I was still breathing heavily and my heart was still racing slightly when we pulled back into the store parking lot. I kept glancing out the windows expecting to see something or someone following us, but there was nothing but the night sky and a few cars that were probably headed home from the bar. I sighed trying to get a hold on myself. I hadn't actually seen anything out on the fairgrounds, but my intuition was telling me there had definitely been something there, something that apparently Marla could see. I saw Aphrodite turn around in her seat and glance at us her face filled with concern and about a million questions.

I sighed. I had wanted to go right back to the House of Night, but we still needed to get some things for Marla. She at least needed a change of clothes, blankets and some bathing products. I looked down to see her sound asleep against my shoulder, tears streaks still staining her cheeks. She was exhausted and I couldn't blame her. She had been on the run for at least three days and now this?

"I'll only be a minute," Darius said climbing from the car and locking the doors. Aphrodite had already called ahead to tell the store clerk all we were looking for along with Marla's clothes and shoe sizes.

"What the hell happened?" Aphrodite asked as soon as Darius shut the door behind him.

I shook my head looking down at Marla again. I still wasn't sure what had happened. She had been seriously freaked though, and once again I found myself thinking about the dreams. I could still clearly picture her running through the woods with injuries completely covering her body. "I think someone's after her," I said softly running my fingers through Marla's hair as she slept. In spite of everything that had happened tonight I was feeling oddly protective of her. Whatever was going on I wasn't going to let her face it alone.

"Did you see someone?" Aphrodite asked looking alarmed and glancing out the windows.

"No, but my skin was crawling," I said feeling myself shudder slightly as I thought about the feeling I had got in my gut telling me to get out of there as fast as possible. I looked back at Marla, "she was convinced that there was someone out there and…" I stopped short not sure if I should continue.

"And what, Zoey?" Aphrodite asked skewering me with her eyes.

I checked it over with my spirit and felt Nyx urge me to confide in Aphrodite. "When I was having the visions of her coming, they were…" I tried to think of the right words to explain it. "I think she was running from someone in them. She was extremely scared, just like tonight."

"Again, things you could have told me," she said glaring. "Did you tell Neferet?"

I shook my head, "no." I licked my lips replaying everything for the thousandth time. The running through the woods, the pain she had been in, the inhuman speeds, the strange creature, and the shimmering silver wisps that seemed to surround her. I sighed looking back at Aphrodite, "I wasn't sure what all was going on in the visions or what I was supposed to tell her. There were just too many little pieces that I couldn't fit together. I'm still not sure what it all means."

"Well what all did you see?" She asked slowly.

I sighed again and then launched into the whole story of everything I had seen and heard. I told her all about the voices I heard behind Marla as she ran through the woods her body aching. I told her about the strange silver wisps and the wolf-like creature as well as about Marla falling into the river as she tried to escape over the bridge. That all, of course, led into story of what all had happened when Marla showed up at the House of Night; how Darius had found her, which Aphrodite already knew, and how even after Neferet had healed her we still hadn't been able to get the truth out of her. I watched as Aphrodite's face went from intrigued to suspicious to slightly alarmed.

"So whatever was out there tonight, you think it was probably the same thing or same person that was after her in the dreams and in the visions," she stated simply.

"Yes," I said closing my eyes for a moment. "Aphrodite, she was extremely freaked out in those visions. She even thought that it would be better to drown in the river than to let them catch her."

Aphrodite frowned, her face slightly frustrated at not being any closer to figuring it all out than I was.

The door locks clicked and Darius opened the trunk lifting several bags inside. I noticed he had picked up a stunning blue bed set with beautiful swirl patterns, two pillows, a bag full of clothes, such as pajamas, jeans, a few tops and a couple pairs of shoes that I was certain Aphrodite had specified a need for on purpose. There was also a bag that contained a tooth brush, hair brush, hair ties, soap, shampoo, conditioner, towels and some simple make up.

"That should hold her over," Darius said climbing back in the hummer, "At least until we can get to her house and pick up her things."

"Thank you, Darius," I said glancing at the radio clock. It was already 3:00 am which meant classes were out. That was good. That meant I would be able to introduce Marla to her roommate and help get her settled in for the night. She definitely needed some rest and I was fairly certain that she and Jaylynn would hit it off pretty well.

"Do you think her family is going to be difficult?" Aphrodite asked casually.

"I don't know," Darius said shrugging. "Natasha informed me that her father is an elder of the People of Faith. And, they're certainly not making things easy on us right now."

My head shot up at this bit of information. Her father was an elder?

"We may have to go through the authorities to get her things," Darius continued shaking his head.

Aphrodite looked back at me wearing the same expression that I was sure was on my face. Could the People of Faith have something to do with the crazy visions, or with what had happened tonight? I felt Nyx stir within me and knew that it was more than that. There was something hidden within all of this, something that was making my hair stand on end and my stomach turn.

I looked back at Marla and then took in a slow steady breath closing my own eyes. I leaned back against the seat as Darius began driving, wishing more than anything that Advil worked on fledglings. I had a killer headache and with my luck this whole ordeal was going to leave me with a severe case of raging diarrhea. Darius turned the corner and I felt relief flow through me at the knowledge that we were heading back to the House of Night, back to somewhere that, for now, was completely safe.