I couldn't believe it. It was Sky. Sky. How could that be possible? She wasn't Savant, was she? I didn't know that much about her, and Lord knows she wouldn't tell me if she was. But she would have heard all my prompts as words – surely she knew what I was. And she must knew what we were – was she punishing me? Keeping herself from me as revenge for being so cruel to her? And if she was, why didn't she just use her powers to hurt me in some way? Pain was far better than the torture she was putting me through. But I shook my head at that - I knew next to nothing about Sky, but I knew she wasn't vindictive like that. But she must know what I was becoming – was she really that cruel? No – I couldn't believe that. Sky was the kindest heart I had seen in all my years; she wouldn't intentionally hurt someone. But then again, I wasn't a person to her – I was a monster; and wasn't it my job to hurt monsters, to put them away and stop them from harming others? She must be doing the same – I could see no other reason for it.

I walked out the lab with Robbie. He seemed concerned about me – said I had been acting weird ever since the game. He thought I was worrying about losing my skills on the pitch – he knew nothing about me. I replied with vague answers like I had whenever anyone asked me questions I didn't care to answer. Eventually, Robbie gave up and stopped talking. We were walking in a tense silence when I heard a sugar-sweet voice behind me.

"Hi, Zed," Zoe chirped happily, twirling her hair in her fingers. My eyes flickered to where Sky was hiding behind Tina. I seemed to have an extra sense to where she was. But I was still dismayed to see her trying to hide from me. I guess I deserved that.

"Oh, hi." I muttered, looking over the small group before resting my eyes on Sky again, just visible between the wall and Tina. I waved Robbie away.

"I didn't get a chance to congratulate you, Sky. You made an awesome save." I continued, trying to decrease at least a little of the space between us.

Damn – he's laughing at me. She thought I was laughing at her? Maybe I had broken every connection between us, just because I was such a big jerk. But I wasn't that guy anymore – I would prove it.

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty unbelievable," she replied, steel in her eyes. God, I loved it when she got fired up.

"I'm telling everyone you got lucky," including my parents, I added silently. They suspected I was interfering and weren't happy about it. I reached forwards and adjusted the strap on her shoulder – an excuse to get closer to her. And marking her as mine to the other boys watching us. Mine.

"And I say I had a little help." She stared back, her jaw set stubbornly.

What's his game? Had he really told me what to do? This is driving me mad! Her internal voice ranted.

"You're rumbled, Zed: we all know you didn't bend the ball like you usually do." Tina jumped in, sending Sky a worried smile. I had forgotten she was there. I held my hands up in surrender – deflating the high-pressure conversation.

"I was just lulling Sky into a false sense of security. Next time I won't be so easy on her."

Zoe hooted, revelling in the flirtatious undertones of my words even as Tina and Sky wore identical scowls.

"No way. Zed Benedict, you built up this image of the meanest guy in the year and now we know you're a sucker for little blondes looking all dewy-eyed and defenceless." Not just any dewy-eyed blonde, I disagree internally, just this one. Just Sky.

"Zoe!" Sky protested sharply "Don't make me out to be dumb."

"Miss Congeniality shows her temper! I knew you had to have one somewhere." Zoe jabbed happily. I smiled – oh, I had been on the receiving end of her temper more than once. It was the only time I ever got an honest response from her, even if it did it leave a scar.

"You'd be like that if you had to live with looking like I do. No one takes me seriously." Sky grumbled back. All three of us snorted.

"So I'm a joke, am I?" she challenged angrily.

"Sorry, Sky," Tina stopped her from storming off like a chick in a sitcom "It's just that you looked so fierce when you said that. . ."

"Yeah, really scary," Zoe agreed "Like Bambi with an Uzi."

"And, just so you're clear, none of us think you're dumb," said Tina "Do we?"

"Definitely not," Zoe chirped.

"But I have to agree with Zoe," I chimed in, trying to stop the grin that was dangerously close to forming on my face "You don't do mean as well as me." Yeah, Zed, and that's something to be proud of. You're such a jerk "Maybe I should give you lessons. Be careful, won't you?" I brushed my hand over her arm and walked off reluctantly, the echo of her skin making me fingers tingle and by stomach flip. I heard Zoe and Tina giggle behind me and I fought off the temptation to look back. I couldn't hear Sky's laugh, but then again, I hadn't heard her laugh ever since she arrived. Was she sad, away from her country and friends? Wasn't she fitting in to the school? She seemed to be fine, but what was on the inside? I was desperate to know everything I could about her, but there was no way she would tell any of us – she'd only been there for a month. She didn't know any of us well enough to disclose secrets – but maybe, if I played my cards right, I could be that person.

