"Seriously, I have to get you back to the school," Erik stated, his eyes on the girl across from him, "I don't have time for this." He looked from her to the plate of food in front of her.
"Well I do." The girl—Shaylin—replied with a smug grin as she drizzled ketchup on her fries. She picked three up and pushed them into her mouth.
Erik sighed, irate with her, "Look, I have to get you to school or else you'll get weak and start rejecting that Change." He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair.
"The Change can wait, I have fries to eat." Shaylin said over a mouthful of food, "Besides, I feel fine."
"You say that know but pretty soon you're going to be coughing up a lung." He looked at the fries, greasy and dripping with ketchup, "And I really don't think those are helping."
Shaylin rolled her brown eyes, "Please don't tell me you're a health-nut. My mom's one of those and she's been making me eat lettuce for the past five years." She shuddered, "This is the first real food I've had in forever. I am not wasting it!" She emphasized by taking a big bite of her cheese burger.
"I'm not a health-nut, but the school wants its students to eat healthy and exercise regularly so they won't become sick and start rejecting." He explained, leaning back against the booth they sat in.
Shaylin had demanded they go get something to eat, Erik had implied, least he could do after messing up her Mark. So he'd taken her to Tally's Café, a place he'd never been to. And he could see why, the restaurant was a knock-off of a 1950's one. Complete with a jukebox and pink, poodle skirts.
"Mmm, yeah, can I just cough up blood instead?" Shaylin frowned, looking taken aback by the mention of exercise.
Erik rolled his eyes, "No, you can't. I have a 'No Dying' policy."
"We'll see about that." She answered as she took another bit of her burger.
"Look, I really don't want to mess this up more than I already have," He rubbed his eyes, "so just finish up and I'll take you to the school."
"You mean making my Mark red?" Shaylin asked, Erik knew she said it just to annoy him.
He narrowed his eyes at her, "Shut up and eat your food, I'll be right back." He slipped out of the booth and walked toward the entrance.
Pushing open the door and stepping out into the cool, late winter night, Erik pulled out his phone. He found Lenobia's number and hit the 'call' button.
It rang twice before her cool voice filled his ear.
"Erik, what is it?" She asked, her voice sharp, "I have a lot to deal with right now."
"I just wanted to give you heads up that there will be a new fledgling joining us soon." He answered, choosing to ignore the Horse Mistress's tone.
"A new fledgling? You Marked someone?"
"Yes. Surprisingly, I did an okay job." Considering the whole red Mark and all, "We're getting food right now but we'll be returning shortly."
Lenobia let out a long sigh, "Alright, just make it back quick. Things are . . . chaotic around here."
Erik straightened his spin, "What do you mean? Is it Neferet? Kalona? Both?" He turned around then, his eyes going to Shaylin inside.
She was wolfing down her fries and looking content, all things consider.
"Neferet." Lenobia answered, making Erik turn back around, his eyes bouncing around the street as if the High Priestess herself was there, "She's come back to the school and she's brought a new pet."
"What do you mean?" Erik's eyebrows furrowed, did she drop Kalona and get something better?
"Apparently she has been gifted by Nyx with a—a protector. She calls him Aurox—he transforms into a bull and feeds off of a person's fear or anger. He killed two Raven Mockers." Lenobia's voice was dry, serious and straight.
Erik on the other hand felt his heart jump into his shoes, "What? What do you mean he transforms into a bull? And Raven Mockers, I thought they were gone?"
He'd been told that all the Raven Mockers had been taken care of—some were dead, others had flown away. He'd been told that nothing—not Neferet, not Kalona, not anything—would come onto school grounds looking to hurt people.
He'd been wrong.
And now he was about to bring a newly Marked girl into that danger.
His shoulders slumped, maybe he could get her on a plane to New York? Maybe he could go with her?
"They are gone, Erik, but some came back to speak with Rephaim." Lenobia answered.
"Who's Rephaim?" He asked, his tone exasperated, he felt like he was stumbling around in the dark. Not knowing where anything was or if he should even be looking for anything.
"He is Kalona's son—"
"What?" His voice rose, making people going out of the restaurant give him confused looks. He gave them an easy, normal smile before turning around and whispering into the phone, "Why the hell is a Raven Mocker at school? Don't tell me he's there to take a freakin' health class!"
