Grace

"You're kidding me," I stared.

Beside me, Yves laughed lightly. "You know, I had a feeling you weren't the comedy movie kind of girl."

The others laughed at him, but I shot him a cool look and rolled my eyes. For the past few weeks at school, I'd spent most of my free time with Yves, his two friends Owen and Niall, Louisa from my Spanish class, and her friend Sara. Most of the time, I kept quiet and let them do their own thing, especially since socialising wasn't really my strong point. I wasn't even sure Owen, Niall and Sara wanted anything to do with me. But Louisa wasn't for budging, and Yves seemed to have decided that if Zed couldn't keep an eye on me, he'd do it for him.

Between Yves and Louisa, they'd managed to drag me out of house and to the movies in Aspen, where I'd inexplicably sat through two and a half hours of what was supposedly a comedy movie. Not once did I ever even crack a smile, let alone laugh.

"I cannot believe you didn't find that funny," Sara sighed at me, glancing back as she walked ahead between Owen and Niall. She was a small girl with blonde curls cut around her jaw line, and glistening green eyes, dressed in jeans, thick boots and a pink parka jacket. On one side of her, Owen, a tall, burly football player with a shaved head, smirked back at me with a small wink, while Niall, a reasonably lanky boy with a bad case of freckles and burning red hair, was too busy trying to find a way to pluck up the courage to speak to Louisa.

"It wasn't bad," Louisa grimaced. "But maybe we should find something really funny next time. Something she has to laugh at."

"I'm not sure that exists," Yves smiled at me, receiving a glower in return.

"I bet your one of those girls that can sit through those seriously freaky horror movies without batting an eye, aren't you?" Owen asked me.

"I don't watch much TV," I frowned at him. All five of them stared in surprise, but I just shrugged. "I prefer books."

"No wonder she's top of the class in English Lit," Sara sighed, mildly irritated. "Ms McLennan is probably the only teacher in the whole school that thinks she's a saint."

"Everyone has to be good at something," Niall pointed out wisely. I forced myself to keep my face straight. Normally, the only thing I was ever good at was getting myself into near-death situations. I was an expert at those these days.

"So who's up for a pizza?" Louisa called a little louder, obviously bored of our last topic.

"I'm in," Niall nodded immediately, and Owen and Sara hurried followed his example.

"Sounds good," Yves agreed with a light sigh. "How about you, Grace?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but my phone suddenly gave a shrill buzz from my pocket. Frowning as I pulled it out, I almost groaned when I saw Cassandra's caller ID. "I'm probably going to have to give that a miss," I warned Louisa, answering the call irritably. "Cassandra. If this is another call about-"

I cut off when she sniffed loudly over the line, my entire body going rigid on the spot half way down the street. The other's hesitated a few steps ahead of me, watching me curiously. "Cassandra," I repeated slowly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, and I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was trying to keep strong.

"Then why call?" I scowled, turning away from the others and taking a small step away. "Answer the question. What's going on? Where's Alex?"

"Oh, give it a rest, Grace!" Cassandra suddenly snapped over the other end of the phone. "Not everything is about the two of you!"

Behind me, everyone had gone deadly silent. I hesitated, frowning at the other end of the street. I'd never really had Cassandra down as the sort of woman that bothered to talk about her own emotions before, and that had been fine by me. It was the way I worked, and if she was comfortable with that too, it just made it easier to live with her. But now, she seemed . . . worried. And she'd chosen me of all people to turn to.

I pursed my lips, unable to stop myself shuffling awkwardly. "Where are you, Cassandra?"

She huffed, sniffing again. "The . . . hospital."

A chill ran down my spine. "Why?" I scowled in a rush. "Are you alright?"

There was a moments silence, in which both me and Cassandra seemed to register our surprise that I was even remotely concerned for my severely reluctant babysitter. "Yes," she sighed. "Yes, Grace, I'm fine. There was just a . . . small accident on the way home. But Darwin, he's . . ."

My lips pursed. "Keep me up to date. I'll be there as soon as I can." Without waiting for her to question it, I hung up and took a deep breath before turning back to face Yves and the others.

"Everything okay, Grace?" Owen frowned at me cautiously.

"Not really," I admitted with a small shrug. "Cassandra was in some sort of accident, I have to get to the hospital."

