Chapter Four

Where Do I Go From Here

Even in an unconscious state I could feel the pain stabbing along the width of my forehead. It was like a thousand wasps were stinging me. The pain, which used to be bearable, was getting worse, if that was possible, and heat was added to the bite of the stinging pain, like a white-hot iron, it burned me. Just like before a weird feeling hit the pit of my stomach- but in a more concentrated form, the only difference was that this time the feeling had a voice to go with it as well.

"Your fate awaits you- you will resist to no avail. Resistance is not meant for the Chosen." The voice was beautiful.

With that the voice began to fade. While the words had swirled around me the stinging pain had ebbed away until, finally, only sharp warm prickles remained. I could tell that I was gaining consciousness and until then I was going to stay limp. Although the pain that had shot through my temples had receded, my stomach was still in knots that rolled back and forth, like the tide.

I was anxious as I lifted my head. I had expected to find myself lying on the ground as Jasmin ran to get Nirall and Katelin, but of course Jasmin would never leave me alone when I needed her support- no matter how much I changed. I awoke to find myself clutched in her grasp to keep me from falling to the concrete. I looked into her eyes to see emotions playing across them like a fast-motion movie. I could plainly see shock and fear on the surface, but I could also see relief and determination. What was wrong with her? Maybe she was going crazy. Why would she look relieved at the fact that her best friend had just been Marked into the life of a monster? I realized that she was waiting for me to speak because all of those emotions vanished and were replaced by a look of pure confusion. She gave me her worried questioning look. She was clearly wondering if being Marked automatically made you a mute, unless you Changed.

I looked back down and it hit me. The knowledge that I shouldn't, couldn't, be here was so powerful that I gasped in surprise. Jasmin's hold on me tightened in response and as I looked to her face, new tears in my eyes, she seemed to understand immediately because her eyes widened in wonder and, with a jerk of sadness, she began sobbing. An unexpected calm started radiating through my body, as I tried to comfort her while pouring over the situation.

I had always wondered what it was like to be Marked, we all had. You got to restart your entire life and not as some chubby, slobbering baby but as a semi-adult. I suspected that was why we were chosen to be Marked when we were seventeen- by that point you should have a tiny bit more sense. I would get to choose a new name and go to the House of Night of Tulsa. Unfortunately, that was the closest House of Night. Deandre Clausford had been Marked two years ago and was sent there so it couldn't be that bad since she stayed. (Deandre had been a complete and utter snob.)

Jasmin's sobs had quieted by the time she looked back at me and hiccupped:

"W-what are you gonna do n-now?" She had a look of fear on her face and I could imagine why. Most everybody in the universe was scared of vampyres. They had freakish abilities that could help the world but they also could be used for so-called "evil". (Yeah right, adults make up "little white lies" all the time- they're probably just jealous.)

"I have to go to the House of Night. That always has to happen." At first she looked surprised, like the fact that my being able to talk was amazing but her eyes darkened into grave sadness and fear as she took in what I was saying. Then suddenly as it all sunk in she became almost… mad.

"What do you mean go there? You can't, you belong here with us. They can't just take you away."

"Umm Jasmin. Yes. They can actually. I have to go with them no matter what. You and I both know that if I don't go now I'm gonna reject the Change and die." She flinched at my statement and then blanched as she realized that I would truly have to go.

"But you can't just leave us," she said in a faint voice, just barely above a whisper, "We were gonna start our junior year together. Oh, and did you forget Brian Rogers? He was just starting to really like you. We were gonna have lunch off campus, new boyfriends, new lockers, new textbooks, new everything." I looked down. She was so fragile. She had always been like a sister to me and I was to her as well. It had always been that way. Always.

"How are we even gonna talked to each other when those crazed people keep you locked up in that school 24/7?" She thought about that for a minute. "We're supposed to be best friends for life but were closer than that we're sisters for life. How are we gonna stay sisters if you leave?" Like always she was in tune with my every thought. I used to tease her about it saying that it wasn't going to help her with her grades but now it just made me sad.

"We always have been sisters. Nothing's gonna change that even if I am going to change. We're not gonna fade apart like everyone else who goes to the House of Night does. We are going to stay in touch- you, me, Nirall, and Katelin. All of us. And Brian was only flirting so he could make me jealous; anyway he does it with half of the girls in our grade now, nothings going on anymore with us. Nothings going work that out." I mumbled and then laughed at the impossibility of the thought of trying to have a relationship while studying 'History of Bloodsucking'. I could just imagine how much pain that would make him relive.

"I don't see how that's going to work." She ignored my laughter and her lifeless voice cut through it.

"We have to try at the very least." I tried to sound normal but her phrase had pushed it out of me. Just then she became aware of how hallow her voice sounded and how I had responded to it. She rearranged her face into a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Yeah, we have to try." She tried to sound hopeful but it came out sounding depressed.

I got up and pulled her to her feet. She looped her arm through mine and we walked to the main building to show tell the administrators why we weren't in class and show off the new Mark that adorned my face. Just as we rounded the corner to the building Brian Rogers stepped from the building carrying a tardy slip. He opened his mouth to greet us but stopped dead in his tracks as soon as his eyes lifted to my scarlet Mark.

Yeah, yeah , I know this chapter wasn't that great. Please, give me a break I wrote it at school during like math class or something. For 45 minutes of boredom it wasn't that bad…

Please review. I want to know if I should keep writing.

-Morgan Brooke