Encounter

The Truth. Finally.

Sky's POV

I waited for what seemed like forever. But a girl with curly blonde hair walked in. She took one look at me and walked up avoiding the sun spots. "Shaunee get those curtains up! Otherwise both of us are going to burn faster than a potato on hot cement!" She squawked and her Oklahoma country bumpkin accent shines though. Shaunee did as she was told and I noticed that the girl that walked in had a filled in moon and markings.

"Oh by the way Sky, this is Stevie Rae." Shaunee said closing the curtains. "She's the red Vampyre Priestess." I looked at the girl and nodded.

Stevie Rae looked at me and then moved my bangs over revealing my red crescent moon. She hummed before stepping back. "Well welcome darlin."

I looked at her and stood up. My flannel cardigan fell to the back of my knees. Tears swelled up in my eyes. "What happened to Jack? Is...." I wiped tears away and sat back down. "He's dead isn't he?" I put my head in my hands. I heard whispering and then I heard the door open again. I looked up and saw Damien standing in the doorway.

He saw me and walked over hugging me as best as he could. "It's time someone other than Thantos told you what happened to Jack." He said and sat next to me pulling out a picture. It was of him and Jack. He was smiling. I smiled and took it looking it over. I remembered his cute smile. The way he loved to sing, how excited he got whenever something would happen in his favor. I handed the photo back to Damien.

I looked up at him and the look on his face made my heart sink. "Damien... What happened to Jack?" I asked. The silence was uncomfortable. "Is... Is Jack dead?" my hopes of ever finding him again were squashed in one second. Telling him how much he meant to me wasn't going to happen. I broke down and started bawling. By now I felt the sun go down and I got up and ran outside. I was barely dry when I walked outside and the pouring rain didn't help but it was my mood.

I heard someone follow me. I turned around and saw Damien. I looked to my left and saw Zoey and Stark. To my right was another girl. She was staring intently at me. She had a red moon like I did. I turned back around and found Aphrodite and a buff looking guard. Zoey walked up to me. "Sky, I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as you asked. but what you need to do right now is calm down. Jack went out singing." she reached a hand towards me and I slapped it away.

I was angry, upset, hurt, and most of all I felt empty. "That doesn't help! I wanna know how! Why! And if he was murdered by who." I say to her harshly. She took a step back and Stark looked like he wanted to punch me in the face so hard. At this point I didn't care. I raised my arms at him and
my body racked with sobs. "Hit me with your BEST SHOT!" I yelled and my voice rang out all over campus. "My mother's going to kill me once she finds out about me anyway! And without Jack living isn't WORTH IT!!" I closed my eyes and then fell to my knees my knees hitting hard concrete. I covered my face and I felt somebody's hand on my back.

Someone stood me up and then I opened my eyes in time to see Zoey before I was hit in the back of the head with something. I didn't even feel myself fall.

* * *

I woke up what felt like hours later to an unfamiliar room. I sat up and looked around. It reminded me of a nurse's office at a school. I got up and walked out since there was nobody there. I walked down the silent hallways. My guess was that everyone was in class. So, I walked to the dorms since my schedule was in there anyways. On the way I felt something off. Like something wasn't quite right.

I looked around and felt this greater evil coming to the campus. I also felt goodness, who I assumed was Nyx, standing behind me and kind of pushing me towards the gates. I walked to the wall and jumped on top of it with ease. Hopping trains to the next town over looking for Jack payed off. I looked down the street and saw a figure more beautiful than I could describe walked towards the school. I saw black tendrils withering under her feet and carrying her along. Nefret. I would have to distract her while Zoey came. I set my phone onto a brick that stuck out and aimed it at the main hall. I set it to do an SOS flash. I hoped someone saw it and came running. I let myself fall over the wall.

I stood in the shadows for a moment before stepping out. Most likely she would take me as a rebellious teen who liked to hang around vamyre schools. She looked at me and chuckled softly to herself. I walked right up and past her. I felt the urge to cough but held it in. I knew what happened if a fledgling didn't get to a House of Night in time. I was willing to take that risk. I turned and sure enough she was looking at me. I moved my bangs and smirked. "Catch me if you can Priestess." I turned around and took off running. To my luck, she followed me. I hoped that Jack was watching. And I hope he's proud. I felt something grab onto my elbow and I thrashed around trying to get out of it.

"Sky. Stop moving." The small but all-too-familiar voice drifted over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Jack. He smiled at me. "You've gone far enough. Nyx is warning Zoey as we speak. Just hold out for me okay?" He asked and looked back at Nefret who was coming closer. He hugged me and I stood still. I smirked.

I looked down at Jack for a long moment. "Jack, I'm sorry. I love you like a little brother." I looked back up at Nefret. "I'll do it for you." I smiled. "I'll sacrifice myself." I got into a stance and felt Jack disappear. I stood ready at the approaching Nefret. Or as she refers to herself, Queen Tsi Sgili. She let out a cackle and I coughed. Violently at that. Oh boy here it comes, the rejection. I still stood strong. She came at me and stopped inches from where I was standing.

She was truly beautiful. Just like they described. I felt her enter my mind. "Oh, Jack Twist. You miss him. Sad you never knew what happened to him. Well I'll tell you since I am so great." She said standing up and some of the tendrils lapped against my feet. I could feel the cold, scaly creatures wanting to feast. "I killed him. Made him jump off a ladder and stab himself in the chest before a party." She says and I narrow my eyes. I push back. I break through her barriers and enter her mind instead.

"You're cold, weak Emily. Raped by her own goddamn father." I smirk and watch her satisfied expression turn to deep deep fear. I had a Nyx-given gift. And I just discovered it. "You were to be courted but was marked instead. He left you, but oh another chance! The House of Night is just what you needed. A way out. Right Emily?" I tell her her whole life story and watch her shrink in fear. She cowered and then turned. I looked over and saw Zoey running out with Stark.

My coughing grew worse. Blood came up. I let all of my defenses down and fell to my knees. I coughed violently even though Nefret was near. When I looked up she was gone. I was alone in the middle of the street coughing my guts up. That's what it felt like. I saw my phone flashing against the great hall. I was hallucinating? I looked behind me and at the Mayo. I laid on the street and felt my body physically shutting down and rejecting the change. I looked over and saw a large woman burst out of Nyx's temple as I was informed. My only guess was that she was Thantos. The High Priestess.

I blinked slowly. "Sky! Skylar Twist!" I heard feet pound up to me before I blacked out.

Was I dead?