Betrayed: Chapter 12
ZeldaQueen: He-howdy, everyone! I'm sorry that it's been so long since we've visited the House of Night, but here we are! And - this is sure to cheer you up - Heath's in this chapter! Hooray! Or not
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 12
ZeldaQueen: Well, since it's been such a long while, let's have a quick recap as to what all's going on. Several students from Zoey's old high school have been kidnapped and one has shown up dead. The police have found the Dark Daughters official necklace at the crime scene, and Zoey has a Deus Ex Machina feeling about the whole thing. Neferet is being very obvious and suspicious, but I don't think we're supposed to actually notice that until later on. A teacher has started to come on to Zoey for little to no reason, and she had a symbolik dream about how he and Neferet were eating the missing high school students. On a different line, Zoey and her friends are preparing to call in that bomb threat in the hopes of saving the lives of everyone on a bridge scheduled by Fate to collapse. Also, let us not forget the red-eyed vampire-ghost things, which have come up a few times thus far.
And so, with all of those very important things to deal with, the Cast Ladies have decided to devote this entire chapter to Zoey getting another boyfriend.
ZeldaQueen: Right. So Zoey sees Heath sticking up some "Missing" posters for the various football students who've been nabbed. She notes how his mouth is set in a grim line and how he looks serious, in a way she's never seen him before. This is a nice way of showing how he was affected by his friends and teammates being kidnapped and how he's taking some initiative to help with the search efforts. And Zoey immediately launches into how hot that makes him look, because looks are all she cares about. Lord.
So yeah, of course Heath sees her and they have a Dramatic Moment where he just stares at her and drops his stack of posters and lets them all go flying off into the wind. Zoey coyly says hello and Heath gasps out "You're really here!" Zoey's immediate reaction? To mock him
"I frowned at him. He'd never been exactly brilliant, but even for him this sounded pretty dumb. 'Of course I'm here. What did you think I was, a ghost?'"
ZeldaQueen: No, I think you're a bitch, Zoey. But never mind that. Heath literally collapses into a chair and tells her basically that he sometimes hallucinates seeing her. Given how shocked he is and how he's hallucinating, my first reaction personally would be to ask him if he's been to a doctor because this imprinting thing is clearly breaking his brain down. Zoey's first reaction is to ask if he's been drinking or gotten high again. Because all idiot jocks drink and get high and Zoey just looks down her nose at them. But no, amazingly, Heath is quite sober and has been so for an entire month. He explains that that's why he's been calling her so often - he wants to know that he's changed. Now normally when a guy leaves an alarming number of messages for a girl ignoring him, trying to tell her that he's stopped drinking for reals this time and will she please take him back, it comes across as either pathetic or creepy. Zoey's instant response is to notice how Heath's eyes are focused on her as if it were "a physical thing" and that he smells really nice. Okay then.
And then the conversation instantly turns into a storm of cliches. Heath asks why Zoey isn't returning his calls, apparently not getting that she doesn't want to talk to him. Zoey tells him that it's no good, they can't be together, etc, etc, and all that noise. Heath notices that her Mark is gone and gets excited about it, thinking that she's not a vampire anymore. Zoey gets bitchy about this, saying that she just covered her Mark so "the stupid humans around here won't freak out". That's for that, you cretin. I really appreciate those digs at humanity.
Okay, moving on. She tells Heath that she's either going to turn into a fully mature vampire or die, and those are the only ways it can go. Heath says that he understands that (except he apparently doesn't, as he thought she wasn't a vampire not two sentences ago) but doesn't get why they must break up. Zoey points out that she dumped him some months ago and he repeats how he gave up drinking and pot so he's totally cool now and why on earth wouldn't she want him? Heath says how he's working on his grades so he can get into college and adds "That's where my girlfriend will be going, too. She's gonna be a vet. A vampyre vet", which I'll admit is sweet. I'm still annoyed though, because dude, she doesn't want to date you! And I'm annoyed with Zoey, because she apparently has forgotten the imprinting thing and is just acting like he's being a stubborn idiot without ancient vampire magic at work.
Zoey gets all sobby and says that she's not sure if she still wants to be a vet (what, after a whole two pages or so of showing an interest in it?) and repeats that they can't be together. Heath comments that she's seeing someone else and adds that he has tried to remember the details of his Samhain adventure but can't get it together. Zoey says that yes, she is seeing someone else, and he asks her to take him back and give him another try.
