Skyes POV:

My heart was racing as I followed Jerome down the pavement to the bus stop, his hands in his pockets as we both caught our breath from the previous run. We didnt want people to know just how close we had gotten so quickly, especially not Patricia.

Now my only problem was making sure that she saw us kissing at exactly 12 our Cinderella moment.

"Skye? SKY-EE?" Jerome waved his hand in front of my face, snapping me back in to reality. "Oh sorry Jerome I blanked out for a second there..." I blushed as he smirked at me.

When the others started piling on to the bus, Jerome kissed my cheek quickly whispering "You are just to sweet for your own good" making my blush deepen, our fingers losing one another as we spiralled to the top of the large red double decker bus.

As the others enrolled deep in conversation, on the bus I could have sworn Patricia innocently seated behind me whispered "guess we dont have to worry about lover boy then huh Skye?" but the only reaction I got when I turned around was a cold blank glance, that cut so deeply I thought I would remain frozen there forever.

"So whats every one going to do in town today?" Jerome asked every one, his arm lightly resting on the rail behind my seat, as we tried our best to suppress gazing at one another, glancing at each other with smiles from the corners of our eyes every so often.

"Well I need to go to the new sports store, I need to get new foot ball boots seem as some people filled the last ones with orange feathers and glue" Mick glared at Jerome as Alfie smirked, and Mara snuggled closer to Mick trying to calm him down.

I felt Jeromes smirk stiffen as Mara got closer to Mick and they carried on the conversation with the rest of the Anubis gang.

"Jerome, ignore them shes only doing that to make you jealous, dont let her see a reaction she isnt worth it" I whispered in his ear, feeling the jealousy wrap around me like Nagini, Harry Potter seemed so less complicated than our own little spider web dramas right now.

"I know" he whispered back, I shivered at his breath on my neck and tried to look away, but I was seated in a corner and he was trapping me between the rail and him, I didnt want to fall and so was forced to look him in the eyes or close my own, I went for blinking naiively in order to show of my naturally long lashes.

"Its just you are worth it" Jerome whispered to me, his breath warm and spice against my cold skin, the goose bumps prickled as I smiled up at him.

The bus began to pull up, it was now or never, we were both leaning in our lips about to brush, eyes flickering closed when "This isnt a l'oreal advert you know!" Patricia smirked, making us both jump blushing out of our embrace.

Patricia seemed determined on making sure I did not win this dare, but I didnt know what she would do if I didnt pass, would she tell Jerome every thing that had happened herself?

"Come on girls lets go, guys we'll meet up with you later!" Amber squealed as she dragged a reluctant Nina behind her, who was waving at Fabian as though being marched of for a life time.

Patricia and Mara linked elbows as they wandered down the stairs to, until soon it was only me left among the boys who eyed me suspiciously.

"Ill meet you in the coffee shop later, now run or you wont catch them up!" Jerome whispered in my ear stroking my arm gently. I smiled gratefully up at him before rushing after the girls.

Once amongst them I forgot all about the boys, rushing to the post office with Mara to post my letter to summer.

"You have sisters?" I asked Mara as I licked the stamp for my letter, attaching a ballerina sticker sprayed with my perfume beside it.

"Me? oh yes, one younger sister, she has leukemia so my parents figured it was easier to schedule hospital appointments and such if I continued an uninterrupted education elsewhere."

Mara looked away awkwardly as I looked at her in shock, "Mara I-I-I" I couldnt come up with a single sentence to tell her how awful I found that but she smiled meekly up at me as we strolled over to the post box, red and shiny like the bus.

"Its ok, my sisters like my best friend and we talk all the time, how can I blame my parents for wanting to protect both me and her? one day I know she'll get well and we can be a proper family again" Mara smiled at me "I cant wait for the day"

"Wow" I give her a weak attempt at a smile, it comes out to watery though "I thought I had it bad..."

Mara looks at me again in shock "you have problems with your sister?"

"Well my twin sister Summer, she's great you know if you want to pull pranks on new people at school and they dont know theres some one who is your perfect match, but theres times when I think she feels we are exactly the same. Like we have another sister Coco, she's the youngest of us, obsessed with animals and I dont think Summer grasps how much like Coco I am compared to herself. I love ballet just like Summer, but Ive always felt second best, so I quit dancing lessons and practised privately in the mirror rooms after school. I never told her that,"

It felt so strange that I could only just explain this to myself and yet I was finally telling some one. "I have another sister Honey, shes the eldest. My mothers just remarried and Paddy, our step dad, is lovely just like his daughter Cherry and its amazing having another sister. But Honeys mad about all of it and now that Cherry and Honeys old boy friend Shay are together, Honeys just gone out of control."

I sigh "Every thing just seems such a mess! I just love old fashioned things, as soon as I saw Anubis house some thing just carried me here like a dream and now I just feel so much more..."

Mara nodded at me knowingly "So much more free?" She offered placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah" I sighed in defeat, glad she understood and didnt think me weird.

"Skye, I havent ever met your sister, but I already know you are much more thoughtful than her, no offence to her at all, shes your twin, like parts that attach together, its just whereas she seems blank you have the ideas, have faith in yourself"

"Thanks Mara, Ive never really talked to any one about this before, my best friend Millie changed so much before I left she became obsessed with boys literally, she became best friends with my sister, every one prefers summer to me, I feel like... winter" I sigh and then giggle at the absurdity of my words.

Mara watches me concerned before linking elbows with me.

"You need a fun day out, and now your here you dont have to worry about living up to your sister. Forget the past Skye you have a new family here for the mean time and you can return to the old whenever you like just..."

The letter slipped from my hand in to the mail box

"Just set yourself free" and with that I found myself being dragged down a little grey cobblestone street in to the warmth of a new beginning.