It was a little bit past ten in the morning when Aphrodite started to stir. The first thing she was aware of, before she even opened her eyes, was the headache. It wracked her and throbbed with a pain that far outweighed any vision headache, and she made a noise that was part sleepy sigh, part helpless whimper.
"Aphrodite? Are you awake?" Zoey's whispered voice came from somewhere beside the blonde.
"No," Aphrodite groaned.
She had been laying on her side, and after a minute she opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. The room was pretty dim, the morning sky outside was cloudy and gray with winter and not much daylight filtered through the curtains. Zoey was next to her, sitting up with her pillow propped behind her and seeming to be wide awake.
"Please don't tell me you were up all night," Aphrodite worried.
"No, I slept. Not very well, but I slept," Zoey responded flatly. "I felt a little bit of what you were feeling last night when Neferet attacked you. Not all of it, obviously, but enough to spend a good portion of the night picturing the different ways I could inflict physical harm on that pain in the ass Priestess."
"I bet you're finally regretting this pesky emotional connection thing now, huh?"
"No I'm not. I'm beyond grateful to have a way of knowing when you need help. Especially since I couldn't get through when I tried to call you at the school."
"Yeah, my fucking iPhone got broken when I was trying to fight off those stupid vamps. I'll have to take the card out and use one of my old phones for now," Aphrodite grumbled.
Just then, Aphrodite felt a heavy weight drop onto the bed, and before she could even turn to see what it was something soft and furry was pressed against her face.
"Guess who's been waiting to see you," Zoey laughed a little as Skylar's purrs filled the space between them.
Aphrodite couldn't help but smile. Animals had a sort of sixth sense about the inner nature of a person, and Vision Girl had a long and unfortunate history of animals never being overly fond of her. Skylar was the first to ever be friendly around her.
"I take it that you missed me?" she said. "Hate to be rude Skylar, but your owner is a fucking hag."
The orange poofball quit affectionately rubbing against Aphrodite and seemed to hang his head, as if he somehow understood the blonde's words and sadly knew that they were true. With a quiet meow, he padded down to the foot of the bed and curled up into a giant puff.
"Neferet sent the red vamps after you, didn't she?" Zoey asked.
"Nope, regular vampyres," Aphrodite said airily, even though Zoey's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, it turns out that Neferet and her bloodsucking pets aren't the only nutjobs at the school we have to worry about."
"So you found out something after all."
"Naturally. The evening wasn't a total failure."
"Then I guess we need to assemble the Avengers and fill the gang in, right? I wonder how much more bad news we can dump on our friends before they just quit on us and run off to Canada."
Moving slowly and gingerly, Aphrodite repositioned herself so that she was laying across Zoey like she was a pillow, resting her head in the girl's lap.
"Don't be ridiculous, they'd never do that to us. No one in their right mind would go to Canada this time of year," she said.
Zoey rolled her eyes.
"Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to hear," she muttered. "If you're teasing me does that mean you're feeling better?"
"Not really. My headache is back in full force, but then again I was passed out before I had a chance to choke down an aspirin," Aphrodite told her.
"I asked spirit to ease your pain last night, didn't that help any?" Zoey wondered.
"Apparently not. Maybe Neferet completely fried my brain and I've got like a week to live."
"Aphrodite, don't say that," Zoey snapped.
Vision Girl felt the brunette's whole body tense up underneath her.
"...Sorry. Sometimes my sarcasm gets the better of me," the blonde apologized. "We just have to be more careful around Neferet from now on."
"Is that so, Miss 'She Won't Try Anything Psychotic At Her Own School'?"
"Really? You're going to pull an I Told You So on your crippled and incapacitated girlfriend? I don't believe you."
"Hey, I'm more than willing to do anything and everything for my crippled and incapacitated girlfriend until she feels better."
"...Thank you, Zoey," Aphrodite said, sounding a little surprised. "Look, I may not act like it sometimes, but I'm really grateful for the way you've always taken care of me, even when I didn't deserve it. Even the very first time you found me in the aftermath of a vision and I told you to back off and go away, you still helped me. I know I probably don't say it that often, but that means a lot to me."
Zoey smiled.
"You don't have to say it, I already know," she assured her. "Trust me, helping you when you need me is my pleasure. Speaking of which, did you like those crepes I made yesterday? I could make them for you again and try to get them more crepe-like this time around."
"I'm not even hungry. I don't feel like eating."
"...What? But the last time you ate was before you even left the house yesterday. You should really have breakfast."