Zoey keeps going on about how this is hurting her heart and just repeats how it's impossible for them to be in a relationship. Heath goes on about how no, he doesn't care that she's a vampire, he'll always love her and she'll always be the same Zoey to him. Zoey finally spills the beans about how she imprinted with him and ARE YOU SERIOUS? THEY DIDN'T EXPLAIN IT TO HIM? You mean to tell me that after this book does nothing but stress how imprinting is a very serious emotional commitment and should not be done lightly, as well as how imprinting can cause a lot of psychological damage to humans, they just let Heath run on home to be magically driven to pine after Zoey and hallucinate about her and generally go nuts? You know, no wonder people don't like vampires! These people just don't tell humans anything!
So yeah, Zoey figures that Heath will think she's a monster, but he just laughs and says that he's loved her since he was eight and imprinting has nothing to do with it. She insists that no, they've quite imprinted and he says fine, it doesn't matter to him. She reminds him that if they're in a relationship, she'll stay young and immortal while he ages. In a rare case of the Cast ladies actually nailing how a teenage guy sounds, Heath waggles his eyebrows and jokingly says "I can
think of worse things than having a hot, young vampyre chic when I'm, like, fifty". He then says that she's making this too complicated. So says the guy who knows jack beans about what she's up to in the House of Night.
For no reason at all, Zoey goes all passive-aggressive and asks how things are with Kayla. Heath says that he has no idea, as he hasn't spoken to her, because she's being a bitch. Jesus, that girl just can't catch a break, can she? Apparently she's committing the grave sin of thinking that the guy who died near the vampire school via being drained of blood was killed by a vampire, imagine! Of course Heath doesn't think the vampires did it, and asks if Zoey would like to come to the funeral of the kid. She points out that a vampire at that funeral wouldn't be the best of ideas, and he agrees.
They keep repeating the same inane chatter, until Zoey realizes that it's 2:15 and she has to get back to the House of Night and get the disposable phone to call in the 2:30 bomb threat. Heath insists on walking her to her car, because "his daddy had raised him right" and brought him up to be a total gentleman. I do wonder how being perpetually drunk falls in on the "gentleman" issue. Anyway, he opens the door to her car for her and then says he has something he has to show her. Hooooo boy. Zoey says fine, but please be quick because she has to do something very important in fifteen minutes. Heath says fine and pulls out a pocket knife from his pocket
"A shiver of terrible longing broke over my body. I was gripping the steering wheel with both hands to keep them from shaking .. . or reaching out and taking the razor blade and slicing it into his warm, sweet skin so that his delicious blood would drip and drip and…
"No!" I shouted, hating the way the power in my voice made him cringe. I swallowed and got control of myself. "Just put it away and get out of my car, Heath.”
"I'm not scared, Zo.”
"I am!" I almost sobbed.
"You don't have to be afraid. It's just you and me, like it's always been.”
"You don't know what you're doing, Heath." I couldn't even look at him. I was scared if I did I wouldn't be able to keep saying no.
"Yes I do. You drank some of my blood that night. It was … it was incredible. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.”
I wanted to scream with frustration. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, either, no matter how hard I tried. But I couldn't tell him that. I wouldn't tell him that. Instead, I finally looked at him and forced my hands to relax. Just thinking about drinking his blood made my skin feel tight and hot. "I want you to go, Heath. This isn't right.”
"I don't care about what people think is right, Zoey. I love you"
ZeldaQueen: Yes, that Heath is certainly a gentleman, isn't he? I know that men who force drug-like substances upon women to re-enact sexual situations while said women cry and plead and say they don't want to are just so desirable. And I do so love that he basically ignores the idea that she doesn't think it's right and is all "It's okay baby, ignore what they say. Your mouth says 'no', but your eyes say 'yes'".
And then he makes a small cut on his neck.
Zoey instantly goes all ga-ga for the smell and starts going on about how she just can't help herself and she just has to drink his blood. Heath's voice goes all deep and husky and he says to just go right on ahead and drink from him. I'd like you all to remember that this is an analogy for sex. He just basically drugged her to make her amorous, while she was crying and telling him she didn't want him to. Also keep in mind that this is yet another guy that is going to be a boyfriend to Zoey, and who is never called out on this and is instead treated like the perfect kind of guy to be with.
Oh, and also also - keep in mind that Zoey is the self-insert of Kristin Cast. She wrote herself basically being drugged into having "sex" with a guy. And her mom wrote it with her.
