I walked back to my room quietly contemplating everything. I didn't know what to think. I had suspected there was something different about Marla since the day she arrived, but could she have been responsible for injuring her class mates? That didn't seem right. Sure, Marla had been out on the grounds and I was certain this time that I had not just been imagining the silvery wisps, but I didn't get the sense that she was evil. I never had felt that she was evil, just secretive, which in and of its self was frustrating me. She may have not brought harm to those fledglings, but I knew she knew who had. Her eyes had told me at least that much when she had looked up at me.
My cell phone rang and I let out a happy sigh as I looked at the number. "Hey grandma," I said sounding drained. Her call couldn't have been more perfect. She was the one person in all the world that I could always talk to without feeling judged. It had been too long since I had heard her voice and I realized I hadn't told her anything that had been going on in the last few weeks.
"Are you all right, my u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya?" My grandma asked her voice sounding concerned. "You sound troubled. Aphrodite hasn't had another vision has she?"
"No, although that might have helped us," I said frowning "Her visions haven't been very clear lately and she's been getting extremely annoyed about it. Natasha's been helping her through it though and she actually had a vision the other day that she was able to control."
"That's wonderful," my grandma said proudly.
I tried to sound just as happy but my "yeah," came out a little too softly and a little too distracted.
"What's going on there?" My grandma asked her voice turning troubled.
"Four fledglings were attacked tonight," I said softly picturing their bodies lying in the infirmary. There had been more than just cuts and bruises and one of the girls actually had some internal bleeding.
"Are they alright?" My grandma asked sincerely.
"Neferet is seeing to them," I said quickly to ease her worry, "but, we don't have a clue as to who's behind this, but the injuries were," I stopped sighing again. "Familiar," I whispered realizing why they had given me an eerie feeling earlier. They looked just like Marla's when she had shown up at the House of Night. I wondered if Neferet had noticed.
"Familiar how?" My grandma asked drawing my attention back to our conversation.
"A girl came to the House of Night a couple days ago with the exact same injuries; only I just now realized they were the same. Which means whoever was after her also attacked the group of fledglings tonight," I said thinking out loud.
"Then perhaps this other girl can give you some answers," my grandma said wisely and I wished it were that simple.
"Her name is Marla, and actually I'm her mentor," I said resolutely.
"Mentor, that is a big job," my grandma said encouragingly.
"I know, but there is just so much going on with her and it's like the more I try to figure it all out, the more confused I get. I just don't know what to do. She was out there tonight, not with the kids, but out on the grounds and I just don't know what to make of it. I don't think she was a part of anything, but I also think that maybe she might have some information about what happened," I babbled quickly.
"If you think she knows something, daughter, then you need to confront her," my grandma said seriously.
"I know," I said again, "but it's more complicated than that," I whispered not sure how to explain the visions or what I had seen tonight.
"Zoey, what else is there?" my grandma asked me sensing my apprehension.
I sighed, "Neferet made me her mentor because I was the one who saw her coming. Nyx showed her to me, only I didn't know at the time that I was having the dreams because eventually Marla would be Marked. In the dreams," I began slowly, "she was running and she was terrified. Her body hurt and she was covered from head to toe with cuts and bruises like the four fledglings tonight."
"Oh, Zoeybird," my grandma gasped.
"That's not all," I said carefully. "Grandma there was something strange going on even then. When I saw her in the dreams she was still human, but she was running extremely fast. It almost reminds me of how the Son's of Erebus run," I said thinking about the few times Darius had carried me across campus in less than seconds. "But even running that fast, whoever was after her still seemed to be catching up to her."
"What else was going on in the dream?" My grandma asked and I could almost picture her eyes narrowing.
"She seemed to be surrounded by these strange silver wisps that flew around her. It was like watching silver wind fly around her, but it seemed like it was a part of her as well. And she wasn't alone. It looked as if a wolf was running with her," I said trying to picture the creature. "It appeared in the silver taking on the form of a wolf, growled and then disappeared only to reappear ahead of her, as if it was leading her," I said thoughtfully.
"Zoey, I need you to consider carefully that this girl may have a connection to the spiritual realm," my grandma said thoughfully.
"You mean you think she has an affinity for spirit?" I asked feeling confused. Our circle was complete. It seemed weird that Nyx would give someone a spirit affinity on this campus.
"Perhaps," my grandma said, "but, I'm talking about being connected to the other world that surrounds us. Zoey, you grew up learning the Cherokee teachings, you know that there are many beings in this world that we cannot see. Throughout our culture there have been many stories of those who were able to see and converse with the spirits. It may be that your Marla is one of them."
I was stunned to silence. That actually seemed to fit. "So you think that the wolves are actually spirits?" I asked trying make all the pieces of the puzzle come together, although there was still a lot I needed answers to.
"Wolves are often thought of as the messengers between the spiritual world and the natural world," My grandma said wisely. "If she does have a connection to the spiritual realm then it would not surprise me that she has wolves near to her. They are great protectors and very loyal to their pack which is like their family."
