I'm gonna be uber nice and update twice in one day!! JUST for you!! Plus I really want you guys to meet Brooke, she's really entertaining. Just WAIT until you find out who she's working for!!!!!!!!!! Lol 8^D p.s I 4got to mention in the story… oops!.... Kalona is now trapped by water, just like he was trapped by earth. Oops,,, I swear I put that in!!! :P

Okay, here's the story:

Zoey

It had been two days since we returned to the House of Night. No one was under Kalona's spell anymore, and everyone was really friendly to everyone, including Neferet, Stark and I. Even Becca smiled and said 'hi' to us. It had been all really nice so far, and I loved the fact that it all felt like it did before I even started to have my suspicions about Neferet.

Stark silenced my internal blabbing with a sharp arrow flashing past my head. With a loud yelp I jumped back and gawked at Stark.

"Why did you do that?!" I asked him stubbornly as I looked back at where the arrow had stuck to the tree behind me. I turned back to Stark and saw him with a cocky grin on his face.

"I wanted to wake you up from what you call 'thinking.'" He made air quotes with his fingers when he said 'thinking,' and gestured towards the arrow. I stormed over to the tree, ripped the arrow out of it, and snapped it in half. Stark made a sarcastic gasping sound and came over to apologize.

"Sorry, Zoey!" He said as he pulled me into a hug. I was just about to lean up to kiss him when someone cleared their throat behind us. I whirled myself around and saw Lissarillia, a small Spanish girl who was marked just before I was. She was standing next to a girl I hadn't seen before, and smiling widely at me.

"Hi Zoey! Hi Stark! It's great to see you back here!" Lissarillia bowed respectfully to me, and gave a flirty smile to Stark. I looked down at our hands that were entwined, and when she followed my gaze, she instantly apologized.

"Oh, goddess, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" She insisted. I shrugged indifferently and turned to the other girl.

"So who's this Lissarillia?" I asked politely. Stark smiled down at me, and I squeezed his hand, telling him to wait until later.

"Oh, right, oops! Uh, this is Brooke; she just transferred here from the Sydney House of Night, in Australia. She arrived today!" I looked at Brooke. I mean, really looked. Something was off about her. She had black hair that was in a glossy black bob, and she had dark, almost black, eyes, that seemed guarded and secretive. She wasn't tall, but not short either. She was wearing a short black dress with no straps, and tall black stiletto boots.

"So I just wanted to introduce her to you," Lissarillia continued, "since you're the fledgling High Priestess in training and all. Oh, and Stark, I know some people hate your affinity, but I think it's really cool!" I saw her look at the broken arrow in my hands and giggle. "What happened here?!" Stark smiled at me.

"I shot an arrow to the tree, but apparently she didn't like it!" He spoke in a fake hurt voice and I bumped him with my waist, grinning. Lissarillia laughed and waved her hands at Brooke.

"Well anyway, this is Brooke."

"Hi…. Zoey?" She said innocently. Way too innocently if you ask me.

"Yeah, it's Zoey!" Stark said enthusiastically, before I could reply to Brooke, and I smiled at him again.

Brooke snorted. "Wow, that Aphrodite girl was right. You guys verbally flirt so much!" She said, waving the thought away as if it meant nothing. That little…

"Yeah, you're right, we do!" I said as sweetly as I could manage. I could feel Starks confused look on my face, but I was too focused to meet it. I stared intently at Brooke, mentally calling the five elements to me. Wind, go to Brooke and mess up that fake hair of hers! I yelled in my mind.

Sure enough, a strong wind soon came and blew all of Brooke's hair up and around her face. She screamed in fright and ran for cover, though Zoey and Stark knew that wouldn't do anything. When my senses came back, I let the elements depart and smiled apologetically to Brooke.

"Sorry, Brooke. I have a short temper at the moment. I'm not really sure why. Sorry!"

"What the hell happened?" She yelled at me. I could tell I was looking at her like she was crazy, but I couldn't change my expression.

"Everyone knows, Brooke, even those kids in Canada have heard my stories! I have an affinity for all the five elements…" I trailed off. Surly she knew me! Everyone does! (Not that I like it…)

Brooke's expression was one of pure shock, but she stood up and brushed her shoulders off, then lifted her chin, regaining her composure. "Yeah, right. Sorry, I guess I forgot."

"How long did you say you've been marked?" I prompted. There was something about her. Something weird…

"I didn't!" She answered too quickly. "But I've been marked for five years, I think."

I nodded knowingly. So, I thought to myself, She'd experience bloodlust then… ha! Well we'll see won't we?! In one swift movement, I slashed a small cut in Stark's arm so that it bled, blocking the sweet scent from my nose, and pushed his arm up near Brooke's face. Her expression was a mask of disgust.

"Oh, what the hell are you doing?! You poor thing… Stark, right? Why did she cut you?! Ouch! Let me help you!" Brooke lifted a band aid out of her purse and tried to put it on Starks wrist, but when her skin met his, he gasped in surprise and pulled his arm back. I looked at him, and knew he understood what I had been doing. Why hadn't she been tempted?!

He gave me a look, and shoved his arm under my mouth. I traced the line of my fingernail mark with my tongue, and it almost instantly closed over. There was a trace of blood on my bottom lip, and I licked it up quickly, winking at Stark. When I faced Brooke again, she was freely gawking at me and Stark.

"What?" I asked innocently, "I thought you'd like a little taste of the best blood, since you're a sixth former and all, I thought you'd experience bloodlust…" I shrugged, nodded to Lissarillia, took Starks hand and headed for the girls' dorm.

Stark

"So did you feel it too?" I asked Zoey urgently. I had gotten this feeling about that Brooke girl. What does Zoey call it? Oh, right… A Vamp's intuition. Huh. Nyx had told her it would never lead her wrong… Huh again.

"Yes, Stark! For the millionth time!" Zoey threw her hands in the air and fell on her bed in exhaustion.

"Well, Zoey, I'm serious! That Brooke girl has real issues. Did you see her with my blood?! It didn't faze her at all! I mean, my blood psyches you out all the time!" I was obviously joking, but Zoey still frowned at me and pulled me onto the bed beside her.

Hmmmmmm, what will happen?? I don't know!! (well I do actually… cos I've already written it… but unlike I'm gonna update again!!! Hee hee The next chapter includes some angry Erik, some feisty Zoey, and some Zoey and Stark luuuuurrrrrving!!! Okay… stay tuned!!!

Luv NSF

:D xxx