Staying up late after driving over to Aphrodite's house was coming back to bite Zoey.
It was lunchtime at school, and as she stood in line to get her mediocre cafeteria food the dull roar of student conversation only helped her to get lost in a tired daydreaming daze instead of helping to keep her awake and focused like she wanted. She was looking forward to going to bed early tonight and getting a decent night's rest, but it was a lost cause. Semester exams started tomorrow and she still had quite a bit of studying to do to make up for the week she was out of school.
She got her tray and continued to move through the crowded cafeteria in a sort of half-asleep daze, making her way to the table where Erin, Shaunee, Damien, Stevie Rae, and Aphrodite were waiting for her.
"Wow, talk about Night of the Living Dead," Stevie Rae joked, looking over Zoey.
"Hahaha, you're a million laughs," Zoey replied sarcastically as she took a seat between Damien and Aphrodite.
Shaunee smiled evilly.
"What's the matter Z? Vision Girl keep you up a little too late last night?" she insinuated.
"You know, one of these days I'm going to give you a highly detailed description of the things I do with Zoey and then you'll regret all your curiosity," Aphrodite said cooly.
Zoey giggled under her breath. There really wasn't much to describe, she and Aphrodite had only slept together twice. But she still enjoyed seeing the slightly panicked looks on the Twins' faces when the blonde fought back against their teasing.
"Okay, changing the subject," Power Freak said for Shaunee and Erin's benefit. "Are you guys all free after school today? Because if so, we need to meet up for some official Nerd Herd business."
"Uh oh," Stevie Rae sighed. "Nerd Herd business always means trouble for us."
"Trouble is our middle name nowadays," Damien muttered.
Shaunee and Erin suddenly looked like they had remembered something urgent. Something Damien had said seemed to have jogged their memories.
"Oh hey, that reminds me. Power Duo, settle something for us," Shaunee gestured at herself and her fair-haired Twin. "We were talking yesterday and we got to wondering—whose last name would you take if you guys got married?"
Zoey almost choked on her drink.
"If we WHAT? ?" she and Aphrodite said together.
Stevie Rae and Damien giggled at the instantly flustered expressions on their faces.
"Legit question," Erin said. "We're curious. I thought Aphrodite Redbird sounded way cooler than Zoey LaFont, but then again a name like Redbird just automatically guarantees coolness."
"And besides, Aphrodite already has a weirdass first name, might as well add a weirdass last name to go with it," Shaunee said.
"Hey! !" Zoey and Aphrodite objected, once again at the same time.
The Twins laughed at the Power Duo's own Twin-like tendencies.
"I've only known Aphrodite for five months and you already have us picking out drapes?" Zoey asked incredulously.
"In all fairness, you're the longest relationship Aphrodite has ever been in," Shaunee noted matter-of-factly.
"And we're just speaking hypothetically," Erin added innocently.
"Hypothetically, I'm way too preoccupied with just trying to make sure Zoey survives high school, let alone long enough to get married," Vision Girl said. Zoey nodded.
"Yeah, various creatures plotting your death everyday equals not a lot of time for planning ahead."
The Twins weren't satisfied with that answer, and they sat there staring down the Blonde-Brunette Duet with intense gazes. Finally, Aphrodite rolled her eyes and gave in just to get the two of them to leave her alone.
"Alright, fine! My family name has felt like a burden for a lot of my life, so yeah, if Zoey let me, I'd want to take her last name."
"I bet that'd make grandma happy," Zoey said offhandedly.
"Apparently your brain sharing friends, too," Aphrodite grumbled.
Damien laughed.
"I know it seems like the Twins nag at you a lot, but you forget that we all knew what you were like before Zoey moved here. It's nice to see how much you've changed because of her," he explained.
"Yeah Vision Girl, Shaunee and Erin like to pretend that they're teasing, but secretly they're just really happy for you," Stevie Rae gave the Twins smug smiles, acting like she had them figured out.
"Hell no, we're definitely teasing. No way do we have a soft spot for Blondie," Shaunee denied the allegations of niceness.
"Of course you losers wouldn't have a soft spot for her, you're not her real friends."
They heard Venus before they saw her, but just seconds later she appeared with her posse trailing behind her as usual.
"I wasn't aware that real friends were supposed to spend months completely ignoring me," Aphrodite said bitterly, not even looking at Venus.
"Neither was I," Venus replied with just as much venom, fixing Aphrodite with a chilling glare.
Here we go again... Zoey thought, never appreciating a visit from Venus and hating how she and Aphrodite could be at each other's throats in three seconds flat.
"Girl, we're trying to eat. Why'd you have to bring your nasty faces up in here?" Shaunee gave the Hag Pack a disgusted look.
"If you can stand to be around Aphrodite you can stand to be around us," Deino said.
Vision Girl laughed humorlessly.
"That's totally different, I'm way more attractive than all of you."
"Oh yeah? I've dated a few of your ex-boyfriends who would say otherwise," Venus sneered.
"Guys, come on. Why do you always have to end up picking a fight?" Zoey huffed, scolding Shaunee, Aphrodite, Venus, and Deino. "Whatever happened to acting civilized and halfway decent? Just leave each other alone."
