

# Infusion

## Faye Carlisle

Text Copyright @ 2016 Faye C Carlisle

All Right Reserved

www.fayecarlisle.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

1

Mr. Byatt gave out our timetables. I had double Chemistry first thing followed by double Physics. It would be my best friend Gemma's nightmare but I didn't mind. I knew that if I wanted to become a doctor, I had no choice.

A permission slip for the outward bound trip on Friday was pushed in front of me and Mr. Byatt beamed at us enthusiastically that it was part of the upper sixth induction. It was supposed to be a team-building exercise but my stomach tightened as soon as he mentioned high-ropes. Heights were not my thing. The archery and orienteering sounded okay though. But I was surprised the school had money for it. Maybe it was because we were a new academy. Last year they had been building the new school to replace the old run-down buildings and the constant drone of building work had meant the classroom windows had been shut all summer. When it was finished, it looked good; all white facades and lots of glass.

We were let out of tutorial late, so I hurried to Chemistry. Mrs. Moreton gestured to me to sit down quickly but the only seat left was next to the new boy. I recalled Gemma's conversation on the bus. He was Zac and Ed's cousin and she was right, he was attractive. He had dark blond hair and light blue eyes and he looked slightly older than us.

I tried to focus on Mrs. Moreton who was explaining the outline of the Chemistry course. As she did so, I could feel the new boy looking at me but I avoided his gaze. I resolved not to say too much. Zac and Ed were particularly unfriendly and I doubted their cousin would be any different. They lived in the nicer part of Higham and thought they were better than us.

'Are you ready to do the practical?' The new boy asked in a crisp English accent.

I looked up quickly. I'd been too busy writing my name on my book to hear what Mrs. Moreton had said. 'Erm,' I said, looking at the worksheet in front of me for instructions.

He pointed at the list of chemicals on the worksheet. 'Can you get the these?'

'Yes,' I replied, wondering whether he thought I was a complete idiot. I put on my lab coat and found some safety glasses in the rack. It wasn't a good look but I noticed he managed to pull it off. I fetched the chemicals and tried to look efficient by measuring them out carefully into a flask. As he leaned in to clamp down the flask, his hand almost touched mine. My cheeks burned.

His eyes glanced at the label I had carefully stuck on my textbook. 'Kate, is it?'

I nodded. 'And you're Zac and Ed's cousin.'

He smiled. 'Yes, I'm Jack. I guess there aren't many new students here.'

In our closed community there weren't many people who moved in or out. He was the first person to join our school since year seven if you didn't count Claire, who had left and come back after a short spell living in Liverpool. 'No, so you're big news around here.'

'That explains the stares then.'

'It will die down.'

'Have you always lived in Higham?' he asked.

'I don't actually live in Higham. I live in a village about two miles away.' Higham was too expensive for my mum but I didn't want to point this out. A silence followed and I thought I'd make an effort to be friendly back. 'Where are you from?'

'The last boarding school was in Rugby.'

'Your last boarding school?' I asked. I wondered if he made a habit of changing schools.

'My parents are diplomats, so I've been to lots of schools but this time I've come to stay with my cousins.'

His tone sounded off and I hoped I wasn't boring him. 'I guess you've had to explain that lots of time already.'

'A few times.' He smiled. 'So do you like living here?'

'It's okay.' I replied then uncharacteristically told the truth. 'It can be a little claustrophobic.'

'Claustrophobic?' he asked, leaning closer.

I laughed nervously. 'It's a small place. Everyone knows everyone's business.'

'You like your privacy then?'

'It's not that. You'll see. You can't do anything without someone having an opinion about it.'

I wondered if I'd said too much. I didn't want to be negative but a few things had got on my nerves over the summer. Gemma had been invited to a number of parties in Higham and I hadn't been. Not that they were my friends but the thing was they weren't Gemma's either as far as I could tell. It was more to do with her father owning the stables. And that's what really got to me. Distractedly, I looked at the flame on the Bunsen burner.

'Stop that!' he whispered.

I looked up at him blankly. 'What?' My voice trailed off as I realised I had been making the flame go up and down. 'Did I just move the flame?' I gasped.

His voice sounded hoarse. 'I think it was a draught.'

I looked around the room. The windows and doors were closed. There couldn't be a draught. Hadn't he just told me to stop?

He switched off the Bunsen burner. 'Look, I think it's had enough time.' Without meeting my eyes, he poured the mixture out into a glass dish and started clearing up.

I followed his lead, absent-mindedly washing up the equipment. I wanted to say something but couldn't decide what. I didn't want to sound crazy. Nobody can move flames after all.

After we had finished clearing up the experiment, Mrs. Moreton walked around checking our notes. I watched Jack jot down some answers in his lab book.

He turned to me. 'Do you want to copy?'

'No thanks, I can do it on my own.'

He looked at me briefly before drawing what looked like a picture of a bird in the corner of his notepad.

It took me a while to work through the questions and before I knew it, the bell went. I was still finishing off when he said, 'See you later.'

As I stood in the lunch queue with Gemma, I heard his voice say my name.

'Don't worry about her. She's a normal girl,' Ed told him.

Jack noticed me looking and quickly said to Ed, 'Not now.' Ed glanced in my direction and then they both turned away.

I sat down with Gemma on the circular steps outside the sixth form centre and unwrapped my cheese and ham sandwich. The steps curved around like an amphitheatre but I couldn't imagine the sixth form doing any performances here. I took a bite of my sandwich and grimaced. The bread was doughy as usual and the lettuce wilted. If I was organised, I would make my own sandwiches. I closed my eyes and soaked up the sunshine. What did Ed mean about me being a normal girl?

Gemma interrupted my thoughts. 'Guess what?'

'I don't know,' I replied, cocking one eye open and using my hand to shield them from the glint of the sun, knowing she was about to tell me.

Gemma leaned forward conspiratorially. 'Sophie's got her belly-button pierced.'

'What does it look like?'

'Quite cool. Although it's turned a bit red and pussy. I think I might have it done myself.'

'Really?' I couldn't imagine anything worse. I'd never been keen on pain.

'Yeah and I'd like a tattoo.'

'I thought you had to be eighteen to get a tattoo.'

'You do. But when I turn eighteen I want one with three Chinese symbols, saying "Live, laugh, love" down my back.'

'At least that doesn't sound too tacky. I saw a woman at the swimming pool the other day with one saying "Classy lady".'

Gemma laughed. 'Classy.'

Will sat down on the steps next to us. 'Are you up for going to see the Manatees?'

I hesitated. Recently, when I'd been alone with Will, I'd felt uncomfortable. Last time we'd been out, he'd touched my knee more than strictly necessary and although I loved Will as a friend, I didn't want more than that. 'Are you going, Gemma?'

Gemma nodded. 'Yes. James and Anna are coming too.'

On cue, James and Anna walked up and draped themselves over the steps, with their arms around each other. They'd been together for a year. When they'd first got together it had been a surprise. Now they felt like an institution.

'Okay, I'll come if I'm not working,' I said.

'Great,' Will said.

'What's with the name?' I asked. 'Aren't Manatees sea cows?'

'Maybe they're supposed to make you moo!' James joked.

'Ha, ha,' Anna said sarcastically. 'Your jokes are getting worse.'

'That's bad.' I laughed.

'I try my best,' James said with mock indignation.

Will drew a flyer for the band out of his pocket. 'You'll love them Kate. They're kind of a Japanese pop rock band.'

I looked at the three Japanese girls on the front of the flyer in tight leather mini-skirts. I could see the attraction for Will and at least it wasn't heavy metal. The last time we'd been to see a band with Will had been a mistake. The venue had been filled with biker types and we'd spent the night trying not to look at anyone the wrong way. 'I'll check my work rota. ' I agreed.

2

'Have you seen the front page of the paper, Kate?' Mum called from the living room as I opened the fridge. There was no milk left so I put some bread in the toaster and poured some orange juice.

'Yes,' I replied as I buttered my toast. I had already seen the article and I knew she was going to lecture me about being careful again.

'That's three girls now who have disappeared in the Lake District so remember to be careful when you're coming home at night.'

'Don't worry. I've got that alarm you gave me in my coat,' I reassured her.

She came back into the kitchen with a look I knew well. Her lips were pursed and her forehead wrinkled. Not that she looked very old. People usually mistook her for an older sister rather my mum although I didn't think I looked like her at all. Her complexion was fairer than mine and her hair was brown rather than black.

'Keep it close to hand,' she said.

'I will,' I replied and changed the topic of conversation. 'What time are you home tonight?'

'I've got a double shift at the hospital so you better get dinner for yourself.'

She scrambled around for her house keys. 'Do you know where my keys are, Kate?'

I got up and looked in the drawer. 'Mum, they're in here. You're so bad at finding things.'

She kissed me on the cheek and left. I could hear her starting her old red Fiesta outside and then she was gone. I looked at my phone. I didn't have much time. I grabbed a thin jacket. It was typical that it had rained most of the summer holidays and now we were back at school, it was sunny and warm again.

The morning passed slowly and then it was Chemistry. I felt my stomach tighten as I walked into the room.

Jack smiled at me but I didn't return it. Maybe I was being childish but he'd made me feel stupid yesterday.

'Hi,' he said, turning towards me.

'Hello,' I replied not meeting his gaze.

Fortunately, Mrs. Moreton chose to start the lesson so I didn't have to say anything else. We were going to do another practical. She handed out a worksheet, which explained how to test the pH of various acids and alkalis.

'Remember to wear your safety glasses,' she said. 'The hydrochloric acid is particularly strong.'

'I'll go and get us the glasses,' Jack said.

'Okay, I'll get the beakers and the pH paper,' I replied.

I fetched the beakers and Jack returned with the glasses. I put them on and immediately felt a little more hidden from view.

I measured the first alkali out into a beaker. 'pH 10,' I said, writing it down.

I watched him write the number neatly on his worksheet. 'So what do people do around here for fun?'

'Higham isn't exactly a hub of activity but there are some things to do. Sometimes they have a band at the Cobbler's Arms. Will's arranging for us to go to see the Manatees there soon but mostly we go to the cinema, which isn't that great as I work there or we hang out at the park.'

'Sounds more exciting than boarding school.'

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see whether he was lying. 'You can join us if you like,' I said, expecting him to decline.

'If Will doesn't mind, I'd love to come.' He smiled disarmingly.

I looked down. 'Will loves recruiting people to his music taste. You should come.'

I could hear Giles and Simon horsing around next to us and I hoped they weren't listening in.

Suddenly Giles crashed into Jack, knocking the acid all over the desk. It seemed like I was going to get covered when it pooled sideways.

'I'm sorry, man,' Giles cried.

'It's okay,' Jack replied coolly, looking at the acid dripping on to the floor.

Mrs. Moreton rushed over in a panic. 'That acid is really concentrated.' She looked at Jack and me. 'Did any splash on your skin?'

'No, we're fine.' Jack replied.

'You've got to be more careful, Giles,' Mrs. Moreton scolded as she wiped up the acid.

'Yes, Miss,' he replied sheepishly.

I stared at my lab coat in disbelief. I'd been sure the acid was coming towards me.

Jack looked at me strangely. 'What did you do?'

'Nothing,' I said. What he was getting at? Surely he didn't think I was capable of stopping an acid spill?

Jack looked at me searchingly before returning to his work.

I rushed home after school. Mum was still at the hospital, so I grabbed matches from the kitchen and went straight into the living room. She loved candles and there was an array of vanilla-scented ones on the coffee table in big glass holders surrounded by pebbles. I lit the centre candle and sat on the edge of the beige sofa, gripping the soft, fibrous fabric of the seat cushion. I directed my gaze at the flame of the candle. An aroma of vanilla filled the room but as I focused on the flame, nothing happened. I flopped back on the sofa, feeling my head sink into the soft material and took a deep breath. Thank goodness, no one could see me. They would think I was crazy. Jack was probably laughing at me now. But then I remembered Ed's comment in the lunch queue. Why had he said I was a normal girl?

I did my homework to take my mind off events but it didn't take long so I switched on the TV. The news was depressing. The reporter was interviewing a policeman about a third girl who had gone missing. He was saying the disappearance of the girls had been under similar circumstances so they had some leads but needed more people to come forward with information. I switched channels. There was a re-run of a programme on gypsy weddings so I settled down to that. Some of the girls had the biggest wedding gowns I had ever seen, with trains that went out the door. I couldn't even imagine getting married yet these girls were the same age as me.

Mum came through the doorway with some shopping.

'How was school?' she called from the kitchen.

I switched off the TV and joined her. 'It's alright,' I replied, helping to unpack the food.

'What's up?' she asked, looking at me searchingly. Mum's intuition was always spot on.

'It's hard getting back into school, that's all.'

'I'm going over to Trevor's later,' Mum said. 'You'll be okay this evening, won't you?'

'Yes, you know I don't mind.' Mum had been going out with Trevor couple of years and I was happy for her. He was the same age as her, which was a plus compared to some of the younger guys she had dated, and he ran his own car business so there weren't any issues about money.

When she'd gone, I went up to bed early but it was difficult to sleep. After tossing and turning for an hour, I switched the light on and read the Hunger Games again. It was 2am before I put the book down.

I dreamt I was a circus performer, walking on tightropes and doing acrobatic jumps. A flame-thrower told me to stand still against a target while flaming balls shot at me on every side. I stood paralysed unable to move.

3

The alarm woke me and predictably, I felt tired. I knew I should have gone to sleep earlier especially as today was the outward bound course. I dragged myself out of bed and went to have a shower.

The warm water splashed over my body, making me feel more alert. I chose the orange burst shower gel, which I knew would wake me up. The citrus smell filled my nostrils as I lathered it over myself.

After a few minutes of enjoying the hot water on the back of my neck, I reluctantly stepped out of the shower to get ready. I dried myself and chose clothes I'd be able to climb in although I was hoping to get out of the high ropes. In the end, I chose a checked shirt, loose jeans and walking boots. I brushed the tangles out of my long dark hair in the mirror and added a bit of brown eyeshadow to match my eyes. I decided I looked passable. The loose jeans weren't too tight on my hips, which was a good thing. I didn't feel like breakfast, my stomach was too tightly knotted and there was no one to question me about it.

On the bus to school, Gemma rabbited on about the jewellery business she was planning to start up. She thought it would help her get onto a fashion design course at university. Jack's expression when I'd moved the flame kept replaying itself my head.

Gemma's slightly irritated voice interrupted my thoughts. 'So do you think I should have a jewellery party at my house or start selling them at school first?'

'Maybe try selling them at school first,' I offered.

'But what if no one likes them,' she wailed.

'I love your bracelets.'

When we arrived at school, we went straight to registration in our tutor base. Will immediately badgered me about the band. I told him I could go and he hugged me over-enthusiastically while Gemma raised her eyebrows. I decided to wait to tell him that I asked Jack.

The school coach took us to a lakeside location for the outward bound course. We were told we would be working in teams with people we didn't know, which normally I would hate, but this morning I was pleased to have a break from Gemma and Will. I wanted to have some space to think. I was placed in team D and would be doing the archery first and the high ropes last, which was also a relief. I prayed there wouldn't be time for the high ropes.

The meeting point for team D was across the field where some archery targets had been set up. As I approached, I saw Jack, leaning against a tree surrounded by people from my year asking him questions. He looked up and then quickly turned his head away. I wasn't sure whether I had imagined it but there seemed to be a flicker of fear on his face.

The course instructor gave us each a bow and arrow, a few technical tips and then told us to have a go. There were six of us and three targets. I was paired up with Russell who was a bit of a Neanderthal.

As I got ready for to shoot, Russell quipped, 'Try not to miss the big round thing in the middle.'

'I'll try not to,' I replied tartly.

I drew back the arrow and was pleased that it hit the target.

'Not too bad,' Russell said.

'We'll see how good you are in a minute,' I retorted.

I got a little better on my next two shots but not by much. The instructor came over and adjusted my posture and my next two aims were better. I stepped back to let Russell have his turn. I had to admit he was better than me.

While I was waiting, I surreptitiously glanced at Jack. I noticed his two arrows had made a straight bull's-eye. He moved his arm back to take another aim and then he looked at me. This time he appeared confused and when his arrow hit the target it wasn't quite centre.

The next activity was orienteering and I kept hoping there wouldn't be time for the high ropes. Perhaps if I dragged out the orienteering long enough I could miss them altogether. The instructor gave us a map and a compass and told us to meet him back at the clubhouse when we were finished. There was a hill to climb and a lake to navigate but unlike the rest of the Lake District, we seemed to be in a particularly flat area. Rachel took charge. She was the daughter of one of the teachers at the school and you could tell. She gave us instructions and then we followed her lead. As I trekked up the first hill, I could feel the warm sun on my back. I was glad I'd worn my walking boots because they gave me a good grip on the stony path. Dark grey rocks jutted from the grass on either side, rugged and unyielding. The air was humid and black clouds gathered in the distance.

As we made our way down the hill, I talked to Rachel. She hadn't been in any of my lessons before so I didn't really know her but as we were in the same Biology classes this year we agreed to share notes if one of us was away. She was actually nicer than I thought she'd be. It was also a good distraction from Jack. We walked around the fields and nearby lake, finding the twelve waypoints. Unsurprisingly, with Rachel at the helm, we finished the orienteering in record time.

The instructor brought us over to the high ropes area and I could feel my chest tighten as he explained the safety procedures. Closing my eyes, I tried to brace myself for the ordeal. He placed the harness around me, tightened the straps and told me to climb. I felt the hard rope beneath my fingers as I climbed the ladder. I placed my hands on the metal pole at the side and pulled myself to reach for the rope above my head. Trying not to look down, I placed one foot in front of the other. I knew I was holding up the people behind, but I could only move slowly along the rope. Gradually, I could feel my fear subsiding, enough to take one look down but as I did so I slipped. A hand grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. I looked round gratefully and realised it was Jack.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

'Yes, I'm fine, thank you,' I mumbled as he held my gaze. I noticed his eyes were an unusually light blue. As I adjusted my position, he let go of me. I slowly made my way to the end and climbed down carefully. I was dizzy but also had a feeling of elation that I had got to the end in one piece.

'You did alright,' Jack said when he'd climbed down. 'I could tell it wasn't easy for you.'

I folded my arms protectively around myself. 'I'm sorry if I went too slowly.'

'It was no problem. So you don't like heights?'

'No.' I said distractedly, wanting to question him more about what had happened in Chemistry.

'What about mountains?'

'I prefer hills,' I said wryly.

'A bit of a problem in the Lake District.' He smirked.

'I manage,' I replied as we walked back to the school bus.

'I've been doing a few walks round here with my cousins. I guess you've never been up Helvellyn.'

His assumption irritated me. I didn't like the high ropes but I had grown up here after all. 'Yes, but that's for tourists. I prefer High Street.'

'Isn't that a mountain?'

'Yes, but it's more of a walk than a climb, and it's quieter.'

'You should show me some time.'

I looked at him to see if he meant it. I couldn't tell. 'I'm probably too slow for you,' I mumbled.

'It doesn't have to be fast.'

'If you really want to,' I said and I realised we were back at the buses.

'I do,' he said and a smile played on his lips. 'I'll see you later. Your friends are waiting for you.'

As I watched him turn and walk off to one of the buses, I was aware that Gemma was standing not far away.

'I saw you talking to the new boy,' she said on the way back to school.

I knew she was waiting for me to reveal all but I didn't want to say too much. 'Sorry, did I not say he's my Chemistry partner?'

'Wow!' she replied, looking envious. 'What's he like?'

'He's different to his cousins,' I replied, wondering how to change the subject. I could tell she was a bit disappointed with my lack of information so I added, 'He wants to come and see the Manatees with us.'

'Really?' she asked.

'Yes.'

'He must like you.'

'I just think he's bored.' But I couldn't help asking myself whether she was right. Did he like me? It seemed unlikely but I couldn't quite let the thought go. He'd said he wanted to go for a walk. But what was his motive?

4

I lay in bed on Saturday morning awake but without any desire to get up. The lack of sleep the previous night had made me listless. It felt like the summer holidays were long gone after only three days back at school. At least I didn't have too much homework.

In the kitchen, I toasted a bagel and spread it with peanut butter, then sat down at the table to flick through the TV guide. The phone rang as I took my first bite of bagel and I swallowed it back quickly as I picked it up.

'Kate, you're supposed to be at school for the netball match,' Gemma said breathlessly.

'Oh no,' I groaned. 'I forgot.'

'Better get a move on. Mrs. Dalton is doing her nut. She's relying on you to be goal attack.'

'Okay, tell her I'll be there as soon as I can.' I ended the call.

I shoved my bagel in a plastic container and ran upstairs to put on my P.E. kit. It would save time changing later. I pulled my white Airtex shirt over my head and stepped into my blue gym skirt, then quickly tied my hair up with the only elastic band I could find.

After stuffing a change of clothes into my sports bag, I rushed downstairs. My trainers were muddy from last time I'd been out in them but I didn't have time to clean them. They would have to do. I ran to the bus stop and prayed the bus would come soon. A couple of guys in white vans beeped at me as they went past. Maybe wearing P.E. kit to school wasn't such a good plan. I tugged the short gym skirt down and crossed my arms defensively.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the bus arrived. I scrambled on the bus and sat near an old granny and a woman with three children who kept trying to run up the aisle. My stomach rumbled and I realised I'd left my bagel in the kitchen. Netball on an empty stomach was the order of the day.

I stood up as the bus pulled into school. It had only taken fifteen minutes so hopefully Mrs. Dalton wouldn't be too mad at me. I ran down to the netball courts and found her directing the visiting team where to go.

'Sorry, I'm late,' I gasped.

'At least you're here now.' She frowned. 'You've still got another five minutes before the match so get a bib and warm up.'

As I walked over to the court where my team were warming up, I saw Gemma.

'You made it,' she said.

'Yes. Thanks for calling me.'

'What are best friends for? By the way, what are you doing after the match?'

'Nothing much, although I've got a cinema shift at four.'

'Do you fancy doing some shopping in town? I need to get an outfit for my cousin's wedding.'

'Sure.' I wasn't that keen but it was something to do.

The visiting netball team were from Brantock, they looked bigger than us and had a reputation for playing dirty. The goal defence was taller than me and I knew I would have trouble getting round her. We took up our positions on court and I tried my best to catch the ball but she kept shoving me out the way. We were four goals down when I got the ball and as she tried to elbow me in the ribs, she sprung back, staggering as I put the ball in the net.

The girl looked at me in surprise. 'What was that?'

'I think you lost your balance,' I said, looking around to see whether anyone had seen anything but everyone seemed oblivious.

She glared at me. 'You must have pushed me.'

'Whatever,' I said in annoyance.

Every time I caught the ball after that, she left me alone. She kept staring at me but I couldn't understand why. A little nagging thought entered my head. Had I pushed her away with my mind? If I had, it served her right. Then I buried the thought for later. We finished the match one goal up. Brantock didn't look happy. I didn't think they were used to losing.

After the match, Mrs. Dalton was all smiles. 'Well done, girls! You came through in the end.' I could tell she had forgiven me for being late.

Gemma and I changed and left for Higham. We headed for the only department store in town, Debenhams. It was the best place to get a wedding outfit but not somewhere I usually shopped. New Look was more in my price range.

I sat outside the changing room while Gemma tried on some outfits.

'What do you think of this?' she asked, stepping out and doing a twirl.

'Very retro,' I said, looking at the ensemble she'd put together. It consisted of a blue polka-dot dress with a bright yellow cardigan and belt. It had her usual

trademark quirkiness. Personally, I felt more comfortable in jeans.

'I'll think I'll get it,' she beamed. 'I just need some shoes to go with it.'

'I need to come and sort out your wardrobe,' she called from the changing room. 'Especially, if Jack's coming to see the Manatees with us.'

'I don't know if he's even coming,' I argued. 'Anyway, it's not like that.'

'Trust me, Kate. He likes you.'

I pressed my palms to my cheeks. 'I don't know why you think you know.'

'It's the way he looks at you. Anyway, all the boys like you.'

'No, they don't.'

'What about Will?' she asked, emerging from the changing room laden with clothes.

'Will's different.'

'Have it your way,' she said.

As we queued up so Gemma could pay, my stomach rumbled again. I'd missed breakfast and I was starving. 'Where do you want to go for lunch?'

'There's that Italian café opposite Clarks Shoes, but I know you're changing the subject.'

'I think you're reading too much into things.' I sighed.

We found ourselves a table by the window in the cafe. I ordered a chicken panini and an orange juice, and Gemma had a cappuccino and a packet of biscotti.

I shook my head. 'You're eating biscotti for lunch?'

'I'm on a diet,' she replied, sipping her coffee.

I raised my eyebrows. Gemma was always trying out new fads. 'What diet?'

'It's a new one I read in a magazine the other day. It said that drinking coffee stops you feeling hungry.'

'So what's with the biscotti?'

'That's kind of my own addition to the diet.' She smirked.

'Okay.' I laughed.

We spent the rest of the afternoon traipsing around shoe shops without much success until it was time for my cinema shift. The cinema in Higham was small and always showed films at least a month after they had first come out but it was still popular, mainly because there wasn't much else to do in the town. My job was to check people's tickets as they went in and clear up afterwards. People could be so disgusting. You never knew what you would find. Once I'd even found a used condom. Apart from that incident, evening shifts were better because you didn't have so many sweets to clear up.

Janet, a woman in her fifties, was on the door with me. She chatted to me about her son, Cory, who was at university studying journalism. She was on her own and I could tell she missed him. I was glad my mum had Trevor. It made me feel less guilty about leaving her for university next year.

A new film "Survivor" was on that evening so I decided to stay. The plot involved a woman on the run from the police and was fast-paced so it kept my attention. When the lights went up, I noticed for the first time that there were some students from the year above in the audience. They hung around throwing popcorn at each other while the rest of the audience filtered out. I started collecting up the rubbish, feeling resentful that they were making more mess.

'Great ass,' said one of the boys, leering at me from the end of the aisle while his friends laughed. As I stood up and turned round, I realised he was addressing me. I knew I should say something back but I couldn't think of anything cutting enough.

'Child-bearing hips,' said one of the girls, pushing the boy out of the theatre.

Seething, I picked up the scattered popcorn. Why hadn't I said anything?

Janet came in a little late to help me clean up. 'Are you alright, love?' she asked. 'You're a bit quiet tonight.'

'Just tired,' I replied.

After we finished clearing up, we went to the office to clock out. Colin, one of the assistant managers, got us to sign a timesheet for our shift and told me I needed to work on the pick and mix tomorrow as Cara was sick. That was okay. Better than cleaning up seats.

Janet complained about Colin as we walked to the bus stop. 'He's such a stickler for timesheets,' she said as she lit a cigarette.

'He's a bit of a control freak.' I agreed over the sound of the cars accelerating past in the rain.

My bus came first so I waved goodbye, glad to get out of the rain. It was a fifteen-minute journey back to Horston, so I found a seat in the middle and relaxed back into the chair. My body felt tired and my head was blurry. I focused on the familiar orange, yellow and brown check pattern on the worn seats and replayed my conversation with Jack about going hiking.

The bus stopped and a man in a hooded top got on. There were lots of empty seats on the bus but he chose a seat right in front of me I drew back and tried to make myself smaller. The bus drove on and the man turned towards me. 'Where are you going, my lovely?' he slurred. I could smell the fumes of alcohol coming off his breath as he leaned towards me.

'Home,' I replied curtly, turning away. What was with all the unwelcome attention?

'Where have you been tonight?'

I looked at him briefly. I didn't want to provoke him so I gave him a quick answer. 'The cinema.' Then I stared out the window, hoping he would give up. It seemed to work because he didn't say anymore. I could hear the sound of a can being opened.

I bit my lip when I saw my stop coming up. It was a request stop, so I pressed the bell and waited by the bus door. As soon as the doors opened, I raced out and walked quickly up the hill to my house.

I could hear footsteps behind me so I quickened my pace. As I turned round to look, an arm grabbed me from behind, pushing me into the fence. I realised it was the drunk from the bus. His bloodshot eyes were threatening. 'Think you're too good for me, don't you? Well, little missy, I've got news for you.'

I felt for the alarm in my pocket. My throat constricted as I realised it wasn't there. My mind raced. How was I going to get away? He was drunk. Maybe if I charged at him, he would fall over. I pushed him as hard as I could in an attempt to get away but as he lunged at me, he fell backwards almost as if he had been hit by an invisible wall. He got up and tried to come towards me again before springing backwards. His eyes widened and he stumbled away as fast as he could.

Running home, all sorts of ideas ran through my head. Why had he fallen backwards? Why was he scared? Maybe the man had some kind of seizure or perhaps he was having a hallucination. But I knew it didn't add up. Too many strange things had happened. The man, the girl at netball, the acid spill and the flame. And it had all started with Jack.

5

In the morning, I told Mum an edited version of what had happened, regretting it as soon as I had. She called panicked and called the police. Now I was in trouble. If I told them what actually happened they'd think I was crazy. I twisted the ring on my finger repeatedly.

I was going to have lie and I wasn't good at that. Gemma was the rebellious one. I was the one who followed the rules. There was the time when we were fourteen and Gemma had bought some cider on the German exchange. We'd got drunk on the ferry back to England and Gemma had vomited all over one of the passengers and the velour seats. When the teacher questioned her, Gemma had refused to admit she'd been drinking and instead insisted it was seasickness. She'd gotten away with it as the teacher couldn't prove otherwise. But I knew if it had been me, I would have caved in straight away.

A police officer came after lunch and introduced himself as DI Simmons. It didn't take me long to realise he was Jack's uncle. He looked much younger than I would have expected. Even younger than my mother, which was unusual. I wondered how old he was when he'd had Zac and Ed.

'Would you like a tea or coffee?' Mum asked.

'No thank you,' DI Simmons replied.

'It's very good of you to come, Detective Inspector. I thought you would have sent one of your more junior officers.'

DI Simmons smiled politely. 'It's good to get out of the office sometimes.'

'Thank you anyway,' Mum gushed as she led us into the living room.

DI Simmons sat opposite me on the large armchair while Mum sat beside me on the sofa. I watched him take out a notepad and flick it open.

'Can you describe what happened yesterday?' DI Simmons asked me.

I decided to stick to the truth as much as possible. DI Simmons didn't look like the kind of person who could be lied to easily. 'There was this man on the bus. I tried to ignore him but he was drunk. I could smell it on his breath. When I got off I didn't realise he was following me but then he grabbed me from behind.'

'You didn't tell me that.' Mum gasped.

'I'm fine.' I sighed.

'Then what happened?' DI Simmons encouraged.

This is when I knew I had to lie but I had my answer prepared. 'I pressed the alarm mum gave me and he got scared and ran off.'

'Thank goodness I gave her that alarm,' Mum said. 'Do you think it might be the same man who's kidnapped those other girls?'

'I'm not sure,' DI Simmons replied. 'Can you describe the man, Kate?'

I had avoided looking at the man on the bus and then when he'd come after me it was dark. 'I think he had dark hair but he was wearing a black jacket with a hood.'

'How old do you think he was?'

It was strange how little I could remember about him. 'I think he was in his thirties.'

'Did he have any distinguishing features, scars, birthmarks, anything like that?'

'I don't think so.'

'So he ran off when you pressed the alarm?'

I swallowed. 'Yes.'

DI Simmons' eyes rested on me shrewdly. 'You're a lucky girl. If we can narrow down a suspect, you may need to come into the station to do an identification.'

'Okay,' I mumbled. I felt pretty sure my testimony was useless.

Mum showed DI Simmons out and I heard him give her some advice about leaving lights on in the winter months to stop burglars.

When she came back in, she had a determined air. 'I think we need to spend some more time together. I know much of that is my fault. I've been at Trevor's a lot but I think we should do a bit of mum and daughter bonding.'

I knew this new resolution wouldn't last long.'What do you want to do?'

'How about we get a takeaway and watch a film tonight?' she asked.

'Sounds nice,' I said, flicking on the TV to see the films on demand.

'Chinese?' Mum asked.

'Great,' I replied.

Thoughts about whether I was crazy kept surfacing in my mind. Every time I thought about it, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. I spent the afternoon, aimlessly reading people's comments on Facebook to distract myself.

Sophie was writing a lot on Callum's page, which probably meant she had a thing for him. Lily and Oscar were arguing over something and then suddenly Lily's status changed to single. I felt sorry for Oscar. I'd be mortified if I'd got dumped on Facebook. And Jenny was posting every five minutes about her day. I couldn't help wonder why she thought that anyone was interested in the fact she was eating a cheese sandwich for lunch or tidying her bedroom.

Gemma posted a quote by Thomas Edison, 'Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.' I pressed "like" and saw that ten people had already done it. I wrote a few more replies to statuses and closed my laptop. I couldn't be bothered to post something myself and despite my efforts to forget, I still felt anxious.

I was glad when it was time to get the Chinese. It felt reassuring and normal. We bought our usual beef in black bean sauce, egg fried rice, and chicken chow mein, then we settled in front of the TV to watch Bridget Jones Diary.

When we finished our meal, I curled up close to Mum on the sofa whilst she stroked my hair. Sometimes it felt good to be babied.

6

Chemistry was the first lesson after registration on a Monday. I entered the classroom and saw Jack sitting by the window as usual. He looked up at me and smiled, running his hand through his hair. His arms rested on the table in front of him and I noticed how the blond hairs glistened in the sunlight. I smiled back shyly and sat down beside him.

Before we had a chance to talk, Mrs. Moreton started the lesson. She had another practical for us to carry out.

'You live with your mum then?' Jack asked as we set up the equipment.

'Yes, I never knew my dad,' I replied. Jack looked at me questioningly. 'My mum and him were never properly together and he left town before she realised she was pregnant.'

'Have you ever wanted to find him?'

I paused. 'I've thought about it. Might help me understand myself better.'

Jack furrowed his forehead. 'Genes do affect who we are.' He twirled a pen in his fingers and changed the subject. 'So what made you choose Chemistry?'

'I need to study Chemistry if I want to be a doctor.'

'And why do you want to be a doctor?'

'My mum's a nurse in a hospital. I remember one day, when I was nine years old. It was the school holidays and she'd taken me to work. I was supposed to stay in the office but I was bored so I went to find her. That's when I saw this girl who was about my age lying in one of the beds. I got speaking to her and she told me a hay bale had fallen on her legs when she was messing around. She kept telling me how she might have lost her legs if it wasn't for the doctors. I think that's when I realised I wanted to be able to do that kind of work.'

'You're one of the few people I've heard give a real reason for wanting to be a doctor. Most of the time people think it sounds good and that they'll earn good money. I'm impressed.'

'I wasn't trying to impress you.'

'I know,' he said, looking amused. 'You're too independent for that.'

I rubbed the back of my neck. 'What do you mean?' He looked apologetic. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to annoy you. I just think you don't like to rely on anyone.'

'Maybe,' I said. I decided to get off the topic of me. 'What's it like living with Zac and Ed?'

I watched Jack's face become guarded and he took a moment to respond. 'It's better than boarding school.'

'What are your uncle and aunt like?'

'Uncle Bob works for the police and Aunt Mary is a criminal lawyer so we talk about crime a lot at home,' he said, laughing to himself, as if he had made a joke I couldn't understand.

'I met your uncle yesterday.'

'How come?' he asked but I got the feeling he already knew.

'Some drunk tried to follow me on Saturday night.'

'Are you alright?' he asked, meeting my eyes.

'Yes, I'm okay but it was scary. Lots of strange things seem to be happening to me at the moment.' I waited, hoping he'd enlighten me.

'That's it,' he said as the acid turned the indicator in the alkali a different colour.

Mrs. Moreton came over and looked at our measurements. 'Good. It looks like you've been careful. Now pack away and then you can start on the calculations.'

Jack was careful to avoid any more talk that wasn't directly related to Chemistry. He showed me how to do the calculations and I decided I probably did need to focus on getting the work done. At one point, he leaned closer to me and inexplicably, I felt a surge of energy and a sense of lightness. I wasn't sure whether he'd noticed but he moved further away.

