'Good morning!'

The cheery voice belonging to my best friend made me flinch and I opened my eyes, realising that Zed was lying beside me, his arm draped across my waist. Oh shit. I glanced at my friend as Zed groaned, moving his arm and visibly waking up. Her eyebrows were raised on here forehead and I couldn't read what it meant.

'Zed, Nate said that the car for you two is coming in half an hour.' Lucy continued.

'Ah, fuck!' Zed cursed, sitting up beside me. He gave me a sympathetic smile and then hurried out of my bedroom.

'Well I wasn't expecting that.' My friend said, walking across the room in her pyjamas and perching on the end of my bed as I recovered from shock. I sat up carefully, feeling like I was hungover, only I wasn't. I felt panicky and even guilty, guilty that I'd let Zed fall asleep beside me. It was innocent, yes, but I wasn't sure how Seb would feel about that.

'I had a nightmare.' I replied, weakly. 'Zed came in and we talked.' And he sang to me, I added silently. 'And then I fell asleep. We weren't touching when I fell asleep. I guess he must have fallen asleep too.'

My friend studied my face for a moment and then she sighed. 'Your life is so complicated.'

'I know, but Zed was just being a good friend.'

'It's always been you, Sky. Even when he was with Savannah, he liked you. Heck, he might even love you.'

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'I'm serious.' She replied. 'And don't get me wrong, Seb is great, he really is, but I like you and Zed together. I've known him years and he's always his best around you. He's given up smoking, you know?'

'I do.' I nodded. 'Because I didn't like the smell apparently.'

'That boy would move continents for you, I swear. He risked his life for you. There's something kinda intense about it, like there's more to it.'

She had no idea.

Half-term week was just like the last five weeks, except my friends weren't at school so I was able to spend time with them. On Monday and Tuesday, Lucy and I hung out with Tina and Zoe at the palace, making the most of the sunshine by spending time outdoors and we even had a movie night at my apartment in Kensington, my father and stepmother deciding I was well enough to spend some time there. Then Zoe and Tina headed off for their break in Paris with Zoe's family, so it was just Lucy and I. I didn't mind. She was good company and she was my best friend. We spent time watching Audrey Hepburn films and irritating my brother, which was always a positive, and she even came with me when I attended an art gallery opening on Princess business.

Then, on Friday, when Lucy had headed home for her mum's birthday, a letter arrived.

I smiled at the familiar handwriting but my stomach twisted with guilt as I thought back to the previous weekend, when Zed had fallen asleep in my bed with me. I took the envelope back to my living room and opened it carefully as I sank into my favourite armchair, pulling my feet up onto the chair with me so I was sat a little curled up.

Dear Sky,

I've been staring at this page for hours just wondering what to write and I think it took even longer because I'm angry, sick with myself. Something has happened and I need to be honest with you because it will change everything.

My heart sank and I felt like I was going to throw up.

We called at a port a few days ago, one we've not yet called at, and we had some free-time there to explore and to grab some food. When I was there, I heard someone talking to me, talking in my head telepathically. I'm not sure if you've ever experienced this, if you have, you've never said, but I remember what my father and mother told me about soulfinders. That they can communicate with each other telepathically. I met a girl, Angelika, and believe it or not, she can talk into my head and she has super-strength.

I blinked, knowing where this was going.

Together, we healed someone Sky! Someone with a broken leg! Can you believe it? Our powers together, her half and my half were able to help someone.

This is the hardest thing I've ever had to write because you make me so happy and I care so much about you, but I can't be there for you and you deserve someone who can be there and who can protect you. I want to stay in contact, I want to stay friends and I want to visit you as soon as my service is over, but for now Sky, I don't think this is the time for us. You'll always have a piece of my heart, I hope you know that.

I'll understand if you don't write back, but I'd like to hear from you. You're still my very best friend. As a savant yourself, I hope you understand and I hope you can find your soulfinder.

All the best,

Seb x

Two months in service and, by chance, he'd met his soulfinder. And they'd used their powers together. And he wanted to get to know her better. I threw the letter, but the lack of weight caused it to fall to the ground straight away. I felt angry, upset, betrayed. He'd promised not to hurt me. He was supposed to be different. And with his sparkly blue eyes, perfect hair and charming behaviour, he had been.