Enyo pretended to be impressed.
"Well look at you, stepping up and playing peacemaker," she said. "Very mature, Zoey."
"And on that mature note, why don't y'all just drag your skanky behinds back to the hole you came from?" Shaunee had no interest in heeding Zoey's warning to behave.
Venus smiled.
"Sure, we'll leave. Aphrodite, why don't you come along?" she casually offered.
"The blonde stays with us," Erin said defensively.
"Nice try, but don't forget we had her first," Pemphredo retorted with a smug grin.
"Yeah, well Aphrodite doesn't play for Team Evil Witch anymore," Erin was just as quick with her comeback.
Huh, I guess that makes two teams Aphrodite doesn't play for anymore... the comical idea was completely inappropriate for the situation at hand, so naturally Zoey thought of it.
"What do you say, Aphrodite? Want to sit with us today?" Venus asked.
Now Stevie Rae bravely joined in.
"You know she doesn't, so y'all can just quit bein' bullies and back off of her!"
"This ain't no joint custody Venus, so don't even try us," Shaunee said.
"...It's fine. I'll go," Aphrodite said quietly.
She barely spoke above a whisper, but both the Nerd Herd and the Hag Pack heard her.
"...Aphrodite?" Zoey looked over at her girlfriend with questioning eyes.
"Just for today," Vision Girl gave Venus a stern glare, telling her that this wasn't something she should get used to.
"Hey, you don't have to cater to them just to get them off your case," Damien said gently.
Aphrodite wasn't listening, she was already up from her chair and joining Venus and the others.
"He's right, this isn't like you," Zoey said in concern, silently begging Aphrodite not to give in to them.
"Sorry Zoey, but how long have you known Aphrodite? A few months?" Venus taunted. "I grew up with her, I think I know what she's like better than you do."
Zoey's Protective Girlfriend Mode kicked in and she started to rise from her seat to give Venus what she had coming, but Damien put his hand on her shoulder and kept her from throwing down with the bitchy Barbie doll.
"Shut the hell up," Aphrodite said to her ex-best friend, before turning back to Zoey. "I'll see you in Algebra, don't wait behind to walk with me."
The brunette sighed.
"Okay, sure, if that's what you want," she reluctantly conceded.
Venus flashed a mocking smile and whirled around on her heels without another word, making her way towards the opposite end of the cafeteria with her friends and Aphrodite in tow. The Nerd Herd watched them disappear among the crowded tables, wondering what in the hell had just happened.
"...Hey Z, you don't think your other half is joining the Dark Side again, do you?" Stevie Rae asked worriedly.
Zoey wanted to say "of course not", but much to her chagrin, she wasn't so sure. Aphrodite was like a completely different person around Venus, and the Power Freak was still trying to figure out what the deal with that was.
"It's...complicated," she answered instead. "Imagine if one day I completely stopped talking to you guys, hanging out with you, and pretty much abandoned you without any explanation. That's what Venus and Aphrodite's relationship is like."
"You'd never get away with pulling the disappearing act with us. We wouldn't let you get away without a fight," Shaunee argued.
"Exactly. You guys wouldn't, but Venus did. She didn't care enough to fight for their friendship, and Aphrodite still isn't over it."
There was a puzzled expression on Stevie Rae's face.
"But we've seen Aphrodite get screwed over by her fair share of people, and no one's ever gotten to her like this," the curly-haired blonde said.
"I know..." Zoey agreed sadly. "I don't get what makes Venus so different. Maybe because there was a point in time when Aphro genuinely believed they were best friends. But even still, knowing the way she holds a grudge, Aphrodite shouldn't even be giving Venus the time of day."
The gears started to turn in Damien's mind.
"...Maybe there's something else going on here," he mused.
Zoey's eyes widened.
"You think?"
"You said so yourself, Zoey. The Aphrodite we know doesn't let others get their way, especially not hateful hags like Venus and her friends," Erin explained. "And plus, haven't you noticed that Venus didn't start poking her nose around us until just a few days ago?"
"Yeah, now that I think about it, it does seem a little fishy," Zoey muttered, halfway in thought. "You're right, maybe there's something weird happening between Aphrodite and Venus...which means I need to find out what."
In true Mean Girl fashion, Venus and her trio had their own official table in the cafeteria that everyone else in school knew to avoid at all costs. But as Aphrodite arrived at the spot where she used to spend so many of her lunchtimes, she was far from eager to take a seat and relive the past.
"Alright Venus, I know you're on a newfound mission to ruin my fucking life, but if you keep trying to get between Zoey and I, things will not end well for you," Vision Girl said with deadly seriousness.
Venus looked like she could care less as she sat down at their table.
"Ruining your life? Oh please, don't be dramatic. And besides, I already went over this with you. You behave yourself, and no one does a thing to you or your dork."
"So it's really true then?" Deino said in slight surprise, sitting down with Pemphredo and Enyo. "You're actually dating Zoey?"
Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at her.
"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"
"No, just never imagined that you could fall for a girl."
"And her secret is safe with us as long as she stops treating us like dirt beneath her feet," Venus said airily.
Pemphredo was wearing a cruel smile.