And on that pleasant note, the chapter ends. Have a good night, ladies and gentlemen
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Onward to: Chapter 13
Back to: Chapter 11
Back to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 12
ZeldaQueen: Well, since it's been such a long while, let's have a quick recap as to what all's going on. Several students from Zoey's old high school have been kidnapped and one has shown up dead. The police have found the Dark Daughters official necklace at the crime scene, and Zoey has a Deus Ex Machina feeling about the whole thing. Neferet is being very obvious and suspicious, but I don't think we're supposed to actually notice that until later on. A teacher has started to come on to Zoey for little to no reason, and she had a symbolik dream about how he and Neferet were eating the missing high school students. On a different line, Zoey and her friends are preparing to call in that bomb threat in the hopes of saving the lives of everyone on a bridge scheduled by Fate to collapse. Also, let us not forget the red-eyed vampire-ghost things, which have come up a few times thus far.
And so, with all of those very important things to deal with, the Cast Ladies have decided to devote this entire chapter to Zoey getting another boyfriend.
ZeldaQueen: Right. So Zoey sees Heath sticking up some "Missing" posters for the various football students who've been nabbed. She notes how his mouth is set in a grim line and how he looks serious, in a way she's never seen him before. This is a nice way of showing how he was affected by his friends and teammates being kidnapped and how he's taking some initiative to help with the search efforts. And Zoey immediately launches into how hot that makes him look, because looks are all she cares about. Lord.
So yeah, of course Heath sees her and they have a Dramatic Moment where he just stares at her and drops his stack of posters and lets them all go flying off into the wind. Zoey coyly says hello and Heath gasps out "You're really here!" Zoey's immediate reaction? To mock him
"I frowned at him. He'd never been exactly brilliant, but even for him this sounded pretty dumb. 'Of course I'm here. What did you think I was, a ghost?'"
ZeldaQueen: No, I think you're a bitch, Zoey. But never mind that. Heath literally collapses into a chair and tells her basically that he sometimes hallucinates seeing her. Given how shocked he is and how he's hallucinating, my first reaction personally would be to ask him if he's been to a doctor because this imprinting thing is clearly breaking his brain down. Zoey's first reaction is to ask if he's been drinking or gotten high again. Because all idiot jocks drink and get high and Zoey just looks down her nose at them. But no, amazingly, Heath is quite sober and has been so for an entire month. He explains that that's why he's been calling her so often - he wants to know that he's changed. Now normally when a guy leaves an alarming number of messages for a girl ignoring him, trying to tell her that he's stopped drinking for reals this time and will she please take him back, it comes across as either pathetic or creepy. Zoey's instant response is to notice how Heath's eyes are focused on her as if it were "a physical thing" and that he smells really nice. Okay then.
And then the conversation instantly turns into a storm of cliches. Heath asks why Zoey isn't returning his calls, apparently not getting that she doesn't want to talk to him. Zoey tells him that it's no good, they can't be together, etc, etc, and all that noise. Heath notices that her Mark is gone and gets excited about it, thinking that she's not a vampire anymore. Zoey gets bitchy about this, saying that she just covered her Mark so "the stupid humans around here won't freak out". That's for that, you cretin. I really appreciate those digs at humanity.
Okay, moving on. She tells Heath that she's either going to turn into a fully mature vampire or die, and those are the only ways it can go. Heath says that he understands that (except he apparently doesn't, as he thought she wasn't a vampire not two sentences ago) but doesn't get why they must break up. Zoey points out that she dumped him some months ago and he repeats how he gave up drinking and pot so he's totally cool now and why on earth wouldn't she want him? Heath says how he's working on his grades so he can get into college and adds "That's where my girlfriend will be going, too. She's gonna be a vet. A vampyre vet", which I'll admit is sweet. I'm still annoyed though, because dude, she doesn't want to date you! And I'm annoyed with Zoey, because she apparently has forgotten the imprinting thing and is just acting like he's being a stubborn idiot without ancient vampire magic at work.
Zoey gets all sobby and says that she's not sure if she still wants to be a vet (what, after a whole two pages or so of showing an interest in it?) and repeats that they can't be together. Heath comments that she's seeing someone else and adds that he has tried to remember the details of his Samhain adventure but can't get it together. Zoey says that yes, she is seeing someone else, and he asks her to take him back and give him another try.
