Frank followed, beer in hand. “Sounds like ye all have heard about what’s happening in Miami?”
Bosephus nodded. “We’re aware it’s more than what the news is saying. It sounds like the Veil has been torn again, and that what’s coming through is different than vampires.”
“A lot different,” Frank responded. He sat down on the black leather couch and placed his beer on the end table. “I had one of the things attack me just a few days ago.”
The centaur looked at him quizzically. “Attack you? Are we talking about the same things here?”
Frank nodded. “Indeed, we are. Ghosts. Another one of them was somehow in a doll, running around like a psychopath.”
Bosephus’ face scrunched. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. Not where we’re from or here.”
Frank shrugged. “Apparently they have some kind of movie here about something similar. I don’t really know. All I do know is that the little fucker almost killed me. I came here to see if ye have heard of anything like this, of these ghosts?”
Bosephus sighed and turned to the window. He was quiet for a second. “Ghosts.” He shook his large head. “I never saw any back home. Of course, we heard rumors, but that’s all they were. With vampires, we all knew they existed. A scourge, sure. But something that existed all the same. I’ve been thinking about what we’re hearing from down there, and it’s confusing me because I don’t really know what ghosts would be doing here.”
“Does anyone else?” Frank asked. He took a sip of beer in the silence that ensued.
“We haven’t been taking it as seriously as we did the vampires,” the centaur explained. “Probably because it’s not near us.”
“That’s great,” Frank told him. “But not what I asked. Do ye know anyone who might have an idea what to do about these things?”
Bospehus sighed. “You grate on me, Frank.”
Frank shrugged. “And ye me. But this is our lot, and so we’ve got to make do.”
The centaur rolled his eyes. “I may know someone who can help us.”
“Who?” Frank asked, intensely curious.
Bosephus shook his head. “You’ll have to meet him. I’m not giving away any information beforehand.”
Frank stood up and took a sip of his beer. He was looking at the centaur’s back. “The humans have to come this time.”
Bosephus turned his head to look at Frank. “That’s impossible.”
Frank shrugged, his beer jostling slightly. “This is serious, Bosephus. What’s happening in Miami, it’s not something I understand. Nor ye either. The humans, they’re trying to fight it, but they need our help. They need to hear what Mythers have to say.”
Bosephus slowly turned all the way around, his body much too large for the small studio apartment. “We might be involved in stopping some of our kind coming over here. But that doesn’t mean we’re pro-human, Frank. They are trying to exterminate all of us. Not just the bad ones. They don’t get to meet us. It’s for our own protection.”
“What do you think is going to happen to us? Mythers like ye and me?” Frank asked, his beer forgotten. “What do you think the people who are summoning Mythers over here are going to do? They going to let us saddle up next to them once this is all done, or are they going to destroy us?”
The centaur said nothing, only stared at Frank with a withering glare.
Frank pressed on, his passion rising in the face of the centaur’s hesitation. “The humans need to meet with us. They need to meet more Mythers than just me. They need to see a lot of us are just like them, only different species. It starts now. They’re coming.” He had forgotten about his beer, perhaps for the first time in his life. “It’s important. For all of us, for the future.”
Bosephus scuffed his hoof across the floor, his muscles rippling beneath his flank. He looked down and did it once more. The sound was loud in the small space. When he looked up, his eyes were hard. “If these humans do anything untoward at this meeting, we’ll kill them, Frank. Do you understand that?”
Frank finally brought his beer to his lips. He chugged it and then let out a loud belch that rang across the room. He set the drink down on the coffee table and then turned to the centaur. “Ye’ve got to take life less seriously, Bosephus. Ye’re going to give yerself a heart attack. Can you imagine how hard that would be for someone to drag ye big ass down those stairs? If ye don’t want to calm down for yerself, then do it for the person who would have to carry ye.”
Bosephus’ eyes lit up with anger. When he spoke, his voice was smoldering. “Get out of here, Frank. Bring the humans to the meeting, but just remember what I said.”
Frank grinned. “Blood pressure is still rising, Bosephus. See you tomorrow.”
The group sat in the University’s west wing lobby. Frank had arrived about an hour earlier, appearing in Claire’s dorm room and telling her and Marissa they needed to get the dean and agents. He’d been carrying a six-pack of beer, and now was on number three.
“So, who is going to the meeting?” Jack asked.
“The group can’t be large,” Frank responded. “If there’s too many of us, we can forget going.” He turned to Remington and Lance. “Are you two even going to be able to see the Mythers?”
“It’s getting easier and easier for us,” Remington responded. He stood behind the couch Lance was sitting on. “We see Frank just fine. I don’t think we’ll have a problem, at least not after a few minutes.”
Frank shrugged and looked at Claire. “If ye ask me, I’d say ye send the three of ye and no one else. But I know the FBI lads are going to want to go.” He nodded to Remington, although he kept his eyes on Claire.
Claire turned to the agent. “It’s not really up to me, but I want the three of us there.”
“Why?” Lance asked. “It’s your job to learn, not figure out how to stop this.”
Claire raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? When we end up facing these things, are you going to be there with us, or do you think we’ll be alone this time like we were before?”
