"I can't believe you won!" she cried as they walked up the stairs

"I can't believe I didn't win sooner," he grimaced slightly, remembering how she'd escaped his first tactic, dodged his second one, out did his third won, and then fallen on his fourth. His fourth! She was good.

"Good night Jerome," smiled Mara, waving slightly, Jerome raised both of his light eye brows slightly, not use to such a fare well. His usual one was 'Oy mate, shut out the light, hot date with Amber in my dreams' from Alfie

"Night Mara," he responded quietly, but she heard him and smiled, before stepping into her room and closing the door behind her. Jerome stood there for a moment, relishing the new raw feeling. Comfort.

"What are you doing Clark?" asked a voice, loud and rude. Mick. Jerome pulled his walls up quickly, strongly. As if they had never been down

"Nothing that concerns you." He stated, walking around the big sweaty blond.

"Everything you do always ends up involving someone else, I don't have time for your stupid pranks today!" he growled stalking off. Obviously in a bad mood

"Guess who the star of a latest prank is," said Jerome, jumping into his bed and landing with a thump

"OOOH! Is it the Queen?" asked Alfie, excited. Jerome sighed at him "I never guess correctly Jerome, so just tell me," he smiled

"Meat-head Mick," he sang, lying back hands behind his head.

"Nice! Come on Jerome let's turn in," said Alfie, flicking of the light

"Good night Alfie," said Jerome, just like Mara had unknowingly taught him

"Yea yea, night man," replied Alfie, already half asleep.

I closed the door behind me, Patricia was asleep, snoring loudly. I crawled into bed, remembering the details of the evening. Jerome. Why had I never spent time with him before? And when did I become so rubbish at chess? I smiled to myself, Jerome was actually genuinely funny without pranking all the time.

Her mind flew back to a particular moment back then

"It was a nice tactic," she murmured as she killed his bishop, the first kill of the game

"Not nice enough," he muttered but he was smiling slightly, she looked up and met his piercing ice blue eyes.

"It was almost there," she whispered, apparently losing her voice. He leaned towards her slightly, and she admired his pale and flawless skin

"But to get you, you must be one away from perfection,"

"I'm not one away from perfection," she laughed blushing, but not looking away from his sparkling eyes

"You're right of course, you are perfection Mara Jaffrey, your name, your looks, your brain, your personality."

By now Mara was blushing furiously, and she looked down. When had Jerome become so charming? She looked up to the sound of his laughter.

"My move?" he asked, she nodded dumbly at him, and they continued the game like nothing happened.

"I think I'm dying," groaned Alfie, Jerome padded towards him bare feet, and hit him hard in the chest

"Better?" he asked, in his long sleeved to big red t-shirt and baggy trousers, his pyjamas. They were very comfortable

"No!" cried Alfie, dodging back under the covers

"You realise we don't have school today right?" said Jerome, watching him

"Oh." Came the obvious reply and Alfie leaped up, hitting Jerome on the way to the bathroom.

"Hey!" Jerome called back, moving his shoulder, Alfie was heavy despite his looks. The thin blonde walked down the stairs, everyone was still in their pyjamas apart from Mara, the only person at the table who didn't look dead from sleep deprivation. He sat next to her

"Why are you dressed so early on a Saturday?" he asked, rubbing his face

"I'm always dressed early on a Saturday," she smiled brightly. Jerome thought about this, while eating some bread. Thinking back. She was always dressed on a Saturday, but she'd dodged his question

"Going anywhere special?" he asked, biting into the bread

"Nowhere out of the usual," she smiled, drinking some of her water "I'm going out for a couple of hours," Mara called loudly for Trudy, peeking out the window, smiling at the sun.

"Okay dear, it's not your turn for dishes today is it?" she asked. Mara thought for a moment. No it was not. But due to Jerome and his new schedule for her, it was

"Actually," she hedged. Peering down at Jerome who was sitting there, watching her, shaking his head slightly and smiling. "It is my turn, as I was busy last night and Jerome," she emphasised his name "helped me out,"

"Okay then, as long as there done," answered the kind keeper.