Yves immediately straightened out. "I'll drive you if you want," he offered, moving forward before I'd even opened my mouth to reply. "Since I brought you here anyway."

I pulled a face, unwilling to spend even more time in his company. I did not want to think about what would happen if Zed were to find out that I was at a hospital. But since I didn't have a driving license yet – something I was seriously beginning to consider as one large flaw in my plan to stay over here – he was pretty much the only one who could take me.

"Okay," I sighed, nodding once. "If you don't mind."

"I hope everything's okay," Sara called as Yves and I spun around to move in the opposite direction back to the car. "Pass on my best!"

The car ride back was awkward, to say the least. Yves looked like he wanted to say something, but after one look in my direction, he decided against it and turned the radio on. I couldn't help wondering what had gotten into everyone lately. Cassandra was turning to me for comfort, I'd spent night after night shaking Alex awake out of a nightmare about a girl he'd never met, and I had what most people would class as friends, something I'd avoided at all costs before now. Maybe it was this town and being so close to everyone in it. It was making us all . . . normal.

It took us awhile to get to the hospital, and by that point, I was starting to get a disturbed feeling, something eerily familiar. I remembered feeling that way before, and every single time it was because Alex was in trouble.

"Yves?" I started cautiously as I climbed out of the car.

"Um?"

I paused, gritting my teeth and taking a deep breath before I could change my mind. "Do you know if Alex is with Zed at that party tonight?"

He blinked in surprise. Admittedly, it had been the first time I'd managed to say Zed's name out loud in almost two weeks. "I . . . I'm not sure," he said, clearing his throat and leading the way to the hospital doors. "Why'd you ask?"

I shrugged. "Just a feeling I have." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not sure, it happens every now and then. Maybe because we spend so much time together, but . . ." I shook myself, scowling at the doors ahead of me. "I don't know. But I don't like it." Yves said nothing, obviously confused.

It took us awhile to talk the nurses into letting us see Cassandra and Darwin, something that wasn't helped when I couldn't even tell them what Darwin's surname was. Luckily, it turned out Yves wasn't as oblivious or as useless as I had first thought, and when it became incredibly apparent that the nurse, despite being at least twice his age, was quite taken with him, he managed to turn on the charm enough to get us through to them.

Cassandra was hovering outside Darwin's hospital room, staring through the window with wide, red eyes. She was dressed in a slinky black dress and heels, and there was a large blazer thrown over her shoulders. A bruise was beginning to rise on one of her cheeks, and there were stitched up scratches across her forehead.

"Cassandra," I called, and she started, spinning to face us.

"Grace," she sighed, shifting on the spot and wrapping her arms around herself. "You came."

I tried not to look too uncomfortable, but from the look on Yves's face, I failed miserably. "I said I would," I shrugged at her vaguely. "What happened?"

She gulped, shivering and glancing back through the window to see Darwin. He was a little older than she was, with dark brown hair, and strong, rebellious face and a broad frame. At the moment, he looked like he was unconscious, a drip running from one of his arms. "We were in the car on the way home," she told me in a soft voice, her eyes shining and distant. "He'd just pulled up at a set of lights, and the idiot behind us didn't slow down. Darwin . . . Darwin knocked his head pretty hard."

I flicked my gaze back to Darwin, my eyebrows pulling together. I'd never seen Cassandra so upset before, and it unsettled me. Just being near her was enough to make me slightly nauseous. Still, I couldn't leave her alone like this. So, instead of going home like I'd initially wanted to, I reluctantly found a nearby chair and sank into it.

"You don't need to stay," I told Yves, after he'd been to grab a couple of cups of coffee.

"And miss you actually caring about someone?" he scoffed with a slight smile, handing me one of the coffees and leaning back in his seat. I scowled. "Besides, you . . . well, you looked pretty freaked out for a moment back at the movie theatre."

I averted my gaze quickly and took a cautious sip of the hot coffee. "Cassandra told me she was in the hospital," I pointed out sourly. "Surely that's enough to cause concern?"

He opened his mouth to reply, then seemed to think better of it and grimaced at me instead. I knew he didn't believe me, which was only right for a boy as intelligent as him, especially since I'd been lying to him almost consistently since the day we met. But, despite all of my flaws and his, I was quite glad Yves was here, even if it was only because Zed made him keep an eye on me. If nothing else, he and the rest of his family were a reminder that it was possible for Savants to be good people, a reminder I found I needed more and more as the weeks past.

