"How did he know we were here? This is where the road ends, there's nowhere else he could go?" Sean said quizzically.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Aiden Deverill," Debbie spoke quietly. "And I think it's my fault he's here. My dad was meeting with Ben today. He must have mentioned that we were all meeting up."

"Great," Sean said in disgust. "I wonder what he wants."

"Or who," Lucinda said looking directly at me. Everyone else followed suit.

"What does he want me for? I don't have anything to say to him," I said defensively.

"Maybe he wants to continue what he started last night," Hannah muttered to me. The others didn't hear. I caught her glance but shook my head at her. No, I didn't want that.

The shiny red convertible car came around the last corner and pulled into the small clearing next to Hannah's bike.

I could see Aiden clearly now, his side window was down, though his sunglasses hid his eyes. I felt everyone stiffen as he got out the car and walked towards us.

For a moment I was very confused. What was it about Aiden that would send their fears to such an extreme? But I could feel the sudden combined negative energy charging around our gathering, it knocked against me like a car in a collision, it felt painful and ugly. They hated and feared him.

In reality Aiden had been nice to me. At the watch he had been caring, and we had laughed together, even Mira and Hannah had got on with his friends, but in my dream he had been anything but nice. The menacing face haunted me still, if he wanted to hurt me it wouldn't be here in this open place. I had to be on my guard, I hoped the army boys were close by.

"Hello everyone, this looks cosy," he said coolly as he approached us. It was a greeting but there was no sentiment to his words.

"Hi Aiden," Debbie smiled falsely. "Would you like to join us?"

"No thanks," he said. He nodded at Sean and smiled at Lucinda before turning his eyes to me.

"Actually it's Rose I wanted to see," he looked at me intently. "Do you mind if I take her away from you for a few minutes?"

I glanced at Mira and Hannah hoping for a small objection but they stayed still and shook their heads. Hannah whispered an apology and Mira gave me a forlorn smile.

"What do you want?" I said, a little harshly which made the girls balk at my response. They had both seen us getting along, so they would have no idea why I was being impolite.

"I want to talk to you about something, and it can't wait."

He still hadn't removed his glasses so I had no idea if my brusqueness had any effect, his expression was largely hidden.

"Come with me." He offered a hand to help me up but I stared at it for a second and then snubbed it. I could get up without being aided. Besides, once I took it he probably wouldn't let go. It would have been like last night all over again. That thought made me shiver and it wasn't a bad one.

As we walked away, I looked over my shoulder at my new friends, they all wore worried expressions. Only Lucinda smiled a little.

He guided me along the lake edge and around the next corner until we were out of sight of the group. There was a small bench and I sat on it.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked, softening slightly.

"I was in the area, so I thought I'd pop by to see how you were. And see if you enjoyed last night?" he said, still standing, watching the water glitter in the wind.

"Well, I'm fine, thank you," I said. "But did you really come all this way to check on my well being?"

"Yes and no." He sighed, finally sitting down. "I really wanted to see you again. Maybe I should have come at another time but I didn't think you'd mind."

He turned to look over his shoulder in the direction of the picnic revellers.

"It's okay, I don't mind. Though they might," I nodded in the same direction and we shared a smile.

His genuinely pleasant manner brought me up a little, and despite my earlier uncertainties he made me feel comfortable.

I tried to reach for an energy connection, good or bad, as I had felt earlier around our group, as I could with most people, but there was nothing, a void. It was peculiar, but the air surrounding him fizzled with nothing.

My eyes squinted as I tried again but try as I did, the outcome was still the same. Nothing.

And it came to me in a flash. There was something very wrong with Aiden, and this confirmed it. I recalled a conversation with Daisy after the fire, about whether he was like me, different.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was dressed immaculately again. His thin black V neck sweater defined his powerful shoulders and tight chest. His hair was shiny, long and black like his sweater. This time I noticed how striking he was to look at, his chiselled cheekbones and soft jaw line were any models envy, and he would have turned heads in a crowd.

He chuckled. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. I felt a flush creep into my cheeks at being caught but I let it rise.

"Did you enjoy last night?"

"Of course, it was fun. Did you?"

He laughed loudly. "Yeah, it had its moments."

He lifted a leg over the bench, straddling it and faced me; finally he lifted his glasses from his eyes pulling them back through his hair.

I straddled the bench also and it was only then that I looked into his eyes. I had forgotten my shock of seeing them for the first time, and how piercing they were as I gazed into the bluest, sapphire coloured eyes I had ever seen. I froze, and for that moment time appeared to stand still.

I blinked, as something woke me from the dream-like state I was in.

He was staring at me, into my eyes, as deeply as I had his own. In shock or awe I couldn't tell but he was mesmerised and I couldn't imagine why. Was I a freak? Did he think I was ugly? I knew my eyes were bright but did he have to stare so?

It wasn't as Debbie had described early, this wasn't passion or a crush. This was something else. It was if a connection that had for so long been lost was suddenly found. Like meeting up with an old friend, except the only difference was that I had only met Aiden twice in reality.

We both looked away at the same time and laughed off the awkward moment.

"Wow, I heard that your eyes were unusual but I didn't imagine-" he said softly.

"You didn't imagine that they'd be as bright as yours?" I said, answering his sentence.

"No, that's not it. Mine are bright but yours are beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen such a vivid green," he concluded. "Last night all I saw was dark."

"It's funny, the rest of my family have brown eyes. I don't know where the green comes from, must be a fluke," I said self-consciously.

"Rose, I'd really like to get to know you better. Please give me the chance."

"Aiden, I barely know you and I'll be honest here, I've heard stories about you and they're not all favourable. But I have never been a person to judge anyone prior to meeting them so I should be apologising, I was rude earlier, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. Let's just get to know each other and see how we go, okay?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"Aiden, while you're here, and while I have the advantage of not really knowing you that well, I'd like to ask a favour."

