Disclaimer: I don't own the House of Night series or its characters. All rights belong to P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, yadda yadda, you get the drift. Amazingly fantastic cover art by polar-biscuit. tumblr. com!

Alright Zoey, you're starting to turn into the Barbie-clone. Just put your hands up, and back away from the mirror slowly.

Zoey Montgomery shuddered as she realized that her preening in front of the bathroom mirror for the past 15 minutes was a habit freakishly similar to that of her flighty, air-headed ditz of an older sister.

Zoey didn't mean to spend so much time obsessing over her appearance in the mirror, but today was her first day at a new school, and the fact that her long dark hair had decided to go through a rebellious phase that morning wasn't helping to ease her nervousness.

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was her hometown, but after moving to and growing up in Oklahoma City as a kid, the little Tulsa suburb was just as new and unwelcoming as moving to a whole new state. But the Step-Loser, John Heffer (whose last name was strikingly appropriate for his personality) had been wanting to move everyone back to Broken Arrow ever since he wormed his way into Zoey's family 3 years ago. After being made an Elder of the Mindless Robot Cult (technically, they were called the People of Faith, but Zoey stood firmly by her belief that the group was secretly run by soulless robot drones), the decision to move was final, and the Heffer family spent the summer returning back to Middle-of-Nowhere, U.S.A.

Zoey had been dreading the first day of school the entire summer, wondering how she was ever going to fit in among kids who had probably known each other since middle school, maybe even earlier. They already had well-established cliques, and friendships, and memories; Zoey didn't think she could find a place in all of that.

Deciding that her hair wasn't going to cooperate any further, she finally tore herself away from the mirror and returned back to her room to gather her things. Thankfully, big sis had already left for school ages ago- -having to arrive early so she could scope out the who's who of the high school and start working her way to the top of the popular crowd- -so Zoey could obsess in front of the mirror as long as she wanted without constant knocking at the door and cries of "Zoey! Hurry up and get out of there!"

But now it was time to face the beast. Barbie-clone was gone, mom was dropping off Zoey's little brother at middle school, and Step-Loser was probably staked out at a McDonald's flicking holy water on teenagers. Alone in the house, Zoey shrugged into her backpack and made sure she had both her car and her house keys to lock up as she left. Stepping out of the front door into the pleasantly warm morning air, she was greeted by the sight of her 1966 VW Bug sitting eagerly in the driveway like a cute, loyal puppy. The neighborhood was already empty, with parents gone for work and children shipped off bright and early for the first day of the new school year. Zoey found that the quiet calmed her down a little bit, and she took a deep breath as she slid into her car.

"It's just one first day. You've handled first days plenty of times before. Nothing weird is going to happen, no one is going to find out...Just stay focused, and no one will find out..."

With that, she revved up her Bug and started down the road.

Zoey had no problem finding the school; she had made sure to look up directions a few days earlier so she could avoid driving around town in circles like a fool. By the looks of the parking lot, there were already quite a few students hanging out before classes started. Arriving early sounded like a good idea before Zoey left the house, but now that she was here she realized that she'd either have to wait in the main office like a loser until school started or aimlessly wander around and hope to avoid being recognized as "the new girl".

Not relishing either of those options, she decided to just crank up her radio and sit in her car until it was time for classes to start. Being too lazy to change the station to something decent, she let the twang of plinky country music fill up the air and drown out the nervous thoughts swirling around inside her head.

Before she knew it, Zoey had her eyes closed, trying her best to mellow out and forget about the new kid horror ahead of her. Suddenly, there was a light tapping noise on her driver's side window; Zoey was surprised she heard it over the sounds of Kenny Chesney blaring in her ears. Thinking a teacher was about to bust her for loitering in the parking lot, she anxiously rolled down the window (effectively eliminating any sense of mellowness she had managed to achieve).

But as the window rolled down Zoey saw that it wasn't a teacher, but a young girl, with short and curly blonde hair and excited blue eyes. Stifling a laugh, Zoey saw that the girl looked like she had fallen out of the car radio; she dressed like she was on her way to the Grand Ole Opry with totally countrified blue jeans and cliché brown cowboy boots. The look on her face made Zoey think that she was about to say something important, but as the country music floated out from the car her face blanked and her eyes lit up like shining sapphires.

