"Yeah, yeah, Xavier's family works a lot with law enforcement. Yeah, we had no idea. I'm so sorry. No, no, it's fine. We'll pay you for the paint, we're so sorry about this. Ok, yep, see you then. Bye." Someone sighed and I heard the springs of my mattress adjust as they sat down.

Now was as good a time as any to get up. Yawning, I stretched out my arms and cracked my fingers. "Stop it." Murmured Tulip rolling over beside me, her hair still pinned in place.

"I was just onto our landlord about the door," Crystal sighed. "She, she understood anyway so she will give us paint and brushes to fix it later."

The image of the door flashed back. "What are you guys going to do?"

Crystal blew a curl from her face. "I have no idea. Ugh, probably stay put. Like, they found Uri, Vick and Tarryn and they were only in that apartment days so what can we do?"

I reached over and rubbed her arm. "It'll be ok."

Surprisingly she snorted and shook her head. "Just another day in the Benedict clan. Bet you're happy not to be a part of that."

"Wha- Eh, um, yeah." I managed to get out. Crystal barely noticed my pathetic reply.

"Sweet peacon pie," Tulip mumbled. "Da, da, daaah..." Tulip's half asleep, garbled singing voice was much nicer so we let her sing awhile before I shook her awake.

At college, things were really the same. It felt as though the world should know but chat centered around different parties, who was with who and the latest viral videos. Nothing new really. Tulip forgot the danger pretty quick and was chatting happily as we sat down for a lecture of mine. It was a particularly huge one and Tulip's chatter blended in. Not enough though. Looked like Tulip was staying, though I was fairly certain she had a lecture of her own to attend.

"And if he had the confidence, something definitely would have happened by now… I may have to set them up myself…" Tulip went on. I squeezed the bridge of my nose. Think happy thoughts. Em... She would disappear soon, like keys in a sofa. I pictured her slipping down, beyond the cushions to the rough underlay, found... eventually. Just not anytime soon. Could I put in my earph-

"Hey," said a familiar voice interrupted. It slashed Tulip's running monologue off at the knees so I turned happily. That accent... Not American anyway. Blonde hair, a lazy smile that only bothered tug up on one corner. Who... He noticed my confusion and so the other corner joined in on the action. "Christophe. Got you a drink ages ago at a club? You took the face off my friend Wes just the other night."

"Oh God." I groaned as it all came back. The dark blue padding on the chair was suddenly very uncomfortable and I shifted in my spot, longing, no, dying to leave.

"Hey, he enjoyed it. Good thing he slept in today."

"He takes this class?!" I knew this was a mixed year class but seriously?

"I never said that. But if he was in geography like he should be…" he said, the glint in his eyes very worrisome right now. "Well, I might send him a message to call over here."

"That would be great! Willow here would love it." Tulip chuckled. I threw her a look to rival Regina George at her worst. "You know I should probably go to class." She grabbed her phone and slung on her shoulder bag. "Bye!"

Christophe opened his mouth to speak but the lecturer finally arrived. "Want to grab lunch after this? Nothing to it."

"Yeah whatever." Christophe just seemed like a person who rarely got a no and I had missed breakfast this morning anyway.

The class was relatively interesting and I actually enjoyed her analysis of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Christophe seemed to care none for it but he was willing enough to talk it over as we bought a few things in the canteen. I steered him towards a quiet corner with a decent view of the room and plonked my stuff down.

"So for the sake of Wes I know I need to ask are you seeing anyone?" Christophe asked after taking a sip of his (disgusting) black coffee.

I nearly choked on a bit of roll. "What? No, no, wh- wh- why would I kiss him otherwise?" I attempted for casual and landed at twitchy instead.

"Nah," Christophe replied relaxing in his chair. His gaze however remained eerily focused on me. "Your eyes were on someone before the kiss who looked very…" he paused, "Perturbed by the act."

"Oh that was just my soul-" ok mouth, wait for brain to have a look at things before uttering so much as a phoneme! I took a dubious sniff at my tea to check had he slipped me something because boy was I loose lipped today. Though I had to admit, keeping it a secret was getting harder as it became next to impossible to ignore Will like I had planned.

Christophe studied me for a few seconds, his disconcertingly blue eyes fixed to mine with the power to bring nations to their knees. I knew there and then that these eyes could read your secrets like dirty words across your soul but give nothing away themselves. I did not so much as breathe before he replied.

"Your soulfinder." He stated rather than asked. "You're a Savant." I couldn't even begin to deny it when Christophe theatrically leaned back in his seat and rolled his eyes. "Really, how would I know this? Think about it."

I decided to save myself the grief of trying to convince him otherwise. "Ok, yeah I'm one and... You must be too!" I whisper squeaked. Christophe gave me a sarcastic round of applause and I frowned. "You can be a little caustic you know."

"Congratulations it's called personality." He said and began eating again. I scooped up some of the thicker parts of my soup. What was this? Potato, turnip, parsnip?

"Parsnip," Christophe said in abrupt exasperation. "It was written on your face. My question is why you would put it in your mouth when you had no clue what it was. It could have been a lump of tissue."

I gagged as Christophe shook his head. "So why do I never see you with your soulfinder? Or does the nutcracker have your adoration?"

"Tulip," I said. "Eh, no. I just never wanted a soulfinder so I'm keeping him at arms length until I go back home to Europe."

"Not much point to them anyway," Christophe replied. Pausing, he tilted his head to the side for a moment. "Never met mine though but we can have a change of heart."

"Yeah," I lied. I had no intention of changing a single facet of mine. I picked up my tray. "Ready?" He wordlessly picked up his tray and walked with me to drop them off. "I'm finished for today, my lecturer at one cancelled."

