I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Trust me." With his left eye he gave me the quickest of winks, so slight that only I would've noticed it.

Noah cleared his throat. His voice was different, louder, a little rehearsed.

"I've been thinking about it and it makes sense for you to move back to Middletown and for me to be relocated."

I wasn't sure if this was part of the plan or not. Either way, his words sliced through me like a hundred blades.

"Noah. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not. It's logical. You've got your family there, your friends, college..."

A fresh wave of tears appeared. "But I don't have you!"

"You'll get used to not having me around."

He sounded cold and it made me cry harder.

"What about your band?" I wailed.

At this, Noah's face softened. He pulled my hands under the gap to his side of the partition and kissed them. The lights flickered overhead and he stopped abruptly.

"I'm sure the world can manage without the musical talents of Growing Pains."

I let out another sob and Noah cocked his head to one side sympathetically.

"Here," he said, beckoning me to the window. "Don't cry, come here." I hiccupped and brought my face up to the hole. Noah reached through and cupped it, wiping away my tears with his thumb. I melted into his hand and closed my eyes, wishing I could stay touching him for ever.

The whisper of his breath tickled my ear. He barely spoke but it was just enough for me to hear. "Follow my lead. Keep crying. I love you."

Then the warmth of his hand was gone and my eyes opened. Noah had righted himself. His face had changed. I realized he was crying too. Not girl crying, all red and blotchy and dramatic, but two tears lay frozen on his cheeks.

They broke my heart.

He stood up.

"Noah, what are you doing?"

He didn't look at me his face was a mixture of grief and anger. He walked over and banged his fists angrily on the mirror.

"We're done!" he yelled. "We're not going to be your love guinea pigs."

The mirror glass stayed intact. You couldn't tell what was going on behind it.

Noah banged on it again, more aggressively this time.

"I. Said. We're. Done!" he yelled. "Come on. Time to split us up like naughty children!"

I stood up. "Noah, what are you doing? Once they take us away, that's it. Don't you want more time with me?"

He gave me a dirty look, and I hoped, prayed, this was part of the plan, otherwise I might cry for ever.

"What's the point? We may as well get used to it now."

I sat on the floor and began sobbing again as Noah continued to bash the glass. The door flung open and Dr. Beaumont burst in. Rain stood nervously behind her.

"What is going on in here?" Her eyes were wide with anger. "You almost damaged our facility."

"I don't care," Noah said. "We've had our talk. We're not going to help you, you horrible little bitch."

Anita looked like she'd been slapped. She sucked in air, her cheeks puckered, and then slowly blew it out. "If that's what you've agreed, that's what you've agreed."

I let out another sob and she looked at me, disgusted.

"And does Miss Lawson agree with all this?"

I just continued crying. Noah looked beautiful. His eyes were blazing with anger, his face wet with tears that glistened on his face, highlighting those cheekbones. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I figured if this was the last time I ever saw him, I would remember him like this. Strong, fighting, full of life.

"She agrees."

"Have you decided who's going to leave Middletown?"

"Yeah, me. Take me and dump me where you want. I don't care."

"It won't be like that. We'll build a new life for you."

Noah shrugged. "Whatever."

"That's sorted then."

Anita did a quick dainty click of her fingers and two guards sprang up behind her like boomerangs. She pointed to us.

"Take the girl back to the cell for now," she instructed. "We'll sort out her readjustment later. As for the boy, there's a helicopter waiting at the top of the building. Please escort us there."

And then it hit me. This was it. Whatever Noah had planned wouldn't work. There were guards, armed by the look of them, and we were in some high-security labyrinth.

I began to scream. It wasn't voluntary. Screeches poured out of my mouth, ear-piercing and terrible. Everyone winced.

"You can't take him! You can't! You can't!"

One of the guards was unlocking the glass door on Noah's side of the room. I noticed more tears had fallen onto his face. I wanted to touch him so badly. His eyes were locked on mine and I could see desire leaking out of him too. I screamed again.

"No, Noah! I love you. I love you."

He broke into a sob. "I love you too. So much."

The other guard was coming towards me.

"Stay away from me!" The ferocity in my voice was so strong he actually halted. Noah's guard had unlocked the door now and was pulling the handle. Suddenly Noah barged past him, knocked him to the ground and was running straight at me.

