by P. C. Cast
“You know, I’ve been thinking about teachers’ pets and showing favoritism a lot, especially since I’ve been teaching that advanced spells and rituals class,” I said. “And I’ve decided to hell with it. There’s nothing wrong with picking out the kids who are super talented or smart or athletic—or whatever—and giving them extra attention, or even just extra encouragement. As long as we remember to give all the kids opportunities to shine. What do you guys think?”
Aphrodite shrugged. “It’s a proven fact pretty kids get called on more.”
“I’m so glad I was a cute kid. My childhood could’ve been even worse.” Jack shuddered.
“Yeah, I read a study on that and it made me call on the ugly kids on purpose,” said Stevie Rae. Then she smacked her hand over her mouth and through it muttered. “Sorry. Callin’ ’em ugly is so not cool.”
“Not cool, but true,” said Aphrodite.
I opened my mouth to say something profound, and stopped short as Kacie rushed up to me. Her cheeks were pink, and her full lips trembled slightly.
“Sorry about that,” she said, obviously embarrassed. “I really can do things without messing up.”
I smiled warmly at her. “It was just an accident.” I liked that she spoke her mind. Too many fledglings, especially newly Marked fledglings, were either too timid to speak out or were content to be herd animals.
“I hate it when I do something stupid without meaning to,” she said.
“Relax, Ice Cream Shoes,” Aphrodite said. “Your sense of style has earned you a second chance.”
“Hey, thanks, Aphrodite. You’re not as horrible as people say you are.” Kacie grinned and got on the bus.
I was trying not to laugh when I glanced at Aphrodite—who looked weird. Not mad. Not amused. Not annoyed. Just … weird.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” Aphrodite rubbed her forehead before flipping back her hair. “Are we going to go or what?”
“Yep! I’m ready now,” I said.
“Oh, goodie! Stevie Rae, will you sit in the back with me?” Jack jumped up and down and clapped his hands.
“Ohmygoodness, ’course I will! The back seats are the bounciest!” Stevie Rae followed Jack onto the bus.
Before she stepped onto the bus, Aphrodite turned to look at me. “And I’m not sitting in the back seat—no matter how much the bumpkin whines and begs.”
“Neither am I. Just don’t look her in the eyes and sit in the front seat. Fast,” I whispered—and we both laughed.
The Midtown Tulsa YWCA’s parking lot was crammed with yellow buses whose black lettering proclaimed that there were teams here from Tulsa Public Schools as well as Broken Arrow, Jenks, Union, Bishop Kelley, and even Bixby and Coweta. The Y had arranged a special parking spot for our bus near a temporary tarp tunnel that led to the front of the building and was thoroughly covered so that we could all unload without worrying about the sun frying any of us.
“Ready for this?” Aphrodite asked me.
“Absolutely,” I said while I shook my head no. I stood and faced the kids on the bus, who were all watching me expectantly. “Aphrodite, Stevie Rae, and I are going to go inside and be sure we’re registered and whatever else we have to do. You guys wait here with Coach Jack.”
“Remember, you’re representing all fledglings and your High Priestesses. So act right,” said Aphrodite.
“But most of all, have fun,” said Stevie Rae as she joined us at the front of the bus.
“From what Coach Jack has told me, this team is talented and just plain awesome enough to do both—act right and have fun,” I said, meeting the gaze of each of the kids. I saw nerves in their eyes, but also excitement—and I especially loved how their Marks blazed from their foreheads. No Tulsa House of Night fledgling was going to have to cover his or her Mark to mix with humans. Not ever again. “They’re going to stare at you, but don’t take it personally. There will be a lot of people here—kids and adults—who have never been this close to so many vampyres and fledglings. They’re going to be curious.”
“They might also be mean,” said Jack from where he stood at the back of the bus.
“Because ignorance makes some folks real mean,” said Stevie Rae.
“And, let’s face facts—there’s a lot of ignorance in Oklahoma,” Aphrodite said.
“Aphrodite! Be nice!” Stevie Rae said.