At the end of the lesson, I found Will standing outside.

'I thought I'd walk you to Biology,' Will said, putting his arm round my shoulder proprietorially and glaring at Jack.

'See you later,' Jack said, taking the hint and walking off in the other direction.

'What's he like?' Will asked when Jack was out of range.

'He's okay,' I said neutrally, shrugging his arm off me. 'Why are you here?'

'I wanted to know what days you're working?'

This could not be happening, I thought to myself. 'I'm working tonight and most of the weekend,' I mumbled.

'Oh. I was hoping you might be free sometime to go out.'

I deliberately pretended I hadn't understood. 'Gemma and I were saying we should go to the fair on Saturday evening at the Romani gypsy site.'

I watched him rearrange his expression before responding. 'The fair is a good idea.' He walked me the rest of the way to Biology talking about the band we were going to see in two weeks.

I spent the first part of Biology torturing myself about how I'd handled Will and Jack. Was Will angry with me? Did Jack think I was with Will? And how was I going to ask Jack about what was happening to me?

7

I looked out for Jack the next day at school. Chemistry was not on my timetable so at lunchtime I hoped I'd bump into him. Not that I'd formulated a plan yet about what to say. After all, how do you ask someone whether you have special powers?

I took my sandwich outside and saw Will and Gemma sitting on the steps, chatting. I hadn't seen Will since he'd asked me out so I dragged my feet as I walked towards them.

Will saw me and called me over. 'We're talking about going to the gypsy fair on Saturday.'

I felt relieved. That was the great thing about Will. He didn't hold grudges for long.

Gemma smiled. 'Do you remember last year, when we rode round in that horse-drawn cart and almost fell into the ditch?'

I sat next to Gemma, shuddering at the memory. 'Yes, you almost killed us, leaning out of the cart.'

She giggled. 'You shrieked so much.'

'With good reason.'

I noticed Ed and Zac were sitting nearby. 'Will you be going to the gypsy fair?' I asked casually, although I really wanted to know whether Jack would be going.

'No, we've got family commitments,' Zac replied almost too quickly. Then inexplicably he leaned over and touched my arm for the briefest second as if he expected something to happen. He looked at me oddly and then as if to cover up for his actions, he asked me for the time.

'It's one,' I said, staring at him.

Double psychology filled the rest of the afternoon and my mind was crammed so much with studies on prejudice that I had no time to think of anything else. The idea of in-groups and out-groups made sense to me. Some of the kids in Higham certainly viewed themselves as the in-group. Maybe that was why they felt entitled to throw popcorn round the cinema.

I had my usual shift at the cinema that evening but it was quiet. Mid-week shifts were often the best and there wasn't much cleaning up. Mum wasn't working that night so she'd insisted on picking me up which made me feel both babied and comforted.

Thursday came and I still hadn't decided how I was going to broach the topic of my strange observations to Jack. I walked to Chemistry in anticipation but when I arrived, Jack was standing outside surrounded by a group of girls who didn't even do the subject. Sophie was one of them and she was flirting outrageously as usual. Obviously, she'd moved on from Callum.

I bit the inside of my cheek and walked quickly into the lab.

A minute later, Jack was beside me but I ignored him. I had braced myself to ask him some questions but now I didn't want to.

We spent the first half of the lesson on theory so when it was time for the practical, my desire for an explanation had won over my irritation.

As soon as we had our mixture heating up in a flask, I launched straight in. 'Why did you ask Ed the other day whether I was normal?'

Jack drew back. 'I don't think I did.'

'I heard Ed reply that I was a normal girl.'

'I don't recall the context of the conversation,' Jack said, rearranging his worksheets.

'It's just that since you arrived, strange things have been happening to me.'

Jack raised his eyebrows. 'I can't see how that's anything to do with me.'

'If you remember, the first lesson we had together, you told me to stop moving the flame.'

'I thought we decided that was a draught.'

'I don't think it was now. All the windows and doors were closed and you definitely said I was moving the flame.'

Jack laughed but it sounded forced. 'I think I was saying I wanted you to not adjust the Bunsen flame anymore.'

'Okay,' I said uncertainly. 'But what about the acid spill. It was coming towards me and then it just changed direction.'

Jack's voice was icy when he replied. 'I'm not sure what drugs you've been taking lately but I don't recall any acid spill changing direction.'

My cheeks reddened. I suddenly realised how it sounded. He thought I was crazy or on drugs. Maybe I was losing it. I felt a lump in my throat. 'I don't take drugs.'

I didn't speak to Jack for the rest of the lesson and he didn't speak to me either. I was relieved when the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. I didn't know if I was angry or devastated. I did know I didn't want to talk to Jack ever again.

8

A crowd of us gathered outside the library in Higham on Saturday to get the bus to the gypsy fair. Once Anna and James had said they were joining us, a few others said they wanted to come too. There was Sarah and Jasmine who Anna knew well because they did PE together and Olly and Luke who were coming along because they had heard there was going to be a rodeo bull and cart-racing. The Romani community lived on the outskirts of Taxton, a small town next to Higham and once a year they held a fair. I liked going because it was different to anything else we did.

When we arrived at the fair, we navigated our way round the craft stalls, pushing past the people. A fire-eater and knife-thrower were starting the entertainment, so we sat down on some hay bales to watch. The fire-eater thrust the fiery pole down his neck and the crowd gasped. Gemma nudged me excitedly. 'Look, at that woman in the gypsy outfit. She looks so exotic. I think the knife-thrower is going to throw knives at her.'

I couldn't share Gemma's enthusiasm. It made me shiver to think about knives being thrown at me. 'It looks a bit dangerous.'

Gemma looked at me thoughtfully. 'The trouble with you Kate is that you never take any risks.'

I watched a few of the knives being thrown and then decided to get something to eat. As I passed one of the food stalls, an old woman, with sallow skin and dark brown eyes called me over. 'Let me read your fortune, little one.'

Usually I ignored the fortune tellers but because she had addressed me directly, I felt drawn in. She held her yellow, wrinkled hands out to me.

How much is it?' I asked.

'For you my love, nothing,' she replied.

She took my hands and pulled me towards her, gesturing to me to sit down. Her hands were stronger than I imagined and she turned my palms upwards to inspect them.

'You are your father's daughter,' she said.

'What do you know about my father?'

'Tssk,' she tutted. 'Don't interrupt. His blood runs through your veins. You will be like him but you don't realise it yet.'

She suddenly jolted upright and dropped my hands.

'Danger,' she muttered. 'What do you mean danger?' I said with panic rising in my voice.

'Beware of new friends,' she said looking drained.

A slim dark-skinned boy came over, 'Are you alright, gran?' he asked, looking from her to me and back again.

'I'm fine, Tas.' She smiled weakly and then gestured at me. 'Please take this girl back to her friends.'

I stood up ready to leave and he escorted me away. 'What did she say to you?' he asked.

'Something about having my dad's blood and being in danger,' I replied, looking worried.

'Don't take it too seriously,' he said and his brown eyes danced merrily. 'She's always predicting one thing or another and most of it never comes true.'

I felt relieved. 'Thanks,' I replied. 'I won't go and make a will yet then.

He laughed. 'Not yet.'

'I'm Kate, by the way,' I said extending my hand.

He shook it and laughed, 'I'm Tas.' He had an attractive deep, husky laugh.

He suddenly looked shy. 'Do you want to come and watch the bare-back horse-riding?'

'Okay,' I said getting my phone out. I didn't usually go off with strange boys but he had made me feel better and he seemed sweet. His boyish features suggested he was a couple of years younger than me. 'I'll text my friend to let her know what I'm doing.'

After I'd sent the text, he gestured to me to follow him. We pushed past the crowds to an enclosure in the next door field. In the middle of the field were eight burly men sat on horses, some with tattoos on their arms. The horses were decorated with ribbons and plaits in their tails and manes.

'The race is going to start soon,' Tas said.

A horn blew loudly, and suddenly the men were off. Tas started running alongside the enclosure. 'Come on, the best part is when they get to the river.'

Deciding to play along, I ran with him until we got to the river. I was glad I was in my usual jeans and trainers. We watched the men steer the horses into the river and guide them across. 'They turn the horses round here and ride back again,' said Tas. Some of the horses reared up as they crossed the water but the men adeptly calmed them down.

One of the men was already guiding his horse out of the river for the return run.

'That's my brother, Kam,' Tas said proudly. On closer inspection, I realised that Tas' brother was probably only a few years older than me. He just had the build of a man rather than a boy. I watched the horse race ahead to the finishing line and heard the crowd cheering in the distance.

'What school do you go to?' I asked. 'I haven't seen you at Higham.'

'We don't really go to school,' said Tas. 'We're more into free-thinking.'

I realised I'd said the wrong thing and changed the subject. 'I watched the fire-eater earlier. Do you know how he does it?'

'We can't tell you all our secrets,' he replied touching his nose.

As we arrived near the start of the race, Tas' brother rode over to us. 'Who's the girl?' he asked.

'This is Kate. I was just showing her round after gran freaked her out with her fortune telling,' Tas said.

Kam looked at me closely as if trying to work me out. 'Did you enjoy the race?'

'It was exciting,' I replied honestly. 'I've never seen bare-back riding before.'

Tas smiled. 'You did a good race, bro, but wait till I'm in it next year. Then you'll have a run for your money.'

'We'll see.' Kam said and turned his horse away.

'I better find my friends now,' I said looking at the time. Gemma would probably start worrying about me if I didn't get back soon and the sky was darkening.

'No problem,' Tas said. 'I'll walk you back to the main field.'

I found Gemma and the others huddled around a campfire, waiting for the storyteller to start. She turned round and I introduced her to Tas briefly.

'I better get back to work now, I'm supposed to be helping with the horses,' Tas said, looking regretful.

I waved goodbye. 'Thanks for showing me the bare-back horse riding. It was fun.'

He shrugged. 'If you ever feel like it, come back and visit.'

I nodded although I knew it was unlikely that I'd be back before next year. Our lives were too different. 'Okay.' I smiled.

When he had gone, Gemma whispered. 'Isn't he a gypsy?'

'He was being friendly. He wanted to show me the horse-riding,' I replied. She scanned my face to see if I was hiding anything but turned away satisfied that there was nothing to tell. The storyteller banged on a drum to gain our attention. She was a woman in her fifties dressed in a traditional red patterned gypsy gown that reached to the floor and an orange patterned wrap tied around her head. The light of the campfire flickered on her face and she started to tell a story. Her deep, voice resonated around the space and I leaned in closer to listen.

'Long ago, when we Romani gypsies travelled across Europe never calling anywhere home, there was a girl called Bonita. This girl had thick dark hair that curled around her face and brown eyes framed by the longest eyelashes. She had rosy cheeks and the reddest lips. She was so beautiful that her parents were afraid for her. They tried to keep her close by but she wanted to be free and would often go off alone through the fields and to the river. One day, when she was down by the river, a spirit man who was passing by saw her. He fell in love with her straight away and began talking to her. Bonita did not realise he was a spirit man although she noticed that he could read her mind. Every day Bonita would go to the river to meet the spirit man until one day he said he had to go back to his land and he wanted to bring her with him. Bonita knew her parents would not be happy if she left them but she could not imagine a life without the spirit man. The spirit man knew this and said that he would go and speak to her parents and make a bargain with them. He walked back with Bonita to the encampment to meet her parents. As the spirit man could read people's minds he knew that Bonita's parents wanted more than anything to have a grandchild. He promised them that if he could take Bonita back to his land, then Bonita would bring back their first child in a year's time. He told them that this grandchild would be special and bring special powers to the Romanis. Bonita's parents trusted the spirit man and agreed that their daughter could go with him. One year later, Bonita returned with a baby boy. Bonita stayed with her parents for a while but her love for the spirit man was too great, so she returned to him leaving the baby with its grandparents. As predicted by the spirit man, the boy grew up to have special powers. His name was Plamen and he could predict the future, control fire and project his body astrally. Plamen lived for many generations, until eventually he chose to die with his sixth wife. During that time Plamen had many children. Some of his children inherited his powers but in a weaker form and that is why we ancestors of Plamen have special abilities.'

I was so absorbed in the story that when she said that that Plamen could control fire, I could feel my hands tighten their grip on the straw of the hay bale. My mind replayed the Chemistry lesson when I had moved the flame and Jack's reaction. Hadn't the old woman said that my father's blood was in me and that I was in danger? Now more than ever, I needed to find out who my father was. I could pretend that it was all superstition and folklore but there was part of me that believed it was true.

When the story-telling was over, I persuaded Gemma that we should head home. It was late; I felt uneasy and needed time to think. More than that I wanted to find the small box of mementoes I had on my father. I knew very little about him except for the fact that he was called Henry and had been in the army. I had one photo of him and from it I could tell that I had the same dark hair and brown eyes as him. Mum had ended up pregnant with me after he spent the summer doing casual labour for a farmer in the local area.

As soon as I was home, I ran upstairs to my room. I could hear Mum call my name but I needed to find the box first. It was at the back of one of my drawers stuffed with old make-up that I never wore in Technicolour shades. I dug the wooden box out, inlaid with different carvings in red, brown and orange. Opening the bronze metal clasp on the box, I took out the one photo of my father that I had. His dark eyes looked back at me and he had a half smile on his face. On the back, it said his name, Henry Ayres. I had taken my mum's surname, Palmer, instead. There were a few other items in the box, an old watch which didn't work anymore with a worn brown leather strap and a gold necklace. I took the necklace out and examined it. The pendant was oval with an unusual flame design. Mum had said my father had given it to her when they were going out but maybe she wouldn't mind if I started wearing it now.

Mum was sitting downstairs flicking through the TV guide with the news blaring in the background. I swear she was going deaf. 'There's nothing on TV,' she said. 'Anyway, why were you in such a rush when you got in?'

I held out the gold necklace for her to see, 'Do you mind if I wear this?'

She gestured for me to sit next to her and I perched on the edge of the sofa beside her nervously. She stroked my hair. 'That's why I gave it to you. I thought that one day you might want it. What made you get it out?'

I hesitated, not knowing what her reaction might be and then went ahead, 'A fortune teller at the gypsy fair said I had my dad's blood and it made me think about him.'

'Is that all?' she asked.

I tried to judge her mood. She looked relaxed so I continued. 'How would you feel if I tried to contact him?'

She looked at me worriedly. 'I don't know how you would go about finding him Kate. He was here for the summer on a working holiday to help on Collins' farm and after that he left. He did leave an address but when I wrote him a letter, there was no response. I wasn't going to beg him to come back because I was pregnant with you. It was a summer fling.'

'I could start with the address,' I replied hopefully.

Her voice was cautious. 'You can try. I'll find the address for you but I don't want you to get your hopes up.'

'Okay,' I replied sinking back into the sofa.

'Don't expect too much,' she said, putting her arm around me and kissing my head.

It took me a long time to get to sleep that night. I tossed and turned but I couldn't get comfortable. I must have eventually fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning. In my dream, I was by the river, paddling my feet in the stream and basking in the sunlight. Something started pulling my leg under the water and I started to panic. A dark haired man with dark eyes walked towards me with the sun streaming behind him. Immediately, I recognised him. 'Help me,' I cried.

'Pull your legs out,' he commanded and I suddenly found it easy to pull my legs out of the water. He held my hand. 'Fly with me.'

'But I can't fly,' I replied.

'Try,' he said holding my hand and we flew across the grassy fields and forest until we came to clearing with a campfire and there were gypsies dancing around it.

'Plamen,' they shouted and the fire rose up towards the sky in the shape of a person. I looked at my father's face, it seemed to have morphed into Jack's face.

'Change into a bird,' Jack said. His skin glowed in the campfire and his blue eyes flashed dangerously.

I looked at the fire and suddenly a phoenix rose up and flew into the sky before turning towards me ready to attack.

'Run this way,' Tas shouted stepping out from behind some trees. I started running towards him feeling the hot flames of the bird behind me.

Jack flew towards Tas, pushing him against a tree. 'She's in no danger,' he said. 'Watch!' The red and blue bird fell to the ground in ashes at my feet.'

I woke up with a start. My pyjama top clung to me and I felt sticky with sweat. I looked at the clock it was 3am. I turned over and concentrated on doing a body scan to relax my mind. I slowly moved my awareness from my feet up to my legs and then to my tummy and then I must have drifted back to sleep.

9

Monday's Chemistry lesson was not fun. Jack looked down as I approached.

I sat down beside him, folding my arms around myself tightly. 'Hi.'

'Hello,' he replied, only briefly turning my way.

I waited to see if he would say more but there was nothing. I realised I was just some crazy girl having weird hallucinations to him. I'd probably feel the same in his shoes.

Mrs. Moreton started the lesson with some theory on how to make an ester. I tried to concentrate but I kept replaying the conversation I'd had with Jack in my mind. I willed myself not to care, focusing on making neat notes in my book. The bell rang at the end of the lesson and with a curt nod, he left the room.

The next month went by and Jack only politely acknowledged me in Chemistry lessons. When we did practicals, he kept conversation to the minimum. I knew I had to forget about him but I felt my pulse increase before every Chemistry lesson, knowing he would be there. I started to notice the way he brushed his hair back and the way the muscles in his arms flexed when he folded them. Trust me to find him more attractive when there was absolutely no hope. Will started walking me to my Chemistry lessons, with the excuse that he had Biology in the same block but I knew it was because he could sense that I liked Jack. Not that he needed to worry.

In between my job at the cinema and doing homework, I started applying for medical school and that took my minds off things slightly. The ratio of applications to places was high for all of the universities so I had to hope that I got the grades and my references were good enough. I debated whether to apply for Lancaster but decided it was too close to home. The London universities had good reputations but I knew they would cost too much so I chose some other ones with slightly lower application to places ratios. In any spare time, I tried to find out about my father. When I called at the Collins' farm with a photo of my father, they only vaguely remembered him and said they had no forwarding details. All I had to go on was the London address Mum had given me. I had written a letter but as yet had no reply. Each morning I checked the post, hoping for something but I was beginning to give up. I thought about doing the three hour journey to London on the train but it wasn't going to possible with my shifts at the cinema. It would have to wait until the holidays. It was a long shot but maybe the old gypsy woman might be able to tell me something about my heritage if I showed her a photo of my father. She had said I had my father's blood and I still didn't know what that meant.

Saturday came and the grey sky threatened to rain so I put a mac on and took the bus to Taxton and the Romani gypsy site. In my pocket I had the photo of my father and wore the necklace he gave my mother round my neck. The site was quiet when I arrived, very different to the day of the fair. There were some children playing football outside the caravans so I asked them where I could find Tas' grandmother.

'Hold on,' one of the girls said eyeing me with interest, 'I'll call Tas to take you to her.'

She ran into one of the brightly coloured wooden caravans and emerged with Tas.

'So you came back. I didn't think you would, but here you are.'

'I wanted to ask your grandmother some questions about my father,' I said.

'She didn't scare you enough last time then.'

'It's just that I don't know who my father is and she was talking about him. I thought maybe she might be able to tell me more. If she doesn't mind,' I said nervously.

'I'll take you to her and see what she says.' He walked towards a caravan with red and white flowers on the side and I followed. 'Wait here,' he said as he leapt two steps at a time up to the door.

I stood outside awkwardly taking in the different paintings on the caravans. I noticed that one caravan had a Phoenix bird, like in my dream. That was strange and a bit spooky.

Tas came out of the caravan after a few minutes and gestured for me to go inside. 'My grandmother, Runi is ready to see you. I'll wait outside,' he said.

I entered the caravan and the smell of incense made my head feel fuzzy. Runi sat on a multi-coloured patchwork sofa. Unusual lamps were strewn around the caravan lighting it up and making it seem bright and warm. She smiled at me and stretched her hand out to indicate that she wanted me to sit down. 'I'm sorry if I frightened you last time. Tas says your name is Kate and that you want to know more about your father,' she said.

'Yes, I don't know much about him,' I explained. 'He left town before I was born. I've brought a photo of him and a necklace he gave my mum, if that helps.' I took the necklace off and handed her the two items.

She examined the photo and necklace. 'This necklace is significant. The intricate design is a symbol for the Namu.'

'Who are the Namu?' I asked.

'They are a secret order of people who live alongside humans but have special powers,' she replied.

I looked incredulous. Maybe Tas was right and his grandmother was going senile. But as soon as I tried to dismiss her, I replayed all the strange things that had been happening to me recently.

'What kind of special powers do they have?' I asked.

'It can vary. Some can move objects, some can predict the future, and some can use their abilities to influence others. There are some gifted Namu that have a combination of powers.'

'Why do you think my father had this necklace?' I asked.

Runi reached out and placed the necklace in my hand. 'Think hard, Kate. Your father's blood is within you.' She paused, looking at me with for a while. 'You need to understand that there are those who will seek you out because of who you are.'

I could feel myself trembling, 'Why will they seek me out?'

'I'm tired now,' she said closing her eyes, 'I don't think I can talk any longer. Please show yourself out.'

Tas was waiting outside leaning against a post, 'Hope she didn't scare you today.'

'No,' I faltered, still trembling but Tas didn't seem to notice. 'She said something about humans with special powers. Do you think such things are true?'

Tas laughed. 'I think you've been watching too many films, Kate. I told you that my gran was a bit senile. We do have some folklore about supernatural beings but I haven't met one yet.'

I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment flood through my body. 'I feel a little foolish now,' I replied.

'Gran can be too convincing. Don't worry about it. Do you want to go and look at the horses while you're here?' he asked.

'Okay,' I replied. 'Although I can't be too long as I've got a work shift at the cinema.'

There were eight horses kept in three separate fields next to the caravan site.

'Why is that one on its own?' I asked pointing at a large dark brown horse with a white diamond shape on its forehead.

'Oh, she's in season.' Tas laughed. 'She keeps trying to mate with the stallion and keeps kicking and biting the other mares. Come on grab that bucket of feed and we'll go over to her.'

He quickly vaulted over the fence and I passed him the bucket of feed over. I didn't feel too happy about going near a kicking mare but I didn't want to be a coward. I pulled myself up and swung one leg over the fence cautiously. Tas held out his hand to help me down a little too eagerly.

He talked to the mare as we approached. 'Silky, come here,' he whispered softly and she approached.

'Now don't make any sudden movements, it can spook them,' Tas instructed. 'Here put out your hand flat and I'll give you some feed to give to her.'

Tas sprinkled some feed on my hand and then I slowly held it out towards Silky, hoping she wouldn't bite. Her wet mouth quickly gobbled the feed up and I found myself wanting to feed her more. After a few times, Tas said, 'Go on stroke her mane.'

Her mane was soft to touch and as I moved my hand round to touch her forehead, it felt like silk. 'I can see why she's called Silky,' I said.

'You're good with her,' Tas said.

'I haven't had much experience with horses,' I replied, 'But if you say so.'

Tas talked about the different horses and life at the gypsy site and the afternoon passed quickly.

When it was time to go, I was reluctant to leave. 'Can I come back?' I asked.

'Anytime,' he replied, smiling.

10

It had been easy when I was with Tas in the light of day to dismiss any ideas about supernatural beings but in the dark cinema, I couldn't help mulling over the Runi's comments. Was my dad a Namu? Was I? I knew I couldn't read minds and I certainly didn't have any powers of mind control but I was sure I had moved the flame in Chemistry. Maybe Jack was a Namu and it was something to do with him or maybe I was going crazy. My mind kept going round in circles, trying to work it out until I came up with some kind of plan. On Monday, I would wear the necklace and see if Jack showed any reaction.

Sunday went slowly. I had a long Biology essay to write and a Physics assignment so I spent a good three hours on that. After I finished, there was still two hours until my shift at the cinema. Mum was at Trevor's house, so the house was quiet. As I tidied up in the kitchen, I typed in 'Namu' and 'Namoo' into google on my phone but the only thing that came up was information on an old 1966 film about a Killer Whale. I laughed at myself for being stupid enough to believe that I could search for supernatural beings on google. If there were such a thing as a secret society of Namus, they probably wouldn't be advertising themselves across the web. I typed in Henry Ayres and clicked on the link that led to twenty-three addresses and contact numbers for Henry Ayres in the UK. At least this was something to start with. There were four in London. If that was where he had come from then maybe he was still living in the same city. With shaking hands, I called the first number on the list. A woman answered the phone and I could hear a child in the background screaming mummy. I told her I was looking for a Henry Ayres, who had spent three months in Taxton, seventeen years ago. 'There's no Henry Ayres here,' she replied in a strong London accent. 'Never heard of him. We've lived here six months now and it was a woman before us renting this place.'

'Okay, thanks anyway,' I mumbled but before I could finish the phone clicked off. I called the next London number on the list but no one was home. There was a Henry Ayres at the third number but he was in his sixties.

I called the fourth number and another woman answered the phone.

'Is there a Henry Ayres living there?' I asked.

'Why do you want to speak to him?' she asked in surly voice.

I hadn't thought about how I would respond to such a question, so I stammered, 'I wanted to know whether he lived in Taxton, seventeen years ago.'

'Why?' she persisted.

'I would rather explain that to him,' I said feeling cornered.

'That's a bit cryptic,' she said and I could hear both curiosity and annoyance in her voice.

'Can I leave you my number,' I replied, 'Just in case.'

'Okay,' she said grudgingly.

I rattled off my phone number and name and said goodbye. I crossed my fingers that this Henry Ayres was the right one although I didn't like the sound of the woman.

When I got home from my cinema shift, the smell of garlic and onions filled the air. I guessed she was cooking Spaghetti Bolognese, which was my favourite and one of the few dishes she could cook well.

'How was your day, sweetheart?' she asked.

'Alright. I mostly did homework and then went to work,' I said getting myself a drink of water. I didn't want to admit I'd being searching for my father. I looked at the newspaper on the table. The headline read, 'Another girl goes missing in the Lake District.' It showed a photo of a girl about my age with blonde hair and blue eyes. I scanned through the rest of the article. The girl was called Jenny and she had disappeared in the middle of the day on her way back from school with no witnesses. The article was appealing for people to come forward with more information. It made me shiver to think that she had been taken in broad daylight without anyone noticing.

'Your birthday is next week, have you got any plans yet?' Mum asked as she dished up the steaming spaghetti on to plates.

Gemma had been prodding me to make plans but I hadn't really felt like celebrating. 'I think I might go with Gemma and some of the others from school to Johnnies,' I said. Johnnies was a pub in Higham that was pretty relaxed about serving drinks to under-eighteens, mainly because they didn't have many other customers. It felt strange that I would actually be old enough to drink there now.

'Do you want to go out for dinner first?' Mum asked. 'Trevor said he would take us all out to that new Italian restaurant in Higham.'

I didn't really want to make small talk with Trevor but I knew that mum would be disappointed if I said no so I smiled. 'Yes, that would lovely.'

She gave me a squeeze. 'I can't believe you're going to be eighteen. My baby's all grown up.'

'I've still got another year at school though.' I reassured her.

'But then you'll be off to university,' she said. 'I don't know what I'm going to do without you.'

'You've got Trevor,' I said.

'True,' she replied. 'But it's not the same.'

I settled on the sofa to watch the news with mum and immediately regretted it. There was a big story about the missing girls and the police were advising women not to travel alone. My mum insisted that I cut out any evening shifts at the cinema when she couldn't pick me up. I tried to reassure her that school had already given us a long talk on safety but she wouldn't listen. In my head, I calculated that it would take me at least three more months before I could afford driving lessons without those shifts but I knew there was no point arguing.

I left her to watch a hospital drama with the excuse that I wanted to read a book. I put some music on and lay on my bed, playing with the gold necklace. What did the oval with the flame mean? Could it really be a symbol for some secret order of supernatural beings?

I brought up the internet again on my phone and typed in 'oval with flame' into google images. Numerous images came up and I scanned through them. Nothing was similar to my necklace but on the tenth page, I swallowed back fear as I found what I was looking for. I clicked on the link and it led me to a site with a drawing of a woman wearing a very similar necklace to mine. The spiel next to drawing read: 'Mythology suggests that wearers of the fire necklace have supernatural powers and belong to a legendary race called the Devotees. The Devotees appear exceptionally beautiful to humans. The earliest description of the Devotees suggests that they have telepathic abilities, can control people's minds and move fire, hence the fire symbol.'

I scrolled down to find more drawings of men and women with crossed-legs seated with their hands in a prayer-like posture. I read on 'The Devotees are portrayed as a spiritual species in mythology, believed to be able to increase their abilities through meditation.'

The rest of the pages and links showed more drawings of Devotees in Buddha like positions. I lay back on my bed, feeling light and excited. If my father was a Devotee, it didn't sound too bad. I took a deep breath and sighed, smiling at myself, clasping my hands on my forehead to stop myself thinking.

I pulled out the 'Hunger games,' again from the bookshelf and started reading my favourite bit about when Catniss and Peeter are in the cave and she starts to think she might have feelings for him. I meant to go to sleep early but I found myself reading to the end and it was midnight before I put out the light.

I had a dream that night where I was running across a field calling, 'Dad,' and then the dark-haired figure of my father turned round and said, 'You shouldn't exist. I don't want you.' I fell to my knees, crying uncontrollably in the middle of field until some warm arms lifted me up and I realised it was Jack. He turned away and said, 'I will take you to your father.' He carried me across the field until he found my father sitting under a tree meditating.

'Henry Ayres,' Jack said. 'She is your daughter, do you not recognise the necklace?

'Yes, I do,' my father said wearily. 'But now she must be taught and I'm not ready.

'I can teach her,' Jack replied.

'No,' I said, although I did not understand what they want to teach me. All I knew was that I didn't want to be a burden to Jack. 'You don't need to teach me anything.'

'But I do,' he said quietly. 'Otherwise, you will not survive.'

11

On my way to the Chemistry lesson, I fiddled with the pendant on my necklace. Will was talking about the trip to see the band again and I tuned out a little. I had deliberately worn a v-necked jumper so that the necklace would be obvious. As I entered the classroom, I found it hard to breathe. Jack was sat with his eyes resolutely focused on the board as usual. I slid onto the stool next to him not bothering to say hello. I was fed up trying to make polite conversation.

Mrs. Moreton started the lesson as the last few students arrived. The science block was a long way from the new sixth form building where a few of us had Psychology or Business Studies so we were always late.

The lesson was on group 1 and 2 of the periodic table and she walked round handing out some worksheets. The practical involved carrying out flame tests on the different elements and seemed quite simple. I remembered doing something similar at GCSE. Jack avoided my eyes as I twisted the plastic tubing from the Bunsen burner onto a gas tap and lit it with a splint. I watched his perfect hands twist open the lid of one of the jars containing potassium and dip a wire loop into it.

He turned to me with his usual cool politeness. 'Would you like to start?'

'No, go ahead,' I said. 'I'll do the next one.' As I spoke, I noticed his eyes dart towards the necklace and slowly widen.

'Where did you get that necklace?' he asked leaning in to touch it but then quickly moving his hand away.

'It belonged to my father,' I replied.

He stood up from his stool and pushed it away abruptly. But when he spoke, his voice was light and gentle, 'Who's your father?'

'I don't know. I've never met him,' I replied, hoping he would have some answers for me.

'The necklace symbolises something important. If it was your father's, then it means something. Can you meet me after school?'

I knew I shouldn't be so amenable after his weeks of cool politeness but I wanted to find out more so I nodded. 'Okay.'

'Great,' he replied with a broad smile that made me feel weak. It was a relief that he was finally talking to me again properly. I continued with the flame tests, carefully noting down the colours of the different elements, trying to be indifferent to him. I could feel his gaze on me the entire time and I reddened.

'Don't you think you should be making notes?' I asked.

He looked at me with an amused expression. 'You're doing such a good job, I didn't think it was necessary but okay, maybe I should.' He turned away briefly and jotted down a few notes, before turning back to me and staring at me again.

'I wondered what it was about you that was different,' he said cryptically. 'But now it all makes sense.'

'At least you do. I'm no clearer,' I said.

He laughed lightly. 'I'll explain later.'

His good mood was infectious and I couldn't help turning to him with a smile. I wanted to make it more difficult for him but it was hard when every time he looked at me, it sent a thrill through me.

I wasn't sure where Jack would be after school but as I walked towards the main gate with Gemma, he was beeping his horn at me from a blue sports car on the other side of the road.

Gemma looked at me in surprise. 'Is he beeping at you?'

'He asked me to meet him after school. Do you mind?' I said sheepishly.

'No,' she said.

'Okay,' I replied, knowing that she would text later.

'By the way, you can tell him I like his car.'

I laughed and ran across the road. Jack opened the car door for me and I slid onto the black leather upholstery.

'Let's go for a drive,' Jack said as he leaned over to get his ipod out of the glove compartment.

I wanted to know what he knew about my father so I nodded compliantly.

'Choose a song,' he said, passing me the ipod.

I scanned through the songs and found one that my mum's past boyfriend, Jon, played at lot. I hadn't liked Jon much but I liked his taste in music. I plugged the ipod in and the song started playing.

'So where are we going?' I asked.

'I thought we'd take that walk you suggested ages ago,' he said, looking at my trainers and jeans.

'High Street,' I said.

'Yes. That's the one. Although it sounds more like a shopping place than a mountain,' he replied setting the sat nav.

'It's definitely a mountain.'

'Good, I want to show you a few things and we need space.'

I was curious what he meant but I decided not press him for details as he drove onto one of the main dual carriageways. He wound down the window and I watched the breeze stream through his dark blonde hair.

'You've decided I'm not crazy then?' I asked.

'I never thought you were,' Jack replied. 'The necklace you're wearing means something. If it belonged to your father then you probably have some of the same abilities as your father.'

I could hear my heart thudding. Runi had been right. Maybe I was a Namu or Devotee, or whatever they called it.

'I don't want to frighten you,' he continued, 'But it means you have slightly different abilities to a normal human.'

'What kind of abilities?' I asked, feeling my throat constrict.

'Do you remember that first day in Chemistry?' he asked.

'Yes,' I replied, hoarsely.

He looked at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. 'You moved the flame.'

'You're admitting that now,' I said, feeling a mixture of relief and anger.

'I'm sorry,' he replied. 'I couldn't tell you before I knew for certain what you are.'

'I thought I was going crazy,' I said. 'And you. You implied I was on drugs.'

'I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?' he asked.

I looked at his anxious, beautiful face and thought it would be hard to hold anything against him for long. 'I guess,' I said.

'Thanks,' he replied.

'So what am I?'

'You're part Namu.'

'Namu,' I repeated, remembering what Runi had told me.

'You have special abilities and moving fire is only part of what you can do', he said.

'I'm not sure I could do it again,' I choked, recalling the incident and then my inept attempts to try it with candles at home. 'After that lesson, I tried to move a flame at home and it didn't work.'

'You did, did you?' He laughed. 'That's because I wasn't there.'

'So is it to do with you or me?' I asked.

'It is something to do with you and me,' he replied as we pulled into the parking area for our mountain walk.

We got out of the car and walked towards a stile that showed a public footpath. As I climbed over the stile, Jack held out his hand to help me and I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body. I stepped onto the ground, which was covered in yellowy sandy earth topped with pine needles and felt light-headed.

'Let's go this way,' he said and I followed him up a narrow rocky path, weaving in and out of the ferns that hid the path. The trees on either side were tall and created a canopy above us, where the sunlight filtered through. The leaves were turning orange and yellow and I knew it wouldn't be long before a strong wind would blow them to the ground. He slowed down to my pace and let me take the lead.

'So how long have you and Gemma been best friends?' he asked.

'As long as I can remember,' I replied. 'We went to the same nursery together.'

'I'm trying to picture you as a little girl,' he said smiling.

'What kind of image are you forming?' I asked.

'I'm imagining a little girl with pigtails in jeans and a pink t-shirt with a heart on,' he smiled.

'You're not wrong. I did have a pink t-shirt with a heart on,' I said, incredulously.

'I bet you got your own way a lot.'

'What are you trying to say?'

'Only that you know your own mind.'