"I just don't feel good, Z. Not at all. I'll eat something if I get hungry, I promise. But not now."
Zoey glanced down sadly at the blonde and felt a renewed urge to march back to the House of Night and dangle Neferet upside-down from the roof. This power of hers to psychically attack someone's mind was new, and truthfully, Zoey had no idea what the extent of the side effects would be. She hoped beyond hope that a terrible headache was the worst of it and that was all that would happen to Aphrodite, but she couldn't be sure. And sure was something she definitely wanted to be when it came to Aphrodite's well-being.
"...Aphro, what if I invite Grandma over for a little while today?" she started.
"What for?" Vision Girl asked (although the fact that she was beginning to fall back asleep made her question come out sounding like "wha 'fer?").
"Because I'm worried that this headache of yours might not go away on its own," Zoey explained. "What Neferet did to you was mystical in nature, and I think Grandma can help you more than sleep and regular old aspirin will."
"She's not going to make me eat a bunch of nasty herbal plants, is she?"
Zoey chuckled.
"You know, you're practically part of my family now, and being part of my family means embracing our traditions and learning not to rely so much on shoddy Western medicine."
"'Shoddy Western medicine'? Please, as if you don't appreciate the power of a good Midol. And besides, my family has our own version of alternative medicine, it's called drinking a whole bottle of wine and having a martini on the side. My mom has been practicing it for years."
"I'm serious, Aphrodite. I'll bet you'd feel better if you had Grandma take a look at you, and so would I," Zoey repeated. "She's not an official healer or anything, but she knows her stuff. At the very least she can tell if we need to take you to a doctor."
"Don't need no doctor," Aphrodite mumbled drowsily.
She rolled off of Zoey and bravely fought the aching in her head to slowly push herself up into a sitting position.
"See? I'm...fine..."
She swayed uneasily and then collapsed backwards onto her pillow with a soft thud, whimpering as a brand new jolt of pain spiked through her. Zoey could almost see the animated birdies circling around the girl's head.
"You don't look fine to me," the brunette said. "I'm calling Grandma."
She threw the covers off and got out of bed, pausing for a moment to remember where she left her phone last night.
"Zo...don't make her come all the way over here just to check on me..." Aphrodite argued.
Zoey curiously looked over her shoulder at Vision Girl. Her eyes were fluttering shut and she was breathing heavily as if she was exhausted from simply trying to sit up.
"Aphrodite?"
Zoey went around to Aphrodite's side of the bed. Even in the dim room Zoey could see that the blonde looked a little flushed, so she put her hand on Aphrodite's forehead.
"...You're hot."
"Of course."
"Hot as in fever. Ordinary headaches don't come with fevers, something isn't right here."
"I'm fine...just lemme sleep..."
"No, no more sleep," Zoey said. "I want you to stay awake until Grandma gets here."
She reached around Aphrodite's shoulders and helped her sit up, piling up the pillows behind her so she wouldn't fall back again. Vision Girl was still breathing hard, and definitely starting to look a little worse for the wear. Zoey grabbed the tv remote out of the nightstand drawer next to Aphrodite and switched on the bedroom flat screen.
"Here, watch something on tv, I don't want you going back to bed just yet," Zoey flipped through the channels, searching for something that would hold the blonde's attention.
"You're being mean to me."
"I'm not being mean, I just don't know what's wrong with you. If you fall asleep now I might not be able to wake you back up."
"Don't be so overdramatic, I just have a headache. Par for the course for Vision Girl," Aphrodite continued to insist. "It's not like I'm taking a nap in a snowstorm."
"Just humor me."
"You're worrying too much."
"In this case I think I'm worrying just the right amount."
Zoey's cell phone was laying on the dresser, and she reached for it before opening the door to leave the room.
"Sit tight, okay?" Zoey said as she stepped out into the hall.
"Oh darn, I had plans to go partying downtown."
Zoey shook her head and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She had to hand it to Aphrodite, it seemed that no amount of pain could put a damper on her mastery of snappy sarcasm for long. She made her way down to the living room and called her grandmother's number, absentmindedly walking around the room because she didn't feel like sitting. After Zoey listened to the phone dial for what felt like an unusually long time, Grandma Redbird answered.
"Good morning, Zoeybird," her grandma's familiar voice greeted from the other end of the line.
"Morning, Grandma. How have you been?"
"Better than ever, uwetsiageya. I know a lot of people aren't welcoming this winter weather, but I find it refreshing. Did you know it might snow today?"
