by Amy Hopkins
“The offer is open to the three of you. The fairy is quite good at removing stubborn stains, actually.” Madera smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “But God help you if you leave it somewhere for me to trip over.”
“Yes, Mom.” Cisco stood with his mother and hugged her briefly. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry yourself.” Madera waited until Cisco sat down and ruffled his hair despite his grimace. “I have been used to your ways for a long time now.”
Penny watched her go, wondering if the queasiness in her gut really was just the greasy dinner, or if it was trying to tell her something.
Chapter Nine
Penny didn’t see Trevor again until late that night. She had sent him a text message after Cybermythology, warning him that Professor Anand hadn’t been happy with his absence, and Trevor had replied with a rather uninformative Thanks.
In reply, Penny offered to buy him dinner. He accepted, as long as she didn’t mind if he wasn’t the best company. She texted him again.
Cisco and I will cheer you up. Meet you at Paddy’s? Eight PM?
Trevor’s reply was just as lackluster as his first.
Sure. See you then.
Penny itched with curiosity. Whatever was going on with those goons, the arcade machines, and Trevor’s theory, she wanted to know about it. And, she had to admit to herself, she wanted to get involved.
The adventures she’d had over the past year should have scared her away. A violent poltergeist, a Kraken, a violent, bandaged serial killer. None of it had given her the very sensible idea that Mythers were dangerous.
No. Instead, working at Paddy’s, mingling with Mythers, and hunting the more dangerous entities had simply given her a taste for adventure. And whatever Trevor is up to, there’s an adventure to be had.
Cisco shoved open the door to Paddy’s and stepped back to let Penny in first. She spotted Trevor immediately.
“Just a bite, little one.” A slim, stunning woman leaned over him, holding out a bright, juicy apple. “It’s almost as delicious as you look.”
“N-no, thank you.” Trevor tried to shrink down further in his seat.
“Titania!” Penny snapped. “Third strike. You’re out.” She thrust a finger at the door.
“What?” Titania turned big blue eyes on Penny. “I was simply offering—”
“You know the rules,” Penny told her. “No feeding the humans. One month ban. If it happens again, it’ll be permanent. And you know what that means?”
Titania’s lower lip trembled delicately. Her eyes filled, and a glistening tear rolled down her cheek.
Penny was unmoved. She had seen this display far too many times from the local fae after breaking Paddy’s rules. “One.” She held a finger up.
“I’m sorry, Penny. Please, find it in your—”
“Two.” A second finger joined the first. Penny let her gaze bore into the fae queen.
“Fine.” Titania gathered her skirts in a huff and pranced past Penny and Cisco. “I’ll find somewhere else to buy my mead.”
“You do that,” Penny called after her cheerfully. “See you in a month, Tats.”
Penny strode over to Trevor. “Are you okay, mate?”
He nodded, cheeks flushed bright red and eyes nervously darting to the door. “Was she… Was she going to eat me?” he whispered.
Penny laughed. “Not a chance. Maybe abduct you for a night, but eating humans is forbidden by contract. You know the Fae—never break a promise.”
“Oh.” He sat up a little and gave Cisco a timid wave.
“What exactly happens if a fairy abducts you for a night?” Cisco asked. His eyes were still locked on the door Titania had flounced through.
Penny slapped his chest hard. “You get flayed alive when you get back —by me.”
Wincing, Cisco took a seat. “Duly noted.”
“Penny!” Munder ambled over. “I did see you speak to Titania. But you are not working this night?”
“Not tonight,” Penny told him. “It’s okay, she wouldn’t have hurt Trevor. Maybe taught him a thing or two…” Penny winked, then chuckled when Trevor’s cheeks flamed again. “I need to talk to Josh about getting another bouncer in, though.”
Munder’s top half wobbled in a nod. “Perhaps I might offer to help?”
Penny suppressed a snort. “I don’t think you’d be suited to the job, Munder. You’re way too nice.”
