WolfGoddess77

CHAPTER TWENTY

I was going to have to talk to Neferet. I thought about it as Stevie Rae and I rushed through breakfast the next morning. I didn't want to tell her anything about my supposed strange reaction to the elements—I mean, I hadn't been lying to Stevie Rae. I could have imagined the entire thing.

We all know you didn’t imagine it; stop the faux humility.

Speshul Snowflake: 160

What if I tell Neferet and she makes me take some kind of weird affinity test (in this school, who knew?) and she finds out that I don't have anything other than an overactive imagination? No way did I want to go through something like that.

Why? At least you would know for sure one way or the other. Your aversion to telling anyone anything just makes you look even more stupid than you already are.

 

I'd just keep my mouth shut until I knew more about it. I also didn't want to say anything to her about thinking I might have seen Elizabeth's ghost. Like I wanted Neferet to think I was psycho?

If she’s the understanding, responsible adult that she’s supposed to be, then she wouldn’t call you names and make fun of you, hurting your widdle baby feelings. Besides, you already know the supernatural exists. If vampires and prophetic dreams and visions of the future are real, why can’t ghosts be real, too? You need to talk to someone about this, and your absolute refusal to do so makes me want to repeatedly slam your head into the ground in an attempt to knock some goddamn sense into it.

Neferet was cool, but she was an adult, and I could almost hear the "it was just your imagination because you'd been through so many changes" lecture I would get if I admitted to seeing a ghost.

So you would get lectured. Big deal. You’re making it sound like having that happen would be tantamount to the world ending.

And how hilarious would it be if the Elizabeth-ghost turned out to be extremely dangerous? Zoey refuses to tell anyone, and because of that, Elizabeth comes in and kills everyone because they were unprepared. No, this doesn’t happen, but a girl can dream, and it would be so damn funny.

But I did need to talk to her about the bloodlust thing. (Yeesh—if I liked it so much why did the thought of it still make me feel queasy?)

It’s a mental thing, you moron. Up until two days ago, you were human. You would have looked at a cup of blood and thought it was disgusting, not a yummy snack. That mindset isn’t going to go away overnight. Actually, I shouldn’t say that, because Zoey is a Mary Sue, and creators of Mary Sues tend to like to smooth out any problems for their characters, so you might very well get over this extremely quickly.

"Ya think she's going to follow you to class?" Stevie Rae said, pointing to Nala.

I looked down at my feet where the cat lay curled, purring contentedly. "Can she?”

"Do you mean, is she allowed?” I nodded.

"Yeah, cats can go anywhere they want.”

I hope no one in the school is allergic to cats. I honestly think they would sooner kick out the kid than ban cats from going wherever they wanted.

"Huh," I said, reaching down to scratch the top of her head. "I guess she might follow me around all day then.”

"Well, I'm glad she's yours and not mine. From what I saw when the alarm when off, she's a serious pillow-hogger.”

I laughed. "You're right about that. How such a petite girl could push me off my own pillow, I do not know." I gave her head one more scratch. "Let's go. We're gonna be late.”

Normally this would be cute. I know what it’s like to be pushed out of bed by a pet. Even small ones somehow manage to take up a ridiculously large amount of space. But because I hate this fucking cat, I am not charmed.

I stood up with my bowl in my hand, and almost ran smack into Aphrodite.

Watch where you’re going, Your Royal Rudeness. And no, I am not talking to Aphrodite.

She was, as usual, flanked by Terrible and Warlike. Wasp was nowhere to be seen (maybe she'd taken a shower this morning and melted when the water touched her— hee hee).

Hee hee, fuck you.



I’m seriously going to smack a bitch if this keeps happening.

You Judgemental Bastards: 142

Aphrodite's nasty smile reminded me of a piranha I'd seen at the Jenks Aquarium when my biology class went there last year on a field trip.

