My eyes suddenly fluttered open to the sound of voices in the room. They were speaking in soft whispers but they were making my head hurt furiously. I reached a hand up to my forehead and massaged it slightly, anxious to get the pain to go away. I continued to try and sit up but I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my head that forced me to fall back. The comfy plush of the seat I was laying on cushioned my fall but it still caused me to cry out in pain.

I heard quick footsteps run over but I couldn't concentrate through the searing pain I was feeling and I cried out again, this time a little more shrilly. I writhed and my body contorted in agony as the pain kept coming in waves, crashing over me and pounding me into submission. I honestly thought I was dying.

"Kayleigh!" A voice whispered hoarsely and I moaned in response, voices causing the pain to worsen. "What do we do? She's in pain!"

"Calm down. I'm sure we can fix this, Mr Payne. First, I think we should give her some pain relief." A strange voice replied.

"Oh.....my.....God." I got out before screaming again. "Help......"

"Okay Ms Michaels. I'll do everything I can." The last thing I felt was a needle penetrating my skin before blackness engulfed me, knocking me out.

---

When I finally came round, the pain was much less obvious, only small jabs every now and then shot through my brain. As my eyelids opened for the second time, I heard snoring and I turned my body towards the source of the noise. I made out the sleeping form to my left and noticed it was Liam.

"Liam." I whispered, slowly rising from the bed and knocking the duvet and pillows back. "Liam, wake up!" I continued to hiss.

Liam's body slowly began to move as I retreated backwards towards the bed, giving him room to wake up.

"Kayleigh?" He sleepily mumbled. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here? And, more importantly, where are we?" I replied, confused. The surroundings were unfamiliar to me, especially in the fading light, and I was having trouble making out our location.

"It's my turn to watch you. And you're in the hotel, we fly back to England in less than four hours." Liam flicked his gaze to the green numbers of the alarm clock and then turned back to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than last time. Why didn't you take me to the hospital?"

"Do you really have to ask that question? No doctor would have seen you- you're one of the most hated people in the world right now. No offence."

"But surely somebody would have seen me if I was shot?"

"That's the thing. You weren't shot Kayleigh. Nobody knows why you randomly started bleeding like that. All we know is Niall panicked, drove like an idiot back here and called Steve, a friend of his in the medical profession, to come and take a look at you. All he could find was a splinter lodged in your stomach. He was about to leave when you woke up and started screaming about the pain and he was forced to stay a few more hours."

"So I randomly started bleeding? I wasn't shot?"

"Not that we could see. And, let's face it, it's pretty obvious when you have a giant hole in your stomach right?"

"Right. Where are the others?"

"Getting some kip. They've been out for the past twenty hours trying to chase up the rest of the leads."

"Did they manage it?"

"Yeah, and Harry has a few things he wants to run by you. Things he's not sure about."

"Cool beans." I smile, twirling my hair absent minded.

"Do you know what happened to you?" Liam asks me, looking curious.

"Nope. All I know is that, whatever it was, it certainly caused me a fucking lot of pain. I thought I was being killed."

"I'm sorry about that by the way. Niall doesn't know but the other boys do. We figured it would only worry him if we told him about it so don't mention it yeah?"

"I think you made the right call. Niall would have gone into a frenzy though God knows why!" I laughed hollowly.

Liam looked at me with his head tilted to one side. "You two astound me, you really do." He said, looking downwards and laughing.

"Why?" I question, joining him in the laughing
.
"It's just, well, never mind. It'll come out at some point. Do you want to go and see the other guys? We need to let them know that you're awake and okay and, to be honest, I'm sure none of them are asleep anyway."

"Let's do it. Harry's probably trying to fix his 'bed hair'." I chuckle quietly.

"You won't ever let him live that down will you?" Liam grins.

"Nope!" I pop the 'p'. "Never ever!" When I'd just started working for the boys, a little over two years ago now, Harry wandered into the room hungover and looking like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks. Lou was horrified and told him he had terrible bed hair and he was terrified. He ran into the toilets and refused to come out until he'd gelled it to perfection. Harry's stereotype was so ridiculously accurate it made me crack up every time I saw it in action. Gosh, that seemed like such a long time ago now.

We wandered along the corridor until we reached Zayn's door; Liam knocked and looked at me, concerned, whenever he noticed I'd winced. Truth be told, my head felt like it was being hit repeatedly but I was trying hard not to let it be too obvious.

An exhausted Zayn opened the door and peeked out, bleary eyed from sleep deprivation. He blinked and smacked his lips together before meeting Liam's gaze and frowning.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

Oh come on Zayn! I'm not exactly a short person and it's kind of tough to miss my red hair! His eyes suddenly rest on me and they widen before he pulls me into a bear hug.

"Kayleigh!" He exclaims, right it my ear, making pain riddle me once again. "You're okay!"

