I heard someone call my name and turned round to see Conner running up to me.

"Can I have your number?" Conner asked when he caught up with me.

I looked at him confused. He wanted my what? He must have seen my confusion and he raised an eyebrow. "Your Emobile number." He clarified.

Oh, the little black thing that humans put in their ear (hence Emobile), tiny as a button and voice activated. You could also talk to more than one person at the same time. They were invented in 2193 and are still getting more advanced. Now I know what he's on about. Unfortunately having someone's voice in your ear is too painful for vampire senses.

"I don't have one of those." I told him.

He looked at me like I had grown a new head.

"You don't have an Emobile?"

"No"

"How do you get in touch with your friends or family?"

"I don't have a family."

"Me neither."

I looked at him in shock, he didn't have parents?

"What happened to them, if you don't mind me asking that is?"

"I haven't really told a lot of people, I don't mind telling you, as long as you don't spread it round school, ok?"

I nodded. If Conner could tell me his secrets, I would keep them.

"My dad got my mum pregnant at 16. As soon as she told him he did a runner. My mum thought she could take care of me on her own, but she couldn't. So now I live in the children's home a few streets down."

"I'm sorry."

He laughed. "Don't feel sorry, being in care isn't that bad, you just have to be careful that none of the older kids nick your stuff."

I was shocked that Conner had shared this with me, and happy.

"What about you?" he said.

I hesitated, I hadn't known Conner long but I really wanted to tell him everything, being a vampire, the Ios and the bomb. But I couldn't. All I could do was lie as little as possible.

"My family, a few others and I share a… belief that other people find unacceptable, we caused trouble to them. My parents in particular. One day they went to far, people found out what they were and followed them home. In the night while my parents and baby brother slept they attacked them, and my family died."

"Not you though." Conner said softly. I could tell it wasn't just a statement; it was a question has well.

"I was at my friend Alice's house."

He smiled slightly. "It's good you have her then."

My eyes filled with tears and he must have seen them because he asked what happened to her.

"She died a couple of weeks ago, same people who killed my family."

He looked at me softly. "I'm so sorry Kat."

"It's fine, I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."

"I'm glad you can tell me things like that. But it must have been one heck of a thing you guys believed in to get such a violent response."

I realized then that I could read Conner very well. I knew that he was asking what we believed in but didn't want to outright ask.

"It is, but I'm not going to tell you so don't please ask me to."

He gently ran his fingers down my cheek, leaving a burning trail behind them. "It's ok."

I sighed in relief that he wasn't going to push me.

"Thanks."

"Well since I can't have your number, how about your address so I can pick you up?"

I smiled.

oo)0(oo

Butch was waiting for me at my home. He was sitting on the sofa with a cup of blood in his hand.

I sighed. "Would it kill you to knock?"

He shrugged. "You wouldn't let me in if I did."

I smiled. "Point to you."

"It's lucky I know where you keep your spare key. Anyway, let's get down to business."

Here it comes. "What business?"

Butch stood up. "How did your first day go?"

He sounded concerned, but the concern wasn't for me, it was for the mission. And that ticked me off.

I decided just to tell him what he wanted to know. "no, I haven't found a place for the bomb, no I don't know if there are any night staff and I don't yet know the layout of the school."

Butch seems angry. "You're supposed to know all this, that why we sent you there."

"I've only been there one day!" I yelled. "I can't know every building, every room in only one day. And its not like I can go up to one of the teachers and ask if there's anyone around at night, can I?"

Butch pinched the bridge of his nose. "Try harder."

"I'm doing the best I can."

He nodded. "Fine. That's not the only reason I've come here."

I was starting to get worried, Conner would be here soon for our date and if he ran into Butch…

"What." I decided that I would say short answerers and hope that this made the conversation go quicker.

"Amy says that she has seen Ios. They were closer to the clan house than we would like."

"Do they know where you are?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so, but they suspect."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

He shook his head again. "We are going to do nothing. I however am going to lead them off the trail."

I sighed in frustration. "Why did you come here and tell me that if you don't want me to help."

"I just want you to be more careful when you're out feeding."

I nodded. "That's fine."

"Ok, I think that's everything, call me when you gather the information we need ok?"

"Whatever."

Butch walked over to me and gripped my shoulders.

"We are doing the right thing." He smiled then let go of me.

I watched him as he walked to the door and left. It was only when I was alone that I spoke my mind.

"No it isn't."