A/N: Alright, Alright, Alright! Okay, I know I'm not Matthew McConaughey, but I was totally hearing his voice in my head as I was typing that! ;) hehehe!

Anyways...So I have felt the need to bring you the next exciting chapter in the thrilling saga of Naomily;) Although before I do that, I would like to give a huge massive shout out to ****TO YOUR SATISFACTION***, because she has one of the coolest stories on her, so if you haven't read "Wonderland", I'm seriously shocked and you should be ashamed of yourselves, and you should go read it now...before you read this...no really, you should, go read it.

I'll wait...Oh...You're back?...Great, now we can proceed!

Okay, as some of you know, I have been very very distracted this week, due to the fact that I did buy a new guitar and I also got a puppy...and well, those puppies don't train themselves, now do they?

Also, for anyone interested, I bought myself a Martin Little Martin LX1, a small, tiny but very effective guitar;)

But enough of that for now! On with the show!

****And I do have to put an M warning on this chap due to some graphic descriptions, I mean, I don't think its bad, but some of you might, so please be warned.***

All typos/grammatical errors are mine, maybe someday I'll write a song using only my typos/grammatical errors...hmm, something to think about;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Skins, but I'd write it a love song if it asked nicely...

Chapter 3: The Curse

December, 2013

Effy and Cook felt the spasms running through their bodies before Gina and Kieran did. They all remembered the last time they felt this, but this time it was stronger. It was more unpleasant than before. Gina looked around but couldn't see Naomi anywhere.

"Effy?" The brunette nodded and then she and Cook took off looking for the blonde at Gina's silent request.

"What do you think it was, Ef?" Cook asked as they searched room after room.

"I'm not sure, but it can't be good." Effy replied.

As they passed the entrance, they heard Katie and Emily shouting at Naomi. Cook was the first one through the door, with Effy close behind. Cook rushed over to the blonde as she lay on the floor with her head in Emily's lap as she was trying to untie the blondes' mask.

"What the fuck? What the hell did you do?" he glared at Emily, causing her to drop her hand. No one said anything and the tension hung in the air. In the silent room, Effy took in the scene before her. There in living color, sat Katie and Emily Fitch. Twin sisters. Beautiful twin sisters. Cook finally seemed to realize it too, as he kept staring the girls.

When Gina and Kieran came into the foyer, Gina let out a gasp as she saw Naomi passed out on the floor. The older woman looked between the sisters.

"What happened?" she asked, much calmer than Cook, but the tension was still there.

"Emily followed Naomi, so I followed her." Katie explained. "Mandy was being a bitch, and Naomi had, um, words with her." She gave a small smile.

"Did that cunt do this? I will kill her!" Cook stood up and clenched his fists.

"No, she was fine until she turned around. She must have had too much to drink, because next thing we know, her eyes rolled back in her head and she started to faint." Katie was tearing up a bit now. "Emily caught her before she could hurt herself."

"Did she say anything?" Effy asked, but both girls shook their heads. "Right then, Cook, would you please pick her up? We need to get her out of here." She said, taking control of the situation.

Cook looked at Emily as she maintained her hold on Naomi. "Red? I need to take her now. You have to let her go." Emily nodded her head.

"Ok. Is she going to be alright?" the small red head asked, quietly.

"Blondie's tough. She'll be tip top before you know it." He gave her a cheeky grin, but she could see the fear in his eyes. She let go of the blonde and Cook picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Kieran and Gina led them through the door, into one of the smaller rooms and shut the door, leaving Effy alone with Katie and Emily.

She watched as Katie helped Emily up from the floor. "Come on. Let's go back inside and wait to see what's going to happen." Effy ushered them back into the main room. Once they sat down, Freddie and JJ asked if everything was okay.

"Naomi passed out. She'll be fine." Effy said.

"Does that happen a lot?" Katie asked as she watched Effy take off her mask.

