Chapter 7: Aphrodite

"Our friends are waiting for us."Darius awoke me. "I believe it is time to awaken. The circle shall have been cast before long." I quickly shot out of bed and into the shower. Right after that, I brushed my teeth and dressed into an outfit that made me look sexy. A pair of cute black Stiletto boots, a sexy black short skirt, and a velvet black sweater. I felt really sexy in all black. I put on some lip gloss and totally not surprising, Darius was waiting for me right outside the bathroom door.

"You look beautiful today, Aphrodite." I planted a kiss on his lips and replied.

"Thanks. You look hot and handsome, as always." Together, we headed to the dining hall. On the way there, I was thinking about how awesome it was that the professors here had let me stay here with the fledglings and since I wasn't one anymore, I was totally excused from classes. So right after breakfast, I was gonna do some shopping and check on Stevie Rae.

I couldn't tell the rest of them about her. Not yet at least. I had checked on Stevie Rae and the few Red Fledglings who'd decided to stay with her and found her and a stupid Raven Mocker conversing in the tunnels, and I was surprised she couldn't hear me approaching. Apparently, they were imprinted, which made me sick. But I forced Stevie Rae to fill me in using my awesome powers of persuading. So now I knew about him. And I bet that is was Rephaim, no matter how good Stevie Rae thought he was, who decided to mess with all of us. I wasn't sure. But Stevie Rae practically begged me not to tell anyone about the stupid Raven Mocker. So I agreed, because she'd probably had a good reason for not mentioning him to anyone, whether it was embarrassment or not.

"Are you alright, Aphrodite?" Zoey asked. I snapped out of my thoughts. I looked around, and found myself in my place at the booth. I didn't even remember walking into the dining hall.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Everyone else was eating. I was going to eat later. Right now I wasn't hungry. "So, are you and Stark doing okay?" I whispered to her.

"Yeah. We are..." Zoey trailed off, obviously thinking about it a lot. I found myself chuckling to myself when the twins sent the every-second hateful remarks to me.

"What are you laughing about?" Shaunee snapped.

"I would say her reflection in the mirror, but she thinks she's too hot for the mirror." Erin and Shaunee burst into laughter, and I sent hateful glares to them.

"That wasn't funny, Erin, at all. That was a horrible comeback. Just damn horrible." I found myself shaking my head in pity at them. If they had something better to do than to say hateful things to me, I'd be surprised.

"It's not our fault," Shaunee began.

"That you're a weak human." Erin finished that sentence, and Shaunee began another one.

"Yeah. Vampyres are much stronger than humans like you,"

"Meaning that we're able to snap you like a twig." They both laughed again, and I decided not to say anything else. They'd just get started again. And I wasn't in the mood. Darius was right next to me, so I had to be lady-like around him, or whatever.

Suddenly, my head felt like it was about to explode. I couldn't see the present anymore. I knew that I was getting a vision, and one was coming into focus right now.

I was feeling tremendous pain. It was stinging pain, like the kind you get when you cut yourself. It was all over me, and I looked, seeing a whole bunch of cuts and bruises all over me. Everywhere I looked, I saw rainbow and black tattoos. They were too familiar, but for some reason, I couldn't tell who I was in this vision.

Something was slashing at me, but I couldn't see what it was. It was too dark surrounding me. There was only a large light that illuminated just me, and there were only shadows around me.

I think I was screaming, but I was in too much pain to know. And suddenly, a powerful voice rang out.

"Stop!" A male voice shouted. The slashing of me stopped. "I told you not to harm the Goddess!" He shouted at the one who was slashing me.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you. But she was-"

"No excuse is acceptable! I told you not to harm her, but you did anyway. You better hope that she's alive." The man who was speaking came forward, and I saw who it was. It was Kalona! He sighed in relief as he caressed my face in his hands and apologized. "I apologize for what my aprentice has done to you. I shall send Aya to allow you to heal quicker. Karissa!" He shouted at her. Karissa! She was the one slashing me?

"Yes...?" Her voice answered fearfully.

"Go find Aya. Tell her that the Goddess must be healed. And when you have done the errand, come see me," he glared at her, and that frightened me, even though he was sure as hell not angry at me. "As for you, Goddess, I wish to serve you."

"Aya? You mean...Zoey?" I found myself weakly responding. Kalona smiled and answered.

"Why, yes, Zoey."

"What is she-?" I started to say, but Kalona interrupted me.

"Shhhh...none of this matters right now. We need to focus on you healing. I will give to you anything that you desire." A smile flashed across his face. I suddenly felt better, and the vision suddenly dissipitated. I was back in the present. And in my room with everyone else.

"Oh my Goddess, Aphrodite, are you okay?" Marla rushed to me, tears streaming from her face. She'd never seen me and my visions, so it was obvious she overeacted.

"M-M-Marla," I stuttered. I stared at her in horror, suddenly remembered why the tattoos looked so familiar. "It was you!" Everyone gasped, and Marla's face reflected mine. She was truly afraid.

"Me?"

"Zoey! Something's going to happen! Something really bad's going to happen!" I suddenly screamed.