Lies for the liars

When liar meets liar

The next morning, I was dragged out of bet to go show Thanatos Neferet's press conference video. It was Damien who ran to wake me, because I was staying in a random other room, and Shaunee didn't know where I was. Of course, that's why I moved down here, but that was beside the point. Shaylin greeted me with a "Hey! Erin, your colours look really off, today. What's wrong?"

I squinted at her "Invasion of privacy," I snapped, turning to leave. Why did Shaylin have to get inside my head?

Shaylin wasn't going to be brushed off that easily. "No, Erin, wait up. What I'm seeing is important. Your colours are normally a silvery blue river-like colour, but now they're wrong like someone dumped a bunch of chemicals in the water and they're sort of bubbling everywhere," she tried to explain

I narrowed my eyes at the red fledgling, wondering what the hell gave her the right to look inside my head "You think I don't know something's wrong? You don't think I can tell what's fucking with my own life!?" I demanded, hearing my voice shriek out the words harshly.

Shaylin backed up a little, "I didn't want to upset you, I just wanted to make sure you're okay," Shaylin explained.

I had two options fro how I could respond, I could confide in her, or I could lie through my teeth and start to get my cover story involved. Since, as of now, this was a matter of life and death for me, I chose the second option "Do I look okay?" I demanded, "although, it's not like anyone cares anymore, is it? Everyone likes Shaunee better anyways," I sniped, finally getting to vent and bitch about my problems. Maybe my spying will be therapeutic, because it'll give me some time away from everything.

Shaylin was gaping at me like I had three heads or something "Erin that's not true. A lot of people care about you-"

I interrupted her, wanting to give her something big to relay back to the circle, so they'd know I was splitting from them. I felt guilty at the way I was going to hurt them, but I was only doing what I had to do. "Right, right," I snapped sarcastically "Everyone cares! That's Disney movie bullshit, it doesn't work past age four. You need to grow the hell up!" I stormed toward the bus "now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bus to catch!"

The look of shock on Shaylin's face hurt a little, particularly knowing that it was going to hurt everyone that I was doing this. Again, I asked Nyx to reconsider choosing me. Nyx was no more subject to my whims than yesterday though.

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe all that awful chemical crap was just who you really are bubbling to the surface," Shaylin replied. She didn't raise her voice, bus she said it with absolute confidence. The words stung, but I was glad she'd said them, believed them. It was the start of having everyone believe them.

On the bus, I sat alone, which did little for my already dour mood. I guess Shaylin's comment had gotten to me more than I wanted to let on, hell, more than I wanted it to.

Zoey and Aphrodite pierced the silence by having a conversation about how classes needed to go on, I smirked as Kramisha made a remark that if we're all the school has as normal, they were fucked. Then we broke into groups, Zoey, Stevie Rae and Aphrodite were going to Thanatos, Darius was going to Dragon's pyre and Rephaim was going to patrol. I had no clue what anyone else was doing.

"I think invoking your element is a really good idea, too, Stevie Rae. Damien, Shaunee, and Erin-you guys keep your elements close. If they can help strengthen or support, call on them. Just don't be totally obvious and..." Zoey trailed off. "No. That's wrong. If you need to use your element do be obvious." She didn't explain it in any way, so I was prepared to write it off as Zoey-logic, the less you think about it , the more sense it makes.

"I get your point, Z," Damien said. "It's about time the House of Night is aware that there are prodigious forces of good working on our side against all that Darkness." I liked Damien's explanation, though I was going to have to do the opposite. Since I was trying to come off as the weak link of the circle, I would only subtly invoke water.

"Prodigious means real big," Stevie Rae translated from Damien complicated-speak.

"We know what it means!" Kramisha insisted

"I didn't" I heard Shaunee say, and like a force of habit, I replied

"Me, neither". Why couldn't I shut up! I turned away and blushed, realizing that that somewhat ruined my work this morning. Two goddamned words were all it took to fuck things up real bad, and that appeared to be where things were destined to go.

Then, Zoey basically told us to split off into groups and do random whatever. We did as we were told, as per typical and of course, Shaunee and I were in the same group. I bet Zoey wanted us to become twins again. That couldn't happen. Because of my mission, and because, quite frankly, I wasn't sure we could ever be friends like we were before.

Me, Damien and Shaunee walked off, and I felt heavy hearted, knowing I was probably going to break their trust for... I don't know, the next however long this is going to take. "Damien, I think I should stay way away from the stables. Lenobia has had a massive overdose of fire lately." Shaunee finally broke our awkward silence

"That is a good point," Damien agreed. "It makes more sense for you to go over by Dragon's pyre. You'll be needed there soon." He looked like he was three seconds away from cracking. It must be heard for him to go to another funeral so soon after Jack's. I wanted to hug him, or do something to console him, but I had to keep my act going.

Shaunee's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I know, but it's not something I'm looking forward to." She looked almost as defeated as Damien did. This was hard for all of us. In times like these, friends should come together, not fall apart, like we were about to .

I forced myself to sound aloof, like I was talking about shoes "Just get into your element and it'll be easy." I said, nonchalantly. No one needed to see how upset I was or anything. Cold as ice. I was going to look and sound cold as ice, and ice didn't thaw for anything, or not this ice.

Shaunee gaped at me like I'd sprouted a third eye, or something equally messed up "nothing about Dragon's funeral will be easy, Erin. With or without my element." She snapped back, sounding as though she couldn't believe me.

Cold as ice, Erin, I reminded myself "I didn't mean easy easy," I glared at her a little, pretending to be hurt by her thinking that I was that insensitive. "I just meant that when you really get into your element other things don't bother you so much. But maybe you're just not that into your element." I made the obvious jibe at her. Damien looked uncomfortable watching us bicker.

"That's bullshit. My affinity for Fire isn't any less than yours for Water." She puffed up, reacting to my remark just like I knew she would. I still didn't like manipulating my friends, but it was easier knowing that I wouldn't have to redo this. Shaunee and I would certainly never be twin-like again after this.

I shrugged, still going with my cold as ice routine "Whatever. I was just trying to help you out. From now on I'll quit trying." Damien looked ready to either run away or pull us off each other when I whirled on him. "I'm gonna go to the stables. Lenobia will be glad to see water, and I don't have an issue with using my element." I said the last part with a superior tone to my voice, striding away, not to the stables, but to the fountain, where I could hide myself with my element and cry it all out. My fear, the way leaving my friends made me feel hollow, the way Dragon's death had freaked me out, everything.

I gave myself a few-maybe five or ten-minutes to cry and feel sorry for myself, and then let down my invisibility spell. Dallas was right there.

"Well damn that's impressive," He commented.

I'd never liked Dallas. Even when he was with Stevie Rae, something about him rubbed me the wrong way. Now that he'd gone to the dark side, tried to kill my best friend (or one of them, anyways) and gone out with that skanky Nicole, I liked him even less. Not to mention the way I felt sick whenever I was around him. It was like Nyx was-holy shit. Dallas was Neferet's little infiltrate.

"I'm all kinds of impressive," I replied, playing right into his act, even plastering a flirtatious smile of my face. Damn, I was going to have to go into acting if I got through this.

"I don't doubt that," he put his hot, heavy hand on my face to stroke hair away from my eyes, and them used the opportunity to run his hand down my neck and close to places I really didn't need Dallas's hands. I swatted his hands away just a tad too venomously, and then covered it up with a flirty giggle. I saw Shaunee slipping into the shadows. Good, let her see and gossip. I hoped she would, then I wouldn't have to deal with talking to them myself. No one would want to talk to me after this.