"Yeah, it would be a shame if your mom and dad found out about Zoey," she said.
Aphrodite finally sat at the table and met Pemphredo's eyes.
"I don't give a shit about my parents. I'm doing this for Zoey. If my parents or anyone close to them find out about us, her life can and will become a living hell," Vision Girl explained sternly. "I'm no angel, I know what it's like to have complete strangers passing judgment on me because my name and my actions have been plastered all over the society column."
"Sounds more like you're doing this for yourself, not for Zoey," Deino smugly said.
"I'm the mayor's daughter, I'm a public figure. And whether I like it or not, I'm used to all the shit that comes from having an entire city know who you are. Zoey's nothing like that, and I refuse to let her life be turned into a news article. Will people find out about us one day? Yeah, because I'm not ashamed of her or who I am because of her, but it's not happening now. Not while my parents still have power over me."
Once again, Venus found herself utterly shocked at how much Aphrodite seemed to care about Zoey.
"Since when do you give a crap about the people you date?" she asked mockingly. "You've had a few boyfriends get caught up in all of your socialite drama before, why does your latest catch get special protection?"
"Surprise, Venus. Turns out you don't know me as well as you thought."
The school day came and went, and aside from what Zoey could only assume was a temporary lapse in Aphrodite's sanity during lunch, it was a pretty uneventful Wednesday.
The Blonde-Brunette Duet was back at home, and it was crunch time. Zoey was rushing to finish the last bits and pieces of her test reviews as she sat on Aphrodite's bed. Vision Girl sat directly behind her, attempting her own homework but stopping every few minutes to grab her phone and skim through the weekly emails of the numerous stores and shops that she was subscribed to. Zoey had suggested multiple times that Aphrodite save the shopping for when she was done with her schoolwork, but the blonde insisted that Christmas was around the corner and she just had to know which stores were having the best sales.
As much as the Power Freak wanted to stop for breaks herself, she knew she had to hurry and get done. In a little while the gang would be coming over, and Zoey had a lot to talk about with them. She was still trying to figure out how exactly she was going to break the news that Kalona was out and Darkness was in, but truth be told, she was worried that her friends wouldn't take this particular news as well as they usually would.
The fact that Neferet was working to tap into one of the world's most ancient and primeval forces was a pretty big deal, and the full scope of what they were dealing with still hadn't completely hit Zoey yet. So far, the most her brain could process on the matter was "Darkness bad, Zoey good". And in Zoey's opinion, that counted as handling it well.
But she was afraid that this might be too much even for her loyal friends. Add Neferet's plans for New Year's Eve on top of that, and a scenario in which Damien, Stevie Rae, and the Twins ran screaming in the opposite direction suddenly became a very real possibility. Zoey fearfully recalled one of the nightmares she had, where she was stuck in the middle of a world on fire. Aphrodite/Not Really Aphrodite had told her that one day her friends would get tired of facing all this apocalypse crap and they'd leave Zoey to fend for herself while they went on with their lives and avoided anything and everything supernatural. What if her nightmare was more accurate than she thought? What if her friends really were scared away forever?
A welcome distraction came in the form of Aphrodite's cell phone, which had been going off for the past three minutes. Despite the fact that Vision Girl wasn't answering or even acknowledging the texts, Zoey didn't have to think very hard to guess who they were from.
"...If I asked what was going on with you and Venus, would you tell me?" the brunette asked, keeping her eyes trained on her textbook.
Aphrodite seemed perfectly calm as she switched her phone to silent.
"Sure. Just give me a minute to figure out all the different ways I can say 'absolutely nothing'," she answered.
"Nothing's up with you two?"
"A gigantic amount of nothing."
Zoey wasn't convinced. She didn't think that her girlfriend was lying, she just thought that as far as Venus was concerned, Aphrodite couldn't see what was right in front of her.
"So then why is she starting to act all buddy-buddy again?" Zoey continued to prod. "I know we've run into her a couple times this year, but now she seems like she wants you to start hanging out with her again."
"She can get over it."
Zoey sighed.
"Listen, there's got to be a better way for you to vent your frustration towards Venus," she muttered.
"How about kickboxing? On her face?"
Zoey just simply gave up and went back to her homework, not wanting to get Aphrodite agitated. The Power Duo settled into silence for a good long while, lost in their own separate thoughts. Whiz Kid Aphrodite finished all her stuff in ten minutes, leaving her free to sit back and quietly watch Zoey work. She had noticed that sometimes when Zoey was extremely focused her face would scrunch up in concentration, and it was a habit that Vision Girl found utterly adorable. Gazing at her with a little smile on her face, Aphrodite knew that she'd definitely put up with whatever shit Venus had planned if it meant keeping Zoey's world from spiraling into even more craziness.
Finally, Zoey stopped what she was doing and let herself take a little break. She was starting to feel sore from hunching over her textbook, and she stretched out before groaning and absentmindedly rubbing at her neck.
"Studying is such hard work, huh Z?" Aphrodite teased.
Zoey gave her a playfully annoyed look.
"Instead of wisecracking, maybe you can put your massage skills to use and help a girl out."
"Yes dear."