“What? Okies keep voting in the same idiots who keep lining their own pockets and being apathetic about education and health care. Seriously. Don’t get me started on stupid Okie politics, ’cause you know I know what I’m talking about,” said Aphrodite, one blond brow lifting into her hairline.
“But we’re here to educate people about how we’re all basically the same,” I added.
“Yeah. Hold your heads high because even though we’re all basically the same we’re definitely superior to anyone ignorant enough to be mean just because of physical or religious differences,” Aphrodite said. “Well, and, we’re also literally superior, but we should probably keep that underwraps for today.”
“That’s right!” Stevie Rae smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “We’re not all hat and no cowboy!”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Aphrodite said.
“Okay, let’s go!” I turned Aphrodite by her shoulders and pushed her from the bus. “Coach Jack, someone will come back and get you and the team as soon as we’re registered.”
“No problem. I’ve planned a little minimeditation to get us ready. Just take your time.” Jack waved us away.
“He’s a real good coach,” said Stevie Rae as we followed Aphrodite into the big brick building.
“He’s a sweetheart,” I said. “I don’t even think of him as ‘other’ Jack anymore. He’s just our Jack.”
“Yeah, it’s great having him back—even though technically it isn’t actually really him,” Stevie Rae said.
“It’s nice seeing Damien so happy again,” said Aphrodite. I noticed that her voice had gone somber and her eyes were suddenly a lot less sparkly.
“Yeah, it sure is. I wonder where Damien is today? It’s not like him to miss Jack’s first meet,” I said.
“Jack said Damien had to be at the depot for a special delivery of the velvet chairs that go with the reserved tables near the stage. He’s tryin’ to get the restaurant reopened by next month, and he’s stressin’ pretty hard over it,” said Stevie Rae.
“Does he need more help?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. Jack said everythin’s handled, but Damien’s a nervous mess.”
“Queen Damien will be fine once his opus opens. Can you smell that?” Aphrodite paused and sniffed as we entered the building.
“Chlorine?” I said.
“Well, yeah, but I was talking about hormones. There must be thousands of kids in there.” Aphrodite shuddered and jerked her perfect chin at the glass wall separating the lobby from the Olympic-sized pool and viewing stands that were currently crowded with a couple hundred kids, their parents, and coaches.
“Hundreds, not thousands. And when did you get so old?” I said.
“I was born old,” said Aphrodite.
“OMG! Vampyres!” A squeal came from the registration desk a few yards in front of us. A young black girl with a neon-red ponytail dressed in an orange-and-black cheerleading uniform that proclaimed hornets across the front of it was literally clapping her hands and jumping up and down as she stared at us with dark eyes glistening excitedly.
“Cheerleaders … Jesus,” Aphrodite muttered.
I ignored Aphrodite, planted what I hoped was a professional smile on my face, and went to stand in front of the cheerleader. “Hi, I’m Zoey Redbird, High Priestess of the House of—”
“OMG everyone knows who you are! It’s so cool you’re here! Everyone thinks so. Well,
except for our parents. But whatever. They’re all old and out of it. They still vote Republican,” she scrunched up her face like she’d sucked a lemon.
“Exactly what I was just saying,” agreed Aphrodite.
“It’s cray, right?” said the cheerleader. “But y’all know better ’cause you’re not old. You’re super young. How old are you anyway?” the cheerleader babbled, suddenly reminding me of my old bestie, Kayla, and her nonstop high school word diarrhea (which I hadn’t missed at all).
“I’m eighteen,” I said. “Here’s our paperwork. Everything is in order. Our team’s waiting in the bus. Where should I tell them to change?”
“I’ll show ’em to the locker rooms,” said the cheerleader, beaming a big smile at me. “And welcome. My cousin was Marked five years ago. We were super close, but no one would let me call her or nothin’ after she left for the House of Night, so I think what you’re doin’ is amazing—mixing fledglings with humans.”
