"Zoey! We were…." Aphrodite flung herself at me in a tight embrace, totally NOT like Aphrodite. "Who's your friend?"

"Aphrodite, this is Maurelle. She's…ugh…different, but a new fledgling here. I'm going to have her room with Coraline, since they are both new, I figured they would be perfect together" I said and Maurelle nodded her head, sheepishly shy I see.

"Oh hunny, did you take your fashion tips from the Hot Topic magazine? That look is so not good for you" Aphrodite looked at Maurelle and turned up her nose.

"Hot Topic?" Maurelle looked at me.

"Don't worry, Aphrodite is hateful and she loves to pick on people. But she does have a point, we are going to need to get you new clothes" I said. "You can't go around here in latex booty skirts with your boobs hanging out"

"Well, some guys might like that look, but it really doesn't do with those green eyes and those…." Aphrodite froze and pointed her finger towards Maurelle, "Her ears…why are her ears pointed?"

"Can we come in my apartment and we can discuss this?" I said as I pushed open the door past Aphrodite to see all my friends sitting on the couch looking like they had worry written all over them.

"Z!" The Twins screamed as they came running towards me with a huge hug. Damien and Stevie Rae all joined in. From the Kitchen came Neferet and Erik who also hugged me as I came in the door.

"Everyone, this is Maurelle, Maurelle, this is….everyone. Neferet, she is my mentor, like my mother, Erik, the drama professor, and very gifted actor. Damien, I swear the smartest kid in the whole school, but don't get your hopes up, he runs for a different team" I smiled, Maurelle just looked confused.

"Different Team?" her eyebrow raised. "What does that mean?"

"Nevermind…these are the Twins….though, it's obvious they aren't Twins, but mentally….well, you'll figure it out sooner than later, Stevie Rae, she was my old roommate and my best friend, and of course you've met Aphrodite already"

"Hello" Maurelle said.

"Ugh, Z, not to point out of the obvious, but is there a reason why her ears are so pointy?" Damien said.

"Yeah, I think the nerd herd is finally picking up on that!" Aphrodite sarcastically said.

"Screw you Hag" Shaunee attacked.

Maurelle reached up to her ears and touched them with a new look of worry setting on her face. "Nerd Herd? Hag? What are these words?"

"Ok, ok, everyone, just please sit down and let Zoey explain" Erik calmed everyone down. "Take a seat, come on, move it, move it" he sounded like a drill instructor.

"Why is her Mark Green" Neferet touched Maurelle's face.

"I'm not strange" Maurelle blurted out. "I know your all thinking that, but I'm not!"

"No one said your strange honey" Neferet calmed her.

I leaned over to Neferet, "She's a very strong Psychic, so she can hear your thoughts"

"Ahh….we have a very gifted one here don't we" Neferet said. "Be mindful fledglings, and vampires, we have a psychic in the room" she smiled warmly, just like the motherly smile I'd always loved and adored on Neferet. "Be not weary child, for I am a powerful psychic as well, I share your burden"

Maurelle blushed and nodded as she sat on the odd shaped chair in the sitting area by the big windows.

"Maurelle is not human, nor was she ever" I started. I got weird looks from everyone, including Neferet. "Maurelle is from the Fae Realm."

Everyone gasped, as did Neferet as they all retched away from her. "What did you do Zoey?" Neferet spat.

"Don't you know they are dangerous!" Erik screamed.

"Z, are you sure she's safe?" the Twins asked.

"Yes, I know she's a Fairy, yes, I know they are dangerous, hello, I've been there! And yes, she is safe" I patted Maurelle's hand which began to sweat. "Maurelle helped us escape. She is actually one of the last fairy princesses left in the realm. She helped us free, not only Heath, but Ate, and about 8 other vampires and fledglings that have been missing since before Kalona. The Queen has been entering our Realm and kidnapping them. All this time we thought it was Neferet" I looked over at her, "Sorry, but it wasn't her, it was the Dark Queen. And yes, she is VERY dangerous."

"Where are her wings?" Stevie Rae asked, always asking the obvious. "Aren't Fairy's supposed to have wings?"

"I did, but they fell off and withered when I came here and was Marked by your Goddess." Maurelle said. "I was afraid to go back, I will be killed, I had no where to go. Zoey had told me to come with her. So I lead her to this Realm, back home and that's when we saw the Mark of your Goddess in Green on my head" Maurelle touched the outlined crescent moon.

