Page 91 of Lost

Man, Erik’s grown up!I thought.Good for him.“Erik, would you go get the cover-up for me?”

“I’m on it. Be back in a sec.” Erik sprinted away.

“See, I can cover the red in my Mark and go over there with you. We’ll do our thing again, and the red fledglings and vamps will get their humanity back. No biggie,” Aphrodite said.

“And what about the Other Aphrodite?” I turned to face my friend, hating that what I had to say to her was going to cause her pain. “What does you stepping in do to her? Will that mean she never grows up? Never learns to care for more than herself? Never learns empathy or that sometimes love means sacrifice? Never learns to stop self-medicating and to stand up to her mother?”

Aphrodite stared at me, her face going pale. “What if she’s not capable of learning? I asked Other Jack about her. She’s definitely not with the Resistance. She’s in league with Neferet. What if the me in the Other World is already lost to Darkness and you can’t reach her like you reached me because Neferet killed you too damn soon?”

“At your core—in your souls—you two are the same. I know what that core is, and it’s not Darkness. You have more Light in you than any of us—Nyx showed us that by the gifts she’s given you. I can reach the Other Aphrodite.”

“I wouldn’t bet my life on that,” Aphrodite said.

Without any hesitation I said, “I would. Over and over again.”

“I would too,” Darius said, putting his arm around Aphrodite.

“Me too,” said Stevie Rae. “Even though you and I seriously disagree on my music choices.”

“And your fashion choices,” Aphrodite added.

“I believe in you too, Prophetess,” said Rephaim.

“We all do,” Shaunee said.

“Z will reach you because you’re not the only one of us greatly gifted by Nyx,” said Shaylin. “So is Zoey Redbird.”

I watched Aphrodite wipe away tears before she said, “If it’s not for me, why is Erik getting the cover-up crap?”

“It’s for Stevie Rae!” Jack spoke like a light bulb had just lit over his head. “You gotta cover her Mark because there are no female red vampyres in my old world.”

“Exactly right, Jack.” I patted the backpack still slung over my shoulder. “Which is why I have sapphire makeup pencils in here. Stevie Rae, are you ready to be a blue fledging again?”

“Sure! Hope it turns out better this time around, though.”

“You can bet on that,” I said. “Because I’ll be joining you. And this time as a normal blue fledgling.”

“Seriously?” Shaunee said.

Instead of answering her I asked a question. “Jack, are there other High Priestesses in your old world?”

“No. Not anymore. Neferet is the only High Priestess there,” he said.

“And my guess is Neferet keeps a close eye on the remaining priestesses—just in case one of them begins developing into a High Priestess. Am I right?”

“Well, it’s not like I was close with her or anything like that, but everyone knows Neferet doesn’t allow any other priestess to perform rituals for the school. She has to lead everything. But she doesn’t let red fledglings or vampyres attend rituals anyway.”

I shook my head. “She must have done something terrible to the High Priestesses to get them to shut up and step aside.”

“I don’t know about that, but there are rumors—only whispered in the tunnels where Neferet would never go. Some say she killed them.”

“Goddess, no!” Shaylin gasped, and Nicole took her hand reassuringly. “That’s horrible! Nyx’s heart must be breaking!”

“And that’s a third reason we have to go over there. Nyx needs us. We all know the Goddess won’t manipulate the actions of mortals, but we know her will—Stevie Rae, Rephaim, and I—and we’ll make sure to end the atrocities Neferet has committed in Nyx’s name.”

My circle nodded somberly in agreement as Erik jogged up, handing me a bag filled with makeup bottles and sponges. “Everything you need’s in there. I brought you the waterproof kind. It’s hell to get off, but you won’t have to worry about any Marks showing through it, not even if you get caught in rain or snow.”

“Thanks, Erik.”