"What's the matter?" Damien asked when I got to the booth.

"My roommate. Ramona, just… just…" I could get the word out of my mouth.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry." Damien replied.

"Yeah, we all are." Stevie Rae said.

"Claire?" I looked to my right to see Erik. "I'm sorry about Ramona." But he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at Zoey.

I got up and gave him a big hug. He whispered in my ear. "Who is that again?" "Zoey Redbird." I replied.

"I'm not sorry at all. She was too weak for the dark daughters and I knew she was. That's why I didn't let her join." Someone said. I looked behind Erik.

"Oh, look who has joined us, Aphro-fucking-dite." I sneered.

"Look who's crying Claire-Fucking-Duesh bag-Night. I'm reminding you that we have the Full Moon Ritual tonight after the school's ritual in the Rec Hall. Do not be late." She said. She flipped her hair and walked away swaying her hips.

"I'll give her a fucking duesh bag if she ever calls my sister that again." Erik said narrowing his eyes at her.

"Claire, tell me something." Erin said.

"Sure thing." I replied. Erik and I turned to her.

"How did you get a brother who is so damn fiiiiine?" The twins said together.

"Lucky I guess." I replied messing Erik's hair.

I looked at the time. Lunch was almost over. I said bye to my friends and brother, took my tray and put it in a dishwasher.

• • • • •

The rest of school was boring. We had to practice monologues in acting class and we learned to write poetry in literature class. I wasn't very good at it. After school Loren found me and asked if I wanted to introduce Neferet with him at the ritual.

"Yes, I'd love to. I'll quickly get dressed. After I have the dark daughters ritual." I told him.

"Sounds good. Hurry up." Loren said and he went off to the temple.

I ran to my dorm room. I looked for a dress to wear. I found one that would look good on me. It was a dark purple dress with a halter neck. I put it on, along with my thong. I just loved wearing thongs with dresses! I ran outside trying to put my high heels on and went into the temple. I walked beside professor Blake. We were just about to start. Loren would go first then me.

"Join me now in seeing the beautiful playingof the beings all around us,
Expressing sharing the biosphere of earth with us,

Dolphins frolicking, dashing spray at sea,
Squirrels with their tails flowing, leaping tree to tree:

An elk stag bugling, sounding his love call,
Peregrine falcons mating in free fall;

A timber wolf cocking her head quizzically,
Tiger cubs cuffing, sprawling clumsily;" Loren started. Now, it was my turn.

"Penguins popping up on the ice flow,
Humming birds hovering, darting to and fro;

Baboons staging theater-in-the-round,
A rockin ol' bull walrus, makin' his walrus sound;

A big dog bounding high to catch a frisbee,
Kittens with their tiny claws having an unquilting bee;

Thoroughbreds at the gate, tossing their heads a prancing,
Elephants trumpeting, in the jungle dancing;

Otters sliding down the mud slide,
A white whale sounding, breaching high an' wide." And then we both said the last part.

"All kinds of play are found round the world,
From chess in the Ukraine to bull fights in Spain,
From Olympic Games with banners in furled,
To Death Games amid sand grains at El Alamein,
Yes, play is a word we use every which way,
From gun play to sword play to word play to foreplay,
From gamboling lambs in a meadow in May
Or a gambling man in old Santa Fe,
One space to play in,
One place to fly free south of L.A.,
And in from the sea, diving away from the D.C. 3,
High in the wind over Perris Valley, valley, valleeee, Perris Valleeee." And Neferet walked into the circle.

[Now for my attempt to describe the 5 elements for the ritual. Don't laugh, I don't have the book in front of me.]