'You're probably right. Mum has told me a million times that I had so many tantrums, she wanted to tear her hair out. So what were you like as a child? Did you have special abilities?'

'Yes,' he replied. 'I'm a Namu and my parents certainly had their work cut out. I believe you may be a quarter Namu.'

'A gypsy woman told me something about the Namus,' I said hesitantly. Unsure how much to tell him.

'The gypsies have some abilities themselves and they remember the old folklore. What did she say?' he asked.

'That the Namu can influence people. Crazy things like that. What can you do?'

'Moving objects is my thing.' Jack smiled.

We emerged from narrow path to stand on a hilly ridge of the mountain. I hadn't realised we were so high up. I looked out across the valley to the mountains beyond. Jack lay his brown jacket out for me to sit on and we sat down amongst the ferns. It felt good to breathe in the fresh air and get away from everyone.

'When do you move objects?' I asked curiously.

'When it's necessary.' He leaned towards me brushing a strand of hair away from my face. My whole body reacted to the contact and I wondered if he could tell. 'Watch the ferns over there,' he said and I saw a ripple of air run through them and swirl round in a circle before coming to abrupt stop.'

'Did you just do that?' I asked in disbelief. I felt like I was in a dream. People can't move the air in real life I told myself but I remembered the strange things I had done recently. The air was permeated with the smell of heather, earth and ferns. I had heard you can't smell things in dreams so this was proof I wasn't dreaming.

'Yes, you try it,' he said.

'I don't know how,' I protested.

'Focus your eyes on the air around the ferns and imagine pushing the particles of air around them.'

I looked at the ferns that Jack had moved in the distance and gaps between them. I knew there was air there, but how could I move it? I narrowed my eyes and concentrated on the area but nothing happened. 'I can't do it,' I huffed, folding my arms around myself defensively.

'It might take a bit of work but I know you can do it,' he reassured me. 'Let's start with a meditation. It increases our powers. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.'

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breath. It was hard, when I had a million thoughts running through my head. I was trying to adjust to the idea that there really were supernatural beings in the world. Jack obviously had special abilities and maybe I did.

His voice guided me into the meditation. 'If your mind wanders, remember to focus your thoughts on your breath. Notice the cold air coming in through your nose and the warm air coming out.'

Eventually, I was able to focus on my breath and I could feel my heart rate slowing.

'Now move your attention to the sounds around you,' he said.

I expanded my attention outwards. I could hear the sound of the birds chirping in the trees and the sound of the trees bristling in the breeze.

'Can you feel an energy field around you?' he asked.

Slowly I began to feel vibrations both within my body and around me.

'Now open your eyes,' he said.

I opened my eyes and a yellow glow seemed to surround me. An overwhelming sense of happiness spread through me.

'That's the energy field,' he said.

He leaned in towards me and I could feel my energy field merge with his. My body felt light and free. '

'That's interesting,' he said and there was a hint of surprise in a voice. He touched my hand and the jolt of electricity that I had become used to, flowed through me and then it seemed like I was floating in the air with Jack beside me. I looked around and everything seemed different. The colours of the sky, plants and trees were more vibrant. The ferns I was looking at before gave off a green glow and the mountains glinted with purple, green, yellow and brown. Everything seemed to be pulsating with life. It felt like the mountains were whispering to me and I was being enveloped in an enchanted mist.

I turned to Jack. 'It's amazing.'

He smiled at me and I could tell he was pleased, 'Try moving the air now.'

I focused on the space between the glowing green ferns and then suddenly I could see the air particles within the space. I pushed the particle on one side with my mind towards the particles on the other and suddenly I could see the ferns moving as air flowed past them. I played with the air, moving the particles round in a swirl and the ferns moved in response. It seemed surreal and fascinating at the same time.

Jack laughed. 'You're like a child blowing soap bubbles for the first time.'

I stopped at his laughter feeling self-conscious for the first time and I could feel the energy field around me shrink back into my body.

'It's gone,' I said.

'I shouldn't have laughed,' he replied, 'But you'll learn how to hold it there for longer with practise.'

'Will I be able to do it when you're not around?' I asked.

He paused. 'Eventually, but because you are not fully Namu, it may be more difficult for you. I think there is something in me that activates your abilities but I don't know why. There isn't much written on people who are part Namu.'

'Am I part Namu then?' I asked.

'I think so,' he said. 'I think your father must be part Namu too but not fully.'

'How do you know?' I asked.

His blue eyes flashed dangerously, 'Human women cannot survive carrying a half-blood Namu child. The child is too strong.'

I pieced the information together. I tried to remember if my mum had mentioned any difficulties having me. 'So how was my mother able to have me?' I asked.

'It seems that quarter blood Namu can be carried by human women,' he replied, 'Although nothing is written about it.'

I tried to absorb all the information he was giving me. It was hard to take it all in and I found myself trembling. 'So there isn't anyone like me?' I asked.

His voice was gentle and soothing, 'I don't think so but there's no need to broadcast that information. There are Namu out there who might want to exploit this knowledge.'

He touched my face gently with his fingertips, they felt warm and I felt a rush of pleasure. It would be so easy to forget his past behaviour towards me but I dragged myself out of the hazy spell he seemed to be casting on me. I had some nagging questions that I wanted answers to. 'You said I pulled your energy field towards me. What does that mean?'

'I don't know exactly. I noticed it the first day when you sat next to me in Chemistry. And then you moved that flame. I talked to Zac and Ed about you but they convinced me you were just a normal girl. When you said that strange things were happening to you, I thought it was my fault. But then you came into school, wearing that necklace, from your father and I knew it couldn't be a coincidence.'

'Are Zac and Ed, Namu too?' I asked.

'Yes,' he replied and I could tell he was debating how much to tell me. 'They're not the quite the same as me though.' He frowned and stopped talking. Maybe he saw it as a betrayal of trust to tell me anymore.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'I have more powers, which is not always a good thing,' he replied.

'No?' I asked.

'No,' he said firmly. 'But the good news is that my powers are weaker around you.'

'That's not good,' I said, worriedly.

His eyes smouldered. 'It makes it hard to resist you.'

I replayed his words in my head and I couldn't quite believe it. I hugged my knees in happiness. Then I looked at him to see whether he was making fun of me.

He lay back on the grass and pulled me towards him. I laid my head on his chest and he put his arm around me. The now familiar electricity seemed to hum around us but it wasn't quite as strong as before. When he spoke again, his tone was serious. 'But it might not be possible for us to be together.'

I felt confused and embarrassed. Maybe he didn't want me after all. I sat up and looked across the landscape. 'I understand,' I said quietly.

'No, you don't,' he said sitting up too and tilting my chin up so that I had to meet his gaze. 'I want to be with you, I'm just not sure we can be.' And then he leaned down and kissed me on the lips gently. As his lips touched mine, I felt my whole body tingle with ecstasy and I pulled him closer. It felt like I was melting into him and we were one. He broke away from me and his voice was ragged. 'You're only a quarter Namu and I'm not sure a relationship between us is strictly allowed.'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Namu are forbidden from having relationships with humans and you are mostly human,' he said.

He stood up and held out his hand, 'I think it's time I took you home.'

'Okay,' I said, feeling confused.

As I stood up I felt a surge of energy flow through my body. It felt as if I could run up a mountain but I clambered up one of the rocks instead. 'Come up here. There's an even better view,' I called.

'If you insist,' he said, climbing up after me.

I nestled into his arms, drinking in his delicious musty, vanilla smell and enjoying the electricity that seemed to continuously flow through my body.

He crouched down and picked a purple crocus that nestled inside a crevice of the rock, before carefully inserting it into my hair. 'The crocus symbolises gladness.'

I touched the flower self-consciously. 'I hope that means you feel glad.'

'I do,' he replied.

'Come on let's run down the mountain,' I said, with my new found energy.

He held my hand as we ran down the mountain and I couldn't remember ever feeling that happy.

In the car home, he asked me questions about myself. What my job was like at the cinema, what my favourite film was and so on.

I felt sad as Jack's car drew up beside my house. I didn't want him to leave but I knew he had to.

'What will happen tomorrow?' I asked, feeling anxious at the thought of being parted from him.

He leaned across and cupped my cheek. 'I'll meet you off the bus. By the way, you might have some explaining to do. Your mum's looking out the window.'

'You better go,' I said.

I got out of the car and he drove away. Mum moved away from the window. I looked at the time. It was seven. I'd spent four hours with Jack. That might be hard to explain. It was just my luck that today she was not working a late shift and she wasn't with Trevor.

I opened the door, bracing myself for her questions and walked into the kitchen.

'Who's that boy in the flash car?' she asked immediately as I entered the kitchen.

'A boy at school,' I replied, trying to keep my voice level.

'What's his name?'

'Jack.'

'So is he someone special?' she asked, excitedly. Mum found it incomprehensible that I hadn't had a boyfriend yet.

I knew it would make her happy if I answered yes but I wasn't sure what to class our relationship as. 'Its early stages but I do like him,' I replied.

'A lot?' she asked.

I cringed, 'Yes, a lot.' I tried to change the subject. 'Have you eaten yet?'

'Not yet, I was waiting for you,' she replied. She hovered over me, hoping to get some more information but I needed to sort things out in my head first before talking to her. I made myself busy by putting some chicken in a sauce and shoving it in the oven and then I put some rice in a pan to boil. Mum gave up and went to sit in the living room to watch TV. I felt a bit guilty but I wanted some space.

When we sat down for dinner, I turned the conversation to my father. 'I've been thinking about my dad recently and I just wanted to know whether you knew anything more about his background.' I said.

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, 'He did tell me he was an orphan so I don't think he knew much about his family. He was brought up by an aunt, called Odelia, who wasn't very nice to him.

I hesitated, if my dad was part Namu then maybe he had shown some of his abilities to my mum but I didn't know how to ask her this without her thinking I was mad. 'What made you go out with him?'

'He was very handsome and there was something different about him compared to the local boys. He was very sensitive and he often knew what I was going to say before I said it. I think you get your sensitivity from him,' she replied.

So my father must have kept his abilities hidden from my mum, if he was aware of them at all. I thought about my own abilities. If Jack hadn't come along, I would be in the dark too. I knew I had always been sensitive about other people's feelings and I could sense an atmosphere as soon as entered a room but now I could link it to being part Namu. I tried to remember any situations in the past that might indicate I had special abilities. I couldn't think of any. It was beginning to dawn on me that Jack was the catalyst.

I spent the rest of dinner, distracting Mum from asking any questions about Jack. I asked her about work and about Trevor and she happily chatted away.

After dinner, I escaped to my room, relieved that I had avoided her questions for now.

12

As promised, Jack met me off the bus from school. When he put his arm around me, I felt the now familiar jolt of electricity run through me. I could tell everyone was staring. Zac and Ed looked surprised. In contrast, Gemma was practically jumping with excitement and I knew she would tell me off later for not filling her in properly. She had asked me a million questions on the bus about the day before, but as I wasn't sure how Jack was going to be with me, I had being fairly quiet on the subject.

Jack walked me to my tutor room, 'I'll see you at break,' he said, kissing me on the forehead. I felt blissfully happy as he left and not quite as dizzy as I had yesterday. Maybe my body was adjusting to the effect he had on me.

I went into the tutor room and sat beside Gemma and the rest of the gang. Will looked a little hostile but I couldn't do anything about that. As Mr. Byatt started the register, she whispered to me, 'Why didn't you tell me you were going out?'

'I'm not sure we're going out,' I whispered back.

'He seems pretty keen, meeting you off the bus. Are you meeting him later?'

'Yes at break time,' I said.

'What happened yesterday? The truth.' She pressed.

I tried to relay our walk up the mountain without telling her too much about what we actually talked about.

'Did he kiss you?' she asked.

'Yes,' I replied.

'Good,' she replied. 'It's about time for you. I knew you couldn't be an ice-queen forever.'

'What do you mean?' I asked, indignantly.

'You know, never showing an interest in anyone even when the boys are practically begging.'

'I think you might be exaggerating things,' I replied, feeling confused, trying to remember any instances where boys had asked me out. There was only Will as far as I could tell, but I had cut him off before he even got to the question.

'I'm not,' she whispered. 'They're just too afraid to even approach you.'

I willed the morning lessons to pass. It was double Physics and I sat by Rachel as usual. Mr. Cartwright was talking about electromagnetism, so I tried to concentrate as I didn't find it easy. Despite my efforts, my thoughts kept wondering back to Jack and when the lesson finished, I found him waiting for me outside the door. He looked unbelievably beautiful, leaning against the wall and when he smiled at me, I couldn't believe that this amazing boy was interested.

He put his arm around me. 'Let's get some space.'

We walked across the playing field to the far side. I leaned against a tree and he put his arms out on either side of me. I looked up into his blue eyes and I could see there was a conflict there, but then he leaned into kiss me gently. His lips felt soft and gentle and I could my whole body tingle with electricity again. He moved back, smiling to himself.
'What are you smiling at?' I asked, steadying myself against the tree.

'My effect on you,' he said.

'There's no need to be so smug.'

He stroked my face, lightly, 'Don't be self-conscious. You have the same effect on me and I'm happy to admit it.'

'I thought you said that our relationship might be forbidden?' I challenged.

'I've decided it doesn't matter,' he replied.

I frowned, wondering what Zac and Ed thought.

He eyes smouldered, making my heart skip a beat, 'Did I say the wrong thing?'

'No,' I said, burying myself in is chest. He smelt so good, I wanted to stay there forever.

'We better get back now to class,' he said. 'But I'll see you at lunch.'

At lunchtime, Jack met me in the queue for sandwiches. I bought my usual cheese and ham sandwich on doughy bread and an apple juice but I didn't feel hungry.

'Do you want to introduce me to your friends?' he asked.

'Okay,' I said, feeling apprehensive. I would much rather have kept Jack to myself. Gemma and Will were already outside on the steps and I could see Anna and James walking towards them. 'Prepare for twenty questions.

We went and sat down beside them and I could feel the atmosphere change. Gemma was excited, Anna and James were curious and Will was positively unfriendly.

'Sorry, I don't think we've spoken before,' said Jack, switching on the charm, 'Can I sit down?'
'No problem,' said Gemma shifting along the steps to indicate there was plenty of room. She raised her eyebrows at me.

'Where were you before you came to Higham?' James asked curiously.

'I've been at boarding school. My parents are diplomats so they've always travelled a lot.' He explained.

This was the second time I had heard this story but I suspected he was lying. Perhaps he would tell me the truth later.

'What's boarding school like?' James continued.

'Less freedom than here,' Jack said, which seemed to meet everyone's approval. I sighed with relief. Jack was clever enough to say what people wanted to hear.

'Enough of the twenty questions,' I said. 'I was thinking it's my birthday next Saturday, does anyone want to go for drinks at Johnnies?'

Will jumped on the new topic, 'Johnnies sounds good. My brother works behind the bar so we'll be able to get some cheap drinks.'

'Are you going to come, Jack?' Gemma asked slyly. I could tell she was trying to judge the seriousness of our relationship.

I looked at Jack to see his reaction but he just smiled. 'Of course, if Kate wants me there.'

I nodded. 'Of course I want you to come. Do you think Ed and Zac might want to come too?'

'They're a bit anti-social but I'll ask them.'

Anna and Gemma looked at me meaningfully. Ed and Zac never went out with us or anyone else.

At the end of school, Jack was already waiting for me outside in his car.

'Where are we going?' I asked.

'Same place.'

'Okay.'

'There are some more things I want to show you,' he said.

'Are Zac and Ed alright about you telling me things?' I asked.

'They don't mind you knowing about them but they're worried about what I've started.'

'What have you started?' I asked.

'They think that I'm storing up problems for later.'

'Why?' I said, biting my lip.

His faced darkened. 'If it wasn't for me, you would be none the wiser.'

'You mean I wouldn't know who I was,' I stated. 'That's rubbish because the gypsies told me not you.'

'It's more than that,' he said.

'What do you mean?'

His voice was pained when he answered. 'They're just reminding me that it might not necessarily work out between us. If you're more human than Namu then we can't be together.'

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach and turned away.

He took my hand and brushed his lips against it. When he spoke his tone was apologetic. 'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. That's why I'm bringing you here to develop your abilities.' He paused as if deciding whether to say more.

'What have my abilities got to do with it?' I asked looking back at him.

He watched me carefully as he spoke, 'I have a particularly strong energy field even for a Namu so I'm more dangerous.'

'So you're different to Ed and Zac?'

'Yes.' He hesitated. 'I think I draw your innate Namu powers out.'

'Is that why Ed thought I was normal?' I asked, recalling Jack's conversation with him on the first day.

He nodded his head. 'Unless, you can protect yourself from my energy field then we can't be together.'

'But you think it's possible, right?' I asked.

'Yes,' he said. 'Otherwise I wouldn't have taken it this far.'

'Okay,' I replied.

'Anyway, what did your mum say last night?' he asked.

'She wanted to know whether I was seeing you,' I said.

'What did you say?'

I hesitated, trying to work out what his reaction would be if I told the truth. 'I said that I liked you but it was early stages.'

He took my hand and muttered, 'Early stages.'

We pulled up in the same spot, we'd driven to yesterday and the car park was deserted as before.

'Come on,' he said.

As we climbed, I asked questions. 'Are your parents really diplomats?'

'Not exactly.' He smiled. 'My parents are high up in the Namu organisation, which is based in London. When we reach a certain age, we do two years army service and that's why I'm here in Higham.'

'Army service?' I asked. 'Why would you need to do that?'

'Unfortunately, not all the Namu are good people. There are some that believe that they should be allowed to control humans. The army's job is to keep tabs on them.'

I paused trying to take in everything he'd told me. I didn't like to imagine Namus controlling people's minds. 'Why are you in Higham?' I asked.

'You may have seen in the news that some girls have disappeared without trace. We think their disappearance is related to some renegade Namus. I'm here to investigate as part of my duties but I need to keep my cover as a Higham student.'

I realised he had lied about his family as well and it made me feel vulnerable. He knew everything about me but I knew so little about him. 'Ed and Zac are not your cousins then?'

He looked slightly ashamed. 'No, they're part of my cover here.'

'Will Ed and Zac have to do army service too?'

When he spoke, his voice was guarded, 'No, they're not old enough yet.'

I looked more closely at him to see whether I could tell his age. 'How old are you?'

He hesitated. 'How old do you think I am?'

'I thought you were seventeen or eighteen like the rest of us but you're older aren't you?'

'Will you be upset, if I say I'm quite a bit older?' he asked.

'Are you?'

He looked at me, trying to assess whether he would get a negative reaction. 'I'm twenty-seven.'

I spluttered, 'But you don't look that old.' I looked at his beautiful face. There was no sign of ageing at all, yet he did behave as if he was older.

'The meditation delays the ageing process,' he replied.

'Really? Do you think it will work on me?' I asked.

'You don't have to worry yet.' He laughed. 'But I don't know whether it's possible for you.'

I wasn't happy with that answer but I could hope.

Jack held my hand as we continued our walk up to the mountain path. Electric currents flowed through my body and I kept stealing glances at him as we made our way through the ferns. After a while, we came to the edge of a clearing and the branches cracked under our feet as we made our way to the centre. We sat down under a large oak tree and Jack leaned his back against the trunk. With his chiselled features, he looked like a model. He pulled me towards him and kissed my hair as if it didn't matter. I looked up into his eyes and touched his cheek with my fingertips to check he was real, before running one finger over his lips. He jerked backwards.

'Did you not like that?' I asked, dropping my hand quickly.

'No, I liked it too much,' he growled. 'But I think we better start on the meditation now.'

Jack instructed me to close my eyes and to focus on my breathing. I did this for a while and I could feel my racing heart, gradually slowing.

'Now open your eyes,' he said. 'Can you see the energy field around you?'

'Yes,' I replied.

'I am going to push my energy field towards you,' he said. 'But I want you to try and stop it.'

I watched the yellow glow surrounding Jack gradually spread towards me but although I tried to stop it merging with mine, it became entwined. I felt a floating sensation and suddenly I felt I was above my body.

'Focus Kate,' Jack commanded and he pulled his own energy field back towards him.

'I'm trying,' I replied as I felt myself grounded in my body again.

'Let's try again,' he said.

This time, as his energy field came towards me, although I felt it join with mine, I did not have the same out-of-body experience.

'You're not exactly blocking my energy field,' Jack said.

'I'm doing the best I can,' I replied with a hint of annoyance.

He pulled his energy field back and we tried again but I still could not block him.

'Why don't we try something different? Maybe if you can't block me, we could try the opposite. Let's try sending a message to each other.'

'Does that mean you'll be able to read my mind?' I asked with some reluctance as I wasn't sure that I wanted Jack to be able to know everything I was thinking.

'Not quite. You have control over what you want to say to me. Imagine the words in your head and the project them towards me. Start with a simple phrase first.'

I tried to think of something to say and then I formed the words in my mind, 'I don't think I can do this,'

'You just did,' he replied and rather than hearing his words, I saw the words one at time, form inside my head. I looked at him in surprise.

I visualised some more words. 'This is so strange.'

His reply slowly appeared in my head. 'It can be useful sometimes. You should be able to communicate with me like this from a distance, if you ever need me.'

Jack stood up, holding his hand out to help me up. When he spoke again, it was aloud. 'What's your father's name?' he asked.

'Henry Ayres,' I replied. 'Do you think you could help me find him? I believe he lives in London.'

'I haven't heard of him but maybe I can use my connections in London to help you find him.'

'I've got some telephone numbers that might help,' I said, feeling hopeful.

'It will be a start,' he replied. 'I'm going to London at half-term to see my parents. If you want, we could go together and follow up on some leads.'

'Is that a good idea? Won't they be concerned about our relationship?'

'They trust me.'

We walked back to the car and I felt weighed down by the dual worries of finding my father and meeting Jack's parents.

'What's the matter?' Jack asked.

'Nothing,' I replied.

'If you're worrying about my parents, don't. They'll like you.'

'How do you know they'll like me?' I asked.

He took my hands and turned me towards him so I was facing him. His expression was earnest and I felt butterflies in my stomach, 'Because they'll be pleased I've finally met someone.'

His readiness to introduce me to his parents made me feel guilty. I wasn't sure I wanted him to meet Mum yet. I knew she would make a big deal out of our relationship. 'Okay, I'll stop worrying about it.' I lied.

'Good,' he said, leading me down the track. 'Let's discuss your birthday. Is there anything you want?'

'No, it's fine.'

'A surprise then,' he said.

'Just get me something small,' I panicked.

His eyes twinkled. 'Agreed.'

When we arrived home I didn't want him to leave. 'My mum's on a late shift today, so she won't be back until 9pm. Do you want to come in?' I asked.

'Yes,' he replied.

As we stepped into the house, I looked around, hoping there wasn't too much of a mess. I ran around picking up some dirty mugs and plates and threw them in the sink. I watched as Jack sat in one of the large wooden kitchen chairs. He looked impossibly beautiful as his elbows rested on the table with his elegant hands clasped together. I found it hard to believe that he was here in my kitchen. 'Do you want a drink?'

'Water would be good,' he said.

I got us both a glass of water and sat down with him at the table. 'You can stay for dinner, if you like. Do you like pizza?'

'Sounds good.' He smiled. 'Why don't you show me some of the contacts you have for your dad in London.'

I pulled up the saved page on my phone. 'I've narrowed it down to two numbers. I'd like to just see who's living there before I say anything. It's too difficult to say much over the phone.'

'I can certainly track down the addresses. If you show me a photo of your father, I'll ask a friend to see if there's anyone living at them that looks like him.'

'Thanks,' I replied gratefully. It was going to be much easier to search for my dad with Jack's help. 'I've only got one photo of my father so please can you keep it safe.'

'Don't worry. I don't need to take it. Once I've seen the photo, I'll send an image of it to my friend in my mind.'

'Right,' I said, wondering how long it would take me to get used to the Namu abilities.

He smiled. 'You might be able to do it yourself, if we practise every day.'

'Is that what we're going to do then?'

'Yes, if you don't mind. I thought we should practise as often as possible.'

My stomach did a flip. 'I don't mind at all.'

'Good, I'll pick you up every day after school then.'

'Except when I have a cinema shift.'

'Even then.'

'Are you sure?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Yes, that way I get to spend more time with you.'

'Okay,' I conceded. 'At least until I get my own car.'

'Agreed,' he said. 'Do you want me to teach you to drive?'

If he had the patience to deal with me, it would save me a fortune in driving lessons. 'We could try it.' I said uncertainly.

'I'm an excellent teacher so I promise there'll be no crashes. But maybe I will get another car for the lessons.' He smirked.

'I'm not going to be that bad,' I said punching his arm playfully.

13

I sat opposite Trevor and mum in Marcellos, while we started on dessert. The good thing about Trevor was that he was generous. He didn't make a fuss about what we ordered to eat, unlike some of mum's previous boyfriends. I decided to go for the chocolate indulgence cake as it was my birthday with vanilla ice-cream on the side. It tasted delicious and the rich chocolate melted in my mouth.

'Who are you meeting at Johnnies?' Mum asked.

'Oh the usual crowd,' I replied.

'What about Jack?' she asked.

I flushed red. 'Yes, I'm meeting him too.'

'Have fun but be careful.' She warned.

Trevor winked at me. 'Sarah, I'm sure Kate knows to be careful.'

'I'd like to meet Jack,' Mum said determinedly. 'Why don't you ask him to come around tomorrow?'

I twisted my fingers together. 'Okay.' I sighed. 'I'll see whether he's free.'

Trevor looked at me. 'Why don't you go now and meet your friends. Your mum and I might stay and have another drink.'

I was relieved to be given a pass to leave before the conversation got too heavy. It was easy to like Trevor sometimes. 'Thanks for the meal,' I said and then kissed Mum goodbye.

Johnnies was only five minutes away, so I strolled leisurely down the street. An arm grabbed me from behind and I immediately knew it was Jack as my body jolted from the electricity that came with every contact I had with him.

'You almost gave me a heart attack,' I chided.

He laughed. 'Hey birthday girl, don't be upset with me. I've been waiting to see you all day. Did you enjoy the meal with your mum and Trevor?'

'Yes, until the end, when my mum started asking about you.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Is that bad?'

'Not exactly, but she wants to meet you,' I groaned.

'I don't have a problem with that.' He smiled.

'I do,' I said quietly.

He looked at me quizzically. 'Why's that?'

'It's just that I'm not very good at hiding things from my mum and I'm afraid she'll guess there's something different about you.'

'I'm sure your mother is an intuitive woman but even so, she would have to have quite an imagination to guess everything.'

'I suppose so,' I replied.

Jack put his arm around me. 'Come on, let's have some fun.'

Johnnies was surprisingly busy and we made our way through the crowd to a table with Gemma, Will, Anna and James. Jack had been sitting at lunch with us regularly and they had got used to him being around although Will could still be a bit frosty with him. Jack didn't seem to mind though.

'Would anyone like a drink?' Jack asked.

The others put in their orders for drinks and I watched Jack go over to the bar. Zac and Ed had just arrived and I could see them walk over to Jack and start talking. I played nervously with my necklace. I knew they weren't really Jack's cousins but I still cared what they thought.

Anna's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. 'What did you get for your birthday, Kate?'

'Some vouchers for clothes,' I said.

'Has Jack given you anything?' she asked.

'Umm. Not yet,' I replied. 'I told him not to worry about it.'

'What's that?' Jack asked as he arrived back at the table.

'I was just asking Kate, whether you'd got her a present,' Anna said pointedly.

Jack smiled his heart-breaking smile and kissed me on my hair. 'Yes, it's for later,' he said, keeping his eyes on me.

'You'll have to tell us what it is tomorrow.' Anna beamed.

Jack turned to Ed and Zac who were still standing up. 'You all know Ed and Zac,' he said and the others quickly moved up to let them sit down.

'Ed, what do you think of Mr. Drayer in Business studies?' James said, sociably.

'He's alright but Mrs. Planter is so boring.'

I watched while Ed and James and then Zac and the others started chatting to each other. I didn't know why they had kept their distance from everyone for so long. Maybe it was too hard to keep up the pretence on a long-term basis but here they were making an effort.

Jack took my hand and whispered to me, 'Are you ready to go to London at half-term?'

'I haven't quite broached the topic with my mum yet.' I gulped, knowing that I had the dual worry of possibly seeing my father for the first time and meeting Jack's parents.

'You'll be fine.' He assured me.

Ed leaned over to me. 'So how's the birthday girl?'

I smiled at him shyly. 'Fine, thanks.'

He whispered in my ear, 'Jack's been telling us that you're a quick learner. I hear that you can move air and water and do some telepathy. Not bad for a beginner.'

'He says I'm a quick learner?' I asked in surprise.

'Yes,' Ed verified. 'Apparently, it's the blocking that's difficult for you.'

'That's a problem,' I sighed, knowing that if I couldn't master that, then my relationship with Jack was doomed.

'It's early days.' Ed reassured me.

'What can you do?' I asked curiously.

'I'm good at moving objects,' said Ed. 'But I can't do anything like Jack.'

I remembered what Jack had said about being a different. 'Are there many Namu like him?' I asked.

'No. He's exceptional but don't let him know I told you that,' he whispered. 'He'd get too big a head.'

I laughed. 'I won't.'

Jack butted in, 'What are you two whispering about?'

'I'm just giving her a bit of inside information on you and what a pain you are to live with,' Ed joked.

Jack grinned. 'Has he put you off me yet?'

I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder and holding his arm. 'Not yet, but the scales have tipped a little.'

Jack and Ed entered into an easy banter about living with each other and I decided I liked Ed after all. He had just kept his distance for obvious reasons.

The evening went well and everyone, including Will seemed to have fun.

When we got into Jack's car, he leaned over into the glove compartment and pulled out a small box.

'Your birthday present.' He smiled.

I took off the pretty butterfly gift wrap and opened the box. Inside was a gold bracelet adorned with various charms. One of the charms looked like the Namu symbol on my necklace.

'It's for luck,' he said.

'I love it,' I replied, fingering the different charms. 'But it must have been expensive.'

He held my wrist gently. 'Can't a man give his girlfriend a token gift on her eighteenth birthday?'

'I can never give you anything like this back,' I said, thrilling at his use of the word girlfriend.

He looked at me with exasperation. 'That shouldn't matter.'

I put the bracelet on my wrist and looked at it, taking one gift couldn't hurt. 'Thank you.'

Jack smiled and held my hand up to look at the bracelet on my wrist. 'It looks good on you.'

I leaned over to kiss him and as the electricity flowed through my body, I pulled him closer to me. I could feel his tongue parting my lips and I realised he was letting himself respond to me for the first time. Shivers of pleasure ran through my body as I felt his hand tilt my head upwards and then he drew back, looking into my eyes. I couldn't hide my disappointment as he held me there.

'You're driving me crazy,' he said.

'Not intentionally,' I replied.

He smiled, shifting his body away from me. 'I know. I just need to have more control. I better drive you home now.'

As Jack accelerated along the street, I debated whether I could make him lose control again. I had never seen myself in the role of temptress before. The thought made me stifle a giggle.

Jack looked at me strangely. 'What are you laughing at?'

'I don't know,' I replied. 'I guess I was thinking what would happen if you did lose control.'

His voice was serious when he answered, 'I thought we discussed this.'

'Not exactly,' I said.

He stared at the road ahead. 'Unless you can block my energy field, it's too dangerous.'

I raised my eyebrows, 'You don't know that for sure do you? If that was definitely true, there wouldn't be any part Namu children at all.'

He looked at me condescendingly. 'Kate, I'm not willing to take the risk. As I said, my powers are greater than most Namu and so the consequences could be worse.'

'Fine,' I said, deliberately looking out the window. I knew I was being childish but I couldn't help feeling annoyed.

Jack drove the rest of the way home in silence.

When he pulled into a parking space outside my house, I could feel the familiar panic rise inside me at being separated from him. It was like the strings that bound us together were being cut painfully each time.

'I'm sorry,' I said.

He took my hand in his. 'It's my fault, not yours.'

'I wish you didn't have to leave,' I muttered.

'It's not long till tomorrow,' he whispered in my ear.

'I know.' I sighed.

Jack kissed me chastely on the forehead and then I reluctantly got out of the car. I found my keys and then waved goodbye. I knew he would wait until I was safely in the house before leaving. When I got in, Mum was sitting on the sofa with Trevor, watching a film.

'Did you have a good night, love?' she asked.

'Yes, it was fun,' I said from the hallway, wondering how quickly I could make my way upstairs.

'Come here and let me give my birthday girl a kiss,' she said and I could tell she was a bit tipsy.

I walked over to her and gave her a kiss. 'That's a nice present,' she said, touching the bracelet. 'Did Jack get you that?'

'Yes,' I replied. 'I told him it was too extravagant.'

'As long as he doesn't expect too much for it,' she said.

I bit my lip. 'I asked him to come round tomorrow.'

'Good,' she said. 'Tell him to come for Sunday lunch.'

Sunday lunch was a long time. I hoped that Jack could handle it but he didn't seem fazed by most things. I wanted to get upstairs quickly so I diverted my mum's attention back to the film. 'What are you watching?'

'Oh, just a film about spies,' she said.

I waved at her and Trevor, 'I'll leave you to it. I'm going to bed now.'

'Night love,' Mum said and I watched Trevor press the play button for the film.

Once I was in my bedroom, I flopped on the bed in exhaustion. When I was with Jack, I often felt energised but as soon as he was gone, my energy levels seemed to drop. I traced over my lips with the tips of my fingers trying to remember how it had felt when he kissed me. A tingling sensation ran through them. But then I recalled how he had drawn away from me and how serious he had been about not letting things go too far. Would we be able to find a way to make things work? I didn't want to think about the possibility of us not being together. I got up to go to the bathroom, shaking the thought away.

14

I spent the morning doing my Physics homework with a growing sense of anticipation. Jack was coming for Sunday lunch at two and the hours seemed to stretch ahead. Mum said she had a night shift so I hoped we would be able to spend the evening together. At the back of my mind, I contemplated asking him to stay the night but I didn't know what his reaction would be.

Jack arrived on time, carrying some flowers and a box of chocolates. I could tell Mum was impressed.

'So how do you find living in Higham?' Mum asked over our roast chicken dinner.

'I'm enjoying it,' Jack replied, looking at me. 'I love the mountains and the countryside and I like living with my aunt and uncle.'

'Kate told me your parents are diplomats,' Mum said. 'That sounds like an important job.'

Jack smiled charmingly. 'Yes it is, but without nurses our hospitals would shut down.'

Mum was flattered. 'I guess so. I do like looking after people.'

'I'm sure you do an excellent job, Mrs. Palmer.'

Mum's laugh tinkled. 'Call me Sarah. I like to think that my strength is caring for people. Some of the newer nurses, don't like to get their hands dirty but I don't mind lifting the patients and cleaning them up. Did you know Kate wants to be a doctor?'

'Yes, I'm sure she'll make an excellent doctor,' Jack said smoothly. 'She's always getting good marks at school.'

Mum spoke to Jack conspiratorially as if I wasn't there, 'Kate has always worked hard. Sometimes I think she just needs to have a little more fun.'

'Mum, please,' I groaned.

Mum ignored me, 'I hope you'll be able to bring Kate out of herself a bit.'

'I'll try,' he smiled.

After lunch, Jack and I escaped for a walk. 'I think you were a hit with my mum,' I said.

'It helps that I can influence her mood,' Jack replied.

'Do you try and charm everyone?'

'I don't bother with everyone,' he said. 'Your mum and friends matter to you, so I want to make a good impression. I don't think your friend Will likes me much. He has a bit of a crush on you.'

'You noticed,' I said, feeling guilty.

'I don't blame him. I'd probably dislike anyone you were seeing.'

'I think you're a little biased.'

He wove his fingers gently between mine, leaning in to kiss me on the lips. I could feel my heart accelerate. 'I don't think its bias.'

He was more careful than the previous night and he stepped back before things got too heated, letting my arms go.

