CRUNCH.

Kitty takes a bite of the apple, and then… nothing.

She doesn’t faint or vomit or turn purple. She just takes another bite, seeming to savor the apple’s crisp, sweet flesh.

“Mmm, just what I felt like,” she says. Her face suddenly creases with concern. “Are you ok Ash? You look sort of… freaked out, or something.”

“I’m fine,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief. I guess the apples were ok after all.

I notice that Kitty’s wearing nothing but slippers and a very flimsy wine red silk dressing gown, almost perfectly matching the roses curling behind her. It clings provocatively to every curve, showing off her supermodel figure in a way that normal clothes just can’t.

I look self consciously down at my own outfit – denim shorts, sandals and a plain white cami.

“Anyway, I told Jade I’d go out with him, but only if it’s a double date,” Kitty says, in-between munching delicately on the apple. “He seems decent enough, but still, a girl’s got to be careful.”

“So if Jade’s your date, then mine is…?” I ask hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer.

Kitty smirks. “Well, originally I was going to pull the big sister card and order Fee to do it, but then Jade mentioned he had a single friend. Your date is some photographer friend of his called… I think it was… Cameron.”

Cameron. Jade’s mentioned him before. The guy’s a major player.

“I asked Jade to send me a photo,” Kitty says, fishing her phone out of her dressing gown pocket. “Quality control. Can’t have you paired up with some hideous troll, now can we? It turns out Cameron’s pretty hot. Wanna see?”

“No, that’s ok,” I say, my mind racing to find an excuse that will get me out of this. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea Kitty. I mean, I feel bad leaving tonight, after I was already gone yesterday. Maybe you could just-”

“Tonight?” Kitty interrupts me. “We’re leaving now. This morning. We have to get to the high street and buy shoes, dresses, get our hair done, facia-”

“I can’t,” I say, trying to sound as firm as possible. “I only just got back. And I haven’t done any recording with the guys for days now. At this rate we’ll never get the album finished.”

Not that it would be such a bad thing.

The thought of the guys leaving, walking out of my life forever once we’ve finished our little project, strikes a chord of sadness somewhere deep down inside of me.

Kitty rolls her eyes, turning away and looking out over the clearing as she throws her apple core over the side of the porch.

“The boys can wait,” she says. “You’ve been making music with them non-stop every day for the past what, three weeks? There’s nothing wrong with taking a few days off.”

I need to try another approach.

“I thought you weren’t interested in him,” I say. “You said he wasn’t your type.”

Kitty looks thoughtful for a moment, brushing aside a few stray locks of her dark hair.

“He’s not,” she says. “Which is why I decided to go out with him tonight.”

“I don’t understand,” I say, feeling stupid.

“Well, the boys and I are probably leaving in a few days anyway, so there’s no point looking for anything serious right now,” she says. “Falling in love with some random stranger is the last I need. What I do need however, is a bit of excitement. I’ve been stuck out in the woods doing nothing but stare at a vegetable patch the past few weeks. I want to get all dressed up, flirt a bit, go dancing, with no strings attached. He’ll be perfect for that.”

So basically you want to use him.

“I don’t know if Jade sees it that way,” I say. “I’ve known him for years and I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he was looking at you. I think he’s really serious about this.”

Kitty’s lovely hazel eyes widen, and her cheeks flush slightly.

“We only met for like… less than a minute,” she says, her cheeks now as red as the roses behind her. “I don’t believe in instalove.”

“I guess Jade’s a bit of a romantic,” I say, thinking about his beautiful, euphorically swirling paintings, imbued with such fierce emotion.

“Well, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get the wrong idea. Really, it’s nothing to get all serious about,” Kitty says defensively, biting her lip. “It’s just one date.”

“What’s this I hear about a date?” Alastaire says. He must have snuck up on us through the front door while we were talking, and is leaning in the doorway wearing nothing but Tommy Hilfiger Boxer shorts.

“Ew,” Kitty says, flickering her eyes over his beautiful, lightly-tanned physique, her expression so twisted in disgust you’d never believe she’s looking at People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. “Go put on some clothes Alastaire.”

Don’t listen to her Alastaire. You’re fine just as you are.

“Not until you tell me more about this date,” he says, striding across the porch and leaning against the railing on my left side, his bare arm brushing against my own. His skin feels hot, as if he’s just gotten out of a warm bed or a steamy shower.

“It’s none of your business,” Kitty says.

“Awww, first you break my heart, then you’re mean to me,” Alastaire says, sticking out his lip in mock-sadness. “I thought I was your prince charming.”

