'What are savants and where have they come from? If you're a savant with special abilities, we want to hear from you. Please call 0843 123123.'

'Bars and restaurants in Houston have been placing anti-savant signs in their window. It's as if we have transported back to the segregation in the 1950s.'

'Churches around the world have been panicking that the end is near, worrying that savants are going to destroy the world that God created.'

Zed.

'How can you say Sky misses me when both of us have lost our memories of each other?' I frowned, looking across the living room at Jenni. She had come round to share some exciting news, so she had put it. My family sat around us, Xav rubbing the bandage on his arm from the healing bullet wound.

'She cried.' Jenni replied, simply. 'We were looking at photographs. She stopped on that one of you two together up the Empire State Building. And she cried.'

'It's a lovely photo.' Phee sighed from across the room.

My mind wandered, and suddenly I felt like I was in New York, taking in the incredible view around me. The Chrysler Building, Times Square, Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty in the distance. Sky embraced me and pulled me in for a kiss. The memory was just a few seconds long, but I was sure it was real. My eyes widened.

'Mom, dad have you found any way to help them remember?' Xav asked, looking up at them.

'I'm afraid not.' My dad replied.

'She won't even come to the May ball.' Jenni frowned, clearly frustrated.

'That's the least of my concerns.' I replied, drily.

'Don't you see?' She threw her hands in the air dramatically. 'You two could have danced together and kissed!'

'It's not some disney movie, this is real life.'

'You know, Zed, that isn't a bad idea.' My mom raised an eyebrow.

I frowned at her. 'Have you lost your mind too?'

'I think they're right.' Yves shrugged. 'Maybe it could work.'

I thought back to my vision. At some point, somewhere dark, Sky was supposed to kiss me. But when?

xx-xx-xx

Sky.

When I got home from college on Thursday, Jenni was in the living room with my parents. They were up to something. I could tell. 'What's going on?'

'We want you to go to the ball.' Sally blurted, unable to stop herself.

I raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'Please Sky, just give it a shot.' Jenni pleaded.

I looked at Simon, who looked uncomfortable. 'Where do you stand on this?'

'I don't want you out of our side ever again after what happened.' He replied, simply.

'See.' I said, childishly to Jenni and Sally, sticking out my tongue.

'But,' Simon continued, 'I think it is important that you go.'

'Hardly.'

'And if you don't, then we are going to have to ground you for a month.'

'WHAT?!' I squealed, looking at him in disbelief. 'You're going to ground me for not going to a ball! What the heck is going on?!'

'Sky.' Sally warned.

'For goodness sake, I'll go.' I sighed, rolling my eyes. I grinned, realising a small detail they had forgotten. 'Actually, I don't have a dress.'

'Sorted.' Jenni smiled, cunningly from beside me. She handed me a dress bag. 'I'll see you at five tomorrow!'

I didn't open the dress bag. I laid out my bed glaring at it. I refused to sit downstairs and watch Friends re-runs with Sally and Simon. I just sat and glared at the dress, trying to think of another loophole. Could I just cut the dress up? Say it had ripped? I walked over to the bag and unzipped it to have a look. My eyes widened. I couldn't rip or cut the dress. It was one of the most incredible dresses I had ever seen. It was a soft pinky shade of lilac and it was floor-length. It had thin, delicate straps and a cross-over bodice decorated with purple flower embroidery and beads. The dress fell out in an a-line chiffon skirt at the waist. I groaned. It was perfect. And more perfectly, I had a lovely pair of heels to match.

Jenni arrived perfectly punctual the next day, another dress bag draped over her arm and a vanity case in the other hand. She smiled at me and I glared at her in return as she made herself comfortable in my bedroom.

'So you've seen the dress?' She smiled, looking at the unzipped dress bag.

'You knew I'd wear it.'

'So true.' She replied, innocently. 'Now sit down and let me do your hair.'

By the time Jenni was done with me, I felt like I had been made over into a Disney Princess. My dress was definitely something I could see Rapunzel in. I looked in my full-length mirror, inspecting myself. The dress, as I had imagined, looked incredible and suited my figure perfectly. Thanks to my heels, it didn't drag across the floor too much. My hair was down and in its natural curls, but with a waterfall braid across the back. When I turned, I saw that Jenni really was trying to make me Rapunzel; small flowers were tucked into the braid. My make-up was neutral and simple, but somehow made my eyes stand out more than usual. I almost felt like the old Sky.

As two princesses, we walked down the stairs and posed for photographs for Simon and Sally, whose faces were lit up with pride and joy. I smiled and pretended I was comfortable with going out. With leaving the house to go into the city at night.

