little short of breath about the multiple issues we had going on.
"Don't worry, Z. I still got that phone you gave me. Just call, and I can sneak back in here anytime."
"You mean anytime there's no sunlight," Aphrodite said, helping me open the window for Stevie Rae.
"Yeah, that's what I mean." Stevie Rae looked at Aphrodite. "You know you can come with me if you don't want to stay here and pretend."
I blinked at my BFF in surprise. It wasn't like she could stand Aphrodite, but here she was, offering her a place to stay, and using a nice tone of voice about it, too, which was exactly like the Stevie Rae I knew and loved—and I felt like crap that somewhere in the back of my mind I'd imagined her acting undead and inhuman again.
"Really, you can come with me," Stevie Rae repeated, and when Aphrodite didn't say anything, she added something that seemed really odd to me. "I know what it's like to pretend. You wouldn't have to do that in the tunnels."
I expected Aphrodite to sneer at her and make a crack about the red fledglings and bad hygiene, but what she actually said surprised me even more than Stevie Rae's offer.
"I have to stay here and pretend I'm still a fledgling. I'm not going to leave Zoey alone, and I don't trust the gay boy and the Dorkamese Twins to do the buddy thing right now. But thanks, Stevie Rae."
I smiled at Aphrodite. "See, you can be nice when you try."
"I'm not being nice. I'm being practical. A world filled with war isn't attractive. You know, what with all that sweaty running and fighting and killing each other. It's just not conducive to good hair or well-maintained nails."
"Aphrodite," I said wearily, "being nice is not a bad thing."
"So says the Queen of Notnormal Land," Aphrodite quipped.
"Which means she's queen of you, Vision Girl," Stevie Rae said. Then she gave me a quick hug. "Bye, Z. I'll see you soon. Promise."
I hugged her back, loving that she felt and smelled and sounded like her old self again. "Okay, but I wish you didn't have to go."
"It'll be fine. You'll see. This'll all work out." Then she crawled out the window. I watched her start to climb down the sheer side of the dorm. She looked creepily buglike until her body rippled and practically disappeared. Actually, had I not known she was there, I would never have seen her at all.
"It's like she's one of those lizards that can change the color of their bodies to match their surroundings," Aphrodite said.
"Chameleons," I said. "That's what they're called."
"Are you sure? Gecko sounds more Stevie Rae–ish to me."
I frowned at her. "I'm sure. Stop being such a smart aleck and help me close the window."
With the window closed and the drapes drawn again, I sighed and shook my head. More to myself than to her, I said, "So what are we going to do?"
Aphrodite started to paw through the chic little Coach purse she wore like decoration over her shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to use this ridiculous eyeliner pencil to draw my Mark back. Can you believe I found this shade at Target?" She shuddered. "Like, which of the fashion-challenged would even wear it? Anyway, I'm going to fix this thing, then I'm going to go to the stupid meeting Neferet called."
"I meant, What are we going to do about all this life-and-death stuff that's going on? "
"I don't fucking know! I don't want this." She pointed at her fake Mark. "I don't want any of this. I just want to be what I was before you showed up here and all hell broke loose. I want to be popular and powerful and dating the hottest guy in school. Now I'm none of those things, and I'm a human who has scary visions and I don't know what to do about any of it."
I didn't say anything for a second, thinking about the fact that I had been the cause of Aphrodite's losing her popularity, her power, and her boyfriend. When I did finally speak, I surprised myself by saying exactly what was on my mind.
"You must hate me."
She stared a long time at me. "I did," she said slowly.
"Don't worry, Z. I still got that phone you gave me. Just call, and I can sneak back in here anytime."
"You mean anytime there's no sunlight," Aphrodite said, helping me open the window for Stevie Rae.
"Yeah, that's what I mean." Stevie Rae looked at Aphrodite. "You know you can come with me if you don't want to stay here and pretend."
I blinked at my BFF in surprise. It wasn't like she could stand Aphrodite, but here she was, offering her a place to stay, and using a nice tone of voice about it, too, which was exactly like the Stevie Rae I knew and loved—and I felt like crap that somewhere in the back of my mind I'd imagined her acting undead and inhuman again.
"Really, you can come with me," Stevie Rae repeated, and when Aphrodite didn't say anything, she added something that seemed really odd to me. "I know what it's like to pretend. You wouldn't have to do that in the tunnels."
I expected Aphrodite to sneer at her and make a crack about the red fledglings and bad hygiene, but what she actually said surprised me even more than Stevie Rae's offer.
"I have to stay here and pretend I'm still a fledgling. I'm not going to leave Zoey alone, and I don't trust the gay boy and the Dorkamese Twins to do the buddy thing right now. But thanks, Stevie Rae."
I smiled at Aphrodite. "See, you can be nice when you try."
"I'm not being nice. I'm being practical. A world filled with war isn't attractive. You know, what with all that sweaty running and fighting and killing each other. It's just not conducive to good hair or well-maintained nails."
"Aphrodite," I said wearily, "being nice is not a bad thing."
"So says the Queen of Notnormal Land," Aphrodite quipped.
"Which means she's queen of you, Vision Girl," Stevie Rae said. Then she gave me a quick hug. "Bye, Z. I'll see you soon. Promise."
I hugged her back, loving that she felt and smelled and sounded like her old self again. "Okay, but I wish you didn't have to go."
"It'll be fine. You'll see. This'll all work out." Then she crawled out the window. I watched her start to climb down the sheer side of the dorm. She looked creepily buglike until her body rippled and practically disappeared. Actually, had I not known she was there, I would never have seen her at all.
"It's like she's one of those lizards that can change the color of their bodies to match their surroundings," Aphrodite said.
"Chameleons," I said. "That's what they're called."
"Are you sure? Gecko sounds more Stevie Rae–ish to me."
I frowned at her. "I'm sure. Stop being such a smart aleck and help me close the window."
With the window closed and the drapes drawn again, I sighed and shook my head. More to myself than to her, I said, "So what are we going to do?"
Aphrodite started to paw through the chic little Coach purse she wore like decoration over her shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to use this ridiculous eyeliner pencil to draw my Mark back. Can you believe I found this shade at Target?" She shuddered. "Like, which of the fashion-challenged would even wear it? Anyway, I'm going to fix this thing, then I'm going to go to the stupid meeting Neferet called."
"I meant, What are we going to do about all this life-and-death stuff that's going on? "
"I don't fucking know! I don't want this." She pointed at her fake Mark. "I don't want any of this. I just want to be what I was before you showed up here and all hell broke loose. I want to be popular and powerful and dating the hottest guy in school. Now I'm none of those things, and I'm a human who has scary visions and I don't know what to do about any of it."
I didn't say anything for a second, thinking about the fact that I had been the cause of Aphrodite's losing her popularity, her power, and her boyfriend. When I did finally speak, I surprised myself by saying exactly what was on my mind.
"You must hate me."
She stared a long time at me. "I did," she said slowly.
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