Mystics 3-Book Collection by Kim Richardson Read Free Book Online

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 with us, not with the
Mutes.”
    Zoey