Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, except Simon, Carly and Chris, the rest are the property of the amazing L. J. Smith, I'm only borrowing them.

I've been watching your world from afar

I've been trying to be where you are

and I've been secretly falling apart

I see To me you're strange and you're beautiful

You'd be so perfect with me but you just

can't see. You turn every head but you don't

see me. -Aqualung, Strange and Beautiful

The sun shone brightly over Las Vegas as Blaise made her triumphant return to school. Immediately Selene and Vivienne and her footballer-bodyguards rushed to her, along with half the male population of the school. That morning Blaise was at her most effervescent, her most vibrant and magical. To be worshipped and adored seemed to be her right, and in her brief time in exile the worst part was being without the crowd of onlookers and the attention she craved.

Head up proud, other students parting to let her procession through she walked down the corridor and. Wham! Blaise found herself being knocked to the side. A few people tittered as her books went all over the floor. Managing to regain her poise in time to stop herself landing on the floor she blinked then turned her sights on the imbecile who had ran into her. The boy got up quickly, eyes on the floor, not daring to look at her. 'I'm s-so sorry' he stuttered. Blaise merely stared at him, using her power to force him to look up and meet her eyes. He was a lanky, awkward looking youth with brown hair and round glasses. A stereotypical high school geek. Cowering under her gaze he tried to repeat his apologies but she cut him short 'Don't you ever' anger sparked off her to those who could see it 'ever touch me again, you hear me?' he nodded quickly 'Good, now get out of my sight!' She didn't need to say it twice. Gradually the corridor returned to normal. 'Pick that up!' she ordered her bodyguards harshly, gesturing to the books on the floor. Vivienne was at her side immediately 'Stupid vermin!' She said comfortingly 'Making you fall over and look like a fool in front of all those people.' 'You're not helping, Vivienne.' Blaise told her briskly 'I have English now, I'll see you at lunch.'

Behind her a dazed Simon West watched her go. It felt as if his eyes were locked onto her, she was drawing him with her, into her. "Hey! Simon! Hello? Are you ok?" His best friend, Carly Richmond rushed up to him, jerking him out of the strange daze. "What? Oh, yes I'm fine." He replied quickly. "That was excellent!" Chris, their other best friend had arrived, "You knocked her right over!" "It's not funny, Chris." Simon told him, as they started to walk towards heir first lesson "She'll hate me forever now." "What do you care if she does?" Carly asked. "C'mon Carl, this is Blaise Harmen we're talking about, she'll get her goons to make Simon's life a misery!" Chris joked. He was a stocky young man, blonde haired and blue eyed, the president of the computers society. Carly on the other hand was tall like Simon, but with dyed black hair. She dressed in her own unique style, which involved lots of garish jewellery, corduroy trousers, gypsy skirts and patterned shirts. "What do we have now?" Carly asked, trying to change the subject for a miserable looking Simon. "You and I have Debate," Chris told her, and then grinning "And our friend Simon here has English, with the illustrious Blaise Harmen herself!" "Oh no!" "Yup. You're doomed."

Simon managed to pass the English class as best he could, keeping as far away from Blaise, or any of the popular kids, as he could. This wasn't hard really, considering he wouldn't go anywhere near them anyway if he could help it, and they pretty much ignored any one who wasn't one of them. Blaise didn't look at him, and didn't even seem to notice him.

Finally the bell rang and Simon grabbed his books in a hurry to get out of the door and away. In his haste though he knocked a pen off someone's desk. Bending to pick it up he put his hand on it, a split second after the owner's hand went down. A slim, pale girl's hand. And then something amazing happened.

Around him the classroom seemed to fall away, and the other students blurred out of existence. He looked up at the girl hose hand he unwittingly held, but he could already feel who it was.

Blaise's startled eyes met the crouching boy's. A steady blue mist fell around them, leaving just her sitting in her chair and Simon, his hand over hers. Blaise felt heady and light and warm and *safe*. She felt the boy before her open up to her, like no one else, she could see his heart spread out before her, and all his life - past, present and future. His hopes, dreams, wishes, failures were there for her to see, and she felt her own mind start to open up for him, Blaise? He asked, still unsure, but with more familiarity and courage than her could ever have had before. And all at once she knew what was happening. She had read about it, Thea had described it to her. Soulmates. The word hung between them unspoken. She could see him, and soon he would see all of her and. NO! She mind-cried, forcing herself back into reality, snatching her hand away from under his.

The world fell back into focus sharply for Simon. Blaise had snatched her hand away, and looking at him for a second as a stricken deer did when caught in a car's headlights, she ran. Simon was left in an almost empty classroom where no one seemed to have noticed what had just happened, holding Blaise's pen.

Something though gave him more nerve than he had ever had before. Ignoring the fact that he had Biology with Carly and Chris now, he left the classroom as fast as he could, in the direction Blaise had gone.