"Yes, Neferet. I readily admit to sensing there was something wrong about the school, but if you'll recall, I was firmly against buying this campus from the Cascia Hall monks five years ago."

"We needed a House of Night in this part of the country," Neferet insisted.

"And that is the argument that won the Council over and convinced them to open this House of Night. I didn't agree with it then, and I don't agree with it now. The recent deaths simply prove we should not be here."

"The recent murders prove we need more of a presence here and all over the world!" Neferet snapped. I heard her draw a deep breath, as if she was working hard to control herself. When she spoke again, her voice was much more subdued. "This bad feeling of which we were speaking-it has nothing to do with being reticent about opening a school. It's different, more malevolent, and it's grown far worse in the recent months."

There was a long pause before Shekinah answered her. "I do feel a malevolence here, but I cannot name it. It seems hidden, shrouded in something I do not find familiar."

"I think I can name it," Neferet said.

"What do you suspect?"

"I have come to believe it is an evil hidden, shrouded, in the appearance of a child, and that is why it is going to be so hard to expose," Neferet said.

"I don't understand your meaning, Neferet. Are you saying one of the fledglings is hiding evil?""I don't want to say it, but I'm coming to believe it." Neferet's voice was filled with sadness, like what she was saying was so difficult to admit, she was almost on the brink of tears.

I knew it was absolutely, utterly, an act.

"Again I ask you, what do you suspect?"

"It isn't a what, but a who. Shekinah, sister, it grieves me to say it, but the deep evil I have been sensing, that you have been sensing, too, began to build and intensify with one student's entry to this House of Night." She paused, and even though I knew what she was going to say, it was a shock to hear her actually speak the words. "I'm afraid Zoey Redbird is hiding a terrible secret."

"Zoey! But she is the most gifted fledgling in history. Not only has no other fledging ever wielded the power of all five elements, but no other fledgling has ever been surrounded by so many gifted peers. Each of her closest friends can manifest one of the elements. How could she possibly be so gifted and be hiding evil?" Shekinah said.

"I don't know!" Neferet's voice broke, and I could tell she was crying. "I'm her mentor. Can you imagine how much it grieves me to even think these things, let alone say them aloud?"

"What evidence do you have for your belief?" Shekinah asked, and I was glad to hear that she didn't sound particularly convinced Neferet was on to something.

"A teenage boy who used to be her lover was almost killed by spirits she conjured just days after she was Marked."

I blinked in utter shock. Heath and I had been lovers? Not hardly! Neferet knew that. And I hadn't conjured those mean spirits-Aphrodite had. Yes, they'd almost eaten Heath-well, and also Erik-but with the help of Stevie Rae, Damien, and the Twins, I'd stopped them.

"Then not more than a month later, two more teenage boys, again humans who were, let's just say intimate with her, were abducted and brutally killed-drained of all blood. A third boy, another human close to her, was taken, too. The community was in a frenzy, and that is when Zoey rescued the boy."

Oh. My. G.o.ddess! Neferet was twisting everything and lying her b.u.t.t off! It was the nasty undead dead kids who had killed the two Union football players, who I definitely had not been intimate with! Yes, I'd saved Heath (again-sigh), but I'd saved him from her disgusting, bloodsucking (not that there's anything wrong with it) minions!

"What else?" Shekinah said. I was glad to hear that her voice had remained calm and she still didn't sound like she was convinced Neferet was right about me.

"This last part is the most difficult for me to admit, but Zoey was special to Patricia Nolan. She spent quite a bit of time with her before she was murdered."

My head was buzzing. Sure, I'd liked Professor Nolan, and I think she liked me, but I definitely hadn't been special to her, and hadn't spent any extra time with her, either.

Then I knew what she was going to accuse me of next, even though I could hardly believe it.

"And I have reason to believe Zoey had become Loren Blake's lover just before he, too, was murdered. Actually, I'm sure the two of them had Imprinted." Neferet broke off, sobbing brokenly.

"Why did you not report any of this to the Council?" Shekinah asked sternly.

"What was I supposed to say? I think this most gifted of all fledglings has allied herself with evil? How could I bring such a charge against a young girl with no more proof than coincidence, supposition, and a feeling?"

Well, that was exactly what she was doing right now!

"But Neferet, if a fledgling gets involved with a professor, it is the High Priestess's duty to put a stop to it, and to report it to the Council."

"I know!" I could hear that Neferet was still crying. "I was wrong. I should have said something. Perhaps if I had, I could have prevented his death."

There was a long pause, and then Shekinah said, "You and Loren were lovers, were you not?"

"Yes!" Neferet sobbed.

"You realize your relationship with Loren could be clouding your judgment of Zoey?"