The Commodore Ballroom was usually a music venue. However, it had been transformed into a May Ball paradise. The ballroom had been given a Great-Gatsby-esque make-over, with large red velvet curtains tumbling down either side of the stage. A large white grand piano stood on the stage, with retro microphones. The ceiling was decorated with chandeliers and fairy lights fell down the sides of the walls, creating romantic lighting.

'So I take it you're my date this evening?' I smiled at Jenni.

'Of course.' She replied, honestly. Until Sam was released, she was a single lady, though I could tell that she was wishing he was there with her.

'Do you miss him?'

'Sometimes.' She smiled. 'When I'm not pissed at him for causing this whole mess and for hurting you.'

I smiled at her. 'Come on, let's get some drinks. I'm kind of glad we had wine before we left as I don't think they'll be serving us any alcohol tonight.'

'Liquid courage?' Jenni winked.

'Perhaps.' I replied with a shrug. 'Something has to get me through this ball.'

We stood at the side of the room, each with a mocktail in our hand, watching the people dancing away to the live band. Every year, the college hired a special guest to perform, so everyone was warming up and waiting to find out who the surprise was this year. George, unfortunately Jenni's ex, and Rob walked over to us.

'Looking good ladies.' George smiled.

Jenni shifted, awkwardly. They'd broken up because she had ended things when we had returned to Vancouver, after the kidnapping. She had said she felt wrong stringing him along when she knew fate would mean they couldn't be together. 'Thanks, not so bad yourself.' She replied with a shy smile.

Rob, of course, knew the full story. Afterall, he was still searching for his soulfinder.

'Have you seen Zed yet?' George asked me. Rob elbowed him in the ribs and George's eyes widened, as if remembering something. 'Oh right, sorry.' I wondered what he had been told. He wouldn't have been told the truth. The news was currently making savants out to be dangerous, despite what the president had said.

'How are you doing?' Rob asked me, his eyes full of sympathy.

'Okay.' I replied with uncertainty.

'Jenni, can I talk to you?' George looked at my friend with an unreadable expression. His aura showed me that he still loved her and very much so. He was better for her than Sam was and it was a shame that they had broken up.

'Erm sure.' Jenni replied, looking over at me. 'Will you be okay?'

'Of course she will, she can dance with me.' Rob replied on my behalf, making me laugh. We watched as Jenni and George slipped off to the bar area, where it was more quiet. Rob took my hand and led me to the dancefloor.

'Theres gonna be a heartache tonight,

A heartache tonight, I know.

Theres gonna be a heartache tonight, I know.

Lord, I know.'

It was funny dancing with someone without feeling any romantic connection. We were just two friends dancing. We kept a reasonable distance apart and danced fast pace to the music.

'Some people like to stay out late

Some folks cant hold out that long

But nobody wants to go home now.

Theres too much going on.'

'So how are you really doing?' Rob asked as he spun me around. 'And don't lie.'

'It's weird.'

'I bet.' He paused, waiting for me to continue.

'It's like there's this hole in my memory, a huge gap that's missing.'

'Zed.' He nodded with understanding.

'Exactly.' I replied. 'Have you spoken to him about it.'

'Of course.' He responded. 'I helped get him out of there that night.'

My eyes widened. 'You did?'

We stopped dancing . 'They needed as much help as they could get,' Rob explained, 'his family thought I might be of some help. I found Zed, he was looking for you. I got him out and told him that his brothers would find you. They did.'

'I didn't realise it was them. I thought they were the bag guys.'

'I know you did, but that's not your fault.' He shot me a sympathetic smile.

'They must hate me.' I sighed, looking down at the ground.

'They wouldn't ever hate you.' Rob shook his head. 'They know your memories were taken of them, of Zed. Just like his were taken of you. Now come on, tonight is about fresh starts, new beginnings. You just need to be happy Sky, go back to the happy Sky you were before all of this. I know its hard but you've got your parents and all of your friends around you to make it easier.'

I knew he was right. I smiled up at him. 'Thank you.'

'No problem.' He shrugged. 'Now come on, we're here to dance the night away aren't we?'

Jenni and George came back not too long after that. Jenni excused us to the bathroom, desperate to fill me in on everything I had missed.

xx-xx-xx

Zed.

I walked in by myself and frowned when I saw Rob twirl Sky around. What on earth was he doing? I grabbed a drink, wishing I had drank something alcoholic before I'd left the house. Looked like I was going to be drinking punch all evening. I downed the drink and watched as Jenni and George entered the room. They approached Sky and Rob, cutting into the dance, and I watched Sky be whisked away by her friend. She looked like a princess in her lilac dress. It fitted her perfectly and she looked angelic with flowers in the braid in her hair. I sighed and headed over to Rob and George.

'Hey man.' George patted me on the back. 'I was just going to get a drink, want anything?'

'No, it's all non-alcoholic.' I frowned.

