Betrayed

off the sidewalk, bowed their heads, and silently crossed their right fists over their hearts.
    We got to the dorm in what seemed like seconds. As we entered the main room the girls who were watching TV and sitting around in groups all fell totally silent. I didn't look at any of them. I just let Erik and Damien lead me to the stairs, but before we got there Aphrodite was blocking our way. I blinked hard to focus on her face. She looked tired.
    "I'm sorry Stevie Rae died. I didn't want her to," Aphrodite said.
    "Don't say shit to us, you fucking hag!" Shaunee snarled. She and Erin stepped forward, looking like they wanted to beat the crap out of Aphrodite.
    "No, wait," I made myself say, and they hesitated. "I need to talk to Aphrodite.”
    My friends looked at me like I'd lost every bit of my mind, but I stepped out of the nest of arms that were holding me up and walked unsteadily a few paces away from the group. Aphrodite hesitated, and then she followed me.
    "Did you know about what was going to happen to Stevie Rae?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Did you have a vision about her?”
    Aphrodite shook her head slowly. "No. I just had a feeling. I knew something terrible was going to happen tonight.”
    "I get them, too,” I said softly.
    "Feelings about things or people?”
    I nodded.
    "They're harder than my visions—not as specific. Did you have a feeling about Stevie Rae?" asked.
    "No. I was clueless, even though now I can look back and see signs that something was wrong with her.”
    Aphrodite met my eyes. "You couldn't have stopped it. You couldn't have saved her. Nyx didn't let you know it was going to happen because there was nothing you could have done.”
    "How do you know? Neferet says Nyx has deserted you," I said bluntly. I knew I was purposefully being cruel. I didn't care. I wanted everyone to hurt as much as I did.
    Still looking me straight in the eyes, Aphrodite said, "Neferet lies." She started to walk away, but changed her mind and came back. "And don't drink whatever she gave you," she said. Then she left the room.
    Erik, Damien, and the Twins were at my side in a blink. "Don't listen to whatever that hag had to say," Shaunee huffed. "If she said something nasty about Stevie Rae, we're gonna kick her ass," Erin said.
    "No. It wasn't anything like that. She just said she was sorry, that's all.”
    "Why did you want to talk to her?" Erik asked. He and Damien had ahold of me again, and now they were leading me up the stairs.
    "I wanted to know if she had a vision about Stevie Rae's death," I said.
    "But Neferet has made it clear that Nyx has turned her back on Aphrodite," Damien said.
    "I wanted to ask anyway." I was going to add that Aphrodite had been right about the accident that almost happened to my grandma, but I couldn't say anything in front of Erik. We came to the door to my room—our room—Stevie Rae's and mine, and I stopped. Erik opened it for me and we stepped in.
    "No!" I gasped. "They've taken her stuff! They can't do that!" Everything that was Stevie Rae was gone—from the cowboy boot lamp and the Kenny Chesney poster, to the gyrating Elvis clock. The shelves over her computer desk were empty. Her computer was gone. I knew if I looked in her closet, all of her clothes would be gone, too.
    Erik put his arm around me. "It's what they always do. Don't worry, they didn't throw away her stuff. They just moved it so that it wouldn't make you sad. If there's something of hers you want, and her family doesn't mind, they'll give it to you.”
    I didn't know what to say. I didn't want Stevie Rae's stuff. I wanted Stevie Rae.
    "Zoey, you really need to get out of those clothes and take a hot shower," Damien said gently.
    "Okay,” I said.
    "While you're in the shower we'll get you something to eat," Shaunee said.
    "I'm not hungry.”
    "You need to eat. We'll get you something simple, like soup. Okay?" Erin said. She looked so upset, and was so obviously trying to do something, anything, to make me feel better that I nodded. Plus, I was too tired to argue with anyone. "Okay.”
    "I'd stay, but it's past curfew and I can't be in the girls' dorm," Erik said.
    "That's okay. I understand.”
    "I want to stay, too, but well, I'm not actually a girl," Damien said. I knew he was trying to make me smile, so I made my lips move up. I imagined I looked like one of those scary, sad clowns who had a smile painted on his face along with a teardrop.
    Erik hugged me, and so did Damien. Then they