My phone buzzed. Lolly. I hestitated, but I knew I had to pick it up. 'Hello?'

'Sky? Are you okay?' She sounded worried and I realised my voice was hoarse. My throat was swollen and tears were falling down my cheeks.

'I... I got a letter from Seb.'

'Oh Sky, I'm so sorry.' She sounded sympathetic in her thick accent, one I missed hearing. 'I've had a letter come through today too. That's why I called you.' She paused. 'I don't understand why he is risking losing you for some girl he hardly knows.'

'Because she's his soulfinder.' I whispered, my forehead creasing as I frowned.

'He told you?' She sounded surprised.

'He did.' I confirmed. 'Lolly, I'm a savant too. He didn't tell you that. I've not even told my family either. I know what a soulfinder is and I know why that's important to him.'

'I bet she's not even pretty.' She said and I laughed a little. 'I can't believe he's risking it all for her, soulfinder or not. She'll never be as pretty or kind or caring as you.'

'Thanks Lolly.' I said.

'I've got to go, mum and dad want me but promise you'll come and visit soon? Or I will come and visit you. Either way, we have to see each other, you're like a sister to me and I don't want that to change.'

'Me neither.'

I hung off the phonecall and stared at the wallpaper on my phone. Seb and I with the Northern Lights. I deleted the wallpaper and the images from my phone that had him in them. Then I sent Lucy a text, not wanting to call and disturb her family day.

Seb and I broke up. He's met someone else. Knew it was too good to be true xx

And, like a good friend, she called straight away anyway, speaking to me for over an hour as I moaned down the phone to her, feeling sick and feeling fed up.

I wasn't sure who told my brother, Lolly or Lucy, but he knocked on the door of my apartment that evening armed with takeaway food and flowers.

'You look crap, sis.' He commented as he passed me, closing the door behind him. He passed me some flowers. 'Flowers cheer girls up, right?'

'I suppose.' I gave a small smile and retrieved them from him. 'Thanks.'

'I brought food too. I know food's always a winner. I've got some Indian sent over from this place in Camden.' I followed him as he walked to the kitchen, grabbing plates and cutlery as I put the flowers, the extravagant bouquet, in a vase of water. And then, suddenly, I just crumpled. 'Hey, it's going to be okay.' Phillip was there in an instant, wrapping me in his arms, rubbing my bag. 'My god, I'm going to kick that guy's ass. There's going to be a war between Norway and England for sure when I'm King.'

I gave a small smile as my brother held me. 'Don't be ridiculous.'

'I'm serious. He wants good relations then don't break my little sister's heart. Wait till he gets out of the navy, then we're having a serious talk. He's made the biggest mistake of his life.'

'But she might be lovely.'

'I don't care if she's lovely, she's no Princess Sky of England.' He pulled back to see my face, his eyes sincere.

'But she's his soulfinder.' A tear rolled down my cheek and Phillip frowned.

'She's his soulfinder?' He looked surprised, taken aback maybe. I nodded mutely and he pulled me into him again. 'Oh, sis, it's going to be okay. I promise everything will be okay.'

Phillip stayed with me until late that night, before heading back to his apartment nextdoor. We ate far too much Indian food, watched some comedy films on Netflix and he listened, his voice soothing as I spoke about the hurt I was experiencing. A year ago, I hadn't known who my mother or father were and I didn't know that I had a brother either. Eight months after finding out about my new family, and I really didn't know how I'd coped before without an older brother. Sure, he teased me and wound me up, but he was there to talk to, to hold me when I cried, to threaten to beat up any guy that hurt me. Prince Phillip was caring and compassionate and a family man, some of the reasons why one day, I knew my brother was going to be an excellent King.

I woke up feeling groggy the next day as my doorbell rang and rang and rang. I groaned, pulling my dressing gown on over my pyjama vest and shorts, and I walked across my soft carpet to the front door of my apartment. I opened it carefully and there stood Lucy, armed with a mini suitcase and a Tesco shopping bag. 'Lucy? What are you doing here?' I asked, surprised.

