Disclaimer: Skins characters aren't mine. I wish they were.

A/N: This is a rewrite of series 3. Each chapter will be an episode, but there will be more and more deviation from canon as the story progresses. Hope you like it! Title is from the Dar Williams song "Your Fire Your Soul". Please Read and REVIEW! :D

Episode 1

It starts with a girl: long brown hair, sparkling blue eyes that seem to see everything and feel like they're piercing your soul when they look at you, all knowing smirk quirking at her lips, barely there dress. Everything about her just screams sex appeal and it sure as hell isn't lost on you. You notice can't help but notice her on that very first day of school when you're nattering on about surf and turf at the travel lodge with Danny who you're dating for appearance, for convenience, for status…basically for all the wrong reasons. You don't actually like him at all, he's just a good cover. It keeps other people from thinking that maybe you're…You can't think it. That's that all of the boyfriends you've had have been for. It's why you've been so insistent of never being single, because there's that nagging part of your brain that notices the curves of a girl's body and how somehow they always seem more attractive than their male counterparts.

Besides, if you're fucking Danny, then maybe you're really not…

Except that this gorgeous girl catches your eye and you feel a tingling down in the pit of your stomach that you try not to show, and you realise then and there that you might be screwed. This façade that you've built up over the years may be about to crumble down around you.

You can't help the way your eyes drag up and down her body, though you do your best to make it as quick and as unobvious as possible. You feel her eyes do the same to your body like they're scalding you as they go, but it feels more like you're being assessed than like you're being checked out.

You shake yourself out of it and say a shallow goodbye to people whose names you've already forgotten or didn't bother learning to begin with. You call over your shoulder to your sister, annoyed that she's lingering behind you because at this moment, with the girl's eyes still burning into you, you'd like nothing more than to beat a hasty retreat into the school building. You relax a little when Emily follows along obediently. You don't have the guts yet to go say hi to the girl with the piercing blue eyes and the silky brown hair.

You don't find out exactly who she is until assembly.

"Elizabeth Stonem?" the name rings out and your mouth hangs open when you see her raise her hand, and you can't help thinking that she even manages to do roll call in a kind of sultry way.

Stonem. You know the name. You've heard of Tony Stonem. Everyone who's anyone has heard of Tony Stonem. So Elizabeth must be his little sister Effy. For fuck's sake! Why did it have to be her that makes you feel this way? Effy was fucking born to rule this school just like her brother did! Spending time with her you'd hardly be low profile. Good thing you've got a boyfriend. You have to become friends with her though, you decide. Not being friends with her would just, well...suck! You already are having trouble tearing your eyes away from her. At least if you're friends with her you could play off things like that as you two being best friends or something.

Still, Effy fucking Stonem? That was going to be a challenge.

"And, um, Naomi Campbell?" the timid woman up front calls out, not quite believing the name.

You do though and your stomach drops. Lezza bitch, you think automatically, because you've trained your brain to respond like that. You caught her and your sister kissing at some middle school party where all of your friends were and any of them could've fucking seen and if they'd seen one twin kissing a girl it wouldn't have been a massive leap for them to assume that the other one was interested in kissing girls too. And it had to have been Naomi's fault, because Emily just wouldn't go around kissing girls. And the absolute worst part? You'd been jealous! Fucking jealous of your lame sister! She got to kiss a girl (which you were quite sure wasn't something you should have been jealous of, for fuck's sake). And Naomi had been looking really pretty that night too. Even you had noticed (though you'd pretended not to). She'd colour coordinated for once. You couldn't help resent Naomi for that night.

She was not looking quite so good today and you can't resist the snide comment you whisper in Emily's ear with a grin on your face, even if Emily simply rolls her eyes and doesn't find the humour in it. The girl is a walking fashion disaster at the moment, for fuck's sake! Does she even look in the mirror before she leaves the house?

Your eyes flick unwillingly back to Effy Stonem. She obviously looks in the mirror before she leaves the house, you think. Then again, maybe she doesn't. She's one of those people who doesn't even fucking have to try to look that good.

You get distracted again when Naomi fucking Campbell decides to complain about the boy next to her. You have to admit that he seems like a tosser, but then again, maybe it's just because he's forced to sit so close to Naomi. When he's instructed to show everyone his tattoo he gladly drops his pants. You can't help but let out a small laugh at his bravado, not to mention the tattoo that's actually on his arse and cock. You catch him looking at Effy and Effy's looking back and she looks so fucking sultry. Your stomach churns a little. You try to ignore it.

This is going to be a long fucking school year!