"Really? I didn't hear," Zoey sighed. "So much has been going on lately that I haven't been paying attention to much of anything, especially the weather."
Grandma Redbird heard the tired and stressed-out tone in her granddaughter's words.
"Everything alright, Zoey?"
The brunette sighed again.
"Actually, I have a big favor to ask of you. You see, yesterday Aphrodite went alone to the House of Night. I mean, her dad was with her, but none of us. Remember the school's High Priestess?"
"Neferet."
"Yeah. We always knew she was dangerous and powerful, but she's just getting stronger and stronger. Last night...Neferet used some strange mental power to attack Aphrodite's mind."
Zoey was expecting some sign of surprise or concern from her grandmother, but instead she remained unsettlingly calm.
"...Zoey, what exactly happened?"
"Well, because of the connection I have with Aphrodite, I could feel when she was attacked. It was nothing close to what she went through, though. She told me later that it was blindingly intense pain like she'd never felt before, and when I got to her yesterday she was...she was in terrible shape, Grandma. She was crying and practically catatonic. She passed out on the way back home, and she woke up for a few minutes afterwards, but she was so exhausted that she just went right back to sleep."
"How is she now?" there was a bit of a hard, urgent tone to Grandma Redbird's question.
"Naturally she has a killer headache, and she's still really tired. I think she's starting to get a bit of a fever too, which is weird. But since the force that hurt her was magical, I don't think a doctor would be able to tell me anything. I was hoping you'd come over and take a look at her, maybe see if some of the healing practices you always used on me when I was growing up will help her feel better."
"I'll come right over, Zoey. Just text me the address after we hang up," Grandma Redbird said firmly.
Although Zoey was relieved to hear her grandmother was coming by, she thought that she spoke with a conviction that was a little less than comforting.
"...Grandma, what is it? Is she okay? What's wrong with her?" Zoey tried to keep her rising alarm from sounding.
"I won't know until I see her. Just be calm, Zoeybird. I'll be there right away. Stay by her side and make sure she's comfortable."
"O-of course. See you in a little bit."
After they said their goodbyes and hung up, Zoey wasn't so sure she liked where this was going. As promised, she sent off a text with the mansion's address to Grandma Redbird, and then she took a seat on the sofa. She wasn't expecting her grandmother to sound so solemn when she told her about Aphrodite. She was really planning on hearing something along the lines of a cheerful "Oh I'm sure she's alright, but I'll still come over anyway", and then the fears nagging at the edge of Zoey's mind would be silenced and she'd also have a nice pleasant visit from her grandmother to boot.
When she finished texting the address, she went back to her list of contacts and dialed another number, getting an answer almost on the first ring this time.
"Hey Z! Mornin'!"
"...Stevie Rae, are you busy? Can you come over?" Zoey quietly asked.
"I'm totally free, of course I can come over. What's up? How's Aphrodite doing?"
"Not much better," Zoey sadly admitted. "I just got off the phone with my grandmother, and she's coming over to check on Aphrodite. I thought some of Grandma's Cherokee healing skills would do her some good. But...I don't know, Grandma just had this weird tone in her voice when I told her what happened. I have a bad feeling that when she gets here I'm not going to like what she has to tell me."
"Need a little moral support in the form of a spunky and steadfast best friend?"
"That's exactly what I need," Zoey nodded.
"No problem. I'll just have to make a quick pit-stop to put gas in my daddy's truck and I'll be over faster than you can say Sweet Home Alabama."
Stevie Rae managed to make Zoey smile.
"Did I mention that it's so good to have you back?" the brunette said.
"Yep, but if you want I'll pretend I didn't hear so you can mention it again. Want me to bring anything over?"
"Nope, all I need is you."
"Okey dokey smokey! See you soon!"
"Bye, Stevie Rae."
They hung up and Zoey lowered the phone from her ear. The feeling that was telling her things weren't going to go well when her grandmother arrived was starting to grow more persistent, and she knew she would definitely need Stevie Rae's moral support.
Moral support? Who am I kidding, in a situation like this I'll probably need a moral Great Wall of China.
Zoey liked to think that she went through great lengths to keep her friends safe, but now that Aphrodite had been hurt she wasn't so sure. Zoey was the strongest of the Nerd Herd, her command of all five elements far outweighed the others and their control over just a single element. It didn't mean that she was better, it just meant that she was more powerful. Leadership seemed to naturally gravitate towards her because of it, even though she never asked to be put in charge. Her friends were her whole world, so she had an inherent drive to protect them like she would her own life. It was starting to dawn on her that maybe she wasn't doing such a good job.
