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Zoey

Waiting until dusk was hell Keeping s woke up slowly and shuffled sleepily around, taking their ti about school and ho Grandma made my head pound and my stomach clench

And then, of course, add to everything the fact that Aurox was crouched up in Tower 1, hiding out, waiting until we coht before we start the whole circle-casting-save-Grandma plan because, as Aphrodite said, "We can&039;t let anyone see hiets one tiny word that Bull Boy stuck his face back at the House of Night and we didn&039;t totally fuck hiet on him and call Grandous headache and I orking on some serious IBS

"Have a brown pop," Stark said, sliding a chair over next to where I was sitting at one of the kitchen tables

"Already had one," I said

"Have another" He leaned intoyour foot like a crazy person and the other kids are looking at you like youthat as an excuse to whisper back

"Count Chocula, Z?" Stevie Rae asked with exaggerated perkiness

"Not hungr-" I started, but Aphrodite cut me off

"She&039;d love a bowl Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"

"You never eat breakfast," I said, frowning at her

Aphrodite raised her half-ene flute and mock toasted me "I choose to drink e juice is brain food"

"And chah the mouthful of Lucky Charms

"I like to think of it as a way the Goddess levels the playing field Consider for a moment how ridiculously much smarter I would be than all of you if I didn&039;t drink heavily"

"I think your logic is flawed," Damien said

"And I think your hair is flawed Is that early asped

I sighed

"Don&039;t be such a meanie pants," Stevie Rae told Aphrodite, and then she handedof pants, the waist of those buh it couldn&039;t pass a drug test," Aphrodite quipped as she refilled her mimosa

"I think Stevie Rae looks cute," Shaylin said

"Of course you do And to two different shoes, because that&039;s the kind of refined fashion taste you have"

I tried to eat whilehis hand onsqueeze

My mind would not shut up Okay, I understood e had to wait until after sunset to go to the Mayo Two of my five embodiments of the elements would burst into flaht And that&039;s not even counting Stark, ould also turn into a crispy critter I even got that we had to go to school and our first hour, which was taught by Thanatos She was going to put us into groups and assign us to different jobs, all focusing around getting the school ready for the open house on Saturday Conveniently, the jobs that she gave to those of us ere going to rescue Grand to be off caht accidentally or on purpose come into contact with Neferet would have no clue ere up to, or that we even knew Grand, especially since the kids-those eren&039;t in on our plan-knew nothing about as up, so they were et ready to load into the bus

Aurox was crouched in a tower on the top of this building Grande created by Darkness It was hard to pretend like nothing was going on I wanted to pace I wanted to screa Or someone Well, Neferet for sure But I didn&039;t want to burst into tears, and I thought that was a good sign

As I was co to the end of my cereal and my patience, Kramisha entered the kitchen like fireworks Okay, well, maybe it was just her outfit that looked like fireworks with her butt-hugging yellow skirt, her purple sweater with her silver eolden chariot pulling a trail of stars blazing on her chest, and her bright red patent leather wedges that al

"The bus is waitin&039; An&039; fine as Darius is, he don&039;t need to be kept sittin&039; out there wonderin&039; what&039;s takin&039; everbody so dalings "Go on, scat!"

I could have kissed her Then she skewered ot somethin&039; for you"

My sto and pulled out her purple notebook

"I cannot tell you how much I hate poetry," Aphrodite said

"Don&039;t give me none of your attitude," Kramisha told her "Have you had a vision today?"

"No Today I&039;," Aphrodite said

"Looks like I be pickin&039; up your slack, Prophetess, so don&039;t be hatin&039; onmotion at Aphrodite, too "Go on I said this is for Zoey"

"Good Soe And no, I don&039;t uratively" Aphrodite tossed her hair and twitched from the room

"Do you need me to stay?" Stevie Rae asked

I raised ly at Kralanced at Dao, too"

"Hey, I don&039;t know if I&039;onna have to be I gottalk to Z alone vibe, and I&039; to think of as The Purple Folder of Doom, Kramisha crossed her arms, and tapped her foot at Stark

"Go on," I said "Kraht way "

"By &039;way more often&039; shesuper impatient

"Okay, but I don&039;t like it I&039;ll be waiting in the bus" Stark kissed me, frowned at Kramisha, and left the room

Kramisha shook her head "I have three words for that boy: con-trol-ing"

"He&039;s just trying to keep me safe, that&039;s all," I said

Kramisha snorted "Yeah, that&039;s what my auntie&039;s second husband said before he backhanded her &039;cross the roooing to hit me, Kramisha!"

"I&039;m just sayin&039; Anyway, this is for you Alone Don&039;t knohy I got this strong feelin&039; that you gotta hear it, think &039;bout it, and keep it to yourself, but I do You the High Priestess and all, so you can do what you want But I gotta be honest and tell you every bit of the Juju I get"

"Okay, yeah, I get it So, let me read it" I reached for the notebook

"Nope," Kra "Don&039;t knohy, but this is an out-loud thing All you got to do is listen" When she started reading her voice changed It didn&039;t get louder, but there was power in the way she spoke, the way she enunciated the words, thatpoeick ray

Hidden

Forbidden

Within, away

Part the ick kissed

Call the fey

Reveal the past

The spell is cast

I save the day!"

She came to the end, and the room seemed very silent

"Well, that was soain "Did itto you?"

"I don&039;t know It sounded powerful, like it wasyou&039;re going to save the day"

"It wasn&039;t meant for me, Z It&039;s yours I don&039;t even know for sure what it is &039;cause it don&039;t feel like none of my other poems It feels more like a spell than a prophecy"

"A spell?" I looked around us Nothing was different Nothing had happened "Are you sure?"

"No, I ain&039;t Take it" She tore out the page and handed it to oin&039; on with you and your circle I know you&039;d tellto be my non-explanation explanation "I don&039;t need no explanation You&039;re ive you this an&039; tell you you&039;re gonna need it When you do, speak it like I just did There&039;s power in them words"

I took the poem from her, folded it carefully, and put it in the front pocket of my jeans "Thank you, Kramisha I hope real soon I&039;ll be able to tell you how much this means to me"

"You will Like I said, I believe in you, Z Now it&039;s your turn to believe in yourself"

"Yeah, I know That&039;s what scares

Kra "Z, if it didn&039;t scare you, then I&039;d say you had no da, and remember-Nyx ain&039;t stupid, and she&039;s the one who picked you for all this stressful shit, and not the other way &039;round"

"That actually does make me feel a little better," I told her

"Well, I ain&039;t Dr Phil, but I&039;m smart," she said