"So she would have a gift of sight in a way?" I asked still confused on exactly what having a connection to the spiritual realm meant.
"Yes, but she may also be able to become spirit, which would explain the inhuman speeds you saw," my grandma said softly.
"And how she was able to sneak away the other night without anyone seeing," I said observantly.
"Daughter, I must warn you that if it is spirits you are dealing with you may be in more danger than you realize. You know that we are not always able to tell when a spirit has come against us until it has already begun," my grandma said solemnly.
I nodded to myself knowing she was right, "I need to talk to Marla."
"Take care, Zoeybird. Your goddess has not left you defenseless, and neither has your heritage."
"Thanks grandma," I said smiling a little. "I love you."
"I love you to, my u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, and I'm always here if you need me."
I sighed again as I hung up the phone. It was time to get some answers.
I walked down the hallway determinedly. Grandma was right, if there were spirits out there then we needed to know and we needed to be ready for them. I stopped outside taking a deep breath and then knocked on the door. I heard stirring and then timid footsteps as someone approached.
"I saw you out there," I said as soon as Marla opened the door. I looked around her to make sure Jaylynn wasn't in the room and then walked in closing the door behind us. I tuned back to her examining her liquid eyes. Her expression was calm and resigned. "Marla, what's going on?" I asked her. I took her by the shoulders and gently sat her down in front of me. "I need you to tell me the truth. Do you know what happened out there tonight?"
She looked at me studying my expression. I expected a yes or no answer, but her response surprised me.
"When the goddess Nyx came to me," she began quietly meeting my eyes steadily and I could tell in that moment she had decided to trust me, "and said I would be Marked in only a matter of days, I knew what that meant. That meant I was going to die," she said quietly, her eyes turning sad and I could see the pain she had been hiding beginning to break through. "That's how it works. If they find out you've been Marked they kill you before you can turn into a vampyre."
"What?" I asked not quite understanding what she was telling me, or how this had anything to do with the four fledglings that were now in the infirmary with Neferet.
"The Order of the Righteous," she whispered. "They hide among the Elders, but they are not of the People of Faith. At least not completely. They've broken off and formed their own sect. they consider themselves the ultimate judges of right and wrong. They're really good at fooling people, but I know the truth. She grew quiet for a moment looking off toward the window. "They believe it is their job to purge the world of all evil," she said, her eyes becoming hard and distant, "beginning with their own family."
I felt my stomach turn, "What did they do, Marla?" I asked softly.
Her eyes seemed to focus again as she turned to me, "Maddie was the first," she said a tear sliding down her cheeks. I remembered Maddie. She was the first fledgling who had rejected the change before she even made it to the school. This confused me more. I didn't understand how it was all related.
"She was so scared when she first got Marked. She knew her parents would be angry," Marla continued staring off into space once again as if she were seeing a whole other world than the room in front of us. "Her parents called in the elders for prayer. Everyone was there, including my family. They put oils on her and asked for forgiveness of her sins."
I shook my head in disbelief. The scene she was describing was all too familiar to me. My mom and the step-loser had had a similar reaction to my being Marked, only I hadn't waited around for the elders to pray over me. I had snuck out the window and ran to my grandma's lavender farm.
"When none of that worked, they had one of their secret 'elder meetings,'" she practically spit the words. "They came out with some sort of medicine, something that was supposed to help. But, it didn't help," she looked at me her eyes filling with hatred as she recalled the memory. She took in a shaky breath as another tear fell from her liquid brown eyes, "a few hours later the coughing began. As it continued to get worse her parents decided that no one was allowed to go into Maddie's room. I heard her crying out, Zoey," she said looking at me with such turmoil I could practically feel the pain spilling from her soul. "She was begging for help, but they said that only God could help her now. They left her up there all alone! I couldn't help her," she whispered. "It wasn't long and the coughing stopped and when we went up there Maddie was lying on the floor," Marla said, her tears flowing freely now. "She was covered in blood; it even looked as if she had been crying it."
I pulled Marla to me trying to sooth her as she sobbed in my arms. Her body shook as she clung to me, her fingers wrapping in the fabric of my shirt while she cried. We sat like that for several long minutes, me comforting her while she cried. Finally she calmed down, her breathing once again becoming normal. "Marla," I whispered softly, "I need to know what happened next."
She pulled back using her hands to wipe the tears from her face. "A few weeks later it happened again to another church member's daughter. They prayed for her too, but it didn't help. They soon decided to try the secret medicine," she sneered. "Katie died a few hours later." She looked at me and I understood.
"They were poisoning them," I said slowly and she nodded. I swallowed forcing my stomach to be still. The poison wouldn't have killed them directly the way it would a human, but it would've cased their body to become weak from trying to fight it off and then eventually sick. Without a coven their bodies would soon have begun to reject the change. I felt my eyes widen as another thought occurred to me. Jacob's father was an active church member. This would explain what Neferet had found in his blood after he returned from spending the day with his family.
"They were saving their children's souls," Marla said her face twisting in disgust. She shut her eyes, squeezing them as tight as she could for a moment and then letting out a slow breath she opened them. "It's not about God anymore," she said shaking her head. "It's about their rules, their laws, and what they think is right."
