Mystics #1: The Seventh Sense (19 page)

Zoey muffled a laugh. “Roll? Seriously? Is this a joke?”

“She’s mocking us,
Vlad
,” said the short
vampire, his face twisting in rage. “She’s not taking us seriously. I
hate
it when they don’t take us
seriously! Why do they always do this to us! It’s not fair!”

He kicked the ground in a tantrum.

“I’m with Victor,” said the taller one. “Let’s kill her now—her
voice is annoying. And she’s
small
. I
hate the small ones. They smell funny.”

He flashed his long, gleaming teeth at Zoey.

“But I’m sure her blood tastes good. Girls’ blood always tastes
sweeter, especially when they’re young.”

“Patience, Virgil, patience,” said
Vlad
. He
smiled a toothy grin at Zoey.

“We will savor her blood and then take it like a shot. They promised
it would taste like nothing we’ve ever had before. The blood of the innocent is
always so delightfully sweeter.”

Zoey took a step back. “Who promised? Who wants to kill me?”

When they didn’t answer, she continued. “It’s the Alpha Nation,
isn’t. Mrs.
Dupont
? I know it’s them—you can tell me.”

Vlad
eyed her but
didn’t answer, he just smiled hungrily.

“I haven’t done anything to
you
,”
said Zoey. “Maybe we can make a deal or something? Or a trade?”

“There’s nothing you have that we want. It’s nothing personal, my
dear,” said
Vlad
. He picked at his teeth with one of
his talons.

“We’ve been hired to kill you, that’s all. We’re on the job. Got
paid quite a lot for you, too. Makes me wonder why, for a scrawny little girl
like you. You must have done something that really made them angry.”

“I can think of a reason,” said Zoey. She watched them closely. “The
Alpha Nation wants to silence me because of what I overheard them say—because I
know what they’re planning to do.”

“Well then, you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. It’s going to cost
you your life,” said
Vlad
as he eyed her jugular vein.

Zoey suppressed a shiver.

“Why are you even working for them?” she pressed. “They hate
mystics. They want to destroy you and make you their slaves. Why would you work
for people like that?”

“Because…”

“Because
why
?”

“Because I said so! That’s why!”
Vlad
threw
his arms in the air.

“Enough with the interrogation—we’re not here to play friends—we’re
here to
kill
you…and that’s exactly
what’s going to happen, so stop your talking, little girl. You’re the meal, and
meals don’t talk back.”

“I’m sure the agency will double whatever they’re paying you.” She blurted
out. “If you’ll let me go and I can explain to them—”

“HA! If you think we’re going to fall for that again, you’re crazy.”

Zoey prepared herself to either hit something or run. “But I’m sure
if you’ll let me—”

“No.”
Vlad
raised his voice dangerously.

“We’ve already been paid. And we want the blood we’ve been promised.”

His eyes went to her throat again. “Your blood. It’s time for you to
die. Roll her up, boys!”

Virgil and Victor leaped into the air and rolled towards Zoey like
giant bowling balls.

She leaped sideways just as she was about to get hit like a pin. She
couldn’t believe that she was going to get crushed by giant vampire bowling
balls. This was totally insane. She wasn’t sure whether to be scared or to laugh.

Victor and Virgil skidded around. Leaves and dirt spun in a blurry
trail behind them as they rushed at Zoey again.

Adrenaline pumping, Zoey ran as fast as she could towards a large
oak tree. The two vampire bowling balls accelerated towards her, and at the
last minute she jumped out of the way. The two vampires hit the tree with a
loud
crack
and ricocheted back, spinning
in the air. They landed hard, but kept coming. It was like they were playing a
game of pool, and she was the eight ball—they were trying to
sink
her in.

The air shifted behind her, and she felt someone almost upon her.
She ducked down, twisted, and straightened her right leg. The vampire hit her
leg and flew into the tree with a satisfying crunch.