As I steadied myself against a tree, I remembered our trip to London. 'I hope I make as good an impression on your parents, as you made on my mum.'

'You will. They'll love you,' Jack said confidently.

We meandered slowly into the woods with our fingers interlinked. The ground was covered in red, orange and yellow leaves and the sun shone through the trees. There was something about autumn that I loved. After the hectic pace of summer, autumn felt calm and relaxing.

'While we're here, I thought we should try something new,' Jack said.

'Okay,' I agreed.

'I'm going to create a whirlwind with the leaves and I want you to try and block them coming towards you. I won't do it too hard to start with. I just want to see whether you can stop it.'

'Okay,' I replied, trembling a little at the thought. 'I'll stand over here.'

I watched Jack gradually whip up the leaves on the ground in front of him until they were twisting round and round like a small tornado. The leaves started moving towards me and I knew I had to stop them. Using my mind, I focused on pushing the air in front of me outwards so that it prevented the leaves getting any closer. I could feel the leaves pushing against my defensive wall of air but with equal force, I pushed backwards. Jack laughed and the leaves fell to the floor. I let my concentration go and the air rushed back around me, blowing my hair and clothes out.

Jack smiled approvingly. 'You're getting much better. I think you should practise when I'm not around. You need to see whether you can do it without me here. I was the catalyst for your abilities but I think now you might be able to use them on your own.'

'Do you think so?' I asked.

He nodded encouragingly. 'Yes, I do. I want you to be able to protect yourself when we go to London.'

I raised my eyebrows sceptically. 'I have been to London before.'

'When you went to London before, you were not visiting your father.'

'Why does that make a difference?'

'My friend did find your father,' Jack said, passing me a piece of paper with an address. 'I should warn you, he's not in the best shape.'

'What do you mean?'

Jack shifted uncomfortably. 'He's a drunk, Kate with a reputation for violence.'

I felt a little sick. I am not sure what I'd expected my father to be like but I had not expected this. My mum had always described him as sensitive and caring. 'Are you sure it's the right man?'

'He looks like the photo you showed me but seventeen years older.'

'It must be him then,' I said glumly.

'I can go with you if you like.'

'I should probably talk to him alone,' I replied.

Jack looked unhappy. 'If your dad has even some Namu powers, he could be dangerous.'

'I'll be okay,' I said stubbornly.

'It's your decision. I'll be driving you there anyway so even if I don't come in, I'll be outside.'

When we arrived back at the house, I knew I didn't want him to leave. 'You could come back here tonight,' I said nervously. 'My mum's got a night shift. That is, if you don't already have plans.'

'I've no plans.'

'We could watch a film.' I continued, feeling my mouth go dry. 'And maybe you could stay the night.'

'You're asking me to stay the night,' Jack said, raising his eyebrows.

'Only if you want to.' I blushed.

'Isn't it the man who's supposed to push for that?' he asked, wryly.

'Apart from that being totally sexist, I didn't think we would really do anything. But don't stay if you don't want to.'

'I want to,' he said with intensity and then in a lighter tone he added, 'As long as you behave yourself.'

I scowled. 'You should be so lucky.'

'Good,' he said and the sides of his mouth twitched. 'That's settled then. What time shall I come?'

'Nine? My mum will have left by then.' I said, calculatingly.

Evening came and I let Jack in, feeling a mixture of guilt and excitement. We settled in the living room and he let me select a film. Fortunately, he seemed to like what I had chosen. An action adventure set in the future. It felt good relaxing on the sofa, with his arms around me. Half way through there was a steamy scene between the two main characters. I looked round to gauge Jack's reaction, but his eyes remained firmly glued on the screen. Nothing suggested he was affected by it apart from the fact that he shifted away from me slightly. I remained still, pretending I hadn't noticed but I could feel my temperature rising.

When the film ended, he kissed me lightly on the head. 'That was good,' he said. 'Especially for a girl's choice.'

'What do you mean for a girl's choice?' I asked indignantly.

'I thought you'd choose a romance.'

'You don't like romance?' I asked.

'I prefer action.' He smiled. 'So are you going to show me your bedroom?'

'I'm not sure I want to if you prefer all action and no romance,' I teased.

'I promise some romance.'

I took his hand and led him up the stairs to my bedroom, feeling stupidly shy.

'I like your mural,' he said as soon as we entered the room.

'I painted it last year. It's supposed to be like a Chinese painting of leaves and flowers.'

'It's good,' he said.

'Thanks,' I replied, feeling happy that he liked it.

I lay down on the bed trying to look seductive. Quietly, he lay down beside me with his hands behind his head. I ran my fingers over the stomach and his muscles tensed. He slowly turned on his side, pulling my hand towards his back and gently kissed my lips. I remembered his words yesterday and I didn't want to appear desperate so I held back, hoping he might kiss me harder. But I was disappointed.

'You better get ready for bed,' he said passing me my pyjamas that were laying on a chair beside the bed.

'Okay,' I sighed. 'Stay there. I'll be back.'

'I'm not going anywhere.'

I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly. I removed the little makeup I had on with a face wipe and looked in the mirror. The best thing about my face was my dark eyes but my lips were a little thin. I shrugged; I was never going to look as good as Jack. I pulled off my clothes and eased myself into my comfortable blue pyjamas. I laughed inwardly at the concept of being any sort of temptress and then walked back to my bedroom.

When I returned, Jack was lying on my bed, looking like a model in a photo shoot.

'You've got an eclectic mix of books,' he said, flicking through one of my books.

'I guess so,' I said, self-consciously sitting next to him on the bed.

'It's interesting you should have this book,' he said and I realised it was a book I'd bought over the summer on Buddhism.

'The meditation is a lot like what the Namu do to gain powers.'

'Maybe, I had an intuition I was really a Namu.'

'Possibly.' He laughed quietly, wrapping his arms around me.

I lay my head against his chest, absorbing the smell of his t-shirt. He lay back on the bed, pulling me towards him and I closed my eyes. I wanted to stay awake to enjoy him being here, but I could feel myself losing consciousness as he pulled the duvet over me.

I woke up on Monday morning to the sound of the alarm clock beeping. As I rolled over, I remembered that I had fallen asleep in Jack's arms and with a start I opened my eyes. He wasn't in the bed so I looked around quickly hoping he hadn't left. With a sense of happiness, I saw he was sitting in a chair by the window, with the sun lighting up his face.

'How long have you been awake?' I asked.

'A while,' he said.

'You should have woken me,' I said.

'No, you were tired,' he replied, 'Anyway, I like watching you sleeping. You look very peaceful.'

I laughed nervously and walked over to him. He pulled me towards him and I curled up on his lap, while he kissed my hair. I felt light and happy lying there. Suddenly I remembered Mum, 'Where my mum?' I asked in panic.

He smiled. 'Don't worry; she's in bed. I think she was tired after her shift. I better go home and change before school.'

I took in Jack's dishevelled hair and creased t-shirt. He looked as gorgeous as ever, maybe more, but not ready for school.

'Okay, I better start getting ready too.' I said suddenly feeling self-conscious.

He noticed. 'You look beautiful,' he said, kissing my lips briefly before quietly leaving.

I hummed the melody of song I'd heard on the radio as I got ready for school. Mum often stayed at Trevor's one night mid-week and one night at the weekend. Along with her night shifts, I could imagine plenty of nights that Jack would be able to come over. And next time, I wouldn't fall asleep so quickly.

15

I'd debated many times what to wear to London. In the end, I had opted for some smart blue trousers, a white top and navy cardigan. I'd also packed a small overnight bag because Mum had agreed that I could stay at Jack's parents' house the night. I'd questioned Jack whether he had used his powers of mind control to get his own way but he had just smirked and said it was his charm. Mum hadn't let me escape completely scot-free though and the night before I was due to leave, she had given me a chat about being careful and contraception.

I felt like a nervous wreck when I got in Jack's car but he held my hand most of the way to London. We had agreed that we would visit my father first to ensure he was in as according to Jack's friend, he didn't go out until the evening.

We didn't arrive in Cricklewood until late afternoon because it had taken us five hours to drive there, even at Jack's speed. The street my father lived in consisted of a row of run-down terrace houses. Old fridges and mattresses sat outside many of the houses and yellowing lace curtains hung from most of the windows, obscuring the insides. My father lived at number 32 Dilkey Road, which looked even more run-down than the other houses, with its one boarded up window.

As I got out of the car Jack said, 'I'll be outside if you need me.'

I rang the doorbell and stood waiting outside the door, clasping my arms around me tightly. After a few minutes, I turned away, with a mixture of disappointment and relief but then my father opened the door. He looked like his photo but with greying hair and an angry expression on his face.

'Who are you?' he asked.

'I've come a long way to meet you,' I replied. 'Do you mind if I come inside?'

'Why?' he asked.

'I think it's better to tell you sitting down.' I said nervously.

He narrowed his eyes and his voice was gruff, 'Okay, young lady, you can come in. But you better explain yourself quickly.'

He led me down the dirty hallway to a small living room where the smell of beer and whiskey permeated the air. He sank onto a brown velvet sofa with a rip in it and pointed at a wooden chair opposite for me to sit down. I sat down on the edge of the chair, not wanting to touch anything. The coffee table was covered in beer cans and stubbed out cigarettes.

I decided there was no point delaying the truth, 'I think I might be your daughter.'

He laughed in a deranged way and then looked at me more closely. I watched his expression change from amusement to incredulity and then finally to realisation. 'You look like me,' he spluttered.

'Yes,' I gulped.

'But how? Who's your mother?' he asked in surprise.

'My mother is Sarah Palmer. You met her when you lived in Higham and you gave her this,' I said, pulling out the Namu necklace hidden beneath my cardigan.

He nodded in recognition. 'I didn't know she was pregnant. Did she try to contact me?'

'She wrote you a letter,' I said.

His voice was tinged with regret. 'If she did, I never got it.'

I wanted to ask him whether he knew he was part Namu but I didn't know how to broach the subject. Instead, I made small talk. 'She's a nurse now,' I said.

'Sarah was always the caring type,' he replied ruefully and then as if remembering me, he asked 'What's your name?'

'Kate,' I replied.

'Kate,' he repeated. 'Nice old-fashioned name. So what do you think of your old man? Not much I reckon. I wasn't like this when your mum met me.'

I waited not sure what to say in response.

He continued angrily, 'I wanted to keep in contact with your mother but when I came back to London, I started hearing voices in my head.'

'You heard voices in your head,' I said encouragingly, hoping he'd tell me more.

'The doctors said it was schizophrenia and then they sent me for tests.'

'What did the tests say?' I asked.

'They were inconclusive. I was taken to a hospital for observation but eventually, they let me out and I've been on the booze ever since.'

'You can read people's minds?' I asked, feeling my pulse quicken.

'The alcohol stops the voices,' he said. 'I bet you think your dad's a weirdo, don't you? You see, you're best off without me.'

'Have you heard of the Namu?' I asked.

'The word seems familiar,' he replied. 'But I don't know what it means. Oh yes, I remember hearing it at the hospital when I was undergoing tests.'

I stored that piece of information for later. Maybe Jack would be able to tell me more about the hospital. 'The Namu have special abilities, including being able to read people's minds. Maybe you're not really crazy,' I said.

He started laughing unpleasantly. 'That's priceless.'

'I have some abilities too.' I argued.

'That's a pity.' He grimaced. 'It's not great hearing voices.'

He didn't believe me and I suddenly felt foolish. It became more urgent that he understood what I was saying. 'I know it's a lot to take in. I found it hard to cope with at first too. But surely it explains the voices.'

He hurled one of the beer cans at the wall and I jumped, watching the yellow liquid splatter the wall. 'Some fairy story about superheroes with special abilities cannot explain my illness.'

My voice was faint when I replied, 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.'

'I think it's best you go now, don't you,' he said in a harsh voice.

'It was nice to meet you,' I murmured, knowing that I'd ruined it. 'I'll show myself out.'

I watched him gesture for me to leave and then I left, with tears pricking my eyes.

Jack rushed out of the car as soon as I stepped outside of the house, putting his arms around me. 'What happened? Are you okay?'

I brushed the tears from eyes. 'It didn't go well.'

He kissed my forehead. 'It was never going to be easy. Come on, let's get out of here.'

As I got in the car, I looked back at the house and I thought I could see the shadow of my father near the window.

'It was going okay and then I messed it up,' I groaned.

'Why do you think it was your fault?' he asked.

'He started saying that he could hear voices in his head, and then, I told him I had some abilities too and he got angry.'

Jack frowned. 'Is he aware he's part Namu?'

'That's what I was trying to find out,' I said. 'But he didn't know anything about the Namu, although he did say he had heard the word when he was in hospital under observation.'

'He was in hospital under observation and they mentioned the Namu?' Jack asked.

'That's what he said,' I replied.

'I better tell my parents about this.'

It took us another hour to drive through the London traffic to Kensington and it was dark by the time we arrived at Jack's parents' house. They lived in a large white Edwardian house, with iron balconies at each window. The house overlooked a square and there was a feeling of quiet and space, even in the middle of London. I steeled myself as I made myself up the steps with my small overnight bag.

A beautiful woman, with blonde wavy hair came to the door. 'Hello, you must be Kate,' she said warmly.

I looked at her, wondering whether she was Jack's sister, she looked too young to be his mother but I could see the family resemblance. 'Hi,' I said shyly.

Jack introduced me, 'This is my mother.'

I tried not to show my surprise. I remembered what Jack had said about the Namu ageing slowly when they meditated. I knew my mother looked young but Jack's mother looked like she was thirty at the most.

'You're thinking I look to young to be his mother,' she said.

'I did think you would look a little older,' I verified, feeling my cheeks flush.

'I'm Helen,' she smiled. 'I'll go and finish the dinner, while you settle in.'

As Jack led me upstairs, I took in the sumptuous surroundings, the cream carpeted wide staircase, the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the large landscape paintings on the walls. When I entered the bedroom, I gasped. The whole room had the feel of a forest. Two walls were painted in trees and the carpet was the colour of grass. One wall was covered in books and CDs and the fourth wall had a large window looking out on a large oak tree. In the middle of the room was a large four poster, wooden bed covered with floating, translucent green chiffon.

I looked at Jack, 'Is this your room?'

He nodded at me, 'I hope you don't mind but I thought we would sleep here.'

'It's amazing. It's like you're in a forest.'

He smiled. 'That was my aim. It can be a claustrophobic living in London but this makes me feel like I've escaped.'

I went over to the large bookshelf. 'You've read a lot,' I said.

'I've had lots of time to,' he replied. 'Apart from my Namu training, I haven't had anything else to occupy me.'

'What do you mean?' I asked, not fully comprehending.

'Until you came along, my life consisted of training and various Namu duties. The Namu keep away from ordinary humans generally.'

'Don't you socialise with other Namu?' I pressed.

'Sometimes but we're a very small community so it's not all the time.' He gestured for me to come closer. So I walked towards him and he pulled me onto his lap. My heart rate quickened as he gently kissed me on the lips. I had a feeling that I was floating upwards and then he stopped. 'When we get back to Higham, I won't be able to spend as much time with you. There are some duties I should be carrying out that I've been neglecting recently.'

'What duties?' I asked, not wanting to give up any time I had with Jack.

'I need to track down the missing girls. That's why I was sent to Higham.'

I knew I couldn't argue with this but I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice, 'I understand.'

Jack held me closer. 'I'll still stay with you every night I can after I've carried out my duties,' he promised.

'Okay,' I replied with relief. We had got into the habit of him staying over whenever my mum was on a night shift or at Trevor's, which was increasingly frequent.

Helen's voice called his name.

'Come on, we better go downstairs and have dinner now,' he said.

I blinked. 'Yes, your parents must be waiting.'

When we went into the dining room, Jack's father was setting the table for dinner. He looked young too but what caught me by surprise was that he had the same blue eyes as Jack. He came over and shook my hand, 'Nice to meet you Kate. I'm Richard. Sorry I wasn't here earlier, I had a phone call from the office.'

There was something about Jack's father that immediately put me at ease. He seemed to emanate kindness and acceptance. 'It's good to meet you to,' I replied and meant it. I felt a warm glow inside me and wondered why.

Jack smiled at me. 'Dad has the special ability to make everyone feel at ease.'

'That's why I feel so relaxed,' I replied.

'He'll be able to ask you anything he likes now and you'll feel happy to tell him,' Jack said.

'It's not quite like that,' Richard protested.

Jack raised his eyebrows. 'Isn't it?'

'Hopefully it won't matter. I don't think I have any secrets.' I smiled.

Helen entered with a tray of vegetables and started laying them out on the table. 'Do you think you can bring up the salmon, Jack?' she asked. 'I hope you like salmon, Kate.'

'Yes, I love it,' I replied.

Jack and Helen disappeared to the kitchen and I was left with Richard. 'Please take a seat,' he said, pointing to one of the chairs around the large mahogany table. 'So Jack tells me you are part Namu.'

'Yes, I didn't realise until Jack came along. He seems to have activated my powers.'

He looked at me as if trying to work me out. 'It must be very strange for you to suddenly realise you have abilities.'

'I'm getting used to it.'

'I hope you're not interrogating the poor girl already,' said Helen as she entered the room with the rest of the food.

'Just asking a few questions, that's all,' said Richard.

Jack looked at me questioningly as he sat down beside me. 'Are you alright?' He mouthed.

'I'm fine,' I whispered.

Richard defended himself. 'All I was saying is that it must be a bit of a shock to suddenly find out the world is not as ordinary as it seems.'

'Why is there so much secrecy surrounding the Namu?' I asked.

'There aren't many Namu and if ordinary people found out about us, who knows what they might do. It's possible that governments might want to use us for their own ends,' Richard replied, indicating for me to help myself to food.

'That makes sense,' I said. 'But Jack said there are bad Namu out there who pose a danger to ordinary humans. Shouldn't the police know about them?'

'I'm sure Jack has told you that we have our own Namu army. We deal with rogue Namu ourselves. The police would be able to do very little against someone with our abilities.' Richard replied.

I thought about Jack setting fire to some leaves just with his mind and I realised how ineffective the police would be against any Namu. 'I see what you mean.'

Jack butted in to the conversation 'Dad, we went to visit Kate's father today before we came here. I think he's half-Namu but he doesn't know it. He told Kate that he was hearing voices and he went into hospital for a while. When he was in there he heard people referring to Namus. Do you know anything about this?'

'No, we don't take people into hospital and observe them,' Richard replied slowly.

Helen looked at Richard in alarm. 'Do you think Silas has anything to do with this?'

'Maybe,' said Richard.

'Who's Silas?' I asked.

Richard sighed, 'He's what we call a rogue Namu. He went out on his own twenty years ago because he couldn't abide by the rules of our community. We don't have many rules but one of them is that we don't try to control or cause harm to humans. Silas wasn't able to keep to this rule and he consistently used his powers to control people. He also had a fascination with interbreeding between the Namu and humans, which we do not condone as the offspring can kill the mother. '

'Where's he now?' I shivered.

'We don't know but some reports suggest he's moved to the North of England to avoid us. He hasn't drawn attention to himself so we've seen no reason to find him. However, we are worried that the missing girls near you may be to do with him although he's not the only rogue Namu out there. That's why we sent Jack,' Richard explained.

'Do you think Silas might have taken my father in for observation?' I asked quietly.

'If your father mentioned hearing the term 'Namu' in hospital then it's likely he was amongst Namu. There are very few people who know about us.'

'The gypsies know about you,' I said. 'They were the ones who gave me the clue as to who I am.'

'It's true,' Jack said to Richard. 'It seems they haven't forgotten us.'

Richard raised his eyebrows, 'That's interesting.'

'When I go back to Higham, I'll see whether anyone has seen a man who looks like Silas.' Jack said.

'That's a good idea,' Richard replied. 'We'll follow up any leads from here too.'

'Okay, now that business is settled. Let's eat up.' Helen sighed.

I realised the conversation had got very serious and that it was my fault. 'Sorry, if I asked too many questions,' I said.

'You haven't, Kate.' Richard replied. 'It's unsurprising that you want to know more about the Namu. We were unaware that your father was half Namu but now we are we will offer him some kind of support.'

'Thanks,' I said gratefully although I was unsure how they would be able to help him.

Helen changed the subject to something lighter. 'Jack tells me that the countryside around Higham is beautiful. We've always wanted to visit the Lake District but not managed somehow.'

I looked at Helen in her perfectly tailored dress suit and wondered if she liked walking. It was hard to imagine her in some walking boots but then it was difficult to imagine that she had Namu superpowers either. 'You should visit. It's a beautiful place.'

'Oh, Richard and I love walking.' Helen said surprising me. 'We'll have to come while Jack is based in Higham.'

'You should come before the winter otherwise it can be a bit cold on the mountains,' I said.

She smiled. 'We're very busy at the headquarters at the moment but maybe in the Spring, if Jack's still there.'

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. It occurred to me that if Jack did find the missing girls then he would probably be sent somewhere else.

Jack sensed my mood and took my hand in his under the table. 'What's happening at the headquarters?' Jack asked.

Helen's voice was serious when she answered, 'We're dealing with a few Namu that have arrived from Eastern Europe. They don't seem to have the same ideals that we have so we've been having discussions to keep them on our side. We don't want them to join Silas and the other rogue Namu. We've got enough problems with them as it is.'

Jack squeezed my hand. 'I told you my parents were diplomats, just not in the traditional sense.'

'Would you like some raspberry cheesecake?' Helen asked.

'Sounds great,' Jack replied and I nodded in unison.

Richard helped Helen take the dishes to the kitchen, while Jack and I had a moment alone. 'It's quite political being a Namu. There are different factions amongst us.' Jack said apologetically.

'It's no different with humans,' I replied.

'Yes, that's true,' he mused. 'But I feel I'm bringing you into something you weren't prepared for.'

'You're right, I wasn't prepared for all these Namu abilities but I feel happy I've got them. If they'd come out in me later like my dad without you around, I might have been freaked out.'

Jack's voice sounded relieved, 'I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried you'd resent me for introducing you to the Namu community.'

'Not at all,' I replied and my eyes flicked to a photograph of what looked like a 5-year old Jack and a 7-year-old girl, who looked like him. I pointed at the photo. 'Is that your sister?'

'Yes, that's Imogen,' Jack said. 'She's in Peru at the moment travelling.'

'What's she like?' I asked.

'She's a little restless but maybe that's because she's a navigator.'

I looked more closely at the photo of the little girl to see whether there was any indication of a restless personality there but all I could see what a cute blonde girl with green eyes, 'What's a navigator?'

'A navigator is someone who can find anything once they know what they're looking for. They don't need maps or compasses; they just have an instinct that draws them to where they want to go.'

'You said your dad can alter people's moods but what can your mum do?' I asked.

'Mum can be very charming and persuasive, which is very useful in her work.'

'You're family is extraordinary,' I said.

'We have more abilities than most Namus but there are others like us,' Jack replied.

Helen walked in carrying the cheesecake with Richard close behind with a platter of fruit. They laid the food on the table and Helen started dishing up large portions of cheesecake with dollops of ice-cream. I thought that if I stayed at Jack's house long, I'd probably get fat although it seemed to have no effect on Jack's parents or Jack.

'Has Jack told you he's a bit of an artist,' Helen said.

'No,' I replied.

'After dessert, you should take Kate to the studio,' Helen instructed Jack.

'Okay,' replied Jack.

'You have a studio here?' I asked.

'Yes, it's in the attic at the top of the house,' Jack replied.

'What are you studying at school?' Helen asked.

'All the sciences,' I replied.

'Kate wants to be a doctor,' Jack said.

'That's a worthy profession.' Helen smiled but I could tell she was thinking about something else because she looked at Richard briefly as if they were sharing some unknown secret.

'My mother's a nurse, so I've spent a lot of time in hospitals,' I said, trying to justify my choice.

Richard looked at me and I felt a sense of ease and well-being surround me again. 'Perhaps the desire to heal people has been passed down then,' he said but I felt he was trying to saying something more.

Jack got up. 'Let's go to the studio now.'

Jack led me up three flights of stairs to a large attic room at the top of the house. There was a smell of turpentine and oil paints as we entered the room. Large dormer windows filled the room with light and then I saw the canvases dotted around the room.

The canvases showed pictures of forests, mountains and waterfalls done so expertly that you felt you were there. As I walked around the room, I lifted up the cloths covering many of the canvases to find more stunning pictures of scenery. 'Is there no end to your talents, Jack?' I asked.

He laughed and pulled out a sketchbook from one of the drawers. 'Have a look at some of my drawings.'

I flicked through the sketchbook, impressed by all the drawings of scenery and Jack's family. They were so lifelike but then half way through I gasped. There seemed to be endless drawings of me. I looked at Jack trying to understand.

His voice broke through my thoughts. 'I dreamt about you before I met you. That first day when I saw you, it was as if you were an apparition from my dreams.'

'You didn't show it,' I stammered.

'I couldn't believe that the girl from my dreams was real and then you did that thing with the flame. It must have been some kind of premonition.'

'Fate,' I said, trying to absorb the idea that he had dreamt about me before we met. I was pleased. If we were meant to be together, it couldn't be dangerous like he said.

He pulled me towards him. 'In my dreams, you were always really far away so I couldn't reach you. Now I have you, I don't think I'll let you go. Does that frighten you Kate?'

'No, it makes me happy,' I replied.

16

'You should take Kate to the Namu headquarters today, before heading back to Higham,' Richard said as he spread jam on his toast at breakfast.

'Do you think that's a good idea?' Jack asked.

'I can't see that it will cause any problems if you introduce her as a prospective trainee.' Richard turned to me. 'Would you like to see what we do there, Kate?'

'I'm definitely curious.' I smiled, helping myself to another croissant.

As we drove to the Namu headquarters, I recalled how Jack's parents didn't seem nearly as worried about our relationship as Jack. They had even hugged me goodbye and told me they hoped to see me soon.

'What are you thinking?' Jack frowned in frustration.

'I was thinking how your parents seem quite open-minded about our relationship.'

'They know that I want you and they trust my decision.'

'Why do you not trust it?' I asked.

'Because I don't want to hurt you and things may not work out the way I want them to.'

I looked at him sadly. 'You're always worried about me getting hurt but I'm not that fragile.'

He voice was stern when he replied, 'You've seen what I can do so there's no point talking about it.'

I folded my arms in annoyance. 'Okay then.'

'Don't be cross,' he pleaded and lifted my hand to his lips to kiss them. A surge of electricity flowed through my body and my anger seeped away. I maintained a defiant silence but I could see the corners of his mouth rising in a half smile.

Jack parked his car in the underground car park of the Namu headquarters. It was a modern white office building with nothing to draw attention to it. I supposed that was deliberate. Jack plugged in a code into a keypad to enter the building and we arrived in the marble foyer where two security guards sat behind a large desk, surrounded by monitors.

As we approached, one of the security guards smiled. 'Good to see Jack. I see you've brought a friend?'

'Yes, this is Kate. I'm going to show her round so she can see what we do here. She's thinking of training as a Namu soldier,' he lied.

'No problem, Jack. Just get her to sign in.'

I signed my name in the visitor's book and they produced a security pass for me, which I hung round my neck.

'Are they normal security guards or Namu?' I whispered to Jack as we passed them.

'Namu security guards. They need to have special abilities in case we're invaded by rogue Namu.'

We took the elevator to the second floor and Jack led me down a long white corridor leading to rooms on either side. Glass doors and large windows allowed you to see inside. There were students dressed in black martial arts uniforms training in every room but they were not distracted by our presence. I stood for a while looking through a window, watching the students practise their throws, before Jack nudged me on.

As we passed another room, I peered through the glass door at the racks of different weapons. A man who looked about fifty gestured for me and Jack to come in and Jack nodded in agreement.

'A possible Kodo recruit,' Jack said neutrally. 'I'm showing her around.'

The lines around the man's eyes creased in an amused way. 'Sure she is Jack. Do you think I was born yesterday?'

Jack smiled sheepishly. 'Sorry, Cedric. I forgot who I was talking to. This is Kate.'

Cedric pulled out a sword from the weapons rack and handed it to me. 'Here have a go with this,' he said. 'Take a few swipes at the dummy.'

I looked at Jack in confusion but he nodded to me to go ahead. Looking at the plastic dummy, I started swiping the air around the dummy. The sword began to make a buzzing noise and I noticed it glowing yellow. I decided to hit the dummy with it to see what would happen but instead of the clash I had expected to hear on contact, the sword just sliced right through it.

'The dummy is an illusion and that's an energy sword,' Jack said. 'It's more powerful than an ordinary sword because it absorbs your Namu energy.'

'That's amazing,' I said, slicing through the dummy again with the sword.

'She's more Namu than not,' said Cedric.

Jack's voice was hopeful. 'You think so?'

'Yes, I believe she can be trained to create shields. I know that's why you're here,' Cedric replied.

'I'm going to take her to the shield room,' Jack said.

Cedric patted Jack on the back. 'Good idea but don't expect it all to happen at once.'

Jack and I said goodbye to Cedric and made our way to the shield room.

'I wanted to show you this room,' Jack said. 'It's where we practise making shields. It's a virtual reality room. You step inside and you see things coming towards you but it's not real. I wondered whether it would help you practise your shields.'

'What do I do?' I asked.

'I'm going to put this helmet on your head and it will give you visions. When you're ready you press that button and it starts. If it becomes too much for you then you just press the button to stop it. You might feel like you're being knocked down so you need create a shield if you can. Try closing your eyes to start with and imagine that you have an energy force around your body, then push it outwards.'

'Okay,' I said nervously. 'I'll try. Where will you be?'

'Don't worry. I'll be waiting outside. Remember the things that you see coming towards you are not real.'

I watched Jack leave the room and I knew he was anxious for this to work. He smiled at me through the glass window. I looked up at the domed ceiling, which was like a planetarium. Don't be a coward, I told myself. I pressed the button and my vision blurred and then I was in a jungle. I could feel the humidity and a trickle of sweat ran down my back. I pushed back the ferns as I walked along and my heart beat anxiously. I heard a growl behind me and when I turned a lion jumped at me. I could feel panic rush over me but I told myself it wasn't real. I closed my eyes and tried to follow Jack's instructions but before I could imagine an energy shield, I was knocked to the ground. This virtual reality room seemed more than real. I opened my eyes in surprise but my stomach lurched as a gigantic spider dangled over me with its fangs protruding. Quickly closing my eyes again, I willed myself to create a shield. My body pulsed with energy and I pushed it out from my body. When I opened my eyes, I could see a faint yellow glow around my body. I'd created a shield. I pushed it outwards but it snapped back around me and the spider's fangs came towards me. I screamed and pressed the button to stop it. The image faded away and I was in a normal room again.

Jack ran into the room and grabbed me. 'It's alright. It's not real.'

'I know,' I said, shaking him off. 'It just felt real.'

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'Are you hurt?'

'Honestly, I'm okay,' I lied, although I could feel a bruise on my elbow.

'You created a shield.'

'Only for a moment before it snapped back,' I said, secretly pleased. I just hoped it was enough.

'It's a start. That means you can do it and with practice you'll get better.'

'Maybe I should try again.' I wasn't keen on replicating the experience but if that meant Jack and I could be together, then I didn't care.

'Not today. If I take you back to your mother covered in bruises, she'll start asking questions. I've got some ideas about how we can practise making shields back in Higham anyway.'

'Okay,' I said, feeling relieved.

In the car home, I fell asleep for a couple of hours. The experience at the Namu school had exhausted me. When I opened my eyes, we were almost half way home.

'Sorry, I've been asleep for ages. Are you tired?' I asked.

'I'm okay,' Jack replied. 'I was thinking about ways to practise shields.'

'What are your ideas?'

'I could try throwing some knives at you.'

'Are you joking?'

'It might shock you in to creating a shield.'

'I'm not sure it's worth the risk.'

'I'm very accurate. It will be like the knife-throwers you see at a circus.'

'Really?' I asked.

'Yes, trust me.'

'Okay,' I said, feeling a little cowardly. 'If I can create a shield, does that mean we can be together?'

He paused. 'Do you understand the consequences of us being together?'

'I thought that if I could create a shield, it wouldn't be dangerous.'

'We wouldn't be able to have children together Kate. You need to think about that.'

'I don't care about having children,' I said. Other girls cooed over holding babies but they didn't do much for me.

'You might change your mind when you get older.'

'I won't.'

'There are other problems too.'

'What?' I asked and I could feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. 'Do you not want to be with me?'

He touched my leg. 'Believe me; I want to be with you Kate. I just want you to be aware of what that means.'

'I don't think you'll change my mind,' I said.

'I'm a Namu soldier, which means I may be called away for months at a time.'

'Can't I come with you?' I asked.

'You can't give up everything to follow me and when you're around.' He paused, without finishing the sentence.

'What?' I asked angrily. It felt like he was pushing me away with a load of excuses.

'When you're around I'm weaker because you pull my energy towards you.' He explained.

It didn't make me feel happy to think I was like a parasite, draining his energy away. 'Is there some way, you can stop it?' I asked.

'I don't know,' Jack replied. 'We can work on it.'

'There must be some way to deal with it,' I said desperately.

Jack changed the subject. 'Do you want to drive?'

'What now?' I asked. 'Isn't that a bit dangerous?'

'Don't worry, I'm going to pull off onto a quieter road. And if there's a problem I'll stop you in time,' Jack replied.

'How will you stop me?'

'I'll guide the car remotely.'

'Can you do that?'

'Yes,' he said with certainty.

'Okay then,' I replied.

Jack drove on until we got to the junction for a quieter road. He pulled in at the service station for a rest. We both bought paninis from Costa to eat but while Jack ordered a coffee, I had a mango frappe. We sat on a table next to the window and I sank back into the cosy chairs. Jack started explaining how to drive by drawing diagrams on a piece of paper.

'I'm not sure I'm going to learn this way,' I protested. 'Get me in the car and show me.'

'Okay.' He shrugged.

I bit into my Panini and sipped my frappe. 'Do you know that normally when I stop at a service station, my mum brings pre-made sandwiches? Eating at an outlet is luxury.'

Jack laughed. 'I'm not sure Costa is the high life but I'm glad it's a treat anyway. We'll have to go out for dinner in Higham. I've obviously been neglectful.'

'I don't care about eating out,' I said, weaving my fingers through his. 'I just want to be with you.'

We got back into the car and he showed me the clutch, accelerator and brake. We had a few drives round the car park and then we headed out onto dual carriageway.

'You can go faster than 50mph, Kate.' Jack laughed.

Nervously, I pushed down on the accelerator with my foot and the car speeded up.

'Overtake this lorry,' Jack said.

'How do I do that?' I asked.

'Look in your mirror to see what's coming behind and then if there's space, indicate to go out.'

'Okay,' I said, following his instructions. Soon I was cruising down the outside lane. It felt scary and exhilarating at the same time.

'You're a quick learner,' Jack said after a while.

'Am I?' I replied.

'Or maybe I'm a good teacher. Pull in at the next junction and I'll take over again. Otherwise, we'll never get home.'

'I'm going quite fast,' I said indignantly.

'Not fast enough for me,' he said.

But I was relieved to pull in at the next junction and relax for the rest of the journey.

'I've got some stuff I need to do tomorrow,' he said.

'What stuff?' I asked.

'I need to find those missing girls.'

'Right, of course,' I said. I felt sick at the thought of being separated from him but I knew that I was being selfish if I didn't let him go.

'Don't worry I'll be back tomorrow evening.'

'Okay,' I said, hiding my disappointment. 'I've got a shift at the cinema tomorrow afternoon anyway.'

'What time does it finish?'

'Eight.'

'I'll pick you up then.'

'You don't have to.'

'I want to,' he replied.

17

Jack dropped me home and as soon as I walked through the door, mum looked at me expectantly. 'So how did it go with your dad?'

I felt a lump form in my throat as I remembered my father's reactions. 'Not that well.'

'Why? What happened?' she asked.

'He's an alcoholic now,' I said, knowing I had to leave out the part about hearing voices. 'We talked but then he got angry. He said he didn't know you were pregnant.'