Aphrodite had picked up a few tricks from spending half her life in ritzy day spas, and on more than one occasion she had gladly demonstrated her talents on Zoey. She smacked the brunette's hand away so her own could take its place, deftly rubbing in small circles around Zoey's neck and shoulders. Zoey sighed happily as the uncomfortable ache melted away under her touch.
"I don't know how I ever survived before you and your massages."
"Not very well, obviously."
Zoey closed her eyes, giving herself a chance to unwind, even if it was only briefly. But after a few quiet minutes went by, she gasped when she felt that Aphrodite's fingers weren't on her neck anymore—her lips were. She shuddered from the tickle of suddenly having Vision Girl so close to her.
"Aphrodite, w-what are you doing?" she stammered.
"I can feel you worrying about something," Aphrodite answered in between kisses. "I'm trying to help you relax."
She put her arms around Zoey and drew the girl's body close to her own, continuing to trail soft kisses up and down her neck.
"Aphro, I'm supposed to be studying," Zoey said feebly, feeling her body start to tingle.
"No one's stopping you."
"Well, I just figured that I have a hard enough time focusing on homework when your hand isn't going up my shirt."
When Aphrodite spoke again, Zoey could tell that she was smiling.
"Alright, I'll quit so you can get back to your incredibly fascinating book."
"...Don't you dare."
"That's what I thought."
Aphrodite's hands, which were indeed sneaking into Zoey's shirt, changed direction and traveled instead to the zipper of Zoey's jeans. After quickly unbuttoning and unzipping, Aphrodite was slipping her hand down into Zoey's pants. The brunette practically jumped at the sensation and a little whine escaped her.
"Is this okay, Z?" the blonde tentatively asked.
It was all completely new to Zoey, but she didn't care. She and Aphrodite belonged to each other, and Zoey wanted her in every way possible. Anything that brought the two of them even closer together was perfectly alright in her book.
"It's okay, Aphrodite," she said with a nod.
After only a slight hesitation, Aphrodite reached down to feel the soft edges of Zoey's ready opening through her underwear. Once again, Zoey felt a jolt of surprise shoot through her as Aphrodite touched the highly sensitive area. She turned her head to give Vision Girl a deep, sensuous kiss, letting her know that it was good surprise, not bad. The passion in the kiss caught Aphrodite off guard, she wasn't used to quite so much fire from Zoey.
"One of these days I hope you stop driving me so damn crazy, Z," Aphrodite said lustfully.
"I wouldn't hold my breath."
Relishing the approval, Aphrodite started to gently stroke Zoey, enjoying the shudders that the girl made with each pass of her fingers. It wasn't long before Zoey was moving herself in time to what Aphrodite was doing, wanting to feel even more friction against her center. Vision Girl felt Zoey's underwear quickly getting damp, and with a smile she began to rub a little bit faster.
"You are pure evil, distracting me like this," Zoey panted.
"You work way too hard, Z. You deserve a break," Aphrodite kissed her neck and let her idle hand make its way up Zoey's shirt again.
"Yeah, only your idea of a break involves us in bed doing who knows what for who knows how long."
"Actually, those were my plans for later tonight."
Zoey had no idea that having Aphrodite touch her like this could feel so incredible. Sex was one thing, but sitting back and giving the blonde full control was another thing entirely. Aphrodite had barely even done anything and already Zoey was feeling hot, pressing her hips even harder against the girl's fingers and wondering when in the hell Aphrodite got so good at turning her on.
"You're teasing me," Zoey whined, breathing heavily. "Why are you always teasing me?"
Aphrodite, with one hand in Zoey's jeans and the other caressing Zoey's breast, had no complaints whatsoever.
"I'm not teasing, you're just impatient," Aphrodite laughed. "No appreciation for the finer things in life."
Zoey imagined that she'd have an easier time appreciating the finer things if she could get Aphrodite's fingers exactly where she wanted them, but no way was she going to say that out loud. But the blonde did in fact take it a step higher and slipped her hand down into Zoey's underwear, stimulating her directly.
"Shit, Aphrodite," Zoey moaned in fevered approval.
Aphrodite lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
"Whoa, is this the secret to getting you to cuss? Just pushing the right buttons?"
Zoey wanted to respond with a witty comeback, but her mind was racing too much to be of any practical use to her. She squirmed needfully, desperate for Aphrodite to quit messing around. With a quiet laugh, the blonde finally answered her girlfriend's silent pleas and slid her two fingers inside of Zoey, causing the brunette to let out a loud moan and clench the bedsheets tightly in her fists as the pleasure rushed through her.
Aphrodite wasted no time in going slow, she pushed in and out at a pace that was exhilarating to Zoey. The sounds of her arousal filled the bedroom; the combination of the fingering and the massaging of her breast was making her head spin. Once more she began to rock her hips back against Vision Girl's hand, amazed at how incredible she felt inside her and wanting to feel even more.
"Guess I should distract you more often, huh Zoey?" Aphrodite asked with a wicked smile.
"Shut up and go faster," Zoey breathed.
