24th September 2013

When Zed woke up on Tuesday morning, he was in no rush to get out of bed. His punishment for fighting with Isaac was made worse because of the fact it wasn't the first time he'd got into trouble in the past few weeks. He was suspended from school for the rest of the week and wasn't allowed to run the race on Friday, but that was the least of his problems right now.

Blue was ignoring him. She'd left her curtains closed last night and left a mental block up so he couldn't speak to her telepathically. He would have gone round to her house but he was almost positive his parents wouldn't let him leave the house and he had a feeling Blue wouldn't let him in through the window again. He knew she was angry at him, and mostly likely a little disappointed, so he wanted to give her space but on the other hand he just wanted to see her and prove how sorry he was.

Feeling more exhausted than he had for a while now, he clambered out of bed and headed straight downstairs. No doubt he would get a lecture from Karla along with a list of jobs that needed doing around the house, which was the usual drill for when any of the boys got suspended from school. Which had happened at least once for each of the boys, except Yves.

Zed got a big shock however whenever he went into the living room and came face to face with all of his family. Karla and Saul were sat on the sofa with Hazel and Georgie on either side of them. His brothers were spread around the room and Zed noticed that Victor was as far away from Hazel as possible, stood near Uriel instead. He knew that was probably so Uriel didn't feel like Victor and Hazel were shoving their love in his face and to diffuse the tension in the room.

"Why is everyone here?" He asked slowly, looking around the room with a frown on his face. "Is there a case for us all to work on or something?"

"No," Karla replied in a flat voice, none of her motherly sweetness to her tone. "Yves is going into school late and the rest of your brothers are going to work late."

"Why?" He dragged the word out.

"Let's just say that this is a kind of intervention," Victor said in his deep, imposing voice. "Zed, mom and dad are sick of getting phone calls from your school about your behaviour. And we're getting tired of hearing about it. You're getting into fights, not doing your homework, being disrespectful to your teachers. And now you've got into a fight with your best friend of all people."

"Well trust me, he's not my best friend anymore," Zed replied bitterly.

"Doesn't make a difference," his strictest brother shook his head. "Did you know that your school wanted to officially expel you but dad managed to talk them out of it? You really are on your last chance."

"Fine. I'm going to change now, I'll be on my best behaviour. Promise."

Saul sighed. When he spoke, he sounded tired and let down. "Zed, I want to believe you. Really, I do. But this isn't the first time you've made that promise and there just seems to always be something for you to get into trouble over. Your mother and I have debated about this all night and we've come to the conclusion that we have no other choice. Your behaviour and your anger problems are out of control and we can't handle it anymore. You're making this too hard for us." Zed gulped, a sinking feeling in his stomach as his father paused before continuing. "There's a school called the Savant Academy. It's in Yorkshire, England... We're going to transfer you there, just for the rest of the school year for now."

"But-"

"We think it'll be good for you, Zed. They can help you with your power, with your anger problems. I really think that you'd benefit from their help because clearly our help isn't enough for you. We're going to call them tonight to make arrangements for you to go there."

"Dad, no!" Zed exclaimed, tears in his eyes. "You can't mean that. You're not really sending me away, are you?" He looked around the room at the guilty faces of the rest of his family. Karla was already crying and sobbing to herself. "And you all agree with this, do you? This is what you really want?"

"Of course it's not what we want," Yves said on behalf of them all with a forlorn sigh. "But something needs to be done, Zed. You can't just go around beating people up!"

That was exactly what Blue had said to him on the field the day before and it was all that was needed to make him think of her. He thought about going next door and telling her that he was moving to England. He imagined leaving, being in a completely different country to her, too far to talk to her telepathically and not being able to see her whenever he wanted. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't. It's not like they could drag him onto a plane and force him to stay in his seat, although he knew they sure would try.

"You can't send me to England," he said through clenched teeth, blinking back tears as best as he could. "I won't go, you can't make me."

"Zed-"

"No! Mom, dad: I promise that I mean it this time. I will change! I know that I have to," he pleaded with them. "It's not just my education that I have to change for, it's not just you that I have to change for. I," he hesitated for a moment. He hadn't wanted to tell his family yet but it looked like he had no other choice. This was the only thing he could think of that would make them reconsider their decision. "I found her. My soulfinder, I know who she is. And she's told me to change as well, and I really am trying my hardest. I got into a fight with Isaac because he was saying some pretty shitty things about her and I wasn't going to stand back and let him! If you send me away, you'll be splitting us up and things with me and her are already shaky. All the progress I've made with her won't mean a damn thing any more and I won't stand a chance with her, I know it! If you send me away, I'll lose her. My soulfinder. And I will never forgive you for that, I swear to God."