You pretend that you're not keeping your eyes peeled for signs of Effy Stonem as you head for class by looking disdainfully at most of the other people at your college. Some of them, you note, actually have a sense of style. Some of them are even kind of pretty. There are definitely a few cute guys, or rather, guys you know are cute (though finding them attractive is a different matter). None of them stand out like Effy does though.

You're lingering nonchalantly outside of your classroom, leaning against the lockers. She's in your form, you know she'll show up sooner or later. Emily lingers not far off. You can't help wishing that she'd go in and find a seat without you. You want to sit with Effy anyway.

You can sense her as soon as she turns the corner. It's her presence. It can be felt from a distance. You turn your head and watch her approach. Everyone's watching her approach, you notice, and you feel a knot in your stomach tighten. She's got a goofy looking blonde next to her. Same one you'd seen next to her outside of college and again in assembly. You'd glower in jealousy if you didn't think it'd make you look stupid and desperate.

She smiles at you, and even though it's not really a kind smile, more of an amused one, your heart flutters, and you let your eyes appraise her body again as she approaches, just as you did earlier. She's even more attractive standing up. You allow yourself a small smile back, trying to mimic the cool, amused expression she's wearing. You wish you could be sure that you're pulling it off. You really have never met anybody who exudes coolness as effortlessly.

You realise you've maybe been staring a tad too long, and you didn't even notice the approach of this well fit blonde bloke. You know you should want to date him really. The persona you put on would at least. He could be a useful future possibility. You step out and introduce yourself smiling charmingly, even though you're sure his eyes had been examining Effy. (Part of you just wanted to prevent the two of them getting to know each other.)

He introduces himself as Bruno, but looks right past you. You keep the smile on your face, you know it makes you look cute, but inside another knot in the pit of your stomach forms as he eyes Effy up and down.

Fortunately Pandora (as the goofy blonde girl presents herself to be) steps in and makes a complete fool of herself, chasing Bruno off in the process. You catch yourself just before you'd have breathed a sigh of relief. You can't understand a word of what she mutters afterwards, but you take note of the way she calls Effy "Ef", and you realise that a nickname denotes a certain amount of familiarity.

You hear her voice for the first time then and it's as sultry and sexy as you'd imagined it would be (not that you'd ever admit that you'd imagined it at all, because that would just be weird). "I'll ask," is all she says, and it sends a bit of a shiver down your spine.

You smile politely at Pandora when she introduces herself to you and Emily, but you're sure that your face is betraying at least a little that you'd quite like her to just go away. She's really rather odd after all.

You turn back to Effy and to hide the fact that just standing this close to her and finding her staring at you intently has set you completely off balance, you act as fake as possible. Not intentionally, per se, but it's become a bit of a reflex. "Cute," you remark snidely.

Effy lets out a small equivocal grunt that leaves you unsure if she's agreeing with you or not, especially since she's still wearing that small, not completely friendly smile (that you can't help thinking makes her look extremely attractive), so you continue on.

"I'm Katie. That's my sister," you wave in the general direction of Emily, your voice conveying your current annoyance with her. She nods along and her silence propels you to keep talking. You don't know what to say really so you go with the only thing you really know about her which is that she's got this fit brother, Tony who got hit by a bus and according to some reports went mental. All of your friends back in high school had major crushes on him. You didn't, though if he has half the sex appeal of Effy, you understand why they all found him so attractive. You try not to notice the way that she eyes your sister. You wish she was looking at you. You bring up Danny to try to show off, to try to get her attention focused back on you. You kind of wish you hadn't though. Really, deep down, you know he's nothing to brag about.

"Impressive," she comments flatly. You know she doesn't really think so, but you don't let on that you know. It's probably better if she thinks you're really into him. It's better if everyone thinks that. It'll keep them from asking questions you don't want to face. Effy already looks at you with eyes that seem to see too much.

You suggest that the two of you should sit together and chat because the two of you are the best looking in there. The truth is that you know you're not really in the same league as her. You suggest that the two of you should hang out as well. You're babbling, you know, and you feel like a bit of an idiot, especially with the way that she's just looking at you, studying you. You feel like you're under a fucking microscope and it's making you blurt out idiotic things.

You spot Naomi out of the corner of your eye. Why did God feel the need to curse you with her presence back in the lives of you and your sister? You warn Effy to stay away from Naomi because she's a lesbian (though truth be told you've never seen any evidence of that fact other than her kissing your sister and you're pretty sure that someone told you at the end of middle school that she was dating Jeremy Lloyd, but still). You want to steer Effy away from her because otherwise they could potentially become friends (though you think there's rather little potential just based on what each girl is wearing today), and then Naomi might tell Effy things about Emily (and she might lie and say Emily kissed her...probably would, the bitch) and Effy might start to wonder and then she might start to wonder about you too, and that would most definitely be bad.

