AN/ Ok, hey guys. Sorry for the lack of chapters, I did explain my situation a few chaps back. I am in Europe traveling and volunteering so finding a computer and the time to write a whole chapter at a time is sometimes difficult. Anyway I'm notaltogether thrilled with this chapter because I pieced it together over a monthbut hopefully you wont think it's too bad. Please review and THANKYOU for reading.

Carmen grinned at the package in her hand. The pants! She ran inside and almost tripped over in her haste up the stairs to put them on.

The first thing she did was read the note from Bee, and was instantly concerned. It was so short. So blunt. She made a mental note to try and call Bee again that night, she had been trying for days but always missing her friend.

'Carmen, hurry up. We're going to miss the trailers' shouted Seth from downstairs. She pulled on the jeans and skipped down the stairs two by two.

Seth was standing by the door making herding motions with his arm. Carmen rolled her eyes, Seth had an unhealthy obsession with movie trailers.

'Cool jeans' Seth commented as he followed her through the front door.

'I know' she replied. She stopped at the bottom of the steps and Seth almost ran into her.

'Nooo way, we're not? I cant!'

'Well its that or you can walk to the cinemas and I'll meet you there' Seth said grinning as he handed her a spare helmet. 'How did you think we'd get there when Paul and Lena took his car this morning?'

'My dad will kill you' she tried, but they both knew she was dying for a ride on the motorbike.

'Well, it's a good thing he's at work and need never know…right Carmen' he raised one eyebrow at her.

She grinned, pulling the helmet down onto her head 'right, but if anyone asks, you're the bad influence who talked me into it'

Seth laughed 'I'm sure nobody around here will find that hard to believe' and before she could ask what he meant the engine was running so loud she couldn't speak over it.

Speeding down the road on the back of Seth's motorbike, her arms wrapped around his waist, the wind in her hair. Carmen couldn't believe this was happening to her, it was like something out of a cheesy good girl meets bad boy story. Not that she would really classify herself as a stereotypical 'good girl' and she knew Seth was definitely not a typical 'bad boy'. Well, she had caught him watching A Walk to Remember a few nights before and she was pretty sure the 'bad boy' type wouldn't be caught dead watching a romantic chick flick. But then he was mysterious and had a slightly dangerous aura about him, not to mention the motorbike. Carmen reminded herself for the hundredth time that week to stop over analyzing everything about Seth.

She thought about the past few days. The week of Seth and Carmen. Since the night Paul and Lena had gone on their walk they seemed so much closer. Carmen knew that if Paul told Lena anything really important she would tell Carmen, but she was still curious as to what they talked about, especially if it involved Seth. While Paul and Lena had been joint at the hip, Carmen had felt a lot less resentful, since she had Seth.

At first spending time alone with him had just been a way to find out what all the secretiveness was about. But the more time Carmen spent with Seth the more she realized how much she liked him. Of course she was still trying to get more information out of him, dropping subtle hints every now and again which he casually avoided. He had opened up a bit more about himself, but it was only the trivial stuff, he hated seafood, he had always wanted to travel to Italy, and when he was little he had wanted to be a vet.

Everything aboutSeth seemed so much more normal now that Carmen wondered if she and Lena had just been paranoid about the whole thing, and this 'big dark secret' was no more than something insignificant. Yes, she told herself again, the secret is no big deal.

Seth slowed down and parked a block away from the cinema.

'I thought it might be nice to walk the rest of the way'

'Why? Do you want to kill me with over-exercise?' Carmen joked as she started walking.

Sethpulled a face at Carmen and offered her his arm to link through hers.

'How 1950's cinema' she joked.

A few steps later they came across a large muddy puddle blocking the path, Carmen glanced at Seth and stopped, raising one eyebrow. He laughed looking horrified. 'What, you don't think I'm going to lie in it and let you walk over me, I don't care how clean you want your shoes to stay I'm not that 50's'

'What a gentleman you are' Carmen grinned up at him.

But Seth was not looking back at her, he had turned his attention to the road, and the large black car with tinted windows crawling down the road. For once Carmen could read the expression on his face and she didn't like it, she was reminded the night she had felt something dark in him, a moment she had tried harder to forget the more she found herself liking him. His face was twisted in a look of anger and fear, at what she didn't know.

The next thing Carmen did know was that Seth was pushing her behind the hedge which lined the footpath and looking at her with eyes which pleaded with her to not move an inch. They were so close together Carmen could feel his breath on the side of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms, not just from their close proximity but also because of the tenseness of the situation.

What, or who had Seth seen? Why were they hiding? What could make him so afraid, so angry? What the hell was going on? Carmen couldn't stay in denial anymore. Seth's secret was very real, very serious, and he was going to tell her about if whether he liked it or not.