We'd been hovering around the hospital for almost an hour before the nurses decided that Cassandra needed to go home and relax, which wasn't something she was planning to go along with. Yves and I had to sit and listen to her arguing with at least three different nurses over the course of half an hour, which must have been some sort of record. The way Cassandra was going, I was surprised they hadn't called security yet.

It was while we were watching this ordeal in mild amusement that Yves got the call. As his phone started ringing, he sighed heavily and leant back, answering it with a yawn. "Hello? . . . Oh hey, I sent you a text a while back . . . Um? Where are you? . . . Why? . . . You're kidding me . . . oh no . . . Yeah, she is why? . . . Oh, Christ . . . Erm, I'll check, but I'll be there soon."

The moment he hung up, I knew something was wrong. Breathing deeply, he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and stood up, drawing himself to his full height and shifting anxiously a few times before turning to face me with an unreadable expression.

"We have a small problem," he said with a small frown. "Zed was just arrested."

I felt my body go rigid on the spot, like all my muscles were locking into place all at once. Suddenly my skin shivered in a non-existent breeze, and my heart clenched uncomfortably. But Yves wasn't done.

"He got into a fight, Grace," he told me softly, fixing me with a stern gaze. "Alex was arrested too."

My body moved of its own accord. Heart hammering in my ears, I leapt to my feet with a furious glower, my blood burning in my veins. My mind whirled too fast to make out any of my iritic thoughts, but the overall message was clear; I had to make sure Zed was alright.

"Cassandra!" I snapped, pushing the nurses out of the way and taking Cassandra by the arms, forcing her to look at me. "Listen to me carefully-"

"Erm, excuse me!" the nurse beside me shrilled, scowling at me indignantly.

"I wasn't talking to you," I glowered at her quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a conversation to finish, and I'm sure there are other patients in need of your excellent care." The nurse stared at me.

"Grace," Yves's concerned voice came.

I ignored him, shifting on the spot in my impatience. "Look at me, Cassandra, and listen carefully. You're to go back into Darwin's room and stay with him. Do not leave the hospital until I get back. Don't talk to anyone you don't know, don't wander off on your own, and if something happens, you call me, understand? No one else."

She stared at me, like she was trying to seem angry, but her eyes flickered with something close to recognition. Slowly, she nodded. "Okay."

Without waiting for anything else, I spun around and marched past the nurse, blocking out the sound of Yves's continuous apologises as he hurried to follow me. I was only mildly aware that my hands were shaking, my fingers twitching. Shivers rushed over my skin, through my nerves and down my spine, my breath shearing the inside of my throat. Not entirely sure what was happening to me, I forced myself to keep moving. If I had an answer, if I knew what was going on, then I'd be able to figure out how to fix it.

Or at least, that was the plan.

"Dare I even ask what that was all about?" Yves scowled at me as we stepped outside.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered simply, my eyes fixed on the car ahead of me.

"With Cassandra," he persisted. "Why get so paranoid?" I didn't answer, hauling myself into the passenger seat with pursed lips. Sighing heavily, Yves pulled himself into the driver's seat, shooting me a strange look as he started the car again.

Sitting still didn't help me much. I kept shifting on the spot in my impatience, drumming my fingertips against my thighs and biting my tongue to stop myself snapping at Yves to drive faster. What I was planning to do when I got there, I wasn't entirely sure. I wasn't even sure the police would let me see Alex without Cassandra present. All I knew was that I needed to talk to him in private. What on Earth was he thinking, getting into a fight with Zed? My whole life, I'd only ever asked my brother for one favour; keep Zed away from me, and out of trouble. That was it. It wasn't difficult, Yves had been doing the same thing for me for just as long. Now, I was on my way to bail him out of trouble, again, for attacking the boy I'd almost begged him to look out for. If he even tried to justify this . . .

"So does this happen a lot in your family?" Yves frowned sideways at me. "Trips to the hospital and prison within an hour of each other?"

I pursed my lips. "More often than you think." He wasn't reassured.

The small town police station wasn't far away from the hospital, which I was immensely grateful for. I wasn't sure I could sit still for much longer. The lights shining from inside cut through the darkness, showing a half empty car park and a few stray drunks stumbling out of the front entrance. Mumbling to himself, Yves parked the car as close to the doors as he could, running a hand through his hair anxiously as he cut the ignition.