"I do." I heard her "valiantly" (barf!) try to pull herself together. "Which is another reason I was hesitant to tell anyone about my suspicions."

"Have you looked into her mind?" Shekinah asked.

I shivered while I waited for Neferet's answer.

"I've tried. I cannot read her mind."

"How about her friends? The other fledglings who have special affinities?"

c.r.a.p! c.r.a.p! c.r.a.p!

"I have looked within them periodically. I have not found anything disturbing. Yet."

I heard Shekinah's sigh. "It is good that I am staying on here for the rest of this semester. I, too, will watch and listen around Zoey and the other fledglings. There is always a chance, and a very good one at that, that Zoey only seems in the middle of these events because she is, indeed, a very powerfully gifted young woman. She might not be causing the events, but might have been put here by Nyx to help thwart evil that is not of her making."

"I sincerely hope so," Neferet said.

She was such a liar!

"But we shall watch her. Closely," Shekinah said.

"Be careful of the favors she asks," Neferet said.

Huh? Favors? I hadn't asked Neferet for any favors! And then, with a jolt, I realized what it was Neferet was doing. She was messing it up for me to ask that Grandma visit me and stay here on campus. b.i.t.c.h!

And the jolt of understanding turned to a sick dread. How had Neferet known Grandma was coming?

Suddenly, a huge commotion from outside drowned Shekinah's response. I was listening from the hall, so it was easy for me to drift over to one of the large curtained windows. Because it was night, the drapes were open and I looked down on the front grounds of the school. What I saw made me press my hand against my mouth to keep from cracking up.

d.u.c.h.ess was barking her head off as she raced after a snarling, hissing, yowling white ball of Maleficent. Aphrodite was chasing after the dog, screaming for her to "Come! Stay! Be good, d.a.m.nit!" Damien was close behind her, flailing his arms and yelling, "d.u.c.h.ess! Come!" All of a sudden the Twins' cat, the huge and very stuck-up Beelzebub, joined in the chase, only he was tearing around after d.u.c.h.ess.

"OhmyG.o.d! Beelzebub! Honey!" Shaunee ran into my view, yelling at the top of her very healthy lungs.

"Beelzebub! d.u.c.h.ess! Stop!" Erin wailed, right behind her twin.

Darius suddenly burst into the hallway, and I stepped back behind the curtains, not sure if my shrouding could be detected by him. Apparently he didn't notice me, or anything else, because he ran into the Council Room. I peeked through the drapes and could hear him telling Neferet that she was needed on the school grounds-that there was an "altercation." Then Neferet was hurrying out of the room and down the hall, following Darius into the dog-barking, cat-yowling, kid-screaming craziness.

I noticed that through all of it I hadn't seen hide nor hair of Jack.

Talk about an excellent diversion!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Again I listened to my instincts, and instead of sending away my concealing spirit right outside the Council Room, I moved quickly down the hall, retracing my path until I was at the bottom of the stairs. Then I lifted the concealment, thanking spirit, and started back up the stairs completely visible and telling myself, Be calm . . . be normal . . . Neferet is a liar and Shekinah is very, very wise . . .

Outside the Council Chamber, I paused to knock twice on the door.

"You may come in, Zoey!" Shekinah called.

I tried not to wonder if she'd known I'd been outside before. Putting a smile on my face, I entered the room. I fisted my hand over my heart and bowed respectfully. "Merry meet, Shekinah."

"Merry meet, Zoey Redbird," she said. I didn't notice any weirdness in her voice. "So, how was your visit with the ladies at Street Cats?"

I grinned. "Did you know that Street Cats is run by Benedictine nuns?"

She smiled back at me. "I did not, though I did expect the charity to be run by women. Women have long had a strong connection with cats. Were the good sisters open to your volunteer work?"

"Definitely. They were really nice. Oh, and Aphrodite adopted a cat while we were there, although Maleficent adopting Aphrodite is probably a more accurate way to describe what happened."

"Maleficent? What an unusual name."

"Yeah, but it fits her. All that noise that's happening out there." I jerked my head back in the direction of the hallway and the front of the school. We both listened and could still hear dog barking, cat yowling, and kid shouting. "I think you'll find out that all of that was instigated by Maleficent."

"So what you're saying is the nuns have double cause to thank you. For your volunteerism and for helping them rid themselves of one very difficult feline?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Oh, and Sister Mary Angela asked me to check with you about a date that would work well for the flea market. She said she'd work their schedule around ours. Besides that, they're going to stay open late every Sat.u.r.day night so that we can volunteer once a week.""That sounds lovely. I will meet with Neferet about a date that works best for the school." Shekinah paused for a moment, and then added, "Zoey, Neferet is your mentor, isn't she?"

