I put my helmet on, slinging my bag onto my back, and got onto the pillion.

"Just drop me at the gates, okay?" I said as Hannah mounted the bike and started off.

My heart pumped unexpectedly faster as I thought of Morgan. He was mysterious, and a little bit beautiful. This morning we had shared a connection, but now, I felt like I had ruined everything. I hadn't meant to pry, and I knew that I was right. But it hurt me to know that maybe I had hurt him. I wouldn't have wanted that in a million years.

Hannah's story of Morgan's family was intriguing me. Why had they treated Aiden that way, if he was only a boy? They had refused him a home at such a vulnerable age.

Morgan was the key; I just had to find a way for him to trust me again.

- Chapter Seven -.

"Rose, is that you?" Daisy called from the study.

"Yeah, sorry I'm so late. I didn't notice the time," I yelled as I took off my jacket and placed it on the staircase.

I walked to the study where she sat in her usual place. Her writing pen in hand and notes of paper scattered her desk.

"You don't have to apologise, Rose. We've talked about this," she said as she continued to write.

"I know but I don't want you to think I'm being impolite," I said as I sat in the armchair across from her. "It is your home, after all."

"It's yours too. I've told you that already."

I sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I don't think of it like that yet."

"We'll discuss this again in a few weeks time then. You'll have changed your mind, I'm sure," Daisy said. "So, did you have a nice time today?"

"Yep, I was with Morgan, Hannah and Jez. It's bad news about his dad. So, how did it go with your friend, Maggie? Is she bearing up?" I said trying to sound casual.

"Maggie's a tough old girl, a bit like me," she said unfazed. "I just hope good news comes soon."

"Did the police come this morning?"

"Yes. And Louise, the paramedic. Both left completely satisfied with my report of you. I told Louise that you escaped the fire, thanks to the heroic actions of Aiden. And I told Mark as much as he needed to know. They left their cards on the hall stand in case you want to contact them. I said you had an urgent matter to attend to that couldn't wait."

"And they were fine with it?"

"Completely. There's nothing to worry about."

I breathed a heavy sigh. "Thanks Daisy."

I got up, Daisy clearly wanted to complete her task and I didn't want to intrude further. But I felt I had to ask.

"Daisy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm going to meet Mira and Hannah tonight on the Hill, would you like to come?"

"And join the mob on their quest for enlightenment from otherworldly beings? I don't think so," she frowned.

"I might be late, that's all."

"Well, I'll stay here, have a glass of cocoa and read a book in bed, but you enjoy yourself."

"Okay, thank you! I'll see you in a bit before I go," I walked around the desk and planted a kiss on her cheek. She patted my shoulder and whispered "right you are, Angel."

The evening was still early so I answered emails from my Manchester friends, telling them all about my arrival and the new people I had met. I kept it all vague, but upbeat. They were all missing me, which was nice.

Amy was still not answering her phone, when I tried to call. I left another message on her voice mail urging her to get in touch.

The time zone to the Middle East would mean it would be late for my parents so I decided against calling. I sent a short email though, telling them how I was settling in and my new friends. Dad would be happy that I was making friends. I ended it with 'Love Rose-Marie xx'. They would like that.

Mum had packed a couple of sweaters, luckily. I threw on a cream cable one, putting a belt around my waist, and jeans. I didn't want to feel any cold unnecessarily. My tan combat boots were the perfect addition, good for mud, and running. I brushed my hair, putting it back with a new jewel embedded hair band, and applied a little mascara. The difference between the last few nights view and tonight's was incomparable. My skin was bright and clear, with no sign of the dark circles. My eyes and hair shone in the bedrooms soft light.

I was tidying my room, picking up discarded clothes and filling my laundry basket when I remembered my dreams again. I had been so caught up in today's activities and my meeting Morgan that I had forgotten about the other visions completely.

I sat on my bed and read through the details I'd written about, of the noises and the scraping on my first night here. No one had mentioned the din on Friday night so an earthquake or other phenomenon was out of the question.

The part that did alarm me was the grey figure in the mirror. I was certain I hadn't ever seen that image before.

I still had a couple of hours to waste, I switched the computer on. While I waited for it to boot up I checked my purse for necessary money and was glad when I saw a few notes.