But just as she turned, she was hit in her lower back. She tasted
the blood in her mouth as she fell. Her leg was on fire, but she knew that if
she stayed down she was dead.

“Fifty pints of blood if you crush her head first,” she heard
Vlad
say.

He laughed a sick wet laugh. “It’s all about getting the hit at the
right angle, if you know what I mean.”

Zoey struggled to her feet, but she didn’t have time to catch her
breath before the other vampire bowling ball spun towards her again. There was
nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She was going to die—but she wasn’t going to
go down without a fight.

Just as he was about to make contact with her, she jumped back and snapped
her elbow into his chest, or what she thought was his chest since he was a
perfectly round sphere. Her attacker crashed back, and the others tumbled over
him.

She tried to run, but one of them crashed into her back. Zoey fell
face first into the hard ground with pain so intense that she couldn’t even cry
out.

With trembling hands she pulled herself over and faced her
attackers.

The three vampires rolled to a stop inches from her feet.

Their evil grins distorted in their round shape.

“Let me do it,
Vlad
,” said Victor eagerly.
“I want to mash her bones to a pulp. I want to hear her squeal when I crush her
skull. Oh, please let me do it, please, please, please—”

“No,
I
want to do it,”
protested Virgil. “You got the old lady last night. It’s my turn now.”

“Old ladies don’t count.”

“
Yes
they do.”

“
No
they don’t.”

“Oh shut up, the both of you!”
Vlad
tried to
raise his arms.

“We’ll do it together,” he sneered.

“Yeah!” chorused Virgil and Victor eagerly.

“Say
night
night
,
little girl,” said
Vlad
. “On three—One. Two.
Threeeee
!”

And as one, the three vampire bowling balls launched themselves
towards her.

SPLASH!

The three vampires were suddenly covered in a gray liquid. They wailed
as they tried desperately to get the gray substance off. But no matter how much
they rolled and rubbed, they couldn’t get it off. It was eating at their flesh
like acid. Vapors rose into the air, and Zoey smelled a mixture of burnt hair
and garlic.

“You’ll be sorry,” howled one of the vampires madly.

But the three vampires melted down to three tiny, white, sizzling puddles.

 
“ZOEY!” Aria ran towards her
with a large pot in her hands.

“Aria?” she said not believing her eyes. “You? You—what the heck did
you throw at them?”

Aria stood over the three puddles with a satisfied smile on her face.
“French garlic soup.”

“Garlic
actually
works
against vampires? I thought it was only a myth?” Zoey started to laugh in spite
of her aching ribs.

Aria tasted the remains of the soup from her pot. “Of course it does.
Didn’t you learn that yet?”

“No.” Zoey was too shocked to think about her education right now.
“I’m just glad they’re gone. For a moment there, I thought they were going to
squish
me to death.”

Aria kicked some leaves onto the three puddles until there was no
trace of them left. “It’s a lot more effective in its liquid state.”

“I can see that.” Zoey smiled at Aria. “Thank you for saving me.”

Aria dropped her pot and lifted Zoey to her feet.

“It’s my duty to keep you safe—you’re practically like a daughter to
me now—living in my inn and all.”

She inspected Zoey like an overbearing mother. “Are you hurt
anywhere? Cuts? Bruises? I saw you fall.”

Zoey felt her heart swell to think that Aria thought of her as a
daughter. But she was still a little embarrassed to be hugged, and she wiggled
out of Aria’s many arms.

“I’m fine—really—I’ll live.”

 
“Good. Come along, Zoey. I
think it’s time we speak to Agent Barnes.”

A
ria marched up to the hive,
cornered Agent Barnes, threatened him with her pot, and told him about the
vampire attacks. He called an emergency meeting. Now agents Vargas and Ward sat
at the table with the directors, but agents Barnes and Lee stood. Their backs were
against the wall, and they looked flushed and livid.