She had the power, she had the ability, and she had the fire to protect others, but apparently she wasn't utilizing those three criteria as well as she could have been. The stakes were getting higher, and she wasn't rising to meet them.
If anything happens to Aphrodite, it'll be my fault for not protecting her...
Vision Girl had been left upstairs on her own for too long, so Zoey stood from the sofa and started back up to the bedroom to make sure she wasn't out cold. Aphrodite heard the door open and turned her head slightly to see Zoey.
"Zo, the cat won't stop staring at me," she muttered.
Sure enough, Skylar had parked himself on Aphrodite's lap, and his tail swished idly back and forth as he peered intently up at the blonde with wide green eyes.
"I once read somewhere that some pets can sense when their owners are suffering from injuries and sicknesses. He probably knows that you have a headache," Zoey said.
"Can he sense why the room is spinning?" Aphrodite squeezed her eyes shut.
"You're dizzy?"
"Of course not, someone just replaced my room with a merry-go-round when I wasn't looking."
"Grandma's on her way over. She should be here in about an hour and a half," Zoey told her.
"I said I didn't want you to call her over here," Aphrodite said sternly. "Don't bother her just because of me."
"I wish you would've told me beforehand that you're one of those people who gets incredibly stubborn when they're sick, because I didn't sign up for this when we first met," Zoey joked.
"Yeah, there's a lot you didn't sign up for when you met me."
"But I wouldn't give up a single thing," Zoey said with a smile. "Good and bad, I love everything about you. Especially all the things you surprised me with along the way."
"You're always so sappy when you talk about me," Vision Girl said. "It's really gross."
"I agree, absolutely sickening. I'm gonna get dressed before Grandma gets here," Zoey crossed the room to the walk-in closet. "Skylar, don't stare at Aphrodite, it's rude."
Skylar let out what sounded like an argumentative meow and then hopped down from the bed after giving the blonde one last glance.
"Hey almost-birthday girl, are we still on for Meet the Parents tomorrow?" Aphrodite asked as Zoey tried to decide on a shirt to wear.
"If you aren't better by tomorrow then I'm not even going to that stupid 'celebration'. Don't worry about my parents right now," Zoey answered. "Hell, even if you are better tomorrow I still might not go. Spending my birthday being persecuted by my mom and stepdad isn't my idea of a good time."
"What could your freakishly religious parents possibly have to persecute you about?" Aphrodite sarcastically mocked.
Zoey stepped back into the bedroom as she wrestled herself into a pair of jeans.
"For starters, I could bring up the fact that I've had premarital sex with a girl who has visions. That's three first-class tickets to Hell right there," she laughed.
Aphrodite found the strength to give a little laugh as well.
"I think the day we're able to officially tell our parents about us is going to be the most fun day of my life," the blonde said. "It'll be the big giant 'fuck you' I've been waiting years to give my mother and father. We'll tell your parents, tell my parents, leave them standing there gasping stupidly like fish, and then ride off into the sunset to never see them again."
Zoey went back to make another attempt at finding a shirt that was both comfy and cute at the same time.
"I like the sound of that," Zoey said. "Saying goodbye to the people who have held us back and starting our own lives together...a nice, fresh start with nothing and no one in our way. I'm looking forward to that."
"...Looking forward to what?" Aphrodite suddenly sounded like she was half asleep.
"To us being able to be us. No one telling us who we should be," Zoey answered. "Leaving our awful families behind. You finally being free of your parents' shadow, me being free of my stepdad trying to take control of my life. Just the two of us, living however we want and being each other's families."
When Aphrodite spoke again, there was definitely something off about her.
"...You and me? ...What are you smoking?"
Zoey settled on a simple gray sweater and curiously peeked around the closet door after she pulled it on.
"I could ask you the same question. Why do you sound tipsy all of a sudden?" she questioned.
"I don't have time for this...I have better places to be," Aphrodite said.
She slowly opened her eyes and pushed the covers off of her, trying to get out of bed despite the horrible pulsing pain that each movement sent through her head. Zoey rushed over and tried to get her to sit still.
"Aphro! What are you doing?"
Aphrodite shot her a sleepy, half-lidded glare.
"I told you never to call me that, Redbird," her words were slurred and mumbled. "Now back off, I'm not in the mood to entertain losers today. You'd better hope you haven't made me late for meeting up with Venus and the girls."