Zoey keeps going on about how this is hurting her heart and just repeats how it's impossible for them to be in a relationship. Heath goes on about how no, he doesn't care that she's a vampire, he'll always love her and she'll always be the same Zoey to him. Zoey finally spills the beans about how she imprinted with him and ARE YOU SERIOUS? THEY DIDN'T EXPLAIN IT TO HIM? You mean to tell me that after this book does nothing but stress how imprinting is a very serious emotional commitment and should not be done lightly, as well as how imprinting can cause a lot of psychological damage to humans, they just let Heath run on home to be magically driven to pine after Zoey and hallucinate about her and generally go nuts? You know, no wonder people don't like vampires! These people just don't tell humans anything!
So yeah, Zoey figures that Heath will think she's a monster, but he just laughs and says that he's loved her since he was eight and imprinting has nothing to do with it. She insists that no, they've quite imprinted and he says fine, it doesn't matter to him. She reminds him that if they're in a relationship, she'll stay young and immortal while he ages. In a rare case of the Cast ladies actually nailing how a teenage guy sounds, Heath waggles his eyebrows and jokingly says "I can
think of worse things than having a hot, young vampyre chic when I'm, like, fifty". He then says that she's making this too complicated. So says the guy who knows jack beans about what she's up to in the House of Night.
For no reason at all, Zoey goes all passive-aggressive and asks how things are with Kayla. Heath says that he has no idea, as he hasn't spoken to her, because she's being a bitch. Jesus, that girl just can't catch a break, can she? Apparently she's committing the grave sin of thinking that the guy who died near the vampire school via being drained of blood was killed by a vampire, imagine! Of course Heath doesn't think the vampires did it, and asks if Zoey would like to come to the funeral of the kid. She points out that a vampire at that funeral wouldn't be the best of ideas, and he agrees.
They keep repeating the same inane chatter, until Zoey realizes that it's 2:15 and she has to get back to the House of Night and get the disposable phone to call in the 2:30 bomb threat. Heath insists on walking her to her car, because "his daddy had raised him right" and brought him up to be a total gentleman. I do wonder how being perpetually drunk falls in on the "gentleman" issue. Anyway, he opens the door to her car for her and then says he has something he has to show her. Hooooo boy. Zoey says fine, but please be quick because she has to do something very important in fifteen minutes. Heath says fine and pulls out a pocket knife from his pocket
"A shiver of terrible longing broke over my body. I was gripping the steering wheel with both hands to keep them from shaking .. . or reaching out and taking the razor blade and slicing it into his warm, sweet skin so that his delicious blood would drip and drip and…
"No!" I shouted, hating the way the power in my voice made him cringe. I swallowed and got control of myself. "Just put it away and get out of my car, Heath.”
"I'm not scared, Zo.”
"I am!" I almost sobbed.
"You don't have to be afraid. It's just you and me, like it's always been.”
"You don't know what you're doing, Heath." I couldn't even look at him. I was scared if I did I wouldn't be able to keep saying no.
"Yes I do. You drank some of my blood that night. It was … it was incredible. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.”
I wanted to scream with frustration. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, either, no matter how hard I tried. But I couldn't tell him that. I wouldn't tell him that. Instead, I finally looked at him and forced my hands to relax. Just thinking about drinking his blood made my skin feel tight and hot. "I want you to go, Heath. This isn't right.”
"I don't care about what people think is right, Zoey. I love you"
ZeldaQueen: Yes, that Heath is certainly a gentleman, isn't he? I know that men who force drug-like substances upon women to re-enact sexual situations while said women cry and plead and say they don't want to are just so desirable. And I do so love that he basically ignores the idea that she doesn't think it's right and is all "It's okay baby, ignore what they say. Your mouth says 'no', but your eyes say 'yes'".
And then he makes a small cut on his neck.
Zoey instantly goes all ga-ga for the smell and starts going on about how she just can't help herself and she just has to drink his blood. Heath's voice goes all deep and husky and he says to just go right on ahead and drink from him. I'd like you all to remember that this is an analogy for sex. He just basically drugged her to make her amorous, while she was crying and telling him she didn't want him to. Also keep in mind that this is yet another guy that is going to be a boyfriend to Zoey, and who is never called out on this and is instead treated like the perfect kind of guy to be with.
Oh, and also also - keep in mind that Zoey is the self-insert of Kristin Cast. She wrote herself basically being drugged into having "sex" with a guy. And her mom wrote it with her.
And on that pleasant note, the chapter ends. Have a good night, ladies and gentlemen
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Onward to: Chapter 13
Back to: Chapter 11
Back to: Table of Contents