'That's why I've got this.' He winked, revealing a flask. 'So that's a whiskey and coke then?' He disappeared off, smiling to himself.

'You okay?' Rob asked, trying to read my expression. I knew he could read my mood, it was his ability.

'Stop it.' I muttered.

'Why are you so on edge?'

'I saw you and Sky. I thought you wanted us to get back together.'

He rolled his eyes. 'I do for Christ's sake. George wanted to talk to Jenni, so I was keeping her company.'

'By dancing with her?'

'There's a difference between dancing with a friend and dancing with someone you love.' Rob shook his head. 'She looked miserable and I think she needed to talk to someone.'

Jealousy still swam through my bloodstream, but I shook it off. He hadn't been touching her intimately. Not like how I'd seen Troy with her. I shuddered at the memory of them on the beach.

'I think she misses you.' Rob interrupted my thoughts.

'She doesn't even know what she's missing.'

'I know,' he replied, 'which is why you need to make her fall in love with you all over again.'

xx-xx-xx

Sky.

'He still loves me.' Jenni sighed, checking her hair in the mirror. She glared at the other girls in the bathroom, who were watching us intently. I knew what they were thinking. It was some sympathetic thought about how awful it must have been for us to be kidnapped.

'Well obviously.' I replied.

She raised an eyebrow at me. 'Are you still cranky? Because you and Rob looked like you were having fun.'

'Sorry.' I apologised. 'I don't know what's wrong with me at the moment.'

'You just need time to get back to your usually chirpy self.'

'That's what Rob said.'

'Exactly.' She smiled.

'So what did you tell George?' I asked, tucking a loose curl behind my ear.

'That I couldn't be with him.' She sighed and I knew by her aura that she felt guilty, a shade of silver.

'You know, soulfinders aren't always together romantically and Sam might not be out for years. He's holding you back.'

'I know,' she replied, her eyes tearing up. 'But I betrayed George. I couldn't do that ever again.' She sniffed. 'Come on, this is such a downer. Let's get out there and have some fun.'

When we headed back into the ballroom, it was busier than it had been before. More girls in fabulous dresses hurried around the room in pairs and boys were stood about drinking and chatting to their friends. There were very few couples on the dancefloor now. A man in a suit walked onto the stage.

'Good evening and welcome to the May Ball.'

A cheer errupted from the crowd.

'My name is Charles Gupta and I am the President of Vancouver University. I have already had the pleasure of meeting some of you in your time here and I have been able to see how talented you are at our college recitals, theatre productions and sports events. I've always been a man of many words but tonight, I will not interrupt your celebrations. I can now announce our special guest performer for the evening.'

He paused and silence rang through the ballroom.

'Please welcome your guest for tonight. Ed Sheeran!'

Jenni and I screamed hysterically, along with a large number of girls (and guys) in the crowd. She grabbed me, pulling me to the stage and fighting her way to get there. On walked the Ed Sheeran, dressed in a suit which was unusual for him from the magazines and posters I had seen (and possibly owned).

'Hello University of British Columbia, thank you all for having me here tonight.' He said in his smooth, British accent. The crowd cheered and some girls near us squealed.

'Have I ever told you how much I love the accent of your homeland?' Jenni swooned beside me, making me laugh.

Ed started his set with fast, upbeat songs and the occassional cover, to get the crowd going. We danced around together and we were soon joined by Rob and Zed, much to my surprise. I looked at Jenni, as if to say 'you had not told me he was coming' and she shot me back a wicked smile.

'But if I kiss you

Will your mouth read this truth?

Darling, how I miss you

Strawberries taste how lips do

And it's not complete yet.'

'Mind if we join you?' Zed asked as they reached our dancing spot near the front. I looked at him in his tuxedo. He scrubbed up pretty well. People were beginning to spread out a bit now that they had high-fived Ed Sheeran.

'Okay.' I shrugged. I couldn't help notice Zed frown at my response. I sighed and swayed in time to the music.

'Mustn't get our feet wet

Cos that leads to regret

Diving in too soon

And I'll owe it all to you

My little bird

My little bird.'

As I danced, I couldn't help but notice Zed's body against my back. He was probably standing closer than he needed to but I surprisingly didn't mind. It felt nice.

You look really beautiful Sky.

My eyes widened in surprise at Zed's voice in my head. Thank you, I responded.

Is it weird? Us talking like this?

Maybe, I replied, unsure of what else to say.

'So you like Ed Sheeran, huh?' Zed's voice said in my ear, making me jump. 'Sorry.'

'It's okay. Is it that obvious?' I laughed.

'Maybe just a little.'

In the corner of my eye I could see Rob and Jenni dancing, yet both trying to look at us subtly. They didn't look as subtle as they obviously thought they were.

'They're watching us aren't they?' Zed laughed. 'It's like being supervised by parents.'