Remington stepped around the couch and sat down next to his partner. He put his hands up, palms out. “Let’s all calm down for a second. You three can go. Lance is just giving you a hard time. We’re both going to want to be there as well, though.” He looked at Dean Pritcham. “You mind sitting this one out?”
The dean shook her head. “No, not. I’ve got more than enough to do here.”
Remington turned back to Frank. “So, six of us. Is that too many?”
The leprechaun shook the beer can, finding it empty, then placed it on the ground next to his feet. He grabbed another from the plastic rings, opened it, then looked back to Remington and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s probably too many, but I’m smarter than to argue with ye all. We can go and try, and if we get kicked out, it’s only the complete destruction of the entire human race. No big deal to me.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Where are we going?”
“He said the Myther is in downtown Boston,” Frank answered. He took a swig of beer before speaking again. “We’re supposed to go to 200 Clarenden Street downtown. Ask for Griff, and we’ll be let up.”
“That’s it? That’s all the information you’ve got?” Remington asked.
Frank leaned forward. “Yeah? How’s it going with the doll ye two needed me to capture? Ye getting a lot of information out of it? Because from the looks of things, I’m the only one who’s figured out anything even remotely helpful.”
“Guys, let’s not fight, now.” Claire got up from her seat on the couch between Jack and Marissa. “If we’re supposed to be at the building tomorrow morning, then that’s what we’ll do. It’s not like we’ve got much choice.” She glanced at Remington and Lance. “Frank’s right. Unless you two have some other grand idea we can use?”
“You guaranteeing our safety?” Remington asked Frank.
The leprechaun rolled his eyes. “Zeus help me. How did I end up in between these two groups? Ye both think the other
is going to kill ye, and I’m just trying to drink beer.” He shook his head then looked at Remington. “Just don’t go inside blasting, and we should all be okay.” He reached down and grabbed the remaining beer. “I can’t handle ye all anymore. I’m going to drink in peace. I’ll see you tomorrow morn.”
Frank walked through the lobby.
Jack stood up next to Claire. “I’m not picking up his empty cans.”
Chapter Ten
“Ye two got your manners back yet?” Frank asked the FBI agents. “Because if not, I can take my green arse home.”
“Calm down, Frank,” Remington said, opening the door to the high-rise apartments. “Everything is fine.”
Claire walked in behind the leprechaun with her two classmates following. She was shocked by the building, almost as much as she’d been when she’d first arrived at the university. It stretched almost into the clouds, and Claire had no idea how a Myther was living here. “Frank, what do you know about this guy?”
“Hold yer horses. Let me see what the deal is upfront. You all go wait on those couches over there.” Frank pointed to the waiting area in front of the receptionist's desk.
Claire almost opened her mouth to say something back, but Frank was already waddling across the lobby. She looked at the couches he’d pointed to. “Come on,” she told the group, following Frank across the room instead.
“Here to see Griff,” Frank told the attendant.
The attendant behind the desk stood up and looked over the edge so that she could see Frank. Her eyes widened at the small man in front of her. “Excuse me?”
“We’re here to see Griff,” Frank repeated. “He should be expecting us.”
The woman straightened, looking at Claire and the rest of the group. “All of you?”
Frank glanced over his shoulder. “Ye all listen like toddlers.” He looked back up at the woman. “Yes, all of us. Is there a problem?”
The woman gave him an odd look for a second, and Claire understood why. She’d seen it countless times on humans when they laid eyes on Frank. It was like they could almost see him, but not quite. Instead, he just looked extremely odd, like something was off.
“Griff, you said?” the woman asked, looking at the group again.
Skeptically, Claire thought.
Frank was getting pissed. “That’s right. You can hear. Griff.”
The woman stepped back from the desk and picked up the phone. She pressed a few buttons then waited.
“Hi, this is Melanie at the front desk. You’ve got a group of six people down here waiting to see you.” She put her hand over the receiver for a second and looked at Frank. “Your name?”
“Frank,” the leprechaun responded.
“Frank, and he’s got a group with him,” the woman repeated. A moment passed, and Claire wondered if they were going to get in. Finally, the woman nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll send them up.”
She placed the phone down and gestured to the left. “The elevator is at the end of the hall. Floor nineteen, apartment nineteen-twenty-six.”
“Ye got a problem?” Frank asked, jutting his chin out.
Claire stepped forward, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “No one has a problem. Come on, let’s get upstairs.”
She practically had to pull Frank away, and once they were down the hall, she grabbed his shoulder. “What’s your problem? Why the attitude?”
Frank didn’t look at her as he reached the elevator. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I got pulled off a beach to come back up to this place and be bossed around by Mythers and humans.”
Claire stepped back and glanced at the other group. She shrugged and mouthed, “Grumpy.”
“Okay, Frank,” Remington chimed in. “Can you tell us what we’re walking into?”
The elevator door opened and Frank stepped on first. He turned around as the others entered. “He’s a Griffin. Do you know what that is?”
Claire looked at Marissa. “Do you?”
“Large birds, right? Like huge bald eagles?” Marissa asked. “Or…heads of eagles, wings, and body of a lion?”