There was a round of gasps as she pulled it from her face. Freddie's and JJ's jaws dropped causing Emily to snort with laughter. When she actually looked at the brunette, Emily could see how beautiful she was. She had all the classic looks and of course she had a body that probably didn't know how to quit, but it was her eyes that pulled at you, as if she was trying to dig out your deepest secrets. But they were too mysterious...she was too mysterious, for Emily to fully appreciate.

Effy fought off the urge for a cigarette, taking another drink instead. "No. Naomi's not much of a drinker anymore." She signaled a waiter, ordered more drinks then turned back to the twins. "What did Mandy say to her?" Emily shifted uncomfortably in her chair as Katie looked down at the table. "Well?"

"Mandy's crazy, alright? She said if she couldn't have me, then no one would." Emily said. "She's a bit touched in the head I think."

"So, what is it about her that you didn't like?" dark blues eyes probed the red head.

"Well, for starters, she's a selfish bitch. She is cruel to people beneath her and she's conceited and vain." Emily explained, with disgust. "Let's not forget that her family's business destroys the environment, and she knows about it."

Effy smirked at the smaller girl. "Interesting."

Gina brushed her hand across Naomi's forehead. She was slick with a thin sheen of cold sweat. The older woman couldn't hold back her tears as she felt the welts that had become a permanent part of her daughter's body because of this damned curse.

"Did you see them, luv?" Kieran kneeled down beside his wife and daughter. "Effy was right."

"I saw them, Kieran, but I'm more concerned with our daughter right this moment." She snapped at him, and then felt guilty. "Sorry, luv. I'm just really worried. She's been out for half an hour."

"I know, but she's strong. She's breathing normally." He said, as Cook paced back and forth in front of them.

"I wish we could take her to the hospital." Cook said as he wiped his face with his hands. As he was about to say something else, Naomi's eyelids started to flutter open.

She shook her head and tried to stretch. "Owww. Why does it feel as if my whole body has been run over by a car?" She croaked out, her voice hoarse.

"Hold still, dear. You passed out, don't you remember?" Gina asked as her and Kieran helped her sit up.

Naomi frowned as she tried to think about what happened, but the only thing that came to her mind was the twins. "I remember Emily and Katie, and Mandy, but that's it." She glanced nervously between her mum and Kieran. "Why? What happened?"

Kieran looked at her as if searching for answers to unasked questions. "Well, we were hoping you'd be able to tell us." Naomi didn't know how to respond as her brows furrowed together. She was lost in her thoughts as the others waited.

"I went to make sure that the Bhatnagars' left. That Mandy chick was trying to kick off, but after they left, I turned around and I saw the Fitch sisters. Then… nothing." She held her head in her hands as she tried to remember more. "I felt like I had electricity running throughout my body. I remember that. When I turned around, and saw the girls." Naomi's eyes glazed over as she realised what she had seen. She looked up at Kieran. "Could it be?"

"I'm not for sure, dear, but I'm going to check it out." He said as Naomi hung her head again.

She noticed for the first time that her mask was lying on the floor, her gaze whipped back up to her mum and Cook.

"Please tell me they didn't see me?" She pleaded as tears filled her eyes.

Cook shook his head, "Lil' Red was gonna take it off, but I stopped her. I think I scared her, actually." He looked sheepishly between the two women. "I'd better go apologize." He headed toward the door, but turned back around. "I think one of those girls is the missing piece to the puzzle that has become our lives." He watched as Naomi nodded.

"You might be right, but what if everything Sophia said was just bullshit?" She asked her family and watched as Kieran shrugged and her mum just shake her head, sadly.

"No, you're right. We don't know that for sure. But it's worth a try, right?" He came to the couch and sat down next to her. "Come on, Nai. You know it's worth a try." He looked her in the eye and saw fear. Fear of being rejected, fear of being ridiculed and fear of living the rest of her life as a monster. "Remember Nai, if it's worth it, it's worth the risk." He watched, as a tear fell from her blue eyes, wiped it away for her and then left the room.

They followed him with their eyes as he shut the door. Naomi slumped back on the couch, still aching from what happened.

