The school library is nothing like the one in my settlement.

I'm used to dusty books, dim lighting and silence, but not this lifeless atmosphere. An empty table sits in the middle of the room with a few barely used chairs surrounding it. On either side of the room are two rows of computers positioned against the walls. One of the walls is made of glass and overlooks the yard. There are no books here, and the constant hum from the machinery is giving me a headache but I'm alone, which is exactly what I want. No one comes in here during break time. It's unfunctional and a contamination risk for Naturalists and redundant to Techies who all seem to have their own personal portable screens.

I'm tucked in the corner sitting at a machine I can't use, but I'm able to observe the yard through the large glass wall without being seen. This is the perfect stalker spot although I'm not stalking anyone. I'm avoiding everyone.

Alma's death has added to the already large ache in my chest from losing Mattan and the pain refuses to go away, no matter how nice everyone is being. I know Mara, Mattan, Suki and Seb are still upset about my behaviour on Sunday, but I can't muster enough energy to apologise at the moment. Eventually I will, once the urge to curl up and vanish dulls slightly. Until then, I'm going to keep hiding while ignoring the mess I've made of everything.

'Hey.' A voice brings me back to reality. Zach stands in the doorway, looking sheepish. He tucks his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

'Hey,' I respond warily. I don't want another argument. I'm already on the wrong side of just about everyone I care about, but if he annoys me I will seriously punch him in the mouth.

Who am I kidding? I won't touch him.

'You hiding from anyone in particular?' He hovers in the doorway, unsure whether to come in or not.

'What makes you think I'm hiding?' I ask glumly.

'Why else would you surround yourself with all this evil machinery?' Zach smiles, gesturing at our surroundings.

'I needed to get away. It's been a rough couple of days.'

'I'm sorry, Kit. I didn't know about the whole getting exiled if you touch someone.' Zach runs his hand through his hair and walks towards me. He drops into the chair next to me. 'I hope I haven't caused any problems at home.'

'Don't flatter yourself, you have nothing to do with any of my problems.'

Zach flinches slightly at my words and I feel bad. At this rate, I'm going to have to volunteer to exile myself if I keep verbally attacking everyone I know.

'Want to talk about it?' Zach asks softly. He's tiptoeing around me, trying to be tentative which is thoughtful yet incredibly annoying. I'm upset again because he's being nice. I really need to sort my head out.

'No.' A lump forms in my throat, and I quickly clear it. 'Just so you know, I prefer you when you're being an arrogant jerk. This nice guy act doesn't suit you.'

'I'm glad you said that because I'm not sure how long I could have kept it up.' Zach laughs and relaxes back in his chair. 'You're as charming and seductive as ever.' He adds with a smirk. I roll my eyes but can't stop a smile from creeping onto my lips.

I've missed that smirk.

Seeing him again, I have to admit to myself that Brielle, Hope and Suki were correct; he is gorgeously handsome. However, it's not only his looks but his entire demeanour which draws you in. His relaxed attitude, his quick wit and humour all add up to his attractiveness. I really need to stop focussing on how attractive he is.

It's my hormones and his pheromones; a biological response I can't control. Nothing more.

'So are we going to kiss and make-up now?' Zach winks.

'If I was going to risk being exiled it would be to punch you not kiss you,' I say as a fluttering starts in my stomach. Stop fluttering. I do not respond to Zach with flutters.

Seriously, why are my hormones only activated by him?

The first bell rings, signalling it's time for the Naturalist students to go to their classes. I don't move. I don't want to leave this room or leave Zach who actually makes me feel slightly more like me. Go figure that out.

Zach opens his mouth to say something. Screaming slices through the room, abruptly stopping his words. Our eyes dart to the glass wall, and on the other side figures dressed in tattered clothing clench small shiny metallic objects in their hands which they point at the students who are frantically running away in various directions.

Drifters.

Menacing eyes peer out from gaps in the large pieces of material wrapped around their faces as they grab students. Hope's hair is entangled in one of the hands as she's pulled along the ground, her face is contorted in agony; physical and emotional. My name is being called out, but I can't see who is calling me among the chaos.

'Kit,' Zach says urgently into my ear.

Swivelling to face him, I'm unable to speak as the sound of short sharp cracks filter through the glass wall and the open library door leading to the hallway. Zach starts to move towards the door, towards the sounds of Drifters. Is he crazy?

Grabbing his t-shirt tightly, I pull him back and whisper, 'You can't go out there, they'll catch you.'

Zach stops and looks down at my hand in shock. I let go of his t-shirt immediately, suddenly aware of what I'm doing. Now is not the time to be worried about me touching his clothing. Focus on not getting taken by Drifters and staying alive.

'Get in the cupboard.' I nod towards a small door at the back of the room.

Please don't be locked.

The handle turns in my hand. Opening it, I rush in and Zach follows me. Closing the door behind him, it clicks loudly and plunges us into complete darkness. The space is tiny, already packed full of items which I can't make out in the pitch black. We stand in silence, paralysed in position from not wanting to be heard but also by the possibility of accidental contact.

The proximity of our bodies is risky, very risky, which could lead to consequences I'm currently choosing to ignore. The fact I grabbed his top is an even bigger problem. No, it's not. Right now, my biggest problem is staying alive. There is no point in worrying about anything if I can't stay alive.

Our rapid breathing fills the space around us. Our bodies continue not to touch, but my senses are on overload as if he was physically pressed against me. A tingling sensation hums across the surface of my skin at the thought of him being so close. I could be dead in a few minutes, but I all I can focus on is Zach's body which is so close, too close, whilst not close enough.

'I thought you said you were going to hit me if you were going to risk it all.' Zach's breath tickles the back of my neck.

'It was an instinctive reaction, don't get any ideas,' I hiss in reply.