I could see that. I had always wondered about the difference between Sister Mary Angela and the People of Faith Elders. How could they possibly worship the same God? It never occurred to me that maybe they didn't, that maybe the Elders had strayed.
"When you found out you would be Marked," I began for her.
"I ran," she said simply. "But they already knew what was going on," she said smirking at the irony.
"How?" I asked confused. Nyx had warned her that should have been enough. Unlike us the People of Faith weren't highly intuitive.
"Nyx told me she would give me a gift so that I might survive even though I was still human. It was a gift that would allow me to escape and to truly see what was going on around me. She placed a hand over my heart and I shut my eyes as an icy liquid began to flow through me. When I opened them she was gone and I could see all kinds of things I couldn't before." She gazed at me intently almost willing me to believe her. "Hideous creatures surrounded me house, unlike anything I had even seen before. Some were big and some were small, all of them were terrifying." She grew quiet for a moment, almost thoughtful. "I locked my door just before my father got up the stairs. He pounded on it demanding that I allow them to try and 'save' me. I knew I didn't have much time. Somehow he already knew everything that had gone on. I jumped out the window and started to turn. That was worse, because the spirit like creatures were waiting for me. I had barely made it to the edge of my yard when they grabbed me."
She continued, "Their nails tore into my skin and everything became a blur as they beat against me. But, the thing I remember most clearly is my parents closing all the doors and windows and pretending as if it wasn't even happening. I kicked and screamed and faught as hard as I could. I thought I was going to die, the pain was so bad," she shook her head remembering. "In desperation I cried out for help, hoping anyone would hear me though I had no clue what they would be able to do against creatures they couldn't see. I wasn't expecting what showed up."
"The wolves," I said softly finally beginning to understand what I had seen in the visions.
Her eyes flashed to mine in surprise, "yes," she said blinking in confusion.
"Nyx shows us when a fledgling is going to be Marked. I saw you coming, I just couldn't figure out what I was seeing," I explained.
She sighed nodding.
"What happened next?" I prompted.
"I quickly began to learn the power Nyx had given me," she said once again becoming trancelike as she remembered the events she was describing. "I could become spirit, and enter their world. I could travel at amazing speeds and even effect the earth around me."
"Earth?" I questioned.
"Everything on this planet has a spirit," she smiled slightly. "Spirit allows you to create." She held out her hand palm up and I watched amazed as a flower appeared and bloomed in her hand out of nothing. She passed me the silky flower and I gazed at it astonished. It was unlike any flower on earth, orangish red with long peddles like a lily, but definitely now a lily. "They can create weapons out of nothing," she said softly causing my eyes to lift from the flower. "They can cause the atmosphere around you to become unsturdy or unsafe or just different," she sighed. "I attempted to do the same when I ran, but it was the wolves that saved me. The wolves fought them off so that I could get away."
I nodded. The pieces all seemed to be falling into place.
"They're growing stronger," Marla whispered. "They're growing stronger and they're surrounding the school. Demons," she said staring out the window and I felt the familiar chill sweep down my spine. "They thrive on power," she explained looking back at me. "That's how the elders convince them to join them. Vampyre blood is extremely powerful, even fledgling blood can make them stronger. The more that is consumed, the more that is spilt the more powerful they will become until they are eventually no longer just spirits, but hideous monsters that are able to walk among us. We've already seen that they can do damage enough in spirit form because the barrier that held them back has been removed."
"By the Elders," I finished for her appalled. I could feel the alarmed expression on my face; feel my lungs expanding at a faster pace than normal. These were more than just spirits; they were demons as she had said, creatures that should exist only in the darkest realms of the earth. Could humans really be so stupid as to believe that these spirits wouldn't eventually turn on the later? Did they not understand the evil they were releasing? No, they didn't, because they couldn't see past they're hatred for us. (And really, why did people keep feeling the need to release dark forces that were better left trapped?)
"So the night at the fairgrounds?" I asked.
She nodded, "They were out there. I sent the wolves out after them just like tonight."
I shook my head. I knew she was telling the truth. I could just feel it in my gut. "Out of curiosity, what happened after the bridge broke? I saw you fall in and it looked like you were having a hard time even staying above water."
"I was. It hurt, everything hurt, so swimming was very hard for me. I could feel the last pieces of my energy leaving my body when a hand reached in and pulled me out. I was terrified that it was one of those creatures, but it wasn't. It was a Vampyre. He Marked me and left and I stumbled my way towards the House of Night knowing it was my only chance at surviving."
"That's why I stopped seeing you," I said in understanding. We both jumped as my cell phone went off. I flipped it open relieved to hear Starks voice on the other end.
"Hey, where are you?" He asked, worry filling his voice.
"In Marla's room." I glanced at her quickly and then continued, "Can you round everyone up? We need to have a meeting. I'll meet you in Nyx's temple in five."
"Ok," He said simply. "Just don't leave until I come to get you. It's not safe out there right now."
"Trust me, I know," I whispered and shut the phone.