"He's right, you know." Her mum said softly. "I know you've had some setbacks in the past, but you've never really put yourself out there."

The younger blonde stared at her mum for a few minutes before sighing loudly. "I know that mum, but can you blame me?" She thought about the few times she had allowed herself to take part in a night out with Cook and Effy. They didn't end well at all and she had retreated deeper into herself and her work. "I know this is all my fault and I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can do it."

"Oh, bullocks, Naomi!" Kieran said as he paced around the room. "You need to put yourself out there. It's not even about the rest of us, so much. You're the one dealing with the worst part of this."

"It's as it should be!" Naomi snapped out.

"Put it away Naomi. Your anger won't get you anywhere with me." He looked at her and watched her deflate. He sighed as he sat next to her. "Alright, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for Cook and Effy. Do it for your mum, lass. But get off your stubborn arse and do it!" He got up quickly and strode out of the room.

"Ugh! That Irish bastard frustrates me sometimes!" She said out loud, throwing up her hands. "He always plays that card."

"That's because he's right and you know it." Gina didn't have to look at her daughter to know to that she was rolling her eyes. "The choice is yours luv, but the consequences will affect us all."

"I know that mum. I've spent the last four years knowing that, but actually facing the answer is harder than you may think. What if I get my hopes up, all of your hopes up and I fuck it up?" She didn't know how to say what she really wanted to say, but she figured her mum would know anyway. "Or what if it doesn't mean anything and nothing changes?"

"There's only one way to find out." Gina said as she too left the room, leaving Naomi to think about the situation and her past.

After a night riddled with nightmares she couldn't control, Naomi woke up the day after Sophia had cursed her. She immediately felt two things.

Wetness and pain.

It felt as if she was covered from head to toe in water. Which was crazy, because she didn't go anywhere except straight home. No place she would have gotten soaked to the bone at.

She was dragging herself slowly awake, as the uncomfortableness of being wet wouldn't allow her to stay asleep, when the pain racked her whole body.

Naomi had never felt anything like it before. Stinging all over, everywhere...her hands, her arms, her face, her legs...every inch of skin felt as if it were on fire.

The pain caused her to cry for the first time in years. She fought to open her eyes, yet when she did, they stung. She immediately closed them tight and wiped at them.

As she pulled her hands away, she cracked open her eyes just enough to make sure they wouldn't hurt, and stared down at her fingers, and then proceeded to look at the rest of her body.

What she saw made her go cold.

Blood. Everywhere she looked, blood coated her body. The red liquid soaked into the duvet, the sheets and the bed underneath her. She felt sick to her stomach at the sight, but she fought down the revulsion that threatened to overwhelm her, as she gently pulled back the covers and tried to determine where the blood was coming from.

As the pain ripped throughout her entire body, she finally managed to pull back the duvet, and look at herself. Sure enough, the blood was all over her.

Naomi couldn't comprehend what was going on, she didn't remember doing anything last night to cause this much bodily damage. Fuck, she wasn't even drunk the night before!

She started wiping away the blood from her arms, and that's when she noticed the cuts.

Hundreds of little cuts, jagged cuts, neat cuts, some long and some, ever so tiny, marked her skin. There was no pattern to the lacerations, no rhyme or reason, they were just...there. Blood seeping from each one, slowly leaking her life's fluid from her body.

Suddenly, as if she had headphones on, she heard a voice loud and clear, in her head.

"Good morning!" Came a cheery greeting, followed by a slight chuckle.

Naomi looked around her, wincing at the pain she felt. "Who's there?" She demanded, her voice hoarse from crying.

She heard the laughter again, before the disembodied voice spoke again.

"Oh, Naomi, Naomi, Naomi." It was patronising, the voice floating through Naomi's head, it was as if it was talking to a small child, one that constantly did stupid things and needed to be looked after. "You didn't think you'd get off that easy did you?" Again, the laughter, almost airy and light, until it died out.

"Who are you?" Naomi shouted out, not recognising the voice. "What do you want?"

