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both of which filled her with long overdue calm.
    “Marcii…” Kaylm greeted her, keeping his soft voice low in the dim light behind the vines, concealed within the very walls of the church itself.
    They could not have been better hidden, especially since the day was so sullen and grey, for the light struggled to reach their secret little alcove even when the sun shone.
    “Kaylm…” Marcii breathed in response, and before either of them said another word they embraced each other firmly.
    Marcii pulled Kaylm close, hugging him tightly, and he did the same, for they had missed each other terribly.
    Even though she couldn’t see too well in the dim light, Marcii knew by heart the look of Kaylm’s sandy blonde hair. She knew he saw her too with his eyes both blue and orange all at once, and as she leaned back, picking up every trace of him that she could with her luminous yellow eyes, she sighed contentedly.
    A friendship like theirs was hard to come by, and when such a thing is found, it is often even harder to hold on to.
    Sadly, though this is all too often the case, most thought it was more than that, and not simply as innocent as they each claimed. Consequently, Amanda did not approve of Kaylm, or anyone for that matter, and his parents most certainly did not approve of Marcii.
    The pair had been condemned to meeting in fleeting secret arrangements such as this.
    Of course, that meant that their time spent in the other’s company was shorter than either of them would have liked, and they missed each other unbearably in between these forbidden meets.
    But, as so few come to learn, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
                  Kaylm was only sixteen years of age too, and though at the moment he was of quite slim build, his father and older brother were both broad and strong, practically the opposite to Marcii’s father, and it was only a matter of time before he followed suit.
                  It was safe to say that he was Marcii Dougherty’s closest friend. He trusted her, even if his family didn’t, and he was one of the very few people that she trusted too.
                  Whilst others had for her whole life given Marcii a wide berth, as was still all too evident, Kaylm had never wanted to leave her side.
                  He didn’t care what other people thought.
                  All that mattered was what they felt.
                  “Are you okay?” Kaylm asked, his hands still resting upon Marcii’s arms. His voice was filled with concern for her, more so than usual, for times were changing.
                  Marcii didn’t respond at first and shook her head almost imperceptibly, especially in the dim light.
                  It was so hard to be as honest with anybody else as she was with Kaylm.
                  “I’m scared…” She admitted, whispering her shaky words.
                  “Don’t worry…” Kaylm reassured her. “I won’t let any…”
                  But their hidden conversation was silenced just as quickly as it had begun, as voices from just beyond the vines cut through the damp, murky air.
                  Marcii’s breaths trembled and Kaylm pulled her close again, for the voices were close and filled with fear and conspiracy.
                  “I’m telling you!” The first voice demanded. “The time has come for him to join the cause!”
                  “Please listen, brother…” A second voice urged, and Marcii’s breath caught in her throat as she recognised it.
                  It was Alexander Freeman, her father’s childhood friend.
                  She could not see him, and she daren’t move for fear of being discovered, but she recognised his heavy tone.
                  “The Priesthood cannot bend to this! It goes against everything we