I fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of my Grandma's lavender farm. It was like deja 'vu all over again when I was first marked. I could hear my Grandma yelling my name from her house, but I couldn't see her. I was lying down on the grass looking up towards the sun. The sun which I hadn't seen in what seemed like forever. Since being marked, my days have now turned into my nights and vice versa. I rarely got to see the sun, but I loved it. The smell of its glisten on your skin, the feel the warmth on your back. It reminded me of earth, the smell of freshly cut grass and freshly harvested lavender. Singing birds in the trees happy that it's a beautiful day.
A dark ominous cloud rolled in front of the sun and blocked its brilliant light. My hand that shielded my eyes from the suns blinding rays came down to my side as I watched the cloud stall over me. It was dark, pitch dark and smelled of rain. The thunder boomed its nearing warning as the storm rolled in. I noticed that all the singings birds around me stopped their chirping. I sat up to see the house my Grandma called me from was deserted and looked like it had been left unattended for many years. The boards were rotting on the outside, the large porch nearly fallen. The lavender field was dead, which broke my heart. Everything around me looked like death and destruction.
I noticed that a dark shadow had come from behind me. I looked up to see John Heffer, my Step-Loser and my Mom. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said with his arms pinned at his waist and a belt in his hand. A sinister grin crept across his face. My mother put her hand on his shoulder and looked down at me.
"Why, it looks to me like someone has done something very, very naughty!" my mother said as she shook her head in disapproval while looking down upon me.
I looked at them both, their eyes glowed a terrifying amber. "We could save her" suggested my mother once again.
"Why bother?" said my step-loser. "She is already damned. There is no saving her now"
I hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about, but I was sure it was going to be bad. I rose up from the ground and began to back away from them. Never turning my back for one second.
"It's worth a try, get her to drink it!" my mother hissed.
John took out a small vile of red liquid that looked very much like blood, uncorked the top and held it out for me to take. "Drink this? This is what you want right? Blood?"
"I would never take anything from you!" I screamed at them.
"Maybe you won't, but we know people who would! We will get to you either way Zoey Redbird, either way!" he said as my mother cackled behind him with delight.
"Zoey, wake up" a small voice said to me. I turned around to see no one there.
"Wake up!" the voice said once again. I looked around trying to figure out where it was or who it was.
"WAKE UP!" the voice screamed.
My eyes flashed open and I rose off the bed in such a sweat that I had to take several deep breaths in order to control my breathing. I turned in all directions to see no one in my bedroom. I slumped back on the pillow and looked over at the clock. It was 10 a.m. Way too early for me to be awake. I pulled my feet over the side of the bed and slowly walked to the bathroom to relieve myself. I made sure to splash my face with cold water before I headed back to bed.
I came out just as the sun had hit my window. I could feel its warmth on the floor of my room and it reminded me of my dream. I quickly threw on some sweat pants and a sweat shirt and went outside. It might be nice for a change to walk in the sun; I would get some sleep later. I didn't bother putting on shoes because I wanted to feel the fresh dew on the grass under my feet.
The sun felt so great on my skin. I felt like this was a new day, a new start, a new beginning. A new day full of new surprises and new wonders. I was excited for what this day was going to hold. This day was the day I was to be inducted as High Priestess of the House of Night and into the High Council. I was the youngest vampire ever to be inducted before the age of 18 and I wasn't even a sixth former yet. "Thank you Nyx for all the gifts you've given me" I raised my hands up into the air, tilted my head back, closed my eyes and just spun the sunshine. I took in deep breaths of sweet grass and flowery perfumes that filled the air. I spun in the earth's essence and flopped myself down on the ground looking up into the sky.
I looked up into the clouds to make out their shapes. Some were teddy bears, trains, but one in particular looked oddly like a face, a very familiar face. I sat up on my elbows and looked at the cloud that sparked my interest. I felt the wind blowing around me and left a small chill on my back that gave me tiny goose bumps up my arms. The wind kicked up some leaves and they came together to create the same eerie face that I had seen in the sky above.
"Zoey-y-y" the voice I remembered from my dream haunted me again.
I looked around to see no one outside but myself. The cluster of leaves continued to swirl around me and came to a small figure. A figure I was most certain that I was knew.
"Zoey-y-y" the small figure called to me. "Remember your dream"
"Jack?" I listened more carefully, almost certain that it was his voice I was hearing.
"Remember your dream Zoey. There is much truth in your dream" he said again.
"Jack!" I said again but only too late before he vanished and was gone. I had seen Jack, granted he was dead, but dead in a physical way, not in spirit. I was just visited by Jack's spirit. He was warning me. About the truth in my dream? Could he possibly be speaking about the vile that my step-loser tried to give me in my dream. The way my mom and him were acting? What truth?
I decided the best course of action would be to write down everything I remembered. All the details and then show it to Neferet before the ceremony tonight. Maybe she would be able to explain things to me. I went back into the dorms and to my room to grab a piece of paper and a pen so I could track everything that happened in my dream. Once I was finished I felt the tiredness pull me again. I went to my bed, stripped my sweats off and fell back asleep.
I had another dream. This was much different than the first. This I was a witness to something going on, instead of feeling I was immersed somewhere. I was in a dark wooded area. You didn't see these types of woods around Oklahoma. These are woods you would see in the Northeast or even in the Northwest of the United States. Thick and tall trees that reached almost into the night sky. I had never seen trees so large.
