Stark

Darius had come to see me this afternoon. Everyone had met up; they think Zoey will be back soon. I really hoped that they were right. I missed her so much. She was my best friend, she was the one who helped me when I really needed her, and she was the girl who I thought that I might have fallen in love with. When I looked into those beautiful brown Cherokee eyes, all I felt was love. I just wanted to protect her. But I knew that when she came back, she might not want me, because I had failed her as a warrior, she had lost the person she loved most in the world, because I had been stupid and I had left her when she needed me most.

'You look better. Have you had some sleep?' Darius asked me.

'Yeah. I got an hour or two earlier.' I felt better. 'How come the others haven't come to see Zoey?' I asked. No one had tried to come see her. I was glad. I liked being the one here with her, but don't get me wrong, their her best friends, i'm sure she'd love to see them.

'Oh. Aphrodite thought it may be best if you had time alone with Zoey. As your souls are linked by your warriors bond.' Aphrodite did something nice for me? Wow. That was so unlike her. I'd have to find a way to thank her.

'Hey, err, I've been thinking, if Zoey is getting her soul back, then why haven't any of her marks come back?' As I asked I looked at her. She just had her fledging mark.

'I've been wondering the same thing.' Darius said. 'I believe that it is because Nyx gifts your soul, not your body, and as Zoey's soul has left her body, her marks have to. But I'm sure that when her soul comes back, she will get her marks back.' I thought about that for a moment, I was sure that he was right.

'Oh. Ok. The others can come in if they want. I know that it would mean a lot to Zoey, to know that they were here with her. I think that I might go for some sleep. So it would be great if they would. I don't want her left on her own.'

'I will tell them. I'm sure that they would be glad to help you.' He turned around and left the room. While he was gone and I was waiting, I decided that I would see if I could feel anything from Zoey.

So I shut my eyes and just thought Zoey. My lady. For a few minutes, I felt nothing. But then, after a few minutes of searching, I found her. It made me so happy to feel her thoughts.

She was worried about something, and nervous. I wondered what she was nervous about. She should have nothing to fear, she was the bravest person I knew. She was far braver than me, maybe not braver than Darius, but she was still brave.

Zoey

I opened my eyes, Erik was in his bed. I didn't want to wake him, he might get mad. But I didn't know how long he'd been asleep, and I didn't want to be here long, I wanted to get this over and done with.

So I went to the bed and shook his shoulder. 'Erik?' I spoke quietly, but he still heard me. He sat straight up.

'Huh? What?' he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at me. He had confusion on his face. I smiled tentatively. I knew that this must be a shock for him.

'What are you doing here?' he asked. He sounded rude. I didn't like that.

'I'm not. Not really. Believe me; I'm going to be here for a short a time as I can. When heath died, my soul shattered, and now, I have to find it again. I think that you have a piece of my soul. So now I'd like it back. Please.' I said.

He looked confused. 'Why have I got it? I clearly didn't mean much to you'.

'You did mean a lot to me. You just got on my nerves. I don't know why it went to you.'

'How do you get it back?' he asked. I guess he just wanted to get this done so that he could get back to sleep.

'That's the thing. I need to drink from you.' Shock flitted across his face. But he made a cut across his arm. I bent my head and licked it. When I felt the warmth down my back I knew it was plenty. So I told my brain heal and the cut just turned to a pink line.

'Thank you.' I said. You have helped me.' I said.

'How do you know?' He asked

'Because I felt my marks come back to me.' I said. I knew I didn't have long left, so I thought that I might as well be truthful.

'Where?' he asked me.

'They are on my back.' I said to him.

'Can I see them?' he asked me. I was shocked that he had asked.

'Err, ok.' I lifted my shirt up at the back and turned around so that he could see them.

'Wow. They're beautiful Zoey.' He said. I felt his hand come onto my back and work its way up until it was just below my bra. I was shocked. I turned around; his hand was just below my breast. I pushed it away and pulled my top down to cover myself up.

Now that I had that bit of my soul I thought that it must be time to leave.

'Goodbye Erik.' I said.

'Bye Z' he pulled me into a hug and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I turned and left the room. It was weird being back at the House of Night. I hadn't been here for ages. It made me think of Stark.