My parents had agreed to transfer money every month in case I had need of it, and I was grateful I wouldn't need to get a part time job. Plus should I require anything extra I just had to ask them. I didn't want Daisy to feel like I was a burden so I wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible.

The first name I entered into the search engine was Halika Dacome, which pulled down hundreds of pages, mostly folklore and world mythologies.

She was a mythological creature from the dawn of time and together with three otherworldly beings sought out civilisations to expand and advance technological sciences. The Mayans, the Egyptians, Orientals and African all benefited from their advanced capabilities resulting in the formation of pyramids, buildings and more importantly war craft. The present earth dwellers at the time, kings and men alike lacked the skills or the know-how, and used this newfound knowledge to build great civilisations and wonders. Rumour had it that the Great Pyramids at Giza, Egypt had been forged from this advancement. Many theories speculated that one of the Pharaohs' was in fact an otherworldly being due to his misshapen head. After he had died many of the giant statues and wall paintings he had commissioned during his reign had been destroyed to hide his features.

It was all a bit far fetched, possibly the ideals of some science fiction fantasy writer. People didn't honestly believe all of this, did they?

Halika Dacome was linked in particular with Wiltshire (as we know it); it was written to be the first location that prehistoric man had dwelled in the area which stretched from across the Salisbury plain down to Cornwall and the Dorset region.

I knew that Wiltshire was old, judging by the burial sites and stone circles, but not that old. I couldn't find any images, drawings or artist impressions of what she looked like, but the articles didn't feature any new information for over a hundred years. The last 'sighting' was in 1863.

I did find an article called 'Halika Dacome - Myth or Legend' by Paul Pemberton but although it registered on the search engine, the page itself was blank. I gave up after that as nothing new appeared in my research.

My notepad and pencil were nearby so I started to write down the important notes. Was there a connection between Paul Pemberton and Mark Pemberton the policeman, I wondered as I chewed the end of my pencil. Why was the website blank?

Afterwards I checked up on a phrase I continually saw. 'The Warminster Triangle' was an imaginary link between key areas of interest in the vicinity. Was it related to the triangle of stars on the King Alfred's shield? Or the three points on the mural from Imber? One article wrote that if the local sights of Bratton Castle, Cley Hill and Scratchbury Hill were joined together a triangle was formed almost perfectly, while others maintained that the towns of Shaftesbury, Salisbury and Warminster were the actual triangle. Not one article agreed on the definitive 'Triangle'.

I heard the hall clock chime, it was ten pm already. I put a pencil and piece of paper in my pocket, piled my notebook into a drawer, grabbed my coat and headed to the Library to say goodbye to Daisy.

She was at her desk, scribbling away again. I walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going out so I'll see you in the morning."

"Then I'll say Goodnight, my Angel. Enjoy yourself," she said softly and patted my arm. "And Rose?"

"Yes?"

"I think we need to talk soon." She met my gaze for a second then looked down again at her work, closing the subject.

"Um, okay," I said. I didn't need three guesses to know what that was about, I thought as I headed out the door. Daisy wanted to talk about my gift.

By the time I got to the end of the lane, I didn't need a flashlight or torch to guide my way. The lights on top of the hill were enough to light the whole town. I was glad I had on my thick combat boots on as the ascent up the hill was slippery with wet grass.

At the top of the rise I stood in awe at the huge numbers of people that had gathered. Mira and Hannah could be anywhere. I'd never find them in this horde.

I walked closer and soon saw the central arena for this evening's event. The cordoned off area bore a small dais near the centre, with huge spotlights that shone into the sky making it as bright as day. The arena was already surrounded at least six people deep. Luckily through the advantage of my height, I could see the faces in the crowd. They were engrossed in the preparations being made by a man wearing a long beige coloured tunic. He looked like a hippy with long grey beard and whitish grey long hair.

Navigating the crowd I moved towards the back end and was grateful when I finally saw Hannah's face illuminated by the spotlights.

"Hey, you made it," she said as I approached.

"Where's Mira?"

"She's not here yet, she'll be here any moment now."

"There are so many people here," I surveyed the area and tried to count. There must have been at least two hundred milling around.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" she nodded towards the hot dog stand at the back. The sweet smell of onions frying made me feel hungry.

