Mystics #1: The Seventh Sense by Kim Richardson Read Free Book Online

first.”
    Mrs. Andrews clapped her hands excitedly, with a jubilant expression
on her face like someone who had just won the lottery.
    Zoey caught several curious looks from people passing them. Her face
burned, and she wished Mrs. Andrews would stop fussing and stay quiet.
    Zoey ignored the woman’s stares and looked around for Tristan. Maybe
he wasn’t back from Boston.
    “Just tell them that we’re here and that we’re going up. Come on, Red,
let’s go.” Agent Barnes steered Zoey away from the counter.
    She was glad to be away from those big, creepy eyes. Halfway down
the hall Zoey turned around and caught Mrs. Andrews still staring—an odd smile
covered her face, as if she were plotting something evil.
    “So, where are we going now?” she asked, looking away from the
creepy woman.
    Two large staircases led up to higher levels. Agent Barnes walked up
to the staircase on the right. The words “Floors 1 - 4, BL” were written in
black on the wall at the base of the stairs.
    “Up to the third floor,” he answered. “That’s where Management is
waiting for us—well, waiting for you ,
mostly.”
    Zoey became uneasy again. What were they going to do with her? Had this
been a huge mistake? Were they going to fry her, after all? …lock her in the
basement like some criminal? Or worse—perform unconventional experiments on her?
    Running was an option—she was very good at running away. If she made
a run for the woods she could probably make it. But how would she sneak past that
dreadful and unsettling Mrs. Andrews? Zoey’s legs felt like cement blocks.
    She followed Agent Barnes up three flights of stairs, through a
doorway on level three, and into a hallway with light gray walls and a tan, polished
floor. Doors lined the corridor on either side, and tubular chrome sconces lit
the walls at intervals. Their treads resonated in the quiet hall and echoed the
beating of Zoey’s heart.
    Agent Barnes stopped in front of the second door. Zoey read the
inscription: “Mystic Laws and Regulations, Room 3B . ” The muffled voices from the inside sounded like they were having
an argument.
    Zoey’s insides churned.
    “What does this Agency do exactly?” she asked, her voice dry and cracking. She didn’t want to go in just yet—she
needed a little bit more information first—like what tools they were going to
use to torture her.
    Agent Barnes turned and looked at her.
    “The agency is a secret force that protects most major cities around
the world,” he answered. “Think of us as supernatural peace keepers. Our
mandate is to protect the human world from evil mystics that don’t respect the
treaty. We’re charged with keeping a balance between humanity and the mystics.
We patrol the borders between the two worlds.”
    Mystics , Zoey repeated in her mind. “What about this Management organization?
I get that they’re probably your boss, but are they everyone’s boss?”
    “Management is our government,
so to speak. Each hive is governed by a group of seven directors. And each
director is in charge of a different division in the hive. Tonight you get to meet some of them. Young
Sevenths don’t normally meet so many directors on the same night—you’re very
lucky.”
    Zoey thought she was going to puke.
    “Don’t look so panicked. They don’t bite,” said Agent Barnes gently.
“Well, maybe just director Martin…but the others seem to be fairly decent
people.”
    Zoey kept her eyes low to the ground. “You don’t sound very
convincing.”
    She swallowed. “What’s going to happen to me?”
    “Nothing that’s worth you fretting about like this.” Agent Barnes
put his hand on Zoey’s shoulder. His voice was compassionate.
    “Listen kid, we’re the
good guys, and we’re going to do what’s best for you. It’s lucky we found you
when we did. You’re one of us, and we take care of our kind. You’ll
have a real home here, with kids your own age and people who care about you.
You belong here