Munder sighed. “Yes. That is a downfall of mine, I am afraid. No matter. I am sure Master Joshua will find a suitable candidate.” He lifted wispy fingers in a tinkling wave, then wobbled his shapeless form back to the bar to ask for another glass of milk.
“He was terrifying.” Trevor’s eyes were wide. “Who is he?”
“The monster under the bed,” Penny told him. “But a nice version.”
“Oh.” Trevor looked around, clearly uncomfortable.
“How about I go get us some drinks.” Cisco tilted his head at Penny, and she mouthed a thank you. “What’ll it be, Trevor?”
“Beer is fine.” Trevor dug for some change, but Cisco waved him away. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Penny working here gets us half-price drinks. Or free, if Paddy is in.” Cisco looked at Penny. “The usual?”
“Not whiskey. Maybe cider?” Penny waited until he had moved away before turning to Trevor. “So. Did you speak to Agent Crenel?”
Trevor slumped. “We had to do the meeting by phone. He said no.”
“He said no?” Penny snapped. “You mean he wants you to wait until he gets back?”
Trevor shook his head morosely. “Nope. He said, and I quote, ‘what the hell does a video game have to do with the Myther threat?’ I tried to explain the history of the myth, but he didn’t seem interested.”
“Ah.” Penny would have bet her life savings that the brisk dismissal was due to a combination of Crenel’s technophobia and Trevor’s overly detailed explanation.
Trevor let out a frustrated hiss. “This isn’t some stupid idea. I know something is going on here, but I can’t look into it without using the Academy resources.”
“I’ll talk to him.” Penny grinned. “You just need to know how to handle him, that’s all. You’ll have to do something for me, though.”
Trevor looked up, doubt etched on his face. “What’s that?”
“You have to tell me everything.”
Crenel slapped a hand on his desk, making all three students jump. “I thought I already told you no?”
Penny guessed he was in a bad mood—it didn’t take a genius for that. She was used to Crenel’s temper, but Trevor looked like he wanted to hide behind the curtains.
She almost regretted dragging Trevor and Cisco along with her. However, business was business. Crenel’s adamant refusal to consider Trevor’s plan only made Penny more determined. And, despite Trevor’s clear discomfort, this was his case.
“That was yesterday. Now you’re gonna tell him yes.” Penny grinned confidently at Trevor, who looked as forlorn as if he’d just been given a prison sentence.
Crenel tsked. “What the hell gives you that idea? I’m not wasting good resources on a goddamn computer game.”
“It’s not a game, Crenel,” Penny told him gently. “It’s an urban legend. You know, one of these things we’re training to investigate? One involving secret government conspiracies and mysterious technology. I know Trevor’s explanation was a bit confusing, but I think—”
“Go find something that’s an actual myth,” Crenel grumbled. “Then we’ll talk.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?” Penny snapped. Her patience was wearing thin. “I know you think technology is out to get you, but this is ridiculous!”
“I never said that!” Crenel denied. “But look around you. What the hell does an arcade game have in common with Greek gods and ancient ghosts? This is too modern. It’s probably some video game company doing one of those infection campaigns.”
“You mean viral,” Trevor corrected. Before the
words were even out, he looked like he regretted saying them.
“It’s too modern?” Penny smirked. I’ve got him now. “So, the latest cluster of Mythers based on ‘like for a cure’ stories are what, Mayan legends? And the UFOs that keep appearing in Nevada are from the early 1200s?” Crenel tried to cut her off, but Penny kept going. “What about the ATM that spontaneously started calling the police every time someone used a palindromic PIN? I guess that one originated in ancient Egypt, huh?”
Crenel finally sputtered to a halt. “But he’s not even a field student.”
Penny didn’t miss a beat. “Which is why I’ve agreed to lend my expertise and act as his consultant.”
“You have?” Trevor whispered.
Penny nodded. “So has Cisco. With the two of us involved, how can it go wrong?”
“Are you trying to convince me or turn me off the idea?” Crenel grumbled. He hesitated, and Penny held her breath. “Fine. I’ll send the paperwork over tonight.”
