Betrayed: Chapter 25
Aug. 10th, 2011 01:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zelda_queenZeldaQueen: In which there's just a little bit of plot. Hey, I guess the Cast ladies don't want us getting spoiled or anything, right?
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 25
ZeldaQueen: We open this chapter on the not-so-promising note of it being a dream and Zoey being aware it's a dream. I'm serious. This is not her looking back and going "Oh yeah, that was a dream. How strange". This is her actively referring to everything as a dream as it happens, just like for that incredibly stupid symbolik dream where we weren't supposed to figure out that Neferet and Blake were behind the football player's deaths.
Oh, but don't worry. This isn't an overly symbolik dream, oh no. This is basically Zoey having an out-of-the-body experience and witnessing events that are going on at that moment, right outside.
Yes, really. No, there is no reason for this. Zoey has never been shown having this power before, nor has any other vampire. And I can't believe this is her tele-whatsis thing to Heath because...well, you'll see in a minute.
This dream-vision-thingy has her watching that stupid wall on the east side of the school. You know, the one where she keeps seeing those red-eyed ghosts (even though she's a total dumbass and always is surprised by it)? Yeah, that one. Goody, this ought to be interesting.
Zoey describes all of these events like she's physically present and walking along the wall. She is also definitely aware of what's going on, because she recognizes the wall and freaks out, on the grounds that she's seen the ghosts of dead fledglings every time she's gone there and she doesn't want to see that again so soon after Stevie Rae has died.
*rubs forehead* Yes, ladies and gentlemen, apparently Zoey does remember that there are ghosts running around but just has been actively trying to forget it. What a fantastic and interesting heroine. It's like she's doing all within her power to resist moving the plot along.
Anyway, Zoey is trying to force herself to leave, and I don't know why she doesn't just do that. I mean, I know there are dreams where you're following a preset path, but this is apparently a lucid dream. Or are we supposed to be figuring that this is just happening because Nyx is causing the dream. It probably is, seeing as Zoey's so useless that nothing short of divine intervention can keep her focused. *is in a bad mood* Moving on, Zoey continues along the wall and heads over to that hidden trap door we saw in the last book. There, she sees four figures in cloaks. The littlest one turns around and OH LOOK, SHOCKS OF SHOCKERS, STEVIE RAE IS A RED-EYED GHOST! Really, who could have seen that one coming? Besides anyone halfway competent, I mean.
Like the other ghost-things, Stevie Rae is thin and pale and red-eyed and Zoey immediately is horrified and sorrowful about what happened to her. I guess the ghosts like Elliot can go to Hell because Zoey doesn't care about them. And speaking of Elliot, he's there as well. Or rather, "that Elliott creature", as Zoey calls him. Seriously, Cast ladies, who are you basing Elliot off of? What is it about him that makes him so revolting to your Sue? He looks and acts like the other red-eyed ghosts, but he's the only one Zoey refers to with disgust or as "that creature". That really makes Zoey look bitchy, I must say.
So yeah, Elliot and Stevie Rae are having an argument. Stevie Rae insists that they need to leave, and Elliot snarls that she isn't the boss of him. Stevie Rae goes all bitchfaced at him and says that she's in charge because of her affinity for Earth. The Cast ladies also channel Meyer and have Stevie Rae go on about a mysterious leader referred to only as "she", which I'm sure would be very mysterious if it wasn't so blatantly obvious that it was Neferet. Although there is the bonus of it bringing us the line "And until it does, you will obey me! That's what she said"
ZeldaQueen: I'm sure it was. I'm sure it was.
Elliot (or "the Elliott thing", as Zoey is now calling him) and the other two figures bow to Stevie Rae at this, and they all get ready to leave. Before they can actually vacate the premises, a Convenient Plot Device arrives in the form of one Heath Luck, who comes stumbling onto the school grounds asking if the red-eyed, obviously evil ghosts know where Zoey might be.
Hey, wasn't Heath's main role in the last book to come crashing in at the exact worst moment and fail to notice that he just came across some very dangerous beings? He doesn't even have the excuse of being hilariously drunk this time around!
And incidentally, given that he only shows up right now, this is why I can't believe that this dream is via his and Zoey's mental link. Clearly, the focus is on the ghosts and not him.