"I'll go get my shoes," said Mara, mostly to herself. Walking up stairs. Jerome sped to his room, changed hastily, buttoning up a red shirt, his waist coat and trousers, slipping on some trainers. He was fast enough to see Mara just close the door behind her. And being Jerome, he followed her.

It was hard at first, to follow her, there was just a long pathway out of the house, so he ducked behind trees and bushes. Swaying in and out of people, somehow always keeping her in sight. He hesitated, before following her into the woods.

She stopped at a small clearing by an oak tree, and he crouched down just in time not to be seen. He didn't know why he was following her. Purely because he never had before. He was swiftly learning that there was more to the little nerd then he originally thought.

Mara, pushed her hands into the hollowed out oak tree, and pulled out her favourite book. Sitting down, she got her self comfortable, and began to re read.

Jerome watched her with wide eyes in the sunlight. Did people do that? Come out to the middle of nowhere just to read? That was…different. He sighed, slightly uncomfortable in his crouching position, but he found it slightly relaxing in the silence, only the slight rustle of wind, the odd tweet of a bird.

"Jerome?" asked a voice, he turned his head, to see her peering into the bush he was hiding, and had not yet noticed him. He crawled and quickly hid behind another bush. He didn't know why he was hiding. "Jerome?" she asked again, he saw her bend over the hedge he'd just been behind, and seeing nothing watched her retreat. And just because he was bored, he replied

"Yes Mara?" he asked, watching her spin round, shocked. Mara starred at him, she knew she'd heard something, at least it was Jerome. She took in his appearance. Not at all dishevelled as she was sure she was. He looked like the most handsome, most evil person she had ever seen, in his red shirt, blue eyes still piercing hers.

"Hi," she said finally. He smiled at her

"Sorry to scare you," he smiled

"You don't look it," she relaxed sitting down by the oak tree. Jerome sat next to her

"So this is where Mara escapes to, is it? Her own hidden world," Jerome lifted his eyes upwards, looking at the arch of the trees, their graceful branches

"I don't come here to escape," she said.

"I would," he replied bluntly. He leaned back against the tree "Read on Mara, don't let little old me disturb you,"

Mara nodded and began to read. She was following the plot easily, but she didn't miss a single word out, amazed at how the writer described everything without going over the top. She turned to page slowly

"Hey!" cried Jerome, she looked at him startled "I hadn't finished,"

"I'll read to you," she laughed, turning to face him slightly, he leant back eyes closed and she read.

As she was reading Mara often wondered if he'd fallen asleep, so still in the quiet, but she kept reading aloud, for herself and for him. After a while she glanced at her watch. Time to go back.

"Jerome," she said quietly, nudging his arm

"Time to go," he smiled, opening his eyes, so he had been awake the whole time. His blue eyes seemed to glitter in the sunlight. Mara nodded and stood up.

"That book," he started, noticing her eyes glisten and her face reddened "It's good," he stated. She smiled at him

"I'm glad you like it," she said in her sweet voice. "My parents gave it to me,"

"They gave you a book?" he asked incredulously "I'm so sorry," he grinned, patting her head, trying to seem sincere.

"Jerome!"she scolded, though she was smiling to herself "What do your parents get you for gifts anyway?" she asked, oddly intrigued now, what did so called normal people receive from their parents as gifts. She looked up to him expectantly. But his eyes now had a dark shade to them, his face unreadable "Jerome?" she asked worried, a small line raised in between her dark eye brows "Are you okay?"

"Fine." He stated, before stalking through the doors of Anubis house, and disappeared. Mara was shocked. It was something she'd said. Something to do with his parents. She now had a horrible feeling his parents were dead, or were ill or didn't contact him a lot, or that he was homesick, or maybe his relationship with them wasn't that good. The reasons raced through her head, and she tried to find something that fit.