"Venus and the...? Okay, Aphrodite, I think you're starting to get a little delirious. I changed my mind, you can go back to sleep until Grandma gets here," Zoey said worriedly, still trying to get Aphrodite to lay back down.
"Delirious? What do you know about deliriousness...ness?" Vision Girl tripped over the word. "Does a halfwit like you even know how to spell deliri..del...whatever the hell I just said?"
"Amazingly, I do. Now please get a little more rest."
"No!" Aphrodite snapped. "You don't get to tell me what to do, Redbird! What are you even doing here in the first place?"
"...Aphrodite, it's me. It's Zoey."
"I'm aware of that, moron. It doesn't answer my question."
Zoey couldn't believe Aphrodite was slipping like this. This was definitely more than a run-of-the-mill headache. The brunette didn't say anything more, but as she watched, a spark of recognition returned to Aphrodite's sleepy eyes, and she slowly eased back to her normal self.
"...Zo, there's something wrong with me..." the blonde whispered.
Zoey gave her a sympathetic smile.
"So you're a little loopy, big deal. Same thing happens to me when I stay up too late," she said reassuringly.
She readjusted Aphrodite's pillow and helped her lay down. Aphrodite curled up on her side and whimpered from her nightmarish migraine.
"You'll be fine, Aphro...totally fine..."
Zoey wasn't sure which one of them she was trying to convince.
"Z, I think Grandma Redbird is here," Stevie Rae peered through the window set right beside the front door, watching a car pull up and park at the curb.
"Oh, thank goodness," Zoey came running from the living room, where she had spent the past hour alternating between sitting, pacing, staring blankly at the tv, and idly shuffling around the sofa in a repetitive circle.
Sure enough, it was her grandmother's Saturn that was parked outside, and Grandma Redbird was out of it in seconds and heading up the long driveway. Zoey unlocked the door and went outside, meeting her halfway.
"Thank you so much for coming over, Grandma," Zoey said gratefully.
"Think nothing of it, I'll always come to check on you or your friends if you're worried something is wrong."
When they went inside the house Zoey's grandmother set down a large handbag onto the foyer floor, one Zoey immediately recognized as her grandma's favorite because it was one of those wonderfully cavernous bags you could fit car keys, a small child, and the whole state of Oklahoma into. Zoey guessed that she had brought over various herbal and healing odds and ends from home to use on Aphrodite if the girl needed it.
"Hi, Grandma Redbird," Stevie Rae timidly greeted.
The gang had kept Stevie Rae's temporary turn to Darkness hidden from Grandma Redbird, and this was the first time Stevie Rae had seen her since she'd been newly un-possessed. Zoey's grandmother was still kind as ever though, giving the country girl a big smile.
"It's good to see you, Stevie Rae. Here to keep Zoey company?"
"Yep, doin' my duty as a loyal best friend."
"I'm glad. I'm glad my Zoey can count on you. Zoeybird, how is Aphrodite? Has there been any change since we got off the phone?"
Zoey took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and then explained.
"At first it was just the headache and the fever, but after you and I finished talking I went back to check on her. She said she was feeling dizzy, which isn't that unusual for a headache as bad as hers, but...I think she's a little delirious," Zoey said quietly.
Grandma Redbird narrowed her eyes in thought.
"How, exactly?" she asked.
"Well, first she completely forgot a conversation we had just seconds after we had it, and then she started talking to me like we were back in the days when we couldn't stand each other. And she tried to get out of bed, saying that she was supposed to meet Venus and the others somewhere."
"Those're Aphrodite's old friends," Stevie Rae explained for Grandma's benefit. "She hasn't hung out with them for over a year, so the fact that she was talkin' about them like they were all going shopping today does point to a little craziness."
"I had her go back to sleep after that," Zoey continued. "She's still so exhausted that she was out in no time, but she woke up twice. Both times she couldn't remember where she was for a few minutes, and the second time she was muttering things under her breath, I couldn't even understand her and she didn't even seem to hear me when I tried to get her attention...Grandma, do you have any idea what's the matter with her? I mean, I get that Neferet psychically attacking Aphrodite's mind isn't child's play, but should she really be affected this badly?"
"...I have a hunch about what's the matter with her, Zoeybird. I just hope that I'm wrong. Take me to her."
