Betrayed

brand me such a freak that I wouldn't fit in, wouldn't have any friends. But the opposite seemed to be happening.
    "Okay, let's go." We headed for the door. I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say to Neferet. All I knew was that I couldn't continue to keep my mouth shut, and that I had a terrible feeling my "dream" had really been a vision, and that there was more to the "spirits" I'd been seeing than ghosts. Most of all, I was afraid they'd taken Heath. What that said about what Stevie Rae had become chilled me to my core, but it didn't change the fact that Heath was missing, and that I think I knew who had taken him (if not what).
    We hadn't quite made it to the door when it opened and Neferet glided into the room on a tide of snow-scented air. She was followed by Detective Marx and Detective Martin. They had blue down jackets on that were zipped to their chins. Their hats were covered with snow and their noses were red. Neferet, as usual, looked perfectly poised, perfectly groomed, perfectly in control.
    "Ah, Zoey, good. This saves me from having to look for you. The two detectives have some rather bad news, and they'd also like to speak with you for a moment.”
    I didn't spare a glance for Neferet, and I could feel her stiffening as I responded directly to the detectives. "I already heard on the news that Heath's missing. If there's any way I can help, I will.”
    "Could we use the library again?" Detective Marx asked. "Of course," Neferet said smoothly.
    I started to follow Neferet and the detectives from the room, but paused to look back at Erik.
    "We'll be here,” he said.
    "All of us," Damien said.
    I nodded. Feeling better, I went to the library. I'd hardly entered the room when Detective Martin started questioning me.
    "Zoey, can you account for your whereabouts between six thirty and eight thirty this morning?”
    I nodded. "I was upstairs in my room. Around that time I was talking on the phone to my grandma, and then Heath and I text messaged each other back and forth a few times." I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out my cell phone. "I haven't even deleted the messages. You can see them if you want.”
    "You don't have to give him your phone, Zoey,” Neferet said. I made myself smile at her.
    "That's okay. I don't mind.”
    Detective Martin took my phone and started going through the text message files, copying onto a little pad the messages. "Did you see Heath this morning?" Detective Marx asked. "No. He asked if he could come see me, but I told him no."
    "This says that you were planning on seeing him Friday,” Detective Martin said.
    I could feel Neferet's sharp eyes on me. I drew a deep breath. The only way I could do this would be to stick as close to the truth as I was able.
    "Yeah, I was going to go out with him after the game Friday."
    "Zoey, you know it is strictly against school rules to continue to date humans from your old life." I noticed, as if for the first time, the disgust that filled her voice when she said humans.
    "I know. I'm sorry." Again, I told the truth, only omitting a bloodsucking, Imprinting detail here and an I-don't-trust-you-anymore detail there. "It's just that Heath and I had so much history between us that it was really hard to totally stop talking to him, even though I knew I had to. I thought it would be easier if we met and I told him to his face, once and for all, why couldn't see each other. I would have told you, but I wanted to handle it on my own.”
    "So, you didn't see him this morning?" Detective Marx repeated.
    "No. After we were done text messaging I went to bed.”
    "Can anyone substantiate that you were in your room sleeping at that time?" Detective Martin asked, handing me back my phone.
    Neferet's voice was ice. "Gentlemen, I already explained to you the terrible loss Zoey experienced just yesterday. Her roommate died. So, how she could have anyone substantiate her whereabouts at—”
    "Um, excuse me, Neferet, but actually I wasn't sleeping alone. My friends Shaunee and Erin didn't want me to be by myself, so they came to my room and slept with me." I left Damien out. No point getting the kid in trouble.
    "Oh, that was very kind of them," Neferet said gently, switching in one breath from scary vampyre to concerned mother. I tried not to think of how not fooled I was by her.
    "Do you have any idea where Heath might be?" I asked Detective Marx (I still liked him better of the two).
    "No. His truck was found not far from the school wall,