The red-eyed ghosts react exactly how you'd expect, and nab Heath. Stevie Rae says that they have to keep him, even though Elliot alludes to Neferet (we all know that's who it is, so I'm just going to say it) telling him that they can't eat any more people. Stevie Rae says that they must hold him captive until Neferet gives them further instructions. They drag Heath off into the night and Zoey wakes up screaming.
Right. This is the third time in this book alone, I believe, that Zoey has seen those ghosts in some form or another. She knows that she has some connection with Heath. She knows that Nyx probably will send her visions and symbolik dreams. Surely she's going to realize that that dream was significant and at the very least, go outside to check on things. Maybe call Heath...
It's completely ignored.
I...I'm dumbfounded. After everything she's been told, after everything that's happened, she just throws it out of her mind. There's no reflection, no "What a horrible dream", not even a token "I need to eat less red meat before bed". She...she just...GAH! THIS GIRL IS AN IDIOT!!!
*sighs and rubs forehead* Whatever! The book and our protagonist do not dwell on it, so I see no reason to do so. Zoey leaves her room and heads downstairs, where Shaunee tells her that Erik has come over with some movies to watch and that he brought "that totally fiiiine friend of his", Cole. You know, the one who has had no development at all beyond "is hot and into theater" (which is a reoccurring trend amongst the male love interests, I notice) and conveniently started getting together with Shaunee after Zoey thought they should hook up? Yeah, it's him. Anyway, Shaunee goes all guilty about being happy while Stevie Rae is all corpsified and Zoey lectures her on not walking on eggshells around her. Because clearly, Zoey's feelings are the only ones that matter here, even though Shaunee and Erin and Damien were all close friends with Stevie Rae as well.
After being treated to a lengthy paragraph about Zoey putting on her make-up, she finally goes down to the room with the television and everyone is all overly perky around her. We're told how Damien and Jack are being snuggly, because clearly they're the only two gay people and thus are required to hook up after a handful of chapters of interaction (which, I feel I must stress, is less than a full twenty-four hours, in-universe time). Zoey snuggles up with Erik and feels guilty about her little fling with Heath, though there's no mention of her feeling guilty about seriously considering having an affair with Blake.
Everyone starts making bad jokes about how dorky the movies are, because dur hur it's Star Wars. If you guys have forgotten that Erik was a massive geek and a fan of Star Wars, don't feel too bad. It was given few token mentions in the last book, before Zoey concentrated on important qualities like how hawt he is. Anyway, this segueways into extremely painful flirting. First, Shaunee asks Cole if he's into Princess Leia, and Cole makes a bad joke about how his taste in women is more "colorful" (because dur hur, Shaunee is black, get it?) Jack pipes up that he's not hanging around for the movie, while giving Damien a sappy look, and Erin replies with "Well, we know Princess Leia doesn't do it for you".
You know, it's times like these that I keep reminding myself that there's only seven chapters left to this God-forsaken book.
Erik brings this *cough* witty banter to a halt when he makes a verbal boo-boo comments how he wishes Stevie Rae where there. Yes, he words it like she left town for a vacation and not, you know, dead. Everyone shuts up and Erik blushes, before Zoey tries to smooth things over. Everyone begins to reminisce about Stevie Rae, primarily about her thick, Okie accent and her atrocious grammar. So nice to know she was a girl of substance.
And then Drew shows up. Yes, Drew! Remember him? I don't blame you if you don't. He showed up a fair few chapters back, when he spontaneously poofed into the story to flirt with Stevie Rae. Zoey notices how he looks all puffy-eyed and sad (because yes, Cast ladies, I'm going to be emotionally invested in the lost love of a dude who has zero characterization beyond "he's short but cute"), and invites him to sit next to Erin. Things get a little odd, as Erin goes all wide-eyed and blushing. The only thing I can figure is that Zoey is trying to pair up Drew with Erin immediately after Drew's crush has painfully and bloodily died, and I sincerely hope not because that is just disgusting. Actually, it would be doubly disgusting because there's also the implication that Zoey is acting on a Deus Ex Machina feeling for this little bit of matchmaking.
Incidentally, aren't you glad that the Cast ladies are devoting so much time and energy into keeping the characters just as shallow and offensive as they always are? We could be having actual plot, but nope! We get to hear about Zoey going to make popcorn! As she does this, she resolves to sort through her various issues. Given how there are nine million books in this series, there are no bets as to how well she sticks to that resolution. I also do so love how she puts sorting out her boyfriend issues before dealing with Neferet and the red-eyed ghosts. Speaking of the ghosts, she refers to Elliott as "gross" and the "weird nondead Elliott". Also, she assumes that the dream she had at the beginning of this chapter was just because she saw Elliott and Neferet making out. Even though she knows about Nyx and - oh fuck it, you guys know the drill. Let's just have a cute puppy and be done with it
ZeldaQueen: You guys have no idea how hard it was to just pick one. Damn Google Image Search for being so thorough.