'An intervention.' She replied, letting herself in. I closed the door behind her. 'Are you still not dressed? It's midday.'

Was it? I'd not even realised. I knew I'd gone to sleep pretty late, but I hadn't realised I'd slept in so late either. 'You woke me.' I replied and she sighed before enveloping me in a hug.

'Guys are dicks.' She said, simply. 'And before you say so, I know I've got Nate but he can be a dick sometimes too. Just like any guy.'

'I could just pull an Elizabeth I and not have any husband or kids ever?' I suggested and Lucy wrinkled her nose.

'I think that's going a bit far.' She held up her Tesco bag. 'I have ice-cream, but as you've not had breakfast yet, how about some pancakes?'

'I'm not hungry.'

'You will be when you smell these babies.' She headed off to the kitchen and I followed her, watching as she moved around like the apartment was hers, knowing where every piece of equipment was. She got to work, mixing and then she was pouring the mixture in the frying pan and flipping it like a pro. She dished the first pancake onto a plate and nudged it my way. 'Eat.'

'I'm not hungry.' I said, weakly, as I enhaled the scent. Man it was good.

'Nutella?' She passed the jar along the counter towards me and I caught it before it could slide off the edge.

My mouth watered and I gave in, smothering the pancake in Nutella and adding a few of the strawberries Lucy had brought too. I cut a slice of pancake and put it in my mouth, groaning. 'Mmm this stuff is good.'

She smiled. 'I told you so. It's my dad's recipe. Not just a Grammy-winner, my father.'

'Nope, I'm definitely coming round for a roast dinner sometime.'

She laughed as she flipped the next pancake. 'I'm sure he'd like that.'

'Haven't you got the Seven Minutes in Heaven concert this evening?' I asked, realising what day it was.

'You mean, haven't we got the Seven Minutes in Heaven concert this evening.' She wiggled her eyebrows and I rolled my eyes.

'I'm not going. I've been saying that for weeks and I think... I think now I have even more reason not to go.'

'Pfft.' She rolled her eyes this time. 'So Prince Yummy dumps you and you just stop doing everything. Really? Sky, you're better than that. I know you cared about him and he was great, my opinion might have changed of him now, but you can't let him ruin your life. You're young, beautiful, a princess. You deserve to have fun.'

'Maybe but I'm not sure I'm ready for fun. A movie and some Ben and Jerrys sounds like the perfect Saturday night to me.'

She tutted as she put her pancake onto her plate. 'Do I have to call Lolly? Because I know she would totally agree with me. I spoke to her last night and she's pretty pissed at her brother. More than pissed even. And apparently his parents aren't pleased either.'

'Mmm.' I picked up a strawberry and popped it into my mouth.

'Come on. We're going to go shopping, buy some smokin' new outfits and then we're going to get glammed up, take loads of photos so Seb can see what he's missing and then we'll go to the concert and afterparty!' She nudged me with her elbow.

'See what he's missing? They hardly have Instagram when they're in the navy.'

'But they have newspapers, don't they?' She grinned. 'Come on Sky, please. Don't make me go to a Seven Minutes in Heaven concert alone. The hysterical fans will rip me to shreds.'

I sighed. 'Fine. But only because I'm a good friend.'

Lucy dragged me around Oxford Street that afternoon as my guards surrounded us, making it obvious who we were even if I was hid under sunglasses. The press caught on and snapped photos of us disappearing in and out of shops and even of us grabbing an early dinner. Then, armed with bags, we headed back to my Kensington apartment, where we started getting ready. As Lucy finished my smokey-eyed make-up, the make-up that was sexy but not too much (and it did make me look about eighteen), the doorbell rang and sure enough, my brother was stood there.

'Going out?' He asked, taking in my outfit (a red skater dress with petticoat underneath to make it pouffy, leather jacket and black converse) and make-up.

'Yeah.' I gave a small smile.

'She wasn't going to but I told her she had to!' Lucy said, appearing by my side in black high-waisted shorts, a sequin crop top and a black blazer, black ankle boots on her feet.

'Good call, Luce.' Phillip said with a smile. 'Where are you off to?'

'Seven Minutes in Heaven concert and afterparty.' Lucy replied. 'It's their closing night of tour.'

