The sound of laughter filled my ears as a blood curdling scream sounded just a few feet in front of me. I swallowed closing my eyes as tears slid down my cheeks. I pulled at the bindings that held my arms but I was helpless to do anything but listen and watch. The bodies of the elders were strung around the room including the body of the step-loser. Their blood dripped to the floor covering the smooth stones of Nyx's temple. We had lost.
Another scream pierced the air around me causing my head to jerk up and my eyes to fly open. The scaly demon was only a few steps from me and I trembled as I watched him take one sharp nail and drag it through Lenobia's skin. She screamed and writhed as the creature slowly tortured her, his yellow sunken eyes watching her with obvious pleasure and delight. I saw the light slowly leaving Lenobia's eyes as she gave up the fight. The demon had its lips pulled back exposing its wildly sharp teeth. He drew closer to Lenobia's neck and I knew it was the end for her.
I tried to call fire to me, and though I couldn't remember, I felt as it I had already attempted this tactic. Warmth filled the room fighting against the icy fear that followed the demons. With a few whispered words I sent the element in Lenobia's direction watching as fire slammed into the demon about to dismember her. It roared I pain, its yellow eyes instantly searching the room and landing on me. I shivered, once again yanking at my bindings. The metal cuffs tore at my skin and I could now smell my own blood. I turned left and right as the demon approached me. I could see all of my friend's terrified faces as they watched the scene from their own chained positions. I knew I was going to die. There was no way I could possibly survive this. I had failed Nyx.
Nyx! The thought of her name jarred me from my sleep. I was covered with sweat and shivering from head to toe. I reached back brushing Nala's fur. She and the black kitten were both still asleep on my pillow completely undisturbed. (Must be nice.) I sat up looking around my room before putting my head down in my hands and trying to breathe. Aphrodite had fallen asleep on the spare bed, exhaustion evident on her peaceful features. We had spent most of the night/day discussing the details of her vision. Every detail was important if we were going to stop it from happening. Unfortunately our discussions had jst led to me creating twisted scenarios of my own. I shivered again as my mind replayed the dream. No! I shook myself fighting off the memories. We already had enough horrors to deal with without me creating more.
I sighed looking over at the clock. It was 6:00 pm and I probably wasn't going to get too much more sleep. There was too much to do and way too much to consider. We had a plan to defeat the demons, but whoever this vampyre was could stop us in our tracks if we didn't also somehow protect the Elders. The only way I knew to do that would be to have them with us when we started the spiritual battle, but for some reason I didn't think the Elders would go for that.
I growled in frustration.
"Ok, really, how can anyone sleep with you making animal noises over there?" Aphrodite sneered clearly annoyed from across the room.
"Sorry," I muttered still lost in thought. I climbed out of bed and began to pace while rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"Oh, yeah, that's quieter," Aphrodite said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She sat up running her fingers through her satiny blond hair. "How long were we out?" She asked looking at the clock.
"A couple of hours," I said softly. "Aphrodite we have to be missing something here. A vampyre is behind all of this, how did he get the Elders to follow him? They hate Vamps!"
She shrugged and I could tell by her expression that she was replaying the vision once more. She had gone through the details last night which hadn't given us much considering the demons involved had made the vision cloudy. Over all she had seen a vampyre slaughtering the Elders, their blood making the demons stronger as we attacked them through the spiritual realm. The Vamp man's hate mixed with the Elders blood had given them enough power to break through our defenses. (Hence my creepy dream!) That was where the vision had ended.
She looked back up at me. "I don't know, Zoey. All I can tell you was that he was confused and surprised. Whether that was over being turned on or the man turning out to be a vamp, I have no idea," she said shrugging again.
"Well we're not making any progress sitting here," I said rummaging through my closet for some clean clothes. I grabbed a plad skirt, black tank top and my marked third former sweater and was half way dressed before I remembered I had gone through the change last night. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Did I even still go to class?
My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on my bedroom door. I looked back at Aphrodite who had made herself comfortable on the bed once more and was reading a magazine. I shook my head and moved to the door.
Marla was standing in the hall dressed in jeans and a third former sweater of her own. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail and her makeup was elegantly done. I smiled at her and then sobered as I took in the shocked expression on her face. She must have realized she was staring because she shook herself and then smiled back.
"Umm, sorry to bother you," She said trying her hardest not to stare at my new purple marks. Might as well get used to it, I was going to be getting that a lot.
"What can I do for you, Marla?" I asked giving her an encouraging smile.
"Umm, I need my class schedule," she said quietly.
Ah hell. I had meant to do that days ago, but with everything that had happened it had completely slipped my mind. I had considered it and even thought up which classes would best suit her, but I had never actually written up the sheet to give her with her elective choices. I walked back into my room rummaging through my desk for a piece of paper. I found my notebook and a pen and began writing out the classes she was to take. Vamp Soc would obviously be her first hour, then she would need Spanish, literature, and then the other three would be her choice.
"These are the classes you have to take in the time slots you must take them," I told her handing her the paper. "The other classes are your decision but you must have two gym classes. You'll see your choices at the bottom of the sheet along with what time you can take them. The last class you can choose from music, drama or art, but with your talent for music I would be disappointed if you didn't continue to expand your gift's," I said giving her a little smile and feeling for the first time like I truly fit the roll of a High Priestess. My smile widened as I realized that this was going to be my life and that Marla was only the first of my fledglings that I would help grow and help to discover themselves and adjust to the new life Nyx had given them.