"Sure, let's go," I said, instantly glad I had brought my purse.

"I'm always amazed that they get all the equipment up here. I pity the person who has to carry the stove," Hannah remarked.

"What about the gas bottle? They weigh a ton just on their own," I added, laughing.

We paid for our food and then stood at the back, munching, away from the crowds. Hannah was chuckling at the variety of clothes, capes, tunics, kaftans, Rastafarians, and camper types mixed in with the ordinary folk of this world.

There were people of all ages, races and from the accents I could hear, countries too. I somehow couldn't get my head around why certain people wanted an alien visitation and for that same reason I had planted everyone in one definitive pot.

Weirdos, wackos, nut jobs and the crazy sprung to mind. But it could have been a melting pot, these people were so vastly different but they all had one thing in common. They wanted to see an astrophysical phenomenon. They talked of ideas and previous encounters including reported visitations and abductions. The chatter was loud, and my head was beginning to thump at the roar.

"Hi everyone," Mira ran towards us laughing. "Isn't this great?"

"I'm not sure 'great' is the word I would use," I said, and threw my napkin in a nearby bin.

"Just wait till they start the chanting, you won't be able to stop laughing, they take it so seriously," she piped. "You'll never believe who I just saw on the way in. Aiden Deverill, I mean, what is he doing here?"

"His grandfather's on the Council? Maybe he's just checking that they don't leave any litter," I said drolly.

No matter how hard I was trying, I couldn't call this event anything more than a circus. A whole gathering waiting to be beamed up or something like that. I could show them a thing or two about being different, if that's what they wanted. This was all just a freak show.

"Morgan thought he might be able to get away and meet you here," Hannah said. "It's his parents last night so he's having a meal out with them after his shift ends."

"Did you speak to him?" I said tentatively, the thrill of hearing his name catching me off guard.

"Yeah, I phoned him earlier, and I gave him a telling off too. I wanted to find out if he was coming to the picnic tomorrow, but he can't. He'll be back at Daisy's later though."

"Did he mention me at all?" I said sheepishly.

"Um, yeah. He said to tell you that his neck is still sore. He said you'd understand what he meant, and that he's sorry for walking out on you," Hannah opened her eyes wider hoping to get an insight but I didn't give her any. Hannah wouldn't pry anyway, it wasn't in her nature.

"Oh, okay," was all I could think of to say. She didn't ask any more and I was glad.

But I could have done with some cheering up.

My ankles were getting chilly, while the earth under my feet was cold with the nights damp air. I picked at a tiny corner of my gift, enough not to draw attention to my present company, and sent it down my legs to warm them.

"There's Aiden and some of his cronies," Hannah whispered, pointing a digit towards an old barn to our right.

The four boys hovered near the barn and stopped to chat to some of the crowd. I could barely make Aiden out, he had chosen to wear a black jacket and trousers, black seemed to be his favourite colour. My eyes focused and then zoomed in, lightening my view.

"Oh yeah, there he is. Is Jason with him?" I said curiously.

"No, he's working, so he can be free for the party at Cley Hill. If it's any consolation, he hates this event too," Mira said. Her spirits were dampening and I knew I was the cause.

"Okay, guys, let's get this party started so how about a bet?" I straightened my shoulders trying to show a bit more enthusiasm. "We have to make this more interesting."

"Brilliant," shouted Mira. "What shall we bet on?"

"How about the number of people wearing long tunics?" Hannah asked. "They all think they're druids, you know."

"Um, what about the number of people wearing long white tunics?" Mira added.

"Did someone mention a bet," the familiar deep voice said over my shoulder.

I didn't turn around, I knew who it was.

"Aiden, I didn't think this was your kind of thing," Mira said, leaning around to address him.

"The towns completely deserted so as everyone's up here we thought we'd see the show," he laughed. "So, what's the bet?"

"I didn't mention a bet, did you Hannah?" I said coyly.

"Nope, not me."

He moved around and stood beside me. I could feel his body heat against my arm, it was reassuringly pleasant.

"You definitely mentioned it," he whispered into my ear.

I looked at him now fully; his hair was shiny and soft, like a halo in the surrounding lights. His eyes looked as dark as his hair but he was smiling a cheeky grin.