"Kayleigh?" I hear Louis voice ask suspiciously as he steps into view. "Kayleigh!" Zayn lets go and allows Louis to sweep me into a hug.

"Jesus. Anyone would think none of you have ever seen a girl before!" I shake my head.

"Well now that's just plain rude." Louis muttered. "I think I should drop you now."

Oh my god. If that stupid boy DARES to inflict any pain on me I will personally string him up by his toes and hang him above the city wearing nothing but his underpants. Come to think of it, that's far too kind. I think I'll hide his hair gel.

Luckily, he sets me back down gently after a warning glare from Harry who's suddenly appeared in the hall.

"How are ya?" He asked me as he casually leaned up against the door frame.

"Better, but my head's still throbbing. Is Niall here?" I ask, looking round them all.

"What, are we not enough?" Liam sniffles slightly, pretending to be hurt.

"Well, I suppose. But come on. I've just been severely injured. I think I'm entitled to see my best friend." I cross my arms and smirk slightly, trying to ignore the stabbing agony in my brain.

"No. It's just because I'm the best cuddler," Niall's Irish accent speaks before I'm swept up into a fireman's carry and placed over his shoulder. For a minute, my pain vanishes and I'm able to do everything without experiencing extreme pressure on my brain.

"Niall!" I cry, hitting his back. "Put me down!"

"Never! I'm glad I can do this again without it hurting you. Let me enjoy annoying you!" He laughs, spinning round and round. I catch sight of the guys' faces, a mixture of confusion, laughter and curiosity.
When Niall finally sets me back down, my pain returns and I stumble back slightly, caught off guard by the sudden infliction. Zayn grabs my arms to steady me and a look of shock spreads across his face. I know mine mirrors it and we watch each other for a few seconds, after I suddenly realise Zayn's worked out my pain vanished when Niall grabbed me. Zayn speaks up, looking at Niall like he was some sort of miracle.

"Niall, how did you do that?" He questions, looking between each of us.

"Do what?" Niall replies, his jovial smile slowly slipping from his lips as his eyes flick around the room.

"Take my pain away. When you picked me up, it was like my pain was no more. But when you set me
back down, well, it came back." I frowned, looking at him.

"I....don't....know." He spoke slowly.

"Touch her again, Ni." Harry suggests as I shakily extend my hand towards him.

Niall gently grasps my hand and I let out a sharp gasp as my pain suddenly is gone. We looked at each other, slightly shocked, mouths parted a few centimetres and eyes wide with complete confusion.

"How?" Louis breathed. "It's....it's scientifically impossible!" He began to pace the room, hands in hair, as Niall and I stood there, shell shocked.

Liam shakes his head. "How long have you been able to do this?" He asks generally, not asking one specific person.

"Since now." Niall and I say at the same time.

"How did you do that?" We both say again.

Everybody's eyes were now on us and I started to panic, wishing they weren't.

"Guys, mind not staring? Didn't you hear Kayleigh? She's panicking!" Niall says, reiterating my exact thoughts.

"How did you know what I was thinking Ni?" I draw my hand back and feel pain shoot through me.

"You said it, didn't you?" He frowns.

"No. I thought it." Oh god, this is mental.

"I can't hear you any more though." He shrugs. Suddenly, I realise something.

"Is it because we're not touching anymore?" I ask.

"Possibly. Let's try it." Niall says as I take hold of his hand again and my pain vanishes.

"Thank god. So you're no longer in pain?" He questions, worriedly.

I shake my head. "No. Do you think I'm able to read your thoughts?"

"This day is insane enough, I wouldn't be surprised. What food am I thinking of?"

I keep my eyes level with Niall's and look at him. But I can't hear anything and I'm wondering if I'm doing it correctly. Before I can ask though, Liam speaks up, reminding me we're not the only ones in the room right now.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You two can read each other's minds?" He asks incredulously.

"Well, Niall can. I can't read him though." I shrug.

"You sure?" Zayn asks. I nod my head. "Can you read anybody else's mind, Niall?" Zayn continues. Still holding my hand, Niall turns to look at them all.

"No. Just Kayleigh's." He shrugs, giving up.

"But she can't read yours?" Louis asks. "God, how are we all so calm about this? They're.....they're fucking able to read each other's minds, well, Niall is. HOW?" He hollered.

"Calm down, mate. Let's take this one step at a time." Harry says sensibly. "Here's what we know. Niall can read Kayleigh's mind. Kayleigh can't read his. When Kayleigh touches him, her pain goes away. This started five minutes ago and they've never been able to do it before. So. The question is, what's Kayleigh's 'super power'." Harry made quote marks in the air as he spoke.

"That's the only question you have? Mate you've, got problems!" Louis exclaimed.