"I will," Marla said smiling back and then looked down as a soft meow sounded from the floor. I followed her gaze and almost doubled over laughing as a small black kitten attempted to climb up Marla's pant leg. "What's it doing?" she asked looking bewildered.
"I would say it's choosing you," I said picking up the kitten and handing it to her. "At the House of Night cats choose us and we belong to them."
"It's choosing me?" She asked eyeing the kitten as it curled up in her soft grasp. She grimaced, "What about the wolves?"
"She's your cat, so I'm guessing she won't mind their presence too much," I said softly. "Here,' I said turning back to one of the bags by my bed and grabbing a blanket, some formula, and an eye dropper. "She'll probably be hungry and I will get you a litter box for your room later today."
"Thanks," she whispered, but her gaze was focused on the small kitten sleeping against her chest.
"You're welcome," I said softly.
She turned to go and then looked back up at me a curious expression playing at her eyes. "Zoey?" She questioned as she once again gazed at my Marks, "Can I askā¦"
"I went through the change last night," I told her smiling a little when her eyes widened.
She laughed and then threw herself into my arms. "Congradulations," she whispered and then walked out the door.
"Well, that's one kitten down," Aphrodite said standing up. "Now if we could just figure out who the others belong to, I might be able to get my cat back!"
I shook my head at her as she moved to the door. "Just concentrate on finding a way to stop your vision today, ok?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"Great you already sound like a High Priestess," she said but her smile took the edges off her sharp tone. "When are you moving?" she asked.
"Huh?" I asked feeling confused for a moment.
"You went through the change. That means you won't be living in the student dorms anymore, so I'm guessing you're either moving to one of the apartments we have on campus or leaving the school. Either way it sucks that I'm gonna have to walk further to find you every time I have a vision."
"How did you ever manage when Neferet was your mentor?" I asked rolling my eyes.
"You forget," She said as she walked towards the door, "I kept most of my visions from Neferet back then so finding her wasn't really a problem. I'll see you downstairs, I need to try and make myself beautiful in the next twenty minutes," she said walking out into the hall shutting the door behind her.
I shook my head and then looked down at Nala who yawned and then laid her head back down on the pillow. I smiled softly and then looked around my room. I was moving today and this room would belong to someone else. I let my eyes travel over the walls and the furniture remembering the first time I had walked into this room to Stevie Rae and her Kenny Chesney poster. So much had changed since then. I sighed softly and then grabbed my purse heading downstairs myself.
I knew I would receive some sort of reaction when I reached the common room. I hadn't, however, expected the entire room to stop talking as I reached the bottom step. I stood there a second looking at all the awed faces and feeling like I was blushing ten different shades of red. Could I ever just be normal? No, probably not, and truth be told I really didn't want to be. I knew that all of my Marks were a sign of Nyx's favor. I exhaled slowly and then made my way across the silent room to where my friends were staring open mouthed at me, their breakfasts' completely forgotten.
"Ok, now that is what I call amazing," Shaunee said being the first to recover from her shock.
"Ditto twin," Erin said her mouth curving up into a smile.
"When did it happen?" Stark asked.
"How did it happen?" Erik asked and soon I was being bombarded with a hundred questions at once.
I held my hands up letting the room quite once more before I told them. "I went through the change last night," I said letting this new information sink in. "This is how Nyx chose to signify it," I finished looking at each of them.
"Well I think it's brilliant," Damien said beaming at me.
"I mean and really adding to your Marks wouldn't have been enough to Mark your change into an Adult Vampyre. You already have a million of them," Shaunee grinned at me.
"I agree, something extra special was definitely needed," Erin said.
"And there's never been a vampyre with purple Marks before," Jack agreed.
"But there's also never been a High Priestess of both red and blue Vampyres," Stevie Rae said softly smiling at me. Everyone fell silent again as I considered the meaning of her words. Purple hadn't been a random color choice of Nyx's. She had chosen purple to signify who I was. I blinked a few times trying to recover.
"Wow," Damien said, "I think you're right."
"Of course she's right," Aphrodite's voice found us as she came down the stairs. "She's also the first High Priestess of a human," she said smiling. "Her Mark had to be truly unique for that," Aphrodite said tossing her hair.
"I think it's beautiful," Stark said kissing my cheek lightly and then saluting me formally. I had to blink away tears as the rest of my friends followed his lead, bowing their heads slightly and fisting over their hearts.
"It just shows that if anyone can get us through all of this you can," Stevie Rae said in her Okie twang, but her eyes held a trust and confidence that filled my heart with warmth.
"Speaking of which we have some new information," Aphrodite said lowering her voice to a whisper. I glanced around the room noticing that many of the other fledglings were still listening in.
"Later," I said looking at my phone. Classes would be starting in a few minutes and I had to get to Neferet's office. There was a lot I needed to discuss with her least of all what I was supposed to do now that I had gone through the change, but more importantly Aphrodite's latest vision and what that meant for our plans. "Everyone needs to be at the temple as soon as school is out. We're going to cast a circle and we're going to start practicing linking our minds and using spirit to create. Everyone nodded and I grabbed a brown pop from the fridge taking a few sips before I left the dorms. I was thirsty and for the first time I realized that I didn't just want blood, I needed it.
Hey everyone! Once again I'm sorry it took me so long to get the chapter up, but I hope you all liked it and hopefully I'll have the next one up in a few days.