Naomi (obviously trying to be as obnoxious as possible) comes to a stop directly in front of you and you can't for the life of you remember why you found her even remotely attractive that night she'd kissed Emily (except that those sharp blue eyes might be beautiful if they weren't so busy glaring) as she tries to stare first Emily and then you down. You don't know why she'd have a problem with your sister. If anything it should be the other way around!

Naomi finally murmurs, "Excuse me," because apparently she can't be arsed to walk around you to get into the classroom (it's not like you're blocking the door even), so you roll your eyes a little and step out of her way.

You decide to be proactive and warn Effy not to talk to her because she tried to snog Emily in middle school. Effy's expression doesn't change so you tag on a "Pervy, don't you think Ef?" (secretly enjoying the way that the nickname falls off your tongue) and you wait for her response.

You almost jump when Naomi's voice comes from right behind you. "Watch out Katie, I might get confused and fuck you with my great big strap-on by mistake!" she warns.

You hate the way that your pussy clenches at the suggestion and now images are coming unbidden to your mind. You want to slap her but you're focusing on controlling the rest of your brain which has apparently decided to go a bit pervy on you and so instead you just stand there, eyes locked with hers (and yes they would definitely be considered pretty if they weren't glaring at you...she's even done the makeup just so, so that they really pop). She gives you a once over, but there's no appreciation in it, just disdain (and really how can there be no appreciation, because you do look fucking fit in your top), before turning on her heels and heading into the classroom. Your sister (fuck her) has a smirk on her face (which you'll have words with her about later) and that just increases your anger now that you've got full control of your brain again. "Muff munching bitch!" you growl as you turn back to Effy (and you think you catch a fleeting glimpse of an amused smile on her face too that makes your stomach flip in a way you're not ok with it doing and makes you wonder exactly what she thought of the little exchange that just happened). "She just jumped on you, didn't she Ems?" you add, making it sound completely worse than it was. Truth is you don't have the foggiest idea how it came about, just that you walked in the room and there they were, hands tentatively holding each other's faces as their lips worked against each other. You don't want to know if tongue was involved. Your sister chooses then, of all times to stand up to you and tells you to just leave it. You're vaguely aware that you'll sound like quite a homophobe and a bit of a bigot if you don't, so you shake it off and say, "Whatever," in reply to your sister.

You turn back to Effy and contemplate trying to regain some of your dignity, but you're not sure how, so instead you just say, "Come on. We'll get the best seats, yeah?" You walk into the classroom and don't wait for her reply because you're really not desperate for friends so you really don't want to appear that you are.

You settle yourself at a table in the middle and you smile to yourself when Effy does indeed come and sit next to you a few minutes later. She quirks her eyebrow up at you in a question that you can't decipher, and you feel like she's appraising you for a second before the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly and she turns to face the front.

The teacher starts grumbling a few minutes in, and you think he's swearing under his breath, so you glance at Effy to see if she's hearing the same thing you are and the faintly amused look on her face would imply that she is.

The man finally says that you've all got to stand and say a unique fact about yourselves before standing and starting them off with, "I'm Kieran and I hate being a fucking teacher!"

You have to smirk at that, and you think that he might not be too bad of a teacher if he's going to be this "I don't give a fuck" about the whole school year, and, besides, you have to admire his honesty. You catch Effy glancing at you and you see that she's rather entertained by his statement as well. It feels nice, sharing a look with her. It makes you hope that you really will become good friends with her.

An awkward boy with bad skin who's in desperate need of a good haircut is called on and introduces himself as JJ before he starts to ramble.

Your mind tunes him out and starts to race, contemplating what you should say when you're called on. It has to be something that'll set you apart (from everyone, but specifically from Emily). You need to come off as cool and mature (and above all else: straight). You think of something and you smile to yourself, and a moment later you're glad you thought ahead because you get called on next.

You stand, feeling self-assured, and glance around at the class to make sure that everyone (especially Effy) is listening. "I'm Katie. I've never not had a boyfriend since I was seven." As soon as the words are out of your mouth you can't help thinking that it makes you sound like a bit of a slag (although you only ever date one guy at a time...Cheating is most definitely wrong and Emily may not think that you have much of a moral code, but that's definitely in it). You keep the small smile plastered on your face anyway, unwilling to show signs of doubt at yourself and Kieran mutters what you're sure is a sarcastic "Congratulations," but you smile like he means it anyway and take your seat.

You can't stop the glance at Effy, whose expression hasn't changed from the last time you looked at her and you can't help but worry a little at that.