'Sweet.' My brother nodded. 'Well have fun and remember to call Wilfred to pick you up after? I just wanted to check you were okay.'

I gave a small smile, starting to feel nervous now. 'Thanks.'

Phillip disappeared off down the hallway, clearly going out himself, and Lucy beamed from beside me. 'Your brother is adorable and so caring.'

'He is.' I nodded. 'I'm very lucky.'

The venue, Shepherd's Bush Empire, was only a fifteen minute drive from Kensington and that was in traffic. I sat nervously beside Lucy, fiddling with the Access All Areas pass that I wore around my neck, as Lucy pinned the waterfall braid in place on my head. We were running late, mainly because Lucy had got cross with her winged eyeliner, but I didn't mind being late because when we arrived, no one was queuing outside to get in and most fans had left the foyer and had headed into the arena to listen to the support act. The manager came to talk to my security, confirming who they were and then giving them their AAA passes, which they tucked into their pockets out of sight.

'Blimey.' Lucy said and I followed her gaze to the merchandise with Nate, Zed and Zack's faces on it. A few girls huddled by the merch wearing Mrs Benedict t-shirts and I had deja-vu of the first Seven Minutes in Heaven concert I'd been to. I giggled as did Lucy as the girls chose some posters of the boys and the girls turned in our direction to see what the giggling was about. Their mouths dropped into an 'o' shape as the penny dropped and I wished I'd kept on my sunglasses.

'Y-y-you're the princess.' A girl stuttered, looking at me in awe.

'We're supposed to curtsy.' Her friend said and they half-curtsied.

'Don't worry about it.' I gave them a friendly smile and brushed it off as Lucy continued to giggle beside me. I elbowed her in the ribs, trying to get her to shut up.

'Can we please have a photo with you?' One of the other girls asked, her green eyes looking into mine. She looked about twelve or thirteen.

'Her Royal Highness-' One of my guards started but I interrupted.

'It's fine.' I told him. 'Sure, but best be quick. Don't want to miss the band.' I posed for a few pictures and we made our way into the arena, aware that eyes followed us as we passed. My security stood to each side of the venue, where they could see me but weren't smothering. We sank into our seats, which were front row and almost the middle, and a few girls near us gawped and started whispering. 'Why did you make me come out?'

'Because we're going to have fun.' Lucy reassured me as the opening act finished and the audience clapped, some screaming. 'Give me your phone.' I did as I was told and I looked over her shoulder.

'What are you doing?' She had the picture we had taken of the two of us at my apartment up and she was on Instagram. I watched her type the caption "All the women, who independent, throw your hands up at me." And she posted it. 'Hey!'

She grinned. 'We're posting lots of photos, remember? We just won't tell the world you're at the concert until we're out of here.'

I rolled my eyes. 'You're mad.'

'But you love it.'

It wasn't long before the lights dimmed and the crowd started screaming more hysterically as they knew what was coming. A countdown started on the stage in front of us. Behind us, cameras and phones were out, glowsticks were in the air and so were banners, most with proposals on them or other comments about loving the guys.

'Nate, I want your babies!' A girl screamed from behind us and Lucy's eyebrows shot up.

'Don't worry.' I told her. 'He'll have yours.'

'Not for a while, I hope.' My friend choked, her eyes wide.

The sound of a bass filled in air and the high-pitch screams continued, making me wince.

'I bet the guards are going to wish that tonight was their night off!' I called out over the top of the music to Lucy and she laughed as some girls shot daggers our way. Clearly we were ruining the atmosphere or something.

It got to the final ten seconds and the screaming became louder than before as some girls started chanting the names of the guys. Lucy cheered beside me and I rolled my eyes, making her laugh. The clock reached zero and the stage and arena went into complete darkness. A guitar joined into the music. Then a drum. The lights flashed and girls screamed as Zack seemed to have appeared there, onstage. Then the lights flashed again and Zed and Nate were there, one on the left of the stage and one on the right.

'Ah man, why do we get Zed?' Lucy pouted as he paused almost in front of us and they started to sing.

'You're like perfection, some kind of holiday

You've got me thinking, that we can run away

You want I'll take you there

You tell me when and where

Ooohh oh oh.'