"Stop him," I heard Anita yell.

Then everything went into slow motion.

Noah was speeding towards me, his arms outstretched. His guard was on the floor, struggling to get up, and mine was nearing me. I sprang onto my feet, feeling weightless, and ran to Noah. I could feel the electric current surging from my heart to his heart, pushing me towards him.

"Stop them!"

But it was too late. Noah reached me and I fell into his arms. I went to hug him but he stopped me. He jerked my chin up roughly, lowered his face and kissed me urgently.

I heard a distant scream. The scene went hazy.

All I could focus on was the burning in my mouth, the delicious taste of Noah, the electricity fusing our bodies together. I kissed him hungrily, plunging my tongue back into his, trying to swallow him so I could keep him for ever.

There were noises, and heat.

We broke apart and saw the entire glass wall smash into thousands of pieces. It hung, suspended in mid-air for a second, before careering onto the floor. Noah smiled and dipped to kiss me again.

There was another smash.

The glass coverings on the overhead lights cracked and fell around us like dangerous snowflakes. My security guard toppled to the floor, blood running from his chest. My stomach twisted with guilt.

"Noah, he's bleeding."

He shot a look at the guard, who groaned and tried to get up. "He's okay." And he kissed me again we needed to get out.

Then we watched in wonder as the light bulbs burst into flames and mini explosions ripped through the room, setting random things on fire. Anita was screaming, her hands over her head, protecting herself from the carnage falling from the ceiling. Noah squeezed my hand and I knew it was time to go. A burning light fitting came loose and hit Anita directly on the head. We ran past as she fell with a thump. Rain was crouched in the doorway, his face a picture of pure terror. He was blocking our exit.

He looked up at us, eyes wide, and I said only one word to him.

"Please."

Rain looked from Noah's face to mine and I could see his inner conflict.

I held my breath.

"Please," Noah repeated.

Then Rain sighed, and rolled to one side, letting us past.

"Be quick," he whispered. "You don't have much time."

And we stepped over him and ran out into the maze of clinical corridors, hand in hand.

My palms were sweating as we fled down corridor after corridor, looking for an escape.

"Where are we going?" I asked between pants.

Noah didn't break our pace. "I don't know. We need to get outside."

White sterile walls streaked past us. We ducked left, then right, then right again, trying to find a path through the maze.

I tripped over my feet.

"Hurry up, Poppy. The alarm will go off any moment. Then we're completely screwed."

I ran like I had small wings attached to my ankles. Raw primal fear pumped adrenalin through my veins. The warmth of Noah's hand in mine made me feel invincible.

We turned and ran smack into a heavy locked door.

"Shit." Noah looked up and down. The door was solid metal with no doorknob. It only had a little keypad on the side and a retina scanner.

"What are we going to do?"

I could hear the panic in my own voice. Maybe I didn't feel so invincible after all. Anita could be coming round at any moment, raising the alarm, summoning guards to punish us.

"I don't know. Let me think."

Noah's face was screwed up. I looked back at the corridor behind us, imagining the sight of Dr. Beaumont appearing at the end. I shivered. When I turned back to Noah, he was smiling. He had a plan.

"What is it?"

"I think I know how to open it."

"How?"

"It might set off the alarm."

"Well, then what would we do?"

Noah cupped my face and the lights above fizzled. I looked up at them in dazed wonder before Noah forced me to look at him.

"Listen, Poppy. You've got to do as I say. As long as we're inside this building, I want you to focus on how much you love me, how much you want me. Remember the other night? Remember what was happening before they came? How good it was? I want you to focus on that the whole time we're inside, okay?"

I nodded, not sure what he meant.

"But the moment we get out if we manage to get out stay with me, follow me, but put me out of your mind. Imagine I don't exist. Pretend I'm not there and you're running away alone. Got it?"

I didn't understand and he saw it in my face.

"You've got to trust me, Poppy. I think I've worked out how this, us, works. I'll still be by your side, I promise, but once we're out of here, imagine I'm not. Promise me?"

I got it then. Noah didn't want us to get tracked in the highly unlikely event that we escaped. If I was loving him, I would be emitting some kind of traceable current. I hoped it worked. It was all we had.

"I promise."

Noah smiled, and despite our circumstances, my stomach flip-flopped.