"Well, he is, kind of." Lenobia answered, "Look, I know there's a lot you don't know and I'll be happy to explain it all to you as soon as you get back. But I need you to know that we will not let Neferet or her bull hurt anyone." She sounded so sure, so confident in her answer.
"Who is 'we,' Lenobia? Who is going to take down Neferet and her new beast?" He clenched his jaw, teeth clinging to his lip.
"Zoey and her Circle. I believe they have the power to take down Neferet, once and for all."
"Really? Then way haven't they already done it? Why is she still walking around? Why hasn't anyone done anything to stop her! All we've done is sit around, making 'plans,' while she's been terrorizing the town!" He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. The frustration at all the horrible things that have happened, making his life one obstacle after another.
"It is not that simple, Erik! Neferet is so much more powerful than anyone would've thought. We cannot just run her through with a sword, more force must be put into taking her down. More force means more planning and thinking, and that's what we've been doing." Lenobia ranted, her voice hard and icy, "Now I suggest you put aside your frustration and get this new fledgling back to the House of Night.
"Everything is under control here, Neferet has retreated to her chambers and classes are as they should be." Lenobia added.
Erik bit back the lash he wanted to hit Lenobia with, but he reeled it in, he'd let it go for now.
"Fine." He huffed, "But make sure she has a room there. If everything is so 'under control' then someone can show her around school. And make a class schedule for her."
He wanted Shaylin's first day of school to be just that. A day for her to get her bearings on the place, learn where things were and how to do them. Know her classes and her peers. No need for a crazy ex-Priestess or bull to come between that.
"Very well." Lenobia complied, "All of that will be arranged. I'll see you at school."
Erik hung up and let out a sigh. He didn't know why he cared so much about Shaylin getting settled at school. Maybe because he just wanted to do something right, for once. Maybe because he Tracked and Marked her and wanted to make sure she got properly adjusted to her new life.
He didn't know.
"So, what's this place called again?" Shaylin asked as Erik pulled into the parking lot of the school.
"The House of Night. You should know that, you live in Tulsa." He drawled as he unlocked the doors and turned the car off.
She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, but I don't pay attention to all that vampyer stuff. Well, at least, not till now." Her voice got soft then, her teeth biting her bottom lip.
Erik was about to say something, the last thing he needed was for her to be upset, but Shaylin let out a sigh and shook herself.
"Okay, enough of that." She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her duffle bag from the backseat and hopped out of the car, "Show me around." She gave him a smile.
Erik blinked, a little stunned by the girl's one-eighty. Shaylin raised her eyebrows at him and Erik cleared his throat and got out of the car too.
Might as well follow her instead of sitting there like an idiot with his mouth open.
He led Shaylin toward the entrance of the school, hoping that Lenobia had done what he'd asked and had gotten Shaylin a room.
"Wow." Shaylin breathed, her eyes round as she took in the building, "It's like a haunted mansion."
Erik stopped at the door, Shaylin stood a few paces away, head tilted back as she took in the school.
"Are there ghosts here too, if there are my friend Mags will die. She's into that sort of stuff." She gabbed as she took out her phone and snapped a photo.
"No, there aren't any ghosts." He deadpanned, "Now, come on or you'll be late for class." He looked down at his watch, 4:55 A.M, "Or dinner, I guess."
"Wait, what?" Shaylin stopped typing on her screen, her head cocked to the side, "Classes? Dinner? It's five in the morning." She walked over to him with quick feet.
Erik pushed opened the door and let her go in first, "Yeah, classes start at eight P.M and go till four A.M. Dinner's at six-thirty and curfew is ten." He followed her inside the building.
"So everything is backwards. You sleep during the day?" She asked as her eyes took in the lobby.
"Yes and do things at night. That's why it's called the House of Night." He answered, "I think, not sure."
"Good marketing slogan."
Erik let his mouth kick up into a half-smile, "Guess so."
They stopped at the desk that was manned by Persila, she's been here since Erik was a third former.
"Persila, do you have the schedule for Shaylin Ruede?" He asked, his voice polite, smile friendly.
"Yes, right—" Persila's blue eyes got big as she took in Shaylin's Mark, her red lips flopping open.
"What?" Shaylin asked, "Is there something on my face?" She put her fingers to her cheek, "Do I have something in my teeth? Erik, check for me?" She bared her teeth at him, head tilted back as if she was at the dentist.