'Did you say I sent him a letter?'

'Yes, but he didn't get it. He was in hospital around that time.'

My mum seemed surprised. 'Oh. Maybe his aunt threw the letter away.'

'Maybe,' I said.

'Are you okay?' she asked, hugging me.

'Yes, it wasn't all bad,' I choked. 'He said he liked my name.'

She gave me a squeeze. 'That's something. By the way, I'm making chicken stir fry tonight. I know you like that.'

'Thanks mum.' I said, taking a seat at the kitchen table while she got the chicken out of the fridge. I knew she wanted to ask more questions.

'What does he look like now?' she asked.

'He's the same as in the photo but older. look like him.' I acknowledged. I didn't want to tell her that his clothes were dirty and he stank of booze.

'What else did he say to you?'

'He said you were very caring but that's about it.'

'He said that did he?' she asked. 'Anyway, what was it like meeting Jack's parents?'

'They were really nice,' I said, glad that the conversation had turned away from my father.

'What's their house like?'

'Big.'

'I expected so.'

'Why do you say that?'

'Come on, Kate. I'm not born yesterday.'

'I guess Jack does have a nice car.'

'He also speaks well.'

'True.'

'I like him,' she said. 'I just want you to be careful because you're young and things don't always last at your age.'

'I will be,' I said and I could tell she was satisfied that she'd said enough.

I watched her add the pre-packaged vegetables to the chicken and fry them up. I flicked through the newspaper. Another girl had gone missing. She had dark hair and perfect features. All the girls that had gone missing were beautiful. She had mysteriously disappeared at a concert. I wondered if it was really rogue Namu taking all these girls.

I got up to lay the cutlery and plates out whilst mum served the stir fry.

'You've forgotten the forks,' Mum said.

'Sorry, I was a bit distracted. Are you at work tomorrow?'

'Yes and then I'm going to Trevor's house for dinner. Is that okay?'

'Yeah, no problem.'

'I thought you might be seeing Jack anyway.'

'Yes, he's picking me up from work.'

'Great,' she said.

'I'll probably chat to him later anyway.'

'You teenagers never get off your phones,' she said.

'It's our generation.'

'As long as you don't forget your homework,' she said.

'I won't. In fact, after dinner, I've got a physics homework to do,' I said.

'I know. You always work hard, Kate. I'm glad I've never had to worry about you on that score. I was talking to Jenny Oliver this week and she's having problems with Oscar. He's retaking some of his GSCEs but she keeps getting letters home about non-attendance. Do you see him at school?'

Last time I'd seen Oscar he hadn't even said hello. 'Sometimes but we're not in the same classes.'

'Maybe you should keep an eye out for him.'

'I'm sure he'd really appreciate that,' I said sarcastically.

'I know, I know. I probably shouldn't interfere,' Mum said.

I finished the rest of my dinner quickly. 'I think I'll go and do my homework now.'

'Okay,' she called as I ran upstairs.

18

Gemma called me on the phone on Saturday morning. 'What are you doing today?'

'I've got a cinema shift at 4 but not much else,' I replied.

'Oh, I thought you might be with Jack.'

'He's got some things to do today.'

'Do you fancy coming to the market with me to buy some beads then?'

'Okay.' I agreed. I quite enjoyed going to the monthly market in the town centre. It was good place to buy anything alternative as Higham's shops were pretty limited.

I met Gemma at the market at eleven and we browsed the stalls together. She grilled me about my trip to London but there was so much I couldn't explain that I could only answer her briefly. I was pleased I'd agreed to meet her at the market so I could distract her.

'Those beads look nice,' I said.

'Yes and they're cheap,' she replied. 'I thought I'd get a good price here.'

'Have you sold any bracelets?' I asked.

'A few to people at school. I've been watching some tutorials on youtube and I've got some new ideas. It'll look good when I apply for fashion school.'

'You should take pictures of everything you make,' I said encouragingly.

'And you can model them for me.'

'Count me out,' I groaned.

'Come on Kate, I won't take your actual face. Just your wrist and neck.'

'Okay,' I conceded, secretly hoping it was a passing fad and then I wouldn't have to model at all.

A familiar voice shouted at me across the market, 'Kate!'

I turned and saw Tas standing next to a stall selling trinkets. 'Hi Tas, what are you up to?' I asked.

'Oh selling this and that. We've got to make a living some way.'

'I like this,' I said, fingering a wooden sculpture of a horse.

'I made that,' he said proudly.

'Wow. That must have taken ages.'

'Not that long,' Tas replied.

'I wouldn't know where to start. My friend Gemma is the creative one,' I said, nodding at her. 'She wants to be a fashion designer.'

'Yeah, I'm here to buy beads,' she said. I could tell she was itching to get on.

'You go ahead,' I said. 'I'll catch you up.'

I watched Gemma wander off to look at more stalls.

'So you didn't fancy coming back to visit?' Tas said.

'I've been a bit busy,' I replied, feeling a bit ashamed.

'Did my grandma tell you anything useful?' Tas asked.

'She was right about a few things,' I said. I hoped not everything, remembering how she'd paled when she looked at my hand.

'We're having an art and crafts open day next weekend. Fancy coming? Tas asked. 'I could show you how to do some wood carving.'

'Yeah, sure. That sounds fun. Can I bring some friends?'

'No problem.'

'Right, I better get back to Gemma. See you soon!'

'Bye,' he said.

When I caught up with Gemma, she had finished buying her beads. 'Fancy going to an arts and crafts day at the gypsy site next week?' I asked.

'Okay, although I didn't think that was your thing normally,' she said.

'I kind of said I would go to Tas.'

'Careful, Kate. Jack might get jealous.'

'I don't think so. Tas is way too young for me and it's an arts and crafts day.'

'You may think it's nothing but Tas might have other ideas. Did you tell him you have a boyfriend?'

'No because he's a friend,' I replied.

'Okay,' she said, raising her eyebrows.

I rushed outside after my cinema shift and saw Jack's car pull up beside the pavement. He opened the door and I got in. It made me feel lighter as soon as I saw him.

'How's your day been?' he asked and he kissed my lips. My heart raced faster. I wondered if he would always have this effect on me.

'I went to the market to buy beads with Gemma.' I said leaving out the meeting with Tas although there was no reason to. 'How was your day?'

'My uncle told me that a silver van had been seen before each of the girls went missing and a guy with a goatee was driving it. It sounded like Damien, one of the rogue Namus so I've visited as many petrol stations as I could today to look at their CCTV footage. It looks like he was heading to the border of Scotland and then I lost the trail.'

'It sounds painstaking. You must be tired.'

'Yes, but I'm getting closer so that's good.'

'Why can't the police pull him in?'

'A silver van and a man with a goatee is not much to go on for them but if you know what you're looking for it's different.'

'Right,' I said, feeling a little in awe. I hadn't seen the investigator side of Jack before.

'Anyway, let's get you home. Have you had dinner yet?'

'No but mum's at Trevor's house tonight so you can come around earlier.'

'Great. Why don't I get us a takeaway? Do you like Chinese?'

'Sounds good.' I said as I really couldn't be bothered to cook.

We stopped off at the local Chinese and we ordered duck and pancakes and chicken chow mein for two. I tried to pay half but Jack stopped me.

'It's not fair if I don't pay,' I said. 'I've got my job at the cinema.'

'Save that money for driving lessons or university. I've got this,' he said firmly.

'But I can't let you pay all the time.'

'Kate, you've seen where I live. Money isn't an object, so let me treat you a bit.'

'Okay,' I conceded. 'But it won't be like this forever.'

'I like the fact that you say forever.' He smiled, brushing his lips against my forehead. I could feel my whole body tingle with pleasure. I slowly moved my hands up his shirt at the back, wanting to pull him closer.

Jack pulled away and whispered, 'You'll give the man a heart attack. Sit down and read a magazine.'

I laughed and picked up a celebrity magazine with a photo of Zac Efron on the front entwined with a girl on a beach. 'I wish we could go on holiday together,' I said. 'Somewhere hot.'

'You think your mother would let me take you away on holiday?' he asked.

'I don't know. She's quite liberal and she likes you.'

'She might like me but allowing me to take you on holiday is another thing. But I'll work on it.'

'Your takeaway is ready,' the owner said, grinning at me.

Jack picked the takeaway up and put his arm around my waist possessively. As soon as we were out the door he said, 'That's why you shouldn't put your hands up my shirt in public.'

'What do you mean?'

Jack opened the car door for me and before I knew it was accelerating off. 'That old guy was looking at you.'

'That's disgusting.' I grimaced.

'Not surprising though,' Jack said. 'By the way, I've got to do some more investigation tomorrow.'

'That's okay,' I said. 'I've got a gypsy arts and craft fair I want to go to.'

'Why are you going to that?' Jack asked.

'You know that's kind of where I found out I was Namu,' I answered.

'Be careful. The gypsies can be unpredictable.'

'They've always been really nice to me,' I said indignantly.

'So far,' he replied. 'They've never been very keen on us Namu.'

'Why's that?'

'They have their own powers and we have occasionally stopped them from using them in the wrong way. Let's say they see us as policemen.'

'You are in a way, aren't you?'

'I prefer to see us as peace-keepers.'

'I guess it's a matter of perception.'

Jack looked at me darkly, 'Supernatural powers can be dangerous if not deadly.'

'Okay, I get it,' I said, smiling inwardly. This was obviously not something he could be teased about.

'After dinner, I want to practise some telepathy again but from a distance,' Jack said as we arrived back at my house.

'Really?' I asked. 'Do you think I'll be able to do it?'

'I don't know,' he replied. 'But it can be useful in certain situations.'

I went to the kitchen and got some plates out. The smell of the duck and hoisin sauce made my mouth water as I opened the packets. It made me smile that Jack was already so familiar with the kitchen that he knew where to find the cutlery. As we sat down to eat, I felt I could get used to this.

'What are you smiling about?' Jack asked.

'I'm enjoying the moment. You, the food, having the place to ourselves.'

Jack interweaved his fingers through mine, 'It's important to enjoy the moment. Sometimes it's too easy to waste time worrying about the future.'

'I don't think I worry as much as you,' I said, taking a bite of my duck pancake.

'That's because you have the naivety of youth,' he retorted.

'I thought you were saying that not worrying was a good thing.'

'I was but I can't help thinking about how to keep you safe.'

'Don't. I'll be fine,' I said, helping myself to some more chicken chow mein.

'I hope so,' he said, raising an eyebrow.

I started eating, savouring the taste of the chicken.

'I love the fact that you enjoy your food,' Jack said.

'Why?' I asked.

'So many girls are fussy eaters.'

'Not a problem I have. Let's hope I don't get too big.' I joked.

As we finished our meal, Jack said, 'Are you ready to do some telepathy?'

'Definitely,' I replied.

'Okay, go into the other room and I'll try to send you a message.'

'You think I'll hear it?' I asked sceptically.

'You need to close your eyes and relax first. Try focusing your attention on your breath and when you're ready, imagine receiving a message. Keep your mind open. We'll start there.'

I walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. Closing my eyes, I focused on my breath. I already felt relaxed so I kept my mind clear but open. I waited, bringing my thoughts back to my breath, every time my mind wandered. Jack's voice suddenly came into my mind, 'Kate, write down the number 9723.' I found a pad and pen and scribbled down the number, before running back to the kitchen.

'Is this the number you said?' I asked excitedly.

'Yes.' He smiled. 'It worked. Now we just have to see whether you can send a message to me. Leave me the pad and pen and see what you can do. Keep your mind relaxed and imagine broadcasting a message to me as if it's a radio signal beaming outwards. If your mind wanders, focus on your breathing.'

I hurried back to the living room and tried to relax again. It was more difficult this time as I felt excited and my mind kept wandering back to Jack's voice in my head. I started counting my breath and eventually found myself unwinding. I imagined sending a message out from me like a wave. 'Jack, it's me. Write down the word 'super',' I said silently. I repeated the word 'super' insistently over and over again.

After a few minutes, Jack came in. 'Did you say this?' he asked, passing me the pad with the word 'pur' on it.

'Not quite,' I said. 'I was trying to send you the word "super", as in supernatural being.'

'Oh right,' he said. 'I didn't get that.'

'I'm obviously better at receiving messages rather than sending them,' I said, despondently.

'We've got plenty of time to practise,' he said, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me upstairs.

I wrapped my arms around Jack's neck, forgetting my disappointing telepathy skills almost instantly. As he lay me on the bed, I reached my hands up the back of his shirt. 'Can I do this in private?' I asked, pulling him towards me.

Jack pressed his body against me, 'I suppose so although it does kill me.'

'Why does it kill you?' I asked.

'You know why,' Jack said huskily.

An electric current rippled through my body as he pressed against me. 'I don't want you to hold back,' I whispered.

'I know, which is why it makes it harder,' he said, kissing me on the lips, before flipping over onto his front and burying his head in the pillow.

I rolled towards him and kissed his neck. 'We can just hold each other,' I said.

Jack looked at me. 'For the moment.'

19

Gemma and I arranged to go to the arts and crafts day at the gypsy camp at midday. There were stalls with all sorts of crafts dotted everywhere in the field and lots of people milling around. Guitar music and drums played in the background while Gemma and I wandered through. A large intricately decorated wooden fire grate caught my eye. The pattern seemed familiar and it was made of petals and leaves. I remembered seeing something like it at my grandmother's house before she died.

'So you came.' Tas smiled, coming up to us.

'I said I would,' I replied. 'What's do you recommend we look at?'

'You might be interested in the jewellery making. That's a girl kind of thing isn't it?' Tas grinned.

'Gemma's thing more than mine but I'll have a look.' I smiled.

'We've got some basket weaving and wooden carving going on too.'

'What are you doing?' I asked.

'I'm supposed to be making leather bags and wallets at the moment. But I crept off to say hello to you.'

'You better get back then.'

He shrugged. 'Yeah, I guess so. Come and have a look on your way round.'

'I will,' I replied as he ran off.

As I walked around, Runi called to me.

'Who's that?' Gemma asked.

'It's the woman who read my fortune last time I came.'

'Did she get anything right?' she asked.

'She was pretty good,' I replied. Remembering how she had given me the information I needed to realise I was part Namu. My stomach felt a bit sick when I recalled that she had told me I was in danger but I tried to shrug it off. Maybe she had mistaken Jack for danger and I knew he wasn't dangerous.

'Cool,' Gemma said. 'Do you think she'll read mine?'

'Maybe,' I said, smiling. 'Come with me and we can find out.'

'Hello Kate, how are you?' Runi said.

'Good thank you,' I replied. 'My friend Gemma here would like her fortune told.'

'It's ten pounds,' Runi said.

'Kate said that you're good,' Gemma said, sitting down.

Runi turned the palms of Gemma's hand over. 'You'll meet a tall, dark stranger,' she said. 'But be careful, he may lead you astray.'

Gemma laughed. 'That sounds like fun.'

'I see you moving into the arts and leading a very carefree life,' Runi added. 'Are you artistic?'

'I want to be a fashion designer,' Gemma replied.

'I'm not sure whether you'll be a fashion designer but I can see lots of creativity in your future. And you will have three children.'

'Three sounds a lot,' Gemma said.

'They will be special,' Runi said in surprise.

'Special in what way?' Gemma asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

'Special in a good way but I can't tell you anymore,' Runi replied, dropping Gemma's hands.

Gemma looked a little spooked as she fumbled to get ten pounds out of her purse.

Runi turned to me. 'I wanted to speak to you too. Last time I saw you, there was something I couldn't work it out. I know now what it is.'

'What is it?' I asked.

'You have some gypsy blood in you too.'

'Really?' Could I really be part Namu, part gypsy?

'Yes, it runs through you.'

'How can you tell?' I asked.

'There are some marks on your palms that suggest it,' she said, turning my hands over.

I looked at her incredulously. 'How much gypsy blood runs through me?' I asked.

'I'm not sure,' she replied. 'You will need to look at your mother's and father's blood lines. But once a gypsy always a gypsy. Remember we are here for you if you need us.'

'Right,' I stuttered. 'What does having gypsy blood mean?'

'Come back here another time on your own and we'll talk about it,' Runi said, nodding at my friend.

Gemma eyes flitted nervously between me and Runi. 'I think we should finish walking around now,' she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me away.

'Bye Runi,' I said. 'I'll come back soon.'

As we walked across the field, Gemma said, 'I wouldn't listen to that old woman. She's a bit crazy.'

I knew better but I also realised that Gemma was freaked out so I said nothing. We stopped at a stall selling jewellery and Gemma bought a bracelet.

'I'd better go and see Tas,' I said, walking towards his stall.

'Okay,' Gemma replied.

When we got to Tas' stall, he was trying to sell a leather wallet to elderly man who was asking endless questions about the workmanship.

I browsed through the bags as he answered the man's questions patiently. The man finally handed over some cash to buy the wallet and walked away.

'You were patient,' I said.

Tas shrugged. 'Yeah, we get a lot of people like that at these arts and craft fairs. They want to know how everything is made but they're not willing to buy much.'

'I can't say I've bought much either but Gemma did get a bracelet and her fortune read by your grandmother.'

'Has she been scaring people again?' Tas asked.

'Something like that.' Gemma smiled.

'I told Kate not to take any notice of her,' Tas said.

'She said I might be part gypsy,' I said.

'That explains it,' Tas said.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'You're hanging out with me aren't you,' he replied.

'I would hang out with you, gypsy or not,' I said.

'Yeah, but most people don't give gypsies the time of day.'

'That's because they're ignorant,' said a deeper voice that had the same intonations as Tas.

I turned round to see Kam, walk into the stall. He seemed too big for the space and he made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

'Grandma says Kate's got gypsy blood,' Tas said.

Kam looked at me up and down. 'She's got the dark hair and eyes.'

Gemma piped up, 'Maybe your father is a gypsy, Kate. You never know.'

'Possibly,' I said, trying to work out how he could be both gypsy and Namu.

I watched Gemma flutter her eyelashes at Kam. 'I'm Gemma,' she said. 'Do you make any of these wallets or bags?'

'No, I look after the horses,' Kam replied gruffly

'Can I see them?' Gemma asked.

'One of mares is in season as the moment. It's probably not a good idea.'

'My dad runs the stables at Higham manor so I've grown up around horses.' Gemma persisted.

'Well, if you know horses. I'll show you.' Kam said a little more softly. 'Follow me.'

Gemma followed Kam, while I stayed to help man the stall with Tas.

'Kam isn't usually welcoming to outsiders,' Tas said. 'Gemma is an exception.'

'I got that. Why are you so different?' I asked.

'Kam's had a few problems in the town when he's been out but I think that's more him than anything else. He's a bit uptight.'

I knew that some people in the town were unhappy with the gypsy settlement so I wasn't totally surprised. Maybe Tas didn't care. I liked Tas' attitude. I wished I cared less what people thought.'

'Do you go with Kam?' I asked.

'Sometimes he lets me tag along.' Tas said. 'But quite often the bouncers won't let me into the bars.'

'You do look young. How old are you?'

'Seventeen,' he said.

'Come on,' I scoffed. 'You can't kid me.'

'Sixteen,' he admitted.

'I thought that was how old you were.'

'How old are you?' Tas asked.

'Eighteen.'

'You're two years older than me then,' Tas said.

'Am I too old to be your friend then?'

'No,' Tas said, looking down. 'You're between my age and my brother's. That's all.'

'That's alright then,' I replied.

'Apart from coming to gypsy fairs and having your fortune told, what do you usually do?' Tas asked.

Gemma was right, I didn't want to give Tas the wrong idea. 'Meet up with friends, spend time with my boyfriend that kind of thing. We're going to a see a band next Saturday at the Cobblers arms. Although, that's more my friend, Will's idea.'

'What band are you going to see?' Tas asked.

'They're called the Manatees. I think they're some kind of Japanese rock band,' I replied.

'That's different,' Tas replied. 'Maybe I'll come. I love Manga cartoons.'

'I'm not sure that they'll be like a Manga cartoon just because they're Japanese.' I laughed.

'Still, it's worth a try.' Tas grinned.

'You should come then. We're meeting at the Cobblers Arms at eight next Saturday.'

'You don't think your friends will mind?'

'No, they won't care. In fact, Will loves new recruits to his music taste.'

'Okay, I'll be there then.' Tas agreed.

I heard Gemma giggling nearby. It sounded like she'd had a good time with Kam but I wasn't sure he was good news.

'Kate, Kam's been showing me Snowy. He's a real champion.' Gemma said. I watched her flirtatiously touch his arm. Gemma wasn't one for being subtle about her feelings but Kam seemed to be happy about it. His hard exterior seemed to soften around her.

'We better get going,' I said.

'Yeah, sure,' she said to me whilst smiling at Kam. 'See you soon.'

'I invited Kam to the Cobblers Arms next week,' she said as we walked away.

'That's weird. I asked Tas too,' I said.

'If you think Jack won't mind,' she replied.

'We're just friends,' I said pointedly.

'As long as he knows,' she said, arching an eyebrow.

'Do you think the others will get on with Kam?' I asked sceptically. 'Tas is kind of more friendly than his brother.'

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she said. 'Why would it be a problem for me to invite Kam, if you invited Tas. It's not like I have a boyfriend.'

'Sorry, I only meant he's quite aloof that's all but I'm sure the others will be fine with it.'

'Let's hope Jack is fine with Tas being there,' she said huffily.

'Forget I said anything,' I replied and we walked along in silence for a while.

'Kam is pretty hot, don't you think?' she asked, not able to hold a grudge for long.

Kam was tall, strong and brooding and I could see his appeal although he wasn't my type. 'Yeah, he's kind of ruggedly handsome,' I replied.

'He's kind of like a horse whisperer.' She grinned.

'A horse whisperer!' I laughed.

'Yeah, they're able to control even really wild horses. I always thought I'd like to meet someone who could do that.'

'Sounds like your perfect man,' I said.

'Possibly,' she mused. 'Not sure my dad would approve but maybe the horse thing might win him round.'

'Maybe.' I laughed, thinking of Gemma's father. He was a soft-hearted man who Gemma had wrapped round her little finger. I couldn't imagine he would deny Gemma anything.

20

'If you really want me to come to the Cobblers Arms, I can,' Jack said.

'No, go if you have to,' I said. He'd said that he would go to see the band with me and now he had to chase some lead.

'It's my job,' he said.

'What if something happens to me.' I pouted. There was part of me that felt guilty about making a fuss when there were girls missing but I couldn't help myself.

'You've got Gemma and the rest of the crowd with you. I'm sure you'll be fine,' he replied smoothly, pulling me close to him. I pushed him away so I could think.

'You know we've invited two friends from the gypsy camp.' I said, knowing that would get a reaction.

'Gypsies.' He paused. 'Maybe I should come after all.'

'Don't come just because they're coming,' I said.

Jack hesitated. 'Okay but be careful.'

I struggled with myself because I knew I was being selfish. 'I know you have to go,' I said, burying my head in his chest. He smelt intoxicatingly good. 'I'm sorry about being difficult.'

'It's okay,' he replied, tilting my chin upwards. 'I deserve it for the late notice. But let's not argue. We've got the rest of the day to enjoy. I need the cover of night before I can go.'

'Where are you going?'

'It's a house fifty miles North of here, where someone says they've seen girls being brought in.'

'Oh,' I replied. 'Are you going to be okay on your own?' I asked.

'I won't be. Ed and Zac are coming too. Come on, I want to try something new today.'

'What's that?' I groaned.

'It'll be fun, I promise,' he replied. 'Castlerigg stone circle isn't far from here and I've got an idea.'

We hiked up the path to the stone circle, which was deserted. Mist swirled over the surrounding mountains, obscuring the view and the sky was grey and heavy. I was pleased I'd worn my hooded jacket, hat and gloves, but I still felt cold.

'It's freezing,' I said.

'It's not that cold,' Jack smiled. 'I'll have to teach you a technique to get your circulation working.'

'My circulation is perfectly okay,' I said. 'It's normal to be cold. It's November.'

'I'm only trying to help,' he said lightly.

As we approached the stone circle, I felt a sense of timelessness, of being connected to the past and yet being in the present. The place seemed to hold an energy that made me feel almost euphoric and yet centred at the same time. Large stones rose from the ground, intimidatingly, eclipsing the mountains behind.

'So what are we doing here?' I asked as we walked into the middle of the circle.

'The stone circles are places of subtle energies that we can tap into,' Jack said.

'I thought that was a myth,' I replied, although I could sense the significance of the place intuitively.

'You think it's myth after all you've learnt recently?' Jack asked.

'Not really,' I conceded.

'This place was set up by our Neolithic ancestors and is aligned with the sun, moon and stars. It is an important spiritual site that can be used to restore our energy.'

'So how do we tap into the energy here?'

'If we sit on one of the ley lines, we'll be able to use the energy flowing through them to increase our own.'

'Wow,' I said.

'Then I want you to throw these knives,' Jack said taking three knives out of his pocket.

'What am I going to throw knives at?' I asked.

'Me,' Jack replied.

'Are you mad?' I asked.

'No, I'll show you how I avoid them and then if you want to swap round you can.'

'Is this about me making a shield?'

'Maybe.' Jack smiled.

'Okay, I'll give it a go,' I said warily. 'But where are the ley lines?'

'Close your eyes and focus on noticing any vibrations.' Jack said. 'The ley lines give off a high energy pulse that you should be able to detect.'

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. At first I could only hear the sound of my breath and the wind around me, but then I heard a gentle hum in the background. It was like the sound of static pulsing.

'Keep your eyes closed and hold my hand,' Jack said.

I took Jack's hand and walked towards the ley line. I could feel a pulsing yellow energy running through my body. 'Can I open my eyes yet?' I asked.

'Yes, open them now,' he said.

I looked at the grass beneath my feet and the sky above, 'It's amazing. It's like I'm connected to the earth and sky at the same time.'

Jack smiled at me. 'The more you experience it, the more you will feel it in everyday life. We are connected to the earth's energies all the time but sometimes we don't notice. Now let me give you these knives.'

I took the penknives from Jack apprehensively. 'I'm not a very accurate thrower,' I said.

'I'm going to stand over there along this ley line. The knives will follow the energy lines,' Jack said, walking towards the edge of the stone circle.

'So I just throw them at you?' I asked anxiously.

'Yes, go on,' he replied.

'I guess this is my way to get you back for letting me down tonight.' I joked.

He laughed. 'Yeah, view me as a dartboard.'

'Okay here goes,' I said nervously and aimed. Surprisingly the knife flew through the air towards his head in a straight line. I paled as the knife got nearer to him but it dropped to the floor inches from his face.

'How did you stop it?' I asked.

'Using a shield,' he replied. 'Go on, try again. Throw the other knives at me.'

I threw the remaining two knives at him but again they fell to the floor. 'I'm not sure I'll be able to create a shield that good,' I said.

Jack retrieved a ball from his pocket. 'In case, you can't, I've brought a squidgy ball instead. Not that it's as motivating as a knife coming towards you.'

I laughed. 'A squidgy ball definitely feels safer than a knife.'

'Are you ready?' he asked.

'Yeah, go ahead. I think I can cope with a soft ball hitting my head.'

His tone became serious. 'Focus on creating a shield around yourself, like you did before.'

'Imagine an energy force around my body and push it outwards,' I repeated.

'Right,' he said.

The energy from the ley line pulsed through my body, adding to my own energy and I pushed it out from my body. Previously, I had only seen a faint yellow glow around my body but this time it was more solid. 'Go on throw the ball then,' I said.

The ball hurtled through the air towards me but as it reached the solid yellow shield around me, it dropped to the floor.

'I did it,' I shouted ecstatically.

Jack smiled. 'Want to try with a knife?'

'Why not,' I said, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through me. 'My shield feels pretty solid. It's the ley line adding to my energy.'

'Okay, ready.' Jack threw one of the knives at my shield but it dropped to the floor before it hit me.

'It worked,' I said.

'I knew you could do it. Your shield is strong.'

'How can you see my shield, when I can't see yours?' I asked.

'Practice. I'm more tuned in than you are to the energies around people.'

'So do you think I can create such a good shield without the ley lines to help me?'

'Eventually,' he replied. 'It feels a slow process to you, doesn't it?'

'Yes,' I said.

'But, while we're here, we can take advantage of your improved shielding abilities.' He leaned against one of the large Neolithic stones and pulling me towards him.

I caught on slowly as he started kissing me. I could sense he wasn't holding back like he usually did and my whole body vibrated with energy and sensations I had never felt before. I pushed my hands inside his jacket, feeling the muscles in his back. He kissed me hungrily, weaving his fingers into my hair. And I felt jolts of electricity run through my body as his mouth kissed my neck and his hands ran down my back. I tugged at his shirt to loosen it and then he tensed.

'I wish I could be like this with you all the time,' he said.

'We could come back here,' I replied.

'I don't think, the middle of a field is the right place,' he said.

'Maybe not,' I said looking around for people. 'Although there's no one here.'

'We might frighten the dog walkers,' he said.

'I suppose so,' I replied regretfully.

He started to kiss me again but less fervently. 'We'll get there,' he said softly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

'I hope so,' I replied, tracing my fingers over his cheekbones.

'We better start making our way back before you corrupt me.' He smirked.

'As if.'

Jack became quieter on our walk back to the car.

'What are you thinking about?' I asked.

'I'm worried about leaving you tonight especially now you've told me those gypsies are going with you.'

'They're called Tas and Kam,' I said, warningly. 'And anyway, I forgot to tell you, I might be part gypsy. That old woman who gave me the clue that I was Namu, told me last time that I'm part gypsy too.'

'Did she?' Jack asked.

'Yes, so I'm kind of part of the clan now.'

'That answers some questions.'

'What questions?' I asked.

'You're only quarter Namu but your abilities are beyond what anyone would expect. It may be because you're part gypsy. Do you remember I told you the gypsies have special abilities running through their blood, like the Namu.'

I wondered whether Tas and Kam could do anything. 'Do all of them have special abilities?'

'Not all of them but there are some. The problem is that they are not always aware of what they can do because they're not trained in the way the Namu are.'

'I wouldn't know how to use my abilities if it wasn't for you.'

He ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. 'I hope you don't come to regret it.'

'Why would I regret it? It's cool to be able to do these things.'

'As long as no one realises what you can do, it will be fine,' he warned.

I thought back to the netball match when I inadvertently pushed the Brantock girl away from me and realised I needed to be more careful. The cold wind blew my jacket up and I pulled it around me protectively. We arrived back at Jack's car and I appreciatively got in.

21

A crowd of us gathered outside the Cobblers Arms. Will talked excitedly about the band, 'You know there only in the UK for one month and they're doing a gig here. That's pretty special you know.'

James smiled. 'So how well-known are they?'

'They've got a cult following amongst alternative rock musicians and they were the opening act for Nirvana on tour in the UK, a while back,' Will replied.

'You know you are a total music geek.' Anna teased.

'I do like my music,' Will said.

'Do you think Kam will come?' Gemma asked quietly.

'I don't know. I'm not sure it would be his thing,' I replied. 'I'm not sure if it's even my thing.'

I looked across the road and on cue, Kam and Tas' heads emerged from the darkness. 'They're here,' Gemma said, excitedly.

'Yes,' I said. I looked at Will, Anna and James, wondering how they would react.

'Hi, Kam, hi Tas,' I said as they approached. 'Meet Will, Anna and James. And if you don't like the band, blame Will.'

'Hey, what's not to like,' Will said.

'Okay.' Tas laughed.

Kam stood broodingly next to Gemma but she touched his arm and he seemed to relax.

'Let's go in then,' Will said, handing us our tickets.

The man on the door stamped our hands with a black ink skull and then we walked into the pub.

'Where's the band?' Tas asked.

'In the room at the end of the corridor but it's not time to go in yet.' Will explained. 'Let's get some drinks first.'

'Kam can you buy us some drinks if we give you the money?' Gemma asked. 'You're more likely to get served than us.'

'Alright,' he said, in a surly tone.

'Kam doesn't have to,' I piped up. 'I'm eighteen now.'

'You don't mind do you Kam.' Tas stated.

'No, I guess not,' he replied.

Kam took our drinks orders and money and then Gemma accompanied him to the bar. We found a corner of the pub to stand in as all the tables were full.

'Is that your boyfriend?' Tas asked pointing at Will who was chatting to Anna and James.

'No, that's Will. He's a friend. Jack couldn't make it tonight. He had a family thing to go to.' I replied, not wanting to explain why Jack wasn't there.

'If you were my girlfriend, I wouldn't leave you on a Saturday night,' Tas said.

'You would if your family needed you,' I said, remembering that I hadn't been that forgiving earlier.

'Then I would ask her to come with me.'

'What if her friends would feel let down.'

'I'm sure her friends would understand.'

'You're future girlfriend is going to have to be quite devoted,' I said.

'It's different in our culture,' Tas replied with finality in his tone.

'What are you saying about us?' Kam asked, returning with the drinks.

'That we expect certain things in relationships,' Tas said.

'What's that?' Kam said warily.

'You know. We expect our women to be there for us,' Tas said.

'What do you mean?' Gemma asked.

'If we had a family occasion, we would want them to be with us,' Tas said.

'That sounds reasonable,' Gemma replied.

'What if it means letting down your friends,' I pressed.

'Family stuff is kind of more important,' she said, smiling at Kam.

'Sometimes,' I said, grimacing into my drink.

Anna moved closer to us and addressed Kam. 'Thanks for getting the drinks. Gemma said you might come. Have you been here before?'

'No,' Kam replied. 'But maybe it's time for a change. The crowd here seems more relaxed than where I usually go.'
'I think it depends on the band playing,' I said. 'It wasn't so chilled last time I came. Although, usually it's okay.'

'It wasn't that bad last time,' Anna said.

'What do you mean it wasn't bad? I bumped into that biker woman and she threatened to see me outside.'

'She was just trying to scare you,' Gemma replied.

'It worked,' I replied.

'Kate likes to be safe,' Gemma said pointedly.

'I can hear you,' I said. 'I'm still here.'

'That's the point,' Gemma replied.

I was beginning to feel picked on so I was thankful when the tables started emptying. Will was itching to get inside so he said he'd meet us in there as we downed our drinks. When we finally made our way into the room with the band, they had already started playing. It was crowded so we pushed our way through until we were nearer the front to find Will. The room was smoky and hot and it already felt sticky with people's sweat. The music moved up a gear and everyone started jumping up and down. The band wasn't exactly to my taste but they were quirky. It wasn't every day that you saw a punk Japanese girl band. There was a mixed crowd. Some were young and dressed like us and there were guys who looked like heavy metal rockers. The woman in front of me was dressed in some kind of tutu over tights and a laced corset. The man next to her had a long beard combined with a balding head and he kept fondling her bum. I looked at Gemma and she raised an eyebrow.

'He's kind of pervy isn't he,' she whispered in my ear.

We shunted forwards and I started to jump up and down with the crowd as it was impossible to stand. People started head banging but I wasn't really into it. Then a blinding pain came from the back of my head and I swung round to see what had happened.

'Sorry!' A guy in a black t-shirt apologised with sweat dripping off his forehead.

'It's alright,' I said clasping the back of my head. I turned to Gemma. 'I'm going to the ladies.'

'Do you want me to come with you?' she asked.

'No, I'll find you. You stay with the others.'

I pushed my way back out to the toilets. A wave of cold air blasted my face as I walked out of the room. A guy at the door leered at me. 'Leaving already, sweet pea.'

'Not yet,' I replied.

I walked quickly along the deserted corridor to the toilets, the sound of the music still pounding in the background. Surprisingly, there was only one other woman in there. She had peroxide blonde hair and was applying a dark red lipstick in the mirror, which didn't suit her. I examined my head in the mirror. It felt sore but there was no blood. I watched the woman walk out in the mirror and knew I should be getting back to the others. I went to the toilet to avoid the queues later and then hurried out the door.

I heard a man say, 'It's her.'

Then it went black.