“If your cousin was Marked today you’d be able to stay in contact with her,” said Stevie Rae. “That’s ’cause of what High Priestess Zoey is doin’ here in Tulsa.”
“That’s real brave of you,” said the cheerleader. She stuck her hand out. “I’m Bridget, captain of Booker T. Washington’s varsity cheer squad—Go Hornets! If y’all need anything just holler for me and I’ll fix you right up.”
“Thanks, Bridget.” I smiled at the kid as I shook her hand. “Right now, all we need is a place for our team to change and for someone to let us know where we’re supposed to sit.”
“Oh, sure! Like I said, I’ll show your team to the locker rooms. Do ya see that center front section of the bleachers?”
I followed her pointing finger to see an empty place in the middle of the section. It looked kinda like a missing tooth.
“I see it.”
“We reserved it for House of Night fans. See ya inside and good luck.” Bridget started to turn away and then added. “Hey, what’s your school mascot?”
I stared at her. Ah, hell! The House of Night didn’t have a school mascot!
Into the uncomfortably growing silence Stevie Rae spoke up. “We’re the Ravens. Our colors are black and purple.”
“Cool! See ya!” Bridget hurried past us and out the front doors. She jogged through the tunnel to our bus. The three of us watched her disappear inside—and reappear in a few seconds with Jack and the rest of the team following her in a neat line.
The team entered the building, staring around Bridget at me, looking like a flock of wide-eyed baby birds. I nodded encouragement and Jack made a shooing motion at them so that they followed Bridget, with him bringing up the rear.
“Good luck!” I called as Jack passed us.
“Yeah, good luck House of Night Ravens!” Stevie Rae cheered.
Coach Jack stopped like he’d run into a linebacker. “Go ahead guys! I’ll catch you in a sec.” Jack faced me with his hands on his slim hips. “Ravens? Since when?”
“It was a sudden inspiration. They asked and I was the only one with an answer. You don’t mind, do ya?” Stevie Rae said.
“Well, I kinda thought the House of Night Swimming Seals would be nice,” Jack said wistfully.
“Ssssswimming Ssssseals?” Aphrodite lisped.
“That’s mean,” said Jack. “You know I have a lisp sometimes.”
“Uh, yeah. That’s why it’s so funny,” said Aphrodite.
Stevie Rae turned to me. “You’re not mad about me naming us the Ravens, are you?”
“No! I’m glad you thought of something.”
“Ravens.” Aphrodite continued to laugh until she snorted.
“Everyone’s staring at us,” Stevie Rae said. “And not in a good way.”
Aphrodite’s laughter cut off like she’d thrown a switch.
Stevie Rae was right. Jack had caught us with the door to the swim meet area open just before we stepped through to head to our reserved seats, and every head that wasn’t at least partially underwater was turned in our direction.
“Gotta go!” said Jack and he disappeared into the bowels of the building, hurrying after his team.
I straightened my spine, lifted my chin, and plastered a smile on my face. “Smile and look like none of this bothers you,” I whispered between my teeth.
From my side vision I could see Aphrodite and Stevie Rae following my lead. They lifted their chins and smiled like they were oh-so-pleased to see all the gawking faces.
There were about a dozen seats with big black reserved for hon signs on them.
“Hell! We should’ve brought fans,” I said as the three of us sat in the middle of the empty seats.
“It’s okay. This is just the trials,” said Stevie Rae.
“Yeah, we’ll round up a bunch of ‘fans,’” Aphrodite air quoted, “for the finals.”
“Z, if the House of Night is gonna be participating in sports with the human kids, I think we should start a pep club or whatnot,” said Stevie Rae.
“I agree,” I said. “You’re in charge of that.”
“Why me?”
“Your idea,” I said.
“And your Raven.” Aphrodite peered around me at Stevie Rae. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that you named our school mascot after your birdboy. Ya know, we coulda been the House of Night Warriors.”
“Or the Ssswimming Ssseals.” I couldn’t help myself. “But I like Ravens,” I added quickly before she and Stevie Rae could devolve into bickering.
