Pixels And Poltergeists: An Unveiled Academy Novel (Penny and Boots Book 3)

by Amy Hopkins

  “What’s wrong?” The woman spat on the floor, and Penny made a mental note have the bar staff clean it up before someone slipped—or in case it was poisonous. “He’s a lying, scheming little gombeen, that’s what’s wrong.”

  “What’s a gombeen?” Amelia whispered.

  “He’s a gombeen!” The woman stepped forward and thrust a finger toward Paddy. This close, her resolve shattered and tears welled again. “He promised me he’d treat me well. That he wouldn’t abandon me like the others did. He said he’d shower me with gifts and buy me a wee cottage to live in, far away from all the hateful humans who curse me and call me horrible things.”

  Understanding dawned and Penny rounded on Paddy, who had started to inch toward the door. “Oh, no, you don’t, you little shit. Explain. Now!”

  Paddy gave a deep sigh. “Aye, I did ye wrong, Orlagh. I did mean to keep me promises, but me gold… Well, I can’t just be givin’ it away.”

  Penny stared at him. “You cheap, weaselly little—”

  Paddy raised his hands defensively. “I can’t be helpin’ it! I’m a leprechaun. I can’t stop bein’ greedy any more than Red can stop sproutin’ fur on a full moon.”

  “And what are you?” Penny asked the tiny old woman. Orlagh was too short to be a regular human.

  Orlagh lifted her chin, then raised a hand to pull a fine cloth veil over her face. She didn’t speak until it was secure, and even then, she kept her voice low as if she were afraid of being overheard. “Your people know me as Banshee. Though they call me much worse.”

  Even with her face hidden, Orlagh’s pain shone through in her words.

  Penny walked over to kneel before her. “Orlagh, you seem like a lovely person. I’m sorry Paddy took advantage of you. If it helps, I think he’s telling the truth when he says he can’t help it.” She waited, breath held.

  Orlagh gave a slow nod. “It is his nature. I should have known better.”

  “To make it right, Paddy will buy you that cottage.” Penny ignored the outraged screech from behind. “Somewhere nice and secluded, and far from anyone that would hurt you. There are reserves being set up to protect your people—perhaps we can find a place for you in one of them. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

  Orlagh dipped her head, and when she raised it again, the veil had fallen. Her face glowed with youthful beauty and her eyes glittered over a small smile. It was suddenly clear how Paddy had fallen in love with her. “Thank you. Your honor shall be spoken among the dead for eternity.”

  “Oh. That’s, um, nice.” Penny glanced back at Paddy, jabbing a finger in his direction. “And you are never going to make false promises again.”

  Paddy grumbled, snorted, and eventually nodded. “Fine.” He toed the floor for a moment before raising plaintive eyes. “But if you’re stayin’, can I have me whiskey back?”

  Chastened by the harsh talking to, Paddy declined Penny’s offer to join them for drinks. “I’ll go give ye schedule to Paddy. Ye know, just in case that email didn’t get through.” He stalked off, throwing one last cautionary glance at the door Orlagh had given a mighty slam when she had left.

  “Who would have thought Paddy would fall for a banshee,” Amelia mused. “Not that she wasn’t beautiful. I just assumed he was so in love with himself he’d never notice another person.”

  “I guess even Paddy gets lonely sometimes,” Red guessed. “But what a prick, promising the lass a house then giving her a plastic ring!”

  Amelia gave him a pointed look. “Yeah, a total dick move. If you ever pull something like that, I’ll—”

  “Never!” Red leaned over to give her a wet kiss on the cheek. “I’d never treat my girl like that.”

  “Is that because you love her, or because you’re suitably scared of her?” Cisco asked.

  Red shrugged. “Can’t it be both?” He dodged Amelia’s swat.

  Shaking his head at their antics, Cisco shifted in his seat to face Penny. “Are you going to Glass’ class first thing tomorrow?”

  The defense instructor, disgusted with the physical shortcomings of his students, had scheduled several extra classes during the week. The dean had refused to make them mandatory, much to his disappointment, but it seemed most of the students in Penny’s class had taken up the offer.

  She nodded. “We’ve got Cyber, then Greek and British mythology all stacked in a row. I’ll need the workout to get me through it without going crazy.”

  Cisco groaned in agreement. “The schedule is full-on this semester.”

  “Aye, but at least the gang is back together!” Red grinned.

  He, Amelia, Penny, and Cisco had all chosen the Greek and British history specializations. Penny had signed up for a third—the Australasian mythology branch. But she would be taking that class alone.

  “Why did they make Cybermythology a mandatory subject, though?” Amelia happily accepted the plate of wings a waitress brought over. “Seems more like something Trevor would be into.”

  “They probably don’t want to lose all the students to hoaxes personified,” Cisco replied. “I still can’t believe Penny turned down a prince.”

  “At least I know I have a backup if you ever turn me down.” Penny tipped her head toward the door. “Or if you turn out to be an ass like Paddy.”

  Cisco snorted. “If you believe there’s a chance of either, then you don’t know me at all. Do you really think my mother would raise someone like that?”

