House of Night 09 - Destined

me as I fisted my hand over my heart and bowed to Thanatos, and then I scampered down the hall and ducked in the drama classroom, sending Erik an I’m really sorry look.
    He narrowed his eyes at me, but thankfully didn’t say anything. Actually, he pretty much ignored me and let me sit and stare out into space and wonder if I wished the hours would hurry until the end of school, or if I should be dreading what might come next.
    I was kinda leaning toward the dreading side …
    * * *
    I stared at the food on my lunch plate and, in spite of the stupid stress I was feeling, smiled. “Spaghetti.” I sighed with true happiness. “And brown pop and cheesy garlic bread. Seriously, yum.”
    “I know. I missed the food lots.” Stevie Rae grinned and moved over so that Stark and I could slide in next to her and Rephaim. I noticed Rephaim had his mouth stuffed full and was chewing rapidly. He met my eyes, smiled and, showing way too much spaghetti mumbled, “It’s good.”
    “So, do birds eat spaghetti?” Aphrodite asked as she settled into the bench across from the four of us.
    “He isn’t a bird,” Stevie Rae said firmly.
    “Not this second he isn’t,” Aphrodite said.
    Damien rushed up and nudged Aphrodite, who frowned at him, but scooted over. “Okay, ohmygod. I’ve been dying to talk to you guys. What is Thanatos doing here?”
    “Hello, checked your mailbox lately?” Aphrodite said, waving around a piece of paper that looked very official and school-news-like. “My guess is you’ll get the same schedule change I did. The brain-sharers got one.”
    The Twins joined us. “Quit calling us that,” Shaunee said.
    “Yeah, we don’t share a brain. We share a soul. The two are way different,” Erin said.
    “Please, like soul-sharing is fine?” Aphrodite shook her head and rolled her eyes.
    “Starting Monday Thanatos is teaching a special class first hour,” I butted in before a world war could start. “We’ll probably all have schedule changes.”
    “I do,” Rephaim said with his mouth still full. “I checked it before I went into first hour.”
    “Oh, that’s what made you so tardy,” Damien said. “I didn’t want to ask.”
    “Tardy?” Stevie Rae said. “You know the professors get annoyed at you if you’re tardy.”
    Rephaim looked at me.
    I looked at him.
    He swallowed his mouthful of spaghetti. “Father was here.”
    “What? Kalona? Here?” Stevie Rae’s voice almost squeaked the words. Kids at the nearest tables sent us curious glances.
    “That’s right,” Aphrodite said, raising her voice and looking typically annoyed. “Barcelona is where all the best shoe shopping is—not here. Get a clue, bumpkin.” Then she tilted her head down and whispered, “Not a good idea to say much about this in public—which means as in anywhere but the tunnels.”
    “Rephaim, are you okay?” Stevie Rae asked in a much quieter voice.
    “Yes. I wasn’t alone. Zoey was with me,” he answered softly.
    Stevie Rae blinked in surprise. “Z?”
    “He’s right. I was with him the whole time. It’s okay. Well, as okay as it can be when He Who Cannot Be Named is involved,” I whispered.
    “Oh for shit’s sake. This isn’t Hogwarts,” Aphrodite said.
    “Wish it was,” Erin said.
    Then Shaunee did something that shocked me worse than Kalona’s visit. She didn’t echo her Twin. Instead, in a very small, very un-Twin-like voice she said, “You still care about him. Don’t ya?”
    Rephaim nodded once, just a little.
    “Twin? Hogwarts?” Erin said, looking a little lost.
    “Twin, this is more important.” Shaunee’s eyes found Rephaim again. “Dads are important.”
    “I didn’t know you were close to your daddy,” Stevie Rae said.
    “I’m not,” Shaunee said. “That’s why I understand how important they are. Not having one who pays any attention to you doesn’t mean you don’t wish they were different.”
    “Huh,” Erin said, still looking befuddled. “I didn’t know that bothered you, Twin.”
    Shaunee shrugged and looked uncomfortable. “I don’t like to talk about it much.”
    “Was he mean?” Erin asked Rephaim.
    Rephaim glanced at me. “No, not very.”
    “I think Aphrodite is right. We need to talk about this when we don’t have to worry about being overheard. Right now let’s finish lunch and then everyone needs to go to their mailboxes and check for schedule changes, that includes the red fledglings,” I said.
    “Dallas’s group already got