I didn't stick around to listen to him lecture me before I faced Alex and Zed. Just being here made my stomach twist nervously, but I shoved the door open and started toward the front entrance, hoping and praying that I didn't run into Zed first.

Inside, the only other people were a couple, presumably Zed's parents. The sight of them stood there, oblivious to my presence, didn't do me any good. Both of them looked incredibly concerned, huddled together in a murmured conversation. Zed's father looked fairly tall and strong, with work worn hands and a relatively neutral expression. His wife, on the other hand, was small and petite, with dark hair and large eyes that shone with so much emotion it was enough to send me dizzy.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

I turned, gulping hard as I met the receptionist's gaze. He was a tall, board man with a stern look, and I couldn't help wondering if he was trying to figure out if I'd done anything wrong. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I took a ragged breath and stepped closer. "I'm looking for Alex Peterson," I told him in a quiet voice.

He eyed me cautiously. "Are you a relative?"

"I'm his twin sister," I nodded. "Cassandra, the woman who takes care of us, is at the hospital at the moment."

He hesitated, then dropped his gaze. "Well Miss Peterson, your brother isn't under arrest," he told me dryly, and I felt my shoulders sag in relief, a fraction of my panic fading again.

"Can I ask what actually happened, Officer?"

"We got a call about a fight kicking off at a house party about an hour ago," he told me, drawing himself to his full height at the title Officer. Obviously, he wasn't used to hearing it from kids my age. "Your brother and Mr Benedict are incredibly lucky that some of the other kids there stepped in to pull them apart before it became anything more serious. Now, since neither of them are seriously injured or looking to press charges, they've been let off with a warning. This time. If it happens again, I can't promise they'll get off that easily."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself commenting, nodding at him and dropping my gaze to the counter. None of this told me why they were fighting. It didn't make any sense. Mistaking my confusion for fear, the officer behind the desk sighed heavily and grimaced at me. "Your brother should be out in a minute, Miss Peterson," he told me gently. "If you take a seat, it shouldn't take long."

I nodded again. "Thank you."

Without looking at the Benedicts, now accompanied by a wry looking Yves, I sank into the nearest chair and returned all my effort into not having a breakdown in public. My hands were still shaking, now so violently I had to sit on them to keep them still. I was starting to feel nauseous, the sort of sickly feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen and you have no idea how to stop it.

The doors at the far end of the entrance opened, and a different officer escorted Zed Benedict into the entrance. My chest clenched and my fingers tightened around the edges of my seat, but he didn't look half as bad as I'd been imagining. There was a pretty bad cut across his bottom lip, and he wasn't holding himself with his usual arrogance. And still, the idea that it had been caused in a fight between him and my brother didn't help matters.

He caught me staring, a small frown slipping over his eyebrows. Swallowing, I adverted my gaze quickly, trying to ignore the way I suddenly didn't seem able to catch my breath. Annoyed, Zed shook the officer's hand off his shoulder and strode straight out of the room, without so much as a glance in his parents direction.

"Zed," his mother started wryly, taking a step forward, but the officer interrupted her.

"Mr and Mrs Benedict, do you mind if I have a word with you before you leave please?" The Benedicts didn't look pleased, but agreed all the same. Yves kept staring after his brother, like he was torn between hearing what the officer had to say and making sure Zed wasn't getting into any more trouble. Unfortunately, he apparently decided to stay.

I chewed my bottom lip anxiously, something I hadn't done since I was about seven years old. My impatience was beginning to get the better of me. I needed to know what was happening. What if Alex's name was being passed through the system right now? What if someone recognised him? I was probably being paranoid again, but things like this didn't normally help me think straight.

Glancing between the officers surrounding me, no one seemed to be in a hurry to go and find Alex, and the Benedicts were too absorbed in their conversation to be of any help whatsoever. So, ignoring the warning that told me I'd regret it later, I slipped out of my chair and through the doors again, welcoming the sudden rush of cold air that seemed to bring me back to my senses slightly.

A little too late.

"Shouldn't you be avoiding me?" Zed's irritable tone came, and my head snapped sideways. He was leaning against the outside of the building, scowling over eyes that appeared to hover between brilliant green and a deep blue. I'd never noticed before, but now that I had, I couldn't tear my eyes away.