"Ooh, Kenny Chesney! !" she blurted excitedly, her Oklahoma accent matching the country twang that had been playing for the past 10 minutes. "Boy, what I wouldn't give to have him come knockin' at my door with a box of chocolates, you know what I mean?"

Zoey laughed, genuinely amused at the girl's cheerful, bubbly demeanor.

"In all honesty I'd prefer Justin Timberlake, but either way I wouldn't say no to the chocolate," Zoey answered good-naturedly. The girl laughed as well.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you or anything," the blonde said. "I'm Stevie Rae Johnson. I don't want to be awkward, but I just wanted to say that I love your car! I'm a truck girl myself, but wow, a classic bug in this cute robin's egg blue color? It looks so cool!"

Zoey smiled up at Stevie Rae, glad that her first meeting with a Broken Arrow high school student wasn't as intimidating as she thought it was going to be.

"Thanks," she said as she turned down the volume on the radio. "My car normally gets made fun of, it's nice to hear some compliments once in a while. I'm Zoey..." she hesitated for a moment, before hastily adding "I'm new here."

Stevie Rae didn't seem like the kind of girl who would tear the new kids apart; Zoey figured it was relatively safe to tell her she was new to the high school and would therefore be wandering around lost and helpless for the better part of the day.

"New student, huh? I always felt that if you're ever going to show up as a new kid, the first day of school is the best time to do it. I could show you around, if you want! I came here pretty close to the end of last year so I didn't have much time to adjust, but I still know the basics and where everything is," Stevie Rae offered cheerfully.

"That would be great, actually," Zoey said as she shut the car engine off and made a grab for her backpack. "I really didn't want to be stumbling around like a total newbie all day."

Stevie Rae took a step back to give Zoey room to open the door. The peppy blonde smiled warmly while Zoey locked up her car, and then led the way to the front of the school.

"South Intermediate High is a pretty decent-sized school," Stevie Rae started to say in a tour-guide sort of voice. "I mean, it's not one of those schools where everyone knows everyone else and their mama, but you can definitely see a few familiar faces from year to year."

She led Zoey to the front doors, which opened up into a spacious marble rotunda that served as the entranceway and lobby. Zoey looked around curiously as Stevie Rae continued talking, noting the various plaques set into the walls and the small benches that lined the circular room.

"The main office is just up here, the door on the right," Stevie Rae continued explaining, leading Zoey down the little hall area that the rotunda narrowed into. "We can pick up your schedule here. Everyone else got them over the summer at Orientation, but kids that miss or transfer in later have to come up here to get them."

The girls entered the office, an unassuming little room with a large, curved reception desk that sat between two doors, probably doors that led deeper into the office and held various staff rooms. There was no one seated behind the desk, but several stacks of paper lay neatly across the top.

"Here, I'll find your schedule for you," Stevie Rae said, already starting to dig through the various sheets. "What's your last name, Zoey?"

"Montgomery. Although I prefer to go by Redbird. It's my grandmother's last name."

Stevie Rae smiled as she continued her schedule search.

"Redbird? That's awesome! What a cool name."

Behind them, someone let out a snarky little laugh. Zoey and Stevie Rae turned around to see a preppy looking blonde twitching her way into the office. Her long hair hung low and silkily like a veil, and her brilliant blue eyes were gorgeous but harsh as she looked over the two girls in front of her.

"Redbird? What is that, some kind of hippie 70s Woodstock shit?" the blonde said in a jeering, Bitch Queen tone of voice. Stevie Rae rolled her eyes, but Zoey couldn't help but notice that she nervously shrank back against the reception desk.

"Right, and this is coming from the girl named Aphrodite," Stevie Rae retorted, clearly trying to stand up to the girl but also trying to melt into the scenery as fast as possible.

Aphrodite...?

Aphrodite shook back her perfect Pantene hair and shot a nasty glare at Stevie Rae, who suddenly looked like she was regretting coming to school that day.

"The next time I want an opinion, I'll make sure I get it from someone other than Betty Jo Clampett," Aphrodite said with an evil smile.

She strode towards the two of them, and her menacing aura alone was enough to make the girls automatically clear a path for her as she made her way to the front desk.

"Looks like someone was too busy partying to get the memo about Orientation," Zoey said pointedly as she watched Aphrodite effortlessly pick out her schedule from the piles of paper.

Aphrodite whirled around like a shampoo commercial model and gave Zoey a sweet but enormously fake smile.

