A/n: Alright, so I've had this idea in my head since I finished reading Tempted. This is how I think Burned will start, if I were the author, of course. But I'm not.

So just enjoy it anyways :)

-Abby

DISLAIMER: I don't own any characters :/ they belong to P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Memory crashed over me, drowning me with despair and darkness and reality as my world shattered, and everything went black.

I suddenly felt very heavy. A great silence engulfed me along with the thick blackness that caressed my body. Something wasn't right; I couldn't feel any elements in my presence. My body started trembling.

"Spirit," I whispered, though the word came from my mouth in a purple-white cloud that slowly rose like steam. "Come to me." When the comforting feeling of spirit was absent, I started to panic. What had happened that would cause my affinity to just…vanish?

There was a quiet voice like a secret coming in through the thick black cloud. I couldn't make out words of the voice, but it was there. It worried me.

(Aphrodite's POV)

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Stark?!" I shrieked as Stark stood up, shaky at first, with Zoey in his arms. His head hung and I could see tears dripping on Z's lifeless body. His foot came forward, then the other. He was walking straight for the ocean. "Stark!"

Darius, Goddess love him, took three long strides and grasped Stark's shoulder, muttering something I couldn't hear since I was a damn human now. Stark stopped dead in his tracks and he looked up with a face full of such despair and misery that I could practically feel how much he was broken. Well shit, I thought. Darius was right. A High Priestess and her Warrior do have a strong bond…My thoughts were interrupted when Stark fell to his knees, clutching Zoey's still body to him as a lifeline. I could hear quiet sobs coming from him as he hugged Z like a doll.

Darius came back to me and I rested my head against his chest. "I didn't realize he'd be this bad," I whispered, feeling tears come to my eyes. Seeing Stark like this made me almost feel bad about how I felt nothing when my Imprint with Stevie Rae was broken. Almost.

Darius's arms wrapped around me delicately. "You have to remember, love, that Stark feels everything that Zoey feels." Every word he spoke sent a comforting vibration over my body. "The things Zoey were thinking of at her time of death are still flowing over him. I'm sure he's not only grieving for Zoey, but also for Heath." I closed my eyes tight and felt the tears soak into his shirt.

Stark's sobs only made my heart crack more. Zoey, dead? Well, who the fuck was going to stop Kalona from destroying the world? He already succeeded in killing Shekinah and Zoey; nothing was stopping him now! Goddess, whoever was crying like some kid fell and scraped his knee is seriously a dickshit.

That's when I realized that I was the one crying. My fists gripped Darius's shirt and I buried my face into his large chest. Then I had an idea. I lifted my head and Darius wiped away the tears from my face. I smiled at him and noticed his terrified and worried face. I left him, but not before kissing on of his knuckles.

I noticed how Shaunee and Erin held each other while they cried silently, and Jack cried on Damien's shoulder. I wiped my cheeks again to dry them and sighed. "Guys, I think we should cast a make-shift circle." The looked at me with those tired, weary eyes and I knew that it most likely wouldn't work. "We might be able to help Zoey's soul pass well if she has all the elements with her, y'know?" They nodded, and I glanced at Stark, who was still crouched on the ground. I shook my head in pity before touching his shoulder lightly. He jerked, looking at me with anguish after holding Zoey's body tighter. "Stark? We're going to cast a circle around Zoey to help her pass easier." He only looked back at Zoey and lightly nodded his head. He'd stopped sobbing, but the tears were like a waterfall coming from his poor eyes.

Multiple clouds became to swim around the black dark cloud, appearing like the Northern Lights of the Night. For some reason, I felt my face get cold and—was that something dripping down my cheeks? This place was so confusing. I would much rather be in the meadow…

The whispering became clearer. Was it—Aphrodite? Yes…I could pick out her bitch-y tone. Something held me tight, but I couldn't tell what. I couldn't tell anything in this damn black cloud. The pressure around me tightened and I felt claustrophobic. Suddenly, I was surrounded by the scent of meadows and honey-suckles in the summer. I felt a heat swarm me that was immediately cooled by the refreshing scent of water. A zephyr made me feel light again, and I smiled like a five year old. My elements were back!

And that's when I screamed.

I collapsed with heavy pants. Everyone fell to the ground also, each of us stressed after casting a circle without Zoey. I was shocked; earth hadn't shocked me like it did last time. Maybe being Imprinted with Stevie Bumpkin made Nyx realize I needed my affinity. Darius quickly came to me, making sure I wasn't too exhausted. Stark had stopped crying, but he was still acting like Zoey's body was about to run away. And then something happened that made us all jump.

Zoey's body screamed.

A/n: Yes, yes, I know. I still haven't updated all my stories like I've been promising I will :(

But I just keep getting great ideas, and I forget what my previous ideas were for my other stories…so I'll try to update EVERYTHING as soon as exams are over (they start on the 14th) So for those of you who are reading Remember Me for Eternity, it'll be updated soon. And the next chapter is yummy!

Anyways, I hope you liked this! I'll be continuing this one for a while, I hope. I've got a whole storyline jumping in my head, so I just have to type it up.

Thanks for reading, and just click that lonely "Review" button for me!

-Abby

P.S: You know you want to review :)