The directors in Mystic Laws and Regulations, room 3B, sat in stunned
silence as Zoey recounted the events of the previous night. There was no way
she could hide the fact that she had broken into the room in the first place.
It was clear that she had intended to steal the file on her mother. But the
information she had overheard was far more important than a little thieving—or
so
she
thought.

Aria broke the silence. “Do you believe her now? Or does she have to
risk dying again, for you to believe her this time.”

She waved the French garlic soup ladle at the directors. “She’s
telling you the truth. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Agent Ward looked over at Zoey and tried to smile, but Zoey ignored
her.

Director Hicks raised his hand. “Please sit, Aria, before you hurt
someone with that.”

 
“There is no more doubt in my
mind that what Zoey told us is the truth.”

His eyes moved along the great table and settled on Zoey. “I am only
sorry it took so long for us to believe you. A girl your age should not have
had to deal with vampires.”

Zoey stayed silent and looked at the directors. She was glad that
they finally appeared to believe her, but she still felt some resentment
towards them. But when her eyes met director Martin’s, she could see that he
was still uncertain—
he
didn’t believe
her.

“These accounts are the most unusual,” said director Campbell, her
face grave. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when our agents would be
working with the Alpha Nation. It makes no sense.”

“Believe it,” said Agent Barnes, “’cause it’s happening. I had my
suspicions about the Boston hive. I had a feeling it was an inside job, now we
know that it
was
. Director Campbell,
open your eyes, not all agents are loyal to the agency. Some have been, and
will continue to be false. They’re influenced by money and the need for power. We’ve
all seen it happen before. Agents have even left the agency—we just didn’t
realize that they were being
recruited
.
Who knows how long they’ve been secretly plotting against us. And this isn’t just
an isolated case, there are more traitors out there. Believe me—we haven’t
heard the end of this.”

Director Hicks folded his hands on the table. The cheerful round
face that Zoey had seen before was now flushed, and he looked like he wanted to
punch someone.

“We should have paid closer attention to them years ago. The Alpha
Nation has gone too far. They are asking for a war—and a war they will receive.
We must focus upon protecting our headquarters in London. One of the remaining
interlopers is still in their possession. The traitors have leaked the
whereabouts of that device, which means they would be in possession of
two
interlopers if they got it—that
would be a devastating combination.”

Director Campbell leaned forward.

“Does anyone know who this ring leader is?” she inquired. “I, for
one, have never heard the name
Mrs.
Dupont
.”

Everyone around the table shook their heads.

“Is she even real?” asked director Campbell.

“She’s real,” said Zoey suddenly, surprised that she even spoke up.
“You wouldn’t forget her if you saw her. Trust me—she’s
very
real.”

She met director Campbell’s gaze, but she didn’t ask for any more
information.

“We need to act quickly,” said director Johnson. “They might already
be on their way to London. We should get the agents ready now, before the
Alphas suspect we know their plans. It’s our only advantage.”

“Yes,” agreed director Martin. “If what the girl is telling us is
true
, then we must
move
the interloper.”

“It’s the truth.” Zoey met director Martin’s cool expression, ready
to have a staring contest, but he looked away.

Director Hicks stroked his beard as he spoke. “Agent Ward, I need
you to inform the other North American Agencies. Tell them what’s happened and
to send us every available agent—we need everyone on this. I’ll speak with
assistant director Darcy at headquarters, and we’ll make arrangements to move
the interloper to another safe location.”

“Yes, of course, director Hicks,” said Agent Ward. She looked grim
and tired, like this was all a bad dream.

Director Hicks paused. “Too long have we ignored the Alphas, and
that has been a very big mistake. And now we are going to pay greatly for it. I
hope our naiveté will not cost us too many lives.”

He hit the table with his fist. “We’re going to hit them with
everything we’ve got!”

He pointed a large finger at agents Lee and Barnes. “I want you two
in London in five minutes. We don’t have much time.”

Agent Lee nodded. “Yes, director.” He looked at Agent Barnes with a
mischievous smile on his face.