"Please, as if I'm going to give up a day of my summer vacation to sit in a dingy auditorium full of socially challenged morons like you," her voice was like poisoned honey, smooth and sweet but at the same time dangerously cold. "Redbird, right?"

"Just Zoey to you," Zoey steadily met Aphrodite's cool and calculating gaze. The blonde gave a semi-impressed smirk.

"Well then, Zoey, I hope you enjoy your first day of school. And a word of advice, ditch Betty Jo over there before she drags you down to her own pathetic level of loser-dom. Bye ya'll!" she cruelly imitated Stevie Rae's country drawl and then whirled out of the office like a bitchy blonde breeze, leaving Zoey dumbfounded and Stevie Rae desperately wishing she could blend into the wallpaper.

"...What the hell was that about?" Zoey asked as she regained her senses. "I feel like I just walked into a scene from Mean Girls."

Stevie Rae had snapped out of it as well and continued looking for Zoey's schedule. The encounter with Aphrodite had left her looking like a scared little forest critter.

"That's pretty accurate," Stevie Rae said quietly. "Aphrodite LaFont, Broken Arrow's resident Mean Girl."

Zoey was staring blankly at the door Aphrodite had just walked out of, still trying to comprehend the fact that people like her existed outside of the movies.

"What's her deal?"

"Oh, the usual. Rich parents, spoiled childhood, totally unfair perfect looks, people fawning all over her because of her money and status, the works."

There was a brief silence, in which Zoey contemplated asking if something had happened to make Stevie Rae seem personally afraid of Aphrodite, but Stevie Rae interrupted her thoughts with an excited little "Aha!"

She waved Zoey's schedule triumphantly in her hand before dutifully passing it over to the brunette. Zoey's face fell as she initially looked over the sheet.

"No block schedule?" she asked sadly. Stevie Rae shrugged.

"Nope, all seven classes in one day. I know how you feel, my middle school back in Henrietta was on block schedule, and it's tough trying to get all your homework done without it. Mind if I have a look?"

Zoey angled herself so Stevie Rae had room to read over her shoulder.

"Lookee there! !" Stevie Rae said happily, her face lighting up like a little kid's. "We've got the same 1st and 4th period!"

Zoey's spirits lifted, glad to have a familiar face to look forward to throughout the day.

"Whoa, hang on a second," Zoey suddenly said as she focused her attention back to her schedule. "They put me in a Pre-AP Algebra class? ? I'm about as good at math as my sister is at walking and chewing gum at the same time!"

Stevie Rae giggled.

"Don't worry, Pre-AP Algebra here is exactly like the regular Algebra class, they just have more tests. But work-wise, it's not harder," she explained.

"Hmm..." Zoey mused, looking over the rest of her classes. "I guess this schedule isn't too bad. I can probably handle this."

"There ya go!" Stevie Rae cheered. "C'mon, school doesn't start for another 20 minutes, but everyone has their different hangouts here. Last year my friends and I started sticking to the library when we had downtime."

A look of apprehension flashed across Zoey's face, which Stevie Rae misread.

"It's a much cooler place than it sounds!" she hastily added. "There's plenty of computers and laptops to use- -like actual working computers, not the giant creaky ones still running on Windows 98 that most schools have- -and there's even a coffee shop in the back! !"

Although Zoey's apprehensive expression was based on the fact that she was nervous about meeting Stevie Rae's friends and not that the library sounded like a boring hangout, she felt relieved that her new school was starting to sound interesting.

"An actual coffee shop? That's pretty neat. It's like your own private Barnes and Noble," Zoey said as she followed Stevie Rae, who was making her way back out the office and into the hallway. "Can't be better than Starbucks though."

"Of course not!" Stevie Rae laughed. "The library is just up here, down the hall from the office."

The narrow hallway they had been following opened up into a large 4-way intersection, with the library doors sitting comfortably on a corner. Stepping inside, Zoey saw that the room was a fairly impressive size. The modern computers sat neatly in their own little area towards the center of the room, and there were plenty of comfy looking couches and armchairs scattered among the bookshelves that filled the rest of the library.

"Well I'll be breaded and deep-fried, they're already here!" Stevie Rae said in astonishment. Zoey followed her gaze a little ways off to where three kids sat in one of the seating areas. "C'mon Zoey, I'll introduce you!"

Ignoring the nerves that were starting to knot in her stomach, Zoey followed Stevie Rae as she bounded over to her friends like a happy Labrador. The three of them looked up curiously as they noticed the girls approaching.

