Katie hugged Gideon goodbye and watched him drive back to his apartment near the university. Then, she went inside.

"Are you okay, Katie?"

"Better... I suppose I got the best deal I could hope for."

Her parents didn't answer, which didn't help Katie that much.

"How about we order in tonight?" Kendall offered.

"Sounds perfect," Katie said. "I'll be upstairs."

And she climbed upstairs to take a shower before dinner. She was hoping it would help her relax. As she crossed the landing, a little head popped out of a door.

"Katie?"

She turned and saw her younger sister peering up at her, concern in her wide brown eyes.

"Hazel? What's the matter? Is Nicholas bothering you again?"

Nicholas was the ghost of a distant relative who had refused to move on. He sometimes floated around the house, spouting advice even when there was no problem, and when there was, the advice was the worst kind one could think of. Generally, they managed to tune him out, but Hazel was scared of him. So Katie and Gideon were the ones who kept him away.

"No... are you in trouble? Mum and Dad seemed worried about you before..."

Katie stepped closer and crouched to be at eye level with her sister.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, okay? I'll always be around."

Hazel nodded, but her eyes still had a glint of worry in them.

"Hey," Katie said, "Come here."

She held out her arms and Hazel buried herself in Katie's shoulder.

"I love you, Hazelnut," Katie told her.

"Don't call me that," Hazel grumbled, but there was a hint of pleasure in her voice.

Katie chuckled softly.

"Love you too," Hazel then added.

Katie smiled as she released her sister and straightened up.

"Now you go brush your hair before dinner, okay?"

Hazel's face turned indignant.

"It is brushed!" she protested.

Katie glanced up at it. It was a little messy, but no more than most twelve year old children.

"No, it's a mess," she laughed, ruffling it. "Go on."

"Okay."

She slipped back into her room. Katie shook her head, glad of the small relief, and went to the bathroom. The hot water helped her body relax a little. At least now she knew she wasn't moments away from having her powers ripped away, her mind was able to ease up at little too. But she was worried about the conditions. She'd do her best to follow them, of course. But what if there was another accident? Would she be able to resist using her powers to help if her ordinary abilities were enough? Would she be strong enough without her magic? She would just have to hope so...

"So you're okay? You're cleared?" Lucy asked.

They were standing outside the next morning waiting for class to start. Lucy had been filled in on the Council's verdict.

"... Yeah. I'm free."

Katie left it at that. She didn't want to go into fact that she was more on probation than actually free. If she used her magic the wrong way, she would be in more trouble than even she could really tell.

She had never really known the details of Dispelling, but she had no interest in learning more. The concept terrified her enough already. Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment, so they had to cut their conversation short. Katie was going towards her classroom when she almost bumped into Luke who only just prevented it in time.

"Whoa, careful," he said with a small smile. "Everything okay?"

"Oh... hi, Luke. Yeah, I'm fine." she said. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

Katie thought she sensed a hesitation when he said that, as though he was putting up a facade, almost the same sort she was.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I didn't sleep much, is all. You off to Spanish?"

"Yes," Katie said, slightly thrown by the change of subject.

"Me too. Mind if I walk with you?"

"Uh... no, not at all."

So they walked down the hall.

"I see you're no longer avoiding me," he noted.

"Well... I said I wanted to be friends. And I wasn't avoiding you because yo-"

"I know, I know, it was nothing personal. But it's a pleasant surprise anyway."

They continued without speaking for a moment, then Katie asked:

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot," he said.

"... What is... why the hand kissing?"

"Does it bother you?"

Katie considered.

"No...Not really..." she replied finally. "I mean it's a little unsettling when you barely know the person, but... it's just... unusual."

They had reached the class room. Students were bustling about getting in before the second bell rang. They paused outside, wanting to finish their conversation.

"Unusual isn't always bad," Luke shrugged.

Something about that phrase sounded familiar to Katie, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She didn't think it mattered much, so she pushed it aside.

"No, I suppose not." she admitted.

"After all, the way we met wasn't exactly typical." he continued. "You said so yourself, remember? But do you regret it?"

They were staring at each other. He hadn't shaved in a couple of days, Katie noticed. She mentally scolded herself. She couldn't let herself notice things like that! And yet...

"No..." Katie said, almost without thinking about it. "No, I don't."

Lucy had to leave early that day, so Katie was planning on eating by herself. She sat at a table with her tray and was just unscrewing the cap of her water bottle when she heard someone come up behind her. She quickly glanced around.

"Oh... Luke."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Luke said.

"No, don't worry about it."

"Mind some company?" he asked, nodding to the empty seat opposite her.

"... Sure, why not?" Katie shrugged.

He sat down, his own tray in front of him.

"So. You wanted to know me better. What do you want to know?"

Katie, surprised, wasn't sure what to say.

"Uh... How long have you been in London?"

"Not quite a month, we arrived during the Halloween break."

"... How many of you are there?"

"Five. My parents and my two sisters, and me of course."

"How come you're so good in maths?"

"Oh, that's just because I hate not knowing how something works," he told her. " I can spend hours on it until I figure it out."

"I see. What do you do in your free time?"

"Run. I like it. You wouldn't believe how liberating it can be just doing nothing but kicking the ground for a while with some good music in your ears."

"What kind of music?"

He pulled out a small object from his pocket and handed it to her. Katie soon recognised an MP3 player. She couldn't help laughing.

"Care to share the joke?" Luke teased.

"I just thought that I was the only one who still had one of these," she said. "Now everyone wants an Ipod or some other kind of advanced technology."

"Yeah, well I like my classics." Luke grinned. "I've had that thing for four years and it's never let me down."

"Yeah, mine's been with me a while, as well," she said.

She pulled it out and showed him.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Luke offered.

"Sounds fair to me," Katie replied.

They swapped players and Katie scrolled through the various playlists.

"The Who?" she asked with a smile.

"My dad is a fan," he replied, rolling his shoulders. "You listen to show tunes?"

"Hey, don't mock, many are powerful anthems."

Luke chuckled, but didn't comment.

"Hey, this is a band I listen to," Katie said, coming across a "Bands" playlist.

"Yeah, I've seen it in yours," Luke answered.

They switched back and put the players away.

"Is your curiosity satisfied?"

"... For now."

"Excellent. My turn."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, you can't ask me to reveal myself and not do a little on your end too," he winked.

Katie flushed, both from fluster and discomfort.

"Um... I grew up in London, I have a older brother and younger sister, she and I live with my parents and grandmother. My brother has his own place. I am woefully hopeless at maths, and in my free time, I like to read."

Luke smiled, his white teeth flashing in the light. There was a pause, then Katie asked:

"I was wondering... what exactly happened between you and Hunter?"

It was Luke's turn to appear unsettled, for a change.

"Why d'you ask?"

"Well... I guess I just want to know what I avoided."

Luke's eyes turned thoughtful. He picked his carrot sticks.

"... He used to be in my school in Oxford," he explained, his eyes careful. "And let's just say we didn't get along well."

Katie was about to ask why when the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. She turned to get her coat, and when she looked around, Luke had gone.

******

Hmm, the secrecy that is Luke Devon continues! What do you think happened?

What will happen between them? Let's find out!