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Chapter One

Just when I thoughtnext tononstop in her usual K-babble, and she didn’t even notice him At first Actually, now that I think about it, no one else noticed hiically, more evidence of my freakish inability to fit in

"No, but Zoey, I swear to God Heath didn’t get that drunk after the game You really shouldn’t be so hard on hiain I felt like crap I htly-insane AP biology teacher, called the Teenage Plague

If I died, would it get eometry test tomorrow? One could only hope

"Zoey, please Are you even listening? I think he only had like four--I dunno--maybe six beers, and maybe like three shots But that’s totally beside the point He probably wouldn’t even have had hardly any if your stupid parents hadn’t -suffering look, in total agreeainst me byyears ago Then, after barely half a breath break, K was back with the babbling

"Plus, he was celebrating I mean we beat Union!" K shook my shoulder and put her face close to mine "Hello! Your boyfriend--"

"My alh on her

"Whatever Heath is our quarterback so of course he’s going to celebrate It’s been like a million years since Broken Arrow beat Union"

"Sixteen" I’m crappy at enius

"Again, whatever The point is, he was happy You should give the boy a break"

"The point is that he asted for like the fifth tio out with a guy whose e football to trying to chug a six-pack without puking Not to et fat fro a little dizzy and forcedfit was over Not that K-babble noticed

"E! Heath, fat! Not a visual I want"

Ihi on alcohol-soaked feet"

K scrunched up her face "Okay, sick Too bad he’s so hot"

I rolledto try to hide rumpy when you’re sick Anyway, you have no idea how lost- puppy-like Heath looked after you ignored him at lunch He couldn’t even?"

Then I saw hiuy Okay, I realized pretty quick that he wasn’t technically "dead" He was undead Or un-hu, people said another, but the end result was the sa what he was and even if I hadn’t felt the power and darkness that radiated from him, there was no frickin’ way I could miss his Mark, the sapphire- blue crescentknot work that framed his equally blue eyes He was a vampyre, and worse He was a Tracker

Well, crap! He was standing byto me!"

Then the vampyre spoke and his cereerous and seductive, like blood ht has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"

He lifted one long, white finger and pointed at me As my forehead exploded in pain Kayla opened her ht splotches finally cleared fro down atthat ca out of your head like a fish"

"He Marked you Oh, Zoey! You have the outline of that thing on your forehead!" Then she pressed a shaking hand against her white lips, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a sob

I sat up and coughed I had a killer headache, and I rubbed at the spot right betweenas if a wasp had bit me and radiated pain down around ht puke