"What is it?" he looked bemused.

"Your friend, Spencer? I believe one in my group would really like to go out with him, and I'm sure you know who I mean."

"Ah, Debbie, yes. I thought she didn't like him any more."

"Well, she still does."

"Okay, so what's the favour?"

"At the Cley Hill party, you'll give Spencer time alone. Let him and Debbie have some space, you know, together."

"Rose, I have only Spencer's best interests at heart. I told him to stay away from her because I thought she didn't like him. But I will do as you ask," he said as a half smile reached his lips. "But I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"I can't take you out as I promised. I have a project that I have to help with, it's...delicate you might say. "

"Do you mean with your Grandfather?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I really want to see you again sometime, but I have to do this for him. The project's nearing its end, and I can't afford to get things wrong." He frowned, thinking of something sad, I guessed. I almost felt sorry for him but I didn't know why.

"Okay, what's the project?" I asked earnestly.

"I can't tell you, it's his life's work. He needs me now more than ever. And I have to be around. I'm sorry."

I was confused again but I let it pass. He had a habit of talking in riddles and now wasn't the time for decrypting them. Last night he had been more eager to take me out and now he was cooling off the idea. Trust me to mess things up.

"Okay, maybe we can find some time to talk soon," I said.

"I'd like that, very much," he smiled. "And I'll see you at the party anyway."

"Will you talk to me or stay with your friends?"

"It's not a good idea for you to be seen with me so openly. The Watch was dark so I saved your reputation," he chuckled. "The party will be different. As you've already found out, I'm not very liked around here, and you've only just arrived. I wouldn't want it to brush off on you," he smiled sweetly.

"I don't care what other people say, I'll like who I want to like," I said vehemently.

"Okay, then," he grinned. "Rose, as a friend, please be careful with the people in your company." He jerked his head in the direction of the others.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to be careful who you trust; they're not all they appear to be. And some will betray you."

I frowned, my stomach plummeted as he spoke, the blood drained from my face as I scanned his.

A crease appeared above his already furrows eyebrows, pushed down over his sparkling eyes and his lips parted slightly. His face became pensive, and ominous. He was deadly serious and his now sombre gaze didn't waiver as he stared into my eyes with seriousness.

I turned and looked out over the lake, to see the crystal water shimmering, and two butterflies chasing each other in the light wind. His words hit home, his warning was real.

"That is a very dangerous thing to say, Aiden," I said slowly. "I've known Hannah and Mira since we were children. They'd never betray me. And the others are their friends. Why would they do that?"

"All I'm saying is to be careful, and I'm saying it as someone who only wants the best for you."

"No, that's not what you said," I slowly stood. Our close conversation suddenly felt inappropriate. If I had been under a spell before, I was over it now. The dream flashed back and my defences went up again.

"You said they would betray me. Why would you say that?"

"A time will come when you won't know who to trust. And I want you to know that you can always trust me, no matter what," he stood up and faced me, and his eyes flickered around my face before poring into mine with his full meaning.

I apprehensively stepped back. "That's not a very nice thing to say, you sound a little insane right now, Aiden. I'm going back to my friends and forget you said that, okay? I meant what I said earlier, but we're done here. Goodbye."

I kept my steps even as I walked from him but he was whispering something out of my ear shot, and I couldn't pick the words out. As my pace quickened I felt a sudden hammer like thumping around my temple.

"Damn it," I whispered, and tried to rub away the pain. Of all the times to get a headache it had to be now.

A streaking jab like a lightening bolt hit through my skull so suddenly that my balance went. I sank to my knees as I cried out, clawing my fingers through my hair.

The thunder inside my skull got louder and louder. I could only compare it to the blasting static, like tuning in a radio, but loud, really loud. Again and again it scraped, back and forth.

I opened my eyes but the view had turned a shade of red. There was red water in the lake, and red sky. Even the trees were a dozen shades of light and dark scarlet. I felt my stomach churn in protest so I gulped fresh air back down in defiance. It worked a little. Still kneeling my body wasn't swaying as much. My ear drums beat loud and rampant.

For less than a second I thought I saw a pair of camouflaged faces through the trees. I shook my head at them. If they were there I wasn't going to blow their cover.

"Oh my god, Rose, are you okay?" Aiden lifted me up and led me back to the bench. I had no power to object.

"I think I need to go home," I managed to say, as I shielded my eyes from the sunlight. It was too bright, the red hue wouldn't fade away and I suddenly craved darkness.

"I'll get my car. Wait here," his voice now grated too, and then he was gone.

I lay down on the bench. I could feel blood pumping around my temples to the roof of my skull and I tried to blank out of the static but it kept flicking on, off, on, off.

The next moments were a blur. I remembered the sound of running, more than one person, and it was all amplified too loudly and I grasped my head again, screaming in agony.

I heard concerned voices, before being lifted from the bench and gently placed into a car seat. Someone buckled me in, I didn't know who.

"Rose, if you can hear me, I'll phone you," I think it was Mira, as her high pitched voice was distinct. "Aiden, make sure she knows."

I let out another shriek as another wave hit and found short lived solace against the cool car window, as the car started moving.

It could only have been a few minutes, and we were slowing down.

"We're just a moment away, Rose. I've phoned Daisy already," his soft voice no longer grated but was full of concern. I felt his hand hold onto mine. I didn't let it go, his cool skin was soothing. His thumb gently stroked my palm, and the tiny motion was light and relieving. The tenderness in my temples ebbed away.

I heard the familiar gravel under the tyres and the motion of movement stopped. Aiden carried me, I could smell his scent and I clung to his sweater. I heard some shouting from a distance, Morgan possibly, cursing at Aiden.