I turned my head when I heard a rustling in the grass. I searched the tree line but saw nothing but darkness. In the distance I heard a growl, not knowing what it came from or where. I felt the bones inside me start to shake and my body becoming ridged. Off all the things to become scared of. The rustling was louder now, seemed as though something large was coming towards me. I turned in order to run to find a young girl flying through the woods. She had gone straight through me. She was being chased by what looked like large hairy beasts that I couldn't even begin to describe. They looked the size of buffalo, but they ran with the swiftness of wolves. The young girls breathing was labored as the beasts closed in on her. She tripped and fell forward. The first creature leaped and landed right ontop of the young girl. I turned my head just as he snapped at her face and took a chunk of it with his mouth. The rest of the pack with him continued in devouring the poor child right in front of me.
I woke up screaming, screaming and crying for the young girl mercilessly murdered in front of me. I opened my eyes to see Stark on my bed trying to restrain me. "Zoey, Zoey!" he cried. "Wake up, please baby wake up!"
I kicked and screamed not able to get the visions out of my head. Once I was calm I broke down and cried in his arms as he rocked me back and forth in comfort, rubbing my back and resting his cheek on my head trying to sooth my fears. "What on earth were you dreaming about?" he pulled my face to his and brushed the hair out of my face.
"It was horrible James! Oh my lord it was horrible!" was all I could say before throwing myself into his chest again to cry.
"I felt your distress; I came as quickly as I could. Even Shaunee and Erin along with Aphrodite and Stevie Rae were racing to your room, they all heard you screaming." Stark explained.
I looked past him to see the Twins, Stevie Rae and Aphrodite just waiting by the door, "Is she ok?" said Stevie Rae.
Stark turned around, "I think so, hey you guys, give us a minute ok?"
Everyone cleared out but Aphrodite who spoke up, "Oh no, I'm not leaving until I find out what happened. If I'm her consulate, I better be here!"
I eyed Aphrodite as I hadn't told anyone else though and Stark just looked at me, "You chose her?"
"Yes, I did. It was a wise choice. She knows everything, all my secrets, everything I've been through, it was the best decision." I said very sure of myself even though still frightened from the dream I had.
Aphrodite sat at the end of the bed behind Stark, "What was the dream about?"
I told them both all about the dream, every detail, I even told them about my first dream and how I went outside and thought I saw Jack, now I was convinced this was all a dream, that I never went outside.
"Zoey, your feet are filthy! If you didn't go outside, then I'm calling my maid to clean your room!" Aphrodite pointed out.
I pulled my feet up and sure enough, there was a bit of dirt on the bottom where I was walking across the courtyard. I gasped, "Maybe I did see him!"
"I think your one flew over the coo coos nest to me. You probably just thought you saw him. Jack is gone, he's not coming back" Aphrodite said.
"No, really, I swear I saw him, but it wasn't him, it was in the shape of Jack, I swear on it!"
"Did he say anything to you?" asked Stark.
"He said 'There is much truth in your dream'"
Both Aphrodite and Stark scratched their chins thinking of what that could possibly mean. "About your parents?" asked Stark.
"Yes, I came back to the dorm, wrote down every detail of the dream and went back to sleep, then that's when I had that nightmare."
"Well, one of the High Council members is a dream specialist. They might be able to help us. Especially if a High Priestess is being plagued with nightmares." Pointed Aphrodite. "Plus, we need to get you up! Busy night tonight High Priestess!"
Aphrodite pulled me out of bed and onto my feet, "You can use my shower if you want to relax a bit. I have some lavender soap and stuff that your Grandma sent me. That should help. I'll take care of all your prep!"
"Since when have you been nice?" Stark asked.
"Only when I want to be…which don't get your hopes up, it's not often" Aphrodite giving him a smug look.
Before Aphrodite whisked me off to her room Stark grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "If you need anything, just send me a mental message and I'll come right away, okay? Just because we aren't together, doesn't mean I don't love you and care about you. Try to relax and I'll see you later." He gave me a light kiss on the cheek and then left the room. I smiled because he understood that even if I couldn't figure the whole thing out with him and Erik, I still cared either way and I was glad he cared too.
Soon after Stark left Aphrodite and I were bombarded by the Twins and Stevie Rae. With all the questions I was forced to relay all of the nightmare and dreams and visions of Jack that I had with them all. The portions about Jack really caused a stir with the Twins and Stevie Rae.
"You…really saw him?" Shaunee stuttered.
"Yeah, what Twin said"
"It wasn't really HIM, it was like air and earth were pulling together to form his shape, with his voice and he spoke to me. But it didn't look like you were talking to him like old times. It was like he was a force of nature."
"Do you think he could just be apart of nature now?" Stevie Rae asked. "I've been feeling a stir with Earth lately since Jack passed."
"It's possible, but no way to really know without talking to Neferet or another member of the High Council." I said.
"Ok nerd herd, we can continue this in my room where I'll be getting Zoey ready or you can leave." Aphrodite butted in. "Either way, we've got to get her ready for tonight, Zoey needs lots of relaxation and rest, and of course prepping to look emaculate for tonight!"
"Awe, how sweet of you Aphrodite! I didn't know you could lower yourself to a hairdresser" Shaunee teased.
"Do you do nails too? I need a manicure" Erin said as the Twins slapped high fives at their teasing.
"Die Dorkimiese Twins!" Aphrodite spat back at them.
Stevie Rae just shook her head, "It's never going to quit, you know that right?" she said to me.
I just rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I'm getting used to it."
All of us left my room and headed down the hall to Aphrodite's room where she had food brought up for the Twins and herself and lots of wine and blood for Stevie Rae and I so we would feel refreshed and new. She even had someone come in to do nails and toes. It was a girl's time and I enjoyed every bit of it. It actually helped me to forget everything that had gone on in my dreams, which was a good thing. The only thing I wanted to feel at my induction was excitement, not worried or scared or nervous. Nervous, yeah, I guess I would be anyways.