She walked into the living room

"Hello Mara," came Fabians voice. Mara looked up at him. He was sitting on his own on the sofa, odd. He was normally always with someone in his gang

"Hi," she said warily "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know," he smiled. He walked towards her "Mara," he said, suddenly serious "There's something we- well I mean I need to tell you. Although I do speak for everyone… Mara listen, this house its-"

"Mara dear," said Trudy stepping in. Fabien rolled his eyes dramatically, how come whenever he wanted to talk someone had to come and interrupt? "Would you start the dishes now, I'll stay in the kitchen with you and get started on dinner."

"Okay Trudy," replied Mara "Tell me later?" she offered Fabien, who simply nodded.

Jerome stalked to his room. He wasn't angry with her, he wasn't blaming himself. It was his parents fault. If only they loved him. If only they cared. If only they weren't selfish, lying horrible people.

A while ago he might have cried. Crystal droplets might have fallen from his ice eyes. But now he felt nothing, his walls protected him, they were on his side.

He avoided Mara for about a week. When he saw her in the halls he turned around, when he heard her call his name, so sweetly, so kindly he kept walking. He stayed in his room and only came down to eat when he knew she wouldn't be there. Petty he knew it was, but it was what he wanted to do. And Jerome Clarke did what he wanted.

He was lying on the bed, dinner had finished about fifteen minutes ago, he was going to go down and get something to eat, sitting up there was a knock at the door

"Come in," he said, not bothering to get up. Shocked when he saw Mara walk through the door. Shocked that she had the courage. Shocked that she'd made the first move.

"Hi Jerome," she looked so hesitant, but felt so happy to see him properly again, she hadn't seen him for a while and the guilt was eating away at her from the inside.

"Mara," he whisped, standing up.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't realise I had said anything. Please stop ignoring me, I feel absolutely awful. I mean, I know it was something I said, well I know what it was that I said, but I should have thought about it first, I mean I should know better than to go around talking like that, I could so easily offend people. And I already have, I offended you. I'm so sorry." She spoke quickly, not really making complete sense.

"It's okay Mara," he sighed, happy she was talking to him again

"No, it's not okay. I don't know what I said, but this is already wrong, my apology is a week late, you shouldn't except it," she whined. He smiled down at her

"Mara, you didn't say anything wrong, it's just my parents," he said the word with such distaste that she looked up to him, watching him intently. Was he going to tell her this? Really? After doing so well all these years to keep it secret, he was going to give it away? Just because he felt week and needy, alone? Yes he was

"My parents, they were always so busy, always. Never had time for me, at first I thought that eventually I would get my time with them, get the attention that every kid had. Never happened. They left me at this boarding school. I've been here since I was five. They sent me here to rot. To rot Mara. Rot, because they didn't want me, Rot because I would never be good enough for them, I shamed them every single day. They wanted me to rot," he took a deep breath in "and I did," he was looking ahead now. Seeing nothing, which he was slightly proud of. He spoke about all of that without seeing flash backs, his walls were getting faster to open and close, he'd spoken with the walls down, but as soon as he stopped, they were back up.

He felt a small warm hand on his shoulder, he looked down in Mara's soft brown eyes. "You're not rotten," she said, smiling. He looked down at her in disbelief. How could such simple words, from such a different person make him feel so good? He looked down into his eyes, and his liking of her grew, he didn't just like her as an acquaintance now, someone to open up to. She was a friend.

"Ah but I did," he fought back. Although she was a friend now, didn't mean she was right

"If you were rotten, would you smile? If you were rotten would you make me laugh? If you were rotten would you be the smartest in most of our classes?"

"Mara, you don't seem to understand," he spoke wistfully. "I'm rotten on the inside,"

"Then we'll bring you back to life," she whispered, so determined

"You can't bring back the dead."

"You're not dead, I can see one tiny bit of a spark in your eyes Jerome, that means your living," she sang gently. Happy that she'd won the conversation.

"Try to see things my way," he started "I'm happy the way I am,"

"Okay then, I'll just enhance that happiness. Now come on, you haven't eaten yet," she said, motioning for him to follow her as she walked out of the room. And he did