I could feel his eyes on me. Okay, maybe I was just slightly hallucinating – I'd had one too many – but he was still staring at me with those eyes of his, those dark eyes that shone like haematite crystal, reflecting like cats' eyes whenever the light shone against them. It flattered me and since I was in a flirty mood I swayed up to his table, where he was sat with two other boys his age. One had blonde hair, the other a dark colour. Black or brown - I couldn't see in the light. This one, the one I was after, had brown hair with blonde streaks. It ran down to his ears and was trimmed perfectly – it looked like it would never grow out of place. It wasn't like how skaters or Goths have their hair – shielding their eyes – I had a feeling that he was 'out there', and he wanted people to see his stare, for what reason I couldn't decide.

"Hi," I grinned, twirling my hair around my finger. He looked up at me, took a sip of his drink, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned at me. A shiver ran down my spine, a delicious, pleasant one. "Hey," he replied. The two other boys shifted nervously and started looking around the club, looking anywhere but at me. I didn't pay any attention to them. Something about them made them off limits – they probably had girlfriends. I had a radar for single guys, and it was working right that instant. It was the same ability that made me irresistible.

"My name's Natasha Falmouth, but you can call me Tash." I bent down and fluttered my eyelashes, doing it delicately. I looked a hell of a lot different to those blondes who think if they bat their eyes and make them look noticeable will win the guy. If they'd just make them want to notice. If they're interested in you, they'll search your face and notice. They'll get the picture. Less is more. Normally, guys looked nervous when I flirted with them, putting them on the spot – but this one wasn't scared – not in the slightest.

"Hi Tash," he stopped, relishing in saying my name, and looked over at his friends who seemed to turn away, even though he didn't notice. "My name's Jude Redfern. That's my cousin Ash," he pointed to the blonde boy, "And our friend Quinn," he turned his finger to the other. I knew he wasn't going to send me away if he'd told me his name, so I sat down on his right, opposite Ash and Quinn. They looked at each other, sighed and turned to the entrance of the club. I think they were waiting for someone.

"So Jude, I've never seen you in here before." I grinned, holding my Bacardi in my left hand, swirling it every now and then. Jude's eyes flashed in the light and for some reason I was curious what the other boys' eyes were like. I'd already seen Ash's… his were brown – I could tell when he sighed. I looked back. They were blue. A sorrowful, panicky blue that spelt danger. I could feel his fear; it was like a sixth sense. I could've sworn his eyes had been brown! Maybe it was the drink. I peered down at my bottle, frowned, and settled it down on the table – refusing to drink any more.

Jude suddenly replied and I was snapped back to attention. His eyes were almost grey, but every now and then it seemed they became black – like a shroud coming up over his eyes, shielding his thoughts and feelings. Like a Terminator. "No, we've never been in here before – have we boys?" he turned to his friends, who mumbled a negative. I stared at them, curious as to why they were acting so strange. They were all good-looking, and all seemed dangerous in their own way. Almost reminding me of someone who seemed nice enough to walk you home and then, later on, they would spring on you and… and…

A shimmer of evil behind their bland expressions. Except two of them were on their day off. Quinn and Ash looked as if they wanted to bolt.

"Well, come to think of it I've never seen you in town before. Do you live here?" I asked. Jude grinned and waved a hand. "We sure do. Ash lives here with his girlfriend," he stopped, glanced at his cousin, who was deep in conversation with Quinn, and turned to me. "She's an astronomer. She lived out in Oregon, Briar Creek – really quiet place. So she left – for him."

"How sweet," I replied, leaning in closer. I crossed my legs, flashing my brown fishnets. Jude peered down, briefly, before staring into my eyes again. "It is sweet," he agreed. "And Quinn's moving down here as soon as he can persuade his girlfriend." I knew it! I thought. They did have girlfriends. I was brought up to trust my instincts and right now – I thought that Jude was worth the ride, so long as there wasn't a girl around…

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked, gradually getting closer and closer to him. I could smell his aftershave and it nearly made me dizzy with happiness. He really was gorgeous… He laughed and cocked his head on one side, as if to figure me out. After a minute he shook his head. "No," he smiled and then he touched me. Okay that sounds dodgy, I know, but not in that way. Only a slight touch of my cheek. I figured he was reaching to push back a bit of my hair, to brush it back behind my ear, but he never got to do it.