Zed's eyes met mine and he glanced at me in surprise before smiling and I felt a blush creep across my cheeks.

'But then I, asked for your number

Said you don't have a phone,

It's getting late now

I've gotta let you know that.'

His eyes moved away and he started to move across the stage, meeting Nate in the middle as they played their instruments. 'Everybody wants to take you home tonight

But I'm gonna find a way to make you mine.'

The whole crowd started to jump and they sang along to the music as Zed, Nate and Zack sang into their microphones. They kicked off the show with a bang, I'd give them that. The whole crowd was loving it and a few girls on my right were even crying as Lucy and I danced together, without the jumping as I didn't want to split my stitches (even if it had been six weeks).

'Well hello London.' Zed said breathlessly when they'd finished their first song. He grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig as the crowd screamed.

'Thank you for having us!' Nate said and cue more screams.

'This is our last stop on our tour, would you believe it?' Zed said with his cocky smile. 'And we intend to make this night go out with a bang! Can you do that London?'

Cue screams. 'Of course they can!' Zack piped up. 'We know London can party because we go to school here!' More screaming.

'Well then London, I want to see each and every one of you singing and dancing to this next one. If you think you're too cool to sing or dance then you've come to the wrong concert.'

They continued through the setlist and Lucy had me dancing with her to as many songs as we could. Then they slowed down the pace with a few acoustic songs, including Stitches, before it was time for a cover.

'Okay London, you're going to have to bear with me here because this is a little new to me.' Zed said into the microphone. He took a sip of his water. 'So I recently learnt the piano with a little help from one of my friends. I hope you like it.' He walked and sat down at the piano and I felt Lucy's eyes burning into me.

'What?' I asked, innocently and she rolled her eyes.

'Don't act so innocent.' She said and I blushed.

He played the first chords and I recognised it straight away. I swallowed as he started to sing and the crowd screamed. 'You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty

You know I try but I don't do too well with apologies

I hope I don't run out of time. Could someone call a referee?

'Cause I just need one more shot at forgiveness

I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice

And by once or twice I mean maybe a couple of hundred times

So let me, oh, let me redeem, oh, redeem, oh, myself tonight

'Cause I just need one more shot, second chances

Yeah

Is it too late now to say sorry?

'Cause I'm missing more than just your body, oh

Is it too late now to say sorry?

Yeah, I know-oh-oh, that I let you down

Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?'

'Now why do I get the feeling this is completely directed at you?' Lucy teased and I bit my lip as Zed looked our way, his eyes looking into my soul.

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'Mmhmmm.'

When the song ended, the crowd went wild and Zed stood up, moving back to the space in front of us. He winked down at me and I blushed, knowing Lucy was blatantly smirking beside me.

'I think he did pretty good, didn't he London?' Nate said into the microphone and the crowd cheered again. I was sure I was going to be deaf by the end of the night.

'I'm afraid we've only got two songs left.' Zack said and the crowd booed. 'Unless of course you want an encore.' Cue more screams.

'We're going to get you dancing again now.' Zed said into the microphone. 'Be prepared to get hot and sweaty.' Cue more screams.

'My ears!' I winced and Lucy laughed beside me.

'For this one, I want to hear you all singing and dancing along. And it's funny really because the girl I wrote this about is actually here tonight.' Zed said and the crowd screamed as he smirked, looked my way and the chords started up. 'Now don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me, I said you're holding back, she said-'

'Shut up and dance with me!' The crowd shouted and the guys grinned as they moved around the stage.

'Ground swallow me whole.' I said and Lucy grabbed my arm, twirling me around.

'You made your own grave.' My friend pointed out as Zed sang looking my way. 'Just enjoy it.'

When the concert finished, I felt boiling and I was glad I'd taken off my leather jacket. Girls started heading out quickly, hoping to get a spot by the stagedoor in the hope that they would meet the guys, and Lucy pulled me off to the toilets so we could quickly redo our make-up and spritz ourselves with spray. I reapplied my foundation, getting rid of my shiny forehead and I fixed my eyes where the make-up had smudged from being boiling thanks to hundreds of dancing, screaming girls. Two girls walked into the bathroom behind us, gushing about how amazing the concert was, and they paused when they saw us.