22

When I woke up, I could feel my head pounding with pain. At first I thought I was in my bed at home but then I remembered what had happened. The back of my head hurt so I turned it to the side and focused on the room around me. The room was lit by a bright strip light and a there was one window looking out on a hallway rather than outside. I could tell it was reinforced by the metal lattice in the middle of the glass. The only furniture in the room was the bed I was lying on and it was nailed to the floor. A camera was encased in a metal box on the ceiling. I was relieved to see that there was a small bathroom in the corner. I heaved myself up to go to the toilet but as I did so, my vision went black. I held onto the wall so that I didn't fall, waiting for my sight to come back. The room came into focus again and I slowly made my way to the toilet. As I washed my hands and face, I could feel my stomach twisting with fear and acid rising up my throat. I told myself to calm down and went to sit back on the bed. The door handle turned and a large man came in to the room. He looked about thirty with cropped hair, a goatee beard and a scar on his face. I wrapped my arms around me protectively and crouched against the wall behind the bed.

'I'm Damien,' he said. 'We're not going to harm you as long as you do as you're told.'

'Why am I here?' I asked, realising that this must be the guy Jack had been tracking.

'We want to keep you under observation for a while, Kate,' he replied. 'We're interested in your Namu abilities.'

'Why me?' I asked.

'There aren't many quarter Namu subjects for us to study and when you visited your father, we became aware of you.'

'My father told you about me,' I spluttered.

'The bugs in his house gave you away.'

'So he didn't contact you?' I clarified.

The man's eyes glinted nastily. 'No but that's the least of your worries.'

'My father said that he was taken to a hospital. Was it here?' I asked.

'That would be telling.'

'Why do you want to know about my abilities?' I pressed.

'We're interested in breeding a part human, part Namu race.'

'Isn't that dangerous? Don't human women die if they carry Namu babies?' I asked.

'What's a few women's sacrifice when we can create a new super-race.' He smiled menacingly.

'Why don't you use Namu women?' I asked.

'Not that you need to know this but it doesn't work that way.'

I thought about all the people they were using as lab rats and felt my stomach churn. 'What you're doing is sick.'

'We don't see it the way you do.' He smirked. 'Now be a good girl and follow me. I'm going to take you to the skills room.'

I contemplated hitting him and making a run for it but he was massive.

As if sensing my thoughts, he said, 'Don't think you can escape. Every door has a security code and even if you did escape, we're in the middle of nowhere. I suggest you cooperate.'

Damien handcuffed my hands and led me through a coded door. We walked along a corridor that reminded me of a hospital. The grey-flecked vinyl floor reflected the bright fluorescent lights overhead. On the way, we passed another room like mine and through the window I saw a girl sitting with her head in her hands.

'How many girls have you kidnapped?' I asked with disgust.

Damien shoved me along. 'I think that's enough questions now.'

We went through another coded door and past more rooms with girls. I recognised some of them from the newspaper and realised that this was the place Jack had been looking for. I hoped he was on my trail. If not, I was in trouble. The building was like a vast prison.

I was taken to a large room with a wooden floor and a black shiny window at the end. I assumed that this was a one way mirror allowing them to observe me. There were four small cameras attached to the ceiling at the four corners of the room.

Damien said, 'Wait here. There will be someone along in a minute.'

I wasn't sure what they expected as I stood in the middle of the room. If they expected me to display my Namu abilities then they were wrong. I walked up to the mirror and tried to peer in but I could see nothing.

'Hello Kate,' a woman's voice said. I could hear her high-heels tapping on the wooden floor.

I turned round to see a shockingly beautiful woman with flame-red hair and green cat-like eyes. She was dressed in a black leather skirt and a tight green v-neck top. I couldn't help staring at her.

'I'm Ava.' She smiled slyly. 'As Damien has already told you, we want to see what you can do and you can make this easy or hard.'

'Why should I help you?' I cried.

'I can see you're a little angry Kate but we don't want to hurt you.'

'So knocking me out doesn't count then?' I spat.

'It was necessary.' Ava said coldly. 'We don't think you would have come with us otherwise.'

'What about all the other girls you've kidnapped.' I argued.

'Those other girls are here for a different reason than you. They're ordinary humans but you as a quarter Namu are extremely valuable.'

I shrugged in disgust. 'They're people with real feelings and families who are missing them.'

'Humans are an inferior race,' she snarled. 'As Namu, we have the right to control them but you cannot be expected to understand that yet. I know that you have been brainwashed by your boyfriend Jack.'

'I haven't been brainwashed,' I shouted. 'It's called having some humanity.'

'Enough,' Ava said. 'Jack has taught you some Namu powers and we would like to see them.'

She clicked her fingers and a sullen man brought in a bucket of leaves. He placed them in the corner of the room and left.

'I want you to stir the leaves up into a storm,' Ava commanded.

'I'm not going to do that,' I responded in defiance.

'If you are not willing to cooperate today, then we will try tomorrow when you've had no food.'

She pulled me by the arm out of the room and despite her small size, her grip was like iron. Damien stood outside the room waiting.

'Take her to her cell,' Ava barked.

Damien walked me back in silence and flung me into the room.

If only I could work out a way to communicate with Jack. Silently I projected thoughts outwards, hoping Jack might pick it up but nothing happened.

I stared at the camera angrily. I hated them for bringing me here.

I lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling. How close was Jack to finding me. He said he was following a lead that night when he didn't come with me to see the band. I just hoped it was a useful lead. How long would it of taken Gemma and the others to realise I'd gone missing. I remembered that the corridor had been deserted but how could they have got me out of the pub without anyone noticing. If I was lucky there would have been witnesses.

I imagined my mum's reaction to the news that I was missing. At least, she had Trevor to look after her. What would the police do about my disappearance? Would they interview her? Would they interview Jack? Would they see me as just another girl gone missing and add me to the list?

I tried to remember every lead Jack had ever told me about in his search for the girls. He'd followed Damien almost to the border of Scotland. Was that where I was now? I realised now how selfish I had been when I'd resented him not coming with me to the band. The hours went by and thoughts went round and round in my head driving me crazy. I would have been grateful for some food but none arrived. My lack of cooperation had put a stop to that. I almost regretted it now but not quite.

23

I woke in the morning to the sound of Damien opening the door. 'Time for a little exercise outside.'

Scrambling to my feet, I followed Damien out the door. It must have been early in the morning because as we walked down the corridors, I could see that most of the girls were sleeping. Eventually, Damien opened a metal door and led me out into an enclosure. As he did so, another guard led a woman inside. She was probably in her thirties, with dark, black hair. She wasn't like the other young girls I had seen and I wondered why she was here. As the guard pushed her inside, she turned and pointed a finger at her head before pointing at me. I had no idea what she meant but I guessed she was trying to tell me something. The enclosure was surrounded by barbed wire and beyond it were endless trees. I needed to find some way of telling Jack where I was if I could get through to him, but there were no landmarks. The building was large, modern and grey from the outside.

Damien's menacing voice interrupted my observations. 'Ava thinks that you need a little persuasion to show us your powers and what better way than you having to protect yourself.'

I felt a lump in my throat as I heard a dog barking. 'What do you mean?'

'Let's see how you get on with Casper, our not so friendly dog.'

I watched as a guard brought out a large dog with demented eyes on a lead. It came as high as my shoulders and looked like no dog I had ever seen. It frothed at the mouth and pulled to get away. My heart raced, as I looked for places to run.

'Get her,' the guard said.

I ran as fast as I could to the fence and started climbing up it but the dog lunged at me and bit my leg. The pain throbbed as I tried to kick the dog off but it was no use. The dog bit harder and I collapsed on the ground. Instinctively, I focused on the air around, until the dust started spinning, forming a whirlwind. As the dog's teeth sank into my flesh, I forced the whirlwind towards the dog until it was sucked up into the air. I heard it howling mid-air and then I hurled it across the yard. It yelped and limped away.

The guard put a lead on the dog and took it inside as I lay on the floor in agony.

'Now you understand the need for cooperation,' Damien said. He lifted me up over his shoulder before I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in an infirmary. There were other girls lying in the beds beside me. I recognised the girl beside me instantly from the newspaper. She was as beautiful as her picture. I wondered if that was the reason they'd chosen her.

'You've been out for ages,' the girl said.

'How long?' I asked.

'About two hours. What happened to your leg?'

I looked down at my leg. It was bandaged but it didn't throb like I would have expected. 'They set a dog on me,' I said, trembling.

Her eyes widened in fear. 'They're animals. Do you think they might do that to me? '

'It's because I didn't do what they wanted.' I reassured her. I couldn't explain to her that I was part Namu.

'It's best to do what they want,' she said.

'Why are you in the infirmary?' I asked.

'They've done an operation on me to remove some of my eggs and I'm recovering here.'

'Have they told you what they're going to do with them?'

'They said they want to fertilise them and then put the back inside me, like IVF. I'm some sort of experiment like the other girls here.'

I felt sick thinking about it. 'We need to get out of here.'

'You don't think I want to?' There was an edge to her voice. 'Some of the other girls have been here six months and they say it's pointless trying to find a way out.'

My head felt dizzy so I rested my head back on the pillow. I could feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. What if I couldn't get out of here? Jack's face came into my head and I tried to imagine touching it. I wondered if he would pick up a message from me telepathically. I'd been rubbish at it when we tried it before but I hadn't been desperate then. 'Jack, can you hear me,' I shouted internally.

I waited for a response but there was nothing. 'Jack,' I shouted again. Still nothing.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

'Yes, I feel dizzy, that's all,' I replied. 'Why do the others think its hopeless getting out of here?'

Her voice cracked. 'One of the girls tried to escape by climbing over the fence and they shot her in the leg. There are CCTV cameras everywhere so I don't know how we could even try to get out of here. I just hope once I've carried this child, they'll let me go.'

She was naïve if she thought that they would ever let her go but I didn't want to destroy any hope she had. 'I'm sure there must be some way out,' I said.

'I hope you find it,' she said. 'If you do, don't forget me. I'm Jessica.'

'Of course not,' I whispered, feeling the burden of responsibility. I had no idea how I would get myself out never mind her. If I did find a way out would I have time to help her? I wasn't sure.

A guard walked into the room. 'Time to go back to your cell, Kate.'

I wasn't ready to get up but he pulled me off the bed anyway. I limped back to my room. Obviously they weren't too happy about my little talk with Jessica.

Back in my cell, I made plans. I needed to get through to Jack. This time I would meditate first to increase my Namu powers and then try telepathy. I lay back on my bed, closed my eyes and listened to my breathing. I could feel my chest rising and falling as I breathed in and out. My thoughts kept wandering back to the dog but every time I noticed, I shook the thoughts away and returned them to my breath. I started counting my in- and out-breaths to keep me focused. After half an hour of this, I felt myself relax. It was as if the anger I felt had seeped away.

While my mind was relaxed, I tried sending a message to Jack again. 'Jack, help me,' I said silently and insistently over and over again. I waited for a response.

A female voice came into my head, 'Don't give me away. Act normal and when you speak, do it in your head.'

'Who are you?' I asked silently.

'I'm Laura. You saw me outside earlier in the yard. I heard you in my head. Who's Jack?'

'He's my boyfriend. Are you Namu?' I asked.

'I don't know about any Namus but I'm a telepath.'

'Do you think you could send Jack a message from me?' I asked hopefully.

'If he's a telepath and he's expecting a message.'

'He's trying to find me. I think he'll be tuned in.'

'So is he a telepath?' There was scepticism in her voice.

'He has telepathic abilities,' I replied. 'I've tried to send him a message but it hasn't worked but I think it's because my powers are weak.'

'Probably, I only just managed to pick up the signal you're sending out and I'm here.'

'If I can get hold of him, what do you want me to say?'

'I want to tell him where we are.' I hesitated, realising I didn't have a clue. 'We're in a forest but that's all I know.'

'I've been here a while now and I've still no idea where we are.'

'Perhaps if you send him a message, he might pick up where it's coming from, like a beacon.'

'We should be so lucky. I'll try my best but I won't promise anything. Tell me more about him so I can know what I'm looking for. I need to find his mind.'

'He goes to Higham high school in the Lake District and he's a Namu.'

'What's that?' she asked.

I was surprised she didn't know. 'He can send messages with his mind and move objects.'

'So he can do telepathy and telekinesis,' she said.

'Yes,' I replied.

'Okay. And you're obviously not a normal girl either. Anything else?'

'He was trying to find this place before I was kidnapped.'

'That's good news. With any luck he's close. I'll try to send a message to him tonight. But I need to regain my energy first after talking to you.'

'How long have you been here?' I asked.

'Maybe three months. I keep hoping they're going to let me go but they say they need me to show them more. They're obsessed with my telepathy skills.'

'Are there any other people here with special abilities?'

'I don't think so, except for you and me. The other girls are here for different reasons.'

I shuddered. 'I spoke to one of them in the infirmary after I was mauled by one of their dogs.'

'Listen, I'm going to cut you off now because I need to recoup my energy if I'm going to send Jack a message. I'll contact you if I get anything.'

'Okay, thanks,' I said but she was already gone.

Eventually, I fell asleep but it was a fitful, nightmarish sleep. In one dream, I was running from the dog and Jack was shouting at me to use my powers. I kept saying that I didn't know how and all he replied was that I needed to remember. The dog caught up with me and Jack disappeared. I was angry with him for not rescuing me and then we were in a classroom and he was telling me that it was a test and that I had failed, so I couldn't be a Namu with him.

I woke up in a sweat. It was still dark outside the window so I knew it wasn't morning yet. My head and leg were throbbing. I needed a painkiller but I didn't know how to get one. I looked up at the camera. Was there someone permanently keeping watch? I shouted at the camera, 'Can I have some pain relief?'

I heard footsteps along the corridor. Had someone heard me? The door handle clicked and a boy I hadn't seen before walked in. He looked about my age.

'Here's an aspirin and water,' he said.

'What's your name?' I asked as he turned to leave.

'Caleb. My mother is Ava. You are her number one research project at the moment.'

'I don't know why she finds me so interesting,' I said.

'My mother's passion is breeding. Quarter Namu people are rare and your powers are unusual.'

'So what do you think about what she's doing?' I asked.

'My opinion doesn't matter. I'm just her son,' he replied.

'Thanks for the aspirin,' I said.

He closed the door behind him as I swallowed the aspirin. Caleb didn't seem to be a fan of his mother's schemes and that was useful to know. I was probably deluded but maybe he could be swayed to let me go. If he was on the night shift, I might be able to speak to him again.

The morning came and I woke to a commotion outside my room. I could hear a girl screaming and some men's voices and then the sounds died down.

I lay in bed desperate for Laura to contact me. I needed to find a way to get out. The throbbing in my leg was going to be hard to ignore but I needed to increase my powers. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. Placing one hand on my stomach, I felt it rise and fall. My thoughts kept wandering back to the dog incident and my body tensed in anger. Determinedly, I pushed the thoughts away. I remembered a technique Jack had taught me. I started counting my breath up to five and starting back again at one until I felt calm. Gradually, I tried to form a yellow shield around me. Nothing happened. Maybe I needed something to attack me before my powers worked, I thought wryly. But then it occurred to me that I just needed to believe I was being attacked. Perhaps an increased heart rate or a rush of adrenaline was what made my shield work. After all, the things I'd seen in that virtual reality simulator at the Namu headquarters hadn't been real but I'd been able to make a shield there. I'd been trying to forget about the dog incident but now I could use it to my advantage. The image of the dog attacking me came to mind effortlessly and I imagined creating a shield against it. I could feel a yellow glow forming around me and I pushed it out slowly and carefully a few inches from my body. It had worked and at a further distance from my body than before. For the first time since I'd arrived, I felt my depression lift. I looked at the camera and the shield snapped back around me. I wondered if they could see the shield or if it was invisible to them. I hoped they couldn't. I wanted it to be my secret. For two hours I practised non-stop, getting better each time.

Around ten o'clock, a man I hadn't seen before opened the door briefly and placed a breakfast tray on the floor before disappearing. Breakfast consisted of a small packet of cornflakes, milk, a glass of water and two aspirin. I was glad they'd brought the aspirin because my leg was throbbing again. I sat up in bed, took the tablets and then wolfed my breakfast down. I hadn't eaten properly in days but now my appetite had returned and the small packet of cornflakes wasn't enough. Still at least it looked like they weren't going to starve me.

After breakfast, I decided to work on my telepathy skills. I wasn't sure where to start so I tried shouting 'Laura' several times in my head. At first there was no response but then suddenly I could hear her voice in my head.

'Okay I can hear you but I haven't had any luck contacting Jack,' she said.

'Oh,' I said, feeling bitterly disappointed. 'Will you keep trying?'

'Of course. But can you think of anyone else I could try contacting?'

'It's a long shot but you could try contacting a woman called Runi. She's a gypsy and she lives in Higham. She has special powers and she might be looking out for me,' I said hopefully.

'What else can you tell me about her?' Laura asked.

I paused as I tried to recall everything I knew about her. 'She reads palms, she's a grandmother and she lives in a painted gypsy caravan.'

'Okay, that's something to work with,' Laura replied.

'Can you give me any hints how to improve my own telepathic abilities?' I asked.

'Imagine the mind of the person you are trying to send a message to. Try and tune into how they think. It's about being on their wavelength, quite literally. Everyone's mind is like a different note on the piano.'

'Right. I'll try that.'

'Good luck with it,' Laura said. 'I'll contact you tomorrow to tell you how I've got on.'

'Thanks,' I replied.

After my conversation with Laura, I felt deflated. I had been sure she would find it easy to contact Jack.

I tried to imagine Jack's mind. How could I tune into it? I asked myself. He was so many different things. Could I pin him down to one note? He was more like a complex combination of a number of notes. I imagined running my finger along a piano but I couldn't work it out. Perhaps I needed to think about it as tuning into a radio station. I knew that Jack liked listening to ambient music so maybe he operated on that wavelength. I played the music in my head. It brought back memories of being in Jack's car and feelings of anticipation but then I realised they were my feelings not Jack's. I tried to imagine what he was feeling at those times. He had often seemed content when I was with him and he was always much calmer than me. Concentrating on my breathing, I tried to relax and using his soft confident tones, I started to call his name. I called several times but nothing happened and I gave up in frustration.

I lay listlessly on the bed, feeling frustrated and angry. A jacket potato with cheese and salad was delivered for lunch and I ate it appreciatively. After lunch, I felt a little better. Maybe this was all I would have to look forward to; three meals a day.

It was mid-afternoon when Damien opened the door and told me that I had to go with him. My leg hurt as I limped along the corridor but I was grateful for the change of scene. As I walked along, I looked at the other girls shut in their rooms.

Damien led me into an interview room, where Ava was sitting. The room was bare apart from a desk and two chairs but one wall was obviously a one way mirror.

'Good afternoon Kate,' Ava simpered. 'Please sit down.'

'What do you want?' I asked, standing defiantly despite my painful leg.

'Please sit. I want to get to know you better.'

I sat down reluctantly. 'What do you want to know?'

'I want to know about your history. We're very interested in your abilities,' Ava said.

'Couldn't you have asked me this without kidnapping me? I asked scathingly.

'I've got a feeling your boyfriend, Jack, wouldn't have allowed us to question you,' Ava replied. 'I was impressed by what you did to our dog, Casper, the other day. So tell me when did you realise you could move the air like that?'

I didn't want to make myself too interesting. 'Jack taught me how to move air but that's about all I can do. I'm pretty rubbish at everything else he's tried to teach me.'

'What else has he tried to teach you?' she asked, tapping her red nails on the desk.

'How to make a shield.' I knew that there was no point lying as she could probably delve into my mind but maybe if I didn't say much, her interest would wane.

'I have a feeling Kate that you can do much more. In fact, I believe that's Jack's opinion too. Otherwise he would not be wasting his time trying to teach you. Perhaps here we can give you some more intensive training,' Ava said.

'I'm not sure setting dogs on me counts as training,' I said bitterly.

'We have other methods besides dogs, Kate.' She smiled menacingly. 'Anyway, I think our interview is over and now Damien will take you to have a blood test.'

'Why am I having a blood test?' I asked.

'We want to know your genetic heritage,' she said, simply.

'I thought you knew my dad is half Namu,' I said.

'We do but we want to know exactly which genes you have inherited.' She paused and called, 'Damien.'

On cue, Damien arrived at the door and led me along a corridor to the infirmary. A couple of girls were asleep in the beds with curtains half-pulled around them but otherwise the room was empty. A smell of antiseptic clung to the air. Damien told me to sit on one of the empty beds and gestured to a nurse to come over. The nurse was a tall woman with dark brown hair pulled back in a tight bun. She had a nurse's outfit on with no-nonsense navy trousers. I tried to ascertain whether she was Namu or not but I had no idea. Surely, she must be if she was willing to work here.

'Now this won't take very long if you relax,' she said, turning my wrist over. 'Oh good, your veins are very near the surface.'

She inserted a needle into my most prominent vein and pulled the syringe. It didn't take her long before she removed the needle.

'That wasn't hard was it?' she asked, dabbing the place where the needle had been with some cotton wool. 'Hold that there for a few minutes while I get you a plaster.'

I watched her place the bottle with blood on the side and label it and then she came back with a plaster.

'You're much more relaxed about blood samples that some of the girls,' she said cheerfully, as she place the plaster over the puncture made by the needle.

'My mum's a nurse,' I replied. 'And I plan on being a doctor.'

She looked surprised. 'So your mum's a nurse is she?'

'Where does she work?'

'She works at Higham hospital,' I said.

'I worked there,' she said. 'Maybe I know her.'

I looked at her in surprise. This was useful information. Perhaps we weren't far from Higham. 'Her name is Sarah Palmer.'

'Oh, I know Sarah. She's always been good with the older, crankier patients.'

'Why are you working here?' I asked incredulously.

Her smile wavered. 'Don't judge me. I have no choice.' I watched her walk away briskly to the other end of the room where she started looking through some files.

I watched her for a while. What did Ava have over her that she had to no choice? I couldn't imagine anything that would compel me to assist with what was going on here. My curiosity turned to the girls asleep on the beds. They were quite different. One was dark haired and one had light russet brown hair but the one thing they had in common was that they were both very attractive. Ava obviously thought this was important in her breeding programme.

One of the girls stirred and opened her eyes, 'Is it still there?' she asked. I watched her run her hands over her stomach. I gave an involuntary gasp as I realised she was pregnant.

The nurse came over. 'Yes, nothing to worry about. You had a slight bleed that's all. Doctor Feroni will be here later to talk to you but he's not concerned.'

The girl's eyes flickered to me. 'You're new here.'

'Yes,' I replied. 'How long have you been here?'

'About three months, I think. I've lost track of time. I'm Milly, by the way.'

'Kate,' I said.

The nurse walked away and Milly lowered her voice. 'Look, there's no point fighting them. Go along with them and you'll be alright. They do this IVF procedure on you and once you're pregnant, things settle down a bit. I'm in a dormitory now with some of the other girls. It's not too bad.'

I listened to her feeling quietly horrified. 'Thanks for the advice,' I mumbled.

Damien's voice boomed across the room, 'Susan, is she ready to go?'

'Yes, I've taken the blood sample,' she said.

So her name was Susan. If I did manage to get through to Jack, maybe this piece of information would be useful.

Back in my room, I resolved to get through to Jack. Sometimes he could be really serious but at other times he was light-hearted. I imagined playing some bass notes on the piano followed by some higher notes. If Jack was a tune, then maybe this was it but nothing happened. I tried to remember what he smelt like. I recalled his familiar scent of vanilla and musk and I could almost feel his essence. I started calling his name in my head over and over.

'Kate?' His voice resounded in my head.

'Yes,' I said and my heart leapt. 'Yes, it's me.'

'Are you okay?' he asked gently.

'Yes,' I whispered fighting back tears.

'Where are you?' he asked.

'There's a woman called Ava with dark red hair and a man called Damien. I'm in a building in the middle of a forest. Those girls you were looking for are here too.'

'Slow down,' Jack said. His voice was soothing and calming. 'Is the building large or small?'

'Large and modern. It's grey on the outside with black windows. They've got at least ten cells here, an interview room and an infirmary.'

'Good, that's something to go on. What kind of forest is it? Are there pine trees or is it a deciduous forest?'

'Pine trees,' I said, stifling a sob.

'Kate,' he whispered in my head. 'I'll find you, I promise I'll find you.'

I felt his words were loaded with strength. That he was sending all his own power across the air waves to help me.

'Is there anything else you can tell me?' he asked.

'There's a nurse called Susan that used to work with my mum at Higham hospital. She's working here, I think under duress and they've also kidnapped a woman called, Laura, whose a telepath. She tried contacting you but it didn't work.'

'What about you? Have they hurt you?'

I could sense his anger so I didn't tell him the whole truth. 'I'm okay. I think they're just interested in my abilities. But what they're doing to the other girls is sick. They're trying to make a half Namu race by implanting embryos in the girls they've kidnapped.'

'Don't worry. I'll find you. Just sit tight. Don't do anything to annoy them.'

'I'll try not to,' I said. 'Have you spoken to my mum?'

'Yes,' he replied gently.

'How is she?' I asked.

'She'll be alright once we've found you,' he said grimly.

'Is she with Trevor?' I asked.

'Yes, he's looking after her,' Jack replied.

'At least that's something,' I sighed.

'Kate.' He hesitated.

'Yes,' I replied.

'I don't want to stop talking to you but if we're going to find you quickly, I need to go.'

'Okay,' I said reluctantly.

'I promise I'll speak to you soon,' he replied.

'Be careful!' I warned and then he was gone.

I spent the rest of the day in my cell, thinking of ways to find out more about where I was. Maybe Susan, the nurse, would let some information slip or maybe I could get some information out of Caleb on the night shift. Neither seemed particularly happy about their involvement here.

The evening was punctuated by the arrival of a tray of food. A pork chop with potatoes and vegetables. They must have a kitchen here I realised. And who was making the food or was it being delivered and heated up? If food was being brought in, then surely the van or car bringing it here could be traced. I didn't know whether this would help Jack but it might.

Night came and I lay awake listening to the sound of the rain beating against the window and the wind whistling outside. The absence of noise in the corridor suggested it was the night shift so I made a big show of my leg hurting me but no one came. I had hoped to speak to Caleb again and get some information but I was disappointed. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

24

I woke to footsteps in the corridors outside but no one came. I tried to clean myself discreetly at the sink but the camera in the corner of the room prevented me from stripping off. I wasn't ready to give up my dignity yet. With any luck, I would get out of here before I did. My leg had stopped throbbing and now there was more of a dull ache.

Some cold toast, butter and a small packet of strawberry jam were delivered for breakfast. I discarded the butter, which I only liked melted, spread the jam and ate the toast ravenously. I sat on my bed trying to tune into Jack. I hoped he'd had some success in tracking me down. However, instead of Jack, Laura's voice came into my head. 'Kate,'

'Yes,' I replied.

'I've managed to contact your gypsy woman, Runi. She has been looking for you.'

'What did you tell her?' I asked.

'I gave her a description of where we are and everything I know,' Laura said. 'She says that they're sending a search party.'

'Right,' I said, surprised at the thought of Tas and Kam and the other gypsies looking for me. Maybe it was because I was part gypsy. What would happen if they crossed paths with Jack, I didn't know. 'I got through to Jack yesterday too and told him what I know.'

Laura's tone sounded pleased. 'So my advice worked.'

'Yes,' I admitted. 'Hopefully, between the police, Namu and the gypsies, someone will find us.'

'Let's keep our fingers crossed,' Laura replied.

The door handle moved and in my head, I quickly told Laura I needed to go.

Damien stood at the door. 'Time for another interview.'

I got up sullenly and followed him to the interview room. Today there were two people in the room. Ava and a man I hadn't seen before. The man looked about thirty, had a shaved head and a dark tattoo on the back of his neck like a dagger. I guessed he was older than he looked because he was obviously a Namu. His high cheekbones and chiselled jaw gave him away. I hadn't met a Namu yet who wasn't devastatingly attractive but the mean set to his mouth, made me wary.

'This is Silas,' Ava said. 'He's come to observe you today.'

'Right,' I said, realising that this must be the Silas, Jack's parents had talked about.

'We have some interesting news for you.' Ava continued. 'It appears you are both Namu and gypsy, which explains your abilities. We would expect a quarter Namu to be able to do far less than you.'

'You could tell that from the blood sample?' I asked.

'Yes,' Ava replied. 'It has opened a whole new line of research for us.'

'What do you mean?'

'We hadn't really thought about the gypsies before now. They're not usually very cooperative but I'm sure we can get round that.' Ava smirked.

I swallowed and felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. My existence seemed to have put the gypsies at risk. 'I'm surprised you didn't realise this before when you tested my father,' I said, with loathing.

'Your father doesn't have gypsy blood. It comes from your mother,' Ava replied.

I tried to absorb this information. As far as I knew my mother had no gypsy relatives. I scanned Ava and the man's expressions to see if they were telling the truth but it seemed they were serious.

'My mother isn't a gypsy,' I said in confusion.

Silas spoke for the first time in a strong London accent, 'But you do have gypsy blood and your father doesn't.'

I stared at Silas, the man Jack's parents had talked about. The Namu who wanted to control humans. It made me nauseous to think he knew more about me than I did. I needed to talk to my mum. My grandparents had lived in a two bedroom bungalow in Higham and seemed quite ordinary.

'Now that you've done your research can I go now?' I asked.

'Not yet, Kate,' Silas replied. 'We have some more tests for you. I hope the dog incident has taught you the importance of doing what we ask.'

I seethed inwardly but I remembered Jack's words of warning so I said nothing.

Silas interpreted my silence as cooperation. 'Damien will escort you now to a test room, where we want you to try to move objects.'

'I can't do that,' I stuttered.

'I think you can, Kate,' Silas warned. 'We've never considered a half Namu-half gypsy army before but you are enlightening.'

I could feel bile rise up my throat. 'Why do you need an army?'

'It's very boring but the Namu organisation in London that your boyfriend Jack's parents are so entwined with have different beliefs to us. They believe that the Namu and other supernatural beings should hide their powers and live quietly beside humans. I happen to disagree. But that's enough questions for now. Time to get down to work.'

Damien led me to the test room. I considered my options. If I didn't move the objects, they would take it for lack of cooperation and if I did I was going along with their vile agenda. But Jack was on his way and Silas didn't look like a forgiving person so I decided I'd go along with things for now.

Damien brought me to the same room he'd taken me on the first day but this time there was a table with a foam ball, a polystyrene cup, a book and a digital watch on. They obviously didn't trust me with anything that could be used as a weapon. There couldn't have been a set of more innocuous items. Damien told me to sit down on a chair next to the table.

'You know what you need to do,' he said and left the room.

I stared at the various items on the table. How was I supposed to make them move? I had made air particles move before and the leaves had moved when I had created a whirlwind. Perhaps I could move these objects using the same principles. I stared at the polystyrene cup. It looked like the lightest and easiest object to move. Maybe I could surreptitiously blow it over and they might think I'd moved it using my mind. I focused on my breathing to calm my mind; something that seemed much easier since I'd been practising in my cell. Then I transferred my attention to the air around the cup and as my vision narrowed, I could see the air particles bombarding each other. I started moving the particles around inside the cup, faster and faster until the cup started to twist up into the air. Keeping my emotions under control, I propelled it across the room until it banged against the wall and fell to the floor softly. I'd done it. I couldn't help feel a flush of pleasure even though I'd done it under duress. Deliberately, I showed no outward emotion as I looked at the one way mirror. I didn't want them to know how I felt. But had I done enough? No one came in. After a few minutes, I assumed they wanted me to do more.

The ball looked like the next easiest object to move. I fixed my eyes on the air particles around the ball and pushed them towards it until it rolled off the table. That was even easier that the polystyrene cup, I thought. Again I waited a few minutes before realising that I was expected to move every item. I examined the heavy book with no idea how to shift it. It was a large, blue hard-back book with 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare' embossed on the front. Someone was obviously a literature fanatic here. I wondered who. Was it Ava or Silas? I wasn't sure. I doubted it was Damien. He was more brawn than brains. An idea occurred to me. If I could create a stream of air below the book, I might be able to glide it across the table. Mindfully, I let go of any thoughts related to Ava, Silas or Damien and placed my attention on the book. I created a stream of moving air particles near it but the book remained stationary. I tried the same technique a number of times but nothing happened. I glanced at the mirror again, hoping someone would come in. In frustration, I opened the book and started reading 'The Tempest'.

I saw the words, 'Hush, and be mute, Or else our spell is marr'd.' Shakespeare had been onto something. Jack had taught me that to increase my powers, I needed to quieten my brain. I read on until I came across the quote, 'My spirits obey.' Was it possible to conjure spirits from within oneself? I remembered that Prospero in 'The Tempest' was able to call the spirits by using magic. Would I ever be able to do that?

Silas came in and stood with his armed folded across the room, looking at me curiously. 'I asked you to move the objects.'

'I moved the cup and the ball,' I replied, irritably. 'That's all I can do.'

'You're untrained but you should be able to move the book through concentration. Imagine you are air and you will be able to lift it. Imagine you are fire and you will be able to set it on fire. Has your boyfriend Jack not taught you this yet?' He snarled.

'No, I'm not an experiment to him,' I said bitterly.

Without touching the book, Silas hurled it at me, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Instinctively I put up a shield to protect myself and the book fell to the floor as it met the barrier around me.

He laughed nastily. 'Violence seems to bring out your powers. We can try again tomorrow but with a little more incentive.'

25

As soon as I was back in my cell, I attempted to contact Jack. I conjured his distinctive smell in my mind, which had allowed me to tune into him last time.

'Jack,' I said in my head.

'Kate, I've been trying to get through to you. We've worked out where you are and we're coming to get you.'

'Come quickly.'

'We've got an army of Namu soldiers and gypsies. Your friend Laura seems to have contacted them and called them into action. We're working together.'

I could tell he was unsure about this alliance. 'You'll need all the help you can get against Silas and his lackies.'

'Silas.' He paused. 'You didn't mention him before.'

'He's here, but I only met him today. I think he's the leader.'

'Silas is powerful. It's useful to know he's there.'

'When will you get here?'

'We're an hour away but we will probably wait until night to attack. Try and listen for me if you can. I will send you a message at dusk.'

'I'll keep my mind open,' I replied.

'Sit tight, Kate. We'll be there soon,' he said and then he was gone.

I paced the cell, glancing out of the small reinforced window that looked out onto the corridor occasionally. It could only be late morning. An hour passed, I wondered if Jack was in the woods now. Would Zac and Ed be with him? Or were they too young to be in the Namu army? Would Kam and Tas be with the gypsies? My stomach twisted uneasily. I didn't want them to get hurt or worse. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. It would do me no good to dwell on the dangers.

I recalled Silas' comments about supernatural beings. Did he mean the gypsies or some other group that I was unaware of? I surmised that there were things out there that I didn't know about or understand. After the last few months, nothing would surprise me. And he'd told me to imagine I was air or fire. That was interesting and confusing at the same time. I didn't dare contemplate being able to make an object catch fire. It sounded too unreal, but I assumed that Silas could do it. Jack must have been referring to these powers when he said Silas was dangerous. When I got out of here, if I got out of here, I wanted to be trained to use my powers fully. I wanted to be able to protect myself.

A lunch of pasta and tomato sauce was delivered on a tray. I sighed in exasperation at the time stretching ahead till night fall. At least it was winter. It would get dark about five so I estimated I had four hours to go. I picked at my lunch before leaving it to one side.

I visualised being on a beach to calm my nerves. I was lying on a sun-lounger under a palm tree, with a cloudless blue sky and the lapping of waves on the shoreline. When I looked out to sea, words seemed to come from my subconscious, 'Come to me water spirit.'

An insubstantial watery figure, emerged from the water. 'What do you want?' it asked in a tinkling, ethereal voice.

Again, I spoke without thinking, 'When I need you water spirit, you must come quickly.'

'Yes, mistress,' it said and disappeared into the sea.