Aphrodite gladly did as she was told, picking up the pace. She could feel Zoey's whole body tensing, nearing her climax as the fingers skillfully rubbed her core. Then, with a long, heated moan, Zoey came, and after the orgasm powerfully rolled through her she fell back against Aphrodite in exhaustion.
She sat there in Aphrodite's arms, breathing heavily while Vision Girl smiled smugly behind her, satisfied with her work.
"...I can't believe you just did that," Zoey said after she got back her ability to speak.
"Look at it this way, now you're relaxed and less tense."
"Yeah, and now I need to change my underwear."
"Don't bother, you won't need any by the time I get you alone tonight."
An hour later the Nerd Herd arrived, ready to talk business. Zoey answered the door when the doorbell rang, and the gang filed inside the house.
"Hey guys," she greeted, before noticing the less-than-thrilled looks on everyone's faces. "...What's wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing, we're fine," Erin answered. "It's just that when we're called to order at the Power Duo's house, it's rarely for good news."
"Yeah, why can't you guys ever just invite us over to chill?" Erin's Twin questioned.
"That can be arranged," Zoey said as she closed the door behind them. "Aphrodite has a cool popcorn maker she won't let me touch unless it's a special occasion, I could use an excuse to finally try it out...uh, where's Stevie Rae?"
She quickly glanced over the group and noticed that her best friend was nowhere in sight.
"She couldn't make it," Damien said. "Apparently her aunt and country cousins are in town, she said something about an impromptu mini-family reunion thing."
"Huh...I guess that's a good thing. After all the crap she's been through lately she could use a little time off," Zoey said with a nod. "It's probably better that we don't overload her with doom and gloom right now."
They all headed towards the living room, with Zoey pausing briefly at the foot of the stairs to yell "Aphro! Hurry up and get down here!"
"Why is it that the queen of the castle is never on time for these little soirées?" Shaunee asked.
Zoey just shrugged.
"Her castle, her rules."
They made themselves comfortable on the sofas and chairs, waiting for Vision Girl to join them. Soon the Nerd Herd fell into idle chitchat about midterms and plans for Christmas break, which included the Twins teasing Zoey about how they were going to get her a real car for her birthday so she could stop driving "that dinky little toy" around. Zoey, of course, loyally defended the integrity of her Bug, but after the conversation finally eased away Aphrodite was still nowhere in sight.
"Okay, for real, what's going on? What the hell is your girlfriend doing up there?" Shaunee huffed in irritation.
Suddenly, Zoey froze, and her eyes went wide and glassy. It was like there was a giant flashing warning sign in her mind with Aphrodite's name on it, and all at once Zoey felt a dull ache in her head and a powerful force tugging at her, frantically urging her to get up and go find the blonde.
"She's having a vision," Zoey said knowingly. The words were barely out of her mouth before she practically leapt from the couch and bolted out of the room, hurrying to race up the stairs and down the hall.
When she reached the bedroom she found Aphrodite on the floor, holding her head in pain as the vision raced through her. Zoey dropped down beside her and gingerly pulled the girl into her lap, holding her firmly yet gently.
"You're okay, Aphrodite. I've got you," she said soothingly.
Aphrodite's eyes were squeezed shut while she was locked away in her vision, but the brunette's voice was able to get through to her.
"Zoey..." she whispered in relief. She weakly reached out her hand and Zoey took it, letting the blonde squeeze as hard as she needed to combat the searing agony in her head.
"Can you tell me what you're seeing? Do you know what's happening?" Zoey asked.
"It's New Year's Eve, it's...the exact same vision as before...why am I having the same vision twice? ?"
"...Whoa, seriously? It's really the same?" Zoey was astounded.
"Yes...we're in Tulsa, running towards the House of Night, the fireworks are going off...no, wait a minute, something's different," Aphrodite mumbled.
Zoey was quiet as the blonde watched her vision unfold.
"The red vampyres...they didn't go around us, they ran right into the spirit shield."
Power Freak recalled how in Aphrodite's last vision the red vamps somehow knew ahead of time that the girls would be coming for them, and they completely bypassed the shield Aphrodite had put in place to keep the innocent people safe.
"You mean...the future has changed? The vampyres won't have any warning that we'll try to stop them?" Zoey questioned.
She waited for an answer, but Aphrodite had suddenly gone completely silent, lost in the world of things yet to come. Zoey waited patiently for the girl to come out of it and explain what she could. Then, after a few minutes passed, Aphrodite slowly opened her eyes and glanced up at Zoey's face.
"...Z, we won," she said tiredly.
Zoey's eyes widened in shock.
"What? We won? Like, we fight back against the red vamps and keep them from killing anyone?"
Aphrodite nodded, then winced as the movement rattled her already-aching head.
"So...the future's in our favor now?" Zoey mused. "I don't get it, what's changed?"
"A lot," Aphrodite answered, rubbing her head. "A hell of a lot. It was...so confusing. I'm not exactly sure how to explain."
"That's okay," Zoey said reassuringly as she tenderly brushed Vision Girl's hair out of her face. "You just need to recover from your vision, don't worry about going over everything right now."
"Is everybody else here?"
"Yeah, they're down in the living room waiting to hear the big bad news about Neferet and Darkness."