“Thank you, Z,” said Stevie Rae, sending Aphrodite a narrow-eyed look. “And I did think of Warriors. For ’bout two-point-five seconds, but it could be taken as Native American Warriors and that’s cultural appropriation and racist—so no.”
“Good point,” I said. “Ooooo, here they come!”
Led by Coach Jack, our team entered the pool area and the gawkers shifted their attention from us to them. I stood and began to clap and cheer—Stevie Rae and Aphrodite instantly joining me—and I was happily surprised to see cheerleader Bridget and her entire squad stand and clap as well.
“Wow. They look really good,” I said. “Where’d they get those uniforms?”
“Me, of course. Note the expensive material and the excellent mixture of our school colors,” Aphrodite said smugly.
“They’re gonna look great with a big raven and ‘HoN’ emblazoned on the back of those warm-ups!” said Stevie Rae.
Aphrodite snorted. Again.
I was glad to see that as our team warmed up, the gawkers relaxed. Sure, people still stared at us and the human kids were pretty much keeping their distance from our fledglings, but at least the main focus was the meet—or at least it mostly was.
Stevie Rae’s sigh was bittersweet. “Rephaim would love to see this. He never got to play sports, ’cause, well—”
“He was a half-bird/half-boy monster?” Aphrodite offered with exaggerated innocence.
“Yes, but you coulda put it nicer,” said Stevie Rae.
“Do you ever wish you and Rephaim had stayed in the Other World?” I heard the question blurt from my mouth before I could stop it. Aphrodite and Stevie Rae swiveled their heads to stare at me.
“That’s harsh,” said Aphrodite.
I held up my hands in surrender. “No, no! I didn’t mean I wanted her to! I was only curious. It’s just that Rephaim gets to be a boy all the time over there.” I bumped Aphrodite with my shoulder. “Stop it.”
“Oh, I know you didn’t mean nothing, Z. To tell the truth, Rephaim and I talked ’bout it and we decided that this is our home—even if he is a bird half the time. Plus, Nyx made him stay a bird during the day because he needed to atone. Rephaim is too honorable to skip out on that,” she said.
I felt a huge weight lift from my chest that I hadn’t wanted to admit was there. “Is it selfish of me to say that I’m really glad?” I a
sked.
“Nah, Z. It’s honest—that’s all. Don’t worry. Rephaim and I aren’t goin’ anywhere. This T-Town is our T-Town.”
“I don’t think I realized it until now, but I was worried,” I said.
“Z, if Rephaim and I weren’t happy here, I woulda said somethin’ to you.”
“You didn’t tell me that you were miserably homesick in Chicago,” I countered.
“True,” Stevie Rae said. “But I learned my lesson ’bout that. I mess up, but I usually don’t make the same mess twice.”
“Would you two please make out later?” Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes.
“You know, Aphrodite, you’ve been super grumpy recently. Are you and Darius having issues? And that’s a rhetorical question—so, don’t answer. Just check your attitude.” Stevie Rae crossed her arms and purposefully turned her back to Aphrodite.
“Darius and I are just fine!” Aphrodite said, a little too quickly.
I lowered my voice and leaned closer to my friend and prophetess. “Hey, she’s right. My gut says there’s something going on with you.”
Aphrodite started to glare at me, but the glare changed to a sad sigh. Keeping her voice low, for my ears alone, she said, “I’m worried about him.”
“Him?” I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea that she wasn’t talking about Darius.
“Your other brother, of course. I just died over there. He just lost me. He must be utterly devastated. I’m worried. Aren’t you?”
“I am. But he has a great support system over there. Other Anastasia and Other Grandma Redbird will help him.”
She snorted and looked dubious.
“Aphrodite, there’s nothing I can do from here, and believe me, I’ve thought about it a lot. I’d love to come and go between the worlds like there’s a revolving door—but that’s not reality. Reality is that to open the door to that world I have to use Old Magick, lots of it, and I honestly do not believe that’s safe.”