It was the sudden lapse in bird song that made Eutopia look up from the TV she had been staring at blankly. She had been channel hopping and at some point settled on a travel programme where a leggy blond was singing the praises of a number of Los Angeles beaches as she pranced about in a white bikini. Eutopia had turned the sound right down to avoid the woman's incessant babbling about Point Dume State Beach, but she had found the gentle lapping waves of the sparkling sea as it foamed over the silky sand soothing enough to distract her for a while. Whilst she was watching the hypnotic push and pull of the water it meant she didn't have to think about much. Jinn had sat with her for a little while and made an effort to engage her in conversation but Eutopia's mind was full with too much already. Eventually, he had discreetly left her to it. She hadn't noticed that the August sun had been inching further and further away until the birds that had been tweeting outside finally stopped. Azure twilight lay thick beyond the green drapes at the windows, the lounge deep in shadows that danced with each flicker of the bright images on the TV screen. She got up and crossed the room to switch on the light but her finger paused over the wall switch that would illuminate the ostentatious chandelier suspended from the plaster rose in the middle of the ceiling. What the hell was she doing sitting here? Although she had to admit she had never been in a situation quite this bad, she knew exactly how she should be dealing with it.

Standing on the threshold of the wide French doors that let out from the kitchen into the garden beyond a short time later, her backpack on her shoulders and her phone in her jeans pocket, she felt like an eleven year old child again. Her heart beat hard and fast in her chest as she snuck a glance behind her before slipping out into the night and pulling the door closed behind her. As soon as the thought had come to her Eutopia had hurried upstairs to pack her few things into her bag; deciding to leave through the back of the house rather than the front, afraid that the crunch of the gravelled drive might alert Jinn to her departure. Jinn's bedroom door was closed when she had returned upstairs to her room and Eutopia had not seen him as she skulked through the half-lit house. In a way she was grateful as the very thought of trying to say goodbye to him and apologise for the mess she had led him into made her feel awkward. The man was a complete and utter mystery to her despite the enforced camaraderie of their situation. Those feline-like eyes of his that watched her so carefully, such a deep blue they appeared to glow indigo, sent little waves of electricity prickling along her skin. His impossibly perfect features, framed gloriously by his short dark hair had made her question reality more than once as she found herself trying to catch a glimmer of sunlight reflecting off his skin in rainbow sparkles now and then. She knew she probably shouldn't have watched those vampire films that had been so hyped up over the past few years or so, they'd clearly addled her concept of reality when it came to men… Before leaving Eutopia had debated the idea of leaving him a note, but what would she say? Besides, she found her childlike scrawl embarrassing, he probably wouldn't have been able to make sense of it and by the time she had managed to finish writing it he might have been stood reading over her shoulder. Writing had never been a strong point of hers. Nor had reading for that matter since her education had been so inconsistent with all the running away she'd been preoccupied with. Eutopia had never really got on with school; especially not after she'd gone to live with her foster parents. She found it hard to relate to the other children as a swirling green mist of jealousy always came down around her whenever she saw the mothers waiting for her classmates at the end of the day. Though Gillian was attentive in her vacant sort of way, she just wasn't the same as Eutopia's own mother.

The clear white light of the full moon lit her way now as she tramped across the neatly clipped lawn that seemed to stretch out for miles. A large cluster of trees, an orchard perhaps, stationed behind a low grey wall, stood to the left of the winding paved path that she avoided for no other reason than the fact she liked how the grass felt under her feet. She paused for a moment, admiring the expanse of Jinn's land. It was huge. There wasn't a wall or a fence at all that she could see around the perimeter, nothing to pen her in. The grandiose house, a hulking, silvered illusion in the moonlight, sat dark and still behind her as she walked. Eutopia had no idea what lay beyond the back of the house other than the gently sloping grass that she could see but she was about to find out as she set off purposefully, trying to ignore the darkness that crept closer each time the moon was swallowed up by a scudding cloud.