"Really, Naomi? Do we have to go through this?" The voice stated. "I thought I made myself pretty clear last night, no?"

Realisation dawned on the blonde, as her "talk" with Sophia came back to her full force. Her mind started racing, as Sophia's voice kept talking.

"What did you do to me?" Naomi asked, her own voice sounding small and weak, causing another round of giggles from Sophia, which only served to piss off the blonde.

"Only because you asked so politely, I'll explain." The voice stated. "I did tell you that your beauty wouldn't help you, remember? I basically turned you into the monster on the outside that you are on the inside, Naomi."

Naomi's insides froze at the words in her head. "What?" She breathed out, quietly, not quite believing what she'd heard.

"For every cut on Ashley's body, every incision that was made because of you...every mark that she made on her beautiful skin is now on you." Sophia paused and Naomi could hear the other girl sniffing back tears. "Right down to her last written words to you, not that you ever deserved anything from her, but nevertheless, there you go." She finished, glee and amusement evident in her voice.

Naomi was floored by her explanation. "Wh...why?"

"Do you seriously need to ask that?" The voice scoffed at her. "Sorry about the blood. I hope the sheets weren't too expensive." Sophia chuckled at her words. "Don't worry though, the bleeding won't last for long."

It was quiet for a few moments inside Naomi's head as she thought about what she was going to do, and she thought that Sophia was done. The blonde was beginning to comprehend the other girl's words, selfishly feeling sorry for herself, when Sophia spoke again.

"Oh, and just so you know I'm not completely heartless, you won't be alone."

Naomi jumped at the sound in her head, but then realisation dawned on her. Sophia's words from the night before came rushing back to her.

"Leave my family alone!" She said, trying to be demanding.

"It's too late for heroics, Naomi." Sophia snapped out. "It's too late to pretend you care about anyone other than yourself, so now you all will deal with the fallout."Sophia chuckled again, causing Naomi's skin to shiver at the sound, making each cut sting even more. "You'll all be very, very close."

"For how long?" Naomi asked, the sound of defeat evident in her own voice, as she tried to think of a solution.

"Well, you're definitely getting more time than Ashley got, so because I'm feeling generous, you'll have a few years to find a Child of Gemini."

"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?" Naomi growled at the voice in her head. "How will I know now when time is running out?" Questions were running through her head, ones that she wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that Sophia was almost done talking.

"Oh, you'll know, Naomi. Once the last cut heals, your time and your life will be done." Sophia stated. "I mean, it's only fair, right? A life for a life? Why should you get to live when Ashley didn't? Yes, I think that's more than fair."

Naomi was speechless. The ramifications of what Sophia told her were huge. If this was all true, if Naomi couldn't find someone to love her, a Child of Gemini to be exact, whatever the fuck that meant, she would die.

"Oh, I almost forget!" Sophia said, almost excitedly. "I just wanna let you know, that I'll be checking up on you from time to time, just to make sure you don't forget about me or Ashley, so don't think this'll be the last time you'll hear from me." The cheerfulness was back in her voice.

Naomi had been sitting there for a long time after Sophia's last words, the whole time silently wiping the blood out of her eyes and off her face, not that it really mattered or helped, the blood kept up its slow trickle anyway. She could smell the coppery scent all around her, and it was making her nauseous, fuck she needed to get the loo.

The blonde swung her legs off the bed, flinching at the pain, but pushing through it to stand on her feet. She tried making her way into the en suite, but passed by the full length mirror hanging on the back of her door and looked at herself. Before Naomi slipped into blackness, she heard Sophia's peals of laughter echoing in her head.

Gina and Kieran had told her that the scream she let out was loud enough to alert them on the other side of the house. Naomi had passed out after the shock of seeing herself and her parents got to her room as she descended into nothingness.

She remembered waking up to Gina calling out her name, tears streaming down her face and the look of horror on Kieran's. The older blonde wanted to have her taken to hospital, thinking that Naomi had done this to herself, but the girl had to assure her mother that she would never do anything like this.

