After saying goodbye to Chad, Dawn reached the wing of the Nemlyth Institute where the Council members' dormitories were located, not far from the kitchen. Nathan hadn't shown up for dinner, so she offered to bring it to his room so she could talk to him.

When Nathan heard her voice from the other side of the door, he hesitated to open it. But finally he gripped the handle and pulled it, allowing her entry and then closed the door again.

Dawn walked over to the nightstand next to his bed and she placed the tray on it. She then turned to Nathan and she forgot all the words she had tried to organize, into a meaningful speech, on the way there. So, to reassure him, she found no other way than to kiss him. She knew that Chad's arrival must have upset him, but she didn't want him to feel threatened.

Nathan pushed her away.

«I'm sorry about this afternoon.» Dawn slurred, trying not to stutter. «Chad is my friend… I don't want you to misunderstand.»

Nathan shook his head. «I can't believe you.» he whispered with his head down, without meeting her gaze.

Dawn gasped. «Wow… we're at this point already? It hasn't even been a day and you already trust me so little?»

«It's me I don't trust.» Nathan declared.

Dawn's shocked expression gave way to confusion and surprise. «What do you mean?»

«I can't tell if it's real or if I'm forcing you.» Nathan said, his face still dark.

«That's all?! Is that what you're afraid of?» Dawn sighed. «You're not controlling me out, I'd notice, like I did this morning.»

«They didn't notice.» Nathan muttered.

«They who?»

Nathan hesitated in embarrassment to confess to her what he had done. «The Nerys in the garden, who I almost sent to… beat up your friend.»

Dawn's eyes widened, still amazed.

«I was so… angry. I didn't realize it. I forced them to move, against their will.», Nathan had tears in his eyes as he vented and let out everything that was going through his mind. «What if I had done it with you too? How do I know I'm not forcing you to do and say things you don't want?»

Dawn sighed again. «First of all, don't just complain and do what you can to manage your emotions and control your powers. Feeling sorry for yourself won't help you.» she said seriously then she took out her cell phone from the pocket of her uniform. She unlocked it and, after a few seconds of fiddling with it, she handed it to Nathan. The notes application was open. She had written one for every day since Nathan had been brought there. In some there were even photos taken secretly or small drawings made with the stylus of the cell phone. «You didn't force me to write these, it was my choice. I don't even know why I did it.» she continued. «I started noting your progress from day one. And don't ask me why I cared so much about you, because the answer is, I have absolutely no idea. I just did. Maybe in you I saw what I could have become if I hadn't had Allen and my friends.», she took a breath, Nathan stopped staring at the screen and raised his gaze to search for her eyes. «The point is, I started this long before your powers manifested again.»

Nathan looked at her phone again and felt like a horrible person for forcing her to reveal what was basically a diary.

Dawn caressed his face. «You can create illusions, dreams, even false memories, in people's minds to make them do what you want, even give them a kiss, but you can't alter what they really feel.» she said. «However real what you show me may be, it will always remain an illusion. You can deceive a person's mind, but not their heart.»

Nathan handed her cell phone back. «I'm sorry. It's just that I want it to be rea– »

«It's real.» Dawn interrupted him, she put the phone back in her pocket. «Stop doubting. Train yourself and control your powers, so you will have nothing to fear anymore.»

He nodded. «Okay, I'll stop.»

«I know it's not easy to trust people but–», Dawn didn't have time to finish the sentence. Nathan couldn't resist anymore and pulled her towards him to kiss her. For real, not just in his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

«I want to trust you.» Nathan whispered to her without moving his face too far from Dawn's.

«You can.» she retorted in an equally delicate tone.

Just then the door flew open and Oswald surprised them. Dawn and Nathan separated, but it was completely useless. With his hearing, Oswald had already heard everything, even before he reached the door. «I knew it was only a matter of time.» he said, then one by one the members of the Council appeared to witness the scene.

«Dawn wanted to help him too much, I knew she was up to something.» Megan said appearing out of nowhere.

«It was obvious, we all knew it.», Sam leaned on her lavender-haired friend.

Ellen made space between her friends and entered the room. «I tried to stop them, but Oswald and Meg heard you and… they all wanted to rush here before I could stop them.», she pushed the other Nerys away. «But we're leaving you alone again, sorry.»

«Actually this is also my room.» Oswald pointed out. «She's the one who has to go. You should all be in your rooms by now.»

Nobody moved, they continued to smile and stare at the new couple of the Nemlyth Institute.

«What are you all doing here crowding the corridors?», principal Evans' voice surprised them. The members of the Council suddenly felt tired and in an instant disappeared. Some even pretended to yawn.

Allen noticed – from the open door – that Dawn was in Oswald and Nathan's room. «What are you doing standing there, darling?» he asked her.

Dawn pointed to the tray on the nightstand. «I brought Nathan dinner. He was tired from training.» she replied promptly.

«Oh, right. Congratulations kiddo, I heard.»

Nathan thanked the principal then looked at Dawn out of the corner of his eye. She stared back at him and then headed for the door. As Dawn closed it, Nathan saw Allen hand her a small box. «With these you should be able to sleep peacefully.», he heard the principal say, when the door was already closed.

Oswald noticed Nathan's curious expression. «I read the label, they are just natural tranquilizers.» he told him. «She's fine, she's not sick, don't worry.»

Nathan guessed what they were for. Her powers weren't as terrible as Ellen's – that had to sleep surrounded by a barrier – but they could still cause damage if not kept in check.

«Do you want to wash yourself first?» Oswald asked him, interrupting his reflections.

Nathan shook his head. «No, you go ahead.»

«Okay then.»