Penny silently fist-pumped the air. She quickly sobered and said in her most professional tone, “Why, thank you, Special Agent Crenel. We will be sure to keep you updated on the progress of our case.”
She left the office quickly, tugging Cisco and Trevor along by their elbows.
Silence reigned for a moment after she closed the door carefully behind them, then Cisco let out a victory holler. “You did it!”
“I heard that!” Crenel’s holler from the other side of the door sent them tripping down the hall, laughing.
Trevor couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. “Thank you, Penny! Thank you so much!”
After high fives were passed around, Trevor slung his messenger bag over one shoulder. He hadn’t ended up needing any of the meticulous notes or thick folders stuffed inside. “I need to go and get started,” he told them excitedly.
Penny grabbed his wrist. “You heard what I said. Cisco and I are your consultants on this case. I don’t want you running into anything dangerous without talking to us first, okay?”
Chagrined, he nodded. “Okay. I promise. I’m not doing this alone, though.”
“Oh?” Trevor hadn’t mentioned working on his project with anyone else. “Who?”
“I, uh, can’t tell you?” Trevor hurriedly shoved his books away and backed toward the door. “My source likes to stay anonymous.”
He scurried away without another word. Penny raised bewildered eyes to Cisco. “An anonymous source? Is he for real?”
“Give him a break,” Cisco insisted. “It’s his first case. He’s got us watching his back. Like you said, what could go wrong?”
Penny mulled over Trevor’s case and his anonymous friend the next morning during Legal and continued thinking about it while she spent the next two sessions cleaning the dorm room she shared with Amelia. Boots lounged on the bed as Penny tossed piles of clothes on top of her, wriggling to the top and pinning items down as Penny attempted to hang them in the tiny closet.
Penny dug a shirt out from beneath the serpent. “Boots, you’re not making this easy, you know.”
Boots simply wriggled into a new, more comfortable position.
Penny grunted in frustration, flicking a pair of pajama pants at the snake. “Seriously, do you want to live in squalor?”
Boots rolled over. The movement took her off the edge of the growing pile, and before she could halt her momentum, she had tumbled onto the carpeted floor in a twisted, writhing lump. She gave an angry hiss but tolerated Penny’s giggling attempts to help her to right herself.
With Boots untangled and sulking in a neat coil in the corner, Penny quickly finished the job she had set out to do.
Penny grinned when the room was finally pristine. Her clothes were neatly organized, and her serpentine friend was finally coming out of her sulk. “Beautiful.” She flopped on the bed, then groaned loudly when she checked her watch. “Bah!” She shot to her feet, grabbed a bag, and waved a finger at Boots. “I’m late for Aussie Myth class. Are you coming?”
Boots just wriggled into a more comfortable position.
“Fine. Stay behind, lazybones.” Boots bared her fangs and gave an angry hiss, though Penny wasn’t sure if it was due to the insult, or her orders to stay behind. “Sorry, dear. I really do have to run, though.”
When Penny arrived at her class, hair a mess and face flushed from the short dash down a flight of stairs and to the other side of the Academy, Professor Steele was waiting patiently.
“Glad to see you came, Penny.” She looked around expectantly before a look of dismay crept over her face. “No Boots today?”
Penny shook her head. “She’s resting up. We had a big morning.”
“I’m glad you made it, then. I was worried that the lack of fellow students might have turned you off the class.” Steele opened a textbook and handed it to Penny. “Today, we’re going to focus on the Maori creation myth, beginning with Rangi and Papa—Father Sky and Mother Earth.”
Throughout the lesson, Steele occasionally stopped, staring out the window or at Penny with distracted eyes. A moment later, she would blink and return to her lecture on New Zealand and Polynesian mythology.
She wrapped up the lesson early, citing the low class number as the reason. “I structured the curriculum to allow for a bit of chatter amongst the class, you see. If there is something you’d like to cover in the extra time, we can?” She left the probing statement hanging.
