I opened my eyes and saw the sun beating down on me. I stretched in its warm light. The sun soaked rock underneath my back released its warmth into my stressed muscles. I hadn't realized how tense I was.

"Raven."

I turned and saw my mother standing beside the rock, or my mother from my first life. Jeesh, being reincarnated is so confusing sometimes. I sat up.

She frowned. "What are you doing?"

I frowned. "Um, sun bathing?" I gestured to the sun.

"I meant, what are doing at the House of Night?" She asked. "You shouldn't be anywhere near where your father has set up base."

I took a deep breath. I doubt things would turn out well if I snapped at my first mother.

"No one told me that and I was hurt and Zoey's group thought that it would be the best place to take me because of the ice storm." I said.

My mother took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I guess I haven't explained things to you well."

"No, you haven't." I said coldly.

"You must understand, it's difficult for me to contact you in your dreams and sometimes I think I've told you things I meant to tell you, but evidently I didn't." She said softly.

Guilty swam in my stomach. Maybe I was a little harsh on her. I mean, she looked younger than me right now. She probably had no idea what she was doing either.

"You have extraordinary gifts and your father intends to use your gifts to achieve his goals." She said.

"I kinda got that vibe from him." I said.

She looked at me, her dark eyes extremely intense. "You and A-ya must leave as soon as possible."

"A-ya?" I asked. And then a lightblub went off in my head. "Oh, you mean Zoey."

She nodded. "With one of you at his side he would be difficult to defeat, but with both of you he would be unstoppable."

A shiver went down my spine. "But what's so special about me?" I didn't bother mentioning Zoey. The girl was obviously pretty special. "I'm just a silly little girl."

My mother opened her mouth to say something else, but she suddenly stopped and her image wavered.

"Mom?" I asked. What was happening? The entire dream space looked like it was buckling.

"You must escape the House of Night. The fate of the world depends on it."

Eesh, sure just drop a bunch of pressure onto a teenage girl, no problem. Nothing bad will happen, no not at all.

The world started dissolving. Was I waking up? Fear stabbed my stomach. Was I dying?

I bolted up right in the bed. Snap stared at me from the foot of the bed, her little fuzzy kitty body tense. I swear she breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I woke-up.

"We have to leave." She said.

"Yeah, I got that vibe." I swung my legs off the bed and tugged on my boots. I carefully stood up and looked at my leg like it was going to a trick or something. But even better than it doing tricks was the fact that it didn't hurt hardly at all.

"You better hope we don't have to run, I don't think your leg would be too happy if you did that." Snap said, or telepathed. I guess she's not really speaking.

I walked quickly to the door and grabbed the knob and turned it. I pressed against the door, but it stayed shut. I shoved my shoulder against. I could have sworn I had to push it open. I changed tactics and pulled it. It remained shut.

A horrible feeling engulfed me. I was locked in.

I rammed against it in panic and then kicked it, and yes I kicked it with my bad leg.

"Let me out!" I banged my fist against the door.

"Stop Raven. You're just letting whoever is guarding you know that you're awake." Snap hissed.

I collapsed on the floor suddenly dizzy. I couldn't breathe properly.

"You're fine! Focus! We need to get out of here before your father gets here." Snap said. She bit me on the hand.

"Ow!" I smacked her nose like I use to do her when she was younger to let her know biting was a no-no.

"You have Zoey's cell number. Call her!" She sounded a little bit peeved about getting smacked on the nose.

I stood up, my legs shaking, and I stumbled over to the trash can. My jeans were on top of the pile along with my Eeyore hat.

Okay, now it's war. No one throws away the Eeyore hat, no one.

I tugged it onto my head and dug into my pockets. I pulled out my cell. I stuck my hand down my bra and pulled out the piece of paper with Zoey's number. I tapped in her number and pressed the phone against my ear.

Snap sat by the door, ears turned toward it with eyes on me.

The dial tone hummed in my ear.

"Come on!" I said. "Pick up your phone Zoey." I went over to the door and turned the knob, you know, to make sure that it hadn't magically unlocked itself while I rescued Eeyore.

"Raven!"

I almost cried out with relief at her voice. Someone who could get me out of here! I felt almost giddy. Ugh, I need to make sure I don't get locked up in hospital rooms anymore.