“And Barnes,” continued director Hicks. “
You
will be in charge of relocating the interloper. You only. Understood?”

“Yes, director,” said Agent Barnes.

He turned to Agent Lee and said with a lopsided grin, “Let’s go,
Richard. I’m suddenly in the mood to kick some Alpha tails.”

“
If
they’ve got any tails,”
Agent Lee laughed, and he and Agent Barnes headed towards the door.

“Wait!” Zoey jumped up and ran over to them. “I want to come with
you.”

Agent Barnes stopped and turned. “No, Zoey. This is too dangerous, even
for a girl as brave and as capable as you. You can’t come with us.”

“But I can help—I know I can,” she protested. “I am the only one who
can identify Mrs.
Dupont
. I’ve seen her face.”

Agent Barnes shook his head slowly. “I need you to stay here and
watch over the hive for us.”

He smiled at Zoey and said, “I need someone I can trust. Can you do
that?”

“I guess.”

She knew this was a ruse to get her to stay put, and she doubted it
would work.

Agent Barnes reached inside his jacket and pulled out her gold
boomerang. He handed it to Zoey.

“Here—you’ll need this in case more vamps decide to show up. If you
don’t have any French garlic soup handy, you can always
pop
them open with its sharp edges.”

Zoey took her boomerang and squeezed it happily. As she fastened the
gold bracelet around her wrist it felt cool against her skin, and she realized
how much she had missed it. She had a connection with this weapon. She felt
incomplete without it. She looked up at Agent Barnes and smiled.

“Never thought I’d get this back. Thank you.”

 
“You’re welcome. We’ll see
you when we get back.”

And with that, he and Agent Lee disappeared out the door.

A half hour later, Zoey sat in the common living area at the Wander
Inn with Tristan and Simon. When they had heard the news of the attacks on
Zoey, they, and most of the other operatives, had waited in the main lobby. Instead
of going home after class, they had stayed on, just to get a glimpse of her.
Even Stuart King had waited to see her. The look of shock and jealously on his
face—that she had fought and survived an attack by three vampires—raised her
spirits. Zoey never felt better.

“So who has the file on your mother now?” asked Simon. He lounged comfortably
in one of the sofas, sipping hot cocoa.

Zoey warmed herself in the thick chair next to the fireplace,
enjoying the smell of burning wood. “Agent Barnes has it. I don’t think he’s
going to show it to anyone. I trust him. He said he was going to help me find
her.”

“Agent Barnes is cool,” agreed Tristan. “I wish there were more
agents like him, apart from Agent Lee of course. He’s definitely cool, too.”

He added a log into the fire. “So it’s definitely your mother,
then?”

“Yes.” Zoey stared at the fire. “I know it’s her. She’s alive
somewhere, and I’m
going
to find her.”

Simon gulped down some hot cocoa and smacked his lips. “So, what’s
our next move, people? I’m in the mood for a little adventure again. We can’t
leave it all to the agents, they lack imagination.” The fire reflecting in his
big eyes, gave him a sinister look.

Tristan got up and fell into the sofa next to Simon.

“We can’t do much stuck here in Cold Creek. How are we supposed to
help, when the all the action is happening in London? This
really
sucks,” he said.

“It’s not like we’re useless—we have been trained to fight. We could
be out there fighting with them. We could be helping them.”

Zoey sighed. “But how can we? They’re all in London—and we’re here, sitting
comfortably and doing absolutely
nothing
.”

“
I’m
sipping hot chocolate,”
suggested Simon.

“Apart from
sipping
hot
chocolate,” said Zoey a little irritated. “We’re not very helpful. I wish I were
there. I know I could help them. I wish they’d let us go with them.”