Penny squirmed. She felt impelled to ask a question—any question. But her brain was still exhausted from the previous day’s ceaseless lectures. “I can’t think of anything in particular,” she admitted.
“Perhaps we could discuss Boots, then?” Steele asked. “There are some wonderful facilities that examine Mythological beings in a safe and—”
“No, thank you.” Penny shut the line of questioning down quickly. “Boots chose to follow me here. I’m not going to put her in a facility.” The word tasted sour in her mouth.
“Oh, it’s not like they lock their subjects in cages and poke them with sticks,” Steele chided. “It’s a wonderful setup, one that mimics their natural habitat and provides all kinds of mental stimulation. And besides, I wasn’t suggesting Boots needs to go to one. I was just lamenting the chance to really examine her. Information on the species hasn’t been easy to come by, you see.”
“The Academy files list at least a dozen new Serpents appearing in recent months,” Penny snapped. “I’m sure the information will become easier to get.” Just not from my friend, she added silently.
Steele still seemed dissatisfied. “It’s just a pity that none seem to display the intelligence your Boots does,” she pressed. “Though perhaps they will with time and teaching.”
Penny hefted her bag, ready to go. “Goodbye, Professor.”
Steele passed Penny a textbook. “Here. Do some reading on what we discussed in class today. Focus on the sections about the importance of genealogy and the link between traditions and myth.”
Penny clutched the fat book under one arm since her bag was already full. She headed for the door without looking back.
Chapter Ten
Penny arrived back in her dorm to the smell of warm madras and aromatic garlic. She cracked the door open and sniffed deeply.
“Penny!” Amelia beckoned her inside. “Thank god you’re back. We were robbed!” Amelia’s eyes were wide and glittered with mischief. “Someone came in and stole all our mess! Then they left a bunch of clothes in our closet, stuff I haven’t seen in forever.”
Penny laughed. “You’re such a knob. Why can I smell curry?”
Amelia nodded at the covered tray on the tiny side table, then pointed at Boots, who was loosely curled into a pile on the bed. She looked to be asleep, but Penny caught the serpent watching her from between two loops of her coil. “I caught her trying to snatch a tray from the dining hall. I have no idea how she thought she was going to get it up the stairs, but damned if she wasn’t trying.”
“For me?” Penny sat on t
he bed and wrapped her arms around the reluctant snake. “You’re wonderful, Boots.”
Boots relaxed a little, popping her head up and nodding as if to say “yes, I know.”
“I take it you missed dinner because of your cleaning spree?” Amelia asked.
Penny nodded. “I completely lost track of time and had to run to Aus-Myth. I’m bushed!” She lifted off the tray cover and inhaled again. “Mmm. Smells amazing.”
“Tastes good, too.” Amelia sprawled back on her bed. “You eat, I’ll talk.”
Penny reveled in the mild spice of the curry as she dipped shreds of garlic naan into the sauce while Amelia told her of Red’s excellent grade for the assignment they had helped with. He’d been outdone only by Trevor, who had handed his assessment in three days early.
“Wait up. Trevor said he’s spent every spare second on this case of his. He still managed to hand in an assignment three days early?” Penny asked between mouthfuls.
Amelia nodded wryly. “He makes it seem so easy. I can’t say I’m not jealous.”
Penny shrugged. “Maybe now that he has his own mission, it’ll give us normal people a chance to catch up. Hey, you haven’t seen him hanging around anyone in particular lately, have you?” She gave Amelia a brief explanation of Trevor’s secret accomplice.
“Not really,” Amelia told her. “But it’s Trevor. How do you know it’s even someone from the Academy? It’s probably one of his gamer friends.”
“That makes sense.” Penny almost wished it didn’t. Though she respected her friend’s privacy, she didn’t like getting involved in a case where one party wasn’t willing to come forward. She resolved to talk to Trevor about it again. “Never mind that. Tell me what on earth I should wear on my date tomorrow night.”
“I agreed to the black dress before I spoke to Cisco. He said to dress casual.” Penny tossed the sparkling black cocktail dress back at Amelia. “That? That’s not casual.”