You Judgemental Bastards: 143

Name Drop: 66

"Hi, Zoey. Gosh, you left in such a hurry last night I didn't get a chance to say bye. Sorry you didn't have a good time. It's too bad, but the Dark Daughters isn't for everyone." She glanced at Stevie Rae and curled her lip.

"Actually, I had a great time last night, and I absolutely love the dress you gave me!" I gushed. "Thank you for inviting me to join the Dark Daughters. I accept. Totally.”

Aphrodite's feral smile flattened. "Really?”

Don’t worry, Aphrodite. The more time you spend around her, the more chances you have to dispose of her. Just make sure it looks like an accident.

I grinned like an utterly clueless fool.

That shouldn’t be hard for you.

"Really! When's the next meeting or ritual or whatever—or should I just ask Neferet? I'm going to see her this morning. I know she'll be happy to hear how welcome you made me feel last night and that I'm now a Dark Daughter.”

You’re laying it on a little too thick, there, Zoey. Pettiness can work, and it can work well, but not the way you’re doing it.

Aphrodite hesitated for just a moment. Then she smiled again and matched my clueless tone of voice perfectly. "Yes, I bet Neferet will be glad to hear you've joined us, but I am the leader of the Dark Daughters and I know our schedule by heart, so there's no need to bother her with silly questions. Tomorrow is our Samhain celebration. Wear your dress," she emphasized the word, and my smile widened. I'd meant to get to her and I had. "And meet at the rec hall right after dinner, four thirty A.M., sharp.”

"Great. I'll be there.”

"Good, what a nice surprise," she said slickly. Then, followed by Terrible and Warlike (who looked vaguely shell-shocked), the three of them left the kitchen.

Would you use their actual names? You’re being extremely rude.

"Hags from hell," I muttered under my breath. I glanced at Stevie Rae, who was staring at me with a stricken expression frozen on her face.

"You're joining them?" she whispered.

Do you see what happens when you don’t bother to explain things, Zoey? You could have at least warned her.

"It's not what you think. Come on, I'll tell you on the way to class." I put our breakfast dishes in a dishwasher and herded the too quiet Stevie Rae out of the dorm. Nala padded after us, occasionally hissing at any cat who dared wander too close to me on the sidewalk.

Jesus…I hate that cat.

"I'm reconnoitering, just like you said last night," I explained.

You call that an explanation?

"No. I don't like it," she said, shaking her head so hard she made her short hair bounce crazily.

"Have you never heard of the old saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'?”

"Yeah, but—”

"That's all I'm doing. Aphrodite gets away with too much crap. She's mean.

So are you.

She's selfish.

So are you!

She can't be what Nyx wants for a High Priestess.”

And who are you to judge that, Miss High and Mighty?!

Stevie Rae's eyes got huge. "You're going to stop her?”

"Well, I'm gonna try." And as I spoke I felt the sapphire crescent moon on my forehead tingle.

Speshul Snowflake: 161

* * *

"Thanks for the cat things you got for Nala," I said.

Neferet looked up from the paper she was grading and smiled. "Nala—that's a good name for her,

Speshul Snowflake: 162

For Zoey being praised for giving her cat one of the most popular names, rather than choosing something that actually is a bit more unique. I think Zoey could have called her ‘Shitstain’ and she still would have been praised.

but you should thank Skylar, not me. He's the one who told me she was coming." Then she glanced at the orange ball of fur that was impatiently twining between my legs. "She's really attached to you." Her eyes lifted again to meet mine. "Tell me, Zoey, do you ever hear her voice inside your head, or know exactly where she is, even when she's not in the same room as you?”

I blinked. Neferet thought I might have an affinity for cats!

Speshul Snowflake: 163

"No, I—I don't hear her in my head. But she does complain at me a lot. And I wouldn't know about whether or not I know where she is when she's not with me. She's always with me.”

"She is delightful."

No, she is not. She’s a Mary Sue, and I loathe her.

Neferet crooked a finger at Nala and said, "Come to me, child.”

Instantly, Nala padded over and jumped up on Neferet's desk, scattering papers everywhere.