Kieran had rushed into the en suite, grabbing every towel in the cupboard, bringing them back and started to clean the now sticky, dark crimson fluid off of Naomi's skin.

Naomi had vomited more than once during the whole process, Gina couldn't stop crying and Kieran had to get more towels. By the time it was all said and done, Effy and Cook had shown up.

Once Kieran and Cook got the blonde back into bed, complete with a new mattress from one of the guest rooms and covered in some plastic that Cook had found in one of the work sheds, she finally had to tell them all about her run in with Sophia, everything about Ashley, and what Sophia had told her earlier.

Gina was angry, they could tell. She had thought that Naomi had done this to herself still, and it took a lot of convincing on Naomi's part to make the older woman believe her. Kieran had helped with that actually and the blonde was never more grateful for him being there.

As it turned out, Sophia was right about Naomi not being alone. It didn't take them long to figure out that they couldn't spend more than twelve hours apart the hard way.

It had happened that first night.

Effy had stayed all day at the Campbell mansion, helping Gina take care of Naomi, who had spent most of the day in a fitful sleep, thanks to whatever pills Cook had given her.

Cook and Kieran spent most of the day making phone calls, trying to find someone who could help them, while Effy helped Gina with Naomi, keeping her body as clean possible, mindful of the cuts.

Cook had to leave, to meet with his mother for some sort of function, and was gone the rest of the day, until about two a.m. in the morning.

Gina and Kieran were rudely awakened by their security people, because Cook was at the front gate, unable to move and begging to be let in. He hadn't believed that part when Naomi explained everything, so he ended up pulling a fit bird and going to her place.

By midnight he started to feel electrical pulses throughout his body, much like the night before, but he ignored it. When the eleventh hour rolled around, as he was making his random shag scream out his name, the pulses started hurting, and he was unable to draw a deep breath.

Cook had told them the next day that he was barely able to get his pants on, when he collapsed. He was out for a few minutes and was brought around by the girl screaming, so he managed to get outside, get a taxi and make his way toward the mansion. But by the time he got to the gate, he couldn't stand, he was barely breathing and he collapsed again.

Effy had tried once as well, a few weeks after that. She was spending the day with her brother and was supposed to go back to London with him for a few days, after being cooped up with them for almost a week, she needed to get away for a bit. The same thing happened to her, as she and Tony were headed out of Bristol.

She too ignored the pulsing in her body, choosing to go on with her plans, but halfway to London her breathing become practically non existing, her whole body racked by the electrical currents shooting through it, and had to beg Tony to turn around and take her to Naomi's.

Everyone learned their lesson after that, all of them knowing the consequences if they didn't follow Sophia's rules.

And over the years, Sophia would pop into Naomi's head from time to time. Keeping tabs on her and letting the blonde know she was still around.

It took the first year for Naomi to come to terms with her fate and for them all to adjust to the new life that they were forced to live, it was a hard time in their lives, but they made it work.

Naomi had started to notice Sophia's "timekeeper".

One by one, over the years, each cut had started to heal. It started out as a couple a day, then as each year progress, the healing process slowed down to a few every couple of days. Each healed cut leaving a welted scar, a reminder of her curse, her past and her fate.

Naomi brought herself back to the present after taking her trip down memory lane, and the hard truth of the matter still remained, in front of her was her last opportunity of breaking this curse, of giving herself and her family the chance at a normal life again.

Emily sat at the table in a daze as everyone around her drank, laughed and had a good time. Her parents had left about an hour ago, making the girls promise to be safe and get home in one piece. Her mum had apologized about a million times for Mandy, but it's not like it was her mum's fault that the girl was a psycho.

But she was worried about the words that she heard Mandy tell Naomi.

'If I can't have her, no one will'.

Emily shuddered as those words kept circling around her head. She had never had to deal with anything like this before and she was more than a little bit scared. She was brought out of her head by Cook, as he sat down next to her, with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Alright?" he asked as he looked at her. She nodded. "I just wanted to say sorry for snapping at ya like that. I have a bad habit of barking loudly, when I shouldn't be."