He turned around without another word and ran back up the stairs to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him loudly. He knew that was being a bit over-dramatic but he was furious that they wanted to send him away to some school for savants in England he'd never heard of, and he was angry at himself for driving his parents to this choice, and he was just terrified of actually having to leave Blue.

He looked out of his window at the room straight across from him. Her curtains were open this morning but he knew that she wouldn't be there, she'd be at school. He laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to calm down. Under normal circumstances, he would have stormed out of the house and gone to Isaac's to raid his alcohol stash, but he was trying to prove something to his parents and coming upstairs was a start to proving to them he really did mean that he was going to change this time.

A knock sounded on his door a few minutes later and he sat up, leaning his back against the wall. He was a little calmer now, no longer physically shaking with his emotions and his heartbeat had slowed to a somewhat normal pace. "Yeah?" He called out.

The door opened a little and Trace popped his head into the room. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Zed answered. "So, they sent you up here did they?"

Trace smiled a little as he sat on Zed's desk chair and spun it around to face his youngest brother. "They thought you'd talk to me more because I'm the oldest, but not as authoritative as mom and dad. Silly idea really but they didn't give me a choice."

"What happened after I came up here then?"

"You mean, after you did an impression of a drama queen?" Trace smirked. "We were all pretty shocked about your announcement, none of us saw it coming. Mom suspects that she knows who she is but she wouldn't say in case she was wrong. So... Who's this soulfinder you're so desperate not to leave behind then?"

"Blue Williamson," he said, not being able to stop the smile that appeared on his face. "God Trace, she's perfect for me. Stubborn as hell and ain't afraid to give me a piece of her mind. But it's hard. She doesn't know if she wants a relationship, she won't tell me why she was at Rosewood, I ruined her first kiss and not long after I promised to change for her I ended up calling her weak and beating Isaac up right in front of her. It's like I can't do anything right when it comes to Blue, I can't impress her or prove to her that she can trust me. That she can love me. It just sucks," he let out a loud breath after the rant, glad to finally get it all out of his system. He hadn't expected to ever tell anyone, not even Blue herself, how useless he felt and how much it felt like she would never love him. Hell, he barely even admitted it to himself and hid it with an easy grin and a nonchalant attitude.

Trace was quiet for a moment before he gave Zed a short piece of advice. "All I can say is just don't give up, Zed. Look at me- I waited years for Georgie to come back to me, not even knowing whether or not she ever actually would, and in the end my patience was worth it. I was around your age when she left so I know it's tough, but you have to deal with it. If you ask me, there's one rule you should always follow: no matter what, never give up on your soulfinder. Trust me, you'll get your happy ending with her, it's just a matter of waiting."

Zed smiled. It wasn't very detailed advice, but the simplicity of it was just what he needed. Never give up on your soulfinder. He could relate to that feeling of not wanting to give up and now he knew that he just had to do what Trace did: remind himself that soulfinders were forever and that they would end up together somehow, even if it did take a while. "Thanks. That actually really helps, Trace. I just hope it doesn't take as long as it did with you and Georgie," he joked, making his brother laugh. "So, what's the verdict from downstairs?"

"Dad was still thinking about sending you away but just for a month or two, but mom wouldn't allow it. Said that she'd never willingly keep a son away from his soulfinder and that she believed that you really were trying to change this time. So, they're not sending you to England but you're grounded for the foreseeable future, until mom and dad decide you aren't. Oh and you're officially the new babysitter for Gracie and Mark whenever we need one. Without pay."

Zed sighed, thinking about the lack of a social life he was about to have to live through. "I suppose it could be worse," he acknowledged. "Can't say that I'll enjoy it though."

Blue and Daisy were home from school later than they usually were because they'd had to pick up Poppy from her school seeing as Elliott was working late at the ski slopes, and frankly Blue was overwhelmingly glad to be home.

She'd had a tough day at school, not just because of the challenging work that she struggled with more than her classmates because of the months of school she'd missed whilst at Rosewood, but because of the gossip mill full of rumours that were swirling around the school about her. The most popular being that she'd had sex with Isaac at his party, then left with Zed and had sex with him at his place, and now the two boys were fighting over her. Girls had been mumbling insults like "slut" at her all day and the boys had been saying pretty vulgar things at her.

She was getting the brunt of it, mainly just because she was the girl involved and that was the way those things always went, but also because Zed had been suspended and Isaac was at home with a broken nose that he couldn't breathe through. That had caused Jodie to shove her out of the way in the corridor and have a go at her, saying that they would lose the race on Friday all because of her, seeing as Zed wasn't allowed to run and Isaac couldn't until he could breathe through his nose better.