Eutopia walked until her back began to ache from the weight of her backpack and the ground beneath her bare feet shifted from velvety grass to damp, mossy earth. The sparse trees that had been dotted here and there had been increasing in number during the last twenty minutes that she had been walking, their old and twisted branches reaching up and out in a bid to touch twigs with each other, spreading leaves that filtered the moonlight like lace. She stopped for a moment, leaning against a thick oak tree to pluck at a spiny stick that had wedged itself between the ball of her foot and her big toe before digging a tatty pair of flip-flops out from the bottom of her bag. Hoisting up the backpack again Eutopia stopped, head cocked to one side as she thought she caught the sound of shuffling footsteps close to where she stood. She looked up, peering through the gloom as the light from the moon trickled gradually through the trees as it emerged slowly from behind the wisp of a cloud. Her heart pulsed quickly, jumping into her throat for two beats. The sound was different to the general night-time noises she had grown used to as she walked but as she strained her ears to catch the sound again, nothing came but silence. The gentle rustling of nocturnal animals in the undergrowth around her seemed to have ceased. Despite the white fingers of moonlight that reached through the leaves above Eutopia felt the night suddenly pressing down on her, weighing heavy on her shoulders and damply caressing her face. She whirled around with one hand against the rough bark of the oak tree to steady herself. She could no longer see the house from where she stood; in fact she had lost sight of it round about the same point that she had noticed the trees growing thicker around her. Eutopia guessed she was probably on a fringe of woodland that stretched on as far as she could see, both in front and from either side of her. She knew she was quite a distance from the house now as she could no longer see the black shape blotting out the dark sky on the horizon behind her. Suddenly her plan didn't seem like such a good idea though her pride would not let her return. She couldn't bear the thought of his dark eyes giving her that cool, knowing look.

'Keep going, its fine. It's fine,' she muttered breathlessly to herself, fumbling in her pocket for the only source of light she had, her mobile phone. Shaky fingers jabbed randomly at the numbers to illuminate the tiny screen which gave off a sickly green glow, the light barely enough to pierce the blackness around her. Eutopia held it up like a shield to ward off the shadows that seemed to creep closer as she forced herself to walk on a little bit further, fingertips dragging over the uneven bark of surrounding trees in an attempt to ground her fears. Another shuffle, whispering leaves underfoot, closer to her now, sent a hand up to her mouth to stifle a moan of terror as her eyes snapped shut in an attempt to block out the half-forgotten memories of a wet London side street. One foot moved, seemingly by itself, before the other did too and she stumbled on blindly in the hope that she could leave her fear behind with the noises. Hostile branches reached out to snag her hair and scratch at her face and neck, pulling at her jumper, jagged tree trunks grazed her palms as she wound her way through the woods. A sudden soft whoosh nearby caused her to flinch, hands clamped over her head for fear a bat or something equally disgusting would tangle itself in her hair. Eutopia risked a glance up into the high branches above and caught sight of something gleaming and white defused in the sky as it flew by. A whimper escaped her lips, the phone with the tiny glowing screen falling from her trembling hands as she crouched against the base of a tree to press her fingers to her eyes.

Something light and gentle touched her quivering shoulder, warm fingers brushing the side of her cheek that was uncovered by her hands, making Eutopia cry out in fear.

'It's ok, it's Jinn. Eutopia, its Jinn,' his calm words reached out across the blackness and his solid frame fell backwards a step as the girl flung herself at him, bowling into his torso with a dense whump. He heard the sob cut short in her throat as she pressed herself against his chest, overwhelmed by the sudden sense of security that his appearance instilled. 'Did you get lost?' he asked, gliding a finger beneath her chin to tilt her head up to look at her face when she didn't answer him. Eutopia's hands lay inert on his chest, tangled tresses pulled from the ponytail by the cruel branches around her, stuck to cheeks shiny wet with tears and streaked with faint smudges of dirt. Jinn brushed the hair from her face and looked straight into her wide, terrified eyes with alarm. 'Eutopia? Are you hurt?' She shook her head, dislodging his hands from her cheeks, taking a few deep and calming breaths before she managed to get herself under control. Her racing heart still pounded painfully against her ribs.

'No,' she whispered.

'You don't like the dark,' he said, as though reminding her unnecessarily.

'No, I don't.'

'So why didn't you wait until morning before doing a runner?'

