The car waiting outside was a black Porsche, a convertible. Quinn drove. Ash was sat in the front with him and I sat in the back with Jude, who gave me curious looks all through the ride. I thought it was strange that at first Quinn didn't ask me where I lived – in fact, for a while he just drove around town.

Finally, Jude cleared his throat when we passed the club for the second time. "So, uh, Tash – where do you live?" he asked. I smiled, politely, not really wanting to keep the pretty girl routine up for much longer.

"25th Avenue." I told him. "If you stop at the end of the street I can walk from there." I looked to my right, out at the street. Quinn was driving me back home and we were halfway there when the car stopped. I stared in complete and utter shock at the driver's seat.

Quinn's head snapped and he pitched forward, slamming his forehead on the steering wheel. Ash slumped against the window. I turned to Jude, thinking that he might collapse too when I saw he was grinning. Maybe Quinn and Ash's drinks had been spiked or… but then why-?

"Do you want to take a walk?" Jude asked, casually opening the door of the car. Startled, I looked around at the two unconscious boys and then checked to see if anyone was around. The streets were deserted. Football was on and the traffic was over the other side of town, near the stadium. No one was out at this time of night and if they were, they were watching our team practice for the game next week. They normally played nights now that they had the new lighting.

"But the car-"

"No one's around, besides – Quinn's exhausted, he'll wake up soon but we should give him a chance to rest." Jude replied, still smiling. I didn't like it. Not at all. I was brought up never to trust strangers – especially good-looking ones. But Jude had this effect on me that made me say –

"Yeah, I guess." I shuffled along the leather seats and Jude helped me out, holding my hand slightly. The pink haze came back and choked me but then disappeared when he pulled away. He nodded at me, curtly, when I stepped out. "Mademoiselle," he sneered holding out his arm. I took it, even though my insides screamed to get back in the car and wait for the other two to wake up. The funny reaction that seemed to happen between Jude and I stopped. It seemed it was only skin-on-skin.

We'd been walking for about five minutes in complete silence when the questioning began. "So, Tash, how old are you?" Jude asked. I told him I was eighteen and then he told me he was too. Then we talked about friends and family, apparently Jude had lived on an island when he was younger. An island off the state of Maine. He said he had a big family. He'd lived in a house with his father, his mother, his uncle and his aunty, along with four of his cousins, Ash included.

We walked out of a back alley and down to a park at the back end of a nursery. I didn't recognise this part of town. Even though I didn't live that far from here I'd never been down the back streets before. But Jude seemed to know where he was going.

He paused and then rested on a swing, sitting down. I did the same on the one next to him. I was only slightly kicking my legs and swinging but then impulse took me and I started swinging properly, getting higher and higher. The frame squeaked and woke Jude up. He seemed to forget temporarily where he was and then he stared at me with confusion. I smiled sweetly and he sighed, brushing his hair back. There was something seriously weird about him.

"Tash, I-" he stopped, bowed his head and then started swinging along with me too. He glared up at me with a playful fire in his eyes. "I bet I can swing higher than you!" he cried. I laughed, feeling like a kid again and pushed up with my feet, kicking wildly.

"I'd like to see you try!" I growled back. He snapped his gaze to me, smiled slyly, and started swinging so high I thought he'd fall off. My heart skipped beats when he launched himself so high he almost went around in a circle. At one point he was parallel to the bar and the frame groaned with the strain.

I stopped swinging and watched with awe as his legs kicked the ground so hard I thought his feet had left imprints. My mouth was open in disbelief. And all the while he still had that same grin plastered on his face. A show of power. That was all it was. He was being a bigheaded, cocky know-it-all.

I scowled. "Nice trick," I declared, before storming off. I'd left my coat hanging on the rails surrounding the park. I was making my way over to it. As soon as I'd taken a few steps, Jude had leapt off the swing and had landed like a cat in front of me, knees bent, fingers gracefully touching the floor. His head was bowed until he tilted it upwards to look at me.

"You're only saying that because I beat you – fair and square," he shrugged and stood up, shaking his arms and legs. They must have been aching after all of that kicking. I grimaced and turned away, grabbing my coat and putting it on.

Jude came over and helped me with my right sleeve and he smiled, looking like a gentleman. Suddenly, I snapped. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked. I could feel my face reddening but I didn't care. "Why? So you could beat me in a game on the swings? What did you exactly want to do with me, Jude Redfern?"

It was then that his lips collided with mine and my eyes snapped open in shock. I think he was surprised himself but he didn't open his eyes, just grabbed me tightly around my back and held me close. My eyes flickered to his face. His cheeks were pink – whether he was embarrassed, angry or just flustered from our little competition I didn't know. I shut my eyes and kissed him back.

Darkness. Darkness so bleak that I couldn't see anything, everything clouded my vision. Black thoughts. Bad thoughts. Memories so bad, so… Tash, no! But I was already walking forwards through the mist, batting the darkness away until I saw a receding corridor of kaleidoscope colours, hidden behind this curtain of dark. Tash, stop – you're… you're killing me!

I pressed on. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing but I had a feeling… an impulse to just brighten things up in this dingy excuse for a… GET OUT!

I collapsed to the floor, panting. My face was pale and I was crawling away from Jude who was standing above me, mouth in a tight snarl. His eyes were shut and his fingers were balled up into claws. I realised where I was. In the park, with Jude, with a stranger…

But what the hell had that been? I'd disappeared completely from this world and it was as if… as if I'd been in his mind! Hadn't he been talking to me through his thoughts? Through telepathy? I shook my head, trying to banish the confusion.

Jude's muscles relaxed and he opened his eyes. He looked at me on the floor and without realising it, leant down and helped me up. "Tash…"

"Take me home," I snapped, turning away from him and opening the gate that exited the park. He stumbled out after me and we walked in silence back to the car, apart. He looked like he was thinking – and that it was hurting him. He kept holding his hand to his head and shaking it in confusion.

When we did reach the car, Quinn and Ash were awake and pale – just about to get out of the car when they saw Jude and I round the corner. I was frowning and flung myself into the back seat. Jude got in after me.

Ash sent him a look that basically meant 'what happened', but Quinn had already put his foot on the ignition. Ash's head snapped back and he faced the road. Quinn's mouth was in a tight line.

When the car stopped at the end of my street, I leant into the window and muttered my goodbyes – saying thank you to Quinn. His eyes went straight to my throat and it puzzled me why he was looking either side of it. Maybe my perfume was hurting his eyes or something. Maybe it was an impulse thing. I don't know.

Jude looked up at me, waved, and then looked back down at his lap. I scowled and stormed down my street, opening my front door and shutting it as quietly as I could. I was fully aware that Jude now knew where I lived, because I looked out of the front room window and saw the Porsche was still there - but I was way past caring. Let him see. What's he going to do? Stalk me?

"Robinson!" I called up the stairs. "I'm home!"

"Tash, get to bed!" came the reply from my big brother. Gladly, I thought, before kicking my high heels off. I took one quick look outside, carried my shoes to the door and put them down. I bolted upstairs before I could mull over the fact that Ash and Quinn were yelling at Jude outside.