Marked

said, and then she smiled slightly at what I'm sure was my totally shocked expression.
    "Classes begin at eight P.M., and end at three A.M.," she explained. "Teachers are available until three thirty A.M. to give students extra help. The gym is open until dawn, the exact time of which you will always know as soon as you have completed the Change. Until then dawn time is clearly posted in all the classrooms, common rooms, and gathering areas, including the dining hall, library, and gym. Nyx's Temple is, of course, open at all hours, but formal rituals are held twice a week right after school. The next ritual will be tomorrow.” Neferet glanced at me and her slight smile warmed. "It seems overwhelming now, but you'll catch on quickly. And your roommate will help you, as will I.”
    I was just getting ready to open my mouth to ask her another question when an orange ball of fur ran into the hall and without a sound, hurled itself into Neferet's arms. I jumped and made a stupid little squee sound―then I felt like a total retard when I saw that the orange ball of fur was not a flying boogieman or whatever, but a massively big cat.
    Neferet laughed and scratched the fur ball's ears. "Zoey, meet Skylar. He's usually prowling around here waiting to launch himself at me.”
    "That's the biggest cat I've ever seen," I said, reaching my hand out to let him sniff me.
    "Careful, he's a known biter.”
    Before I could jerk my hand out of the way, Skylar started rubbing his face on my fingers. I held my breath.
    Neferet tilted her head to the side, as if she was listening to words in the wind. "He likes you, which is definitely unusual. He doesn't like anyone except me. He even keeps the other cats away from this end of campus. He's really a terrible bully," she said fondly.
    I carefully scratched Skylar's ears like Neferet had been doing. "I like cats," I said softly. "I used to have one, but when my mom got remarried I had to give it to Street Cats to be adopted. John, her new husband, doesn't like cats.”
    "I've found that the way a person feels about cats―and the way they feel about him or her in return―is usually an excellent gauge by which to measure a person's character.”
    I looked up from the cat to meet her green eyes and saw that she understood a lot more about freaky family issues than she was saying. It made me feel connected to her, and automatically my stress level relaxed a little. "Are there a lot of cats here?”
    "Yes, there are. Cats have always been closely allied with vampyres.”
    Okay, actually I already knew that. In World History with Mr. Shaddox (better known as Puff Shaddy, but don't tell him) we learned that in the past cats had been slaughtered because it was thought that they somehow turned people into vampyres. Yeah, okay, talk about ridiculous. More evidence of the stupidity of humans… the thought popped into my mind, shocking me by how easily I'd already started thinking of "normal" people as "humans," and therefore something different than me.
    "Do you think I could have a cat?" I asked.
    "If one chooses you, you will belong to him or her.”
    "Chooses me?”
    Neferet smiled and stroked Skylar, who closed his eyes and purred loudly. "Cats choose us; we don't own them.” As if to demonstrate what she said was true, Skylar jumped out of her arms and, with a stuck-up flick of his tail, disappeared down the hall.
    Neferet laughed. "He's really awful, but I do adore him. I think I would, even were it not part of my gift from Nyx.”
    "Gift? Skylar is a gift from the Goddess?”
    "Yes, in a way. Every High Priestess is given an affinity―what you would probably think of as special powers―by the Goddess. It's part of the way we identify our High Priestesses. The affinities can be unusual cognitive skills, like reading minds or having visions and being able to predict the future. Or the affinity can be for something in the physical realm, like a special connection to one of the four elements, or to animals. I have two Goddess gifts. My main affinity is for cats; I have a connection with them that is unusual, even for a vampyre. Nyx has also given me unusual powers of healing." She smiled. "Which is why I know you're healing well―my gift told me.”

    "Wow, that's amazing," was all I could think to say. My head was already reeling from the events of the past day.
    "Come on. Let's get you to your room. I'm sure you're hungry and tired. Dinner will start in"―Neferet cocked her head to the