Hey, sorry i never comment on these things, but i never think of anything to say - but now i have! i just wanted to thank all those reviewers and alert-ers, all words have been so very helpful in keeping me writing. Some good chapters coming up, so stay tune for more, my apologies for any typos or spelling mistakes, and keep reviewing!

Thank you

"Zed."

The mind-voice, now so familiar, rang in my mind, and I turned instinctively to see her running round the other side of campus, her hair flying back from her face. It had been two days since the shooting, and I had been away from Sky every second of it, not even catching glimpse or mind-whisper of her. I had already started to feel her loss keenly. Before I could even form a reply, Yves and Victor grabbed my arms and pulled me along, taking me under cover.

"I'll find you later," I promised before disappearing. I felt her disappointment and wanting. Sky wanted me. She wants me. . . . she wants me. . . . she wants me. . . .

The rest of the day, I followed Sky in my mind. She was worrying, always worrying, but not about herself. Not even about me, not really. She was worrying about us. What if he doesn't feel as strongly as I do? He keeps on ignoring my mind-messages. What if he was using me? I wanted to reassure her, to find her in the corridors between classes, but Xav and Yves were sticking to me like glue, and they had their orders. Staying isolated from Sky would keep her safe by disassociation - and that included keeping her isolated from me, whether I agreed or not.

Finally, at lunch I found her in the library and sat down opposite her, just looking at her. She looked tired. Had she slept badly, or even at all, since our date-gone-wrong?

"Sky, I'm sorry." I finally said. This conversation was too intimate, too delicate for normal, boring, restricting speech.

"Hey, another benefit of this mind-talking stuff – not only do you have low phone bills but you don't get chucked out of the library." She examined a book intently, not looking at me. That was a harsh punishment, keeping those eyes of hers from me. But I deserved it.

"You mad at me?"

"No." She still didn't look at me.

"So why the cold shoulder?" At this she glanced up, just a flick of the eyelashes, but it was enough. I saw everything that she had been feeling over the last two days rush into her eyes when she saw me, and it was enough to make me want to cry.

"Your eye hurt?"

"No, your brother fixed that; he just left me looking like a dork."

"I couldn't come in until the area had been searched."

"I guessed something like that was going on." She sniffed and rubbed her nose.

"I couldn't text you because there's no network at home. I'm sorry." I repeated, looking at her earnestly. My neck burned with shame. There was no network because Vick had blocked it off, for our safety. For two days, I had felt not only like a trapped animal, but also like the worst boyfriend in the world.

"No, don't apologise. I understand." At that very second, Sky looked like an angel to me. I wanted to hug her and kiss her; my arms ached for it and my lips tingled in hopeful anticipation. But I would have to be disappointed. I had to tell her how much I cared for her; how hard it had been for me to stay away; how much I loved her.

"Do you really? Do you really understand how difficult it's been for me? I wanted to be with you – stay with you that day. You argued with your Dad, didn't you?" apparently, it wasn't enough that I almost had Sky killed; I had to mess up her family too. I didn't know you could be bad at being a soulfinder, but it seemed I was living evidence.

"Yeah, but we're OK now." She sniffed again.

"You're upset that I wasn't there to take the heat about your eye. People have been giving you a hard time."

"Not hard, just awkward. Nelson's after you."

"I deserve it."

"You were saving my life."

"You should never have been in danger in the first place. I should never have put you at risk. Look, can we go somewhere so we can talk properly?" I didn't like this public place, where people could see us. We needed privacy.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I pulled the book from her hands. She let it go easily, without a word in protest. I glanced at the page.

"Penguins, such fascinating creatures, but I didn't know you were studying them. What class is that you're taking?"

"The 'we stupid looking creatures should stick together' class."

"Come with me." I said aloud, putting the book back on its home shelf.

"Where?" she asked simply, standing.

"Music practice rooms. I booked one out, just in case." I slung my arm over her shoulder, glaring at Sheena and her 'gang' as we passed, who stared at us and smirked smugly. They quickly looked elsewhere when I caught their eyes. When we reached the room, I checked it was empty then tugged her inside, shutting the door and pinning her against it.

"That's better." I leant against her body, feeling her heartbeat race "Just let me hold you a moment. I've not had a chance to touch you since those killers went for us." I held her tightly, slightly desperately, against me, breathing in her clear scent, feeling her soft hair "Sky, I couldn't bear it of something happened to you," I whispered, twiddling her hair in my fingers.

"Why? Is something going to happen? Have you seen something?"

"I told you, I can't tell people too much about the future. I might change it to be what none of us want if I do that."

"So I take it mine doesn't look good?"