Right. So Zoey has grit her teeth and resolved to get stuff done when Erin shouts for her to get back into the room and see what's on the television. Zoey enters just in time to see that yet another high school student has gone missing. Oh my, who could it possibly be???
"To repeat this special bulletin, a Broken Arrow teenager, another high school football player, has been reported as missing. His name is Heath Luck"
ZeldaQueen: I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! That dream of Zoey's totally had me fooled! I thought it was the one-armed man!
So yeah, in a stunning plot twist that I'm sure blind people could see coming, Heath has gone missing as well. The news reporter does a hilarious job of saying how even though Heath's truck was found right outside the House of Night (the ghosts kidnapped him but left the truck? Dumbest bad guys ever!) and even though all other kidnapped students were found drained of blood in a manner resembling a vampire feeding, there's no definite proof that vampires are involved. I realize that it's important to keep things as cool as possible so that there isn't some riot and attempt to attack the House of Night, but all I get is flashbacks to when Zoey and her friends thought that it was unthinkable that, you know, a vampire went rogue and was attacking humans.
Also, there's a mildly interesting bit where the reporter mentions that "vampyres have a binding legal agreement with humans to not feed on any human being against his or her will". I have to ask, is it even possible for one species to have a legal agreement with another? And how does this work? Do the vampires have their own government in the United States? Because it would seem to me that feeding from a human against their wishes would be illegal anyway, seeing as it could easily be construed as attempted assault or murder given the whole blood-draining issue. And how does this work with the vampires in other nations? Is this a world-wide legal agreement? If so, are we meant to understand that vampires are not citizens of the places they lived in as humans? Are we meant to understand that for all their talk about how they're no different from anyone else, being turned into a vampire means that local laws no longer matter?
Right. I have no idea why I'm even bothering. The book's nearly over and I'm dead tired. Peace out, everybody!
Onward to: Chapter 26
Back to: Chapter 24
Back to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 25
ZeldaQueen: We open this chapter on the not-so-promising note of it being a dream and Zoey being aware it's a dream. I'm serious. This is not her looking back and going "Oh yeah, that was a dream. How strange". This is her actively referring to everything as a dream as it happens, just like for that incredibly stupid symbolik dream where we weren't supposed to figure out that Neferet and Blake were behind the football player's deaths.
Oh, but don't worry. This isn't an overly symbolik dream, oh no. This is basically Zoey having an out-of-the-body experience and witnessing events that are going on at that moment, right outside.
Yes, really. No, there is no reason for this. Zoey has never been shown having this power before, nor has any other vampire. And I can't believe this is her tele-whatsis thing to Heath because...well, you'll see in a minute.
This dream-vision-thingy has her watching that stupid wall on the east side of the school. You know, the one where she keeps seeing those red-eyed ghosts (even though she's a total dumbass and always is surprised by it)? Yeah, that one. Goody, this ought to be interesting.
Zoey describes all of these events like she's physically present and walking along the wall. She is also definitely aware of what's going on, because she recognizes the wall and freaks out, on the grounds that she's seen the ghosts of dead fledglings every time she's gone there and she doesn't want to see that again so soon after Stevie Rae has died.
*rubs forehead* Yes, ladies and gentlemen, apparently Zoey does remember that there are ghosts running around but just has been actively trying to forget it. What a fantastic and interesting heroine. It's like she's doing all within her power to resist moving the plot along.
Anyway, Zoey is trying to force herself to leave, and I don't know why she doesn't just do that. I mean, I know there are dreams where you're following a preset path, but this is apparently a lucid dream. Or are we supposed to be figuring that this is just happening because Nyx is causing the dream. It probably is, seeing as Zoey's so useless that nothing short of divine intervention can keep her focused. *is in a bad mood* Moving on, Zoey continues along the wall and heads over to that hidden trap door we saw in the last book. There, she sees four figures in cloaks. The littlest one turns around and OH LOOK, SHOCKS OF SHOCKERS, STEVIE RAE IS A RED-EYED GHOST! Really, who could have seen that one coming? Besides anyone halfway competent, I mean.