"About time, Stevie Rae," said a girl reclining comfortably on a couch with a fashion magazine open in front of her. She was another pretty, blue-eyed blonde, who instantly reminded Zoey of a friendlier, less psychotic version of Aphrodite.

"Please, just please with the showing up late," sitting next to the blonde, a gorgeous coffee-colored girl who looked like she fell out of Tyra Banks' closet spoke up.

Off by himself in an armchair, a cute brown-haired boy wagged his finger in a scolding manner at the girls.

"Now now, Stevie Rae's punctuality is not the issue here. She was clearly preoccupied with finding a new lovely girl to join my little harem," he flashed an innocent smile at Zoey, who merely raised an eyebrow in confusion. The blonde rolled her eyes over the top of her magazine.

"Damien, you're gay. Any harem you have is stuck in that well-styled head of yours," she jeered.

"Unless you're trying to compare me to Jake Gyllenhaal, in which case you had better start running for your damn life," Tyra Banks 2.0 said.

"Ya'll! ! Can you cut it out and focus for a minute? ?" Stevie Rae interrupted in a harsh whisper, trying to avoid upsetting any scary-haired librarians that might be lurking nearby.

The girls on the couch chuckled at Stevie Rae's cute way of getting irritated, but all three of her friends smiled apologetically and focused their attention on her.

"Good. Everyone, meet Zoey Montgom- -oops, I mean Zoey Redbird. She's new in town." She gestured towards the boy in the armchair. "Zoey, this is Damien Maslin. He's crazy smart, and girls would probably be hovering all over him if he weren't playing for the other team."

Damien shrugged.

"What can I say, the other team has better players," he said wistfully. Zoey laughed.

"Hi, Damien."

"And over here, that's Erin Bates and Shaunee Cole," Stevie Rae nodded at the blonde and the brunette in turn.

"Hey Zoey," they both said at the same time. Zoey was caught off guard by their tag-team talking.

"Better get used to that," Damien said. "We call them the Twins. Appearances aside, they're freakishly alike and 90% of the time it's like they're running on the same brain."

"It's nice to meet you all," Zoey said with an attempt at a smile. Stevie Rae's friends seemed nice enough, but she was still having trouble shaking the nervous feeling that told her she was going to have a hard time fitting in with them.

Just get a grip, Zoey...if you stay level-headed, they'll never find out about you and you can fit in just fine...

She sat down in an armchair situated across from Damien as Stevie Rae squeezed in next to the Twins.

"Zoey has History and English with us, ya'll! Now I can't wait until school starts!" Stevie Rae said, practically bouncing with excitement.

"So I see she's already met the Nerd Herd. Well, I guess it's too late for her now."

Zoey was already able to recognize the voice, and the group around her let out a quiet groan as Aphrodite came sauntering into view. She looked over the gang like someone would look over a mangy stray dog wandering the streets; with a mixture of disgust and pity.

"I tried to warn you about trailing after the likes of Stevie Rae Johnson, but I guess you didn't listen to me," she shrugged and frowned at Zoey. "Oh well. And here I was, trying to do my good deed for the day."

Erin didn't look up from her magazine.

"What's the Hag from Hell doing in the library? There aren't any books on witchcraft in here," she taunted.

Aphrodite put on the sweet but fake smile that Zoey was already indentifying as her trademark expression.

"You've probably already checked them all out to turn some poor boy into a toad for the Frog Prince over here," Aphrodite said airily, nodding at Damien. He tried to look indifferent, but the smallest flicker of hurt flashed in his eyes. Zoey stood up from her chair and faced down Aphrodite for the second time that day.

"Look, Aphrodite," she said sternly, resisting the urge to smack Malibu Barbie upside her blonde bobble-head, "I don't know what your issue is, but- -"

"My issue," Aphrodite interrupted, her tone rising to match Zoey's, "is the continuous amount of trash that keeps showing up at my school. The more freaks and geeks like you and the Nerd Herd that show up, the worse this place gets. People like me, who actually matter, are the ones that run this school. Unless you're looking for your life to get real shitty, you'd better remember who's on top here."

Zoey blinked dumbly, her irritation suddenly wiped away as she looked over Aphrodite in amazement.

How the hell can someone actually be this pretentious? ? Is she even hearing herself right now?