At the baseball game, I felt distracted. My heart and stomach felt warm – I had come to recognise it as the feeling I got when Sky was near, and I was quickly becoming addicted. My head seemed to look up at the bleachers instinctively, trying to get a glimpse of a blonde head, a small frame, a round face. But there were too many people and they weretoo far away – I could barely made out hair colours, let alone features. Then I got the message.

"Time to tone it down, Zed," came Xav's voice and my mind flitted back to the stadium around me, the noise coming in loud and fast. I started to blunt my throws and eventually passed the position over. For once, I didn't really mind – it gave me more chances to search for Sky, even though I knew it was hopeless.

I searched for Sky after school, too. She was nowhere to be seen. I saw Tina catching a ride home with Zoe and Nelson, but Sky wasn't there. I looked to the shop and asked Leanne if she had seen Sky. She said she had just left, and she was alone. I ran off after her with a curse. I sprinted up the streets and finally caught sight of her – the lone, pale figure of a little girl walking up the street with a shopping bag in hand. As I ran faster to catch up with her, her figure stiffened and her hands tightened around her bags.

"Sky!" my hand landed on her shoulder and she flinched, swinging round, shopping bag at the ready. She swung it round without thinking and I caught it before it hit me.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" she cried, pressing her hand to her heart.

"Sorry. I thought I told you that you should take care walking home alone after dark." I huffed, getting my breath back.

"You mean some boy might jump out and give me the scare of my life?" she said shakily. My lips twitched in a smile.

"You never know. All kinds of odd people in the mountains."

"Well, you've certainly proved your point." I grinned at her words.

"Here, let me take that," I took the bag from her fingers – that was nice, right? Polite, gentlemanly, and they were all about manners in England "I'll walk you home."

God, what is up with this guy – did he have a character transplant or something? "No need." She said, concentrating her thoughts.

"I want to." I disagreed.

"And you always get your way?"

"Nearly always." She met my words with silence and just carried on walking. I knew it was time, so just let the words spew from my mouth. I had to know.

"So when were you going to tell me you're a savant?" I tried to keep as much accusation from my words, but the hurt was still there, lurking underneath.

"A what?" she sounded slightly offended, like I'd called her a rude name or something.

Was she still trying to punish me? Wasn't I being nice to her now? I stopped her under a street light and turned up the collar of her jacket, protecting her from the cold.

"You must realise how amazing it is." I fixed my eyes on hers, trying to pass my excitement, my apology, everything, in one silent gaze.

"How amazing is what?" her eyebrows screwed together. She was confused.

. . . can't understand his expression. What does he mean? Her mind echoed her expression: how could she not know? She was still punishing me. I laughed darkly.

"I see. You're punishing me for being a jackass. But you have to understand that I didn't know it was you. I thought I was warning some ditzy stranger to prevent her being knifed." She pushed my hand off her collar, where it had lingered.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I had this premonition a few nights before we met at the Ghost Town – do you get them too?" what could she do? I wanted to know everything about her, every little detail.

"You running down the street in the dark – a knife – screams – blood. I had to warn you – just in case it would do any good."

O-K. I thought I had problems but he is seriously disturbed. I have to get away. "Um. . . Zed, thanks for worrying about me but I'd better get back now."

"Yeah, as if that's going to happen. Sky, you're my soulfinder, my partner – you can't just walk away from me."

"I can't?"

"You must have felt it too. I knew as soon as you answered me – it was like, I don't know how to say this, like the fog lifting. I could really see you." I ran a finger down her cheek lovingly, and she shivered "Do you know what the odds of us finding each other are?"

"Whoa. Go back a little. Soulfinder?" she backtracked.

"Yeah." I grinned and tugged her closer to me "No half life existence for us. It's taken me a few days to get over the shock and I've been waiting to speak to you so I can break the news to my folks." She put her hand on my chest and pushed me away.

"Zed, I've got no clue what you are talking about. But if you expect me to. . . to. . . I don't know what you expect, but it's not happening. You don't like me; I don't like you. Get over it." My jaw popped open. My soulfinder didn't like me. She didn't want me. She still thought I was that old guy, someone who slept around with random girls and didn't return phone calls.

"Get over it? Savants wait all their lives to find the one and you think I can get over it?"

"Why not? I don't even know what a savant is!" she didn't know? What's wrong with her? I thumped my chest.

"I'm one." I poked her "You're one. Your gifts, Sky – they make you a savant. You must get that at least." She took a step back, eyeing me cautiously.

"Can I have the shopping bag, please?"

"What? That's it? We make the most astounding discovery of our lives and you're just going to go home?"

She looked around, searching for someone else in the dark street.

"Um. . . yes. Looks like it." She replied.

"You can't!" I cried

"Just watch me." She yanked the bag from my fingers and ran the last few yards to her house.

"Sky, you can't ignore this!" I bellowed after her, my fists clenched "You're mine – you have to be."

"No. I. Don't." Then she slammed the door. I heard the lock click.

That went well.