Wow, what a rude bitch! You can’t tell me she didn’t know exactly what she was doing.

Normal kittens are clumsy, and do things like this all the time. They trip over themselves, make messes, knock things over, and are just generally adorable little pests. But here’s the thing. They’re babies. They’re still trying to figure out their bodies, and they don’t know any better. It’s forgivable, and often quite cute.

Not this cat. I guarantee you that she did that on purpose, just because she could.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Neferet." I grabbed for Nala, but Neferet waved me away. She scratched Nala's head, and the cat closed her eyes and purred.

"Cats are always welcome, and papers are easily reorganized. Now, what is it you really wanted to speak with me about, Zoeybird?”

Her use of my grandma's nickname for me made my heart hurt, and I suddenly missed her with an intensity that had me blinking tears from my eyes.

Oh, really? Nice of you to remember her now, when just a day ago, you were all “grandma who?”

"Are you missing your old home?" Neferet asked softly.

"No, not really.

“Fuck them all; they can die in a fire for all I care.”

Well, except for Grandma, but I've been so busy that I guess I just now realized it," I said guiltily.

The fact that you forget and remember things when it’s most convenient for you does not make me feel even the least bit of sympathy. It makes me believe you’re a self-absorbed whore.

"You don't miss your mother and father.”

It wasn't like she'd said it as a question, but I felt that I needed to answer her. "No. Well, I don't really have a dad. He left us when I was little. My mom remarried three years ago and, well…”

"You can tell me. I give you my word that I will understand," Neferet said.

Which makes Zoey’s aversion to telling her anything even more ridiculous.

"I hate him!" I said with more anger than I'd expected to feel. "Since he joined our family"—I said the word sarcastically

Which implies that you hated them all even before he joined the picture, and I fully believe you did. Maybe not your mother, but your brother and sister for sure.

— "nothing has been right. My mom totally changed. It's like she can't be his wife and my mother anymore. It hasn't been my home for a long time.”

"My mother died when I was ten years old. My father did not remarry. Instead, he began to use me as his wife.

…yeah, I’m not even gonna touch that one.

From the time I was ten until Nyx saved me by Marking me when I was fifteen, he abused me." Neferet paused and let the shock of what she was saying settle into me before she continued. "So you see, when I say that I understand what it is to have your home become an unbearable place I am not just spouting platitudes.”

"That's awful.” I didn't know what else to say.

"It was then. Now it is simply another memory. Zoey, humans in your past, and even in your present and future, will become less and less important to you until, eventually, you will feel very little for them. You'll understand this more as you continue to Change.”

Bold of you to assume she felt anything for them to begin with. Because she seriously didn’t. She ignored Kayla, she was constantly judging Heath, she hated her sister, she looked down on and sneered at her brother… She despised every single one of her family members except for her grandmother.

There was a cold flatness to her voice that made me feel odd, and I heard myself saying, "I don't want to stop caring about my grandma.”

"Of course you don't.” She was back to being warm and caring again. "It's only nine P.M., why don't you call her? You can be late to Drama class; I'll let Professor Nolan know that you are excused.”

…or you could wait until classes were over, and let her call her grandmother then.

Speshul Snowflake: 164

"Thank you, I'd like that. But it's not what I wanted to talk to you about." I took a deep breath. "I drank blood last night.”

Neferet nodded. "Yes, the Dark Daughters often mix fledgling blood with their ritual wine. It's something the young like to do. Did it upset you greatly, Zoey?”

"Well, I didn't know about it until afterward. Then, yes, it did upset me.”

Neferet frowned. "It wasn't ethical of Aphrodite not to tell you before.

ZOEY COULD HAVE FIGURED THIS OUT FOR HERSELF IF SHE WASN’T STUPIDER THAN A HALF-ROTTEN HEAD OF LETTUCE!

You should have had a choice about partaking. I'll speak with her.”