I opened my eyes. The white ceiling came into focus. The metal bedstead and the rough blue blanket. Had it been a dream? I flexed my fingers and stared at my long fingers and my chewed finger nails. I didn't think I had dozed off it was more like a vision. Could I have the power to call on the elemental spirits?

Mid-way through the afternoon, I heard Laura's voice in my head. 'Your friends are here,' she said. 'They're in the forest.'

'That's great,' I said with relief. 'Jack told me they were coming but I wasn't sure they'd made it.'

'I'm in cell nine on the first floor. Don't forget me,' she said urgently.

'Don't worry. I won't.' I promised.

'Were you able to tell them anything about the building?' I asked.

'I've told them what I know,' she said pausing. 'No, I've remembered something else. There's a changeover of guards near the kitchens at dinner time. One guard delivers the food and then takes his dinner.'

'You better let them know,' I said.

'Yes, I'll tell them now. Remember to find me,' she said anxiously before her voice disappeared from inside my head.

Hours past but I still hadn't heard from Jack. I paced my cell restlessly. Finally Jack's voice came to me, 'We're about to attack. Where are you in the building?'

'I'm on the first floor,' I replied.

'Okay, hold tight, I'll be there soon,' he said and then he was gone.

About five minutes later, I heard the door handle move. I knew Jack couldn't have been that fast. It must be the guard delivering dinner. I stood behind the door with the tray from my lunch raised high in my hands. He half-stepped into the room as he said, 'Where's your lunch tray?'

'Here it is?' I said, banging him on the head.

He reeled backwards stunned. I opened the door wider to make my escape, but he grabbed my clothes from behind. I elbowed him in the stomach and lunged forward but he caught my arm. As he dragged me backwards, I tried to twist out of his grip. A punch on the side of my face knocked me backwards. I fell against the wall and he pulled out a gun. 'Don't move,' he said.

I stayed still, focusing on the gun. If only I could move it out of his hand, I thought. Imagine being air or fire, Silas had said. I pictured myself as the air around the gun swirling round and round in a frenzy until the gun started flying through the air towards me. I was back in my body again and the gun was at my feet. In shock, I picked it up and held the trigger, willing myself to hold it steady in my sweaty hands. I had no idea how to use it but the guard didn't know that.

'What's the code for the doors? I asked, keeping my voice level.

'4392,' he said, trembling.

'Get into the cell,' I commanded, nodding my head to the door and pointing the gun at him.

He followed my orders and I pushed the door closed behind him. An alarm sounded in the background. I ran down the corridor, until I came to the next cell. Peering through the window, I saw a girl about my age with blonde hair lying in a foetal position on the bed. I entered the code quickly into the keypad. 'Come with me,' I shouted to her as I opened the door.

Her tear-stained face looked up in surprise. 'Who are you?' she asked.

'We're getting out of here,' I said. 'Come on.'

She ran to the door looking up and down the corridor anxiously. It was empty. She looked at the gun I was holding.

'I stole it from the guard,' I said. 'Now listen, I want you to remember the code, 4392. It opens the doors.'

'4392,' she repeated.

We ran to the next couple of cells and inputted the code. We explained what we were doing, and they readily joined us. Our numbers steadily increased as we went cell to cell.

Eventually, we came to cell nine. Laura was pacing the room. As soon as she saw me she ran to the door.

'You came for me,' she said as I pushed the door open.

'There's no way I would leave you behind,' I replied. 'Now let's get out of here.'

We made our way down a wide staircase, listening for guards below. As we came out of some double doors at the bottom of the staircase, I found myself in another corridor with doors on both sides. The rooms on either side were dark but the corridor was well-lit by strip-lighting in the ceiling. Cautiously, I signalled to the other girls to follow me quietly. As we walked past the rooms, I could see that many of them were kitted out with medical equipment and operating tables. The building was some kind of medical facility, which made sense as they had been carrying out IVF operations on the girls. As we got further along the corridor, I could hear voices shouting in the distance and then an alarm system started beeping loudly. Jack must have attacked. I needed to find him.

'We need to find an exit?' I whispered to Laura. 'Any idea where it might be?'

'The guards will be near the exits,' Laura replied. 'Why don't we break through one of the windows in these side rooms.'

'We can try it.' I said, inputting the code into the keypad of one of the operating rooms. We waited for the familiar click of the door but it didn't open. I put the code in again and tried to push the door open but it wouldn't budge. I don't think the code works on this level,' I replied nervously. 'We're going to have to hope we can get past the guards.

We walked on some more until we came to a fork in the corridors. The building was vast. A fire exit sign pointed in both directions. I pointed to the left, 'I'll go ahead and see if there's any guards.'

'Are you sure?' Laura asked.

'Yes,' I replied. I took one last look at the girls' terrified faces before turning and walking as quietly as I could towards the exit sign. My leg twinged with pain from the dog bite but I ignored it. As I came to a corner, I heard shots. I lay my body flat against the wall and took a quick look round. A hundred metres away, two guards were firing shots at men and women who seemed impervious to the bullets. I pulled back. They must be Namu with a shield around them, blocking the bullets. What were they waiting for? I waited, listening to the sound of gun fire. Eventually, it stopped. I looked again. The Namu men and women were advancing on the guards. The guards dropped their guns looking petrified but they weren't giving up. They started running towards me and then the lights went off.

I stood frozen to the spot, willing myself not to be seen by the guards. Then a wall of fire appeared in front of the guards preventing their escape.

I heard Jack's voice. 'Handcuff their hands and take them out.'

'Jack,' I shouted. 'I'm here.'

'Wait there, Kate. I'm coming to get you,' he said.

I heard the sound of the guards being handcuffed and led away and then Jack was with me, holding me in his arms. I could hear a strange sound and realised it was my own choked sobs.

'Don't worry, you're safe now,' Jack said.

'The other girls are along the corridor,' I said, between sobs.

I watched Jack nod to the other Namu soldiers, who I saw were armed with guns and ammunition. Before long, they were leading Laura and the other girls out of the building.

'You're going to have to follow the others,' Jack said.

'Stay with me,' I pleaded.

'We need to find Silas, Ava and Damien. We can't let them escape,' Jack said firmly. He turned to one of the Namu soldiers, guiding the other girls out. 'Mike, please can you look after Kate too.'

'Can't one of the others go,' I said.

'No, they need me. Silas is dangerous,' he said.

Reluctantly, I let him go and followed Mike.

Outside there were more Namu loading the arrested guards into a van. There had obviously been a fight outside because the ground was covered in broken branches and the ground was singed black, with wafts of smoke still rising. It was cold, and I wrapped my arms round myself to keep myself warm. Most of the girls stood huddled together but Laura stood apart from them, looking up at the roof. As I walked towards her, I saw Kam appear from the one of the vans.

'Kam,' I said. 'Are you helping?'

'Yes, although our help has been limited by your boyfriend.' There was frustration in his voice.

I could understand Jack's concern. As far as I knew, the gypsies couldn't move objects or create fires, so they would be useless against the rogue Namu but not wanting to offend him, I replied, 'Thanks for coming to our aid. I believe Laura was able to send a message to Runi.'

His expression lightened. 'Yes, Runi, is special.'

I was curious to know whether he had special powers too but I didn't want to ask. 'Is Tas here?' I asked, hoping for a negative.

'No, he's too young,' Kam replied.

'I'm glad,' I said and then I waited silently, anxious for Jack's return.

I heard Laura gasp first and then I saw them. Ava and Damien were on the flat roof of the building shooting fire at Jack. There must have been a shield around Jack because the fire seemed to stop about a metre away from him. Two Namu soldiers emerged through what must have been a stairwell onto the roof and joined Jack.

'Give up now,' Jack shouted.

'I would rather die,' Ava called back as she flung another fireball at him, which uselessly stopped a metre away from Jack.

Damien was whipping up an ever-growing tornado in front of him, pushing it towards Jack. I could see the Namu soldiers on the ground getting worried. They started moving us away but I didn't want to leave. A white minibus pulled up nearby and we were shunted in. I ran to one of the windows and stared fixedly at the roof. Jack seemed to have created a storm around him and Damien's tornado had diminished to nothing. It seemed unreal that he was this powerful or that he was my boyfriend. I could understand now why he needed me to be able to shield his power. I watched Damien backing away but Ava had raised her arms in the air and her face showed pure rage. I watched as lightning crackled from her finger-tips and then she turned towards us. That's when the mini-bus screeched away.

We drove through the forest, weaving in and out of the pine trees. It was dark outside, but the moon cast eerie shadows on the trunks. I heard one girl say, 'Did you see lightning come from her finger tips?'

'I thought she was going to electrocute us,' another girl said shuddering.

The Namu soldiers sat at the front of the bus whispering to each other. I tried to make out what they were saying but I couldn't. Jack was on that roof top, fighting a woman who could create lightning and I felt I could hardly breathe. I kept telling myself that he would be alright, that he was more powerful than the others, but I couldn't rid myself of the thought that he might die and I wouldn't be there.

Laura moved seats to sit beside me, 'Listen, he's going to be alright.'

'I hope so,' I said, shakily.

She touched my shoulder briefly and we sat in silence.

Eventually, we came out of the forest and drove down the motorway. I could see a sign saying eighty miles to Kendal and realised we were not too far from home. I stared bleakly out the window, listening to the sound of the crackling, two-way radios that the Namu soldiers carried, desperate for news.

About half an hour passed, when one of the female Namu soldiers received a message. I watched her put the two-way radio to her ear and then communicate something back. She smiled at the others. I felt tense, wanting to be assured it was good news. 'They've got Ava and Damien,' she said loudly. I felt a wave of relief.

'How's Jack?' I asked.

She turned to me, eyeing me up and down unpleasantly. 'He's not injured, if that's what you're asking.'

'I told you he'd be alright,' Laura said.

I let out a breath. 'Yes.'

26

It was still dark outside when we arrived at Westmorland hospital in Kendal. A group of nurses quickly took us to a ward where we were each given a bed to lie on.

Laura lay on the bed next to me, 'I'm not sure why I'm here. I'm not injured.'

'Do you think it's because of what they've been doing to the other girls,' I whispered.

'Perhaps,' she said.

'What do you think they'll do with the ones who are pregnant?' I asked, although I knew that there was really only one answer. They would have to have abortions if they were going to survive. It made me feel sick.

'I don't want to know,' Laura sighed.

A nurse came to see me and asked me to take a pregnancy test at one point. I tried to protest but she wouldn't have it so I went to the toilet and took the test. Unsurprisingly, the test said 'Not pregnant'. I gave it to her smugly but she just ticked me off some list without meeting my eyes before moving on to the other girls. At some point the lights on the ward were dimmed. I could feel my eyelids drooping but I tried to stay awake, hoping Jack would come.

The next thing I knew, it was morning. I opened my eyes in panic. Where was I? I saw a blue curtain hanging round the bed and I remembered where I was.

Jack's voice came from my side. 'Kate.'

I turned my head quickly so I could see him. He was sitting beside the bed, looking beautiful but tired.

'You're okay,' I said, smiling. 'I heard you were but I was worried.'

'You were worried about me?' he asked incredulously. 'Think how worried I've been about you. What did they do to you?' He touched the bruise on my face gently with his fingers and his warm fingers felt soothing.

I recounted what had happened to me when I'd been captured and how Ava and Silas had viewed me as some kind of experiment.

'We've got Ava and Damien,' he said. 'But not Silas.'

'What will happen to them?' I asked.

'I'll tell you in the car but now I'm taking you home.'

Jack got the disapproving nurse to discharge me, promising her we would visit a GP to check my leg. I gave Laura my number and promised that we would keep in touch before leaving. I noticed that she looked at Jack with curiosity. I wondered whether she was thinking about what she'd seen last night or maybe she was wondering what he was doing with me.

When we got into Jack's car, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. The winter sun was shining in the sky and I was free. Jack was safe and we were going home. I smiled at Jack and he leaned in to kiss me. It was as if I'd forgotten what it felt like because as his lips met mine, my body exploded in pleasure.

He kissed me for longer than he usually did before pulling away, 'I know your shield must be stronger after what you told me but you're not using it.'

'Creating a shield is not the first thing on my mind,' I said.

'No, I guess not,' he replied, touching my bruise absent-mindedly. 'I'm sorry I left you that night they kidnapped you. I thought you'd be safe. You don't know how much I've tortured myself thinking about it.'

'It wasn't your fault,' I said. 'How could you have known they would kidnap me?'

'I should have been more aware. I thought I was trailing them but really they were following me. That's how they knew about you.'

I gulped, feeling violated. I didn't want to think about being spied on. 'They must have seen you training me.'

'Maybe.' He brooded.

'It doesn't matter now, anyway,' I reassured him. 'I'm safe and the other girls are safe. What will happen to them?'

'It's not as bad as it could have been. There are only three girls who are pregnant, and they are less than 10 weeks so the foetuses will be removed. You understand that they would not survive the birth, so it's got to happen,' he said averting his gaze.

'I thought that was the case,' I said, turning pale as I remembered the blonde girl I'd seen in the infirmary touching her stomach.'

He rubbed his chin. 'We're going to have to modify their memories of last night.'

'Why?' I asked.

'You have to ask why? They can't tell the world about the things they've seen.'

'You mean what happened on the roof,' I clarified.

'Yes, those Namu soldiers were fools. They should have driven you away immediately.'

'How will you modify their memories?' I asked.

'Won't it damage their brains?'

'Not really, a human has billions of nerve cells in the brain and the memory modification will destroy only the few that are related to the memory of last night.'

I noted his emphasis on human. 'How many nerve cells does a Namu have?' I asked.

'We have twice as many.'

'Wow,' I said. 'Do you think I have more than normal?'

He looked amused. 'I'm not sure about you. I thought I told you to stay put last night but you broke out of the cell and brought all the other girls with you.'

'I thought that was helpful,' I said indignantly.

'Helpful but dangerous,' he said.

'I hope you won't modify Laura's memory.'

'I don't think we would be able to do that to Laura, anyway,' Jack replied. 'She's got gypsy blood in her.'

'So, we've got the same ancestry,' I said.

'Partly,' Jack replied.

There were lots of nagging worries that I had but the most pressing ones, related to the Caleb and the nurse. 'The nurse at the compound said she didn't have a choice but to be there.' I said. 'What's going to happen to her? And Caleb, Ava's son, I don't think he agreed with what she was doing.

'The nurse will be questioned by the police. Caleb will be questioned by us.'

'Won't the police want to question Caleb too?' I asked.

'The distinction between the police and us is not clear cut. Remember Ed and Zac's father works for the police.'

'I see,' I replied, although I wasn't exactly sure how it all worked. However, I could tell that the Namu organisation had a wider influence than I'd realised.

'Is there anything else?' Jack asked expectantly.

'I don't think so,' I replied, although I wanted to ask why the Namu woman on the bus would have something against me.

'Don't you want to ask me about what you saw on the roof?' Jack asked.

'I guess so. I knew you had powers,' I replied.

'Are you scared by what you saw?' Jack asked.

'No,' I lied. The Jack in front of me now seemed so far removed from the person I'd seen fighting Ava that it didn't seem real. But if I admitted it to myself I was a little frightened by the almost god-like Jack who'd created a storm last night.

He frowned. 'You should be. That's why you need to be able to shield yourself against me.'

'Actually, I wanted to talk about that,' I said, determined to get my point across. 'I want to be trained fully in Namu powers.'

'I'm not sure you know what you're asking,' Jack replied. 'The training normally takes three years full-time and I can't imagine you'd want to become a soldier.'

'I need to be able to defend myself,' I said fiercely. 'I don't want to ever be that helpless again. Silas is still free remember. What if he comes back for me?'

'Okay, point taken. I'll train you myself.'

'To move objects and the elements,' I insisted.

'Even most Namu can't control the elements,' Jack said.

'If I can.'

'There'll be no slacking once your leg's better.'

'No.' I promised.

'It will be difficult though,' he joked. 'No kissing, no distractions.'

'It's possible to mix business with pleasure,' I replied.

The corners of his eyes creased. 'You're probably right.'

Mum was at the window when we arrived home and I saw her spring up to get the door. Jack said he would come back that evening after we'd had some time to talk so I walked to my front door on my own as he drove away.

Looking at the familiar peeling paint on the wall made me feel nostalgic. I was home. I was safe. Mum pulled open the door home and flung her arms around me.

'Kate, you're home,' she said, with tears in her eyes. 'I've been so worried about you. What happened to your face and your leg?'

'I was attacked by a dog but I'm alright now,' I replied.

'What did they do to you?' she asked.

'Don't worry, the dog incident was the worst thing. All I had were some tests,' I replied as we went through to the kitchen.

'What kind of tests?'

I realised I hadn't thought things through properly. There was no way I could tell her about most of the tests. I hesitated, deciding what I should say. 'They took a blood sample from me and tested my reflexes.'

'Is that all?' she asked.

'They were interested in my heritage. They said I had gypsy blood and that it must have come from my mother.'

'Oh.' She paused. 'It's not something your granny would have liked me to talk you about but I guess I might as well tell you now. Before your granny met gramps, she was pregnant with me. He knew of course but he didn't care. She had been having a relationship with a Romani gypsy man who was married and I was the outcome of that.'

'So gramps wasn't your real father?' I asked, recalling that I had always thought mum looked like him. How wrong could I be.

'He wasn't my biological father but he was my dad to all intents and purposes,' she replied.

The image of my grandmother with her grey perm, sitting in front of Coronation Street didn't seem to fit with the idea of a young pregnant girl. 'When did she tell you?'

'I think I was about 9-years-old. At first it was a bit of a shock but then I realised it didn't change anything.'

'Did you ever try to find your biological father?' I asked, wondering why she hadn't talked to me about this when I'd tried to find mine.

'No,' I didn't think it was necessary. I could tell she was thinking about my own search for my father. 'But I understood why you wanted to find yours. I had gramps, you didn't.'

'Do you know his name?' I asked.

'George Morris,' she replied. 'Not an unusual name. Granny and I made the same mistake. Hopefully, you'll do better.'

'Don't worry. I'm not planning on getting pregnant,' I said. I thought about the kidnapped girls who'd been implanted with embryos and I was thankful it wasn't me. I knew that it would come out in the news so I braced myself to tell Mum. 'I should probably tell you that they carried out IVF on some of the girls they kidnapped.'

Her eyes widened in horror. 'They didn't do anything like that on you, did they?'

'No, no, nothing like that happened to me. I was only there three days.' I reassured her.

She looked visibly relieved and tears sprang to her eyes again. 'I hope they go down for a long time,' she spat. 'The police called and you'll need to give a statement later today.'

'Okay,' I said, yawning. I really didn't want to relive the whole experience with the police but I knew I had too.

'Maybe you should have a shower and get some sleep before the interview. I've got to take you to the station at three.'

Gratefully, I headed upstairs.

27

We arrived at Higham police station at ten to three. Mum gripped my hand nervously as we sat on the blue plastic chairs in the reception area. The burly police man behind the reception desk kept looking at me pityingly. This was a big case and I was a damaged witness. With a sinking feeling, I realised that this would be how other people would react to me too. A police woman with a kind smile came to meet me and asked me to come through but she instructed my mum to stay behind. I was grateful for that. I didn't know how I would have explained events in front of her. The police woman took me to a small interview room and then DI Simmons took over from her. He waited for her to leave and gestured to me to sit down.

'We met before,' he said. 'But I don't think you were quite honest with me that time.'

'No,' I said, feeling a little shamefaced. 'I'm sorry; I didn't think I could tell you the truth.'

'Don't worry; I didn't expect you to tell me.'

'I didn't even understand what had really happened at the time. The drunk grabbed me and I blocked him and then he was ran away scared.'

'Forget that now. I want to let you know that I was involved in the rescue operation last night.'

I nodded to show I'd understood. He was going to make sure that I didn't reveal what I knew about the Namu.

'So I'm going to ask you some questions. There are lots of witnesses so I would recommend saying very little on tape. Hopefully, you won't be called for the main trial. However, Ava and Damien will be prosecuted in a Namu court as well so I am going to ask you to come to London to give evidence against them.'

I twisted my hands nervously under the table as he started the recording. As he suggested, I gave very little detail and I emphasised that I'd only been in the compound for three days. Hopefully, I wouldn't be called as a witness in court. I knew that the other girls would provide enough evidence to convict them.

When the tape stopped, DI Simmons smiled at me. 'I think that will do. Let me take you back to your mum.'

'What shall I tell my mum about going to London?' I asked.

'I think you can say that you're needed for identification purposes. That's suitably vague,' he replied.

'Okay.' I agreed. I didn't want to see Ava and Damien ever again never mind give evidence against them but I knew I had to.

'Jack can drive you there,' he said as if that made it better.

As we walked back, I wondered what DI Simmons thought of me. He didn't give much away and I wondered whether he approved of Jack's relationship with me.

Mum stood up as soon as she saw me. 'Was it alright?'

'It was fine,' I said. 'I just need to go to London in a couple of weeks, that's all.'

'Is that necessary?' Mum asked, turning to DI Simmons. 'She's already been through a lot.'

'She is needed for the identification.' DI Simmons said. 'I've arranged for my nephew, Jack, to take her.'

'I suppose that's okay,' Mum replied reluctantly.

In the car home, mum raved about Jack. Apparently, he had called a few times to check she was okay and to let her know the progress the police were making. I made a mental note to thank him.

'So are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?' Mum asked. 'I think it would be okay for you to have one day at home.' This was unusual for Mum. I'd needed to have a raging fever as a child to be allowed to stay at home.

'No, I think I might as well go back tomorrow.' I said. 'I've missed a few days already.' It seemed strange that it had only been a few days because it felt like weeks had passed.

'There's been a lot on the news about the kidnappings,' Mum warned. 'It might be best to be prepared.'

'Yes,' I sighed, wondering how much news coverage there had been. I started planning how to field people's questions at school.

'Why don't you call, Gemma?' Mum suggested. 'I called her earlier to let her know you were safe but you might want to talk to her about things.'

'Okay,' I said, taking the phone upstairs. I knew that it would be easier to lie to Gemma over the phone. She had an uncanny knack of knowing when I wasn't telling the truth.

On the phone, she filled me in on the aftermath of my kidnap. She explained how they'd looked for me everywhere at first and how they'd eventually contacted the police. I noticed that she mentioned Kam a great deal in this. In turn, I filled her in on what had happened to me but missing out any details relating to supernatural stuff. As the conversation ended, I realised that I was getting better at lying.

Jack came that evening for dinner and he helped my mum prepare the vegetables. Every time I got up, they told me to rest. So I flicked through a magazine on the table, listening to them talk about the case. Jack pretended he knew a lot from his uncle and Mum soaked up the information he provided. I was desperate to ask him more questions about the Namu trial but I knew I had to wait till later.

After dinner, Mum said she was going to go round to Trevor's house so we had the house to ourselves.

As soon as she left, I grilled Jack about the trial. 'What am I supposed to say?'

'Be truthful,' Jack said. 'I'll be there and my parents will be there too.'

'What do they think about what's happened?' I asked.

'They thought it might be Silas and they're worried that he's under the radar again. But at least we got Ava and Damien.'

'How did you find me?' I asked, curiously.

'Your description helped and your friend Laura told the gypsies some more information too. Using satellite images, we were able to work out your location.'

'I saw Kam at the compound. He said that they were helping you.'

'They did help us find you but they're a bit of a liability. They wouldn't have been able to fight against Ava and Damien,' Jack said.

'I thought you said that some of the other Namu soldiers didn't have your powers either.' I pointed out.

'True, but at least they're trained to shield themselves in dangerous situations,' Jack replied.

'You know my gypsy blood comes from my mum's side of the family,' I said. 'Mum said her father was a gypsy.'

'You're an interesting combination,' Jack replied, leaning over to kiss me. 'Maybe that's why I can't resist you.'

I felt a jolt of electricity through my body as his lips touched mine.

'Steady,' he said. 'Use your shield.'

'I'm not sure I want to,' I said. 'I like how you make me feel.'

'Try it,' he suggested.

I tried to calm my thoughts but it was impossible with Jack next to me. He pulled my hand towards him and rested it on his chest.

'Feel my breath,' he said. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and I focused on that. Suddenly, I felt a yellow glow form around me. The shield had formed. Jack tilted my chin upwards and kissed my lips gently. Then he moved his lips from mine, down to my neck and collar bone. He had one hand on my thigh and one hand on the side of my hip. Every part of me wanted him and I moved closer. I kissed him fervently back, running my hands over his chest. I started unbuttoning his shirt so that I could touch his skin but abruptly, he jerked back.

'No, Kate,' he said.

'Why not?' I asked breathlessly.

'Your shield is not strong enough. In fact, you're currently, pulling my energy into you.'

I noticed that the yellow glow around me had gone and I felt a wave of frustration. 'How am I pulling your energy into me?'

'You always do it,' he said.

'I do?' I asked. He had told me before that I drew his energy towards me but it had been under different circumstances.

I felt his hand cup my face and a smiled played on his lips as he turned my face towards him. 'Most girls would like the idea of a man going weak at the knees when they're around.'

'Draining someone's energy isn't the same thing.'

Jack eyes bore into mine, 'When I'm with you, I feel more normal. That's what you give me,' he said.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'It's relaxing, being with you. It's like I've wound down a notch.'

'Are you just trying to make me feel better?' I asked.

'No, it's the truth,' he replied, meeting my eyes.

'Good,' I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

28

It was strange being back at school. People stared at me wherever I went. I felt like screaming that I'd only be gone for a few days. That I didn't need to be pitied. The only relief was that Jack met me between classes.

Gemma told me that the papers had interviewed some of the girls and that people thought that maybe I might have been given IVF treatment too. I clenched my jaw, knowing I had no real way of quashing the rumours.

Will, Anna and James were protective of me. We ate our lunch in an empty classroom away from prying eyes. I gave them the same version of events, I'd given Gemma. They seemed relieved it hadn't been worse. Jack sat with us but remained silent while I lied.

The next day, a news article appeared suggesting I was a hero. That I had helped the other girls escape from the cells before we were rescued by the police. Now people started staring at me in different way. I knew I wasn't the hero but I was pleased people were no longer shooting me pitying glances. Will and James joked that I was badass and school began to feel a little more bearable.

Gemma suggested that we visit Tas and Kam on Saturday. She said they'd searched everywhere for me when I'd gone missing and that they would want to see me. I also knew she wanted to see Kam again so I agreed. I had a different opinion about Kam now that he'd helped rescue me from the compound. Although I still wasn't sure he'd be good for Gemma.

When I told Jack I was going to the gypsy encampment, he shrugged. 'You probably should go. Runi was instrumental in finding you.'

'Do you want to come with me?' I asked.

'No, I won't,' he said. 'I'm not exactly welcome.'

'I thought things might have changed,' I said, questioningly.

'Not that much,' he replied.

I was glad when Saturday came. I was desperate for a break from school and I hoped that over the weekend, people might forget about what had happened. Although I knew it was unlikely.

I woke in the morning to find Jack, sitting on my bed, putting his shoes on.

'Are you off already?' I asked, noticing that dawn light outside.

'Better be off, before your mum wakes up,' he said, brushing his lips against my forehead. 'I'll see you this evening.'

I nodded in understanding. I loved the fact that he stayed most nights but I didn't want Mum to catch him. Not that she had anything to worry about. Since the last time, I'd tried to unbutton his shirt, I hadn't tried again. I knew we still needed to overcome the problem of me taking in his energy.

The morning was filled with me catching up on the work I'd missed. Rachel had been more than willing to lend me her Physics and Biology notes and had been tactful enough not to ask me too many questions. I completed one Biology essay and five short Physics questions before I had to leave. Mum kept poking her head in on me before finally saying she was going round to Trevor's house. When I told her that I was going to seeing Gemma in the afternoon, she seemed relieved. I could tell she felt torn between spending time with me and being with Trevor.

I met Gemma in Higham and then we took another bus to the outskirts of the town where the gypsy encampment was. We walked through the fields until we came to the familiar caravans.

Last time, I'd come, the children had been playing outside but this time I couldn't see any. Maybe the frost on the ground was keeping them inside.

'Let's go to the horse paddock,' Gemma suggested. 'Kam and Tas might be there.'

When we arrived, Tas was busy mucking out the horses and Kam was grooming a large black one.

Tas stopped at soon as he saw me and ran over. 'Kate, you're here.'

'Yes, it's me.' I smiled.

'I heard you were safe but it's good to see you in the flesh. What happened to your face?'

'A guard hit me,' I replied. 'But don't worry I got him back.'

'You got him back? How?' Tas asked.

'I locked him in a cell,' I explained.

'The news said you made a run for it,' Tas said.

'Something like that.'

'I didn't realise you were so tough.'

'It must be the gypsy in me,' I joked.

Kam interrupted our conversation. 'My grandmother wants to see you.'

'I'll take you,' Tas said eagerly.

I turned to Gemma. 'I'll meet you back here then.

'No problem,' she said, smiling at Kam and twirling a strand of hair.

I walked towards Runi's caravan and knocked on the door.

She opened the door as if she'd been expecting me. 'Hello Kate. Come in and have some tea.'

'I don't need any tea,' I replied. 'I came to say thank you.'

'Sit down, anyway,' she said.

Obediently, I took a seat on the sofa bench. 'You were right about me being part Namu, part gypsy,' I said. 'They did a blood test on me and my mum told me that her father was a gypsy.'

'I didn't need a blood test to know,' Runi said. 'My ways are much simpler. But that's not what I want to talk to you about. I need to make sure you can keep our secrets.'

'I'm not going to tell anyone,' I assured her.

'If you promise, I can tell you more.'

'I promise,' I said. 'I already know you can do telepathy.'

'We gypsies can do much more than that,' she said. 'We are able to project ourselves into other forms and we can harness the spirits.'

'What spirits?' I asked.

'The earth, air, water and fire spirits,' she replied.

'Like the Namu,' I said.

'The Namu are different to the gypsies. They can control the elements but they cannot summon the spirits to help them. You will be able to do both.'

'Me,' I gasped.

'You are special, Kate. I've seen it in a vision.'

'There must be other part Namu, part gypsy offspring somewhere,' I said.

'Perhaps,' Runi replied cryptically.

I didn't want to ask her directly about her grandsons but curiosity made me delve further. 'Do all gypsies have special abilities?'

'It depends on two things; lineage and age,' Runi replied, patting my hand.

'My mother said my father was called George Morris. Have you heard of him?' I asked.

The colour seemed to drain from her face and she clutched the tablecloth.

'Sorry, have I upset you?'

'My brother,' she croaked. 'I should have known.'

'Your brother,' I repeated, trying to absorb the information. 'My grandfather?'

'Yes,' she said.

'Is he here?'

'I'm afraid he died a few years ago,' she replied quietly.

'Oh,' I said, realising that I would now never know my real grandfather.

'And that's makes me your great aunt,' Runi said, clasping my hand.

'You're my great aunt,' I replied, repeating her words again in dumbfounded incredulity. I had always believed I had very little family but now I was suddenly being presented with one. My head spun with this new information. 'So Tas and Kam are my second cousins.'

'It's a lot to take in,' she said. 'Please keep this to yourself for now. I will need to explain this to the family. But now, you better get back to your friend, Gemma. I saw her come with you.'

As I left the caravan, it occurred to me that Runi had only met Gemma once but still remembered her name.

Tas was waiting outside when I came out. 'What did my gran want with you?' he asked.

'She wanted to talk to me about being part gypsy,' I said, wondering how much he knew.

'She's not predicting your future again, is she?'

Intuitively, I realised that Tas did not know about the gypsys' secret powers. Maybe it was because he wasn't old enough. 'No, it was about the search party you sent after me,' I lied.

'Oh right. Kam said they were on your trail but the police got their first. I think he was kind of annoyed.'

'I'm really grateful for everyone's help,' I said.

'You're one of us aren't you?'

More than he knew. I looked at him in a new light. As a cousin. Was that what I had been drawn to from the beginning?

'What's up?' he asked.

'Nothing,' I replied.

We walked into the horse shed and we both ground to a halt. Kam seemed to have his hands either side of Gemma's head. When he heard us, he walked away, without looking at us. Tas looked at me in surprise.

'Hi,' Gemma said sheepishly, adjusting her hair. 'Kam says we can have a ride on the horses.'

'My leg's not better yet, but you go ahead,' I said.

'If you don't mind,' she replied.

'No, I'll have a walk around with Tas,' I said.

Tas seemed happy with that suggestion and after they left, we walked into the forest.

The ground was hard with frost as we walked through the woods and the dim winter light filtered through the bare trees. I buried my hands in my pockets to warm them up.

'Does Gemma really like Kam?' Tas asked.

'I think she engineered coming here today,' I replied.

Tas looked away and I wasn't sure what he was thinking. After a few minutes silence, he said. 'That's good.'

'You don't seem sure,' I replied.

'No, I am,' he said. 'I thought you might have come here for your own sake.'

'I did,' I replied hastily. 'I came to say thank you for everyone's help finding me.'

'You know you ought to be a bit more careful in future,' he said, kicking a tree stump.

'Next time I see a kidnapper, I'll run in the opposite direction.' I joked.

He didn't speak for a while after that but then he said, 'I want to show you something.'

I followed him to the river bank and he told me to be quiet as we walked along the edge. He climbed down to a dip in the bank. I pointed to my injured leg but he jumped back up and picked me up in his arms.

'I'm a bit heavy,' I protested but he ignored me. He carried me down to the bank before letting me down.

'There's an otter living here,' he said. 'Have a look at its holt.'

'I can't see anything,' I whispered looking into through the entrance to the holt but then suddenly an otter darted out into the river. It playfully jumped in and out before running away.

'You know otters don't hibernate,' Tas said.

'I didn't,' I replied.

'Fact: they've got the densest fur in the animal kingdom, which allows them to stay warm in the winter.'

'Anything else I don't know?'

'They're known to show human behaviours like holding hands.'

'No way.'

'Yeah, they're really intelligent,' Tas added.

'Are otters your pet subject?' I asked as Tas helped me back up the river bank.

'I'm interested in nature. It's part of the gypsy way.'

'So, are there any other gypsy traditions I should know about?' I asked as we walked back. 'Seeing as I'm part gypsy.'

'We don't believe in getting attached to material things,' Tas replied. 'And we believe family is important.'

'Anything else?'

'There's the winter solstice coming up. Lots of food, bonfires, dancing, stories. You should come,' Tas suggested.

This was what I was looking for. A way to understand who I was. There must be some legend about people like me.

'So, are there any stories about spirits?' I asked, keeping my tone even. I didn't want to alert Tas to what I knew.

'Why?' He laughed. 'Do you think you might be able to summon them if you're a gypsy?'

I worked hard to make a joke out of it. 'I find it interesting, that's all. Last time I was here, there was a story about Plamen.'

'That one. Yeah, there's a few like that. So will you come?'

'Count me in,' I replied as we arrived back at the horse shed.

I checked my phone. 'I better be getting back now.'

'Meeting your boyfriend?' Tas asked.

'Yeah,' I said, feeling uncomfortable. I liked being with Tas but I wanted us to be friends. Even more so now that we were cousins.

Gemma was already back from her ride with Kam when we entered the shed. She knew I needed to get off so we said goodbye, promising to come back soon. Gemma was buzzing with excitement but unusually for her, she chose not to discuss it with me.

29

The day of the trial came too soon. Jack ensured we arrived at the Namu headquarters with plenty of time so he took me to the canteen to get something to eat. It was lunchtime and the canteen was busy with Namu trainees, dressed in blue cargo pants and white t-shirts. They looked at me curiously. I ordered a chicken salad but I could only pick at it.

'Don't worry,' Jack said, taking my hand.

'I can't help it,' I replied.

'You just have to say exactly what happened.' Jack reassured me.

I remembered the dog Damien had set on me. My leg was better now but I still had the scar. I knew it could have been a lot worse. If anything, I wanted Damien and Ava to pay for what they'd done to the other girls not me.

The courtroom was different to how I'd imagined it. Damien and Ava were behind a glass window. They looked like lions in a cage as they paced up and down, sending daggers at me with their eyes.

