Venus Rising Deleted/Altered Scenes and Snippets

After Happy Hour

"You lock your door?" Otrera asked in surprise when the door to our shared cabin neglected to open. We'd stayed out way too late, but had still headed home while the party was in full swing. "I mean," she grunted, trying the door again. "It's not a bad thing. You should, but I didn't think I remembered you--"

"I don't." My reply came several beats too late. I might have had a bit much to drink.

"Well it's locked," Otrera said, getting annoyed. She had an early shift tomorrow, which she'd mentioned several times while complaining about how long we'd stayed at happy "hour" before I finally gave in.

Did I even have a key? Searching the pockets beneath my poncho yielded no results. It might have been in my purse, which was inside. I rarely had reason to carry the accessory around the small island. Did Jason keep an extra set anywhere? "Uh..."

Otrera rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. "Elise!"

No one answered.

Otrera frowned at me, face tightening in concern. "She left the party hours ago. She should be home."

I pushed past Otrera to try the door, like the hand turning the knob could possibly make a difference. Still locked.

"Do you think she's asleep?" Otrera asked, pushing her shoulder against the door.

"No." Dread uncoiled in the pit of my stomach. I searched the pockets of my poncho again while Otrera pressed her shoulder against the door. I didn't see what she did to the door, but it opened a few seconds later.

She stepped over the threshold first into the dark room and I followed right on her heels, backing up until I hit the arm of the couch. "Elise?" Otrera called softly as she flipped on the light.

I gave a startled squeak when the light revealed Elise sitting on the couch just a few inches to my left. "Geeez," I said, hand to my heard. "You scared me. What are you doing just sitting here in the d--"

"Why did you bring me back?" Her voice sounded thick with unshed tears.

"What?" I jerked back, too confused to make sense of her question. My heart was still racing a mile a minute. She'd really scared me.

Otrera pushed past me, more annoyed than startled. "Why didn't you open the door? Why were you just—" Something in Aphrodite's face made her break off. "Are you okay?"

Aphrodite didn't seem to hear Otrera. Her gold eyes were drawn to mine with all the focus of a laser. "You knew what I was. Why did you bring me back here?"

I swallowed hard, guilt flaring up within me. "I told you, I want to join the--"

Aphrodite cut me off, voice as broken as shattered glass. "Were you mad because I pretended to be someone I'm not? Is that why--"

"No." I exchanged a worried glance with Otrera as I latched the door. What the hell was going on? "I understand why you lied. Gods, Aphrodite, you were bleeding to death. We wouldn't have treated you if we knew you were a goddess." Even I would have voted against it back then. "What is this about?"

"If they find out what I am, I'm dead. You get that, right?" She pushed off the couch, both hands clenched at her sides. "One wrong move, one stupid wrong move, and they won't hesitate to kill me. They'll relish it. They're halfway there already and I have nothing! No powers, no way out. And you knew that! Why would you bring me back here? I'd escaped! We were out, we were free! And you yanked me back here. Why?"