6A/N-One shot!
BETRAYED
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Stevie Rae
Zoey started talkin' again and everyone quieted down, even I could feel the power comin' off her.
'Each of you believes you can uphold the ideals of the Dark Daughters and Sons, and will try your best to be authentic, faithful, wise, empathetic, and sincere - you may continue your membership of this group. But I want you to know that there will be new fledglings joining us, and they won't be judged on the way they look or who their best friends are. Make your decision, and see me or any of the other Prefects and let us know if you want to stay with the group' I snuck glance at some of Aphrodite's hateful followers, before I could look properly, Z, started talkin'. 'We won't hold the past against you. It's how you act from here on that counts' I was still looking at Aphrodite's buddies and saw the share guilty glances with each other, and some looking like they were gonna cry.
Zoey put down Spirit's candle, and picked up a fancy ceremonial goblet she spoke again. 'And now let's drink in celebration of a full moon, and an end that leads to a new beginning.'
Zoey moved around the circle of fledglings, offering the wine in the goblet, while reciting a poem.
'Airy light of the moon
Mystery of the deep earth
Power of the flowing water
Warmth of the burning flame
In Nyx's name we call to thee!'
As Z, spoke you could feel the power flowing out of her words, it started to really feel like a new beginning. As Zoey moved to each person, they smiled at her and whispered 'Blessed Be'.
'Healing of ills
Righting of wrongs
Cleansing of impurity
Desiring of truths
In Nyx's name we call to thee!'
'Sight of the cat
Hearing of the dolphin
Speed of the snake
Mystery of the phoenix
In Nyx's name we call to thee
And ask that with us you will blessed be!"
Zoey drank the last of the wine and put the goblet back on the table, and moved around, thanking each element, smiling as she came and blew out my candle. 'The Full Moon Rite has ended. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!'
We all echoed back 'Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!'
And then our first full moon ritual was over, and I felt terrible. I only had a couple of seconds to focus on my ickiness, as all of my friends crowded around Zoey, talking about the 'almost drying cement squares'.
'Please. Like my twin can't call in a little water to soup that cement right up if it has the nerve to dry before we could make our handprints' Shaunee said.
Erin nodded. 'That's what I'm here for, Twin. That and being an example of incredibly good fashion sense'
'Both are very important, Twin'
Damien gave an exaggerated eye roll.
'Ya'll just make the handprints and get out of here. My stomach kinda hurts and I got a killer headache' I said moving in from behind everyone.
Zoey nodded at me. 'I agree with Stevie Rae. Let's hurry and make the handprints, and then we can join everyone else I the other room with the food.'
'Neferet had the cooks make a special taco bar. I stuck my head in there earlier and it looked really yummy,' Damien said.
'Well, come on then. Stop dillydallying,' I said, slightly harsh, and walked back over to my square.
'What's wrong with her?' Damien whispered.
'Clearly she's…' Shaunee said. I tuned outta their conversation, I already felt sick, and hearing them jabber about me did not help my situation.
'Um, I wetted some towels in the kitchen so you guys could wipe your hands when you're done,' Jack said looking real cute and nervous holding an armload of damp white towels. He reminded me of a lost puppy.
Zoey smiled at him from her square up the other end of the room. 'That's really nice of you Jack. Okay, let's do it!'
It looked like the cement was poured into cardboard moulds, easy to peel off. Damien's idea of puttin' them in the courtyard outside the dining hall was a great idea, sorta like weird steppin'-stones. The cement was all goopy and still definitely wet; Erin didn't have to worry about 'souping it right up'. I got a twig from Jack and wrote my name underneath my handprint. I looked over at Z, she sorta looked like she'd been slapped in her face, I was gonna go over and ask her what was goin' on, before a cough took over me.
I sat back on my heals as Zoey looked at me startled. I smiled at her and mouthed 'Frog in my throat'. Zoey yelled suddenly 'Get Neferet. Fast!'
What was goin' on? I started to wipe my hands on my towel when I coughed again, and again. I couldn't stop! I put the towel to my mouth; I could feel somethin' soaking through my towel, warm and wet. I continued coughing, and there was a searing pain in my chest. It wouldn't go away! Somebody help me!
I looked up and Zoey was stood there, Damien was talking to her, carefully holding her shoulders whilst she breathed in through her mouth.
'Zoey!' I screamed, looking at the blood soaked towel. The pain in my chest was moving through my body, I could feel it burnin' down my arms and legs. I started to cry, pink tears. Blood started to spew from my nose and mouth every time I coughed. It was gettin' worse. Realization struck me. I was rejecting the change. I was dying!
'Get more towels!' Zoey snapped at Erin as she ran over crouching in front o' me. 'It's going to be okay. I promise. It's going to be okay.' I cried more, tears running down my blood stained cheeks, shakin' my head I gurgled weakly 'It's not. It can't be. I'm dying.' It was hard to speak through the blood haemorrhaging in my lungs and throat. More blood.
