Hello, it's been too long! This chapter isn't much, just getting me back into the whole PO5 vibe and character relationships etc.

Mia walked into the kitchen of their quarters of the hotel. The living quarters where staff usually stayed was now inhabited by the five, their protector and the two adults. They had arrived here last night and she had hardly slept; the medical examination they had received before they traveled had seen her poked, prodded, injected, starved and now she just felt sick. It was half past six in the morning, half an hour before everyone said they would wake up, and as she entered the kitchen she switched on the light.

"Hey," she jumped as he spoke and turned around at the fridge. She leant against the cool, metal cabinet and appraised Scott who was sat on his lonesome at the breakfast table.

"Hey," she greeted him with a smile and tried to hide the fact that she was surprised he'd been sat by himself in the dark. "Can't sleep?" She asked and turned to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of juice. She unscrewed the lid of the bottle, placed it on the breakfast table as she sat down and drank slowly.

"No," Scott said after a few moments of just watching her. He wasn't going to tell her, even if Jamie said she were trustworthy or kind, he couldn't tell her that nightmares kept him from his sleep. Mia seemed to sense this and as her hazel eyes looked up at him, he looked away.

"Training starts in a few hours." Mia said quietly and he nodded. "Do you…" Mia hesitated, she wasn't sure how to ask this question; "do you think you're ready for this?" She finally asked.

"No," and even though it was the answer no one wanted to hear, even though it was the last thing Scott should have said, it made her smile. She liked Scott for this reason; he was truthful, pragmatic and loyal. "You?" Mia laughed.

"You five are the ones who will be fighting," she explained, "what do I do?" Her laughter subsided, "apart from watch you all…watch you all win a war that I'm no part of." She brought her knees up to her chest and pushed her hair away from her face.

"You know you play an important role." Scott assured her and she frowned.

"I don't care." She said, knowing that ignoring his comment would not offend him, "I just want this to be over with-"

"I know how you feel." Pedro said as he entered and Scott and Mia nodded to him. He sat down besides Mia and rubbed his eyes. "The sooner this war is over, the better." Scar walked in, shielding her eyes from the light and like a zombie walked towards the sink. When she got there she hoisted herself onto the kitchen counter and poured herself a glass of water.

"We have to practice first." Scar mumbled under her breath and put her glass down. "Master our powers; then we can properly fight!" She exclaimed while stifling a yawn.

"Is everyone already awake?" Jamie said as he walked in too. As Jamie walked past Mia he patted her shoulder and she shook her head.

"Adults are still asleep." She said, tilting her head back to him, "and Matt." She stood up and placed the cap back on her juice bottle. "I'll go wake him up." She said and left the room, the others looked around at each other.

"I thought they were told to stay away from each other?" Scar asked quietly and Pedro shrugged.

"Don't dwell on it," Scott reassured her and stood up, "they've both matured since last time." Jamie nodded slowly in agreement.

"They're not stupid." Jamie added, "and Matt wouldn't let anything get in the way of preparing for the war." Everyone shared a moment of thoughtful silence, each not saying it, but hoping that Jamie was right.

Matt stood at the window or his room, looking out onto the gardens of the hotel and marveled at just how big they were. The greenery, the fields, the forests seemed to stretch all the way to the horizon. He had always been surrounded by the concrete confinement of Ipswich and decided he preferred this. He sighed; thinking about the oncoming tasks was too daunting, he'd rather marvel at the scenery. He roughly pulled off his t-shirt and ruffled his hair as he flung the t-shirt onto the bed. He looked down to his arms, chest and torso and saw that the dye from Peru had completely faded and as he prodded his chest he still felt a sting from bruises. He turned as the door to his room opened and in walked Mia. They looked at each other uncertainly for a few seconds.

"Hi." She said quietly and looked away nervously.

"Hey," he said with a slight nod. "How are you?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Good, I guess. You?" She said almost robotically and Matt laughed.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"As if I'm a stranger?" she smiled as he said this but it faded quickly. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "So this is how it's going to be?" Matt asked after a while and she looked up at him.

"I guess so." Mia replied and stopped twirling her hair to put her hands on her hips. "Friends." She finally admitted.

"I don't think I like that." Matt muttered and Mia laughed harshly.

"You're going to have to." Mia and Matt had been told, however inexplicitly, to remain distant from each other. Neither had minded when first told but as they realized they had to live together, see each other every day and repress their feelings, they didn't think they could keep up the farce. Matt, who was becoming more reckless after Hong Kong, was becoming more frustrated than Mia and in truth, she was becoming scared.

"Fine," he shrugged and walked past his bed to his bathroom, "you can leave." He snapped.

"You don't have to act like-"

"Like what?" He turned to her sharply and as his sharp blue eyes flicked over to Mia and she gulped.

"Like such a jerk." She said and Matt leant against his bathroom door with a sick smile.

"I'm sorry," he said and Mia rolled her eyes at his tone, "could you please leave?" Mia turned away from him and put her hand on the handle of his door.

"You should focus on the oncoming war," she whispered, "and not forge this one against me." And with that she left, leaving Matt to look like an idiot. He shook his head; he wouldn't be so angry at her if she weren't such a coward. He couldn't understand what the point was in hiding what was clear to everyone. He needed her now more than ever, now that they were so close to the end but she, like the adults, had agreed to keep distant from him. He pushed the bathroom door opened and tried not to think about it anymore.

Review it to encourage me to write more…in serious need of encouragement!