Entwined

Entwined Ch. 4

~4~

The students and teachers of the House of Night all stood in a circle around Nyx’s offering table. In the middle stood Neferet and Loren Blake, the greatest and youngest poet in history. He was known among many female students as “The Sexiest Man On The Face Of The Earth”. I didn’t have him as a teacher, but I was still captivated by him. His dark hair and crisp eyes made me wish I had brought my sketchbook with me. His voice was deep, rich, and powerful, and it made the heart of every girl flutter. This was the man who inspired me to bring my words to paper, to turn my emotions into swirling purple lines.

To my left stood Bill and Gustav, and to my right stood Samantha and Tom. Georg was standing on the other side with the rest of the Dark Sons. Samantha was partially right: Tom was busy staring at Aphrodite, who was beckoning him with her eyes. However, the dreadhead was also taking glances at Samantha, which made her glance back. They would both blush and look away. It was an amusing cycle.

“What do we do in this Ritual?” Bill asked me softly. I could tell he was excited but anxious at the same time.

“Neferet will cast the Circle and dance as Professor Blake recites a poem. It’s a breathtaking experience.”

Bill looked curiously around the room at everyone, mainly Neferet and Loren, before turning back to me, “How does she cast it?”

“First, she does an introduction. Then, she calls the corners, starting with the north-”

“What are the corners?”

“North, south, east, and west, but she calls them in the order of the elements. East for air is first, then south for fire, west for water, and north for earth. Finally, she will call upon spirit. There’s a candle that represents each element. Yellow for air, red for fire-”

“Blue for water and green for earth?”

I smiled, “Exactly, and purple for spirit.”

“Can anyone cast the Circle?”

“Yeah, anyone can. During Rituals, however, it’s formal that the High Priestess does it. Since Aphrodite is the ‘High Priestess in Training’, she does the rituals for the Dark Daughters and Sons, but she does them all wrong.”

“What do you mean?” It amazed me that Bill held such a strong interest.

“I’m part of the Wiccan religion, and what we do in the House of Night is very similar to it. When you cast a Circle, you have to purify it of negative energies by using sage, and then you have to have a strong will, and your objective must be clear.” I lowered my voice, “What Aphrodite does is…disgraceful. No one really bothers to think about it, but she laces marijuana into the ceremonial incense. It causes a disruptive atmosphere, and she doesn’t even bother to purify the space. She calls the corners and dances, but it’s so…so…”

“Disgraceful?”

“Yeah, and downright slutty,” I whispered. “She uses her position to seem powerful, but she’s too demanding. She only asks for what is wanted and not needed. For the chalice, she mixes wine with blood-”

“Wine and blood?!” he whispered harshly.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. Vampyres can’t get drunk.”

“But still, why?!”

“It’s part of the Ritual. The adult vamps and teachers are okay with it. Even in this Ritual, there’s blood in the wine, but I think it’s animal blood. Okay, we have to be quiet now. It’s starting.”