'I'm staying with you. I won't let you be alone.' Zoey said. I grasped her hand, liking how warm hers was compared to my chilled bloody one, 'I'm scared, Z.' I whispered
'I know, I'm scared, too. But we'll get through this together. I promise,' Erin handed her a pile of towels. My throat felt like it was being scraped off with a cheese grater, it burned too, now. Zoey took the blood soaked towel out of my shaking hands. I wanted to scream, heck, I bet half the kids in the room wanted to scream too! She replaced the bloody towel with a clean one, which I quickly messed up. Zoey handed me another. She just couldn't keep up; there was too much blood, and I was shakin' so hard I kept dropping the towels.
Zoey cried out and pulled me into her arms, rockin' me back and forth, like I was a baby. Damien's voice rang out through my coughing and crying. 'Zoey, this might help' His voice was shaky, my eyes closed. I was very suddenly really sleepy.
'Come down here, Damien…' Her voice was fading quickly, like it kept walkin' further into the distance. 'Stevie Rae, over your eyes, honey,' She said, with a nasty gurgling breath my eyelids fluttered. My eyes quickly caught onto the candle, and they held, barely.
'I call the element earth to us now' Z's voice got louder as she spoke, cracking through my painful haze. 'And I ask that earth be with this very special fledgling, Stevie Rae Johnson, who has been so newly gifted an affinity for the element. Earth is our home-our provider-and earth is where we will all someday return. Tonight I ask that earth hold and comfort Stevie Rae, and make her journey home a peaceful one,' There was a rush of fragrant air and I was enveloped with the smells and sounds of an orchard. I smelled apples and hay, the soft dirt under the sweet grass, and heard birds chirping and bees buzzing. I smiled and whispered 'I'm not afraid anymore, Z.' Then the front door burst open, and I felt movement on the floorboards. Neferet's hands reached out to grasp me, but before she could get them around me Zoey stopped her.
'No! We stay with her. She needs her element and she needs us.' Neferet flinched from the power of her words, but I was concentrating on the candle that took most of my pain away. You know that saying, about how your life flashes before your eyes when you're dying? It is not as true as people make it sound. You just think of things with great clarity. What your future goals would have been, who you were leavin' behind. I thought of Zoey, the gang, my Mama, and Daddy, Nala Zoey's-grumpy-old-lady cat. My tears came harder now draining my body of its energy; at least I stopped coughing now.
'Very well,' Neferet said. 'It's very nearly over now anyway. Help me get her to drink this so that her passing will be painless.'
Zoey reached for the milky liquid when my voice rang out, clearer than before. 'I don't need it. Since earth came there hasn't been any pain.'
'Of course there hasn't been, child' Neferet touched my blood smeared cheek and my body instantly relaxed. 'Help Zoey lift her onto the stretcher. Keep them together. Let's get her to the infirmary,'
Zoey nodded. Strong hands gripped Z, and me; in moments we were both on the stretcher, still in Zoey's arms. I was growing weaker and weaker buy the moment.
We were carried outside and I saw white, the snow must be fallin' again. Zoey whispered to me, telling me that it was gonna be okay, that there was nothing to be scared of. My eyes were closed again now. We were moved again, I could still smell blossoms and hear bird song. I opened my eyes and looked at the candle, Damien had crawled on the infirmary bed with Zoey and I, keeping the candle close. I smiled, 'Would you tell my Mama and Daddy that I love them?' I spoke weakly, my voice filled with a horrible wetness.
'Of course I will' She said quickly, but softly.
'And do something else for me?' I whispered.
'Anything'
'You don't really have a mama or daddy, so would you tell my mama that you're their daughter now? I think I'd worry about them less if I know ya'll have each other.' Tears were pouring down both of our cheeks now, mine pink, hers clear.
'Don't worry about anything. I'll tell them.'
I smiled again. 'Good. Mama will make chocolate chip cookies for you.' I looked around at all of my friends, all crying and holding each other for support. 'Ya'll stick with Zoey. Don't let anything pull you apart.'
'Don't worry,' Damien said through tears.
'We'll take care of her for you' Shaunee managed to say. Erin was clutching Shaunee's hand and crying hard, but she nodded at me.
'Good,' I said closing my eyes now. 'Z, I think I'm gonna sleep for a while now, 'Kay?'
'Okay, honey,' She said.
My eyelids lifted once more, weaker than before. I said. 'Will you stay with me?'
She hugged me closer. 'I'm not going anywhere. You just rest. We'll all be right here with you.'
''Kay…' I said softly.
I shut my eyes. Took a few more gurgling breaths, and let myself relax in my best friends arms. Then I let the darkness envelope me as earths candle went out with me.