A/N – so I decided to upload this right away since it was already written and I might as well (guess I'm a bit eager after all).

I do not own Skins

Chapter 2

Emily's POV

The first few days had been amazing! I had spent the first day following machines that were uncovering the past before my eyes. Cook had showed us how to identify something that was unnatural and therefore human and mark it for the GPS-people. After lunch, Naomi had taken us back to the museum to change back into our normal clothes before she had driven us to our new accommodations. I had no idea where we were staying, just that we had full room and board. Turns out it was Naomi's mother, Gina, who ran a small bed-and-breakfast by the beach, who had agreed to host us for the coming weeks. The rooms were small and simple, with a comfy bed and a small desk and a chair and a closet. I had assumed that we would be sharing rooms but when Naomi and Gina showed us to our rooms, I discovered that for the first time in 18 years, I would NOT be sharing a room with my twin. Naturally, I was ecstatic! This was partly why I had hoped to come here on my own, because everything we had ever done, we had done together, always together. Naomi saw the excited look on my face as the realization dawned on me that I would have my own room and explained that Gina didn't know that sister's would be coming and that if she had, she might have put us in a double room. I spent the rest of the night thanking my lucky stars that Gina was kept out of the loop regarding our kinship. Naomi left us to unpack our gear and shower and said she would be back in time for dinner.

I was sort of sad to see her go, since she had been so nice and helpful during the morning. She had this way of looking at me, I can't explain it, but it made me feel like I was, I don't know, important. Usually, Katie commands people's attention and I am used to being somewhat ignored. I swear, sometimes at college, the teachers forgot I was an actual person and called me Katie more often than Emily. We're not even identical for Christ's sake and I even dyed my hair red to gain some sense of individuality!

Still, being invisible had its perks sometimes. While Katie was busy with boyfriend after boyfriend, I was busy with school and work. I babysat for our neighbors and was eventually recommended for a job last summer at a daycare center. They wanted me back this year but I really wanted to come here since I was a self-proclaimed history-buff. Adding the allure of being on my own for six weeks and there was really no way I could turn this down. That was before I realized that Katie had also applied and by no small wonder got accepted.

After a quick but much needed shower, I was sitting in my room waiting for dinner to be served. I had asked Gina if she needed help with anything but she had just smiled and said I should enjoy my spare time, for now at least. I was surprised to hear a knock on my door and even more surprised to see Effy entering my room. She hadn't said a word to me all day but then again, that wasn't uncommon where I was concerned. I smiled at her and gestured that she should join me on the bed. Naturally, she did the opposite and sat down on my desk. I had a feeling she didn't allow others to dictate her life and simply shrugged as she settled her blue gaze on me.

"So," she started, "your sister is…. Colorful." She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me while saying colorful.

I sighed and answered, "What has she done now?"

"Not much really. She barged into my room exclaiming that we were to be the bestest of friends and started rambling on about how fit that Cook-guy we met earlier was." I felt relieved, this didn't sound too bad. Then Effy continued, "then she threw a fit and started screaming at poor JJ because she decided she wanted a shower and he was taking too long. She ended up forcing him to open the door whilst wearing only a towel, which he was clearly not comfortable with." I buried my face in my hands and shook my head. I looked up and saw Effy smiling slightly. This was the first time I had seen her smile and it, unsurprisingly, made her even more beautiful.

"JJ got off lucky", I replied with a sad smirk, "last year on a school trip to the Isle of Wight, she basically did the same thing, except she actually pulled the poor guy's towel off him, effectively making him moon and streak for the entire college form." I saw a hint of genuine amusement in Effy's eyes and felt oddly satisfied at the idea of making this mysterious beauty laugh. She had also showered and was sporting no make at all but her eyes were so powerfully blue that you felt them look right through you even without the enhancement of mascara and eyeliner. I started to feel guilty about badmouthing my sister, and quickly added, "She isn't always like that, you know. She is fiercely loyal once you get on her good side and she will defend you tirelessly." Effy nodded at that and we heard Gina calling out that dinner was ready.

I went to check on JJ before going joining Katie and Effy for dinner and found him sitting outside on a bench overlooking the private beach. He looked deep in thought, so I simply sat down next to him and waited for him to acknowledge my presence. I ended up startling him, probably because for a split second, he thought I was Katie.

"Emily! Hi!"

I smiled. "Hi, JJ. What are you doing out here? Dinner is ready, you know."

"Yes. Yes, I was just reminiscing about the events of the day." He turned to look at me. "It was a great first day, don't you think?" he asked excitedly. I gathered that he wasn't too affected by Katie's hissy fit earlier, so I decided not to mention it. Instead, I simply shot him a genuine smile and nodded in agreement. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the view and the sound of the crashing waves before my stomach rumbled loudly and JJ couldn't help but laugh.

