House of Night *Started*

This doesn't get us any farther, but its a start to the unraveling of the plan. And yes, I realize I keep calling the 'immortal' he. Neferet doesn't even know his name yet. But she will, and he wont be what she expected.

~Neferet~

"This is useless," she spoke to the empty room. "Why do I have to keep pretending I care when I don't? I want power over everyone, not just a school of fledglings." Neferet sighed deeply, pacing the length of the massive window in her grand bedroom. She thought it was all pointless. She wasn't just a High Priestess, she was something more, something she wasn't when she praised Nyx. Neferet was powerful.

Give it time, my heartless one. What I have promised still stands. As long as you keep your end. His words weren't spoken cruelly or loudly, but they carried such force, such power with them, that it sent a chill down Neferet's spine and had her changing her tone.

"My love, I will always serve you, with all of my heart and my being. I will keep my end of things here while you are still earthed." She felt a soft wind caress her arms and face. Even though he wasn't there, she felt a caress in a more private place and couldn't help but give a little moan.

Good good. You will always do what I say. Anger replaced some of her pleasure.

"I will not be ruled by anyone. I will serve you as my equal, my lover. But not my ruler--never my ruler." And just as it came, his caress was gone, as was the tenderness of his voice.

You will always do what I say or I will take away everything I've given you, he roared at her. Neferet fell silent, but only for a moment. She didn't dare anger an immortal, especially one who was granting her with powers like he was.

"I'm sorry, my dark one, I didn't mean to anger you." Neferet's voice was quiet but pleading as she looked out over her House of Night. "When you arise, all of this will be yours. They will do your bidding without question. And when I rule the world--"

We, his voice was calm and collected again. When we rule the world.

With a nod, Neferet continued. "When we rule the world, everyone will be at our command. And that damned Zoey Redbird will be none of our concern because she will be nothing but a pale, dead corpse. If I allow that." Neferet was lost in her own imagination, dreaming of what Zoey Redbird's last words to her would be. Maybe she would beg for her life, or would she pledge her life to Neferet as long as she didn't kill her. Either way, Zoey Redbird and her friends--all of them--wouldn't be a problem.

Pharaoh Draco

I could sense she was struggling to calm down, possibly for my benefit. I cocked my head slightly to the left. "You don't to calm down on my account. Besides, we're both friends here. We know each other's life's stories, so there's no need to stay calm on my account." I sighed. "We both were disowned by family, that's something many of us students in the house have in common. It's not every night here in the house I tell someone my life's story. Normally I keep it to myself, but you're someone I could trust, so I could make an expection."

*I am so lost someone please help me!*

Calypso Delos- In her room

An hour or so later- give or take a little- and no where into any interesting information, I set the Fledgling Handbook down on my bedside table. There was nothing interesting I could do, really, besides sit and pretend that I was actually learning something. I should probably try and sleep- hopefully my eyes would be closed tight before I could see Zoey's face- her real face, anyway.

I throw on my pajamas, preparing myself to shut off the light when I get an ache in my stomach. The Omigosh-something-terrible-is-going-to-happen ache. I feel something lick across my skin. Flames. A revenge method of Kelly's? I don't see how she could do anything to me in my sleep. Or inside. She doesn't have that much self-control.

I flick off the lights, ignoring it. The cramp wasn't terrible, so whatever was going to happen- I could survive.

I always survive.

Eros, the fluffball, jumps on top of my stomach as a lay down. He's a good guard cat, and he almost has the same senses as I do. Nobody would be hurting me tonight.

So I thought, of course.

Kelly Myers

I nodded and a sense of longing came over me, I realised how much exactly I missed my old home, missed Andrew, missed my parents. But I knew this was my home now, with Pharaoh, I liked him. But it was hard to tell if he liked me the same way, I thought about how Pharaoh had taken Andrew's place in my life since coming to the house with him. How though the last few years he had been by my side regardless of my position, or power. He's been there just like Andrew had.

"Yea I know but, I didn't want you to go nuts because of my emotions." I reply.

Pharaoh Draco

I sensed longing for a brief moment from Kelly, a longing I knew too well. Homesickness, as Angel once called it in a letter. Kelly was homesick at the thought of being around someone who relates to her, like I was homesick at the mere thought of Angel. I put my head in my right hand, cradling my temple as I realized what Kelly meant. "I keep forgetting at the oddest times that I have an affinity for empathy. One more forgetful moment and it might be the death of me. Goddess forgive me for forgetting at times." I returned my gaze to Kelly. "If you don't want me to go nuts on account of your emotions, then I won't push you." I crossed my legs and put my hands on my knees. "I'm still waiting for the right moment to mess with Calypso. I don't really give a damn if Neferet gives me a punishment for my revenge, as long as I get even with Calypso for tricking you into scorching me in the face."
Confusion spread on Kelly. She didn't seem to get why I hold Calypso accountable and not Kelly herself.
I assured her, "Although I know you make and took the shot, I'm not holding you accountable because you didn't mean to hit me in the face and therefore forgive you."