"Sky, please, I don't know. Don't you think I'd act if I knew what would help? All I know is I want you to be safe."

Jeez, this is driving me crazy. Being a savant must really stink.

"Yeah, it does." I agreed.

"You're doing it again; reading my mind!" she cried "Stop it. It's mine – private." She crossed her arms and slid away, leaving me cold.

"I seem to be always apologising to you, but I really am sorry." I said helplessly "I can read you more clearly that I can other people – it kind of leaks out of you in my head."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" she yelled hysterically.

"No, it's an explanation." I tried to calm her down "You could learn to build shields, you know."

"What?"

"Basic savant training. Living in a family of them, you soon learn to start shielding."

"But I'm not a savant."

"You are. And I think deep down you know it too." She fisted her hands in her hair and shook her head.

"Stop it. I don't want to hear this." You're bad. Bad. Always making everyone unhappy. She was scared, incredibly scared "No I'm not!" she wasn't talking to me anymore. She was talking to her memories. I pulled her fists from her head and pulled her towards me.

"Sky." I held her close to me, stroking her hair "You're beautiful. The furthest thing from bad I've ever met."

"What do you see – what do you know about where I came from?" she asked in a small voice that made me want to wrap her in my arms and protect her from this harsh, cruel world "You've given hints. You know stuff about me that I don't." I sighed a deep sigh.

"Nothing clear." I admitted "Telling the past is more Uriel's gift than mine." Sky laughed – the laugh shook and died in her throat before it had even come out properly.

"Don't take this the wrong way but I hope I don't meet him." I swayed her in my arms for awhile, like rocking a baby to sleep, or slow-dancing.

"You want to know why I didn't call you?" I finally broke the silence. She nodded against my chest "I couldn't. We were on lockdown. I've got some more bad news." Lately it seemed that all I told Sky was bad news.

"What? Worse than two maniacs being out to murder your family? I needed to know that you were all right. I needed to know you were all right."

"Victor put us on code red. It means we can't communicate outside the immediate family."

Where does that put me in his order of priorities? He said I was his soulfinder after all.

"We don't know who might be listening to our calls. I should've found a way to get a message to you but I was afraid to use telepathy."

"Why?"

"That's the bad news. We think they've got a savant on the assassin team. They shouldn't have been able to get so close to us. Dad's gift is to sense danger. He should have known they were out there unless they were shielded by a powerful savant. You can listen in on telepathy just as you can with speech if you have the gift. I didn't want anything I did to tip them off about you."

"So it's not just your family who can do telepathy?"

"No, there are a number of us we know about – and I guess many that we don't." I conceded, tilting my head to one side "You can turn a gift to evil as easily as to use it for good. The temptation is there, particularly for those who don't have the balance of a soulfinder." I rubbed my chin against her head, just checking she was still there, still real, and not just a figment of my twisted imagination – I still wasn't used to the idea, and I'm not sure if I ever would be "You're my balance, Sky. I was already slipping before I met you." I suddenly realised in a rare moment of clarity "I can't tell you what it means to me that you saved me from that grey existence." And it was true. The whole world would soon get grey and dull without Sky there to add colour and emotion, to turn everything into fun, multi-coloured comic strips instead of boringly uniform charcoal portraits.

"You were slipping?" she asked quietly. It suddenly seemed like we were inside a little bubble, so fragile yet so solid I could almost see it wrapped around us like wrapping paper around a Christmas present, keeping everything else out.

"Yeah, big time. I'm not a nice person without you. It was becoming pretty tempting to use my gift to get my way, no matter how unfair or what the cost to other people was." I grimaced – no matter how much I didn't want Sky to know about that side of me – Wolfman – she had already had a glimpse of it, and it had almost ruined us, scared her away. I owed it to her to explain myself – she had to know the truth "You've given me enough hope now to hold on until you're ready to unlock your gift. Once that's done, there's no chance I'll ever turn to what I was."

"But you're not safe yet?" I could hear the panic in her voice and in her head "What should I do?"

"Nothing." I shook my head "You need time. I'm more worried about getting this right for you than I am about me."

"But I worry about you."

I smiled grimly. Typical Sky, worrying about other people when she was the one that needed the protection, she was the one that needed worrying over.

"Thanks, but let's give you the space you need and deal with what we have to so we can keep you safe."

Savant assassins – is this really happening? The bullets had felt genuine enough – I didn't doubt them "You think this savant has turned bad?"

"Yeah, he was working with the shooter. He might still be listening in – we just don't know. Telepathy over a distance is harder to channel to just the right person. We haven't come up against this before. We should have anticipated this." I was frustrated that I didn't have all the answers for her – in fact, she probably had more questions than I had answers.

