventually decided to write up. I hope it's as good as it seemed in my head.

Skins belongs to the people at E4/Company Pictures.

Life Love Lust

I can stare at girls' underwear without anyone knowing.

The girl sitting at the back of the meditation class didn't realise, but I was watching her for one reason alone. She didn't have any underwear on. I know what you must be thinking, meditation in your underwear, what is this place? Or maybe you're thinking, who is this fucking perv? Unfortunately it's not half-naked meditation. Everyone's fully clothed and I'm just your average carpet munching lesbian. It's just, I'm not so average when you take into account my, shall we say, gifts. I'm not sure how I got them or where they came from, they just developed over the years and I've had to keep them secret. Who would believe me if I told them anyway? You're probably sat there shaking your head and tutting as we speak.

The girl at the back didn't realise I was staring because her eyes were closed and she was in the middle of deep breathing or whatever shit is actually involved in a group meditation. I didn't care, except for the fact I had to close up the library when they were done. Who meditates in a library anyway?

When they finished I picked up my keys and hung around, hinting at how urgently I wanted them out of there. My eyes stayed on that girl again, her long brown hair floated down as she took out her bobble. She put her cushions away as though she'd developed super-slow speed; they all did. If they'd just leave I could have cleared them all away within seconds, it helps being able to move things with my brain. That's another one of my gifts.

I stared at the girl's back as she walked towards the exit, laughing and joking with the woman beside her; she was cute, not just a little cute, but gorgeous. If I had to choose a woman to model my perfect partner on, I think I'd be tempted to choose her looks. Shallow of me really, I did want something more up top than an empty mind. I know I'll probably not see her again, or at least not until I'm on the next rota to cover the graveyard shift. Maybe then I'll spend some time reading her thoughts, probably the most useful of my abilities. The leader eventually left and I rushed around the book room in search of any late night stragglers. It was surprising how many people popped in right before closing just to have a browse.

I actually thought I could finally go home when I remembered the red head that came in every day around ten and stayed until somebody kicked her out. Fuck knows why. Last I saw of her was in the computer room. I found her sat at a desk, slumped over her arm as though we were in her own personal office.

'You've been here for hours,' I shouted.

When she didn't respond I allowed my perverted brain to travel the contours of her body. She wasn't as stunningly attractive as the other girl, nor did she have quite as many voluptuous curves, but she wasn't half bad. Besides, the length of time she spent in the library, she must have had some intelligence, either that or was a very well dressed homeless person.

"Err, hello?" I shouted again, stalking across the room in frustration. As much as I loved that the community was using the library, anything to stop it from being closed down, I still had a life and I wanted to get back to it. "You might want to wake up now, we're closing."

I reached across and rested a hand on her back, rocking her body gently. She didn't move. She didn't even stir. I shook her harder and rolled my eyes as I knelt down beside her.

"Christ, hello?' I shouted into her ears, listening to her unusually slow breathing. 'Can you hear me?"

At first I thought she was just pissing about, I didn't have time for time wasters. I had a date with a woman I'd been seeing for a few weeks, who quite frankly annoyed me, but the principle still mattered. I wasn't paid for any overtime; I was barely paid full stop. I listened carefully to her shallow breathing and allowed my senses to open up fully. That was another one of my gifts; I could sense everything more intensely than the average human which came in handy during certain intimate moments. That's when I realised what was wrong. There was Carbon Monoxide in the air, the supposedly odourless gas. When my nose reached its full potential, it could smell almost anything. If the ladies doing meditation hadn't been using incense, maybe I'd have smelt it earlier.

'Jesus,' I said as I lifted her into my arms, she was heavier than I expected. Why couldn't I get super strength? Everyone knew it was the most useful ability. Except maybe, flying. Before you ask, no, I can't fly either. I'm not fucking Superman.

I struggled with the girl as I hobbled down the three steps out onto the street, where I lowered her onto the pavement. I chewed on my lip, considering how best to keep her supported as I called for help. I settled on sitting down with her resting against me. I paid close attention to her breathing and heart rate, despite my ears tuning into the cars racing along the street and a mobile phone going off in the distance. Eventually my ears pricked up the sound of the ambulance and it pulled in to the car park.

'What's her name?' the paramedic asked as I got off the phone to my boss.

'I don't know,' I said, putting my phone back in my pocket. She'd been coming into the library every day for the last couple of weeks and I knew nothing about her, except that she usually brought in a thermos filled with what smelt like coffee. 'I don't even know her, her bags are inside.'

I waited until the paramedics had taken her away in an ambulance; I wondered if I should have gone with her but aside from working at the library when she was there, I didn't actually know her. Once my boss had turned up and the fire service had spoken to the gas company, I made my excuses and left.