Then I shut my eyes. I wondered if I should go to Stark now. It would be really nice to see him. But I remembered that it was Aphrodite who I was friends with first, so I thought that I had better be there.

So I shut my eyes and just let my mind go blank. I thought of one thing Aphrodite.

I felt the world spinning around me, and then my feet hit the ground. I opened my eyes and I was in Aphrodite's suite.

Aphrodite

Darius came into my room. He said that Stark wanted some sleep, so everyone was going to go and see Zoey and be with her while Stark got some rest.

'I think I'm going to stay here. I need to catch up on sleep. Plus I'm going to text Stevie Rae; nobody has told her really what is going on here. I mean, Zoey is her best friend.'

'Ok. That is fine. I'm going to go and tell the others, and then i'm going to sit with Zoey. I think it will make Stark feel better if I am there to protect her.' He was so sweet and caring. He walked over to me and kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and took a step back towards the bed; he understood and took a step the other way. I groaned. 'Still not yet? Come on!' he laughed.

'Ahh, Aphrodite, you know I want to, but no. Not while this is going on with Zoey. When she comes back to this world. I promise we will.' I had a pout on. I could feel it. He looked at me and laughed. 'You are so sweet' he said and kissed me again. Then he turned and left the room.

So I picked my phone up and text Stevie Rae.

Hey Stevie Rae. How are things going at the house of night? Everyone still under Kalona's spell? Zoey has no change. But we think that she is trying to get her soul pieced back together. They think she might be back by the end of the week I have missed her so much.

Text me with news. See you when we come back.

Aphrodite. X

I didn't have to wait long for a reply.

Hey Aphrodite. Erik came to see me. Apparently Z came to see him. But she was spirit. She said she was trying to piece her soul back together, and that he had a piece of her soul. So she drank from him and left. He said that when she had drank from him; she got her marks on her back. Apparently the one on her head around her fledging one was already there? And ones on her arm. I think that they are from her grandma and Heath.

Stevie Rae. X

Wow. She had gone to Erik? He had a bit of her soul? If that was what it was, then she would defiantly have to go to Stark. He was linked to her soul. It would please him to know that he would see her soon.

I sent him a text.

Hey Stark. Come to my suite. Urgent.

Aphrodite. X

I got no reply, so I wondered if he had his phone on him. But, after a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there was Stark.

'Hey Stark' I said. He looked really sad.

'Hey Aphrodite. What was so urgent?' he asked. I smiled, I was so glad that this would cheer him up.

'Stevie Rae text me. Apparently Zoey has been to Erik, well her spirit; he said that she said that he had a piece of her soul. O she drank from him and left. She got her marks on her back, head and arms back. We think that they are from her Grandma, Heath and obviously Erik.' I said. I was grinning like a moron now.

He hadn't cheered up though. 'And? So what. She drank from Erik? Big whoop.' He was sad. Then I realised why. He was jealous of Erik. She had gone to Erik not him.

'don't you get it. She was with him and Heath; they have a bit of her soul. But so do you. That means that she will come to you. She needs the bit of soul that you have. This means that you get to see her. You should be happy. You've been all depressed lately without seeing her. But now you get to.'

He suddenly seemed to realise that. 'Yeah I guess. I'm going to go to sleep. I'm tired. You going to go and sit with her?' he asked.

'nah. I'm going to get some beauty sleep. You get a good night sleep.'

'Thanks Aphrodite. Bye.' He turned and shut the door.

So I went and sat on the bed. I decided to go to bed. So I went and got in the shower and then got into my PJ's and got into bed.

I was pretty much asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Stark

I was so pleased. If Zoey was finding her soul, that meant she would have to come to me. I was really pleased. I missed her loads. I hadn't thought that she would have to come to me to get the piece of her soul. But I was really excited.

If Zoey got her soul back by drinking from you. Then that would mean that she would have to drink from me. That had me really happy. I had always wanted her to drink from me.

So I went to my room, it was just down the hall from Zoey. I thought about popping in and giving her a kiss goodnight. But id decided not to. Her friends were with her.

So I just went in and had a shower and put on my pyjama bottoms and got into bed. I was so tired. I wondered if Zoey would come to me in my dreams. I hoped she did. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was. When I shut my eyes, I was instantly asleep.