I heard warning bells inside my head, but I forced myself to relax. I was going to answer Shekinah as honestly as I could in everything she asked me. I hadn't done anything wrong!

"Yes. Neferet is my mentor."

"And do you feel close to Neferet?"

"I used to. We were very close when I first came here. Actually, my mom and I haven't been close for several years, and I kinda felt like Neferet was the mom I wish I'd had," I said truthfully.

"But that has changed?" she asked gently.

"Yes," I said.

"And why is that?"

I hesitated, choosing my words very carefully. I wanted to tell Shekinah as much of the truth as I dared, and for an instant I considered telling her everything-the whole truth about Stevie Rae and the prophecy and what we were afraid was happening, but my gut told me not to reveal everything now. Shekinah would learn the truth tomorrow. Until then, I didn't want Neferet to have any inkling about what was going to happen-about the fact that she was going to have to face what she had done, and what she was becoming.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure," I said.

"What is your best guess?"

"Well, I think she's changed lately, and I'm not sure why. Some of it might have to do with some personal stuff that happened between us. I'd really rather not talk about that, if it's okay with you."

"Of course. I understand your need to keep things that are private to yourself. But, Zoey, you should know that I am here for you to talk with if you need me. Though it was long ago, I remember very well what it was to be a powerful fledgling and to feel like I was carrying so many responsibilities that the burden of them sometimes became too much to bear."

"Yeah," I said, suddenly having to fight back tears. "That's exactly what it feels like sometimes."

Her candid gaze was warm and kind. "It gets better. I can promise you that."

"I really hope so," I said. "Oh, and speaking of making things better-my grandma would like to come for a little visit. She and I are really close. I meant to spend some of winter break with her, but, well, you know that break was called off. So Grandma said she'd like to come here to spend some time with me. Do you think it would be okay if she stayed at the school?"

Shekinah studied me carefully. "There are guest rooms in the professors' building, but I believe they are all filled right now because of my visit and the influx of the Sons of Erebus."

"Could she maybe stay in my room with me? My roommate, Stevie Rae, died last month, and I haven't gotten a new one, so I have an empty bed and everything."

"I suppose I don't see any harm in that. If your grandmother is comfortable with being surrounded by so many fledglings."

I grinned. "Grandma likes kids. Plus, she knows a bunch of my friends here, and they all like her."

"Then I'll let the Sons of Erebus, as well as Neferet, know that you have permission for your grandmother to visit and to stay in your room. Zoey, you know that asking for special favors is not always wise, even if you have special abilities."

I met Shekinah's gaze steadily. "This is the first favor I have asked for since I came to the House of Night." Then I thought about it for a second and corrected myself. "No, wait. It's the second. The first favor I asked for was to keep a few of my roommate's things after she died."

Shekinah nodded slowly, and I hoped as hard as I could that she believed me. I wanted to yell: Check it out with the other professors! They know I don't ask for special treatment! But I couldn't say anything to let Shekinah believe that I'd overheard her conversation with Neferet.

"Well, good. Then you're already starting down the right road. Gifts from our G.o.ddess don't mean privilege-they mean responsibility."

"I understand that," I said firmly.

"I think maybe you do," she said. "Now, I'm sure you have homework to catch up on and a ritual to prepare to lead tomorrow, so I will bid you a good night and hope that you will blessed be," she said.

"Blessed be." I saluted her formally again, bowed, and left the room.

Things really hadn't gone so bad. Sure, Neferet was lying her b.u.t.t off about me and was clearly an evil-filled b.i.t.c.h, but I'd already known that. Shekinah wasn't stupid, and she certainly wouldn't be made into Neferet's fool (like Loren had been, my mind whispered). Grandma was on her way to the school, and she was going to stay with me while we figured out this whole prophecy thing. My friends finally knew everything, so I didn't have to constantly make excuses and evade them, and they had my back, even though just thinking about the Raven Mockers creeped me totally out. But I could handle the creeping-out part with my friends by my side. And tomorrow everyone would know about Stevie Rae and the red fledglings, and Neferet would lose the power of secrecy. Then maybe Stark wouldn't really be dead, and would come back himself. Things really were looking up! I was just opening the door to the front of the building and grinning like a fool when I ran smack into Erik."Oh, sorry I wasn't looking-," he began, automatically reaching out to steady me before he realized who he'd almost knocked over. "Oh," he repeated, this time in a much less nice-guy voice. "It's you."

I pulled my arm out of his hand and stepped back, brushing my hair from my face. Looking up into his cold blue eyes was like taking a nosedive into freezing water-and I'd just about had enough cold water splashed in my face by him.

"Look, I have something to say to you." I moved in front of him, blocking his way into the building.