'Tell me about it.' I responded. The crowd applauded and the song changed.

'When your legs don't work like they used to before

And I can't sweep you off of your feet

Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?

Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?'

As Ed sang onstage, Zed's voice from behind me filled my ears as he quietly sang along. I felt like I'd heard him sing it before, although I couldn't work out where. It made my heart flutter and I thought his voice was going to make me melt.

'And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70

And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23

And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe just the touch of a hand

Well, me - I fall in love with you every single day

And I just wanna tell you I am.'

My mind slipped back to seeing Zed on a stage, looking at me in the wings as he sang the song. It was there for a second, and I wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream. I felt dizzy, my knees were buckling and my eyes were filled with tears over something I could hardly remember. I panicked. I lifted my dress, careful not to catch it on my shoes and hurried away like Cinderella at the ball.

I sat in the garden area, which was pretty much empty. The bushes had fairylights intertwined and even the occassional row of fabric bunting. I heard footsteps and looked up. Of course he was going to come after me.

'You saw something.' He whispered, crouching down on the floor in front of me.

I looked into his eyes, uncertain if I should admit it. It could have been just a silly little daydream.

'I've seen something too.' He continued, his dark eyes searching my pools of blue.

'What did you see?' I found myself asking in a whisper.

He smiled as he remembered it. 'The two of us at the top of the Empire State Building, taking in the view and... we kissed.' I blushed and broke eye contact, but he placed a hand gently under my chin to force me to look at him. 'Now what did you see?'

I realised he wasn't going to let me drop it, so I answered him. 'You singing that song for me on a stage.'

His smile reached his eyes. 'Our recital.'

'Sorry?'

'I sang that song for you at our recital last month. Before everything happened.' His eyes were filled with knowing and I knew he could also see it in his mind. Then he closed his eyes and moved towards me, tilting his head. Butterflies filled my stomach. He was going to kiss me.

'SKY?! ZED?!' Jenni's familiar voice called. Zed groaned and moved backwards, away from me.

'You're missing the good stuff.' Rob said, walking over with Jenni's arm linked through his. His eyes moved between us and they widened, knowingly. 'Ohhhhh.'

Zed shot him a glare and then pulled me to my feet. 'Let's go back inside.'

Jenni grabbed my arm and grinned as we walked back in.

'Is my make-up still-'

'You still look fabulous.' My friend smiled. 'And I am not the only one that thinks it.'

'And now I'm going to slow things down a bit.' Ed Sheeran said into the microphone as we walked back into the room. 'You're going to need a partner for these ones.'

Girls and guys looked around eagerly for a partner. Some girls headed towards Rob and Zed and my heart sank. I couldn't blame them. They were two good-looking guys. But then they turned the girls down.

'Settle down with me

Cover me up

Cuddle me in

Lie down with me

And hold me in your arms.'

Rob held out his hand for Jenni. 'Looks like you're going to have to dance with me now. Only fair, Sky did earlier.' He winked at me and whisked my friend away.

'I guess that means you'll have to dance with me then.' Zed shot me a lop-sided smile and held out his hand for me. Feeling the butterflies return, I took it. The only person I ever remembered dancing with was Troy and he had been a pretty good dancer so my two left feet hadn't mattered.

'And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck

I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet

And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now.'

Zed led me to a space in the dancefloor and he rested one hand on my waist and intertwined the fingers of his other hand with mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. I placed my free hand on his chest and he pulled me in closer.

'Kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

We're falling in love.'

Zed gently twirled me in a circle and turned me outwards so that I was facing away from him. He sang the next verse in my ear and my knees felt weak.

'Settle down with me

And I'll be your safety

You'll be my lady

I was made to keep your body warm

But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms.'

He turned me back to face him and pulled me closer than before, his eyes looking into my soul. He moved his face towards me and I moved mine upwards to meet him in the middle.

'SAVANT SCUM!' Zed was pushed away from me by a college student I didn't recognise.

'Zed!' I gasped, looking over at him as he got up from the floor with a nosebleed. Jenni and Rob were at my side in seconds.

Rob shoved the guy. 'What the hell is your problem, man?'

'Haven't you seen his tattoo in the locker room! He's got that savant tattoo the terrorists have! I saw it on the tv! Scum!' The guy hissed. Jenni's eyes widened and she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, shielding what you could see of my tattoo. Ed Sheeran was looking at us wide-eyed, as were the rest of the party-goers.

'Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.' The security guard said to our group, as Zed stood up and wiped the blood across his hand.

'Us?' Rob roared. 'But it was that idiot that started it!'

'Please don't make me call the cops.'

As we left the ball I couldn't help but wonder why I had let myself be a part of Troy's plan. The world now knew about savants, but they sure as hell didn't like us.