Like the other ghost-things, Stevie Rae is thin and pale and red-eyed and Zoey immediately is horrified and sorrowful about what happened to her. I guess the ghosts like Elliot can go to Hell because Zoey doesn't care about them. And speaking of Elliot, he's there as well. Or rather, "that Elliott creature", as Zoey calls him. Seriously, Cast ladies, who are you basing Elliot off of? What is it about him that makes him so revolting to your Sue? He looks and acts like the other red-eyed ghosts, but he's the only one Zoey refers to with disgust or as "that creature". That really makes Zoey look bitchy, I must say.
So yeah, Elliot and Stevie Rae are having an argument. Stevie Rae insists that they need to leave, and Elliot snarls that she isn't the boss of him. Stevie Rae goes all bitchfaced at him and says that she's in charge because of her affinity for Earth. The Cast ladies also channel Meyer and have Stevie Rae go on about a mysterious leader referred to only as "she", which I'm sure would be very mysterious if it wasn't so blatantly obvious that it was Neferet. Although there is the bonus of it bringing us the line "And until it does, you will obey me! That's what she said"
ZeldaQueen: I'm sure it was. I'm sure it was.
Elliot (or "the Elliott thing", as Zoey is now calling him) and the other two figures bow to Stevie Rae at this, and they all get ready to leave. Before they can actually vacate the premises, a Convenient Plot Device arrives in the form of one Heath Luck, who comes stumbling onto the school grounds asking if the red-eyed, obviously evil ghosts know where Zoey might be.
Hey, wasn't Heath's main role in the last book to come crashing in at the exact worst moment and fail to notice that he just came across some very dangerous beings? He doesn't even have the excuse of being hilariously drunk this time around!
And incidentally, given that he only shows up right now, this is why I can't believe that this dream is via his and Zoey's mental link. Clearly, the focus is on the ghosts and not him.
The red-eyed ghosts react exactly how you'd expect, and nab Heath. Stevie Rae says that they have to keep him, even though Elliot alludes to Neferet (we all know that's who it is, so I'm just going to say it) telling him that they can't eat any more people. Stevie Rae says that they must hold him captive until Neferet gives them further instructions. They drag Heath off into the night and Zoey wakes up screaming.
Right. This is the third time in this book alone, I believe, that Zoey has seen those ghosts in some form or another. She knows that she has some connection with Heath. She knows that Nyx probably will send her visions and symbolik dreams. Surely she's going to realize that that dream was significant and at the very least, go outside to check on things. Maybe call Heath...
It's completely ignored.
I...I'm dumbfounded. After everything she's been told, after everything that's happened, she just throws it out of her mind. There's no reflection, no "What a horrible dream", not even a token "I need to eat less red meat before bed". She...she just...GAH! THIS GIRL IS AN IDIOT!!!
*sighs and rubs forehead* Whatever! The book and our protagonist do not dwell on it, so I see no reason to do so. Zoey leaves her room and heads downstairs, where Shaunee tells her that Erik has come over with some movies to watch and that he brought "that totally fiiiine friend of his", Cole. You know, the one who has had no development at all beyond "is hot and into theater" (which is a reoccurring trend amongst the male love interests, I notice) and conveniently started getting together with Shaunee after Zoey thought they should hook up? Yeah, it's him. Anyway, Shaunee goes all guilty about being happy while Stevie Rae is all corpsified and Zoey lectures her on not walking on eggshells around her. Because clearly, Zoey's feelings are the only ones that matter here, even though Shaunee and Erin and Damien were all close friends with Stevie Rae as well.
After being treated to a lengthy paragraph about Zoey putting on her make-up, she finally goes down to the room with the television and everyone is all overly perky around her. We're told how Damien and Jack are being snuggly, because clearly they're the only two gay people and thus are required to hook up after a handful of chapters of interaction (which, I feel I must stress, is less than a full twenty-four hours, in-universe time). Zoey snuggles up with Erik and feels guilty about her little fling with Heath, though there's no mention of her feeling guilty about seriously considering having an affair with Blake.
Everyone starts making bad jokes about how dorky the movies are, because dur hur it's Star Wars. If you guys have forgotten that Erik was a massive geek and a fan of Star Wars, don't feel too bad. It was given few token mentions in the last book, before Zoey concentrated on important qualities like how hawt he is. Anyway, this segueways into extremely painful flirting. First, Shaunee asks Cole if he's into Princess Leia, and Cole makes a bad joke about how his taste in women is more "colorful" (because dur hur, Shaunee is black, get it?) Jack pipes up that he's not hanging around for the movie, while giving Damien a sappy look, and Erin replies with "Well, we know Princess Leia doesn't do it for you".