We were still sitting at the dinner table when we saw Cook sneak in quietly behind Gina who was putting some dishes in the dishwasher. He put a finger to his lips and gestured to us that we should stay quiet. Katie beamed at him and sat up straight all of a sudden instead of slouching on the bench like she had just moments ago. JJ gave Cook a big smile and I couldn't help but get the feeling that Cook had more than one admirer amongst us. Even if JJ's admiration was not of the can't-wait-to-rip-your-clothes-off-with-my-teeth-sort of way. Effy just watched with a slight smirk across her face.

"GINAAAA!" Cook shouted, scooping her up in his arms from behind her, laughing. I expected Gina to have a similar reaction to Naomi's to Cook's surprise attack, but instead of annoyance, she simply chuckled and patted him on the arms.

"I missed you too, James." She said as he put her down and gave her a proper embrace. His face lit up in a strange smile at her comment. "I have prepared the shed for you again, is that okay?" I couldn't help but think a shed wasn't a very nice place to send someone you obviously cared about but Cook just laughed and embraced her again, lifting her up and swinging her around. He must really like sheds…

"Put my Mum down, you tosser!" Naomi had walked in behind us without my noticing. Cook obliged and pulled up a chair next to JJ, ruffling his hair again like he had at the dig site. Naomi walked up to her Mum and they exchanged some words before Gina excused herself with a smile and left us in the kitchen. Naomi handed Cook a plate of food and sat down next to him and dug into her own. She was sitting directly in front of me and had that freshly showered glow about her. I couldn't help myself and since she was busy eating, I took the opportunity to study her while the rest of the group started discussing footballers. I had noticed her cerulean eyes the minute she had walked into the assembly room at the museum earlier that day. She wasn't wearing makeup or at least, I hadn't noticed any and yet her eyes just seemed to glow. It was like they were pulling me in and every time I was able to tare myself away from staring at her, those eyes seemed to pull me right back in. Her blonde hair had been hidden under a cap at the museum, which I understood as we got to the dig site. The wind was quite rough and my own hair kept running wild despite having it sealed in a bun. Now she had let her hair down and for some reason, the blonde hair curving softly around her face made her eyes stand out even more. She was wearing a simple, white tank top and skinny jeans and she was by far the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My eyes started to wander down her neckline, to her collarbone and her shoulders and long, toned arms. I got a little locked on to her fingers and the gold ring she had on her left middle finger.

"It was Granddad's", she said quietly and smiled at my startled look at having been caught staring at her. "He died a few years back and Mum said he wanted me to have it". For a minute she looked a little sad at the memory but quickly composed herself by shaking her head once in disbelief and then went back to eating.

"I'm sorry", I said, not quite sure whether I was apologizing for staring at her or for her Granddad dying. Either way, she didn't really acknowledge it. I turned my attention to the rest of the group that had now gone on to discuss and plan Friday's welcoming party. We stayed in the kitchen for a few hours, laughing and getting to know each other a little better. Cook was the perfect buffer, balancing my sister's bitchiness, the enigma that was Effy and JJ's awkwardness. As usual, not much attention was given me but every once in a while I noticed Naomi glancing my way when I had been quiet for too long.

At nine we said our goodnights and got ready for bed. Naomi and Cook were picking us up at 6.30 the next morning, despite Katie's strong protests on the matter.

Naomi's POV

The first week had actually not been half-bad. Both JJ and Emily were enthusiastic and worked hard and were more or less working independently at this point. Effy was less interested but I had discovered that she was great with a pen and had assigned her to drawing profiles and sketches since Tuesday. She had just finished a sketch of a grave of a mother and child and honestly, I think she had captured the spirit and details better than any photograph could have. Katie had stopped complaining about the early mornings and had instead started to get everyone coffees during the first break at 8.30 a.m. It was not the biggest gesture, as I'm sure it was mostly selfish since she wanted coffee herself but she remembered how everyone liked their coffee and brought them to us with a smile on her face. All in all, there was a nice group-dynamic building and I found that I liked these kids a lot more than I thought I would.

We had sent Mum and Kieran out for the evening and Emily, Effy and I were preparing dinner while Katie and Cook were making a large bowl of sangria. JJ was on the phone with his mum, like he was every evening. Apparently, she had been quite reluctant in letting him join the program and wanted to check up on him on a daily basis. He had confided in Cook earlier that he suffered from Asperger's which really wasn't all that surprising. Cook had taken a liking to JJ from the start and somehow knowing that he had to take extra care, brought out a softer and more mature side of Cook. Ha! I can't believe I just used the word "mature" to describe Cook. This is the same Cook who on Monday, proudly exclaimed he was going to nail Katie tonight at the welcoming party. Looking at the two of them now, I can honestly say that I don't think he really had his work cut out for him on that account. She was openly flirting with him and he used every chance he had to touch and tickle her. At one point she was sitting in his lap while they were sampling the sangria, despite there being 8 empty chairs and a bench to sit on. Ah, young love.