Erik rolled his eyes, "Her Marks is red, I know." He looked back at Persila, "I'm going to get to the bottom of that."
Persila closed her mouth and cleared her throat, "Right—right. Sorry, so sorry, how rude of me." She stammered, her voice thin.
Shaylin stopped what she was doing and looked at the woman behind the desk, "Oh, my Mark, yeah I guess red isn't normal around here."
"N—no it's not." Persila answered, "But that's okay. I'll get your schedule." She turned and walked toward the room that was in the back.
"So, you have vampyer secretaries." Shaylin mused.
"Yes." Erik answered, not feeling like beating around the bush.
"Do you have vampyer nurses?"
"Yes. They're called Healers."
"What about vampyer principles?"
"High Priestesses. And yes we have one."
"Any male ones?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because men are Warriors and protectors of a school or their High Priestess."
Shaylin nodded, her lips pursed in thought.
Persila came back with two sheets of paper, her face settled into its friendly look again.
"Here you are." She said as she handed the papers to Shaylin.
"Thank you." Shaylin said politely.
Erik gave Persila a parting smile before guiding Shaylin out the door and onto the sidewalk. Students were out of class and either talking or milling around campus.
"Wow," Shaylin breathed, her eyes going from student to student, "I've never seen so many vampyers."
"They're not vampyers, they're fledglings. Like you." Erik said, "They're also your classmates."
"Okay, fledglings, either way it's . . . a lot." She swallowed and looked nervous. Her shoulders were hunched and she pulled the hood of her jacket up.
"They're just like any other teenager, trust me." He told her, "You'll fit right in." He motioned for her to follow him further down the sidewalk.
As they walked Shaylin looked around the place, her eyes sweeping over students and buildings.
"What's that?" She asked.
Erik looked in the direction she was pointing at.
"Nyx's Temple. Students can go there and pray to Her if they'd like. We also have weekly rituals there." He explained.
"Oh." Shaylin said, "Cool. Do you have others? Like a Synagogue?"
"No, why?" Erik asked, his eyebrow raised curiously.
"Well, I mean, there's got to be more places of worship, right? For people who don't follow Nyx." She said it like it should be a given rule.
"No, there's only the Temple." He shrugged, "Why have anything else?"
Shaylin stopped then, Erik turned to face her, "What?"
"So, everyone here just worships Nyx. Nothing else?" She looked confused, annoyed almost.
"Yeah, why?"
"But what about people who come here who already have a religion?"
"I don't know, they give it up, I guess."
"What?" Shaylin shouted, making kids turn and stare at her.
"Shaylin," Erik hissed, "What's the deal?"
"Wait, so you don't allow any other religion here? Everyone just has to pray to Nyx?" She sounded outraged, like she was offended.
"Yes, that's what the Mark symbolizes," He gestured to her forehead, the outline of the red crescent blazing against her pale skin, "we're walking the path of the Goddess. No one else's."
Shaylin's eyebrows furrowed, she lifted her chin, "So, if someone came here who was Christian or Muslim, they'd just have to give that up and convert to Nyx?"
"I—I don't know, I guess so. I don't know anyone who's had to do that." Erik's voice was exasperated, why was she bringing this up? Why was she so hung up about this?
He didn't see the big deal, so you had to switch religions, so what? Didn't bother him, he agreed to follow Nyx, it was an easy choice.
Shaylin scoffed, "So people are just expected to give up their own God? What if they don't?"
"I really don't know. Shaylin, why are you asking me this?"
"Because it just seems . . . so—so wrong! Making someone follow a Goddess they don't want to or don't believe in. That's horrible!" Shaylin shouted.
"Shaylin! Seriously, drop it, please. Can we just get back to what we were doing?" His mind felt like it was going to explode. Why was she being so difficult?
"You know what," Shaylin walked ahead of Erik, her voice cool, "I can find my own way around. Thanks, Erik."
"Shay—" But he stopped, knowing it would be pointless.
A/N: Hi guys! I hope you liked this, I had a great time writing it. I really wanted to dive deeper into Shaylin and Erik and really see how their dynamic was with one another. I also wanted to put in a question I've had since reading HON and that was about religion and students who come to the school with already believing in something other than Nyx. I hope i do my best explaining that :) Thank you so much for reading, please leave a review, i love getting feedback on my writing and to hear your thoughts! Thanks xx