"Zoey! I'm locked in the infirmary." I checked the door again. Nope, still locked. I kicked again. It stayed smugly in place. Arrogant piece of wood!

"I can swing by and get her out." Stark's muffled voice said.

"Raven, Darius told me you healed him."

My mouth went dry and I swallowed painfully.

"Aphrodite told me she thinks you're somehow related to Kalona."

My breath caught in my throat.

"Tell her." Snap hissed. "You won't be able to keep this a secret much longer."

"Raven, you should tell her." Stark said. I hate it when people gain up on me. It just wasn't fair.

"Tell me what?" She sounded like she didn't want to know.

Tears slid down my cheeks, I'm not sure why though. Dammit! I'm a girl! I can fucking cry whenever I want to!

"This isn't…I mean…" I took a deep breath. "I'm Kalona's daughter. Or I was a in a past life, but I died the night I was born, or murdered I guess." I blabbered on. "But I guess even in this life, I'm still his child."

I stopped, waiting for her to say something.

"You both have the same colored eyes." She muttered. "But why aren't you, you know, birdy?"

I bit my lip. "I can talk to animals, in my head, and my cat says that the beast that possesses my-the Raven Mockers-has manifested itself in my ability to communicate with animals." I rubbed my cheeks and sniffled. "I'm sure why I'm the only one, human looking." In between my shoulders blades suddenly throbbed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I just couldn't come in terms with the fact that he's my dad." I said. "Or that I'm related to those Raven Mockers."

"I don't think I would have acted any differently." Zoey whispered.

I chewed my lip. Did she know she was the reincarnation of A-ya? Should I tell her?

"Listen, we're meeting in the stables. Stark's on his way to break you out."

I nodded. "All right."

"See you in a bit."

"Bye." I hung up feeling sort of empty, probably because I had been worrying so much about how they would react to me and now I've found out I was worrying about nothing.

"I told you." Snap said.

I stuck out my tongue at her. God, she could be so annoying sometimes and sad to say that I was probably stuck with her for life.

I groaned at the thought. She's only been talking, or telepathy-ing, at me for a couple days and she was already annoying the crap outta me. I guess that's why cats don't talk.

"Raven?" A muffled once terrifying rapist now okay guy voice asked.

"Who else would it be?" I asked. I picked up Snap and clutched her to my chest.

"Stand back."

I stood back.

There was a wooden bang and the door flew open, banging against the wall and making me jump. Stark was on the other side and was wearing a hat.

He grinned at me. "Nice hat."

I shook my head and Eeyore's floppy ears smacked my head. "It's better than yours."

Then I noticed something different about him. Blood red lines curled around his face and they looked a lot like arrows. I grabbed the brim and slid it up.

"Oh my God! You've-"

He clasped a hand around my mouth. "Sh. I'm pretty sure there are Raven Mockers hanging around here keeping an eye on you and it's probably not a good idea for them to pass along I've Changed." He whispered really softly.

I nodded. He took his hand off and hurried down the hall, away from the front entrance. I hurried after him.

"There's a staff type of entrance in the back. You can slip through that and walk to the stables without any problem." He said.

"Kay."

Stark opened the door of the staff entrance. "The stable is that big building right there." He pointed at a huge stable looking building.

"You mean the building with the fencing and cantering horses?" I asked sassily.

He sighed. "Yes. Now go!" He gave me a little push.

I quickly walked down the sidewalk, trying to not look like I was doing was I was trying to do. The pathway was clear of ice halfway to the stables, which meant I could focus on listening for wings instead of trying not to fall and bust my tiny butt.

I walked into the stabled and immediately felt safe. I don't know what it was about stables, but they were comforting. I heard a couple of females talking down the aisle.

I walked swiftly down the aisle and stopped when I spotted Zoey.

She turned and smiled at me. "Hey Raven. Nice hat."

"Thanks." I looked up at a vampyre with white hair, gray eyes, and a sapphire tattoo that looked like plunging horses.

"Lenobia this is Raven. Raven this is Professor Lenobia."

Lenobia's eyes widened when she looked me in the eye.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking and you're right." I mumbled. I set Snap on the stall wall.