Emily gets called on next, of course she does. At least you know you've definitely set yourself apart from her when she announces, "I'm Emily. I've never had a boyfriend." The only thing is, that people might start to wonder why she's never had a boyfriend, and then they might start to wonder about you, and you don't like that. You also don't like that Effy seems somewhat interested by that little revelation and is eyeing your sister curiously. It's not like it's even true! Not really. You set her up with Dan Webber last year and they went on at least three dates, and you pushed her towards Liam Marshall who thought she was cute and you know for a fact that they kissed. Ok, so she's never really had a boyfriend like you have (not for lack of encouragement on your part), but still...

Fucking Naomi gets called on next and says something about injustice and lying, but you try not to listen and instead make sure you appear bored at what she's saying. You do notice the pointed glare she sends your sister's way though, and that bothers you.

A few other people get called on, and you do your best to listen, until Effy gets called on and you don't have to try anymore because you find that you're actually kind of excited to learn something about Effy.

Effy stands with a confidence that isn't put on at all and you can't help but envy it. "I'm Effy and I think my mum's having an affair," she says, staring Kieran straight in the eye.

Your jaw drops and you can't help thinking that she's all the more cool for being so ballsy. You recover quickly, not wanting her to find you gaping when she looks back at you.

The tall, somewhat attractive (or he would be if he took time to choose his outfits better and didn't have that gross scab on his chin) boy on the other side of you gets called on next and introduces himself as Freddie. You want to scoff at his unique fact which is simply that he met a girl he liked today and she's beautiful. You want to, but you can't, because you realise that Effy is looking at him and you think you catch something, maybe the hint of panic in her eyes, but it's just there for a second and then it's gone so you can never really be sure it was there to begin with. Still, something about the way she's looking at him makes your stomach churn uncomfortably and you realise that he's talking about her. Of course he is. She's gorgeous. She's the only person around who could make someone that infatuated with her in so little time. If she goes off and finds a boyfriend though, then that'll give the two of you less time to develop your friendship! (You don't want to think about why else Freddie's revelation and Effy's reaction might be bothering you.)

You glance at Effy again, but she's not looking at Freddie anymore. Instead she's looking down at a piece of paper in her hand that seems to be a list of some sorts. You peer over her arm to read it a bit and notice the words "Arson" and "Drugs" before the words "Sex in school" jump out at you. They apparently jump out at Effy as well because she taps them.

You look away quickly before she looks up and catches you being nosy, but your heart starts to race and you're not entirely sure why.

Next thing you know, Effy's raising her hand. "Kieran, I'm feeling rather shit. I think maybe I need to go to the nurse's office."

Kieran, of course, allows it.

You hate the upset feeling in your gut at the thought that she's leaving. You hate it even more when you notice her give a pointedly seductive look to the boy who pulled his cock out at assembly. Your suspicions are basically confirmed when a minute later the boy makes a lame excuse about his balls aching and excuses himself to the nurse's office as well. He grabs the list that Effy'd left on your shared desk on his way out.

Suddenly you wish that Kieran wasn't so free and uncaring about what you do. You wish he'd put his foot down and made them stay.

Images flood your mind unbidden of Effy, scantily clad, and of the boy pushing his sizeable cock into her. You stare straight ahead and try to focus on the stupid video that Kieran's playing instead, but it doesn't work. You notice out of the corner of your eye that you're not the only one wearing a scowl. Freddie's got one that rivals your own.

You really can't help that you're in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

"Can you believe that Effy just buggered off with that Cook guy?" Emily asks you on when you're making your way through the school so you can go out and meet Danny so he can give you a ride home (and then possibly another kind of ride once you're there if Emily agrees to disappear for a while before your parents get home).

You scowl at her. "I'm sure she had her reasons," you reply.

"Yeah, but I mean they just met today! I can't imagine shagging some bloke I just met!" Emily insists on talking about this.

You glare. "You don't know for sure that they shagged. Maybe they just went off somewhere and shared a spliff or something because they were bored. God knows that video was boring as shit!" You know it's a feeble alternative, but it's the one you've been clinging to since you thought of it about half an hour after they'd left the classroom.

"Yeah, right, because spliff is a notorious cure for aching balls," Emily rolls her eyes.

"Shut up, Ems! Like you'd even know!" you shoot back at her. Fortunately she listens to you then, and when you see Danny waiting for you by his car (you pretend that you don't notice the way he's leering at a few of the other girls around), you kiss him hard, not caring that he sticks his tongue a little too far down your throat or that his hand is very obviously grabbing your ass because it shows people (and it shows you) that you don't really give a fuck who Effy Stonem lets fuck her because you've got someone you're fucking too. A guy! A fucking Bristol Rovers Reserves player!

You don't think about the fact that one of Effy's little smirks make your pussy tingle more than the entire snogging session with Danny.