"It's alright Cook. You saw her lying there, you reacted. I was sitting with her. It's sweet that you care about her. You two make a sweet couple." Emily was shocked to hear him howl out a laugh.

"Yer funny Red." He wiped at his eyes, as if he was brushing away tears.

"What?"

"Blondie and me ain't a "Couple"." He said, using his fingers to do air quotes. "She and Effy are like sisters to me."

"I thought you two were together. You seemed so close."

"We are close. We're all we've had for the last few years." Cook explained, remembering the good and bad times they've all had. "But I have never been her type, and even if I was, I still wouldn't get in there."

Cook and Effy both thought back to when they had first met Naomi.

He was standing all alone outside of their school, because Cook didn't do friends. They always seemed to hurt you. So he decided that this year, he wasn't going to worry about anyone but himself. That was until he came across a bunch of older boys picking on a girl. She looked so tiny, like she could blow away if the wind kicked up. She didn't say anything to the boys, not one word, as they made fun of her clothes and the way she didn't say a word.

But her eyes spoke volumes, as Cook tried to look into them. He found it too hard, so he looked at the rest of her instead. She had dark brown hair that fell way past her shoulders. He was making his way over to them when he saw another girl rush over.

This one was a bit taller, with blonde hair, so blonde it was almost white. And her eyes were blue too, but they were different, a clearer blue. She tried to push one of the bigger boys away from the smaller girl, but he didn't budge. That's when Cook finally made his feet move over to them.

"Hey. What's going on?" He asked with his trademark grin, as he scanned the group of boys. They weren't much bigger than him, so he felt confident that he'd be able to take them on.

"Don't tell me you guys ain't got anything better to do than pick on a couple a girls?" Cook stared down the biggest boy and knew right away that he was the ringleader. He cast a sideways glance at the two girls and made up his mind. He didn't wait for an answer, because he was pretty sure these arseholes didn't know how to think, so he pulled back his head and let it crash into the head of the bully.

They all heard a sickening crunch and watched horrified as blood poured out of his nose, but the kid went down.

Cook and the two girls laughed as the rest of the boys hightailed it out of there, leaving the kid to bleed on his own. Cook turned his back on the spectacle in front of him and smiled at the girls. "I'm Cook."

"Hello Cook, I'm Naomi and this is ….," the blonde girl trailed off, because she didn't know the other girls name.

Cook and Naomi looked at her, waiting for her to tell them. They waited a while, and thought for sure the girl would just stay silent forever, but her eyes focused on them and she smiled.

"Effy." Was all she said, but it was enough for Cook.

"Alright then. Should we go to class or what?" he asked and sighed when he saw both girls nod their head.

It was that day that Cook finally got the family he'd been missing. His mum was an artist and never spent any time at home and his dad had buggered off when Cook was about four. He was alone and lonely, but he hadn't wanted anyone to know that, but Naomi and Effy had a way of digging the truth outta you. They took the time to peel back the layers that made up Cook and see who he truly was.

They took the time to find the real James Cook, and that meant more to him than anything else in the world.

Effy came from the same background as Cook. Parents who didn't know how to be parents, so they threw money at their kids and hoped for the best. It was what worked for her, until that day at school when she met Cook and Naomi. She knew that her and Cook were kindred spirits, but Naomi was different.

She had parents that cared about her. They made sure that she was home each night for dinner, and that she did well in school.

Effy felt safer standing on the outside, always looking in. If you didn't interact with people, then they couldn't hurt you. Effy spent a whole year not saying a word to anyone, not even her brother. It was just so much easier than having to be what they want you to be.

She watched as everyone in life became a joke. Her mum and dad pretended to be a happy couple, but Effy knew that was a lie. Her mum had been sleeping with her dad's boss for almost a year, and her dad was a useless wanker, who didn't even take notice of his children. But if she didn't talk to them, they couldn't disappoint her. She was good at keeping her feelings to herself, because if you let people know you have feelings, they use them to hurt you.

