I wake to the sound of my phone buzzing by my head. Groggily I look at the display and sigh. Dee, calling to check up and make sure I'm playing nice with neighbor girl. Part of me hates that she's making me do this, but part of me doesn't know want to admit to feeling anything more than annoyance for the girl. I grab the phone before it goes to voice mail and answer it.

"Hello?" I say in a gruff, sleepy voice.

"Daemon, are you really still sleeping? It's like quarter after eleven."

"Yeah, so?"

"Did you get Katy to do something with you?" she asks in an excited childlike tone.

I sigh, "Yeah, I'm taking her swimming at the lake. Is that good enough for you?"

She squeals, the sound reverberates through the phone causing a ringing in my ear. "Dee is that really necessary?" I ask.

"Yes, I'm so excited. You will see, she's great."

"Yeah, whatever. I have to go if I'm going to be showered and ready in time to go get her," I tell her.

"When are you going?"

"I told her I'd pick her up at noon. How are things there?"

"I don't know. I just have a hard time looking at Adam the way that everyone wants me to. And I don't think that Adam likes me like that either. Really it's the most uncomfortable feeling. Why aren't they doing this with you and Ash?"

"They think Ash and I are still together, that's why. I'm sure I'll hear about it when they figure out that I'm going to refuse to commit to her."

"Really? Daemon, how are you just going to refuse?"

"Easy, I won't do it. I'm going to college, I'm going to do what I want." I hope she hears this and gives doing her own thing some thought. She has plenty of time to commit to another Luxen, whether it's Adam or not. "Well Dee, if I'm going to get my keys back I've got to go get ready."

She laughs, "Call me when you get home."

"Will do. Be nice to Adam."

I hang up the phone and move immediately into the shower. I emerge from the shower with the towel draped low on my hips and think about what I bet Kitten. I wonder if she's going to challenge me or if she will be modest. Part of me hopes for daring, I'd love to get a good look at her body.

I slide on my swim trunks and pull my jeans on over top. I pull out a tight tee-shirt that shows my muscles. Not that I need to show off for her, she's already seen my bare chest, but I want to make her want me. I put on my sneaks and go to the kitchen to get something to eat before I leave.

At quarter to twelve I hear the sound of a car door closing. I look out the door and see her mother pulling down the drive way. I guess now is as good a time as any to get this day started.

I quickly move over to Katy's house and bang on the front door. I stand at the door waiting with my towel over my shoulder. When she opens the door, I take in the sight before me. Another tight tank top and short jean shorts. There is a hint of a red string poking out from the back of her shirt.

"I'm a little early."

"I can see," she said. "Change your mind? You could always try lying."

I arch my brow at her and smirk, "I'm not a liar."

"Just give me a second to grab my stuff," she says.

Before I can even reply, she slams the door in my face. Probably trying to piss me off. When she returns with her things, I'm standing where I was when she shut the door. Not a trace of anger or annoyance in me. Even though that little act did annoy me.

I turn and start walking down the driveway with Katy walking behind me.

"Okay, so where are you taking me?" she asks.

"What fun would it be if you knew? You won't be surprised then," I say.

"I'm new to town, remember? Everywhere is going to be a surprise for me."

"Then why ask," I say flatly.

"We aren't driving?" she asks.

I laugh, "No. Where we're going you can't drive. It's not a well-known spot. Most local don't even know about it."

"Oh, I'm special then."

"You know what I think, Kat?" I ask her. But does she really want to know what I think? I lock my gaze on her and take all of her in. I do think she might just be special. There is definitely something different about her, that I know for sure.

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to know," she says when her eyes find mine. She flushes with the intensity of my gaze.

"I think my sister finds you very special. I'm starting to wonder if she's onto something." I'm completely serious about this. I'm not sure why I'm telling her, but for some reason sense and sensibility go out the window when I'm around her.

She seems to think about this for a moment and then she smirks, "But then there's all kinds of special now, isn't there, Daemon?"

I look at her startled. Apparently I've been so nasty that she can't take me seriously when I say something nice about her. This is going to be much more difficult than I originally thought.

I continued down the road and crossed the main highway. We enter the dense forest line and begin down the path toward the lake.

"Are you taking me out to the woods as a trick?" she asks.

I look over my shoulder at her, she has a worried look on her face. "And what would I do out here to you, Kitten?" I ask in a seductive voice.

She visibly shivers, making me snicker. "The possibilities are endless," she says quietly.

"Aren't they?"

I move deeper in the woods, dodging the thick brush and vines that have stretched over the path. Behind me, Katy was tripping over almost everything that was in the way.

"Can we pretend we did this?" she asks.

"Trust me, I don't want to be doing this either," that's a lie. I want this time with her. I want to try to see what Dee sees and I want to see if there is a real reason that I feel something when I'm around her, or if it's just because she's new. "But bitching about it isn't going to make it any easier."

I turn around and offer my hand to her to help her over the brush.

