Tempted (House of Night #6)(58)

The body of my good friend is still smoldering out there and I don't feel like listening to teenage bickering. Aphrodite and Damien actually muttered apologies and looked uncomfortable, which I decided was an excellent cue for me to start talking. Okay, so, every single one of those kids down there is hating my guts. Really? They were just being Stepfords when we came in, Damien said. Really, Stark said. I almost had to pull that Becca girl off Zoey. I could see by the looks on Aphrodite and Damien's faces that they were remembering Stark's not-so-nice past. Neither of them said anything. That doesn't surprise me, Lenobia said. I looked at the Horse Mistress. What is going on? Kalona's gone. Way gone. Like I don't even think he's in the country anymore. How can he still be affecting fledglings? And vampyres, Damien added. No other professor except for you came out to be with Dragon.

That means the rest of them are still under Kalona's influence, too. Or they're simply allowing fear to defeat them. Lenobia said. It's hard to tell whether they're afraid, or whether the demon began something within them that is still at work, even though he's no longer present. He isn't a demon, I heard myself say. Lenobia gave me a sharp look. Why would you say that, Zoey? I shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny and sat on my bed, curling Nala into my lap. It's just that I know things about him, and one of the things I know is that he isn't a demon. What difference does it make what we call him? Erin asked. Well, true names are powerful, Damien said. Traditionally using someone's true name in a spell or ritual can be more binding than sending out energy generally, or even just using their first name. You make a good point, Damien.

So we won't call Kalona a demon, Lenobia said. And we also won't forget he's evil, like those other kids have, Erin said. But not all of them have, I said. Those kids in the infirmary weren't under Kalona's spell, and neither are Lenobia and Dragon--neither was Anastasia. But why? What do you guys have that everyone else doesn't? We already decided that Lenobia and Dragon and Anastasia all had heightened gifts from Nyx, Damien said. Okay, so what's special about the kids that stood up to the Raven Mockers? Aphrodite said. Hanna Honeyyeager can make flowers bloom, Damien said. I stared at him. Flowers? Seriously? Yeah. Damien shrugged. She has a green thumb. I sighed. What else do we know about the kids in the infirmary? T.J. is a wicked good boxer, Erin spoke up. And Drew's an awesome wrestler, I said. But are any of these abilities true gifts? Lenobia said.

Vampyres are talented. That's the norm and not unusual at all. Does anyone know anything about that Ian Bowser kid? I asked. I just know him a little from drama class. He used to have a big crush on Professor Nolan. I know him, Erin said. He's really sweet. Okay, he's sweet, I said, feeling overwhelmed by the hopelessness of our task. The kids were nice and good at things, but being good at something didn't equal being gifted by Nyx. What about that new girl, Red? None of us know her at all. Damien glanced at Lenobia. Do you? Lenobia shook her head. No, only that she was being mentored by Anastasia, and she had become close enough to her in just a few days so that she was willing to risk her life to save her professor. Which doesn't mean there's anything special about her except that she made the right choice and-- My words broke off as I realized what I was saying.

Suddenly I was laughing. That's it! Everyone gawked at me. She's lost it, Aphrodite said. It was bound to happen sooner or later. No! I haven't lost it. I found it. Found the answer. Goddess, it's so obvious! Those kids aren't ?ber-gifted. They're just kids who made the right choice. No one said anything for several seconds, and then Damien picked up the thread of my thought. Just like in life. Nyx gives us all choices. I grinned at him. And some of us choose wisely. Some of us mess up, Stark said. Goddess! It really is obvious, Lenobia said. There's no mystery to Kalona's spell. It's all about choice, Aphrodite said. And truth, I added. It does make sense. Damien broke in. I couldn't understand why only three of our professors were able to see through Kalona. I've always thought that all of the vampyres here were special and had Goddess-given gifts.

And most are, Lenobia said. But gift or no gift, finding the truth and following the right path is always a choice. Stark spoke softly as his gaze trapped mine. That's something none of us should forget. Which could be why Nyx has brought us here. To remind us that all of her children have free choice, Lenobia said. That's my whole point with A-ya. I have the choice not to follow her path. But wouldn't that mean Kalona also has free choice, and can choose good over evil? The thoughts whirled through my mind. I pushed them away and said, Okay, so, any ideas on where we go from here? Absolutely. You follow Kalona. We come with you, Aphrodite said. When we all stared at her, she continued, Look, Kalona has proven he's evil, so let's make the choice to destroy him. Before I could say anything, Aphrodite added, It's not impossible. One of my visions showed Zoey taking him out.

Visions? Lenobia said. Aphrodite briefly recapped the two visions she'd had, leaving out the specific mention that in the not so good one I'd joined with Kalona. So when she was done, I cleared my throat, put on my big-girl panties (figuratively), and said, In the bad vision I was with Kalona. As in with him. We were lovers. But in the other vision you did something to vanquish him, Lenobia said. That was clear, even if everything else was a jumbled mess, Aphrodite said. So, like I was saying before, she has to go to him. I don't like it, Stark said. Neither do I, Lenobia said. I wish we knew more--had more details about what caused each vision to happen. Goddess! I'm a moron, I said, fishing in my pocket for the piece of paper I'd put there. I forgot all about Kramisha's poem. Ugh, so did I, Aphrodite said. I hate poetry. A fact that baffles me, my beauty, Darius said as he came into the room with Stevie Rae and Shaunee close behind.