'You're Princess Sky!' One of them said open-mouthed. I ran a hand through my girls, having fixed them, and I saw their eyes flick to the Access-All-Areas pass around our necks.

'I am.' I replied with a small smile.

'I read your interview in Cosmo this morning.' The other one said. 'I can't believe Zed saved your life. He's so brave.'

'He is.' I nodded.

'But Prince Sebastien is cute too.'

I tensed and Lucy squeezed my hand, reminding me she was there. 'It was nice to meet you.' I said to the two of them and then we slipped off out of the toilet, my guards waiting for us just outside.

'Are you okay?' Lucy asked and I gave a small smile and nod. She didn't seem convinced. 'Come on, the night is still young.'

We flashed our AAA passes at the door for backstage and we walked down a long corridor, following signs for the dressing rooms. The dressing room door was guarded by security, the door marked with a Seven Minutes in Heaven sign. The security eyeballed us and their eyes glanced over at my security, who were stood behind me with folded arms. Then they nodded at us and moved aside, allowing Lucy to knock on the door.

'Yep?' A voice I recognised as Nate's called. Lucy opened the door and I followed her in, averting my eyes when I realised that Zed was topless. 'Hey!' Nate beamed. He kissed Lucy and then turned to me. 'Nice surprise Sky.'

I gave a small smile. 'Great show.'

'It went well, didn't it?' He looked pleased. 'I think that was the best show of the tour actually. The crowd were mental.'

'They were.' Lucy laughed. 'I think Sky and I have almost gone deaf.'

He draped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and kissed the top of her head, making me look away. Lucy shrugged out of her grip and he mouthed 'sorry' to me, obviously having been filled in. I looked over at Zack, who was sat on his phone, already changed into fresh clothes. He caught me looking and gave me a small smile before returning to whatever he was doing. Then Zed came over, thankfully changed into a fresh v-neck t-shirt, showing his muscles but at least he wasn't topless.

'What changed your mind?' Zed asked, a warm smile on his face as he walked over to me.

'Lucy.' I nodded to my best friend. 'I don't think I would have got away with not coming.'

He laughed, a melodious sound. 'Yeah, no offence Luce but you can be pretty scary.'

'She needed a night out.' Lucy said with a smile.

'Yeah, I agree, after your operation it's time you let your hair down.'

I blinked and looked over at Lucy and then at Nate. He didn't know. He didn't know that I'd been dumped. But then maybe that was a good thing. I gave him a small smile. 'Yeah, sure.'

'Are you guys coming to the afterparty?' Zack asked from his place on the sofa. 'There's room in the limo.'

Lucy nodded and I sucked in a deep breath. 'Yeah, I think we are.'

The afterparty was at Montezuma, a club about five minutes drive from my apartment in Kensington. We shared a limo with the guys, one of my guards joining us and the others heading over in one of the Royal cars, planning to arrive before us. When we got to the venue, a red carpet had been rolled out and fans were there, hanging around, as were the press. I blew out my breath in a whistle and Lucy looked nervous.

'We just have to walk straight in.' Nate reassured his girlfriend, squeezing her hand. 'Unless you want to stop and pose for pictures.'

'Definitely not!' Lucy and I chorused and we both laughed.

'The other guards are here your highness.' Malcolm, my guard, told me and I simply nodded.

'Well if you're all sitting around, I'm going in!' Zack pushed past us, climbing out of the limo first. His name was called and he waved for the cameras and started signing a few autographs. I was surprised there were so many young girls still out when it was getting so late.

'Ready?' Nate took Lucy's hand and they headed out of the limo together. I followed closely behind, wanting to keep with my best friend, but the press were going wild over the fact that Nate was holding her close, protectively, and confirming well and truly that they were in a relationship. And then they spotted me and Zed behind me. Suddenly I became the distraction.

'Your highness!'

'Princess Sky!'

'Princess! Over here!'

I gave the press a shy smile as the questions were fired as we walked up the red carpet towards the door.

'Are you and Zed an item?'

'Zed, why did you choose to save Sky's life?'