"It's green though" Damien commented.

"Yes, I know that. I think I know why" I said. "I think because she's of Fae blood. She's not a human, though her mother was half human."

"Now I know why she looks familiar" Darius interrupted, I hadn't even noticed him in the room. "It was told that several centuries ago, the Realm of the Fae was a peaceful one, ruled by the Great King Oberon and his wife, Queen Titania. Titania was the seventh daughter from an Eastern land, which no one had ventured. She had seven daughters. Each had special gifts. The seventh daughter was able to walk between realms, but on the eve of her wedding day, she disappeared and was gone for 500 years. You are Princess Tania's daughter?"

Maurelle's eyes widened. "I did not think that text existed of our time before the Dark Queen"

"There isn't, except for this" Darius handed her a book with rich leather binding.

"My mother's soul book! Where did you find it?" Maurelle's eyes filled with tears.

"Believe it or not, Nyx gave it to me several years ago and told me to hold onto it and that one day, I would find purpose in its text and give it to the one which it belongs. I've had it with me ever since."

"How did you read it? Only my Aunt Sancha could read the text from other soul books" Maurelle asked.

"The text appeared to me like any other book, I wasn't aware it was only for those to which it belonged" Darius answered. "However, I think then the book wanted me to see"

Maurelle hugged the book close to her, "Thank you"

Darius nodded to her and smiled. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes and stood next to Darius and clung on him like a doll. Geesh, jealous much?

"Anyways, Maurelle is here, and obviously I'm not going to let her go back, and it's obvious that Nyx has branded her for a reason." I concluded. "Maurelle has many gifts, and maybe, with all her Fae gifts, Nyx might bless her as well. I'm going to have her room with Coraline too. I want you all to make her feel welcome."

"Well, sorry that we might have freaked out on you, I'm sure you know why we would be cautious, but welcome" Damien gave her a warm smile.

Maurelle nodded her head. "Thank you"

"Yeah, we can be big mouths some times" Shaunee admitted.

"That's right Twin, we totally put our foot in our mouth this time. Welcome Maurelle." Erin said. "By the way, where did you get that outfit? Seems like someone needs a makeover!"

"Ohmygod Twin, I was thinking the same thing!" Shaunee said excitedly.

"Makeover?" Maurelle asked me with worrying eyes.

"It just means they are going to dress you up in nicer clothes, do your makeup and your hair…and these two, know all about shoes too, so you can get rid of those boots" I whispered to her. I looked at Maurelle's face and she was beaming.

"A makeover it is then!"Maurelle said as she stood up. "Come, I am anxious to see this makeover process"

"Awesome!" Shaunee said as she twined her arm around Maurelle's. Erin joining on the other side.

"No worries Z, we'll get her situated in her new room with Coraline and next time you see your friend Maurelle, she'll be a drop dead bombshell"

"Dead bombshell?" Maurelle's eyebrows clinched together with an very worried look on her face.

"It means you'll be beautiful" I told her. "Remember she isn't totally familiar with all our wording, so you might have to explain things to her"

"No problem Z!" The Twins said as they raced out of the door, giggling and skipping down the hall. Maurelle was in good hands with them.

Everyone started to rise to leave. Damien gave me a big hug and walked out of the door. I could sense that he was becoming increasingly lonely since Jack died. If only Jack would appear to Damien instead of just me. Aphrodite took Darius's hand and started to lead him out of the room before he stopped her right in front of me. "I think you have done a right thing by bringing her here, however, I fear that her presence will invoke many dangerous things to come."

"Sadly, I think your right" I said remembering the Dark Queen's scream as we stepped out of the Fae Realm. "Please alert all other Sons of Erebus to be on the watch for anything or anyone suspicious on the grounds. I need to know immediately of any new fledglings or persons visiting on the grounds."

Darius nodded and turned to leave, I caught his arm and whispered, "But don't make a big to do about it, I don't want to freak the students out. I want it to seem like everything is normal"

"Yes Priestess" he turned and bowed to me with his fist over his heart. Aphrodite just smiled and tugged at him to follow her again.

The last ones left in the room were Stevie Rae, Erik and Neferet. I popped myself down on the couch and flung my arm over my head with an "Ugh"

"Zoey" Neferet called. "What happened earlier this evening?" I remember that her and Erik were not in the room when we had the terrifying tornado thingy and I was sucked into my Spirit painting by Erebus.