'I wasn't running, I...' Eutopia began, weakly, but trailed off as she realised that's exactly what she had been doing, or at least intending to do. She took a step back, bumping into the tree behind, letting out a huge sigh as she slid down the trunk as though that breath had been the only thing keeping her standing. 'I don't know what I'm doing any more, I really don't…' Something caught her eye in the darkness, even though her head was lowered, and she realised Jinn was crouched in front of her holding out her Nokia.

'Why didn't you wait until daylight before leaving? If you'd asked, I would have driven you to town.'

'I didn't want you to know I was leaving.'

'Why?'

Eutopia took the phone from him and shook her head. 'I've caused enough trouble in your life already. I thought it would be better for me to just go.'

'You didn't think to leave a note?' he asked with a tinge of hurt in his voice as he sat beside her, leaning against the wide tree. 'I was worried.'

'You barely know me.'

'I know you better than you might think,' Jinn said, quietly. Eutopia regarded him for a moment and said nothing because somehow, sat in the middle of nowhere in the dark, with a murderer, she felt better, her fear sliding away minute by minute.

'I barely know you,' Eutopia said. Jinn nodded, arms resting on his drawn up knees.

'There isn't much to know,' he smiled.

'I know you've travelled a lot and you don't work. But you're well off,'

'Family inheritance,' Jinn agreed.

'So what about your family?' Eutopia asked, curiously turning to look at him, tucking her knees under her chin.

'I have a large family, quite extended actually, but I don't see any of them much anymore. That's mostly my choice I suppose, but we all have different lives to lead, different paths to follow.'

'You don't see any of them?' Eutopia asked in surprise, a flicker of sadness in her eyes at hearing that because being together with her own family was what she longed for most. To have family around her and to consciously choose not to see them was beyond her comprehension. Since she had been separated from Will at eleven years old her whole purpose in life had been to find him again, to feel that she belonged somewhere, in the hope it would help her finally come to terms with her mother's death and erase the dark shadows that tainted her childhood.

'I sometimes speak to a couple of my brothers but we don't keep in regular contact really. I haven't seen my sisters in years. None of my family lives locally, to here or London.'

'Doesn't it bother you?' Eutopia asked, wrapping her arms around her legs to draw them closer. The air was getting chillier with each evening that came and went, marking the beginning of the end of summer. She could feel the warmth of Jinn's arm pressed lightly against hers as they sat side by side beneath the tree. He held a fallen leaf between his fingers, twirling it almost absently as they talked.

'No, it doesn't bother me really. Like I said, we each have our own thing to do. That's just the way our family has always been.'

'Did you get sent to boarding school?' awe coloured Eutopia's tone as she tried to imagine what kind of upbringing he must have had to be so nonchalant about contact with his family. Jinn laughed.

'No, nothing like that. And I wasn't locked in a cupboard under the stairs either before you ask,'

'Why would I ask that?' Eutopia frowned, confused, which made Jinn chuckle again.

'Never mind,' he said, letting the leaf drop from his fingers and watching as it spun like a feather to settle on the ground. 'Family is important to you, isn't it?' he asked, resting his head back against the trunk behind and turning to glance at the girl next to him. Eutopia nodded, reaching out to pick up the oak leaf he had let fall as she nibbled her lower lip, her teeth gently nipping at the healing split that still marred the corner. In the half-light sifting down through the trees around them the bruise that discoloured her milky skin seemed to hollow Eutopia's cheek as she looked down at the leaf in her hand. Jinn's eyes seemed darker as he contemplated it.

'Are you afraid of me, Eutopia?' he asked, abruptly. 'Is that why you left?'

'No,' she said, looking up at him quickly.

'I killed two people,' Jinn said, meeting her eyes without flinching. She nodded, thinking about that for a moment. Neither of them had mentioned the events leading up to the current situation since their first proper conversation back at Jinn's flat and the subject settled uncomfortably in silence around them now. Despite her aching jaw, split lip and the fresh bruise still livid on her cheek, that wet, terrible night in Covent Garden seemed so long ago already. In all the excitement of having managed to contact Mike, her chance meeting with Jinn had slipped to the back of her mind. Eutopia hadn't given much thought as to how Jinn had come to be in that remote little backstreet that had otherwise been deserted… she hadn't the slightest notion as to why he felt the need to step in, nor had he offered details as to how exactly he had. For the first time since she had woken up on his plush sofa in his posh Kensington pad, Eutopia felt bothered by the large blank spaces occupying her memory when it came to the conclusion of that night.