With a cold dread winding its way around her, Zoey obediently did as she was told and started up the grand staircase with Grandma Redbird and Stevie Rae behind her. She led them down the hall to Aphrodite's room, and opened the door just a crack to peek inside before opening it all the way. Earlier, Zoey had pulled the curtains back a tiny bit to let a little sunshine in, but Aphrodite had her back turned to the windows and faced the bedroom door as if in hiding from the light. She had even scooted over to rest on Zoey's side of the bed, which was the furthest side from the windows. She was awake when Zoey and Grandma Redbird walked in, and her tired eyes lazily watched them. Stevie Rae waited out in the hall, standing by.
"Hey baby," Zoey softly greeted. "Look who's here to see you."
Grandma Redbird went over to the bed and Aphrodite.
"...Hi Grandma," Aphrodite's voice was almost inaudible.
"Hello dear," Grandma Redbird smiled and reached down to take Aphrodite's hand.
"I told Zoey not to make you come all the way over for me, but she wouldn't listen."
"She's just looking out for you, Aphrodite," Zoey's grandmother explained kindly. "The way she always has."
"The way I always will," Zoey added.
Grandma Redbird sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I came to help you feel well again, Aphrodite. I would've gladly done so no matter the distance," she said.
Aphrodite smiled a little.
"I don't know what it is about me that makes the Redbird family care so much," the blonde said. "I'm not exactly the kind of girl people like to devote their time to."
"Nonsense, don't say such things," Grandma gently rebuked her. "There's something special about you Aphrodite, I knew it when I first saw you. Now just close your eyes while I have a look at you."
Aphrodite did as she was told, and Grandma Redbird reached out to put her hands around the girl's head. Zoey's grandmother closed her eyes as well. She looked like she was listening to something, listening intently. Zoey watched her grandmother's expression crease and furrow as she paid attention to whatever whispers and murmurs she was trying to hear. She was quiet for an unbearably long time, and Aphrodite had no complaints about being still.
When Grandma Redbird finally opened her eyes, she lowered her hands and turned to silently meet Zoey's gaze. Zoey understood that her grandmother didn't want to talk about Aphrodite around Aphrodite, and she nodded her head once.
"We'll be right back, Aphro," Zoey said.
"I'll try not to go anywhere," Vision Girl responded.
Zoey and her grandmother left the room, closing the door behind them. Power Freak motioned for Stevie Rae to follow them downstairs, and the three of them went down to the living room together. Grandma Redbird lowered herself into an armchair, but Zoey was too anxious to sit. The expression on her grandmother's face was grim, and it didn't help to ease the brunette's nerves. Stevie Rae stood beside her best friend and put her arm around her shoulder reassuringly.
"Okay Grandma, what's going on?" Zoey hurriedly asked. "You can feel things like I can, and I know you felt something from Aphrodite just now."
Grandma Redbird sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead, looking more and more somber.
"...Zoeybird, you understand that the body and spirit of every human being have a natural flow of energy, don't you?"
"Of course," Zoey answered. "When your energies are imbalanced you're more susceptible to illness and injury. Are you saying that's happened to Aphrodite?"
Grandma Redbird slowly shook her head.
"Not quite, Zoey...an imbalance of energy is nothing serious. With all the different kinds of energy mingling and clashing in the world, everyone's inner balance gets thrown off from time to time. Even without doing anything, your body's frequencies will eventually right themselves on their own. Neferet psychically attacked Aphrodite, and in doing so forced a very malevolent power into a place where it didn't belong. The flow of energy in Aphrodite's mind hasn't simply been disrupted...it's been broken."
Stevie Rae felt Zoey tense up and freeze.
"...Broken?" the brunette repeated in confusion.
"Like a bullet shattering bone, the natural balance of Aphrodite's mind has been shattered by Neferet's power," Grandma Redbird explained.
"So what does that mean?" Zoey demanded. Stevie Rae stayed silent but tightened her hold on her best friend.
"If left unchecked, Aphrodite will slowly get worse and worse," Zoey's grandmother said quietly. "She'll descend into an unimaginable amount of pain from her headaches, far more pain than she's in now. Longer and more frequent moments of delusions and memory loss will occur, and hallucinations are also very likely. As time passes she'll start to have difficulty moving, difficulty talking...and when she can take the pain no longer she'll become completely comatose. If she isn't healed—"
"If she isn't healed then what?!" Zoey snapped, not even giving her grandmother a chance to finish. Stevie Rae was shocked to hear Zoey lash out at Grandma Redbird like that.
"Our natural energies help keep us alive, Zoeybird. They are to us what electricity is to a machine. We can survive imbalance, but not destruction. At the rate things seem to be progressing now, if Aphrodite isn't healed, then within weeks...perhaps even days...she will die."