  Chuckling, Penny shook her head. “Good point. Maybe we could get her to teach Paddy some morals?”

  “Paddy has morals!” The leprechaun in question emerged from the back room brandishing Penny’s schedule, which was now stapled to a second sheet of paper. “Old Paddy is almost done, but he needs to see ye in the office.”

  Penny nodded and hurried over. She shoved through the swinging door and took a hard left to arrive in Joshua’s office. “You needed to see me?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Joshua’s desk was cluttered with invoices and empty coffee mugs. “I know you said the Friday night class was optional, but I wanted to make sure you’re really okay with missing it. I hate to ask, but that’s our worst night on the floor and you’re so damn good at what you do.”

  Penny grinned. “You’re damn right, I am. And I know Friday sucks. That’s why I circled it three times and noted that I could be flexible there. It’s just basic fitness, entirely optional, and I can make the time up in the Academy gym during the week.”

  “Okay. If you’re certain.” Joshua passed Penny a neatly typed roster. “Thanks, Penny.”

  “Joshua?” Penny hesitated before leaving. “You’ve got access to all Paddy’s financials, right?”

  “Not all.” Joshua leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. It was almost as if he could sense the bad news coming. “Just his bank accounts. I’m sure he’s got a stash of gold somewhere he hasn’t told me about. Why?”

  “I’m sure Paddy himself will fill you in,” Penny told him. “But just in case, you’ll need to organize a real estate purchase for him.”

  “What has he done this time?” Joshua asked the question with an air of well-worn patience.

  Penny gave him the short version. “He wooed a banshee and made her a promise he knew he wasn’t planning to keep.”

  “And now the little shit wants me to clean up his mess?” Joshua shook his head. “He knows he needs to keep his head down. This court case of his is gaining steam—and a lot of opposition. Does he really think something like this won’t bring unwanted attention?”

  “He’s an idiot,” Penny agreed. “But he’s our friend. I don’t want him to get eaten, or whatever it is a banshee does to her victims.”

  Joshua drummed his fingers on his desk. “More than anything, I don’t want to mop up the remains. I’ll get on it.”

  “Thanks, Josh.” Penny sighed with relief. “I knew I could count on you.”

  Chapter Three

  Penny slid behind a desk next to Cisco, fanning her face. �
��Are my cheeks still flushed?” she asked.

  Fitness class that morning had been brutal. Apparently, Glass was determined to make up for any loss of strength and stamina the students had suffered over the break between semesters.

  “You look fine,” Cisco assured her. “Better than Red, anyway.”

  “What?” Red snapped. “How was I supposed to know he’d have us doing PACER testing? I went for a bloody run before class, didn’t I?”

  His outburst was interrupted by the arrival of the Greek History professor. Penny watched as the teacher, a grey-haired man with a clean-shaven face and buttoned cardigan, carefully unpacked a stack of history texts onto his desk. As she watched him straighten his books, her brain gave a nudge. “Cisco, does he look familiar to you?”

  “Nope. Not to me.” Cisco leaned over to peer into Penny’s bag. “Hey, you don’t have a—”

  He grinned when Penny whipped out a notebook for him and barked a laugh when he saw the cover. “Power Rangers?”

  “You have no idea how hard that was to find.” Penny dug a pen out for him. “The pink ranger was sold out everywhere!”

  “I love you, Penny!” Cisco beamed up at her, a flush creeping onto his face as he realized what he’d said. “I mean… I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s okay,” Penny assured him. “I know I’ll always take second place to the first love of your life.” She flicked a finger toward the cartoon ranger.

  “Uh-huh.” Cisco buried himself in the notebook, writing out the lesson name in cramped handwriting. Greek History and Mythology.

  “This class is packed,” Penny commented as the students filed in. It was the first time she had seen a room filled at the Academy. “I wonder how much of that has to do with Bacchus?”

  “All of it,” Cisco admitted. “Mom said they almost had to split the class into two sessions.”

  Penny opened her mouth to respond but stopped, grinning as Amelia stepped into the room.

  "Hey, Mr. Hardwick!" Amelia gave the professor a brief hug. "Gerry didn't tell me you took the teaching job."

  A flash of understanding hit Penny as she realized why the professor looked so familiar. He bore a strong resemblance to his son, Gerry.

  "It was a last-minute decision." Prof Hardwick patted Amelia on the shoulder and gestured to a nearby desk. "I'm glad to see your punctuality has improved over the years, if only by a little."

  Amelia didn't take offense at the jibe, hurrying toward the seat the professor had pointed to. Penny realized it was the only free desk in the room.

  Red caught Penny's glance and shrugged. "I told her I wouldn't save her a spot if she was late," he explained.

  "Is that really Gerry's dad?" Cisco asked. “Gerry from the party?”

  “What party?” Red gave him a quizzical glance. "Who's Gerry?"

  "You don't remember?" Cisco shook his head, bemused. "I know Bacchus did a number on your memory that night, but I didn't realize you'd forgotten it completely."

