House of Night

Chapter Twenty Two

Craig 

Jon immediately took Evan back to his room. He told us all one thing before leaving, "Don't tell anyone about Evan." He seemed really pissed about Evan. Evan's tattoos were totally gone, but his crescent moon. He wasn't dead, but he also wasn't here with us. We'd have to do a lot of research. "Well our High Priestess is dead, now here goes our High Priest." Brock said as he walked out of Tyler and I's dorm. Brian walked out shaking his head, "You know if we don't check on Jon once and a while he'll go insane." "Yes, we know." Tyler answered. Marcel walked out with Lui and David. "Ye know how much Jon cared for Evan, right?" We both nodded. "Ye better watch him." With that he shut the door. 

"Ouch!" An instant pain came to my side. "Ah shit." I moved my arm from my side, and Tyler was by my side. "Wholey fuck! Craig what'd you do!?" Panic flashed across his face. I looked down at my side. Blood was soaking my gray t-shirt. I noticed my vision started getting blurry. "Fuck no! Craig!" Tyler wrapped his arms around me. Things happened so fast. "Tyler! Calm down!" He was moving around, he was panicking so much. He was creating a small chaos- My world stopped when I smelled the blood. "Tyler? Ty-" My voice was cut off by a piece of flesh getting shoved into my face. 

I tried pulling away, but I couldn't resist. I looked at Tyler. He was cringing and wincing. "Tyler." I mumbled. "No, drink." He said. I did as told. He threw his head back as he bit his lip. "I need to repay you for the time I drank from you after the vision I had." Tyler mumbled. As I drank more and more, Tyler had more and more trouble keeping in the moan waiting to happen. Knock, knock. "Fuck." Tyler mumbled and carefully took his wrist from my mouth. I gasped when his skin covered over fast. "Oh my Goddess." I said wiping the blood from my lips and rubbing off my glasses. "Oh shit. We're..." "Imprinted." We both said together. "You gotta fucking hide that!" I said as I ran to the door. 

I opened the door to see Brian. "Shit man, another High Priestess is here but she's from the High Council!" "The what?" Tyler asked as he threw on a hoodie. "The High Council of all vampyres and fledglings!" Brian said. "And Jon is the only other High Priest, who is here or not dead. He's gonna need help." "I'll help, I'm Nyx's Prophet and Jon's friend." "I think we all should go. We're all apart of the circle." "Well, Marcel, Craig and I aren't." I let out a sigh. "Is Jon even happy enough to go?" "That's another problem..."

Jonathan

"Fucking hell Evan, please." I begged and begged as I set the rag doll looking Evan on his bed. Deli climbed up and rubbed against him. He let out a meow and started making a whining noise. "I've never heard any cat make that noise before." A hoarse, but powerful voice startled me. A woman looking about 40 came into the room. She had jet black hair, almost as dark as Evan's, but she had gray streaks. Her eyes were a light purple and the green dress she was wearing was beautiful. Her skin was also dark tan. "Who are you?" I asked kinda sheepishly. "I am Nephthys." "Nephthys?" "Yes child." She said as she grabbed my fore arm in the traditional vampyre greet. Her mark was little spirals and spiked roses tied together. Almost something you'd see on someones tombstone. "Your tattoo is so unique. A different vampyre I see." I nodded. "I'm Jonathan Dennis, a third former and I died and undied... Now I'm a red vampyre High Priest. I also have an affinity for water. This... is Evan, he was made the High Priest for the regular blue fledglings after Willow was killed." I said looking at poor Evan. "Ah, this is the fledgling Willow has talked to me none stop about." Nephthys's smile disappeared. "Where are all his special tattoos?" "They disappeared after he passed out." "Do you know what made him pass out?" "I think the death of his grandma." Nephthys walked over to Evan. "He's not dead, but I can't feel his soul." I let out a surprised breath. "What?" "I have an affinity for death, decay and the unseen, I'm originally from Egypt." Nephthys smiled again. "So do you know what's wrong with him?" "Oh dear, the death of his grandma shattered his soul." "Shattered his what?!"

Evan 

White, white and even more white. I tried touching the white, but it'd disappear with my soft touch. "Hello?" My voice echoed through the nothingness. I kept walking until I hit an invisible wall. I turned my head to the side, like a lost puppy. The whiteness parted like a sliding door at a nice store. With a little hesitation I stepped through. I walked into a beautiful lavender field. In the distance I saw someone working on one of the bushes. I ran towards it, of course with my curiosity. As I got closer- Grandma! "Grandma!" "Evan my dear!" She said wrapping her arms around me. She pulled away and looked up at me. "Wait! Why are you here? You didn't die." So many things processed through my head. Grandma's dead. She was killed by Nelson. I must have looked confused because Grandma started asking questions. "Evan, what's the last thing you remember before you came here?" "I remember Johnny running after me while I was going blank." "Oh dear, I think my death... tore your soul apart." Grandma started panicking. She smelled one of the lavender bushes near by. "Okay, you can only do this on your own my little owl." "Do what Grandma!?" "Collect yourself!" Without thinking about anything I broke down and cried. What? I never cry so easily?! What the hell? 

Someone tapped on my shoulder. I looked up to see a littler boy who looked about 8. He had light brown eyes and gelled up black hair. "Hey, I wish I could help you but you gotta collect me. Take me back." He said in a voice that reminded me of Squirt from Finding Nemo giving directions for the exit procedures. "Who are you?" I sobbed. "I'm your senses, the one that keeps your emotions inside or out." "Is that why I'm crying so easily?" "Yes. But I can't help you until you collect me." I felt emptiness inside. "I don't want to." I said as another me came up. This time he was about 13. "I'm your pride, I keep you positive and your head up. But damn, we've fucked up." He said and walked away. The 8 year old me looked at me. "What's fucked up mean?" I shook my head, I didn't even laugh. Then in the distance I saw a 5 year old running towards us. He was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes. "I'm your humor!" He said between laughs and fell to the ground. I didn't feel any humor, or happiness. I felt depressed. I saw another figure in the distance. He was wearing all black and looked like a small toddler. No! No! No! No! I was only 2 when dad left. The toddler hobbled over to us. "I is you sad." The child said and started pouting. "Now I feel nothing..." I said out loud. 

After we sat there for a full 20 minutes most of me left. The only one that didn't leave yet was my emotion. "You know what I messed up on?" He said, ending the awkward silence. I didn't answer him. I probably lost my curiosity too. "I messed up on holding love back from leaving your mouth." "Hmm?" "Your love for Jonathan?" The kid asked, worry full in his eyes. When a little picture of Jon went through my head I felt nothing. "I don't feel anything anymore." The kid started tearing up as he walked away. He grabbed the little 2 year old and whispered one thing to him, "We've lost all of him..." 

**************************