The news should have slammed into Zoey like a speeding truck, but she didn't let it. She couldn't. She didn't allow her heart to race and her mind to go numb thinking about a life without Aphrodite. It wasn't an option, plain and simple. She shrugged out from under Stevie Rae's comforting arm, feeling a fiery desire for action totally overriding any need for comfort.
"Aphrodite is not going to die," Zoey said with fierce resolution. "We can make her better again. We're not idiots, we have powers way beyond ordinary people. Hell, we can do this right now. Stevie Rae, call Damien and the Twins. Tell them to get over here and get over here now."
"Casting a circle?" Stevie Rae guessed. "You think that'll work?"
"I'll make it work," Zoey answered sternly. "Just make sure they're here."
"What do I tell them?"
"Tell them to drop everything, get off their butts, and be here in under an hour."
"Zoey..." Grandma Redbird said cautiously as Stevie Rae hurried out of the room to summon the rest of the Nerd Herd.
"Grandma, please don't tell me to calm down," Zoey begged with a heavy sigh. "Believe me, this is the best I can do right now. You just told me that I could lose Aphrodite if I don't do something to help her, and this is about as calm as I can be at the moment."
Grandma Redbird rose from her armchair and stepped forward to hug Zoey tightly.
"Uwetsiageya, I did not tell you this to frighten you or pressure you into any sense of urgency. I merely told you this so you would understand what's happening to Aphrodite. I know you will help her. I know you will help her soon, and I know she'll be good as new with you and your friends around."
"...Thank you for believing in me, Grandma. Aphrodite needs me, and I'm going to do everything in my power to help her," Zoey said. "She'll be okay, she has to be. I just...I never really thought about something like this happening."
"Of course you wouldn't, Zoeybird. And you shouldn't, as young as you two are. But your lives are different than other people's, and you are very brave to face everything head-on the way you do. This time is no different, and that's why Aphrodite is in very good hands," Grandma Redbird let go of Zoey. "I brought over some medicinal plants to help ease her pain, I'll get them ready for you."
"Thank you again, Grandma. I'm so grateful you came by."
"You should go back up and check on her."
"Yeah...yeah, I will."
Grandma Redbird went into the foyer to grab her bag, and Zoey started up the stairs, feeling a strange sort of dazed fog settling over her thoughts.
Aphrodite will be fine, she just has to be, she repeated to herself. She doesn't just have me, she has Nyx looking out for her too. Nyx wouldn't let her get taken away from me. I just...I just have to help her feel better until the gang can get here.
Vision Girl was still shying away from daylight when Zoey came into the room, so the brunette closed the curtains a little more. Aphrodite was awake, and still curled up on Zoey's side of the bed, and Zoey went around to lean down and kiss her on the cheek.
"I love you, Aphrodite," she said.
"...Oh great, what's wrong with me?"
"Huh?"
"You're pulling out an 'I love you' to soften the blow of the bad news you're about to tell me. Classic technique," Aphrodite explained.
"Or, I was just stating a fact," Zoey knelt down onto the floor so that she was face to face with Aphrodite. "You're okay, Neferet just put a whammy on you, kinda like she did to Stevie Rae. We brought Stevie Rae back, and we'll bring you back. The Twins and Damien are already on their way here."
"I don't feel good at all, Z," Aphrodite said miserably.
"Grandma brought over some of her 'nasty herbal plants' for you. They should help with your headache and fever, and I'm sure she also brought lavender to help you sleep easier."
"Where's Grandma now?"
"Probably in the kitchen. Contrary to what you're thinking, you really don't eat healing herbs straight out of the ground like a rabbit. They have to be prepared first," Zoey explained. "I don't know what exactly she brought with her, so I don't know how long she'll take."
"...Will you come lay down with me?" Aphrodite quietly asked.
Zoey smiled.
"Sure thing."
She went around the bed and climbed up on the other side, laying on top of the covers and snuggling next to Aphrodite.
"I hate being sick," Vision Girl said.
"Me too," Zoey agreed. "I was sick a lot when I was little. You think Grandma coming over here was bad? She used to drive all the way up to Oklahoma City to spend the day doting over me when I had colds and flus."
"Must've been nice. When I was little my parents just had the butler dope me up on Tylenol and leave me alone in my room."
"Well, I'm here to take care of you now," Zoey said. "All you need is the patented Redbird family touch and you'll be better in no time."
"...Z, earlier when you said I was practically part of your family...did you mean that?" Aphrodite questioned.
Zoey frowned in confusion.