"You're such a joy to talk to," she says hesitating but then taking my hand. The same vibrating of electricity that I felt yesterday is there again. I help her over the downed tree then drop her hand.

"Thank you," she says quietly. I turn away and smile to myself. The blush is back on her face.

I continue walking and we remain silent for a few minutes before I break the silence, "Are you excited about school?"

She audibly breathes in "It's not exciting being the newbie. You know, the whole sticking out like a sore thumb. Not fun."

"I can see that."

"You can?"

"Yeah, I can," I say. We've moved enough to know what that feels like. It sucks, it especially sucks for us. But I can see why it would such for her too. "We only have a little bit more to go."

"A little bit? How long have been walking?" she asks.

"About twenty minutes, maybe a little longer. I told you it was fairly hidden."

I move over another uprooted tree and once I clear it, the lake stretches out before me. "Welcome to our little piece off paradise," I say, a sarcastic twist to my lips.

She walks past me and her eyes widen, a smile playing on her full lips. "Wow. This place is beautiful."

"It is," I say, stepping up next to her. I look around and take it all in. This really is my personal piece of paradise, it's untouched my human hands. It's perfect. I stand next to her for a moment and she does something that completely surprises me. She reaches up and places her hand on my arm. The familiar vibration moves from her hand to my arm, if I didn't know better I'd think she was a Luxen too.

"Thank you for bringing me," she says, sincerity in her eyes.

I lock my eyes with hers, but a moment later she removes her hand and lets it drop to her side. She looks out over the area surrounding the lake. A circular outcropping of trees surrounds the grassy area around the lake, making it seem even more cut off from civilization than it already is. It's almost like going back to another time. Rocks erupt from the middle of the lake, flat and smooth. Wild flowers blooming in the sun. It's the most peaceful place I know.

She walks up to the edge of the water and stares down, "How deep is it?"

"About ten feet in most parts, twenty feet on the other side of the rocks." I walk quietly up behind her. "Dee love it here. Before you came, she spent more of her days here."

"You know, I'm not going to get your sister in trouble."

Little does she know that it's almost inevitable that she is going to cause one of us to get in trouble. Not the kind of trouble that she's thinking about, but the kind of trouble that gets someone hurt or killed. I don't want to argue right now though. This place isn't about that. So I only say, "We'll see."

"I'm not a bad influence," she pushes. She seems to really be reaching for my approval. Like she knows that if I push hard enough, Dee will finally listen to me. "I haven't ever gotten into trouble before."

I move past her and keep my gaze one the water, "She doesn't need a friend like you." And she doesn't. Humans are nothing but trouble for us that I'm sure of.

"There isn't anything wrong with me," she snaps. "You know what? Forget this."

No there's nothing wrong with her, other than the fact that she human. I think about the past few days and about this girl. Why do I find her to be different from most humans? Why do I feel like she could actually be trusted? I think back to the day she and Dee planted the garden.

"Why do you garden?" I blurt out.

She stops and looks at me, surprised. "What?"

"Why do you garden? Dee said you do it so you don't think. What do you want to avoid thinking about?"

The surprise is still stretched across her face. She can't figure out why I'm asking and quite frankly I'm not even totally sure.

"It's none of your business."

I shrug. "Then let's go swimming."

I walk to the water's edge and kick off my shoes. Even though my back is to her, I can feel her eyes on me, watching me, taking me in. I like that she's watching me, that she wants to look at me like that. I'd never admit it, but there is an undeniable attraction between us that I hope I'll be able to continue to ignore. I slide my jeans off, revealing my green swim trunks, then I whip off my black shirt and throw it into the pile of clothes. I move smoothly toward the water, feeling her eyes burning into me as I move. Once I reach the water's edge, I dive in and quickly swim toward the middle of the lake where I surface and turn to find her standing, watching.

I stare back at her for a moment before speaking. "Are you coming in?"

Her cheeks flush and she stands there gaping at me. She moves slowly toward the edge of the water and begins to gradually remove her shoes. She looks around the lake, everywhere but where I'm bobbing in the water.

"You sure are shy, aren't you Kitten?"

"Why do you call me that?"

I smile, "Because it makes your hair stand up, like a kitten." I laugh a little at her expression. A combination of annoyance and intrigue flashing in her eyes. "So? Are you coming in?"

I continue to watch her, curiosity peeking through me. I move slowly back toward the shore line where she's standing. "I'm giving you one minute to get in here."

"Or what?" she challenges.

Moving closer, "Or I come and get you."

"I'd like to see you try."

I snicker, I could be out of this lake and have her swept up in my arms before she even realized what I was doing. But I can't do that, so I say, "Forty seconds."

She rubs her face, looking at me like she doesn't want to believe that I would actually do it, but not really wanting to challenge me either.

"Thirty seconds."

"Jesus," she says quietly, whipping off her tank top, revealing the bright red, barely there bikini top. Guess I was wrong about the one piece. She sheds her shorts and stands there for a moment. I take in every inch of her perfect body, the tiny red bikini leaving nothing to the imagination. Red always was my favorite color, but now… Wow!