Aphrodite slowly started to sit up.
"Well c'mon, don't keep the dorks waiting," she said.
Zoey quickly made a grab for the blonde and tried to get her to lay back down.
"Whoa whoa whoa, you just stay in the room and chill out. I can handle the group meeting, you need to rest," she worriedly insisted.
"You'll forget things and leave stuff out, you need me there to fill in the gaps," Aphrodite argued.
The brunette stuck out her lip in a pout.
"What do you take me for, a complete spaz?"
"A complete spaz who needs me around to fill in the gaps. Now help me up."
Zoey figured that if she couldn't get Aphrodite to sit still, she could at least keep her from stumbling around and falling on her butt for the next half hour. So she did as she was told and helped the blonde to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as she tottered uneasily from side to side.
"Aphrodite, you know you shouldn't be moving around like this so soon after a vision," Zoey said in concern.
"Yeah, well I get pretty damn tired of letting some stupid mind-numbing powers dictate my life all the time."
With a sigh, Zoey nodded in understanding.
"Alright, let's go downstairs then," she said.
She made sure to keep a tight hold on Aphrodite as she guided her out of the room and then carefully down to the first floor, where the Nerd Herd was worriedly waiting.
"Hey Blondie, you okay?" Shaunee asked when the Power Duo came into the living room.
"No, but thanks for asking," Aphrodite grumbled.
Zoey eased Aphrodite down onto the sofa and then took a seat on the opposite end, so Aphrodite could recline back and rest her head on the brunette's lap.
"Damn, you look rough," Erin callously noted. Aphrodite didn't even bother scowling at her.
"Let's shove an entire timeline in your brain and see how you feel afterwards," Vision Girl calmly said.
"Guys, we're here to discuss the various calamities in our life, not to pick on Aphrodite," Zoey warned, lightly placing her hand on the blonde's forehead and silently asking spirit to come ease her pain.
The Twins exchanged devious glances with each other.
"We can do both," they said together.
Damien frowned at them.
"Zoey's right. I know you guys like to poke lighthearted fun at each other, but now isn't the time, not when Aphrodite doesn't feel well," Damien scolded.
"I'm only here in a supervising capacity," Aphrodite muttered, closing her eyes and waving at Zoey to get started.
Damien, Erin, and Shaunee stared expectantly at Zoey, but she was hesitant, knowing that there were big things that needed to be explained but having no clue how to start explaining them. Part of her just wanted to blurt everything out at once and then deal with the repercussions, but deep down she knew that this was too important to rush though, she had to go slow and make sure her thoughts were organized and together. Taking a deep breath, she gave it her best shot.
"When Aphrodite and I were first visited by Nyx, the goddess told us that our destinies were connected, that the two of us were meant to stop Kalona and his evil from returning to the world. She gifted me with my elements, Aphrodite with her visions, and even you guys with your own affinities, all to help us defeat Neferet, and for months now that's what we've been focused on. Our goal has always been to defend the world from Kalona."
The gang listened with rapt attention, drawn in by the grave seriousness of Zoey's voice. But underneath her solemn and even somewhat wise tone, Damien heard the unspoken word that hung in the air.
"...But...?" he prodded, knowing there was more to it and suddenly feeling dread about hearing the answer.
Zoey sighed heavily, wishing she didn't have to tell him.
"Neferet's mission has completely changed. She's not trying to summon Kalona anymore," she said quietly.
"...What? ?" the Twins gasped.
"After all the time she's been working to bring him back, she just...what, totally changed her mind? ?" Damien demanded.
"Neferet is a psycho, she's literally after world domination like all the badly-dressed supervillains we grew up watching on Saturday morning cartoons," Aphrodite interjected, unintentionally lending a little humor to the otherwise dire conversation.
"Kalona has always been just a means to that end, he was just one way for Neferet to get what she wanted," Zoey elaborated. "At first we thought that Kalona was the real threat and Neferet was nothing more than a glorified cheerleader, but that's not the case at all. Neferet is the biggest danger we face, and Kalona is her puppet in this whole situation...or at least, he was."
"So...are you saying that we're done? Neferet's cancelled her plans and we can go on with our lives now?" Erin asked, with painfully obvious hope in her voice. Her Twin rolled her eyes.
"Please, just please. No way in hell would we ever be that lucky," she said bitterly. "Vamp bitch is after something even worse than Kalona, isn't she?"
Zoey didn't answer right away, she was giving herself a few seconds to work up the courage to say what she did next.
"...Neferet is planning to bring Darkness itself into our world."
Zoey dropped the bomb, but the severity of it went right over the Twins' heads.
"Don't tell me she's trying to blot out the sun or some shit like that, because that is just too much even for her," Shaunee said dryly.
Damien's eyes had gone wide, and he fearfully looked to Zoey.
"No, she doesn't mean literal darkness and the absence of light...she means Darkness, as in the very force of evil itself," he sounded slightly in shock, like he himself didn't believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth.
"Evil? Pure, unadulterated evil?" Erin questioned. "She can't do that, evil isn't a...a thing. It's just an idea, an abstract concept, how the hell does she expect to do anything with that?"