Kelly Myers

I smile at Pharaoh's words feeling a pang of relief come over me even tho I already knew he didn't hold me to what Calyso tricked me into doing. I smile giving Pharaoh a smile I haven't given anyone in the house of night before. Your-a-true-friend smile, I must have looked genually happy to Pharaoh cause he looked confused. I nod to him.

"Yea besides, one of these days I'm going to beat Calypso, and take her posistion as High Priestess-in-traning. For with my new affinity, I'm sure not even Calypso will be able to stand to me." I said curling my fingers and then reopening lighting appearing in my hand.

Zoey

I had only just made it up to my dorm when I noticed the lights were off. I peeked in and, sure enough, Calypso was asleep on the bed opposite mine. I smiled to myself then, closing the door silently, made my way to Kelly's room.

I wasn't sure why I was doing this. Don't get me wrong, from what I'd seen of her so far, she was evil. She had, in fact, made Kelly burn Pharaoh's face and made Kelly feel really bad about it. No, I didn't know Pharaoh or what he might have done to her to make her want to hurt him, and no, I didn't really know Kelly or what she might have done to get on Calypso's bad side. And, of course, I didn't know Calypso. Yes, she seemed like she was insane, but I didn't believe she was completely bad. Maybe there was a reason for what she was doing...

I only had to knock once before the door opened to me. I smiled triumphantly at Kelly, putting aside everything I had just thought about. It was go time, and I didn't have time to second guess myself.

"She's asleep."

Pharaoh Draco

The new blood just told me and Kelly that Calypso was asleep. I got on my feet and stood there for a moment. "Just give me and Kelly some privacy for the moment. We won't be long."
The new blood closed the door without another word.
I was a little nervous of what I was doing. Not to Calypso, but to Kelly. The next thing I knew, I was so close in front of her, our noses were almost at kissing distance. Without even one word or second thought, I pressed my lips against Kelly's with my eyes closed. I gave her a long, slow, and rather sweet kiss. I couldn't believe what I was doing, but it felt so right, I could barely stop myself from wrapping my arm around her. I sensed Kelly was taken by surprise by this, yet she let me hold her against me with our lips locked together. I felt lost in this kind of oblivion and almost didn't want it to end, but I broke the kiss just the same and composed myself. "Well, then. We better get a move on."

Kelly Myers

I couldn't believe what had just happened, I had kissed Pharaoh, my best friend. When he had pulled away, I wanted him to come back and let the kiss last. My heart fluttered at the fact he had, I blushed but Pharaoh's voice had brought me back to reality. We moved down the halls silently, a word not being said between me and Pharaoh, the new blood looked back and I knew she was feeling the tension between me and Pharaoh. We arrive at the new bloods dorm, she opened the dorm for Pharaoh and me. As we walked in it was exactly as I remembered it from me and Calypso's friendship days, dark, creepy, posters of gothic boy bands hung on the left wall over Calypso's bed. And pretty average for when I last remembered it.

"Alright ready to mess with Calypso?" I whisper.

He nodded and placed two fingers over Calypso's temple. And just by the look on Calypso face she was already feeling it, Pharaoh stood back up and nodded to me and we left out quietly. I nodded to the new blood and me and Pharaoh went down the hallway quietly.

Pharaoh Draco

I followed Kelly back to her dorm without another word between us. Tension, affection, and nervousness was spreading from Kelly and I had a feeling why she was like that. I kissed her. Goddess forgive me, I kissed Kelly and- strange thing was- I practically liked it. I wanted to do it again- feel her lips against mine for perhaps hours on end- until I lose my breath, but knew I had to scram to my dorm before Mark assumes I was in the halls making out with the new blood. I stayed outside Kelly's dorm room door. "I gave Calypso some fear with a side of tension and wrath. Her sleep will not be pleasant for today." Once I was sure Kelly was asleep, I snuck in and took her hand. Trying to keep myself composed, I gave her a sense of serenity, confidence, and- which was strange- a touch of affection. I couldn't just give Calypso a nightmare by emotions. I wanted Kelly to experience the more kinder side of my affinity. With the chosen emotions already mixed with Kelly's dreams, I snuck back to my own dorm and laid there in my bed with Angel cuddled up beside me.