But, Naomi didn't allow you to sit on the outside, when you could be right in the middle of everything, doing something. She was addicting, the blonde headed girl that jumped into her life. That's how it felt to Effy. Naomi was a drug, that neither she nor Cook could get enough of.

It wasn't until they turned about fourteen that Effy noticed a change in her friend. By the time Naomi was twelve her father had taken off, for parts unknown and the first wall of many had been built up. She didn't show it to anyone, but Naomi had a crack in her heart from the loss of her dad. She became a little bit more sarcastic and moody, but at that age, it was chalked up to hormones.

When Naomi was thirteen, she seemed to be back to her old self. Light hearted and fun to be around, but she didn't spend as much time with Cook and Effy as she used to. She never went out with them after school very much anymore. Naomi would even cancel out on the weekends, when it was supposed to be time just for the three of them. Cook and Effy never knew where she went. It wasn't until after the curse that Naomi finally told them about Chelsea. The girl that became Naomi's greatest secret and greatest pain, causing the blonde to throw up the rest of the walls around her heart.

By the time they were fifteen, Naomi had turned into a full on bitch. She didn't care about anything outside of her little bubble that contained her, Effy and Cook. She traveled a road that was full of cruelty and pain, which she made sure to inflict on other people, so they wouldn't have a chance to do it to her. To say that Effy and Cook were concerned was an understatement. They watched as their rock crumbled right in front of them. They both waited for the old Naomi to come back, but they would find out that they would have to wait a long time.

Effy and Cook were both lost in their own thoughts, when Gina came out to the table were they all sat.

"Well?" Effy asked the older woman.

"She's fine, awake and grumbling." Gina said.

"Thank fuck for that!" Cook grinned at that, even though he knew that Naomi was more than fine.

"Maybe we should get going. It is getting rather late." Emily was looking around the table at her friends, and got nods all the way around. She was about to stand up, but Effy placed a hand on her arm.

"Do you have to?"Effy asked, almost desperate to keep the sisters there just a little bit longer.

"Yeah. I'm glad that Naomi's going to be okay." She stood up, with everyone following her.

Effy sat there not knowing what to do, as Cook, Gina and Kieran all started to say good night to the small group. She watched as Katie came around to say goodbye, when an idea popped in her head. "Katie? What are you guys doing on Friday?" the brunette asked. Katie screwed up her face as she thought about her answer.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Well, were having a little get together at the house and I'd like to invite you all." Effy smiled at the smaller girl.

Katie was hypnotized by her face, the way her smile reached her eyes. Katie found herself agreeing without checking with the others. "Yeah, sure. That'd be great."

As everyone headed toward the foyer, a door opened off to the side, and Naomi stepped out. She caught Emily's eyes and froze where she stood. She glanced at Effy, who stood with Katie and she watched as everyone looked at her.

Naomi saw that everyone had taken off their masks and now she felt overwhelmed. She felt her breath start to hitch and sweat break out all over. She knew if she didn't do something, she would go into a full on panic attack, so she stared at Emily because the she was closest to her.

Emily watched as the blonde took a few deep breaths and got herself under control. She fought the urge to smile, because she didn't want Naomi to think she was laughing at her. "I'm glad to see you're okay. I was worried about you."

Naomi blinked in surprise. "You were?"

Now Emily did laugh, because the sound of her voice was doubtful and questioning. "Well, yeah. You braved Mandy, not once, but twice and then I watched you pass out in front of me." She explained as Naomi ducked her head. It didn't escape Emily's attention that she still wore her mask, when everyone else had long since removed theirs, but Emily had seen something when she held on to the passed out girl. And she wasn't about to bring it up. The taller girl obviously had some secrets she wanted to keep. "You scared me a bit."

"Oh, sorry. I don't really know what happened back there." Naomi looked around and saw that everyone in her group was getting ready to go. "Are you guys leaving?"