"We breathe the air. All living things need it. It calms us when we are angered. It lifts our spirits to our Goddess Nyx. It is only right that we introduce it first." Neferet said as she lit the yellow candle. I looked around to see Zoey, Stevie Rae and Damien. "It keeps us warm when we are cold. It lights are way in the darkness of the night. It is only right that we introduce fire next." And she lit the red candle. "It washes us and we drink from it. Water heals us when we are hurt. It is only right that we introduce water next." And she lit the blue candle. "We walk on it and it grows beautiful things. Earth gives us a place to live. It is only right that we introduce earth next." She lit the green candle. She went into the middle of the circle. "It gives us life and hope. Spirit lives within each one of us. It makes us who we are. It lets us choose right from wrong. We introduce spirit to our circle." And she lit the purple candle which was the last one. " We celebrate the full moon tonight!" Neferet said as she started pouring wine into a goblet. "It is when the veil of the two worlds, living and dead, are at its thinnest! This is why we celebrate. We thank the five elements and Nyx." She took the goblet and raised it over her head. She went to air. She drank from the goblet. She went to fire. He drank from the goblet. She went to water and he drank from it. She went over to earth and she drank from it. Neferet went back into the middle and drank the last bit. She put it down on the table and raised her hands. "Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!"

"Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!" The whole room chanted.

I left, running out of the temple and into the Rec. Hall. Erik greeted me at the door and made the pentagon [?] on my forehead and I walked inside. I stood in the circle and waited for the ritual to start. Zoey came in and Aphrodite took her in the dressing room to get changed. I hope she told Zoey that we put blood in the wine when we do our rituals. All new members are supposed to know. Zoey got out of the dressing room and went into the circle. She looked scared. Aphrodite walked slowly into the circle. She turned to face air.

"We live on it and it gives and it can also take away life. Air, come to my circle!" Aphrodite said. Her circle? Doesn't she mean our circle? "It's the thing that destroys are enemies and keeps warm when coldness is taking over us! Fire, come to my circle!" Destroy? Ugh, Aphrodite is such a pain. "It wipes away dirt and can be rough at times! Water, come to my circle!" Wipes away dirt? Maybe it can wipe away her! "It destroys just like fire, we walk and live on the very dangerous earth! Earth, come to my circle!" she lit the green candle. Aphrodite went into the center. "Spirit is the thing that keeps us alive! It can also take it away! Spirit, come to my circle!" she lit the purple candle. She took a goblet and raised it over her head. "Tonight is the full moon! It is when the veil between our world and the undead world is the thinnest. The dark daughters and sons celebrate this night!" she went around to everybody and they took a sip of the wine. I loved blood and wine but I can control my bloodlust. I noticed Zoey licking her fingers. Aphrodite thanked the elements and sent them away. The ritual was over! (finally!) We all went into the kitchen for food. I was thirsty so I took some wine and a small salad. I finished the salad just in time to hear that Aphrodite didn't tell Zoey the wine had blood in it. Zoey ran out the door. I stomped over to Aphrodite and pushed Erik out of the way.

"You were supposed to tell her!" I yelled.

"Whatever do you mean?" Aphrodite asked innocently.

"You know what I mean! You were supposed to tell her that there was blood in the wine!"

"You didn't tell her?!" Erik yelled. I looked back at Aphrodite and she threw her drink on me.

"Oops. Didn't mean for that to happen." Aphrodite sneered.

Right then I morphed into a wolf and was ready to bite her but Erik held me back He whispered it was not worth it and ran out after Zoey. I morphed back into a human and walked out the door. I went by the river and sat there looking at the fishes. I was falling asleep when someone stumbled out of the bushes.

"Ow. That really hurt." Tristan said.

"Hi Tristan." I said and looked back at the fish.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked.

"Go ahead." I replied.

He sat down staring at me. I looked at him. He had concern in his eyes. I sighed.

"Aphrodite didn't tell Zoey that there was blood in the wine for the ritual." I said simply.

"Oh and why are you so… gloomy?" he questioned getting closer to me.

"I'm so stupid for doing this. I walked up to Aphrodite after the ritual and yelled at her for not telling Zoey about the blood," I started.

"Okay and why do you smell like wine?" He asked.

"I'm getting to that. So, she dumped wine on me and I phased into a wolf. I was going to attack her. But luckly for her Erik held me back. If he didn't, I would have shredded her up." I admitted.

"Oh…" he whispered. Then, he put his arm around me and sniffed my neck. "I like the smell of wine."

When I looked at him, he crushed his lips into mine. We kept on kissing. I laid down in the grass with him on top of me and then, we were caught.