“Ohmygoddess. That is wonderful. Don’t stop,” she said.
“Never,” said Darius with a smile in his voice.
“If you didn’t wear those crazy stilettos all the time, your feet wouldn’t hurt so much,” said Z, sounding way too smug.
“I wasn’t wearing stilettos at the park. I was wearing flats.”
It sounded like Ice Cream Shoes actually snorted but she said nothing because Z beat her to it.
“Wedges aren’t flats, but go ahead. What did you see?”
“A bunch of things really fast, which is why I’m confused about being out for so long. The vision was short and violent.”
“Go ahead. We’re listening,” prompted Darius as he continued to rub her feet.
The foot massage and the lavender tea worked perfectly together, and Aphrodite sank back into the down pillows as she held the cool, damp washcloth to her bleeding eyes.
“OK, I’m pretty sure we were at the other House of Night, out there by the east wall and the messed-up old oak tree, only the tree wasn’t messed up, which confused me.”
“That tree isn’t messed up on the school grounds at the other House of Night.” Z’s voice came from beside her and Aphrodite decided that she must be sitting in one of the plush chairs facing the couch she reclined on.
“Then I’m sure the vision took place in the Other World. Everything was happening super fast, and Neferet was in a strange place—and I don’t mean physically.”
“She’d gone totally crazy, like our Neferet?” Stevie Rae asked.
“No. That’s the weird thing. Okay, I was only inside her body for a few seconds. I knew she was not in this world. I knew Lynette was with her and that she cares about Lynette—that was easy because I saw Lynette, and Neferet’s feelings for her were super clear. It was her feelings for Other Kalona and Batshit that were confusing.”
“What?!” Aphrodite could tell that Zoey had stood and was pacing behind the couch. “Other Kalona was there?”
“Yeah. So was Batshit Neferet. I think we might have been there too, but it was really hard to tell because it was like Neferet was inside a fishbowl—something that made her sight confusing. She was totally focused on what was going on between Other Kalona and Batshit Neferet. Kalona was battling Batshit. He was hurt but holding her off—matching her, blow-for-blow, and it seemed like he was keeping her from getting inside the school grounds.
“Then something happened that really freaked Other Neferet out. I couldn’t tell for sure what it was—there was too much noise and panic. All I know is that Other Neferet believed that she was losing. Lynette tried to talk to her—it was like the two of them were isolated in the eye of a hurricane—a really noisy hurricane. But Other Neferet rejected what Lynette was saying. She decided to retreat.” Aphrodite paused, turning the washcloth over and pressing the cool side against her closed eyes. “It felt like that choice was key because as soon as Other Neferet yelled at Lynette to get the hell out of there, Batshit Neferet, who is super, super gross looking—like a mixture between a spider and a praying mantis and a human. She’s just—” Aphrodite shuddered before continuing. “Nasty—seriously nasty. Anyway, Batshit Neferet got around Kalona and took off after Other Neferet. Actually, she took off after Lynette. It was weird, though, because the scene went from being filled with vampyres and tendrils of Darkness and Other Kalona fighting his ass off to a tunnel-vision view of Other Lynette and Other Neferet being completely isolated.”
“You must explain that,” said Darius.
“I don’t know how real that part was. Sometimes I see things that are more metaphor than truth in my visions—which is one reason I hate poetry so much. I get enough confusion already in my prophecies and do not want to deal with any more bullshit symbolism and whatnot. But in the vision, when Other Neferet made the decision to run, everything changed. Other Kalona was gone—everyone literally disappeared except for the two Neferets and Lynette.”
Zoey asked. “What color were Kalona’s wings?”
“White—silver-white. They were really pretty. And he didn’t have a shirt on.”
“Of course he didn’t,” Z said. “But his white wings mean that he didn’t fall, and he’s definitely on our side. So, keep going. Everyone disappears, then what?”
“Batshit goes after them. Other Neferet was running. Lynette was with her but was a lot slower. Batshit’s tendrils caught Lynette pretty easily. They covered her while she screamed and screamed. Neferet turned and it was like she froze. I could feel what was happening inside her, and everything just went numb with shock and pain and loss, then while she stood there reeling from Lynette’s death, Batshit cut her in half. That was not symbolic. Batshit had a long, white, staff thingy with like, short swords at either end. She chopped her in half with it. And as Other Neferet’s vision went black, Batshit Neferet’s tendrils of Darkness multiplied and spread all over, covering everything and everyone. As Neferet was dying, I could smell blood and gore and I heard lots and lots of people screaming—including us. I heard all of us dying. It was the worst vision I’ve ever had, and it only lasted a few seconds.” With a shaking hand, she pressed the washcloth against her eyes.
“So, basically, everything went to hell when Other Kalona was overwhelmed and Other Neferet takes off,” Z said.
Aphrodite shrugged. “I think so.”
“Wait, you’re not sayin’ Other Neferet was fightin’ against Batshit Neferet, are you?” Stevie Rae said.
“It really seemed that way,” said Aphrodite.
“That’s bizarre,” Zoey said. “I met Other Neferet. She’s as coldhearted and egotistical as our Neferet. She ordered the death of any High Priestess who stood against her. She would’ve had her Red Army slaughter an entire stadium full of innocent people.