I shrug, suddenly feeling inferior. How was Niall able to do all of this? Oh Jesus. This was fricking insane and I was having trouble processing what was going on. My mind was all over the place and I was beginning to think-. Suddenly, my thoughts were cut off by intakes of breath from the guys. I pop my eyes open and see....well the boys on the ground far below me and my eyes level with the ceiling. No wonder my pain was back.

"I think we just figured it out." Liam said grimly, looking up.

"I...I can fly." I splutter. Fuck. Shit. Crap. This is.....well this is crazy. Humans can't fly. We don't have wings, we weren't born to do that. We were born to walk on the ground, not fly through the air. I couldn't breathe. Fear of height since birth. Kind of ironic really. Oh lord Jesus. Help.

"Guys? She's afraid of heights! We have to get her down!" Niall says frantically, knowing the last time I was up at a massive height, I nearly passed out.

"Can you fly down, Kay?" Zayn questioned.

"How the fricking hell am I supposed to know, Malik?" I'm close to tears right now. On top of everything else, this is going to break me. I just know it. I shut my eyes and pray that I'll be lowered gently, hoping I'll just be softly dropped down and land gracefully on my feet. No such luck. I'm still stuck up here.
I try to get my thoughts straight, knowing that, if I don't, I'll never get down. I hear a voice whispering in the back of my head.

"Think of Niall." It whispers. "Imagine him reaching up and guiding you down."

I shut my eyes on autopilot and comply, suddenly feeling myself sinking slowly. You know that feeling you get in your stomach when you drop downwards? I had that but about ten times worse and I was ready to vomit when my feet hit the soft carpet. I keeled over and retched violently as Louis pulled my hair back. Nothing came out and I slowly stood back up, much to the amusement of the boys.

"How can you find this funny?" I asked them incredulously.

"Because this situation is like every sci-fi movie I've ever watched Kay!" Liam splutters, hanging his head in shame.

"So, Kayleigh can fly, Niall can read minds and heal people- what's next? Zayn can teleport?" Harry shook his head in disbelief.

I roll my eyes heaven ward and suddenly feel a violent itch on my back, right in the place my arm cannot reach.

"Niall, can you scratch my back please?" I ask him, pulling my hair round to one side and lifting my top up. I'm suddenly aware of how ridiculous me asking Niall to scratch my back in the middle of this....situation is and I cringe inside when Niall looks at me questioningly.

"You never told me you had a tattoo, Kay."

YOU
When I shot those bullets, I knew what I was doing. I was trying to hit Kayleigh and, in doing so, change her.

I don't know why Anni has Kayleigh on the change list, it makes no sense. But I had her in the same room as me, I couldn't let such an opportunity pass.

The bullets contained the new formula KJ-57. It was untested on humans but, from what I'd heard, Kayleigh was still very much alive. Now all we had to do was to work out who her Match was.

With any luck, it was somebody I knew. Without the knowledge of who Kayleigh's Match is, I'm screwed. If I want to perform tests with Anni, we need both of them. I'm going to have to investigate.

KJ-57 isn't meant to awaken anything like the previous formulas. We couldn't have used those on half of the list because they'd never had the implant at birth. We had to rely on this new formula to do the work for us but it couldn't be used until tested.

I was given a bollocking for administering it. The Overseers were mad and told me that, if I were to remain here, I would have to research the effects of KJ-57. That meant finding Kayleigh and her Match.
If she went back to England, it would be doubly as hard. I didn't have as many contacts there as I did in Paris but there was nothing I could do to stop her leaving. We'd already tried that.

The police still have no idea I'm behind Paul's death. But Kayleigh knows, at least, she's got an idea. Why the hell else would she have been in that room with me?

Anni warned me that I was on knife's edge already and I couldn't afford to screw up again. I had to spy on Kayleigh- but how?

According to our theories, KJ-57's effects should start appearing within eight hours of administration but there would be no evidence that the bullet had entered the system after half an hour as the healing process should have begun. That was something I'd always found particularly useful, even in the earlier models.

Though we only had suppositions, Kayleigh's Match wouldn't change fully. He or she would only change so that they could help her. The results of my report would help aid us but to change the Match, most people believed they had to be given the formula.

Me? Not so much.

I had seen KJ-56's effects and I was fairly certain that, with sexual intercourse or through transmission of bodily fluids, the Match could be changed. I just had to wait and see.

Roger promised me an audience to discuss how I would tackle the report in an hour and I had a lot to prepare for until then.

But it was only as I was collecting together stray papers from my desk that I heard the alarm.

"Intruder alert. Intruder alert. All key personnel to evacuation point."

I drew my gun from my back pocket and positioned myself against the office door.

Who says Anni can't make grown men cry?

Notes

Hey!

So this is the part where the Sci-fi elements kick in :)

Who do you think is the 'YOU'?

Has anybody spotted my new cover? Any thoughts?

Happy Sunday! :)