She felt miserable, deflated, and anxious. She rubbed her sweaty
palms on her jeans, wishing that Agent Barnes had seen her potential—her true
devotion to the agency—and let her come with them. Part of her had believed that
revealing the traitors’ plans, and finally winning the directors’ trust, would
have been enough for them to offer her a place on the recovery mission. She
felt that they owed her at least a glimpse of the interloper—after all she’d
been through. But it seems they still didn’t have enough faith in her, yet.

“The hive’s practically deserted,” said Simon. He took another sip
of his drink. “Maybe we could go back into the Supernatural Affairs room and
look for more clues about your mother, or maybe even you father? You’ve never
talked about him.”

“That’s because I’ve got less information about him than I do about
my mother. I wouldn’t even know where to look.”

“Well, I say we start with the same place you found the information
about your mother,” continued Simon. “Your dad was an agent, too—I’m positive.
Besides, I’ve always wanted to explore that place, to look for information on
the agents. I’ve always wondered if Agent Ward is
really
a woman.”

Suddenly the door to the inn opened, and a man wearing a long, black
wool coat and light blue cashmere scarf walked in. His black hair was greased
back and parted on the side, just like Zoey had seen in the old black-and-white
photographs from the nineteen twenties. He looked like a posh gangster—handsome,
with a square jaw and sharp, chiseled features.

He moved with grace, like a predatory cat, and sauntered over to
another man sitting alone at a table. Zoey recognized the man at the table immediately.
He was the same sickly looking man she had seen sitting by himself earlier. She
wondered why he was alone. They exchanged words, and when he got up nervously,
his chair crashed to the floor behind him. He leaned over and picked it up, and
then brushed his hair to the side. With his head down, he followed the other man
towards the door.

As they neared Zoey, she could hear what they were saying.

“…we still stick with the plan,” said the man in the wool coat. They
didn’t notice the three kids sitting in the den, watching them.

“But they
know
,” said the other
man, as he made his way towards the front door. His fingers twitched at his
sides. “It’ll never work. It’s over. It’s all over. They’re going to send me to
the Nexus—I’m as good as dead.”

Zoey’s breath caught in her throat—she recognized that whiney high-pitched
voice.

“Zoey? What’s wrong?” said Tristan. “You look like you’ve seen a
ghost?”

The two men turned around. The sickly, sweaty man glowered at Zoey.
He looked crazy and violent. He hesitated, fidgeting like he was about to
pounce, but at the same time he looked as if he was restraining himself with
great effort. And then the man in the coat pushed him out the door, and they
disappeared.

Zoey jumped out of the chair. “That’s him! I recognize his voice. That’s
the guy who
stole
the codes—the same
guy that attacked me when I was eavesdropping on him and Mrs.
Dupont
. He’s working with the Alphas.
He’s
one of the traitors!”

Simon dropped his cup. “Oh man—and he’s been sitting here all this
time. What do we do now?”

Tristan got to his feet. “If the traitors are still here, then maybe
we still have time to stop them before they attack headquarters. We have to
tell someone.”

“Most of the agents have gone to London,” said Simon, looking pale.
“The retired agents have probably gone home already. There’s no one left but us.
Oh, this is really bad, isn’t it?”

Zoey looked at them both. She was excited—and frightened. “Then it’s
our
job to stop them.”

Without waiting another second, Zoey ran towards the door.

“Zoey, wait!” Tristan called out to her as she disappeared through
the front door and sprinted across the grounds.

Icy rain slapped her face as she tore through the grounds. She could
just make out the nervous man’s shape hurrying through the rain and gray mist
toward the hive. She thought about shooting her boomerang at him, but her
visibility was too poor. There was no sign of the man in the black coat.

The man vanished into the hive. She would be there in just a few
more yards. For a whiney type of man, he was surprisingly fast—he was running
like his life depended on it.

She was soaking wet when she pulled open the front doors and ran after
him down the main hall. She stopped in front of a large silver oval mirror with
the inscription United Kingdom at the top. A silver mist lingered inside it for
a second and then shifted and vanished—the mirror had just been used. The man was
gone. She was too late.