"I will walk you out," he said in the ways of a reply. Thankfully, the halls were starting to thin out as the early lunch crowd hurried off to lectures and workshops. Out in the quad there were a few dozen more students enjoying the sun. It was simply gorgeous and when Christophe stopped to chat to someone for a moment I tilted my head back. The slightest breeze cautioned this was one of the last days of sunshine before winter truly hit home but this did nothing to dampen anyone's spirits. Some hysterical laughing a few feet away near one of the thicker trees confirmed this.

Deciding to wait for my brash new friend, I sat down on the bench nearest the tree to grab a little shade. While the sun's heat was a gentle caress, it's light was growing oppressive. Where were sunglasses when you needed them? Another peal of hyena style laughing erupted behind me so I turned around in irritation to see a girl stagger to her feet. In that split second I knew she was closer to the moon than this quad.

"Ready to go?" Christophe asked behind me. I looked back at him only to also see Will walking our way, head bent over his phone. A slight sweat broke out at the back of my neck and I resisted the urge to shake out my hair to cool down.

"Yeah," I answered still looking over at Will and trying to block out the girl shrieking with apparent madness. Unfortunately Will happened to glance up and catch my eye. Ah fuck. I quickly threw my bag over my shoulder and was about to grab Christophe's arm to hurry him along when Will missed a step and staggered to a stop, his mouth agape. Through my focus on him I became aware of the gasps and cries.

"Woah…" Christophe breathed beside me. That was when the sound of a body thumping solid packed earth could be heard across the entire quad. Following dozens of eyes converging on this part of the quad, I saw the hyena, no the girl, collapsed on the green. She was completely still and I felt my heart speed up when it became apparent she was not breathing. At all. One of her friends, to my amazement, giggled setting off one of the others still sitting close to the girl.

In disgust I realized the five or six guys and girls she was with were all completely out of it. Will ran past me and knelt beside her, whipping up the air in his rush to her. "Anyone a med student or knows any first aid? And someone else call the emergency services." he ordered calmly but firmly. It was a voice that demanded reason and authority, visibly relaxing a number of students who were relieved things were out of their hands. One girl hurried up and leaned down checking her pulse.

Will looked on grimly before glancing in my direction. Did you see what she had taken?

I was taken aback he spoke telepathically with me but concentrated on the task at hand. No. I will check with her friends.

I left Christophe and hurried over to the least spaced out of the bunch. The girl looked too young to be in college but seemed to be grasping the seriousness of this before the rest of them. She barely spared me a glance as I knelt beside her. "What were you guys taking?" I asked, manners forgotten.

Her drug addled brain took a few seconds to respond. "Some astros but mostly spoofers."

The names rang an immediate bell with my near perfect memory and I recalled my 'friend' from the religions class. D.C. Dr. Chree. "Did you guys get them from D.C?" She blinked at me. "Dr. Chree. D.C. The guy who gave you these drugs?"

"Not drugs," she said pouting. She actually pouted. Instagram in real life. Fascinating. "Highs."

"Did D.C give you them?"

She nodded vigorously, her hair flying in every direction. "Is Nikki going to be ok?" she asked me. The poor thing sounded so confused.

"I have no idea," I answered truthfully as paramedics arrived. I helped her up. "Do you guys have any more of those highs? You just cannot take 'em."

"No," she said sullenly. "Nikki's parents have money so she had lots but I think she took them all. Or gave them to the pigeons, I dunno. I think they like them. The pigeons."

"Ok, well, thanks," I said giving her a pat. She mumbled something and went over to one of her friends. After a quick glance around I left to find Will since there was no sign of Christophe. He was watching the paramedics load 'Nikki' onto a stretcher, his face expressionless.

"How is she?" I whispered. His jaw twitched then relaxed.

"No clue," Will murmured. He ran a hand through his hair, simultaneously mussing it up and making it more perfect. "Lisa managed to get her to take in a breath before the paramedics came but it was one breath in four or five minutes. We've no idea did she get much of the air Lisa gave her either."

"Mouth to mouth?" He nodded. The ambulance doors slammed shut from a distance away. I flinched. "Her friend knew nothing."

"Not unexpected." Will replied rubbing his jawline as he returned to the present. "I should go."

"No, Will, we should talk... We never do."

For some reason, I expected him to get annoyed, irritated, infuriated with me. Instead he just looked at me with the weakest of smiles. "Whose choice was that Willow?" he said, a slight drop in his voice the only hint of sadness. "My soul-… No, you were with some stranger just to get to me. You initiated it so just don't make up excuses for me. Was it to hurt me?" he said baring his heart, "Or to forget me? To prove something?" he groaned, dispelling the tint of anger that coloured the last question. "I will see you back home. We need to tell the others what happened so someone will get you and Tulip for it."

"Ok Will," I replied rubbing my arms. The sun had gradually faded behind the trees. For a moment I just listened to the ambulance racing off. "This will work out."

We both heard the double meaning. "Not so sure of that." He murmured and headed back indoors.

I went the opposite direction but not for the first time.

Author person has arrived at the end of your chapter yet again,

Thanks so so much for the reviews, especially Fanfictiongirl105, BookFreak and LittleLily99. It did not reach the target goal so I am actually going to use a version of the name LittleLily99 suggested! I'm only changing it a little bit so it suits the character's personality better.

I felt I had to do the poll soon as I was coming up to writing her (I have her written now!) and renaming characters feels as wrong as renaming a boat. But... You will not see her for a couple more chapters (ahead of myself! Yay) so I might put her in the hint or something to give you a heads up :D

Hint for chapter 19... The underlying pressure between Will and Willow finally breaks with dramatic results...

(Ps. was going to update last Friday but my internet went on holiday)