Keeping with the Spanish/Mexican theme, we had made tacos and bought enough tequila to last us a lifetime. As we sat down to eat, Cook lined up the first row of tequila shots and proclaimed that it was good for the digestion to do at least two shots before eating. We naturally obliged and I can only say that I fucking hate tequila. Nevertheless, I continued to down the shots he placed in front of me. The sangria was actually quite tasty and got rid of the tequila-taste that seemed to linger in my mouth. By 9 p.m. we were all hammered and dancing around in the kitchen to loud music. I was surprised at how upbeat Effy seemed to be when drunk. She was dancing and laughing with JJ who kept picking her up and twirling her around. Katie and Cook were already eating each other in a corner, which was disgusting but I still smiled as they took a breather and I managed to make eye contact with him. Seeing Katie genuinely smiling made me realize how similar her and Emily actually were, which then of course made me aware of the fact that I couldn't recall seeing Emily for quite some time. I felt a little worried and went out in search for her, stopping to grab a bottle of tequila on the way.

I found her sitting on the bench by the beach. There were no lights out there but I could see her red hair glistening in the moonlight.

"It's beautiful", she said as I sat down next to her. "It's a beautiful place."

"It's one of my favorites", I simply answered and she smiled shyly at me. We sat there in silence for a while passing the tequila-bottle between us.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she finally asked. I took another swig of the tequila, grimaced as I swallowed and nodded at her. "I fucking hate tequila!" she exclaimed, taking the bottle from my hand, lifting it to her lips and taking a huge gulp. I caught myself staring at her lips as she licked a drop of tequila from her finger. I finally let out a small laugh at her statement.

"Yeah well, that makes two of us then." I said in agreement and took the bottle from her again.

"Next party we have, I will fucking choose what we get off our faces with, deal?!"

"Whoa, Ems! Don't go all Katie on me now..." I said laughing, holding my hands up in mock defense. That earned me a huge Emily-smile and a hard punch to my shoulder. Her smile was more evident in her eyes than anywhere else and I found that I couldn't break eye contact. In the dark, her eyes seemed almost black but somehow still seemed to gleam in the moonlight. I could easily get lost in those… I'm not sure how long we sat there, gazing into each other's eyes but I remember my stomach fluttering and never wanting that feeling to stop. Unfortunately, it did as Katie and Cook came crashing out of the building, lips locked, hands groping and clothes coming off. They were unaware of our presence and I could see Emily was a bit uncomfortable at the sight, although it couldn't have been the first time she saw her sister getting it on. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down towards the beach, giggling.

Emily's POV

Naomi's hand in mine caused a ripple of electricity to course through my body. When we reached the beach and hid behind a sand dune, out of sight from the B'n'B, she unfortunately let go of it. Her warm touch lingered though and I found I had trouble gathering my thoughts. Just minutes ago, she had teased me and used my nickname before staring into my eyes for what felt like hours. Her eyes seemed brighter in the moonlight, not really sure how that was even physically possible since it was hard to make out any of her features in the dark, aside from her eyes. She was laughing delightfully and handed me the damned tequila bottle again. I was already quite hammered but took a swig anyway before handing it back to her. She lay down in the sand and patted the sand next to her. I was expecting it to be cold but the last few days had been excruciatingly warm and the sand still had some warmth left from being bathed in sunlight all day. Naomi sighed in contently and started babbling about stars being brighter and more beautiful when you were lying on a beach with an absence of light. I was happy just listening to her and following her pointed finger as she explained some constellations here and there. I found it increasingly hard to focus on what she was saying and I'm not really sure whether it was the tequila or the fact that our shoulders were touching and our faces were getting increasingly close as she lent in to point out more stars and the occasional planet to me. Our faces were inches apart and I almost couldn't contain myself. I stopped following her pointed finger and turned my head to just look at her. She noticed and put her hand down and copied my action. Our foreheads were almost touching and I could feel her body heat making my skin tingle. She had stopped talking and simply held my eyes firmly in her gaze. There was a slight shift in her expression as her pupils dilated and started to voice something I hadn't seen before. She bit her lower lip and broke eye contact as she reached out and tugged a few runaway strands of my hair gently behind my ear. I tensed at her touch and she must have taken it the wrong way as she quickly snapped out of her seemingly mesmerized state and moved away from me.

She cleared her throat, got up and said, "Right then. Should we go back and see if Cook's done showing your sister a good 'ole time?" With that, she started back towards the B'n'B, not really stopping to see if I was following.