'Why are they behind the glass?' I asked.

'The glass is for our safety,' Jack said. 'You've seen what they're able to do.'

'So, they can't break out of there then?'

'No, the glass is made to withstand anything,' Jack said.

As we sat down, the prosecution lawyer came up to me. She was dressed in black robes and had a brisk manner. 'I'm Julia,' she said. 'Hopefully, your testimony won't take too long. There's lots of witnesses. I'll ask you what happened and all you have to do is explain simply what you saw and what they asked you to do.'

'Okay,' I replied.

I watched eight jury members walk in and take a seat in a box at the front. Four men and four women with unsmiling faces. Jack explained to me that they were members of the Namu council. The judge came in soon after and the courtroom went silent. He had grey hair and a beard, something I hadn't seen before on a Namu.

Various witnesses were called forward, many of them Namu soldiers. Jack gave evidence too. I listened to him mesmerised by his account of events. It reminded me of how god-like he was on the roof when he was fighting. Then I was called.

Julia started the questioning. I gave a simple account of events, making sure I didn't look at Ava and Damien. To support my account, she showed the jury photos of my injuries.

The lawyer defending Ava and Damien, smirked at me. 'Are you sure you're not embellishing events, Kate?' he asked.

I swallowed hard. 'No.'

'I believe your father is only half Namu.' He continued. 'That makes you quarter Namu, am I right?' he asked.

'Yes,' I replied.

'Half Namus have diluted powers compared to full Namus so I find it hard to understand why they would be interested in you.'

It was a good question. Why were they so interested in me? Runi had said I was special because I had a mixture of gypsy and Namu blood but maybe she was deluded. Ava and Damien wouldn't have known about my mixed heritage before the blood test anyway. It didn't make sense. 'I'm not sure,' I replied. 'Maybe because they wanted to get at Jack.'

I could hear people in the courtroom whispering.

'And why would they think they could get at Jack through you?' he asked.

'Because we're together,' I said, looking at Jack for support. He smiled back but I could see his fist was clenched tight.

'How interesting,' he smiled unpleasantly. 'Because Namus are not supposed to have relationships with ordinary humans.'

'I'm a quarter Namu,' I reiterated.

'Where are you going with this?' the judge asked the defending lawyer.

'The defendants are charged with breaking Namu rules regarding the treatment of ordinary humans and carrying out illegal research on a Namu. I'm just establishing whether this girl falls into either category.'

The woman for the prosecution stood up, 'Article 117, says that a person is classed as a Namu if they show any Namu abilities.'

'Do we need proof of this?' The judge asked.

'For clarification, your Honour,' the defending lawyer replied.

'Very well,' the judge said. 'Kate, you will have to do a demonstration for us.'

I looked at Jack for help. What was I supposed to do? I saw him speak to Julia briefly.

Julia came up to me. 'Jack says you can move air.'

'I have before,' I said, hoping I could do it in front of an audience.

'Good, that will do. You see those papers on the table over there. Can you move them?'

'I'll try,' I replied.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sounds of the courtroom. At first, I couldn't concentrate. There were too many people there. I could feel my insides tightening but I pushed the panic aside. Feeling my breath moving in and out of my chest, I tried to pretend I was alone in the room. I focused on the space around the papers. The air particles around them seemed to suddenly become clear and I started moving them until a breeze formed. The papers floated lightly off the table.

I looked at the judge to see if it was enough. 'That will do,' he said. He turned to the defending lawyer, 'I think we've proved she is part Namu.'

The defending lawyer nodded his head imperceptibly and gave me a cold look. 'That's all my questions.'

I sighed in a relief.

'You may step down,' the judge said, turning to me.

I returned to my seat beside Jack. 'Well done,' he whispered.

A few more witnesses were called, there was a summing up and then the jury pronounced Ava and Damien guilty. I took a furtive glance at them. Damien's face was ashen but Ava looked arrogantly indifferent. I wondered whether she thought Silas would get her out. I tried to reassure myself that I was being silly. But I couldn't quite get rid of the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Jack led me out of the courtroom and we passed the woman who'd been rude to me on the bus.

'Hi Jack,' she simpered.

'Miranda, good to see you,' Jack replied. He turned to me. 'This is Kate. She's been giving evidence.'

'Yes, I heard the trial was on. How long did they get?' Miranda asked.

'Ten years,' Jack replied. 'Not long enough.'

'Agreed,' Miranda said, running her hands through her hair. 'By the way, are you going to the Christmas ball?'

I watched her smile flirtatiously at him. I couldn't blame her but it annoyed me just the same.

'I haven't thought about it yet,' he said, looking at me.

'It would be lovely to see you there,' she said breezily before sauntering off. 'See you soon, Jack.'

'Do you want to go to a ball?' Jack asked, after she'd left. 'It's a bit formal.'

'I'd rather not,' I replied frostily. I didn't really want to see Miranda again.

Jack frowned. 'What's up?'

'Nothing,' I said, folding my arms.

A smiled formed at the corner of his lips. 'Is it Miranda?'

'Maybe,' I said reluctantly. 'She's obviously got a thing you.'

Jack stopped walking and tilted my chin so that I was looking at him. 'She's nothing to me. If you want to go to the ball, don't let her stop you.'

'I don't know whether I want to go anyway,' I replied although I secretly decided I would consider it.

'You've got time to think about it,' Jack said.

Jack drove me back to his parent's house. Helen opened the door and showered us both with hugs and kisses.

'How did the trial go?' Helen asked as she ushered us into the living room, where Richard was reading the newspaper.

'Let them sit down first,' Richard said.

Helen apologised and went to get some drinks. A feeling of warmth and security passed over me as Richard hugged us. I knew Richard was probably affecting my mood but I happily embraced it. I'd felt on edge since the night before and it was good to finally unwind.

Helen came back with some homemade lemonade and shortbread. The shortbread tasted so good, I took a second slice. My appetite had returned now that the trial was over. Jack started describing the trial but when he got to the bit about me having to demonstrate my Namu abilities, he sounded angry. Richard obviously hadn't had quite the same impact on Jack's mood as he'd had on mine.

'It's his job,' Helen soothed.

'He was trying to infer that Kate wasn't a Namu at all and that we shouldn't have a relationship,' Jack said.

'You're going to get that,' Richard said. 'In fact, he did you a favour. Now Kate's demonstrated her powers in front of an audience, there will be less talk about her not being a pure Namu.'

'Who cares whether she's pure Namu?' Jack asked.

Richard met my eyes. 'I'm afraid, Kate, that some Namu believe that our bloodline should be kept pure.'

This news didn't upset me. I had been surprised Richard and Helen were so accepting of me in the first place. 'I thought there was some kind of rule about Namu not having relationships with humans anyway,' I replied.

'Yes,' Richard said. 'But Namu can have relationships with gypsies and other supers although they don't tend to.'

I felt confused. 'Supers?'

Helen raised her eyebrows at Richard. 'This might be hard for you to take in, Kate but there other supernatural beings on this earth other than us. You know about the gypsies but there are also fairies, witches and Vata.'

'Vata?' I asked incredulously. The conversation seemed to be getting more surreal.

'Vata are a race of people who are particularly good at healing.' Helen explained.

'Fairies, witches?' I carried on.

'You've met a witch already,' Jack said.

'Laura,' I said instantly. 'I thought you said she was part gypsy.'

'Yes, but she's also part witch,' Jack replied.

My whole understanding of the world seemed to be on rocky ground. Now that I realised Laura was part witch, it made sense to me. I wondered how many other people I'd met who had supernatural powers I was unaware of. 'If all witches are like her, I've got nothing to worry about.'

'Unfortunately, that's not the case,' Jack said.

'That's why the Namu organisation is here,' Richard added. 'We make sure that the supernatural community is kept under control.'

I thought about what Runi had told me. 'What abilities does a part gypsy part Namu have?' I asked.

'When there's a mix, it's hard to tell what the abilities will be,' Richard replied. 'Jack has said he will train you while he is still in Higham. Hopefully, your abilities will become clear then.'

I felt a rising panic. I had known Jack wouldn't be in Higham forever but I didn't want to think about him leaving. I kept my face deliberately neutral although I felt sick inside.

'There's something else we want to talk to you about, Kate,' Helen said. 'Your dad is working at the Namu headquarters now and we thought you might like to visit him.'

It took me a while to register what she was saying. 'My dad's working at the Namu headquarters?'

'Yes,' she replied. 'He's working in the gardens there. Once we realised he was half-Namu, we contacted him and there's been a big change in him. He's no longer drinking and I know he regrets how he was last time he saw you.'

I didn't know what to say. I felt happy he was no longer drinking and that they'd contacted him. But I found it strange that he was now working at the Namu headquarters.

I'm sure he would love you to visit him in his new home,' Helen continued.

'He's got a new home?' I asked.

'In Camden. Jack could drive you there,' Helen said hopefully.

'Okay,' I replied, with apprehension.

30

So this was my dad's new address. A small, terrace house in Camden, North London. It looked less run down than where he'd lived in Cricklewood. I was glad he'd moved. Especially as the old flat had been bugged by Silas. It was difficult for Jack to find a space on the crowded street but eventually he squeezed his car into one.

As we got out of the car, I turned to Jack nervously.

'It'll be fine,' Jack said. 'He's sober now.'

'I know but I don't think I can take the rejection again.'

'That's not going to happen,' Jack reassured me.

I rang the doorbell and it wasn't long before a much cleaner and smarter man, opened the door. Clean-shaven and dressed in smart chinos and a crisp chequered shirt, my dad looked much younger than last time I had seen him.

'Hi,' I said shyly.

'Come in, come in,' he said with obvious embarrassment. I could tell he was remembering last time we'd met. He led me through to a bright and modern living room, with large patio doors leading into the garden.

'Please sit down,' he said. 'Would you like some tea or maybe an orange squash?'

'An orange squash please,' I replied.

'I'll have one too,' Jack said, although I knew he would have preferred a coffee.

While my dad made drinks in the kitchen, I sat down on one of the beige sofas next to Jack and surveyed the room. I looked from the large photo prints of the London on the walls, to the soft rust coloured rug covering the hard wood floors. It was so much more inviting than his previous flat. 'I like the way you've decorated your flat,' I said loudly.

'Thanks,' he replied as he came back in carrying the two squashes. He placed them on the coffee table and sat down in a large chenille covered chair opposite.

He shifted uneasily. 'I'm sorry I was rude last time but I was not in a very good place.'

'Don't worry,' I said. 'It would come as a shock to anyone if a daughter they didn't know turned up on their doorstep.' I wondered whether I felt angry at him anymore and I realised I didn't. I'm sure I would have turned to drink if someone hadn't explained my abilities to me. 'I don't blame you for your reaction.'

'I'm glad you can forgive me,' he said. 'Once I realised I wasn't mad, I stopped drinking.'

I realised that my fate might have been the same if I hadn't met Jack. If had started to be able to move objects without understanding why, I probably would have gone crazy. 'You definitely seem better,' I said.

My dad turned to Jack. 'I can't be more grateful to your parents. They came and found me and explained everything to me. And they've helped me get back on my feet.' My dad looked from Jack to me and back again. 'But perhaps I understand why now.'

I realised my dad was assessing my relationship with Jack. I wondered how he felt about it. I knew that other people's fathers were quite protective of their daughters but I'd never had that. It felt strange. I had a father. One who understood I was part Namu. I'm not sure he had a right to question me about my life yet but maybe in the future he might. Would he care who I was going out with? Jack had rescued me after all.

'It's my parents' job to support known Namu,' Jack said.

'Your parents told me that Kate had been kidnapped before it was in the newspapers.'

'I'm glad,' Jack said.

My dad looked at me. 'I'm so glad you're safe. Are you okay? I heard you were rescued before any real damage was done.'

Was I okay? I asked myself. I still felt paranoid whenever I was on my own but I knew that my time in the compound had also taught me some things about myself. I now knew I had greater powers. 'I was lucky,' I said. 'Some of the girls in there were not so lucky.'

'Yes, I heard,' he said gravely. 'But also saw that you helped them escape.' There was a touch of pride in his voice.

I'm not sure, I did much,' I said, recalling how I'd almost brought the girls into a battlefield. 'It was Jack and the rest of the Namu army, who really rescued us.'

'I wondered if it was the same hospital they'd kept me in,' he said. 'I told them what I knew about it.'

'It was the same one,' Jack said. 'They've been carrying out research there for a long time.'

'I didn't realised you'd help find me,' I stuttered.

'I don't know how useful my information was,' my dad said.

'Your description did help,' Jack said.

So my dad had been involved in finding me. That felt good. If I had any remaining resentment towards him from our last meeting, it was gone.

The conversation moved on to other things. My dad wanted to know about my school and what I was studying. He asked me about my friends and what I liked doing. Jack listened silently. And I avoided talking about him. Eventually my dad asked me about my Namu abilities. I gave him a rundown of what I could do and he seemed surprised. I explained that I was part gypsy and that seemed to increase my powers Mum's gypsy heritage was news to him but he seemed wistful when he talked about her. It made me feel sad because I knew Mum had moved on.

The time passed quickly and it was almost dinner-time before we left.

'If you ever want to come and stay, let me know.' he said.

'Thanks,' I said, unsure whether I would ever take him up on the offer but pleased nonetheless.

It was dark outside when we left and I appreciated the cool breeze on my face. I now had a father who understood what I was and who wanted to be part of my life. It would be good to have a least one parent who I didn't need to lie to. I'd always told Mum everything but now there was so much to hide, it felt like there was a distance between us.

As we drove back to Jack's house in the car, I felt my happiness ebbing away to be replaced by anxiety. I still hadn't spoken to Jack about when he would be leaving Higham but I didn't know whether I wanted to know the answer.

Jack's voice cut the silence. 'Are you thinking about your dad?'

'I was but now I'm thinking about you,' I replied.

He frowned. 'What are you thinking about?'

I knew I had to address the issue directly. 'I want to know how long you're still going to be in Higham.'

He smiled. 'So that's what you're worried about. The good news is that it would look suspicious if I left the school now. I will be there at least until the summer.'

'But then you'll have to leave?' I asked. I knew I should feel happy that we had until the summer but all I could think about was when we would be separated.

His voice turned serious. 'It depends on whether we catch Silas. He obviously has lots of contacts in the North West so he may turn up there again. At the moment, being based in the North West works.'

I shivered. I didn't want to think about Silas being anywhere near me but I wanted Jack to stay. At least I had till the summer.

31

'What do you think about this top?' Gemma asked as she held up a red sequined low-cut top.

'It's sexy,' I said although I secretly thought it looked a bit cold for an outdoor festival. She had already tried on four tops and I was getting bored as I lounged on her double bed.

She sighed, looking out the window. 'I guess I'll have to wear a jacket over it.'

'Probably. It's freezing out there.'

'I want to look nice, that's all.'

'Nothing to do with Kam then.'

'He said we could go back to his caravan afterwards for drinks if it gets too cold.'

'Are you sure I'm invited?' I asked doubtfully. 'Jack's coming to pick us up at ten anyway.'

'Yes, you're invited,' she said. 'Anyway, why's Jack not coming?'

I could tell she'd prefer if it was more of a double date. 'He's got a family dinner,' I lied.

It was dark when we arrived at the campsite but a series of lanterns lit our way. A campfire burned in the distance and I could smell the smoke in the air. The sound of violins and flute harmonies carried through the breeze. As we approached, I felt a sense of anticipation. What would I find out tonight? I thought. There were lots of people sitting around a campfire. The light of the fire lit their clothes and I saw that some were in traditional dress. I wondered how many of them had special abilities.

Tas ran up to us as we arrived at the main clearing. 'You're here,' he said, out of breath.

'Are we late?' I asked.

'No, we're just getting started,' Tas replied.

We followed him to the campfire where we squeezed in next to Kam.

'You'll like the next story,' Tas said.

'Why?' I asked.

'All the women like it.'

'Why do you say that?'

'It's about women having power,' Tas said. 'It's my mum's favourite.'

I realised that I'd never met Tas' mum. 'Is your mum here tonight?' I asked.

'She's the one telling the story,' Tas replied.

I looked at the dark haired and dark eyed woman sitting in the centre of the circle in her many layered coloured skirt. She seemed beautiful and strong. Numerous bangles hung on her wrists and a big red blanket hung over her shoulders to keep her warm. She looked at me and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Did she think I was an intruder here? Or had Runi told her that I was niece?

She lifted her arms above her head, clapped twice and the music stopped. Then she began her story in a rich and deep voice. 'Cara was one of the daughters of Plamen. She was more powerful than her brothers and sisters and this led the others to fear her. She became isolated from the others and she would often go down to the river like her mother did before her. Her brothers were worried for her and came up with a solution. They would marry her to the leader of a different gypsy tribe. At first Cara was happy to go. She felt it would be a new start for her away from the people who knew her history. She promised herself that she would hide her powers. But her new husband did not treat her very well. He would go off with other women and insult her frequently. One day he came home drunk and hit her. In anger and without knowing what she was doing she harnessed the spirits against him. Calling the air and fire spirits she set the sky aflame and used the earth spirit to crack open the ground.'

'Or maybe it was an earthquake,' Tas whispered.

I smiled but I couldn't dismiss the story so easily. After all wasn't it when I was angry that my powers seemed to work best?

Tas' mother continued. 'The leader of the tribe was sucked into the ground below and Cara became both feared and revered. Later on, Cara married the leader's brother and he never made the same mistake as his older brother. They went on to have many children and so the spread of Plamen's powers carried through from one gypsy tribe to another.'

When Tas' mother finished, she started singing a ballad and the sound was both seducing and melancholy. She sang about gypsies casting spells over men to entice them to follow their whims. After she finished, the men started playing their instruments. The sounds of violins, pan flutes, tambourines and harmonicas filled the air.

I watched some people rise and Tas explained that they were going to perform a traditional story told through dance.

A group of women dancers started spinning like a whirlwind, flourishing their colourful skirts and gracefully moving their arms above their heads like ballerinas. The music slowed and they made slow intricate hand movements at some of the men. I watched as the men rose and the music got faster. I drew backwards as they danced in a way that seemed both frightening and aggressive to me. They jumped, stamped their feet and moving their arms rapidly in front of them. As the music slowed again, the men acted out declarations of love with playful hand gestures, which the women dramatically declined. The music tempo increased again and the men and women ended up dancing together as pairs until coming to a frenzied finish.

'What did you think of that?' Gemma whispered.

'Crazy,' I replied.

'But exciting,' Gemma said.

'Yeah,' I agreed.

'It's time for us to dance now,' Tas said.

I tried to shrug him off but after I saw Gemma and Kam join the line of dancers, I let him pull me up. We joined a circle of dancers and I tried to keep up with them as the music played. It was hard following all the moves as they stepped to left and then to the right in series of complicated steps involving touching the ground with my toes and then my heels and when they made a turn to right, I was completely lost.

Tas laughed as I bumped into him and pushed me back the other way. 'You need to turn left again now.'

'I'm trying my best,' I exclaimed indignantly. I knew that Gemma was doing much better than me but I put that down to all the tap classes she'd done when we were younger. Eventually, I got the hang of the movements and I started enjoying myself.

'So you're my cousin,' Tas said as we twirled around.

'Runi told you,' I said.

'Yes, it's caused a bit of stir amongst the elders.' Tas replied. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'I'm sorry. Runi said she wanted to explain.'

'Well, cousin, it doesn't matter now,' he said cheerily.

'I guess not,' I said with relief.

After the dance we were offered some meat stew. I took the warm bowl gratefully. It warmed my cold hands and tasted better than normal out in the open air.

As we ate, Tas' mother came over. 'I'm Heather. Tas and Kam's mother and I believe you're Kate.'

'Yes,' I replied. 'And this is my friend Gemma.'

Gemma who had been holding Kam's hand, quickly dropped it. 'Hi,' she said.

Heather looked at us and seemed to approve. 'Have you been enjoying yourselves?'

'I liked your story,' I said.

'We have a history that's important to pass on,' Heather replied.

'I'd love to learn more,' I said.

Heather gave me a knowing look. 'Come back and I will tell you more gypsy tales.'

'Okay,' I agreed.

'Go and have fun now,' she said and with a wave of her hand, we were dismissed.

Kam and Tas led us back to their caravan to get some drinks. Inside, Tas offered to make us all some hot chocolate and I gratefully accepted. It was still thawing out from the cold. I watched Kam reject his for a beer and Gemma joined him. I looked at my phone and saw it was almost ten.

'We've got to go soon,' I said. 'Jack's picking us up.'

'This early?' Tas asked.

'Sorry,' I replied, knowing that Kam and Gemma wanted more time together. Ten was early but I hadn't wanted to take advantage of Jack.

Kam put his arm round Gemma's shoulders. 'I'll take you home.'

'I'm not sure that's a wise idea if you're drinking,' I said.

Kam looked at me darkly.

I made a quick decision. If I wanted us to get on, I needed to trust him. Hadn't he been there when they were rescuing me? And wasn't he my cousin after all. 'Sorry. I'm sure you'll get Gemma home safely.' I said.

Without a smile, he said. 'I will.'

'That's sorted then,' Gemma said breezily cutting through the tension.

32

I lay out a black chiffon dress on the bed in Jack's room in London. Gemma had lent it to me for the Namu Christmas ball. In fact, I was surprised she'd had one so simple but when she'd told me she'd bought it for a funeral, it became clear. I'd bought myself a new pair of black high heel shoes to go with the dress and I prayed I wouldn't trip over.

Jack had gone out on to buy something last minute so I had time to get ready on my own. We were leaving at seven and I'd left it a bit late to get ready so I hurried into the bathroom. Gemma had done a makeover on me before we came and I'd promised her I would try out some of her techniques. She'd persuaded me to buy a white shimmering powder from Superdrug and I added this under my eyebrow like she'd told me too before putting on the new pink lipstick I'd also bought. I then put on the dress, tights and shoes and looked at myself in front of the large mirror. It was strange seeing myself in Gemma's dress and I wondered what Jack would think. I could hear that he was back when I got back to his bedroom so I opened the door self-consciously.

'You look beautiful.' He smiled.

'Thanks,' I said. 'You don't think the make-ups too much.'

'As I said, you look gorgeous,' he replied. 'But there's something missing.'

'What?' I asked.

'A necklace.'

'Oh, I forgot to bring one.' I sighed.

Jack took out a box from his pocket. 'Just as well I bought you one.'

'You got me a necklace?' I asked, realising that must have been why he went out on a last minute errand.

'Why not?' he asked as he took out it out of the box.

'It's lovely,' I said as I touched it. The necklace looked antique and had three rows of flowers with purple amethysts in the middle. 'But you shouldn't have.'

He placed it round my neck as I stood in front of the mirror. 'View it as an early Christmas present.'

I had bought Jack a book on medieval castles for Christmas because he'd said he wanted one but now it didn't seem enough. 'My Christmas present to you is not on quite the same scale,' I moaned.

'I like to buy you things,' Jack said, running his finger over the necklace and tracing the gap below my throat. My body tingled at his touch.

Jack noticed and kissed me lightly on the lips. 'We better get going, otherwise we'll be late.'

We drove with Jack's parents to the Namu headquarters in their silver Jaguar. As I looked out the windows at the Christmas lights, the busy late-night shoppers and the shop window displays, I felt a buzz of excitement. Jack held my hand while Helen talked about the organisation of the ball.

'We have it in the main conference room but it looks completely different once it's been transformed. This year there's a fire theme,' Helen said.

'What entertainment is there?' Jack asked.

'That would be telling,' Helen replied. 'I don't want to spoil all the surprises.'

When we walked into the conference room, it felt that I had been transported to a different world. We entered through a roman pillared archway, which looked like it was shooting out heatless flames. The floor was covered in a thick red carpet and I wondered if the fire theme was a reference to hidden Namu abilities. As we entered the reception area, the room was lit with red and yellow lights and the walls shimmered with orange light and smoke. Waiters dressed in black offered us flutes of champagne and canapés. I took a sip of my champagne and felt the cool, bubbly liquid flow down into my stomach. The room was full of round tables covered in black table cloths with bowls of flames at their centre. Most of the tables were already full as we were running late. Jack looked at the seating plan and led me to one of the tables near the front of the room. He explained that we would not be next to his parents but some people he had trained with. My place was next to a guy called Adam who looked about my age.

'Hi Kate,' Adam said, holding out his hand as we sat down. 'I've heard a lot about you.'

'Oh,' I said reddening.

'I believe you helped bring Ava and Damien down.'

'I'm not sure it was me,' I replied. 'I think it was more Jack and the others.'

'But we would never have found them, if it wasn't for you.' He smiled.

'I think Jack was on their trail anyway,' I replied.

Adam laughed and called to Jack. 'She's very loyal Jack but I think she overestimates you.'

'Doubting my abilities again?' Jack said good-naturedly before turning back to the woman he was speaking to.

'I'm the only one who can wrestle him to the ground and he hates it,' Adam said.

I looked at Adam's bulky frame and could see how he could manage it if it was just on strength but not with Jack's abilities.

Adam grinned knowingly. 'We're not allowed to use our abilities during combat training, which leaves Jack vulnerable. I keep telling him that he can't always rely on his powers.'

'Why not? Can you lose them?' I asked.

Adam shook his head. 'Not usually. But they say there are people out there can suck your abilities from you. Not that I've ever met them.'

I knew that to some extent I pulled Jack's energy from him but I played dumb. 'What are you supposed to do if that happens?'

'You're supposed to run a mile.' Adam joked.

I forced a laugh and looked at Jack who was absorbed in conversation with the woman next to him. I noticed how attractive she was. She had blonde hair that fell in ringlets around a perfect heart-shaped face. I took another sip of champagne.

A woman next to Adam distracted me. 'Kate is it?'

'Yes,' I replied.

'You have a beautiful aura.'

'Really?' I asked, wondering whether she was being truthful. If she could see inside my head now, she probably wouldn't think my aura was too great.

'It's light yellow tinged with gold,' she said.

'What does that mean?' I asked.

'The light yellow means that you have an emerging spiritual awareness and that you are optimistic and hopeful.'

'I'll take that,' I said, feeling a little better. Whether it was true or not, I didn't care.

'The gold suggests you have the potential for enlightenment and divine protection. A person who has gold in their aura is said to be guided by their highest good.'

'Maggie's very keen on reading people's auras.' Jack said, putting his arm around me. 'But she once said that Adam here had an indigo aura and was a sensitive soul and look where that got her.'

Maggie laughed. 'True! Sometimes I get it wrong.'

'What are you trying to say?' Adam asked with mock outrage.

The starters arriving interrupting our conversation and I realised how hungry I was. A plate of scallops was placed in front of me but I looked nervously at the forks and knives not wanting to choose the wrong ones.

Jack touched his outer fork and knife and whispered in my ear. 'Just remember the rule: Start from the outside and work your way in.'

'Thanks,' I replied, picking up my cutlery.

'Are you enjoying yourself?' he asked anxiously.

'Yes,' I lied.

He looked at me closely. 'After dinner we'll try and escape.'

'I'm fine,' I said.

He raised his eyebrows. 'Kate, I know you.'

'Okay,' I replied. 'Maybe we can have a dance and go. As long as your parents don't mind.'

'They won't,' he said confidently.

Over dinner, Jack introduced me to the woman sitting to his right. Her name was Felicity and she was so charming that I couldn't help liking her.

She regaled us with funny stories of her recent visit to Australia. 'So Chad and I were in Cairns in a 50 degree heat getting into a hot air balloon but we weren't going to cancel it.'

'No way. Not after we'd spent all that money,' Chad said.

Felicity nodded. 'So we decided to take the balloon ride anyway.'

'And to keep cool, we drank lots of Cava,' Chad added.

Jack scoffed. 'Of course. To keep cool.'

'So we ended up pretty plastered,' Chad continued. 'But unfortunately the hot air balloon landed in the middle of a field.'

'That doesn't sound too bad.' I interjected.

'That's because you don't know Australia, Kate,' Chad said.

'Think lethal spiders and snakes everywhere not to mention leeches. I thought I was going to die,' Felicity said.

'Instead, we escaped with a few leeches attached to us.' Chad grinned.

'It wasn't the best experience of my life,' Felicity replied.

'The tour guide was pretty apologetic though.' Chad said. 'And we got some of our money back.'

Jack laughed. 'As long as you got your money back, no problem.'

As I sat with Jack's friends, I realised how comfortable he was in their company and I wondered whether he missed living in London.

After dinner, Jack suggested we dance. The music was slow and Jack held me in his arms while guiding me seamlessly around the room. I felt the familiar flow of electricity through my body as he held me tight.

'Do you still want to leave?' he asked.

'I'm enjoying myself a bit more now,' I replied.

'Good,' he said.

'Your friends are nice,' I said.

'We had fun when we were training.' Jack said. 'But they're all doing their own thing now.'

'Do you think they'd let me train?' I asked.

Jack stopped dancing and looked at me intently. 'Where did that come from?'

'I don't know. I thought I might like to be a soldier like you.'

'Why?' Jack asked, guiding me back to the now empty table. 'I thought you wanted to be a doctor.'

I tried to make sense of my conflicting desires. 'I want to be a doctor too. But being a Namu soldier would mean that I could truly understand my own powers.'

'I see,' Jack said. 'Don't you think that I can help you with that?'

'To a certain extent,' I replied truthfully. 'But I think only through training would I really focus.'

'Okay, I accept that,' Jack conceded.

'So do you think they would take me even though I'm only a quarter Namu?'

Jack sighed. 'If that's what you really want, my parents might be able to work some magic.'

'You think so?' I questioned.

'Yes, and I'll also admit that we have healers in the Namu army. So you might be able to train as a medic at the same time.'

'Really?' I asked.

'You do realise that if you train, you'll be sent on missions.'

'I know,' I said.

'I'm not sure it's a good idea.'

'Why? Because you think I'll be in danger?'

'Yes,' he replied, folding his arms.

'But I'm not stopping you. And besides I've already been kidnapped and it would have been a lot better if I had been trained.'

Jack looked unhappy. 'I feel this is my fault. If you hadn't met me then you wouldn't know anything about all this.'

'If I hadn't met you then I might have ended up thinking I'm crazy like my dad did,' I retorted.

'Maybe,' Jack replied.

At that moment, Cedric who I'd met before bowed slightly in front of me. 'Kate, may I have a dance? If that's alright with Jack.'

'Of course,' Jack said.

'Yes,' I said, looking at Jack searchingly. Why did Cedric want to dance with me?

Jack shrugged his shoulders so I took Cedric's hand and went to the dance floor. It was a slow song and I felt a little embarrassed at the idea of slow dancing with Cedric but sensitively, he held my arms aloft creating a space between us. 'I've been wanting to catch you alone all night?'

'Why's that?' I asked in surprise.

'I know that you want to learn more about your powers, Kate?' Cedric said.

'You do?' I asked.

'In your position, I would want to know more and you're an intelligent girl. I also know that Jack will try and stop you but I think it is imperative that you train once you finish school.'

'Why's that?

'I think you may be the crucial element required to unite the different supernatural factions.'

As he said the words, I could feel certain things begin to click into place. But at the same time his words carried a weight of responsibility. 'Why do you think I can unite the different factions?'

'Because you're mixed blood Namu and I know that you can wield great power. It was obvious from the first time I met you.'

'How do you know?' I asked.

'Let's just say I do,' Cedric said.

I stared at Cedric incredulously. Did he really think I had great powers? Deep down I sensed that there was truth in what he said. Maybe that was that why Silas had been so interested in me. 'Jack doesn't want me to train,' I said, trying to make excuses.

'You are the one who needs to decide whether it's the path for you,' Cedric said.

'I know that,' I said nervously.

'I'll leave you to think about it, Kate. I hope to see you soon,' he said, letting go of my arms and walking away.

I felt light-headed after he left. Maybe it was the champagne so I walked swiftly to the ladies and splashed my face with water. As I walked into a cubicle to get some tissue, I recognised Miranda's voice. I shut the cubicle door quietly behind me.

'I don't know what he sees in her,' Miranda said. 'She's not even half Namu and did you see her cheap shoes.'

'Don't worry about it,' another girl's voice said. 'He'll probably lose interest in her.'

'Why doesn't he realise that he's supposed to be with me?' Miranda asked.

I held my breath, remembering what Jack had said about the Namu only having one match. Why did Miranda think that Jack was meant to be with her? It made me feel uneasy.

'He's experimenting.' Her friend reassured here. 'That's what guys do.'

'Yes, that's probably it,' Miranda said.

As I heard the doors of their cubicles close. I surreptitiously, crept out of the ladies.

I found Jack still sitting at the table.

'Do you mind if we leave now?' I asked.

'Now?' he asked.

'Please,' I said shakily.

'Of course.'

Within minutes Jack had got our coats and we were out on the cold street.

'Shall we walk?' he asked. 'St. James Park is round the corner.'

'Okay,' I replied.

We walked for a while in silence. It wasn't until we were inside the park that he started questioning me. 'What did Cedric say to you?'

I was relieved that he thought I wanted to leave because of Cedric. 'He said that I might have unique powers because I'm mixed blood.'

Jack put his arm around me. 'Did that upset you?'

'Not really. It kind of made sense,' I said. I could see that Jack was confused so I decided to explain myself further. 'Why else was Silas so interested in me?'

Jack looked shocked. 'I thought it was because of me.'

'At first I thought so too but now I'm not so sure. It's not just Cedric who thinks I've got special powers, it's Runi as well.'

Jack changed the subject. 'It's a clear night tonight. Can you see those three stars in a row.'

I looked up at the stars to see what he was pointing at. 'Yes.'

'They're called Orion's belt and the Native American Hopi believe it is the centre of the universe. A place where you can make contact with the Gods.'

'Really?' I said staring at the three stars aligned across the sky.

'You can pull my powers into you,' Jack said. 'Maybe you can draw forth the powers of the universe too.'

'Like a Jedi.' I joked.

'Star Wars has a lot going for it.' Jack smiled.

After a while he spoke again. 'You didn't really enjoy yourself tonight did you?'

'It was okay,' I replied. A jumble of different conversations came to mind. Some of the night had been fun but other parts had been painful. Jack looked disappointed and I felt I needed to explain myself. I needed to be honest if I wanted answers. 'Your friends were really nice and Cedric only explained what I already knew. But the thing that upset me was the suggestion that you might be messing me around.'

'Who said that?' Jack asked.

'Miranda's friend,' I replied. 'I overheard her say it to Miranda in the ladies.'

Jack touched my face with the tips of his fingers, running them down the side of my cheek before tipping my chin up so he was looking into my eyes. 'I love you, Kate. Don't you know that?'

'I think I do,' I said, trying to absorb his declaration of love.

'Do you remember you asked me once whether I'd had a girlfriend or not and I'd said not really?'

'Yes,' I replied, recalling the first time we'd gone out.

'That's because Namu don't really have girlfriends.'

'Am I not your girlfriend?' I asked.

'For me, you're more than that but if that's what you want to call this, then I'll take what's going.'

My head spun with this new revelation. There was part of me that was frightened by this level of commitment but another part that was elated.

'There's only supposed to be one match for us,' he continued.

'How is the match determined?' I asked.

'We're supposed to just know,' he said.

'So why does Miranda think she's supposed to be with you?' I argued.

'That's because Miranda doesn't know herself yet,' he replied.

'How can you be sure you know yourself?' I asked.

He looked concerned. 'Don't you feel it Kate?'

I recalled how I had felt he was mine even before we were together. The inexplicable jealousy. The way it felt when we kissed and how our energy sometimes felt joined. 'Yes, I do,' I replied and the words finally came. 'I love you too.'

'You had me worried for a moment,' he said before kissing me.

I began to lose myself in the kiss but I remembered I needed to say something. It took all my willpower to pull away but I found the words. 'How can you love me, when I make you weaker?'

'You might make me weaker physically but you make me stronger mentally.'

'Okay,' I replied, satisfied with his answer. Then I pulled him towards me again.

THE END

