- Zoey hears the words of one of her grandma's songs. As she reaches consciousness, she remembers all the weird stuff that happened to her (you know—being marked, near-death experience, all that jazz).
- As Zoey wakes up, her grandma asks if she's okay. Grandma Redbird tells her that she brought her to the House of Night so she can be healed; when Zoey reaches up, she feels stitches in her head.
- Grandma says that since they have magic in their blood, it was only a matter of time before someone in their family was Marked. The weird thing, though, is that Zoey's crescent has been filled in (which normally only happens when a fledgling vampyre matures).
- Enter Nefret, the gorgeous High Priestess of the House of Night. She asks if Zoey knows why her Mark has been completed, but Zoey has no clue.
- Nefret also tells Zoey that vampyres get to choose their own names, so Zoey ditches her real-world last name (Montgomery) in favor of Redbird.
- Nefret asks Zoey if she remembers what happened when she got hurt. Zoey feels a weird sensation, like something in her body is telling her not to tell Nefret what happened, so she is vague and doesn't mention her goddess encounter.
- Since Zoey's pretty much healed up, Nefret says she'll take Zoey to meet her new roommate (which makes Zoey nervous).
- Nefret swears to Grandma Redbird that she'll personally look out for Zoey's wellbeing, and she'll even be her mentor (which is a thing vampyres do). Grandma hugs Zoey goodbye and leaves.
- Zoey feels totally unprepared for her new life, but tries to sound confident when Nefret asks if she's ready.