Zoey

So I was standing in the bathroom the next morning looking at my Marks in the mirror when I realized something. They weren't going away. Yes, it makes me sound stupid, I should have known that already, but it was like I was waiting to wake up one day and have Nyx tell me that the world wasn't mine to worry about anymore and that whatever was to come was someone else's problem. It was that moment that I realized that there was a reason Nyx had picked me. I trusted her with all of my soul and more, so I knew I could trust that she hadn't made the wrong decision. It was then that I realized I had no reason to be ashamed of my Marks. So it was also that moment I decided I was going to wear them proudly.

I went to my closet--on my side of the room, thankfully--and picked a black tank top and a pair of cute designer jeans I'd stolen from my sister while she was gone one day at cheer practice and hurried back to the bathroom. After I put my clothes on, I realized I had to do something about the bags under my eyes.

Calypso's screaming in the middle of the night--day?--had kept me from sleeping the eight hours my body required. So I probably should have found another place to sleep, but I hadn't thought about it. I hadn't thought she'd wake up in the middle of the day--how weird was that?--screaming her head off. Of course I'd pretended to be asleep rather than have her know I knew about her nightmares.

With a sigh I began to apply powder to my face, covering the bags under my eyes, but not covering my Mark. There was nothing that could hide it--except this really cool powder stuff they gave every fledgling so that when they left the House of Night, no one would know they were fledglings. Regular make-up couldn't even begin to hide it, but that was ok.

I was just checking to make sure I had done a semi-decent job at flat ironing my hair when Calypso barged in, looking like complete crap and mumbling something that sounded like "Get out of my way." I happily left her to her prepping, hoping she didn't make herself look like she hadn't lost sleep over the nightmares, because I didn't think I could deal with Pharaoh giving her another night of those things. I didn't even think I could handle the bitching Calypso was bound to do at me because she was groggy.

Whatever, I thought with a sigh as I pulled on my back stiletto heals. With one last look in the mirror over my bed, I headed downstairs and to the dining hall, hoping for some decent breakfast. I only hesitated for a moment before I stalked in, keeping my chin up and feeling like a model on a runway.

Pharaoh Draco

I dressed myself in a black muscle shirt with matching jeans and leather vest, making sure I don't look like I lost a few minutes of sleep. I journeyed to the dining hall and had some cinnamon toast with hazelnut coffee as my breakfast. I noticed Calypso and the new blood didn't look very well. Revenge was sweet against Calypso, but I felt bad for the new blood. I murmured, "Goddess forgive me for not thinking it over."
The new blood saw me. She looked just as worse as Calypso, but at least I spared the new blood from the emotions I intended for her roommate alone. Just looking at her sent a feeling of guilt all over me, the kind of guilt that would even make a sailor blush in shame. I never felt that kind of guilt since I was Marked, but at least I knew straight off the bat that I was personally responsible for both girls' lack of sleep.
I ate my breakfast in silence, completely composed for the moment until I saw Kelly walking into the dining hall. I tried to keep myself calm, but I knew I was beginning to blush shyly against my own self-control.

Kelly Myers

My dreams were magnificent, they were mainly about Pharaoh and the kiss we shared. A long and sweet passionate kiss, my heart was official I was in love with Pharaoh my best friend, or boyfriend now. I had awoke from a deep and long slumber, my roommate wasn’t in her bed so I assumed she was already in the dining hall. I went into my closet and grabbed my usual dark gray tank top and jeans. I put on my solid black summer jacket, did my make up eye liner and mascara. And then put on my shoes and walked out the door and went down to the dining hall, my presence was known almost immediately everyone had turned to me as I entered and I walked over to Pharaoh with a smile, and smiled back and sat down.

“I got to be in the stables today because of what happened the other day, so if I smell like horse shit later on that’s why.” I laughed.

Pharaoh Draco

I settled down as Kelly explained to me what was going to happen. I sipped my coffee and said, "That's a little...harsh for Neferet to make you do that, especially when it was Calypso's fault in the first place. Why can't Neferet see that the whole fencing match gone haywire was ultimately Calypso's fault you got tricked into hitting me in the face with a fireball? By the way, I'm impressed with your aim." I took another sip. "But seriously, Neferet shouldn't really give you that harsh of punishment. I don't really see why you have to take such a harsh blow. If you had to be punished, it should be something less stinky as horse dung and a lot less than missing classes. If it were me, I'd rather spend at least a couple days being a professor's cleaning aid. That's a punishing blow I can take, no harsher than that."