'I've already got a lot of ideas. Unfortunately, I don't think this is the time to act on them.' Zach chuckles.

I don't respond, unsure what to say without revealing the flicker of desire causing my stomach to clench involuntarily. No sounds can be heard from outside the cupboard, but neither of us attempt to move.

'So is this allowed? How close we are?' Zach murmurs.

I can almost feel what it would be like to have his lips on my neck, and I have to forcibly hold in the sigh threatening to escape. Sighing out loud would be embarrassing. 'There's no official distance, and they can make allowances for exceptional circumstances. They've done it before.'

'What do you mean?'

'I found out on Friday my brother got his girlfriend pregnant. The Council Leaders allowed them to move in with each other instead of being exiled, on account of the baby.'

'Wow... a baby!' He says slowly. 'Congratulations, you're going to be an aunt.'

'Yeah... fantastic news! I'm never allowed to touch my brother again, and I can never go into his house or hold his baby.' My voice cracks slightly and even though the darkness masks my tears they're evident in my voice. 'Sorry.'

'No need to be sorry. You're allowed to be upset,' Zach pauses then adds, 'but you really need to stop talking about touching your brother. It's weird, bordering on incestuous.'

'You're such an idiot.'

'I thought I was an arrogant, big-headed jerk?' Zach chuckles and I know he's smirking. I can sense it.

'You forgot handsome.' I did not mean to say that out loud.

I'm an idiot. A massive, can't keep my mouth shut, idiot.

Zach doesn't respond, and I'm aware of the heavy air around us, crackling with electric tension. Time passes and the cupboard becomes stifling hot. My legs start to ache from standing in one position, and I shuffle from side to side to ease the soreness. Yet, I don't say anything because I'm enjoying being this close, feeling his warm breath caress my neck, smelling his distinct intoxicating smell.

How can someone smell so good?

'It must be safe by now,' Zach says, opening the door and retreating out the cupboard backwards.

Following him out, the bright light of the room makes me squint. Blinking rapidly, I wait for my eyes to adjust and when they do Zach is staring at me, his face an unreadable mask.

'Meet me in the woods on Sunday?' Zach asks.

'Ok.' Why did I agree? I should have said no. The sensation of his breath still lingers on my neck, and I rub at the invisible mark gently.

Footsteps echo but before we can hide back in the cupboard, two Techie guards with guns across their chest walk past the open door. Stopping abruptly, they spin to face us.

'What are you two still doing here?' The woman barks, entering the library.

'We hid in the cupboard when the attack happened,' Zach says.

'Clever thinking,' The man says from the hallway.

'What happened? Is anyone hurt?' Stupid question. Hope was being dragged by her hair across the ground, of course people were hurt.

'It was an attack by Drifters,' The man says.

No shit Sherlock. Alma has rubbed off on me more than I thought. I don't even know what Sherlock is. I should ask Alma. My stomach drops. I can't, she's gone.

'Come on, we'll escort you to your settlement,' The woman says.

Outside the school, several Techie guards mill around and a group of Naturalist Council Leaders have congregated with other adults I don't recognise, probably Techie Leaders. Amina is among them and when she spots me her gaze flickers between me, Zach and the two Techie guards with a look that is somewhere between disbelief and suspicion.

'I'll escort you home,' The woman says to me, gesturing towards the road towards my settlement while keeping her distance. The other guard gestures at Zach to walk in the opposite direction, towards the Techie settlement.

Neither of us attempts to say another word to each other as we walk away to our settlements; the places we belong.

'You were hiding in a cupboard with the boy?' The woman asks, walking beside me.

'Yes,' I say, staring ahead of me.

'Since the attack?' She continues.

'Yes,' I reply, my voice surprisingly steady.

The woman whistles quietly under her breath.

What was that for? I haven't done anything wrong, not purposefully anyway. I won't be punished for grabbing Zach's t-shirt when it was a life or death situation, will I? I really don't want to find out the answer so I'm not going to mention it to anyone.

'I can't go any further. Will you be alright to get home from here?' The woman asks, stopping at the entrance to my settlement.

Would it matter if I wasn't alright? You're not allowed in. 'Yes, thank you for walking me back.'

The woman tilts her head in a quick nod then swiftly returns in the direction we came from.

The settlement is quiet. No one is out in the fields or walking around. I've never known it to be so still during daylight hours. I quicken my pace, heading towards my cabin. In the distance, I see my parents, my brother and Mara gathered on the cabin's porch, heads bowed.

'Daa! Dab! Mattan!' I call, breaking into a run. Daa runs to me first grabbing me hard, and Dab wraps his arms around the two of us. Both of them are sobbing hard.

'Kit, you're safe,' Daa sniffles.

'I saw the attack and hid in a cupboard...' I taper off.

Mattan looks at me as Mara holds his arm to prevent him from coming to me. I hug my parents tightly. 'I saw them grab Hope.'

'The Drifters took her. Everyone else had already started to go inside and managed to get away,' Mattan says, looking at me curiously. I involuntarily rub my neck as though he can see an imprint of Zach's breath.

'Come on, let's get you inside,' Daa says, wrapping his arms around my shoulder.

'I'm really glad you're ok, Kit,' Mattan says.

'Thanks, Mattan.' I kiss my index finger and middle finger, a salute once reserved for Alma that has now been transferred to him. He smiles sadly and returns the gesture. Tears start to roll down my cheek. I'm not even sure what I'm crying about.

My parents usher me into our cabin and close the door behind us, leaving Mattan outside. He no longer has the right to be part of our family, but I'll always love him regardless of what distance is enforced between us.

Author's note:

Hope you like this Chapter... don't forget to vote if you do.

What are your thoughts about Zach and Kit?

Also please let me know if there are any mistakes. xx