Zoey shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"Listen, I'm new to this school, and it's my first day. I'm not looking to get involved in any trouble," she said.

"Then you had better stay out of my way, Redbird."

With that, Aphrodite turned and twitched off towards the library's checkout counter, leaving the so-called "Nerd Herd" behind like dirt on the heels of her designer pumps.

"Hag Bitch," the Twins muttered together.

But Zoey wasn't listening to them. An angry heat started to build inside of her as she watched Aphrodite strut around like she was Queen of the Universe. Zoey hated people like that, and the fact that she had nothing better to do than pick an immature fight with the first person that came across her path was grating on Zoey's last nerve.

If only people like her could be taught a lesson...

The heat inside was starting to spread, spiraling throughout her body, twisting around her hands and fingers like a living flame. Soon it wasn't just an angry flush, it was growing hotter, and hotter, until...

Ah, hell! !

With a start, Zoey squeezed her eyes shut and shook out her hands like she was trying to get out that tingly, falling asleep feeling. Slowly but surely, the fiery warmth started to dissipate, and as Zoey went back to normal she cautiously glanced over her shoulder at Stevie Rae and her friends. They hadn't noticed Zoey's little freakout, they were busy nodding in agreement at something Shaunee had just said (probably questioning Aphrodite's mental stability).

It wasn't until Zoey let out a sigh and sat back down that Stevie Rae looked over at her.

"You just gotta learn to tune her out, Zoey," she said sympathetically.

"Yeah. It's tough at first, but as soon as she realizes no one's listening to her she'll go find some other poor victim to sink her fangs into," Shaunee agreed.

Taking their words into account, Zoey cast one final look at Aphrodite, who was checking out a textbook at the front counter and smiling kindly at the librarian.

"Unfortunately, she's got all the teachers fooled," Damien said sadly, following Zoey's line of sight. "To them, she's just the perfect pride and joy of Mayor and Mrs. LaFont."

Zoey snapped her attention back to Damien.

"Whoa, what? ? Her dad is a mayor? ?"

Damien nodded.

"Tulsa's mayor."

Holy...! !

"Hence Aphrodite's major power trip," Damien continued. "Around here she and her friends have quite a few overeager zealots."

"A few...wha- -?" Zoey raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking over the boy who had suddenly turned into a dictionary with arms.

"Zealots. Think loyal drooling lapdogs," Erin explained. "Damien has a crazed obsession with using big fancy shmancy words instead of just keeping things simple for us."

"Look, let's just quit talking about Aphrodite for now, huh?" Stevie Rae squirmed uncomfortably on the couch next to the Twins, as if the mere subject of the blonde made her edgy. Again, Zoey wondered what Aphrodite could have done to Stevie Rae to make her hide like a scared little rabbit at the mention of her name.

Stevie Rae stood up then, and started gathering her things.

"We should get going. 1st period is all the way at the other end of the school, and if we get there early we might have a chance to sit together," she said.

"Unless we have one of those jerk teachers who sets you up in alphabetical order," Zoey added.

"The four of us would still wind up pretty close together," Shaunee stood up too and slung her purse over her shoulder. "Bates and Cole, Johnson and Maslin. Only poor Zoey would be all alone, huddled by herself in a corner," she joked.

"Nope," Zoey smiled. "I like to go by my grandma's last name, but it's actually Montgomery."

"Guess that means you'll be sticking with me, then!" Damien shrugged into his backpack and got up to stand next to Shaunee. "Er Bear, put the fashion down, it's time to go to class."

Erin let out a disappointed grumble but obediently slapped her magazine down with the others on the low coffee table that sat at the center of their chairs. Then she, along with Zoey, got up to join the gang as they made their way to the library's exit.

"So!" Stevie Rae started, "Ready for your first day of school, Zoey?"

Zoey glanced over her shoulder, back at the spot she was standing when the strange heat spiraled through every inch of her and threatened to take over.

Way to go, Zoey. First day at a new school and your stupid powers almost set the library on fire. Nice job.

"...Zoey?" Stevie Rae prodded.

Zoey turned back around and smiled. An extremely forced and insincere smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Can't wait."

The morning went by in a blur. At the time, in the middle of all the typical name mispronouncing and endless sheets of supply lists and grading rubrics, Zoey felt like the day would never end. But now afternoon had arrived, and Zoey was stumbling her way down the hall to 5th period Algebra.