"Of course I did, why would you ask? You already knew that."
"No, I knew that you and I are like family to each other, but you considering me as part of your family is something else entirely," the blonde clarified.
"Oh...well in that case, the answer is still yes. Just ask Grandma, she'll agree that you're an official member of our prestigious lineage too. You might as well just change your last name to ours. Aphrodite Redbird has a cool ring to it...maybe someday," Zoey said with an insinuating tone.
"Why don't you go find out if your grandma needs any help downstairs?" Aphrodite suddenly said, a little too quickly.
"...Huh? Tired of me already?"
"Tired of this headache already."
"Don't worry, the gang will be here any minute and then we'll have the power of the elements making you well again in no time," Zoey assured her. "Spirit doesn't seem to do any good on its own, but no amount of creepy Neferet germs can withstand the force of all five elements."
She got off of the bed just as quickly as she had gotten on it and started for the door.
"Creepy Neferet germs. Fantastic, that's an image I definitely needed," Aphrodite said dryly.
Zoey shuddered comically as she realized what she just said.
"Ugh, you're right. Now I'm sorry I kissed you, you might be contagious."
"I'm not that unlucky."
The brunette opened the door and found herself face to face with Stevie Rae, who looked like she was just getting ready to knock.
"Stevie Rae! Perfect timing. Will you stay here and keep an eye on Aphrodite while I go downstairs with Grandma?" Zoey asked.
"Sure, no problem," Stevie Rae nodded.
The two changed places; Stevie Rae came into the bedroom and Zoey stepped out into the hall, starting down the stairs as the curly-haired blonde closed the door behind her.
"...How ya doin', Vision Girl?" Stevie Rae timidly questioned.
"Do you really have to ask?"
"Just a formality. You know...I'm sure it won't make you feel any better, but I wanted to tell you that I think it was really brave of you to go to the House of Night."
Aphrodite snuggled deeper into her pillow.
"If this is my reward for being brave, I don't want to do it anymore," she said.
"Why'd you go by yourself? You could've had one of us go with you and things might have turned out better. Zoey said you wouldn't even consider letting her go with you, were you tryin' to protect her or something?"
Aphrodite was in no mood to come up with a lie, and her mind was in no mood to think up a lie anyway.
"...I wasn't worried about protecting Zoey. I wanted to prove that I could walk right through Neferet's door and do something useful. Look how well that turned out."
Stevie Rae frowned.
"Tryin' to prove that to Z?" she asked.
Aphrodite sighed.
"I thought I wanted to prove it to Zoey, but now I'm starting to think I was trying to prove something to myself," the blonde admitted shamefully.
Stevie Rae moved closer to the bed, her eyes shining with sympathy. She was silently asking for an explanation, so Aphrodite continued.
"I've spent my whole life proving myself. I had to do my best to live up to my parents' high expectations of me, and soon it wasn't just them, I was trying to be what everyone wanted me to be. Friends, teachers, even complete strangers who only knew me as 'Mayor LaFont's daughter' and not 'Aphrodite'. Now I have Zoey, and all of you nerds, and hell, even Zoey's grandmother, but...it's still not enough..."
Stevie Rae watched Aphrodite's eyes become shiny with tears.
"Most of the time I still don't feel like I'm good enough. I still don't feel like I'm worth much. And if I can't feel like that with Zoey and real, actual friends...how will I ever feel like I matter?"
"...Well, I may be just a simple Okie, but I like to think that I give pretty good advice," Stevie Rae said with a smile. "Like you said, you've spent years and years bein' dragged down by your parents, the people who were supposed to care about you the most. Which means that you're not gonna get over that in the blink of an eye just because a gang of bighearted nerds came into your life. It's gonna take time, Vision Girl. And as much as Zoey loves you, all the medicine in the world can't heal a wound overnight. That girl adores you to the moon and back, but it still won't fix up your heart right away. Wounds need time to heal, and you've got a lot of 'em. But just hang in there, okay? You've got Z, and you've got us, and we're gonna stick around with you for a while. We'll help you as much as we can...but in the end, all you can do is wait for time to finish doin' its job."
Aphrodite sniffed and wiped at her eyes, taking in Stevie Rae's words. The irony wasn't lost on her that one of her former tormentees was standing there trying to help her deal with one of the most painful burdens she'd been carrying for years.
"...I've never been good at waiting, Stevie Rae."
Stevie Rae smiled warmly and encouragingly.
"Patience takes practice, Aphrodite. Your schedule's free today. Might as well start now."