It was fair to say that it had been a shitty day, but not one that would cause Blue to break down into tears as soon as she got home. From past experience, she was certainly used to being bullied at school so today wasn't exactly a new thing for her. She was used to it.

Her usual cure to make herself feel better after a tough day was to immerse herself in a good book so she left her sisters rooting in the kitchen for something to eat and headed upstairs. As soon as she got into her bedroom, she dumped her bag on her bed and wandered over to her window, gazing out at Zed's room on instinct instead of reading a book like she'd planned.

Even though she was still mad at him, she could already feel her anger fading away. She'd missed him today, something that she hadn't expected. She'd missed passing him in the halls at school, missed hearing his laughter and even missed his arrogant attitude that got on her nerves. For the first time in a long time, she lowered the shields around her mind and welcomed the freeness like a breath of fresh air.

She reached out and felt Zed's mind easily; it was a magnet pulling her towards him, and when she connected to it she was overcome with a feeling of... Home. Connected to Zed was where she belonged. She hadn't actually truly thought about how big of a deal it was that he was her soulfinder but now it suddenly hit her and it was an amazing thought to behold. Her soulfinder, her soulmate, her one true love. She might not feel strongly enough about him to call it love yet but to just know that that was what her future held for if she stopped being so stubborn... Who wouldn't like to know that?

"Zed?" She asked tentatively, hoping that he wouldn't mind the mental intrusion.

"Blue?" His reply came quickly. She could feel his shock that she was speaking to him this, letting him into her mind. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I guess. Just a tough day at school, you know what people can be like."

"Whatever they said to you, they're idiots. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, maybe getting into a fight with Isaac wasn't such a good idea."

"No shit, Sherlock." She smiled to herself, surprised that she was in a better mood already. "Can you come out for a bit? We could go for a walk or something."

He paused for a moment. "I'd love to. Really, I would. But I can't. I'm not making up an excuse, it's just that I'm grounded for like, the rest of my life. If we leave it a couple of days, maybe I could persuade my parents to let me go somewhere with you. I told them that you're my soulfinder so they might make an exception for one day seeing as they know how important you are to me now."

Her heart warmed up at his words. "How about Saturday then? I have somewhere I want to go and it'd be great to have you there with me."

"Whatever it is, I'm in. As long as my parents let me, of course. I'll let you know as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay," she replied. "Thanks, Zed."

There was a gentle knock on her bedroom door and Blue turned around just as Elliott came into the room. "Hey sweetheart," he spoke, "I just got home. Pasta for tea?"

"Yeah that's fine," she nodded her head. He smiled and nodded, turning around to leave the room again. Thinking of her conversation with Zed just a moment ago, Blue called out, "dad, wait!"

"What's wrong?" He asked after turning to look at her again, a questioning look on his face.

"Nothing. Things are... Good, kind of. I uhm, I found out that Zed Benedict is my soulfinder. I just wanted you to know," she told him shyly.

He didn't react how she'd expected. Instead of smiling and congratulating her, he frowned and looked a bit grim. "Well, that's great but... Don't you think that maybe you're not ready for a relationship? I know that the therapist said you were ready to leave the centre, and I completely agree with that, but maybe that would be too much for you, you know? I'm not saying that you can't handle it, but what if it doesn't end well? Think about your mother and her soulfinder... I just don't want you to get hurt."

Blue's stomach sank to hear that Elliott didn't fully support her and Zed but she knew where he was coming from and understood that he was cautious after what had happened with her mother, who found her soulfinder and left Elliott for him, only to find out that her soulfinder didn't ever plan on leaving his wife. He was now dead and Blue's mother had gone a little crazy from the loss.

"I know dad," she said gently. "Zed and I are just friends for now anyway, I'd rather wait until I know for certain that it's going to turn into something serious because of how we feel for each other, not just because of the soulfinder bond."

"That's very mature of you," he smiled, looking proud of her. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

She hesitated for a moment before lying. "Nope."

A few long seconds later, after Elliott had left the room, Blue sat down on her bed and leaned forward to untie the laces of her Converse. She wished that she could go downstairs and tell Elliott what she had decided to do – hopefully with Zed by her side for support – on Saturday, but she was almost positive that he would try and stop her from going to Jon's house for answers.

Author's note: Just a quick reminder to say please leave reviews. They mean so much to me.

(Unfortunately there's no hint about the next chapter this time because I currently have absolutely no idea where I want the next chapter to go)