"You were arrested," I pointed out sourly, amazed I could even find my voice. "For fighting with my brother, and Cassandra is a little busy at the hospital. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave an awful lot of room to make my own decisions."

His anger wavered for a second, scanning my expression reluctantly. "Is she alright? Cassandra, I mean. She's the woman that looks after you, right?"

"Yes," I replied, slightly unnerved by his interest in my life's little dramas. "And she's fine."

Zed nodded once, turning away from me again and staring off into the darkness. In the awkward silence that followed, I completely forgot what I'd come out here to ask him. Instead, I found myself reliving the first conversation Alex and I had had about him. What if Alex had been right back then? What if all of this was for nothing, and it turned out that Zed and I had nothing to do with each other?

"What happened tonight?" I suddenly asked, clearing my throat and scowling at the direction my thoughts were taking. Bad idea, Grace, I told myself sternly. Really bad idea.

Zed risked another quick glance in my direction, obviously uncomfortable now. "Nothing. Alex and I had a disagreement."

"A disagreement about what?" I persisted.

His eyes narrowed. "Drop it, Grace."

A shudder ran down my spine at the sound of my name, but I forced myself to stay still, glowering at him with my fists clenched. "No," I snapped back through my teeth. "I was doing perfectly fine tonight until I heard about the two of you, so it would be nice if you could explain. Quickly."

He shot me a cool look. "Ask Alex. I'm sure he'll tell you all the juicy details."

I could feel myself getting more and more agitated at the tone of his voice. "What the hell gives you the right to talk to me like that?" I snarled, my voice dangerously quiet. "I'm not a child, or one of those stupid, brainless bimbos you talk to at school. Obviously you don't agree with my dear brother, but I'm pretty sure I'm smart enough to decide for myself what actually happened. So are you going to explain to me why you had my brother arrested or not?"

"Hey, I didn't start that argument!" Zed protested, and an irrational surge of fury gripped my heart tightly. "It was Alex who had the problem, not me!"

"And I asked you why!" I almost yelled back at him.

"Because of you!"

That threw me. My face fell in surprise and Zed hesitated, catching his breath with a troubled expression. Apparently, he hadn't intended to tell me that.

"What?" I asked, struggling to regain my composure.

Zed snorted darkly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning back again. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Grace. What are you so determined to pretend nothing's wrong? Don't you realise why you get so worked up around me?"

It took me a few seconds to find my voice. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" he snarled. "If you're so sure, prove it. Let me in."

"No," I frowned, shaking my head.

"If nothing's going to happen, you've got nothing to worry about, have you?" he pointed out. "Let me in and prove to me you aren't who I think you are."

"I said no!"

He laughed darkly, his expression almost maniac as he began to pace in front of me. Seeing him so troubled made me take a step back, a hauntingly familiar feeling stirring in the pit of my stomach. Was I really going to stand back and let this guy break? He was right, after all. In all likelihood, he had nothing to do with me, so what was the harm in letting him check? If I didn't, if I left him to terrorise himself with the idea that his soulfinder was just out of reach, intentionally hurting him, he was going to start going down a very dark path, and I'd been down there before. I knew what was waiting for him, and however much I couldn't stand him, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

And still . . . I hadn't let anyone search my mind for a long time, and even then that hadn't been voluntary. My default was to allow enough access for telepathy, and only when absolutely necessary. I'd learnt from experience that once someone gets in, it's harder to get them out and keep them out.

But telepathy couldn't hurt, could it? I pursed my lips, my stomach squirming. What happened if I was wrong, and Zed was right? What happened if he was my soulfinder? What would I do then?

Slim chance, Grace, I told myself, and that one tiny thought was enough to mask the doubt for just long enough.

"Fine," I snarled through my teeth. Zed froze, his anger wavering like he couldn't decide whether I was just toying with him. But, with pursed lips, I reached out for his mind with a wince. Soulfinder know when they use telepathy, right? So say something to me.

He didn't reply, staring at me in surprise. For a moment, my chest tightened and I was almost sure he knew something I didn't. Then he straightened out, perfectly composed once more, and took a step toward me.

Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you're angry?

A rush of emotion instantly came over me, so strong I almost choked. But before I could register anything other than confusion, Zed wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him, claiming me with one, passionate kiss.