She steps toward the edge of the water and I'm completely speechless, which never happens. Not even Ash looks this good in a bikini. She places her hands on her hips and looks at me, "Happy?"

I wipe the stupid smile off of my face and bring back my nasty attitude. I can't let her know how much she affects me. "I'm never happy around you." And I'm not, but not for the reason that she'll think, it's because she is something that I can never have, and that pisses me off.

"What did you say?" she asks, challenging me.

"Nothing. You better get in before that blush reaches your toes," I snicker.

Blushing even more she moves to the water. She slowly moves in, letting the water lap over her body. I don't take my eyes off of her, completely transfixed by her perfection.

Before her body is fully in the water, she looks around and smiles. "It's beautiful out here."

I watch her for another moment, our eyes meeting momentarily before I submerge under the water to cool myself off. The attraction I feel for her is completely unreasonable. How can I possibly feel like this about a human? Yeah, she's beautiful and yeah, she's completely unlike any other girl that I've ever met, but she's human. She's not one of us, and that makes her dangerous, for more reasons than I'd like to admit. When I emerge from under the water, she's still standing, water lapping against her breasts. But as soon as our eyes meet once again, she goes under. When she pops back up, the water glistening on her hair and face, I can't help but stare at her. My heart hammering in my chest I watch her wading in the water.

"What?" she asks after a few moments.

I don't know what comes over me, but I feel the desperate need to eliminate the space between us. I want to wrap my arms around her perfect body and feel her soft curves pressed against me.

"Why don't you come here?" She looks at me for a moment, like she's contemplating why I could possibly want her to move closer to me. She makes her decision and dips her head under the water and swimming toward the rocks in the center of lake. She pulls herself onto the rocks and looks toward me.

"You look disappointed," she says.

I pause then mumble, "Well… what do we have here?"

I look at her, confusion and curiosity taking over my thoughts. Most human girls don't act like her. They usually throw themselves at me. Hell, even Ash throws herself at me. If I pay them even the slightest bit of attention, they flock to me. But this girl isn't doing that, she's not flaunting herself or trying to be overtly sexy or anything. I mean, damn that bikini is hot as hell, but she's not trying too hard and that makes her even more appealing.

She dangles her feet from the rock, into the water. "What are you talking about now?"

"Nothing," I say, wading closer to her.

"You said something."

"I did, didn't I?" Being evasive, I refuse to acknowledge what she's saying.

"You're strange," she says, a smile playing across her lips. If she only knew how strange I really am.

"You're not what I expected," I say quietly. She nothing like what I expected. I expected the typical human girls that I've been around. They've all been the same, from Nevada to New York to West Virginia and everywhere we've been in between since arriving on this planet. Every girl has been the same with Dawson and me. As soon as we hit what the humans refer to as puberty and we reached the height of our maturity, the girls have all been the same. Flaunting themselves, trying to get our attention, doing whatever they could just to be near us. They act the same way with Andrew and Adam also.

"What does that mean?"

Apparently I didn't say the words quietly enough. I grab for her foot to pull her back into the water with me. She moves her foot out of my reach and looks at me.

"I'm not good enough to be your sister's friend?"

I sigh, it's not her, it's us. We have to protect ourselves… "You don't have anything in common with her."

"How would you know?" she asks, moving her other leg when I try to grab for it. I want her back in the water with me. I want to put my hands on her bare skin and feel her softness. I want to feel the strange vibration that I feel when I touch her.

"I know," I assure her.

"We have a lot in common. And I like her. She's nice and she's fun. And you should stop being such a dick and chasing off her friends."

I stare at her for a moment, shocked. She really is nothing like any human I've ever met. It's almost like she's something more. Like she more in tune with what is around her and not so self-involved. She reminds me a lot of Bethany. There was something about her that Dawson took to. He always said she was more than any human he ever met. I laugh, "You're not really like them."

"Like who?" she asks.

I don't answer, I just submerge myself into the depths of the lake. Staying down I think about what is happening. She's definitely not like any human I've ever met, and not like any girl, human or Luxen either. She's beautiful, willing to fight for a friendship that she's only had for days, she's not intimidated by me, and I bet she wouldn't be intimidated by anyone else either. Down here, in the depths of the lake I can admit to myself that I like her, more than I should. I still have to find a way to keep her from my sister, but I don't think I'll be able to do that. Just like I don't think I'll be able to keep myself away from her for long. Now I understand what Dawson felt when he was with Bethany. Now I understand why he was willing to give up everything to be with her. But am I willing to do that for Katy? I don't know. My first priority is my family, that includes the Thompsons and Matthew. What would happen to them if I decided to give everything up, my community, my life for this girl? What would happen to Dee? No, I can't do it. I have to push her away, no matter how hard it is.

After some time of swimming along the bottom of the lake, I resurface to find a frantic Katy.