I’m so tempted to nail this with a Snowflake point, specifically because I get the feeling that Neferet wouldn’t have given a damn if this had happened to anyone other than Zoey, but that’s just a suspicion.

"No!" I said a little too quickly, and then I forced myself to sound calmer. "No, there's really no need. I'll take care of it. I've decided to join the Dark Daughters, so I don't want to start off by looking like I set out to get Aphrodite in trouble.”

Except you do want to get her in trouble.

"You're probably right. Aphrodite can be rather temperamental, and I trust that you can take care of it yourself, Zoey. We do like to encourage fledglings to solve the problems they have with each other among themselves whenever possible." She studied me, concern obvious in her face. "It's normal for the first few tastes of blood to be less than appetizing. You'd know that if you had been with us longer.”

Here we go…

"It's not that. It—it tasted really good. Erik told me that mine was an unusual reaction.”

Speshul Snowflake: 165

Neferet's perfect brows shot up. "It is, indeed.

Speshul Snowflake: 166

Did you also feel dizzy or exhilarated?”

"Both," I said softly.

Neferet glanced at my Mark. "You are unique, Zoey Redbird.

Speshul Snowflake: 167

Dear god, this hurts. This hurts a lot.

Well, I think it would be best to pull you out of this section of Sociology, and move you into a Sociology 415.”

"I'd really rather you didn't do that," I said quickly. "I already feel like enough of a freak with everyone staring at my Mark and watching to see if I'll do something weird. If you move me into a class with kids who have been here for three years, they'll really think I'm bizarre.”

Speshul Snowflake: 168

Neferet hesitated, scratching Nala's head while she considered.

"I understand what you mean, Zoey. I haven't been a teenager for over one hundred years, but vampyres have long, accurate memories, and I do recall what it was like to go through the Change.” She sighed. "Okay, how about a compromise? I'll allow you to stay in the third former Soc class, but I want to give you the text we use in the upper-level class, and have you agree to read a chapter a week, and promise that you'll discuss any questions you have with me.”

"Deal," I said.

You fucking liar. Given your penchant for not wanting to tell anyone anything, I don’t buy this for a second.

"You know, Zoey, as you Change, you literally are becoming an entirely new being. A vampyre is not a human, although we are humane. It may sound reprehensible to you now, but your desire for blood is as normal for your new life as your desire for"—she paused and smiled—"brown pop has been in your old life.”

STOP IT WITH THE BROWN POP.

"Jeesh! Do you know everything?”

"Nyx has gifted me generously. Besides my affinity for our lovely felines and my abilities as a healer, I am also an intuitive.”

"You can read my mind?" I asked nervously.

"Not exactly. But I can pick up bits and pieces of things. For instance, I know that there's something else you need to tell me about last night.”

More than just one thing. She’s hiding a lot from you.

I drew a deep breath. "I was upset after I found out about the blood, so I ran out of the rec hall. That's how I found Nala. She was in a tree that was real close to the school's wall. I thought she was stuck up there, so I climbed up on the wall to get her and, well, while I was talking to her two kids from my old school found me.”

I really hate PCK’s insistence on reiterating things we already know. It’s a waste of time, a waste of words, and bad storytelling.

"What happened?" Neferet's hand had stilled; she was no longer petting Nala, and I had all of her attention.

"It wasn't good. They—they were wasted, high and drunk." Okay, I hadn't meant to blurt that!

You Judgemental Bastards: 144

"Did they try to hurt you?”

You Judgemental Bastards: 145

For automatically assuming that they were there to hurt precious little Zoey.

"No, nothing like that. It was my ex–best friend and my almost-ex-boyfriend.” Neferet raised her brow at me again. "Well, I'd quit going out with him, but he and I still had a thing for each other.”

There you go lying again. You don’t have a thing for him. You made it more than clear you don’t care about him. You only got possessive when you saw that Kayla liked him.

She nodded as though she understood. "Go on.”

"Kayla and I kinda fought.