“Gross,” she says.

“Jokes aside, I’m actually glad that at least someone around here’s getting some action.” He leans into me, and whispers loudly into my ear, “and between you and me Ash, she really, really needs it.”

“I heard that,” Kitty says.

“What?” Alastaire says innocently. “You need to loosen up Kit. Maybe a good rogering will-”

“OH MY GOD SHUT UP ALREADY!” Kitty yells.

“It’s been what… six months since your last boyfriend?” Alastaire asks, oblivious to, or perhaps enjoying, how furious he’s making Kitty. “Whatever happened to that snotty Oxford boy with the nice suits… Bootround? Buttend?”

“Bertrand!” Kitty snaps. “Turns out he preferred his other girlfriend. The one he told me he’d broken up with.”

“Well it’s for the best,” Alastaire says. “He smelled like horses and whiskey.”

“Whatever,” Kitty says. “Anyway Ash, I was thinking we could get ready at your place. We’ll get the dresses early, then we can-”

“Hold on a moment,” Alastaire says. “What’s this about we?” He leans into me again, his beautiful bare chest in dangerously close proximity to me. “You’re not going too, are you Ash?”

“Well, it’s sort of…” I start speaking, not wanting to commit to anything but not wanting to upset Kitty either. “Kitty didn’t want to be alone so she asked me to come.”

“Perfect!” Alastaire says, grabbing my arms and smiling widely, his clear blue eyes glinting in the bright morning sunlight. “I’ll come too. It’ll be a double date.”

“It’s already a double date, dipshit,” Kitty says, apparently at the end of her tether after Alastaire teased her about her ex. “Jade’s bringing along a friend.”

Alastaire’s smile disappears; he drops his hands to his sides.

Before I can open up my mouth to speak, a snarky, deadpan voice comes from inside the house.

“You’re going on a date with a guy named Jade?” He says Jade’s name like it’s the most disgusting word in the dictionary, as he steps out of the shadowy interior of the house out onto the porch.

Felix’s hair is slightly messy – he must have just woken up. Unlike Alastaire, he’s fully clothed, in black skinny jeans and a grey sweater. There are dark circles under his eyes, which flicker over to me and linger for just a moment over the spot where he bit me on my neck the other night, before he turns back to Kitty.

I guess that’s the closest I’ll get to a ‘hello’ from him.

“What the hell Fee,” Kitty says. “This isn’t a goddam team debate. Quit sneaking up on us and eavesdropping. Both of you guys actually. Just… go away.”

“What sort of people call their son Jade?” Felix asks.

“I don’t know,” Kitty says, a note of frustration in her voice. “Hippies. Anyway, that’s rich coming from a guy named Felix.”

“What’s wrong with Felix?” He asks, leaning against the doorway lazily.

Alastaire sniggers, which makes Felix scowl.

“It’s a cat’s name,” Kitty says triumphantly.

“And Kitty’s not?” Felix says, arching an eyebrow.

“Fine, we both have cat names,” Kitty says angrily. “Mom wanted cats, not kids. Whatever. I don’t see why you’re judging the guy so harshly when you haven’t even met him. In fact, I don’t even get why you care.”

“I don’t,” Felix says.

“Good,” Kitty says. “We’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t care what time you come back,” Felix says, narrowing his eyes at Kitty before turning to face me. “But Ash is staying here.”

“You don’t need to go Ash,” Alastaire says, his expression almost pleading.

“We’re recording Darkest Dream today,” Felix says coldly. “We need her. She’s staying.”

A mental image of the other Felix from my dream flashes through my mind. The sharp pain of the sword, then the arrow, then the silver scissors. The hazel eyes that spoke of immense regret and sorrow, but also longing, the feverish desire to possess.

“Actually, we’ll do that tomorrow,” I say, avoiding Felix’s eyes. “I’ve got a date to attend.”

“That’s right,” Kitty says.

Both Felix and Alastaire are wearing almost identical expressions of shock as Kitty then grabs my hand, and hurries me down the steps, grabbing my overnight bag as we march across the clearing, her bright red silk dressing fluttering in the breeze.

“Don’t worry, my amex is in my pocket,” she says, a tight smile fixed firmly on her face. “I never go anywhere without it.”

“But… but you’re in your pajamas,” I say, looking down in horror at her slippers.

“Not for long,” Kitty says. “First stop – la Magie Rouge Dress Boutique.”

Wonderful. So much for focusing on the music.