" Then you must know why I am here." I stated strongly."Naturally."I noticed that, unlike the earlier voice, this one spoke with the normal intonation... one would expect."And are you going to enlighten me."The facial expression changed, though I couldn't tell what it portrayed."You were about to die and we needed someone with your skills, so we brought you here moments before the impact that would have killed you." Won't people notice?" Not at all. We placed a clone in your stead."I shook my. She couldn't feel because she was wearing a very expensive, specially designed wet suit with hundreds, if not thousands of tiny rubber bands on it that held her exactly in the middle of the tank. And she was floating just beneath the surface of a negative buoyancy salt solution at exactly 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Total sensory depravation."Do you think that you can break me with sensory depravation, you crazy bastard!" she screamed. She couldn't hear herself, but the vibrations of her throat. ‘No, I can’t do that. I think there’s been some misunderstanding,’ I said, knowing I must have sounded like a complete idiot considering what had just happened between us. ‘I’m sorry, I think I’d better leave,’ I said half stammering. There was the briefest flicker of amusement on his face. ‘Avery,’ he said placing his large black hand on my cheek, ‘you’re a young girl, and I didn’t mean to frighten you. What happened must be very confusing. Just remember, when you’re with me, you never have. " We started walking into the drive, but then she stopped me with her hand on my elbow. "Just one thing though, this is our secret, yeah?" Nah, I thought I'd put it on the notice-board that we showed each other our knickers!" She laughed loudly and we went into school giggling. We seemed to be no more than a few feet from each other all day long. Even in the toilet she would be in the next cubicle.I didn't mind at all. Some of the girls, not in my class but in my year, had been pushing me about.