'Tell me what happened. What really happened that night,' she asked. 'Please,' she begged softly when she sensed his reluctance. The lack of recollection caused real anguish that Jinn could see in the tense rigidity of her body as she curled in on herself, the oak leaf forgotten now as she tipped her head to lean her cheek against her arms, resting on her drawn up knees and looking straight at him.

'Do you want to go back to the house?' he asked, 'I thought you didn't like the dark.'

'I don't,' Eutopia said with a frown, annoyed that he should try and change the subject and yet confused at the fact that her fear had slipped away the moment she had found herself pressing against his chest when he had appeared through the trees. That uneasy sense of déjà vu she had felt with him once before prickled at her skin again as she briefly mused on how his mere presence had made her forget the pitch black shadows that lay heavily around them now, as the moon was blotted out once more by a thick cloud. 'Please, just tell me what happened in London that night.'

The void of sound was filled by a distant rustling, a gentle snuffling and the muted twoo-hoo of an owl nearby, normal night-time noises that barely registered in Eutopia's mind as she waited for Jinn to speak. It was a long time before he did, but his voice when it came was as velvety and soft as the lawn that stretched from the house to the woodland they now sat in.

'I told you already,' he began, shifting awkwardly.

'Yes,' Eutopia agreed with narrowed eyes, 'And it feels like you were holding back. I want the truth, everything. I don't really have anywhere to go, but I can't stay with you unless I know the truth.'

'You're right,' Jinn agreed with a deep sigh, 'You were pretty much unconscious when I came across the guys in the alleyway. The muscly one, Ash,' Jinn frowned, fists clenching as he recalled the photograph of the blond man from the news report, his face twisted in Jinn's mind as the night in the alley burned into his memory. 'Ash had you on your knees by the hair, your t-shirt was all torn and loose, revealing everything as he groped you,' his eyes were averted from Eutopia as he spoke, his voice level and emotionless. Eutopia sat up straighter with her spine pressing against the tree behind as she unconsciously twitched at the fabric of the jumper she wore, remembering the tattered material of her shirt the morning she had woken up at Jinn's. In the darkness her cheeks flushed brightly with embarrassment.

'The alleyway backed on to the other side of another street, further out of the way. There was a car, silver BMW, parked at the other end with two other guys.'

'Two other guys? But I thought you killed two, wouldn't that make three?' Eutopia asked, suddenly.

'I did kill two. If you'll let me finish…' She shrugged and Jinn carried on. 'One of the men was the other guy you saw on TV, Davey. I don't know the other one's name,'

'Jason,' Eutopia added, 'His name is Jason.' She shuddered, recalling the laughing figure silhouetted by the encompassing orange glow of the streetlight beyond the little alley.

'Jason. He got away, but he's a dead man walking,' Jinn said, dangerously.

'What, you're planning to kill him?' Eutopia asked with eyes wide with shock.

'Yes.'

'You're sick! Isn't it enough that you've killed two men already?' Eutopia stood up suddenly, swiping at the branches that tangled in her hair, 'You're talking about murder, Jinn!'

'I'm aware of that,' he stood too, towering over her, 'They were attacking you, they could have…'

'Yes!' Eutopia cut across him, sharply, thankful for the cool darkness that covered the blush in her cheeks. 'I know exactly what they could have done, thank you very much. But they didn't. A few scratches and bruises and I'm here to tell the tale.'

'No thanks to me,'

'Yes, no thanks to you,' Eutopia spat, angrily. 'If you could just have called the police like any normal person would have done, instead of playing the hero, we wouldn't be in this mess now. I'd still be in London and I'd be halfway to finding my brother right now. Not everyone is so uncaring about their family, you know. I don't even get why I agreed to come here with you!' Her voice was as icy as her hard eyes as she glared at him. Jinn folded his arms across his wide chest, his own gaze flinty.

'So go back to London, tell the police everything and send them here. I'll even write the address down for you,' he slipped a pen from his pocket.

'Fine, that's exactly what I'll do!' Eutopia's voice rose shrilly as she turned away from him and blundered off into the trees without waiting for him to write anything down.