House of Night Series: Burned

Chapter One: Stark

It had been over two hours since Stark had watched his one true love collapse to the floor while she hurled Spirit at Kalona. He hadn't wanted to move his position for he feared that if he did then he would lose Zoey forever. Stark hadn't realised how hard he had been sobbing until the very kind and gentle touch on his shoulder offered him a tissue. He didn't understand who it was as he had heard everyone retreating back to the palace like building after the first hour of being out in the cold, starless night with Zoey. "Thanks," he mumbled trying to pull himself together not exactly wanting anyone to see how bad this was affecting him.

"No problem," Damien replied. Stark knew if it was to be anyone to find their way back to where Zoey and he were it would be Damien. That was just his nature kind, caring and understanding. "Look I know you probably don't want to but we should really get you and Zoey back inside out of the cold. It's been two hours Stark. I promise you can stay with her once we get her back inside." He finished.

He was too tired, upset and broken to argue so he just nodded my head and started to gather myself till he was standing with Zoey in my arms and followed behind Damien. They walked back to the building and up to Zoey's room in silence. Damien had opened the door for him to walk in and then gently afraid that she would break he placed Zoey onto the bed and under the quilt to keep her warm. He was stuck in his own thoughts until he heard Damien clear his throat and explain that he was going to go back to his and Jack's room. It was at the exact instant that he heard the soft click of the door shut that he just started to let out everything that he had kept built up in him ever since Damien had appeared by his side outside in the courtyard. Before he got into the bed next to Zoey he sent up a silent prayer to Nyx. Why Nyx? Why did you let this happen to Zoey? He was out as soon as his head hit his pillow but his warrior senses didn't seem to shut down for the night and were even sharper that night than they ever were.

All through that night his mind seemed to keep playing the earlier events that had happened like at the old movie theatres and how the screen flickers from one images to the next. He saw himself inside Aphrodite's room and then how he had reacted when the flood of emotions coming from Zoey affected him and how quickly he had reacted. Then he saw himself sprinting down the stairs and out into the courtyard and everyone else behind him. It was then that his mind played the worst part of his memory from that night. It was then he saw Zoey just a few yards in front of him and how she was running towards what he didn't notice at first but then saw that it was Kalona with Heath in his grasp with his whole fist wrapped around Heath's neck. Then with one swift twist Kalona had snapped Heath's neck and it was at the exact moment that Zoey had thrown the element Spirit at Kalona and then collapsed. He vaguely saw Kalona being thrown back and over the wall but he hadn't cared about that even in his memory. He then saw his self running to Zoey and immediately dropping to his knees beside her. Then just as he had remembered the rest of Zoey's gang were around him as he gently pulled Zoey up onto his lap and he started crying. Everything in his dream or nightmare or memory or whatever you wanted to call it started to waver and ripple like when you throw a pebble into a lake or pond and it was with that, that he woke up to some insistent rapping on the door.

He had managed to pull himself together when he opened the door to find Damien, Jack, Erin and Shaunee and at the back he managed to see Aphrodite behind the massive mountain that was Darius. He motioned for them to come in but it was only moments before he heard some quiet sobs coming from the Twins. It was then silent for Goddess knows how long with only the occasional sob and sniffle here and there. Darius was the first to speak breaking the somehow awkward silence that wasn't quite awkward but still awkward enough for Stark's liking. "How is the young priestess doing?" He asked but it lingered in the air between us that he knew how she was.

"I think she is doing okay but no response or waking up yet." I answered him "Well I did fall asleep but I didn't feel anything through the warrior bond."

"Can you feel anything though the bond?" Damien asked in his teacher's voice but was filled with worry.

"I'm not entirely sure. I mean I haven't felt anything since before when we were in Aphrodite's room and I knew something was wrong then after that when..." He broke off not wanting to say that the last time he felt Zoey through the bond was when her soul had shattered and they all seemed to understand.

"When her soul broke?" Jack imputed. It wasn't a question but Stark nodded anyway.

Then Darius all warrior like said "Try to tap into her emotions, even though she may be unconscious you may still be able to feel what she is feeling."

"Okay I'll try," He replied his voice thick with worry that the bond might have broken when Zoey's soul shattered. "What if it doesn't work? What if the bond broke when she collapsed and her soul shattered?" He hadn't wanted to say these but it was as if he wasn't in control of what he was saying there and then.

"I assure you that the bond has not broken. I should know as I have went though the Sons of Erebus Training and learnt the history as if was my own personal history" Darius stated matter of factly.

"Okay I'll try" Stark said. He went over to the bed and sat on the edge, careful not to sit on Zoey's leg. He was trying with all his might to read her emotions when finally after ten minutes he felt something, but what was is he was feeling from her. Awareness, confusion, guilt. He jumped up as if the bed had burnt him and the only way to cool down was to jump off of the bed. Everyone was looking at him with concern when he finally said with tears in his eyes "I can still feel her emotions! I can feel that she is confused, aware and guilty but nothing else really." He was so happy that he was still connected to Zoey.

"What should she be guilty about," Erin was about to finish her question but as per usual her twin chimed in.

"She didn't do anything to be guilty about" Shaunee finished.

"It doesn't matter about the guilt she is feeling." Aphrodite said turning to Stark "You said you could feel that she was aware right?" I nodded. "So she must be coming back soon if she is starting to be aware and the confusion could just mean that she is confused about where she is right now in the darkness or wherever her mind wandered to when she collapsed." She finished. To him Aphrodite was the only one apart from Darius making sense.

Soon after the conversation Stark hadn't even realised that he was alone in the room with just Zoey's empty shell for company but he knew it wasn't just her empty shell. He knew that her soul was slowly making its way back to her and with that he knew he could stay strong. He knew he had to stay strong not for the group of his self but for Zoey. He slowly walked over to the bed and sat next to her and took her hand in his and started to wind her fingers around his and then as he had been ever since she collapsed he started to cry. Stark knew why he was crying, he was crying because he was happy she would be returning but he was also crying because he missed her. Just the simplest things about her. Her voice, her laugh they way she smiled at everyone not just him, her love for life but more importantly how she was just herself. He hadn't known Zoey long but he did know that Zoey didn't pretend to be something she wasn't, she was always genuinely herself. He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in and wrapped his arms around her waist and somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel her emotions from that single movement he made towards her. In a voice barley a whisper he said to her "I love you Zoey Redbird." He didn't fall asleep after that he just laid there with Zoey in his arms just the way he liked it.

He was just barely conscious when he felt a small movement in his arms that made him shoot up in the bed that he now found himself in a sitting position. He looked over to the pillow where he had placed Zoey's head the day before, only to see her beautiful hazel eyes that could never decide whether they wanted to be brown or green staring up at him. A slow smile spread across Starks face and it seemed as though Zoey's face mirrored his. She slowly started to sit up and it was then that Stark pulled her into his arms and hugged her as if she would disappear if he were to hold her less tightly. He then bent down to place a gentle kiss on her perfect lips and she immediately responded with as much passion as he was putting into his share of the kiss. When they finally parted lips they were both breathing quite hard and then Stark said "Well good morning Sleeping Beauty," She giggled which made my heart melt.

"Good morning handsome." Zoey replied. Stark had been so happy that she was awake he hadn't even notices that her gorgeous Goddess given marks were back all over her body.

"Oh Goddess, your marks are back!" He said quite breathlessly.