"I thought Kalona's children were only Mockers." She said softly.

I shrugged. "I'm a freak."

"You are not freak." Zoey said.

"Yes I am. I'm the only daughter of a fallen Immortal. The rest of my siblings are half-bird, half-man mutants. And this isn't my first life." I said.

"You are different." Lenobia said sternly.

The mare Zoey was brushing turned her head to look at me. Her ears flickered and she whinnied softly. Lenobia looked at the mare.

"She's confused." I said. "She senses that I'm one of her, one of the herd, so she's confused by the fact I look like I'm human."

Lenobia blinked at me and Zoey stared at me like I just spoke Latin.

"I have powers. I can heal and I can communicate with animals." I said. I turned to Snap. "I thought you guys had to speak to me."

Snap shook her head. "We can communicate with feelings as well."

"You've been gifted generously." Lenobia said.

"But why? I'm just a child." I said.

"I ask myself that question every day." Zoey said.

"Hey guys!" Damian said shaking icy rain from his hair. Aphrodite, Erin, Shaunee, and Darius were close behind.

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at me. "So?"

"So what?" I asked back not sure why she was angry with me.

"Hey I didn't notice this before, but now that I think about it," Damian started. "You have the same color eyes as-"

"Well-" Shaunee started.

"Shit." Erin finished.

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm Kalona's child."

Darius looked sharply at me. "How?"

"I was born a hundred years ago or whenever Kalona first came to Earth." Great, I made him sound like an alien. "But I was killed the night I was born." I shrugged. "So, my mother, or my first mother, says that Nyx thought I deserved another chance at life since I didn't really get a chance in the first place."

"Huh?" The Twins asked.

"My mother from my first life, the one Kalona impregnated comes to me when I'm dreaming." I said. I stroked Snap's head. "And my uncle from that life came back as a raven."

Damian whistled. "I've read a lot about reincarnation, but it's different from actually being able to talk to someone who remembers."

I smiled at him. He was such a nice guy. "I don't remember anything. I died after I was born."

"Why?" Aphrodite asked sharply. I don't think she trusts me.

"My grandfather was afraid I would end up like my father or my brothers." I said.

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Makes sense to me. I don't trust you."

"Enough." Zoey said. "Raven's never done anything to make us distrust her!"

"Then how did that Raven Mocker find us?" Aphrodite asked. "Why is it that she shows up the very night Kalona arises?"

"Because a fledgling friend of mine invited me." I said bristling. "I didn't know anything about Kalona until Zoey told everyone about him down in the tunnels. I didn't even know he was my father until my mother visited me and told me."

Snap hissed. "Just because she didn't see Zoey getting hurt doesn't mean she should blame the event on you!"

I stared straight at Aphrodite. "My cat thinks you trying to blame me for the Raven Mocker because you didn't see Zoey getting hurt."

She flinched.

"I'm not trying to diss your Goddess, but the future's to delicate for Her to send you a vision for every bump in the road." I said. "Who knows why that Raven Mocker showed up, it's not anybody's fault." And it really wasn't mine. I don't want anything to do with those creatures.

Darius took her hand and gave her a look. She sighed.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm feeling pretty useless because I didn't see that accident."

"You're not useless." Zoey said. "Raven's right. Nyx can't tell us about everything."

Lenobia nodded. "We are not puppets of the Goddess."

"I have a bit of a concerning question," Shaunee said. "Your cat told you something?"

"I can communicate with animals." I said for the hundredth time today. Jeesh, maybe I should get a shirt or something. "So yes, my cat told me something."

"Cool, you're like Eliza Thornberry, only with better hair and teeth." Damian said.

"And I don't think I make animal sounds when I talk to them." I said stroking Snap's spine.

The Twins chuckled and Zoey and Lenobia smiled. Aphrodite and Darius were the only ones who looked at me with caution.

I hoped that there wouldn't be a reason for their distrust.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Umm, hello? Anybody there? I know I've been gone for a while, but I've got a new chapter for you all.

And sorry if anybody's offended by the fact that Aphrodite and Darius are sorta picking on Raven. I just figured they would be the most likely to be the ones uneasy about Raven being Kalona's kid.

As always, love you readers and reviewers! I 3 U!