"Just because it's an abstract concept doesn't mean it's not real," Aphrodite wisely said. "We see it everyday. Every time we turn on the news we see it. Murderers, thieves, kidnappers, rapists, all of them have some kind of evil in their souls, all of them are spreading that evil around the world with no regard for anyone but themselves. But no matter how bad the world may seem to get, good has always been there to balance out evil. That's the way it's been since the beginning of time. Where there is good, there needs to be bad, and vice versa. A world of Light and happiness sounds nice on paper, but without the ancient balance that world would be just as horrible as one filled with evil alone."
The Nerd Herd, Zoey included, were all totally surprised by Vision Girl's sage-like understanding of the way these things worked. Although her eyes were still closed, Aphrodite could tell that they had unanimously given the floor to her now, so she continued.
"But Neferet is trying to change all that. She's trying to break the balance by letting Darkness take over. And trust me, none of us has ever seen what real evil looks like. All the pieces of shit that are running around killing each other for revenge, money, and even the sick fucks who do it just for fun, they're nothing close to real evil."
Shaunee frowned in confusion.
"But you just said—"
"The evil that runs through all of us at some point or another is diluted. Think of acid rain; it starts out as pure and clean in the sky, but on the way down to earth it passes through so much crap and pollution that by the time it gets to us, it's tainted."
Damien was starting to follow her.
"So it's almost like Light and Darkness are two giant clouds floating somewhere way above us, raining down goodness and evil. But because of the balance between them, good and evil get so mixed up with each other that they're no longer in their pure forms when they reach our world," he clarified. "That's why we humans are a combination of both, no one is 100% good and no one is 100% bad."
If Shaunee and Erin were cartoon characters, their eyes would have been replaced by dizzy spirals by now.
"This is all way too metaphysical for me," the fair-haired Twin groaned.
"Yeah, ask me to play with fire and it's no big deal, but all this zen Yin-Yang stuff is a little outside my comfort zone," Shaunee agreed.
"Well you need to get it inside your comfort zone, because this is reality now," Zoey's words came out a bit harsher than she intended, and she hurriedly gave the Twins apologetic glances before she continued. "Neferet is after Darkness in its purest form, so as you can imagine, that's pretty damn bad for us. And be thankful that it's all completely ethereal for now, because according to Aphrodite Darkness can take on a physical form, and that's not something any of us need to be seeing."
"How did you find all of this out, anyway?" Damien curiously wondered.
"I got tired of being left in the dark about Neferet's grand scheme, so I went straight to her partner-in-crime, Kalona," the brunette said. "I let him back into my dreams and he told me everything, and at the same time Aphrodite was having a vision of everything I was learning in the dream. So even though Kalona may not be the most reliable source, Nyx was telling the exact same things to Aphrodite, so we know it's the truth."
The gang was stunned silent by this new gigantic revelation, they needed a moment to process everything. Shaunee was the first one to break the long silence.
"...Okay, we never even figured out the smallest clue on how to stop Kalona, so how are we supposed to stop this? ?" she worried.
Erin fervently nodded her agreement.
"Yeah, we were having trouble on Level 1, and now we're bumped up to Level 10? How in the world are we going to beat this?"
Zoey understood that this was a lot to take in. She still hadn't fully taken it in herself, which is why she hated that the worst of it wasn't over yet and there were still more things that her friends needed to know.
"Neferet and Darkness are just going to have to sit on the backburner for now, because we have more pressing issues to handle," she started.
Erin and Shaunee sighed.
"Just get it over with," they said at the same time.
Zoey did just that, seeing no real way to ease everyone into this.
"New Year's Eve. Aphrodite had a vision—not the one today, this one was a little while ago—of Neferet's red vampyres storming downtown Tulsa and killing everyone watching the fireworks in the streets."
Instead of being horrified, Damien looked thoughtful. His scholarly mind was clearly going to work.
"...Sounds like a ritual sacrifice," he said. "Just like Kalona, summoning true Darkness to this world most likely requires a complicated ritual. A massive sacrifice of innocents seems right up that alley."
"So if we stop the red vamps, we can stop Neferet? Or at least set her back a few paces?" Erin once again sounded cautiously optimistic.
"Apparently, we do stop her," Zoey glanced down at Vision Girl for a split second. "The vision Aphrodite had just now was the exact same one, only the outcome was different. We defeated the vampyres and no one got hurt."
Damien looked pleasantly surprised.
"The future has changed. Some action we've taken has altered the timeline so we win this battle," he mused. "How fascinating..."
Erin raised an eyebrow.
"So, out of curiosity, what did we do differently?"
"Stevie Rae," Aphrodite answered.
She opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head from Zoey's lap, sitting up on the couch. The brunette looked over at her in confusion.
"Stevie Rae is the reason we won?" she asked with a little smile, picturing her best friend heroically saving the day.
Aphrodite's sapphire eyes steadily met her gaze.
"...Stevie Rae is the reason we lost."
Shaunee and Erin were glaring at Aphrodite. Zoey thought that the blonde had lost her mind. Damien's expression made him seem like he had just gotten the shock of his life.