Zed hesitated beside me, but I kept walking and Lucy grabbed me, linking arms with me. 'What kind of question is that?' Zed asked. 'Are you saying you wouldn't save your best friend's life? Or the princess' life for that matter?'

'Keep walking.' I whispered to Lucy and we did, leaving Seven Minutes in Heaven to deal with the press outside.

Montezuma wasn't a huge club, but it was big enough to hold an afterparty. We walked down the stairs into the function room, which consisted of a bar lined with bar stools, a large wooden dancefloor, a DJ booth and booths to sit in. We left our jackets at the cloakroom and champagne was given to us almost instantly from a passing waitress.

'This place is pretty cool.' Lucy commented, looking around at the modern interior that seemed to flash and change colour under the disco lights. The room was buzzing with music artists, a few celebrities I recognised from television and gossip magazines, and people who worked for the label or had worked for the tour.

'It is.' I nodded, suddenly feeling underdressed as a model walked past in a skin-tight black mini dress, her long legs perfectly smoothed and tanned, looking longer because of her towering heels. 'I'm surprised they let us in. Everyone seems to be under a different dresscode.'

'I know what you mean.' She looked nervous and she jumped as Nate's arm slipped around her waist. He kissed her cheek and she relaxed. 'Don't scare me like that.'

'Sorry gorgeous.' He gave her a lopsided smile. 'I'll grab a beer and I'll be right over.'

'I'm surprised they're allowing underage drinking.' I commented, looking around the room. 'When it's perfectly clear that the band are underage. And it's obvious I am too.'

'Only by a year.' Lucy smiled. 'Not even that now. We just won't drink much incase the press are still outside after.'

She's Kinda Hot blared out of the speakers and Zed and Nate groaned as they appeared beside us, cringing at their song.

'Can't they play some music that isn't us?' Nate frowned and Zack laughed as he passed.

'I'll pass it on to Grimmy.' Zack commented and he was gone.

'Nick Grimshaw?' I blinked and looked over at the DJ. Sure enough, it was Nick Grimshaw.

'You look pretty.' Zed said in my ear, his body close to mine so that I could hear him. I blushed at the compliment, not sure what else to say. 'I'm glad you came.'

'Me too.' I replied, although the Ben and Jerrys in my freezer back at the apartment was still calling me. The song changed and I looked over at our friends to see them dancing together, Lucy's arms draped around Nate's neck and his hands on her waist as she laughed and smiled. I glanced away and saw that Zed was watching me with an expression I couldn't read. 'What?'

'Nothing.' He gave a small smile and took a swig of his beer. 'So do you think I pulled the piano off?'

I laughed and nodded. 'Not a single mistake. Nice work.'

'Thanks. I'm not quite to your standard, though.'

'I've been playing piano a lot longer.' I reminded him as I finished my champagne. I put it on the table beside us. 'I think everyone liked it though. The girls next to me were crying.'

'I saw.' He winced. 'Why do girls do that? We're just normal people.'

'Normal people who are now famous and have been number one three times.' I reminded him. 'They were arguing over who was going to marry them.'

He winced again. 'Well, no offence to them but it won't be one of them.'

'We're seventeen. We don't even need to think about that yet.' I said, running a hand through my hair.

'True.' He nodded. 'But hey, if you meet the right person then why wait, right?' He took a swig of his beer and looked away from me, sadly.

'Are you okay?'

'Sure.' He turned back to face me but the smile on his face was fake. I'd used enough fake smiles in my lifetime to recognise one.

The song changed and I beamed. 'I love this song!'

'If you want it, take it

I should've said it before

Tried to hide it, fake it

I can't pretend anymore.'

Lucy appeared, grabbing me and pulling me to the dancefloor before I could stop her and we sang as we danced together, a song about breaking free.

But I didn't feel free. Lucy slept almost straight away when we got back about 2am, but I found myself sat on my laptop, flicking through pictures from my time in Norway. I sighed and changed my profile picture on Facebook, one from my photoshoot from my birthday. I still hadn't uploaded the pictures from my party, so I did so quickly. Then I clicked on my relationship status and, just like that, it was official.

Sky Bright is Single.