No, you threatened her for daring to lay eyes on something you decided was yours.

She sees me differently now and I guess I see her differently, too. Neither one of us likes the new view." As I said it I realized it was true. It wasn't that K had changed—actually, she'd been exactly the same. It was just that the little things I used to ignore, like her nonsensical babble and her mean side, were now suddenly too irritating to deal with.

You Judgemental Bastards: 146

You have more than a mean side than she could ever hope to have, you horrible bitch. Just look at that count if you doubt it. Most of those points came from you.

"Anyway, she left and I was alone with Heath." I stopped there, not sure how to say the rest of it.

Neferet's eyes narrowed. "You experienced bloodlust for him."

"Yes," I whispered.

"Did you drink his blood, Zoey?" Her voice was sharp.

Can we speed this up, please? I am profoundly bored.

"I just tasted a drop of it. I'd scratched him. I hadn't meant to, but when I heard his pulse pounding it—it made me scratch him.”

"So you didn't actually drink from the wound?”

Okay, someone wake me up when something actually happens. I’m gonna take a nap.

"I started to, but Kayla came back and interrupted us. She totally freaked, and that's how I finally got Heath to leave.”

"He didn't want to?”

I shook my head. "No. He didn't want to." I felt like I was going to cry again.

"Neferet, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. I didn't even know what I was doing until Kayla screamed.”

"Of course you didn't realize what was happening. How could a newly Marked fledgling be expected to know about bloodlust?"

*wakes up* See, this is why I was yelling about how stupid it is that they don’t teach this as soon as a new fledgling comes to the school. It’s important. It doesn’t matter that bloodlust isn’t something that doesn’t usually appear until later; not telling kids about the potential ramifications is beyond negligent. Neferet not only fails as a mentor, she fails as a leader. She’s clearly not responsible enough to be in charge of all these kids.

She touched my arm in a reassuring, mom-like gesture. "You probably didn't Imprint with him.”

"Imprint?”

"It's what often happens when vampyres drink directly from humans, especially if there is a bond that has been established between them prior to the bloodletting. This is why it is forbidden for fledglings to drink the blood of humans. Actually, it's strongly discouraged for adult vampyres to feed from humans, too. There's an entire sect of vampyres who consider it morally wrong and would like to make it illegal," she said.

I know this is PCK’s fault. Like with the blood in the wine, they wanted this to be a surprise plot twist. But where the blood in the wine just made Zoey look rock-stupid, this makes it clear that Neferet should not be in charge of anyone. There is absolutely no reason not to teach this in the very beginning.

I watched her eyes darken as she talked. The expression in them suddenly made me very nervous and I shivered. Then Neferet blinked and her eyes changed back to normal. Or had I just imagined their weird darkness?

"But that's a discussion best left for my sixth form sociology class.”

OR FUCKING NOT! THIS IS NOT LIKE A KID NOT BEING ALLOWED TO WATCH A MOVIE BECAUSE IT HAS BAD LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE IN IT. THESE ARE TEENAGERS; THEY ARE PLENTY OLD ENOUGH TO LEARN ABOUT THIS STUFF, AND IT IS VITAL INFORMATION THEY NEED!

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!

*EXPLODES*

"What do I do about Heath?”

"Nothing. Let me know if he tries to see you again. If he calls you, don't answer. If he began Imprinting even the sound of your voice will effect him and work as a lure to draw him to you.”

*slowly pieces herself back together*

Neferet, you are not doing yourself any favors. It’s just making you look more and more incompetent and irresponsible.

And it’s ‘affect’.

"It sounds like something out of Dracula," I muttered.

"It's nothing like that wretched book!" she snapped. "Stoker vilified vampyres, which has caused our kind endless petty troubles with humans.”

Oh, I’m not so sure. I already made the reference to Renfield. It seems pretty accurate to me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—”

She waved her hand dismissively. "No, I shouldn't have taken out my frustration about that old fool's book on you. And don't worry about your friend Heath. I'm sure he'll be fine. You said that he was smoking and drinking? I assume you mean marijuana?”

