"Ah, crap!" I whispered. "I didn't get her last night." "I'm not surprised. Cell service in those tunnels sucks. I'll make excuses to Darius about why you're late. You call her again. This time let's hope you get her."

"I know, I know," I said.

"Hey, Z!" Shaunee called as Aphrodite and I passed by the kitchen.

"How are ya feelin' this morning? Better?" Erin asked.

"I am--thanks, guys," I said, smiling at them. The Twins were beyond resilient. It took more than another brush with death to freak them out for very long.

"Excellent. We got your box of Count Chocula right here," Erin said.

"Hey, Dorkamese Twins, you two want to take me up on some pedicures tonight? We can do some major nerd herd bonding over the wicked bunion I have on my right foot." Aphrodite lifted up her right stiletto boot and pretended like she was going to unzip it.

"We have your breakfast ready, too, Aphrodite," Erin said.

"Yeah, we fixed you up a nice bowl of Count Skankula," Shaunee said.

"You two are so not amusing. Zoey, I'll get Darius and we'll meet you in the parking lot. Hurry up." She flipped her hair and twitched away.

"We hate her," Erin and Shaunee said together.

"I know," I sighed. "But she really was nice to me last night."

"Probably because she has a serious personality disorder," Erin said.

"Yeah, I think she's one of those split-personality people," Shaunee said. "Hey, maybe she'll get institutionalized pretty soon!"

"Excellent thinking, Twin. I like it that you always look on the bright side," Erin said.

"Here, Z. Have some cereal," Shaunee said.

I sighed at the enticing box of my favorite cereal. "I don't have time to eat. Gotta get to Street Cats and set up our community charity work."

"You should talk them into having a cool flea market sale," Erin said.

"Yeah. We need to do some serious closet cleaning to get ready for the season change, and we might as well sell the old stuff to make room for the new," Shaunee said.

"That's not a bad idea, actually. Plus, Street Cats could have the sale inside so the sun doesn't bother us," I said.

"Twin, let's go through our shoes," Shaunee said.

"Will do, Twin," Erin said. "I hear metallic is majorly in for next season."

I left the dorm on a tide of the Twins' new-shoe-purchase chatter.

The Son of Erebus warrior who was stationed outside wasn't Darius, but he was equally as big and bad looking, and he gave me a quick respectful salute. I returned it and then hurried down the sidewalk toward the main school building, nodding hi to the fledglings coming and going. Flipping open my cell phone, I punched the number of the disposable phone I'd given to Stevie Rae a few days ago. Thankfully, this time she answered on the first ring.

"Hey there, Zoey!"

"Oh, thank god." I didn't say her name, but I still kept my voice low. "I tried to call you earlier, but I couldn't get you."

"Sorry, Z. Reception down in the tunnels is crappy." I sighed. We'd have to do something about that, but right now I couldn't take the time to think of what. "Well, never mind that. Can you meet me at Street Cats in a little while? It's important."

"Street Cats? Where's that?"

"It's at Sixtieth and Sheridan in that cute little brick building. The one behind Charlie's Chicken. Can you be there?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'll have to take the bus, so it may take me a little while. Wait, can't you come get me?"

I'd opened my mouth to explain why I couldn't give her a ride and also why it was so important I talked to her today, when the background noise of a scream followed by some truly scary-sounding laughter came through her phone.

"Um, Zoey. I gotta go," Stevie Rae said.

"Stevie Rae, what's going on?"

"Nothin'," she said too quickly.

"Stevie Rae--," I began, but she cut me off.

"They're not eatin' anybody. Really. But I gotta go make sure the pizza delivery guy doesn't remember too much of this particular delivery. See you at Street Cats--bye!"

And she was gone. I closed the phone (and wished I could close my eyes and curl into a fetal position and go back to sleep). Instead I walked through the big wooden, castlelike doors of the main entrance of the central House of Night. We don't have what you'd call a principal's office, but we do have an area manned by an attractive young vampyre named Miss Taylor. She's actually not a secretary, but an acolyte of Nyx. Damien had explained to me that part of her priestess training was to provide service for a House of Night--hence the fact she could be found busily answering phones, making copies, and running errands for the professors when she wasn't setting the chapel up for rituals and whatnot.