I'm back and just a bit like "aaaaaaaagh!" XD. I have so much homework over Christmas, I've lost my script for my AS drama performance which I have to have memorised by the end of the holidays and I'm having a massive freakout. But for some reason I'm updating this when I should seriously not be updating this and doing my homework. I blame all of you reviewers :P Why are you all so amazing and make me write more? Whhhhhhy? XD Ah well, I'll try and stop being so grumpy :P And my chapter plan has run off again, so I'm winging it :P

Oh yes, and I did go to the Within Temptation concert…it was amazing. Bloody amazing. Best night ever!

Another double barrelled dedication again, as I forgot last chapter :S. Sorry! You guys rock socks!:

pingo9191, 107 and Ellie, AND ayamey222, Elsie and Swifty14

Oh yes, and finally: my 'O Peggy Gordon' cover is up! If you want to see, it's on YouTube; my user name is SapphireLovesTheSea :D Hope you like it!

Chapter Ten

"Here you go." I look up at the sound of a loud thump. Conor's dumped a load of school books by my bed.

"I hate you," I mumble.

"Nah you don't." He grins "Anyway, it was Katie that dropped them off for you. She's the one you should blame."

I sigh and sit up, stretching. "What are the odds that Mum'll let me go down to the cove?"

He snorts. "About…zero? Saph, you've only just got out of hospital; you have stitches, for God's sake!"

I pull a face. "Being an invalid is boring."

He laughs. "You prefer it to school though, don't you?"

"Well obviously. Rainbow and Patrick are so lucky!"

"Yeah, but they can be trusted to teach themselves. You can't."

I scowl at him. He laughs at me again and sits down on the end of my bed, next to Sadie who's been curled up on my feet, guarding me since I left hospital. I wouldn't be surprised if she never let me out of her sight again.

"So, how're you feeling, invalid?"

I put a hand to my forehead and pose dramatically. "I feel like I may swoon sir!"

He smiles, but it's short lived. "Seriously, I mean. You gave everyone quite a scare." He reaches out and takes my hand. "How could you have been so stupid?"

I just shrug non-committedly. "Sorry."

He sighs. "No, you know what; I'm the one who's sorry. If I hadn't had a go at you over Mal, then you would have stormed out. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"No, I overreacted-"

"No I overreacted-"

We both laugh. "Call it quits?" I suggest.

"Yeah, all right then." Conor smiles and it's like the whole room brightens up; just like that I know that everything's okay between us again.

"But Saph…" Conor says, his earthy brown eyes concerned. "I have to ask…Faro…"

"What about him?" I shift uncomfortably.

"When you were hurt, Mal says you were calling his name."

"Oh." I rapidly become enthralled by my blue duvet cover.

"So I have to ask…I mean…do you…" he looks awkward. "Do you have…erm…romantic feelings towards him?"

"What? No! I mean, I was concussed, I thought that I was in the Deep and that Mal was the Kraken, and I was only calling his name to try and get him to help me and not because I have any romantic feelings towards him at all, of course no, we're just friends, I mean-"

Conor puts a dinger up over my lips to silence my babbling. "And the whole 'but he doesn't call me little sister anymore' thing? " he asks, adopting a high pitched girly voice when he quotes me, making me scowl, "What about that?"

There are a few threads coming loose in the duvet cover. I pull at them, trying to unravel some of it, suddenly finding it hard to meet his eyes.

"Saph? Are you listening to me?"

"Mmmhm."

"Saph, look at me. Leave the duvet cover alone. Do you fancy Faro?"

I slowly look up at my brother, only just managing to restrain my bottom lip from trembling slightly. "I….I don't know."

"Oh Sapphy…" He hugs me tightly and I hug him back, hiding my face, blinking back the hot prickly feeling which is building behind my eyelids for some stupid reason.

"I don't know what to do!" I finally wail. "What if I do like him like that and then we fall in love or something and I have to choose between all of you and him! What do I do then?"

Conor stiffens, his hands clenching the back of my dressing gown. "It won't come to that. You can't… I won't let you…just imagine what it would do to Mum, especially now that she's got so much better near water."

"I know. I can't do that to her. Not after Dad…" But she will have Roger. Whispers a tiny, spiteful voice in my head. And the new baby. Maybe she won't need you. Won't miss you, Sapphire…

"Then you know what to do then," Conor says, looking down at me with determination in his eyes.

"I do?" I blink up at him in confusion, unaware that we'd come to some kind of magical solution.

"Yes. Stay away from it. Stay away from him."

My mouth falls open. "But…but I can't-"

"Yes you can! Ingo, it's like…a sickness. An addiction. If you stay away long enough, then it will leave you alone. You'll be cured. And you won't be seeing Faro every day and you won't…won't lose yourself.

"But…but I don't want to be cured," I say, staring up at him in horror, biting my lip.

He puts a hand either side of my face. "Sapphy. Do you want to fall in love with Faro?"

I think of everything I love about home; Sadie's loyal eyes looking up at me when we go for walks through the town, Rainbow laughing with me as I wait for the bus, Mum's smile when I come in through the front door, even Roger's humming as he tends to Dad's garden, Conor and I curled up together watching T.V in the evenings, or Conor helping me when I'm loudly lamenting over my maths homework, or Conor making me hot chocolate when I've had a bad day…Conor. Conor, Conor, Conor…

"I'll try and stay away," I finally mumble softly, although I'm having trouble internally adjusting to the idea.

He kisses my forehead. "I'll help you. And thank you, Saph," he gets up, straightening the bedcovers. "Now you try and get some more sleep, okay?"

I sigh and nod, lying back down onto my pillows.

"Sadie?" Conor says, and my girl looks up at him, blinking those gorgeous chocolate eyes. "Look after her."

Sadie gives an affirmative bark, as if she's understood, before moving down along the bed so that she's stretched out next to me. I put an arm around her, her good, solid warmth reassuring me that everything's going to be alright.

"Sleep well Saph," Conor says softly, shutting the door with a gentle click.

I snuggle up to Sadie, closing my eyes, and she licks my hand comfortingly, making me smile.

As I begin to drift off, a thought slowly creeps into my mind unbidden. What about everything you love in Ingo?

Riding on dolphins so fast that I can barely breathe, laughing and the water makes my hair stream out behind me in a dark curtain. Lying in the sunwater, letting the ripples bathe my face with strange golden diamonds. Riding currents, delighting in the twists and turns and the exhilaration that rushes through me. The freedom to do anything I want, not being bound in by walls and rules and schoolwork...

And someone's warm hand in mine, guiding me, showing me the wonders of his world, his green eyes sparkling as they look into mine, his smug grin that makes me want to either punch him…or maybe kiss him.

I may have promised Conor that I would physically stay away, but mentally, that may be a lot harder.

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