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

though he had smoked a
million cigarettes. Zoey didn’t like that way he emphasized the word drifter. His
pale face had wrinkled prematurely, and he looked much older than he probably
was. He had dark hair with splashes of gray, dark eyes, and a sunken face that
looked like he hadn’t eaten in months. His striped, gray suit was tailored to
perfection.
    “She doesn’t look like much. She looks half-starved and dirty, like
one of those street kids,” he said with disdain.
    Zoey disliked him immediately.
    “I don’t see how that’s relevant, director Martin,” said director
Hicks.
    He turned his blue eyes to Zoey. “So, Zoey, Agent Barnes tells us
that you are an orphan and that you have no idea who your real parents are. You
were given to the St. John’s orphanage without any sort of identification, without
any birth records. Is that correct?”
    “Yes, sir.” She saw the woman and director Martin exchange a dark look.
    “And how old are you?”
    “Just turned fourteen, sir—director, sir,” answered Zoey, and then
she added, “They gave me the sixteenth of May as my birthday, but I don’t know
my real one.”
    Director Hicks nodded and laced his fingers on the desk.
    “And you’ve been living in foster care this whole time, fighting off
dangerous mystics on your own to stay alive. What’s even more remarkable to us
is that for fourteen years you’ve managed to keep the Mutes from discovering
you—discovering what you are to be
more precise. For someone so young, that’s quite extraordinary.”
    “She’s an extraordinary girl,” said Agent Barnes, and he winked at Zoey.
    She had to force herself not to smile.
    “I did what I could to survive,” she said, feeling her voice
stronger. “Until now, well, from what I’ve seen here, I didn’t even know that
there were friendly monsters—”
    “We prefer the term mystics ,
if you please,” interrupted the woman, spite coated her voice.
    “The M-word is so very
discourteous to our friends and colleagues. It is forbidden in these parts, and
if you wish to remain here with us, you best remember that.” She stared at Zoey
accusingly.
    Zoey shrank back. Why were these people so displeased with her? They
didn’t even know her.
    “Let’s give her a chance to learn our ways, director Campbell,” said
the man with the dark skin. “She has only just arrived. There will be time for
her to learn the laws of her people.”
    Director Campbell continued to eye Zoey suspiciously. “If you say
so, director Johnson. Clearly she has lots to catch up on. Are we certain
having her here is the right decision? Perhaps one of the Sevenths’ foster
families will take her in? It might be less of a shock for her to live with them. It might make her transition to
our world a little easier.”
    “She is one of us. She belongs here,” said director Hicks
impatiently. “From what Agent Barnes has told us, she could do well in the operative’s
program, but it is too early to determine her fate.”
    He turned to Zoey. “For all our sakes, and yours, it would be best to
put you on a trial basis for now and see how well you do. Would that suit you?”
    Zoey felt her spirits rise. “Yes. Yes it would.”
    “But she’s a Drifter!” Director Martin raised his voice. “She’s had
no knowledge of our people or our ways since today—she’s practically a Mute! Without basic education and training, she’ll
be years behind the other operatives. It’ll take her forever to catch up, if by
a miracle she is able to manage. But
even then, is it fair to introduce her to the program so early? And what about
the other operatives? Will she drag them down? We’ve never had a Drifter join
the program before. I say she should be sent to one of our foster families—”
    “She can manage,” interrupted Agent Barnes, his voice rising as well.
“All Seventh children are schooled in our ways and are taught to fight, why
shouldn’t she learn to do so as well? She’s already fought