"What should you have done? You've only just got dragged in to this through the witness thing. When the trial's over, won't the threat pass?" I could tell she was trying to make me feel better, but it just made me feel worse; it was another secret I was keeping from her.

"Not exactly." I mumbled guiltily.

"Not exactly!"

"We aren't just witnesses – we're investigators." I confessed "It's not just the latest trial – my family have combined their gifts to put away hundreds over the years. It's what we do." I shrugged helplessly.

"So that means you have more enemies?"

"If they knew we were behind their conviction – but they are not supposed to find out. Our information is used to steer the authorities to find evidence that will hold up in court. Our place isn't on the witness stand but behind the scenes." Her face was blank for awhile, then the news seemed to dawn on her slowly, but surely.

"How do you do it?" she gasped.

"We work together – we see what happened."

"You see it?" she spluttered "See all that awful stuff – the killings – the crimes?"

"If we ignored what happened, that'd be worse." I replied earnestly "We'd share part of the guilt if we didn't act to stop crimes when we can."

"But you suffer for it, don't you?" she pressed. I shrugged.

"What's the compared to the good we can do?" I asked honestly. There was a long pause, then she closed her eyes and leaned close to me.

"I'm scared, Zed."

"I don't think there's any threat to you as long as we aren't seen together out of school. I haven't even told my family about you. The only way I can think to protect you is by keeping my distance. If the rogue knew you were my soulfinder, it would put you in the centre of the target." I grimaced. It wasn't worth thinking about – it would never happen.

"That's not what I meant. I'm scared you're going to get hurt." She whispered, and if I didn't know her I would've said it was a small child saying those words, not my brave, strong Sky.

"We've got it under control now." I hushed.

"But you're going to have to keep hiding, aren't you?"

"I don't want to think about that."

"Can I help?" she asked hopefully "Is there some way I can make this easier for you?"

"It would mean you releasing your gift and, as I said, I don't think that would be a good idea yet." I said, shaking my head.

"Releasing my gift? What does that mean? You savants speak in riddles." She groaned, pushing away from me, frustrated. Yep, definitely more questions than answers. But I laughed anyway at her tone.

"Us savants, you mean." I corrected "And if your gift were free, then you'd light up like I do when you're with me." Suddenly, she nestled closer to me, running her fingers along my chest. Her fingers left searing lines of fire behind, but the good kind of burning, like when you stick your hands in the snow and then warm them up next to the fire really quickly. My heart started to beat faster – I hoped she didn't notice.

"I already feel pretty sparkly." She smiled, but it was a half-smile. I kissed her hair tenderly.

"That's good – but you'd better stop doing that or we'll both be in trouble." I caught her hand in mine, twisting our fingers together and pressing them to my chest.

"Zed, is this all real?"

"Yeah, it is. Your gift's just waiting for you to reach it."

"I'm afraid to do that." I rested my chin on the top of her head, looking sightlessly at the music practice room. And suddenly, our little bubble burst with an understated pop and we were back in the real world, back in danger and secrets. I felt something deflate inside of me.

"I know." I sighed "And I can wait – as long as you need. Come, sit on my lap for a moment." I led her over to the drum stool, sitting on it.

"You want me to sit on your lap there?" she teased, pointing sceptically "I'll fall off."

"Not if you sit facing me." I said with a sly grin. She laughed, but it sounded a little bit sad. I ignored it.

"This is crazy." I wasn't too sure if she was talking about us or her sitting on my lap.

"Maybe." I reasoned, then my grin widened "But I'm going to enjoy it." She shrugged to herself and settled over my lap, her hands wrapped around me and her head rested on my chest.

"You hold on now, you hear?" I told her.

"Uh-duh." I took the drum sticks and started playing the percussion to our first song together. Sky hummed along – I wasn't sure if I heard it or felt it, but I knew she was humming.

"We could really do with the piano but I don't want you to move," I murmured softly.

"We can imagine it." She supplied helpfully. Then she closed her eyes, listening to the music in her head, while I started singing 'Hallelujah'. After awhile of silence from her, I stopped.

"You just gunna sit there or sing with me?" I hinted.

"I'm just gunna sit."

"What's wrong with your voice?"

"I don't sing. Never have – not for a long time." She buried her face in my chest a little further.

"There's only me here. I won't laugh." I pushed gently.

"I'll just listen." She repeated, only this time I heard the fragility in her voice, the same fragility it had whenever the subject went anywhere near her past.

"OK." I let it go, knowing she needed her time and space on some things "But I'll get you singing get." I wasn't sure if I mean it as a symbol for our current times or her overcoming her fear of her past, and therefore her voice, but I sure as hell knew that this promise I wasn't going to break easily.