"It's getting late, and I have to be up in the morning for work." Emily told her as she screwed up her face. "I work at one of my dad's gyms."

"Sounds fun." Emily laughed at her dry response.

"Yeah, well, I chose to take a year off before going to Uni, so Dad says I need to work." Emily explained.

Naomi couldn't help feeling disappointed that she was leaving. "It was very nice to meet you."

"Same here. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk more." Freddie came over with Emily's coat, causing Emily to hold back whatever she might have said next.

"Emsy, the car is here." He said as he held out her coat to help her put it on. "Sorry Naomi, I gotta get these girls home or else their mom will have my head." He laughed as Emily slipped into her coat.

"I understand." Naomi said as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. "Here. If you have any more questions." She explained as she handed the card to Emily.

"Okay. Thanks Naomi." Emily said with a smirk and then Freddie led her and the rest of them out the door, leaving Naomi standing there with her family.

They returned back to their table and once they had sat down, Naomi turned toward Effy. "You knew, didn't you?"

"I had a suspicion." Effy confirmed.

"So, exactly what do you know?" Kieran asked.

"Like I said, I did a quick background check on Rob and Jenna Fitch. They have three children. Katie and Emily, being the oldest, twins obviously and James."

"Why are you so sure that it's one of the girls? It could be the boy." Cook asked with doubt in his voice, but Effy sat there shaking her head.

"No, it's definitely one of the girls."

Gina could see that Kieran, Cook and Effy were getting all worked up. "What makes you so sure, Effy?" she asked, instantly calming everyone down.

"Well, let's not overlook the fact that they're twins." Naomi scoffed at Effy, but the brunette let it pass. "Also, they were born under the Gemini sign." Effy stated proudly.

"What?" Kieran asked. He was starting to believe now, but he still needed to be sure.

"Yup. They were born on June twenty first, 1994."

"The Summer Solstice. I think you could be right, Effy, but it's a long shot." He said as he wondered who he could ask about it. "It still doesn't change the fact that none of my associates know anything about the Children of Gemini."

"Maybe we've been looking in the wrong places?" Naomi spoke up after doing some thinking about it. "Maybe it has nothing to do with Greek mythology at all. We've spent the last four years harassing every Greek mythologist all over the world and have come up with nothing."

"So what do you suggest?" Kieran started to fidget with his beer bottle.

"What I suggest is we look down a different road. Something a little bit closer to home." Naomi stated as every eye turned to her. "England has some pretty deep roots in witchcraft, as I'm sure you all know, so we look there."

Gina shook her head at this. "I don't know Naomi. If what you say is true, we've already wasted so much time searching the wrong thing." She couldn't help but be afraid now. "This isn't the time to be chasing after guesses. Your time is running out, luv."

"I know that mum, but like you said earlier, there's only one way to find out."

"Your mum's right, Naomi. It might not be beneficial at this point in time." Kieran said quietly.

Naomi knew what she had to do. As she made up her mind, she pushed away from the table. "Look, we need to try. We all know what's going to happen, Sophia's made that crystal clear." She said a bit tiredly. "Since I'm the only one who will be majorly affected if this doesn't work, I think we should give it a go."

The rest of the table could only sit there and agree with her. "I'm gonna head home. I have had quite a night." Naomi told them as she left the table, not waiting for any answer.

After grabbing her coat and walking to the car park, she thought about all that had happened during the evening. She knew that she should just spend the rest of the time she had left making sure she left her mark in the field she chose to pursue, but something else had happened tonight, something that none of the others knew about.

When she looked into Emily Fitch's eyes, she felt her walls crumble.

OOOOHHHH, don't you all just love Sophia? (And I was totally being sarcastic there)

Another fun filled trip into Naomilyland! Thank you for spending your time here:) Review? suggests? comments? Please drop me a line into the suggestion box, conveniently located below, and have a nice day!

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alexberkley: your suggestion has been noted and I'm totally gonna rock that shit in a couple of chapters;) HAHAHAHAHA!

Thanks guys,

Soupy:-)