What happened was there was a flash of lightning as his skin touched mine. My world swam with purple and pink lights, like the aurora borealis. My vision was spinning and all I could see was Jude out of control - looking at his hand, then where he'd touched me. I could see his eyes roll back. I realised the same was happening to me. It seemed to happen so fast. When I faded out I could hear the words of "… your out of touch, I'm out of time…" play, and when I snapped to attention, it was the next line – but it felt like an eternity had passed between each phase.

I could feel my body erupt with spasms. I was twisting my neck back involuntarily. My hair fell backwards, dangling about my throat like a veil. Jude's eyes snapped open and I saw that his pupils were covering his entire eye – not just removing his irises, but blotching out the white too. He looked like a… like a bat? He hissed like one too, just when I thought he was going to pounce on me and bite into my neck (like vampires do) he jumped out of his seat and ran. Ash and Quinn's eyes followed him. They were sat, very still, in their seats – faces white.

Me? I was leaning backwards, choking out breaths and wondering what the hell had just happened. I could feel Jude's presence leave me, which had come forward like a swarm of bees, dark and determined to fight. I had been absorbed in him, drowning in his mind. I had heard his thoughts… I realised. I opened my right eye a fraction, saw Jude stomping off to the boys' toilets, and sighed.

He'd been thinking: "I'm having this reaction with vermin?" and "I can't believe this is happening to me!" but the thing that shouted louder than all thoughts was one word. That word wasn't something he'd been saying in his mind as such, but it was like a memory of being told something creeping up so I could see. "Your soulmate is someone you react with – meaning when you touch it hits you like lightning – if the pulse is strong between you two. You can read each other's minds… you may hate that person but it can't prevent it. You are destined to be together…" and that was the basic gist of it. But the word… the word that made me feel weak was 'soulmate'. I had no idea why – your soulmate is normally someone who has exactly the same interests as you so you'd be completely compatible. But for some reason, that word just stuck to me as if I was covered in double-sided sticky tape. Soulmates…

Ash was looking at Quinn with slight interest. Quinn's eyebrows were in his hair and he looked amused. "Well, well. Of all the people-"
"Don't Quinn. You never thought it would happen to you," Ash pointed out, staring his friend down. I sat up, looked down at myself and gazed over at the others. They looked as if they wanted to laugh.
"Or you, Ash." Quinn told him, smiling, "But I never thought… This is rich! Jude? I mean come on, Ash! It's hilarious – did you see his face?"
Ash grimaced. "You should have seen mine." I started getting curious. "W-What are you talking about?" I interjected, staring at the two of them. Ash stopped, followed by Quinn. He'd been in mid-sentence, spouting off something about 'Rashel had been on top of me when I knew…' but I'd cut him off. Ash hadn't been listening anyway.

When Ash was about to say something (I noticed his eyes were green), Jude appeared suddenly over their shoulders. He'd splashed water on his face and his cheeks were pink. He looked terribly sober all of a second. He reminded me of a cat that had been happily being stroked until someone had stood on its tail. Unhappy… furious, even. "We're going," he frowned. Quinn opened his mouth just as Ash grabbed Jude's elbow in objection. To finalise it, Jude cried, "NOW!"

"Sheez!" Ash and Quinn stood up slowly, smiled apologetically at me, then turned. Jude stared at me for a few minutes. I thought he was just going to leave me when all of a sudden he said: "Do you need a lift?"
I had no idea that I was nodding, it seemed my body was moving on automatic. Someone with stronger forces – like Cupid – was intertwining Jude and I, weaving us into a web of lust. God I hope it is, I thought. I don't want to fall in love with him

I grabbed my coat from the chair and followed the three boys out of the club.