Read Mystics #1: The Seventh Sense for Free Online Page B

orange flames. She felt
the heat from its body on her face. She had never seen anything so beautiful,
but she resisted the temptation to reach out and touch it lest she burn her
fingers. She wasn’t sure if the fire was real.
    “Get back here you insubordinate animal!”
    A skinny bald man in overalls and a plaid shirt whose knees cracked
as he struggled to run after the horse called out, “You’re not allowed on the
main floor. Come back here! I’ll hose you down, horse!”
    The horse neighed loudly and left only a fiery-red trail behind as
it disappeared through the main doors.
    The strangest beasts Zoey had ever seen passed her by without even a
glance in her direction. With her heart hammering in her ears, she strained to
calm down—if Agent Barnes could be so cool, then so could she. But she turned
her head in every direction as they walked through the hall as she tried to absorb
everything at once.
    A tall, thin woman flailed her hands in the air as she spoke to
another group of agents. “Rank six mystics took the Paris subway system hostage.
It took us five hours to neutralize the situation. I don’t get paid enough for
this kind of work…”
    Agent Barnes grinned at Zoey’s amazement. “Told you it was awesome.”
    Zoey wasn’t sure if she would call this awesome just yet—every
single monster she’d ever faced before had wanted to harm her.
    But it was different here—the monsters almost seemed nice . It was like a whole new world had opened
up to her. Monsters and humans walked and talked together like it was the most
ordinary thing in the world, as though they were one big happy family.
    She followed Agent Barnes to where a woman scribbling in a large
ledger sat behind a long, polished counter.
    “I see they’re working you to the bone, Mrs. Andrews,” he said with
a smile. “Do you ever get time off? I hope you’re getting paid time and a half
for your trouble.”
    Mrs. Andrews appeared to be in her late fifties. She wore thick
glasses and pinched expression as though she had never smiled in her entire
life. Her hair was done into a long blond braid, which fell over her light blue
suit. Her thin lips were pressed in a hard line.
    “It’s late. I was on my way out,” she said without looking up. Her
voice dripped with contempt.
    “You’re lucky you caught me, Agent Barnes. May I remind you that office
hours are from nine to seven ? It’s
half-past eight, and the night watch doesn’t begin until nine o’clock.”
    “So why are you still here then?” said Agent Barnes playfully. “Were
you waiting for me?”
    “Don’t flatter yourself, Agent Barnes. I was just tidying up for
tomorrow morning. Now, what is it that you want? I don’t have all night.”
    “I’m here to see Management, my dear woman. They’re expecting us,”
he said importantly and threw out his chest.
    At the mention of us , Mrs.
Andrews raised her head and gazed at Zoey. Her gray eyes were magnified by her
glasses and looked like giant crystal balls.
    “And who might this be? I’ve never seen the likes of her before? Her
looks are certainly nothing to be considered, and those awful clothes—dear God,
her hair’s as red as carrots!”
    Zoey glowered.
    Mrs. Andrews didn’t seem to notice. “Well, she’s too young to be an operative.
You can’t just bring in any stray
Mute, Agent Barnes, we have strict rules about that you know—even if she looks half-starved
and in desperate need of a bath. The agency won’t approve.”
    Agent Barnes leaned over the counter and whispered, “She’s not a
Mute—she’s a Drifter .”
    Mrs. Andrews’s eyes quadrupled in size.
    “A Drifter! You don’t say? Well, I must say—this is a surprise. I
haven’t seen a Drifter in over thirty years. Well, well, well. This will be the
talk of the hive! Wait till Mrs. Crawley hears—I can’t wait to see the look on
her face. Ha! The Wilson’s divorce is nothing compared to this bit of news, and I’m the one who saw her