“Something like that, yeah,” Frank answered as the elevator doors closed. “Though I wouldn’t go in there comparing them to eagles. They’re sort of touchy about their position in things.”
“What position is that?” Claire wondered.
“Well, Griffins are typically protectors. They keep an eye on things, and alert creatures when evil is on the way.” Frank shrugged, staring at the door in front of him. “They take it pretty seriously, I guess.”
“Have you met this one?” Lance asked from the back corner.
Frank shook his head. “I’ve only met a few of them. They’re also kind of stuck-up. They don’t really associate with Mythers outside of their circle.”
Claire gave Frank a light elbow in his side. “You mean the kind who drink all the time?”
Frank sighed. “Ye humans know almost nothing. Just don’t go in there calling him a bald eagle, and ye agents keep ye freaking guns holstered. They might even try to take them from ye when we get in there. Griffins are revered by their followers, and I got an idea Bosephus isn’t going to take too kindly to this many of us showing up.”
The elevator door opened and Frank stepped out before Claire could say anything else.
“Frank needs to take some Midol,” Jack commented, stepping around Claire and into the hallway.
The rest of the group followed Frank, who was walking about ten feet ahead of them all.
“You all be on alert.” Remington’s voice was suddenly icy. “I don’t like the sound of any of this, and I don’t like the way Frank is acting.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed, and she turned around as the elevator doors closed. She met Remington’s eyes. “What are you saying? That Frank is setting us up?”
“I’m saying be alert. We’re in new territory, and our guide isn’t acting like his usual self. I don’t know what is happening.”
Claire glanced at Lance. He was staring after Frank, who hadn’t slowed.
“He’s on our side. He’s been on our side since the beginning. If you’re going to be on alert, it isn’t because of anything Frank does.” Claire turned around, shaking her head. She was tired of hearing this kind of nonsense. They’d said similar stuff last time with the vampires, and Frank had done more than enough to prove his loyalty back then. She wasn’t going to let them badmouth her friend just because he was in a bad mood.
She picked up her pace, leaving the group behind her.
Frank had stopped ahead, waiting for at the apartment door.
“Thanks,” Frank whispered when Claire arrived.
Claire knew he’d heard what Remington was saying. The leprechaun’s ears were superb.
“No problem,” she responded.
The door opened, and Claire forgot all about what the FBI agent had said.
A huge horse-man stood in front of her. The rest of the group stopped walking almost as one when they saw it.
“Holy shit,” Jack blurted. “What are you?”
Claire wanted to elbow Jack for asking such a rude question, but she honestly couldn’t do anything besides stare at the massive creature. His chest was bare and layered with muscle.
“Sorry, Bosephus.” Frank shook his head. “He can be an idiot sometimes.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Jack.
“A centaur,” Marissa whispered in awe. “As I live and breathe, a centaur.”
The centaur’s eyes fell on the group, landing on the agents at the back. “Who are they, Frank?”
Claire had completely forgotten about Remington and Lance. She turned her head quickly, wondering if the two could actually see what was in front of them. She didn’t have to ask, however. Their faces said it all.
The careful fear that both had shown at the beginning of the hallway was wiped away—replaced by the awe that Claire felt.
Their minds are changing, she thought. They’re able to see quicker now.
<
br /> “They’re two other jerks like the one behind me,” Frank grumbled. “FBI agents. They’ll be cool. Ye going to let us in or make us stand out here?”
“How… How did you get up here?” Jack asked.
Now Claire did elbow him, hard.
“Oof!” Jack’s hand went to his ribs. “Hey! Seriously. How did he get past security? I don’t care who can see what, there’s no way he can just get by everyone.”
Frank rolled his eyes, still looking at the centaur. “Throw him off the balcony if ye want. Just let me come in.”
The centaur eyes narrowed as he looked at the group behind Frank. His nostrils flared as he breathed in, making him look more horse-like than human at the moment. “Watch your tongue, boy. All of you, watch it. You’re stepping onto sacred ground now.” He glared for another second and then backed up, allowing them room to enter.
Frank looked over his shoulder once more. “Ye are already starting to embarrass me. Get it together.” He walked through the open door, leaving Claire standing with the other five.
“Might want to quiet down, Jack,” she instructed. “They don’t really look to be in a joking mood.” She glanced left and checked Marissa—who was wide-eyed but stood firm enough.
She’s about as surprised as the rest of us, Claire thought, then stepped through the door following Frank. She made it about ten feet inside the luxury apartment before halting in her tracks again.
“I can’t,” Jack whispered, stopping right behind her. “I’m not going to be able to keep my mouth shut.”
There was a kitchen area to the right, and that’s where Frank had ventured. He was opening the refrigerator and rummaging through, clearly looking for a beer. What sat in the living room hadn’t given him pause.
The living room descended into the floor with three steps surrounding it on all four sides. Huge, white leather couches sat on the far side, and a glass table in the middle.
None of that mattered in the slightest to Claire, however.
What sat on the couches…
This isn’t possible, she thought. Frank is real. Vampires are real. I’ll even admit that ghosts are real. But this isn’t.
Paranormal University: Second Semester: An Unveiled Academy Novel Page 10