What does that matter?

Oh, right, so Zoey can do this.

I nodded. "But I don't smoke," I added. "Actually, he didn't used to and neither did Kayla. I don't get what's happening to them. I think they're hanging with some of those druggie football players from Union, and none of them have enough sense to just say no.”

You Judgemental Bastards: 147

So Zoey could look down her nose at them and talk about how stupid they were.

"Well, his reaction to you might have had more to do with his level of intoxication than a possible Imprint." She paused, pulling a scratch pad out of her desk drawer, and handing me a pencil. "But just in case, why don't you write down your friends' full names and where they live. Oh, and add the names of the Union football players, too, if you know them.”

Uh, how about no. Their names are none of your business.

"Why would you need all of their names?" I felt my heart fall into my shoes. "You're not going to call their parents, are you?”

Like you would care if she did. You’d probably gloat over getting them in trouble.

Neferet laughed. "Of course not. The misbehavior of human teenagers is no concern of mine. I only ask so that I can focus my thoughts on the group and perhaps pick up any vestiges of a possible Imprint among them.”

This makes no sense. None of the others had any contact with Zoey. What, is imprinting contagious or something? Or is it a case of “one of these things is not like the others”? Put someone who has imprinted in a group of those who haven’t, and then you’ll be able to feel the difference between them?

"What happens if you do? What happens to Heath?”

"He's young and the Imprint will be weak, so time and distance should make it fade eventually. If he actually Imprinted in full, there are ways to break it." I was about to say that maybe she should just go ahead and do whatever she did to break an Imprinting when she continued. "None of the ways are pleasant.”

"Oh, okay.”

Like you care. As long as it doesn’t inconvenience you, it doesn’t matter.

I wrote the names and addresses for Kayla and Heath. I didn't have a clue where the Union guys lived, but I did remember their names. Neferet got up and went to the back of the classroom to retrieve a thick textbook whose title in silver letters read Sociology 415.

"Begin with Chapter One and work your way through this entire book.

*laughs* Apparently, Neferet thinks Zoey is so stupid that she doesn’t know the mechanics of how to read a book. Oh, that is hilarious.

Until you've finished it, let's consider it your homework instead of the work I assign to the rest of the Sociology class.”

Speshul Snowflake: 169

Uh, Neferet? Zoey might be a special little snowflake, but she is still a brand-new fledgling. She doesn’t know jack-shit about being a vampire. She needs to do the homework that you just so casually dismissed.

I took the book. It was heavy and the cover felt cool in my hot, nervous grip.

"If you have any questions, any at all, come see me right away. If I'm not here you can come to my apartment in Nyx's Temple. Go in the front door and follow the stairs on your right. I am the only priestess at the school right now, so the entire second floor belongs to me. And don't worry about disturbing me. You're my fledgling—it's your job to disturb me," she said with a warm smile.

You are still a horrible mentor.

"Thank you, Neferet.”

"Try not to worry. Nyx has touched you and the goddess cares for her own."

Speshul Snowflake: 170

No, she doesn’t. She’s a picky bitch who could not care less about some of the vampires. *coughAphroditecough* Spoilers. Except not really, because we all know the enemies of the Mary Sue always get shat upon, and Aphrodite is no exception.

She hugged me. "Now, I'm going to go tell Professor Nolan what's been keeping you. Go ahead and use the phone at my desk to call your grandma."

Speshul Snowflake: 171

AGAIN. WHY CAN SHE NOT WAIT UNTIL CLASSES ARE OVER?!

She hugged me again and then closed the classroom door gently behind her as she left.

I sat down at her desk and thought about how great she was, and how long it'd been since my mom had hugged me like that.

Except you hate your mother, so the sympathy you’re trying to elicit fails.

And for some reason, I started to cry.

 

Speshul Snowflake: 171
Name Drop: 66
You Judgemental Bastards: 147