You know, it's times like these that I keep reminding myself that there's only seven chapters left to this God-forsaken book.
Erik brings this *cough* witty banter to a halt when he makes a verbal boo-boo comments how he wishes Stevie Rae where there. Yes, he words it like she left town for a vacation and not, you know, dead. Everyone shuts up and Erik blushes, before Zoey tries to smooth things over. Everyone begins to reminisce about Stevie Rae, primarily about her thick, Okie accent and her atrocious grammar. So nice to know she was a girl of substance.
And then Drew shows up. Yes, Drew! Remember him? I don't blame you if you don't. He showed up a fair few chapters back, when he spontaneously poofed into the story to flirt with Stevie Rae. Zoey notices how he looks all puffy-eyed and sad (because yes, Cast ladies, I'm going to be emotionally invested in the lost love of a dude who has zero characterization beyond "he's short but cute"), and invites him to sit next to Erin. Things get a little odd, as Erin goes all wide-eyed and blushing. The only thing I can figure is that Zoey is trying to pair up Drew with Erin immediately after Drew's crush has painfully and bloodily died, and I sincerely hope not because that is just disgusting. Actually, it would be doubly disgusting because there's also the implication that Zoey is acting on a Deus Ex Machina feeling for this little bit of matchmaking.
Incidentally, aren't you glad that the Cast ladies are devoting so much time and energy into keeping the characters just as shallow and offensive as they always are? We could be having actual plot, but nope! We get to hear about Zoey going to make popcorn! As she does this, she resolves to sort through her various issues. Given how there are nine million books in this series, there are no bets as to how well she sticks to that resolution. I also do so love how she puts sorting out her boyfriend issues before dealing with Neferet and the red-eyed ghosts. Speaking of the ghosts, she refers to Elliott as "gross" and the "weird nondead Elliott". Also, she assumes that the dream she had at the beginning of this chapter was just because she saw Elliott and Neferet making out. Even though she knows about Nyx and - oh fuck it, you guys know the drill. Let's just have a cute puppy and be done with it
ZeldaQueen: You guys have no idea how hard it was to just pick one. Damn Google Image Search for being so thorough.
Right. So Zoey has grit her teeth and resolved to get stuff done when Erin shouts for her to get back into the room and see what's on the television. Zoey enters just in time to see that yet another high school student has gone missing. Oh my, who could it possibly be???
"To repeat this special bulletin, a Broken Arrow teenager, another high school football player, has been reported as missing. His name is Heath Luck"
ZeldaQueen: I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! That dream of Zoey's totally had me fooled! I thought it was the one-armed man!
So yeah, in a stunning plot twist that I'm sure blind people could see coming, Heath has gone missing as well. The news reporter does a hilarious job of saying how even though Heath's truck was found right outside the House of Night (the ghosts kidnapped him but left the truck? Dumbest bad guys ever!) and even though all other kidnapped students were found drained of blood in a manner resembling a vampire feeding, there's no definite proof that vampires are involved. I realize that it's important to keep things as cool as possible so that there isn't some riot and attempt to attack the House of Night, but all I get is flashbacks to when Zoey and her friends thought that it was unthinkable that, you know, a vampire went rogue and was attacking humans.
Also, there's a mildly interesting bit where the reporter mentions that "vampyres have a binding legal agreement with humans to not feed on any human being against his or her will". I have to ask, is it even possible for one species to have a legal agreement with another? And how does this work? Do the vampires have their own government in the United States? Because it would seem to me that feeding from a human against their wishes would be illegal anyway, seeing as it could easily be construed as attempted assault or murder given the whole blood-draining issue. And how does this work with the vampires in other nations? Is this a world-wide legal agreement? If so, are we meant to understand that vampires are not citizens of the places they lived in as humans? Are we meant to understand that for all their talk about how they're no different from anyone else, being turned into a vampire means that local laws no longer matter?
Right. I have no idea why I'm even bothering. The book's nearly over and I'm dead tired. Peace out, everybody!
Onward to: Chapter 26
Back to: Chapter 24
Back to: Table of Contents
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2011-09-22 05:47 pm (UTC)Our Heroine ladies and gentlemen.