"It's a really long story. To sum it up, I was summoned by Nyx through Erebus to come to the Divine Realm, which, is where I saw not only Jack, but Stark"

Erik's ears perked up when I said his brother's name, "He was with Nyx?"

"Supposedly he is training with Erebus to be a mighty warrior. I don't know, but from what he told me, he'll be back soon enough, so I'm not worried" I said very none-chalantly. "Anyways, Erebus took me to the Fae Realm and we were going to search for Heath ourselves until the Dark Fairy Queen tracked us down, which was all my fault. Anyways, Maurelle was head of the prison and has been pretty much a slave to this evil Queen for centuries. She told us how to break their amber prisons and free those who were there. We were actually only told to take one, the person we were looking for, but then we saw all these young kids, and other fledglings, vampires, we couldn't help but to help them all."

"Sounds like a complicated journey" Stevie Rae butted in.

"Very" I said exasperated. "Long story sort, the Queen found out we released the others, Maurelle can walk through realms so she took us out of there and now the Queen is looking not only for her, but for all of us. And she's NOT happy and she is NOT someone I would want to see again" I shuddered thinking about what she looked like, that creepy thin skin with the metal like bones sticking out all over.

"Was it awful Z?" Stevie Rae asked. "What was the Dark Queen like?"

"Awful is an understatement. She was creepy. Like, Death. She was the scariest thing I've ever even dreamt about. Makes my skin crawl to think about it"

"You don't think she'll come into here will she?" Erik asked.

"I have no idea" I admitted. "But I think we should take precautions just in case"

All three of them nodded and stood to leave. I couldn't help but to ask before they left, "How is my Grandma?"

"She seems to be doing better, but she's still sedated. She's been having awful dreams while you were away" Neferet said as she touched my shoulder. "Do not worry, Erik and I are tending to her and we will make sure nothing happens to her. Now, get some rest Zoeybird, you haven't slept in a while" Neferet kissed my forehead and walked out of the room. Erik right behind her.

"She'll be fine." Erik said as he took my hand and squeezed as he left, I could see the sadness in his eyes as well. Why was everyone so sad? I could understand Damien, but why Erik? Had it been because of us, I called after him.

"Erik?"

He turned around and stopped in the hallway signaling for Neferet to go ahead of him as she stopped as well. "Is something wrong Z?"

I thought about it for a minute and decided, no, I need to let him go and be his own person and I can't keep chasing after him all the time. It was only confusing for him and for me. "Nevermind" I shook my head and walked back into my apartment where Stevie Rae was raiding my fridge.

"Wow Z, you got a lot of good stuff in here!" she said as she stood up from the fridge with two bags of blood in her mouth and an armful of food. "Here" she tossed the blood bag over. "Your going to need it"

"I know I could. Man…it's been a long day" I said as I went limp in the chair by the dining table.

"I can only imagine. What was it like in the Fae Realm?" she asked curiously while sipping on her blood bag.

"It was beautiful. Like, how Earth might have been thousands of years ago, whenever it was first made. Breathtakingly beautiful"

"And Nyx?" she asked.

"Beautiful as always. Jack really seems to like it in the Divine Realm"

"You know Damien misses him hardcore. It's like he's not the same guy anymore. He's not even reading his books anymore like he used to. I'm really worried Z."

"What do you mean?" I asked worriedly.

"I mean like, Damien is acting weird, ever since Jack…died."

"Well, duh, I was acting weird and not myself when you died" I admitted giving her a look.

"I guess your right. I just worry too much. My momma calls me a worry wart because I worry so much"

I chuckled, "Yeah, you are" I took another long sip of my blood and I could feel the drowsiness consume me. "Hey, I don't mind if you stay here, but I really have to get some sleep. I haven't slept since day before yesterday and I'm exhausted"

"Sure thing, you go on to bed and I'll just watch some TV if that's ok. If you need anything just ask."

"Thanks, I think I'll be fine, I just need to lay down" I got up from the chair and walked down the hall towards my massive bedroom. I closed my bedroom door, stripped off my clothes and just flung myself into bed, not even caring to put on my pajamas. The bed was soft and comforting, as if it was enveloping me in it's warmth and I fell asleep faster than I think I've ever have before.