Stevie Rae and the others had helped Zoey find her first four classes- -having their own classes in the same area- -but now she was on her own on the opposite side of the school, wandering around the math hall (which, as it turned out, was made up of two separate halls, as if things weren't already confusing enough).

Not wanting to walk around with a map in front of her face like a freshman, Zoey circled up and down the hallways in search of the right classroom, feeling only a slight twinge of worry when the crowds around her slowly began to trickle away as the passing period neared its end.

I guess it really doesn't matter if I'm a little late. What are they gonna do? Throw me in detention for getting lost on my first day at a new school? Shame on you, Zoey. How dare you not have the entire layout of this building memorized already. Shame.

Despite her indifference towards tardiness, she still didn't want to be waltzing into class half an hour late like those loser kids who spend their mornings doing drugs behind the dumpsters without a care in the world.

Zoey came to a stop in the middle of the hallway and looked around. No one was nearby.

"Alright Z," she muttered to herself, "I know you didn't want to do this, but I don't have time to stay out here forever."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her mind.

Air...be my guide. I know you probably have better things to do than help a teenager find her math class, but just humor me.

Suddenly, a cool, gentle breeze wafted into the windowless hallway. Zoey could feel it weaving through her long hair like a playful little animal coming to say hello. Then, it took off down the hall, swirling and writhing like a Chinese dragon. Opening her eyes, Zoey could almost physically see it; a silvery gray wisp- -almost like smoke- -but less crude, more silky and light. She followed it as it twirled down the hall and rounded a corner, snaking around some more before finally stopping in front of a closed door.

"This must be the place," Zoey said quietly. "Thank you, air. You may depart."

The breeze twisted itself in and out of Zoey's hair again, and then with a feeling of farewell it was gone. Feeling triumphant for avoiding yet another mini-crisis that day, Zoey opened the classroom door and stepped inside just as the bell started to ring.

Her triumph disappeared the second she saw what awaited her.

The teacher was not in the room yet, but all the desks had already been filled by the students who had the sense to arrive early and get decent seats. Only one desk was empty for Zoey, and it was situated directly behind...Aphrodite LaFont.

You have got to be kidding me.

Slightly in shock and quickly realizing that not even alphabetical seating would save her from the Blonde Terror, Zoey grudgingly made her feet shuffle forward and carry her to her doom. Only two students turned to look at her in that annoying and completely unnecessary "Let's stupidly gawk at whoever just walked into the room for no real reason" thing that kids tend to do. She resisted the urge to shoot nasty glares at them and made her way to the desk behind Aphrodite. The girl didn't even notice Zoey, she was busy typing away on her ridiculously expensive and clearly customized iPhone.

As Zoey settled into her chair and dropped her backpack onto the floor, a wave of awkwardness came over her. Should she say something to Aphrodite, let her know she was sitting behind her? Or should she just keep her mouth shut and stay hidden as long as possible? Maybe now that it was just the two of them Aphrodite wouldn't feel the need to be quite so bitchy and they might actually be able to have a civilized conversation. Just as Zoey was contemplating making small talk, she was interrupted and the words died in her throat.

"Zoey."

Zoey never thought she'd shudder so much at the sound of her own name. Aphrodite slowly turned in her chair like those clichéd movie villains who do the dramatic twirl-arounds while petting a ridiculously oversized cat. She didn't bother with putting on that fake smile of hers, she just looked over Zoey with cold sapphire eyes that pierced through her like ice.

"Surprised to see you here," the blonde said.

Zoey mentally shook herself out of the mini-panic that Aphrodite's sudden glare had put her in and returned the favor with an equally harsh expression of her own.

"I was just about to say the same to you," she said stiffly. Any attempt she was going to make at being cordial flew out the window the second Aphrodite had opened her mouth. "I didn't figure you for taking a class that actually involves work."

Aphrodite laughed a short, mocking laugh.

"Just for that, you can forget about me offering you homework help," she jeered.

"I'll try to feel bad."

Aphrodite turned back around, ignoring Zoey. Zoey let out a weary sigh, realizing that three encounters with the Bitch Queen in one day was a very exhausting experience.

An entire year of Aphrodite...I'd rather just be burned at the stake. How about it, fire? What do you say?

She felt a small bubble of heat quickly rise and then vanish in the pit of her stomach, as if the element of fire was laughing good-naturedly at her predicament.

Yeah...I figured as much.