"Look, I get that you were pissed at Stevie Rae for playing magic tricks on your girlfriend, but blaming her for a red vamp massacre is a low blow even for you," Shaunee said icily.
Vision Girl knew the Twins would have a hard time believing her, so instead she focused her attention on Zoey.
"Z, I know that vision only seemed like a few minutes to you, but I saw way more than you think, and my last vision is a lot more clear now," she said.
Zoey was torn. She believed Aphrodite, and she knew that her visions showed the truth, or at least some form of the truth. But in spite of Stevie Rae's newly developed mean streak, she couldn't imagine the deaths of all those people on New Year's Eve having anything to do with the curly-haired blonde.
"If Stevie Rae is the reason we lost the battle, why do we suddenly now win?" Zoey demanded, trying to work through this.
"Because she isn't here right now," Aphrodite answered.
Everyone was just getting more and more confused, so with a sigh Aphrodite elaborated further.
"In my first vision of New Year's Eve, the vampyres knew Zoey and I were coming to fight them and they went around us, heading straight for the crowd of people. Stevie Rae is the one who warned them. She found out that we knew about Neferet's plan, and she went right to the hag to warn her."
"But at the last minute she wasn't able to come here today, therefore she doesn't know that we learned Neferet's plan, and therefore she won't go to warn her and the vampyres won't have a chance to avoid you," Damien worked out the rest for himself. "But if she ever found out about any of this, everything could reset and we'd be back on the losing side again."
"I don't believe this shit," Shaunee growled. "Now we have to keep secrets from Stevie Rae because she's suddenly best buds with our worst enemy? ?"
Zoey shook her head in disbelief.
"No...no, that can't be...Aphrodite, tell me this isn't true," her eyes shone with pleading desperation.
Aphrodite reassuringly took her hand.
"It's not like that. Just like everything else that's happened to Stevie Rae lately, it isn't her fault," she assured everyone. "This all started back when Neferet used some freaky dark magic to mind control her into casting that nightmare spell on you. When Neferet did that, she opened up a path for Darkness to waltz right into Stevie Rae, and it's been fighting to take her over ever since."
Damien made an excited little "Aha!" noise.
"Of course, it all makes sense! Neferet needed complete control of Stevie Rae, and only the darkest magics could grant her that control. She opened a door inside of Stevie Rae with the nightmare spell and it never closed, leaving the power of Darkness free to keep flowing throughout her! Stevie Rae seems like she's going evil because she really is being tainted by evil, and the more it goes unchecked, the worse she gets. That's why she keeps trying to attack you when you're left alone, Zoey. Darkness is seeing an opportunity to try and eliminate you, and it's seizing that opportunity through Stevie Rae."
Despite the awful news concerning her best friend, Zoey felt a tremendous weight being lifted from her shoulders. Helping Stevie Rae was at the top of her list of priorities, but there was no way she could help if she didn't have the slightest idea what was wrong with her. But thanks to Aphrodite's newest vision, things were starting to become clear, and at least one of Zoey's gigantic worries was slowly starting to ease away.
"So now we just need to come up with a way to reverse this, a way to close the door Neferet left open. We do that, and Darkness won't have a hold on Stevie Rae anymore, she'll go back to normal," Power Freak said excitedly.
Before anyone could bombard her with questions on how they were supposed to do that, Zoey was already brainstorming. Her lifted spirits were beginning to crash back down to earth when she quickly realized she didn't have any good ideas, but when Aphrodite squeezed her hand encouragingly, the answer hit her like a smack in the face.
"...The elements," Zoey said quietly to herself, before turning back to her friends. "Just now, I was using spirit on Aphrodite to help her with her headache, and she's used it to help me feel better in the past before too. The elements all have healing powers, even fire. They're our gifts from Nyx, so they're affiliated with Light! If we cast a circle around Stevie Rae and call on the power of our elements and the goddess of night to cleanse the Darkness from her, no way could the evil stand up to us!"
Damien grinned widely.
"I knew you'd figure something out," he said proudly. "If we cast a circle to heal Stevie Rae without letting her know about anything we discussed today, then our future is set. She'll never warn Neferet, and no matter what course of action we take on New Year's Eve, we'll stop the red vampyres and save everyone's life."
"Then we need to get this shit done as soon as possible," Erin sounded like she wanted to rush out of the house and make a grab for Stevie Rae right this second.
"And until then, no one is to tell her a single thing we talked about here. Not about Neferet's new plans, not about New Year's Eve, and not even why we're casting a circle for her. In fact, just to be safe, don't even let her know we're casting a circle in the first place until we absolutely have to."
"Damn, we've got a lot of work to do," Shaunee said in astonishment. "...You think this means we can skip midterms tomorrow?"
Damien frowned at her.
"I'm afraid not."
"Seriously? We're saving the world and you won't even let us have one skip day?"
"No."
"What if I set the school on fire?"
"Shaunee."
"Fine, fine, just making a suggestion. But one day when we're retired from the hero business and you're stuck working some boring office desk job, you're gonna wish you had taken me up on that offer."
Zoey rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, nothing says 'boredom buster' like a little arson," she said sarcastically.
Shaunee merely shrugged.
"Hey, you know me. I like to keep things hot."