  Red's confused shrug gave Penny a jolt of surprise. "Can you not remember anything about the party? We went to Gerry’s and Bacchus appeared. That was the first time we met him."

  Red shrugged again. "I remember Amelia telling me about it. That's about it." He waved away Penny's concerns. "Don't worry, I already spoke to old party pants about it. He thinks the magic amnesia spell left a residue and it conflicted with my wolf magic. Amelia said she only noticed the gap in my memory after I got turned. He offered to fix it, but I didn't really want him digging around in my head again."

  Penny sighed with frustration. "Sure, it's only your brain. It's not like anything can go wrong."

  Red laughed. "It's just a bit of memory loss. Don't worry yourself about it."

  If she had to be honest, she wasn’t worried, not if Bacchus had already assured Red he was fine. Though Penny had been dubious of Bacchus’s motives at first, she had come to trust the ancient philosopher.

  Their conversation was halted by the beginning of class. Professor Hardwick did indeed introduce himself as Gerry's dad. Apparently, Amelia and her friends weren't the only ones who had attended one of the god-fueled parties. Hardwick explained that he had always been a Greek history professor. With the tearing of the Veil, all his impossible dreams of meeting the ancient Greek deities had been realized.

  "I bet that's who your mum was talking about when we covered veil acceptance back in our first semester," Penny murmured to Cisco.

  Madera had spent an entire class on the vagaries of who could see Mythers, who could learn to see them, and why it seemed some people would spend the rest of their lives insisting the tearing of the veil was one giant hoax despite the swathes of evidence staring them in the face.

  During her explanation, she had referenced a colleague who, though well past middle age, had been able to see the Mythers from his very first encounter. She had used this friend as an example of how, although most adults needed several exposures to Mythers in life-threatening circumstances in order to see them consistently, some adults were a bit, well, special.

  Although Madera hadn't come out and said it, Penny had gained the impression that she had used the word “special” in place of “gullible.”

  "What? I thought she was talking about Agent Crenel." Cisco's pen continued to scratch in his notebook as he spoke.

  Penny snorted. "No, he had to learn the hard way. He didn't tell you about the incident with the harpy?"

  Red put a finger to his lips. "Shh, he's about to get to the bit where Cronos eats all his babies."

  "Gross." Penny jotted down the information anyway. "Why would he want to meet someone like that?"

  "One of the babies was Zeus." Cisco shrugged. "He seemed pretty cool."

  "Zeus is a dirty old man. He even tried to hit on Vila the other day.” Penny paused. "Wait a minute, if Cronos ate Zeus, then how did Zeus become the top god?"

  Cisco rolled his eyes and gestured to the front of the class, where Professor Hardwick was, indeed, explaining how Zeus became Zeus. By the end of the lesson, Penny realized her knowledge of the Greek gods was more than lacking. Not only that, but this particular branch of mythology wasn't just made up of easy-going party gods and horny old men. She shuddered to think what would happen if some of the less friendly Titans were to appear in the world.

  Hardwick had wrapped up the class by jotting the names of the legendary Greeks who were confirmed to have crossed through the veil. After that, his excitement had faltered. "There are claims, my dear children, that the veil was not just torn once. It is continuing to tear. As the rift widens, so does the mythological populace that exists in our world. As wonderful as it is to converse with ancient philosophers and play with forgotten magicks, we must always bear in mind the threat that this poses."

  He dismissed the class, turning his back on the evacuating students to clean the whiteboard.

  Penny shared a worried glance with Cisco. “Wow. That ended on a downer."

  Unperturbed, Red quickly stacked his books, put away his pens, and hurried over to Amelia. She slapped his chest, and he grimaced.

  "You were supposed to save me a seat!" She made a slight gesture with her hand when he tried to speak. "Don't even pretend I was late. I got here a whole minute before class started!"

  Chagrined, Red hung his head in shame. "Sorry love. Won't happen again."

  Amelia grinned. "At the very least, you owe me a drink. I’m going to need it once today is over!"

  Penny inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma of freshly ground coffee. It was Wednesday, and she had grabbed Cisco and headed straight to Tony’s cafe after their morning class for a desperately needed hit of caffeine.

  Her brain still hurt from the previous day’s lessons. They had covered Greek, British, and Cyber myths, the classes running until seven the previous evening. Heading out to Paddy’s to wind down after the long day had been a mistake, she decided.

  Waking up to a legal class had been the last straw. A steamer hissed and Penny winced, head poun
ding. "You know what? Just give me the biggest coffee you've got. With lots of sugar."

  Hssss. Penny’s backpack wriggled.

  “Sorry. And a bowl of milk for Boots.” Penny massaged a temple as she handed over her credit card to Violet, the barista.

  "I thought last semester was tough," Cisco groaned. He held two fingers up, signaling to Violet that he would have whatever caffeine-laden monstrosity she was making for Penny. "This week has been hell, and it's not even over. We still have one more class tomorrow. I’ve never been so glad for an afternoon off!"

  "Speak for yourself." Penny moved away from the counter to find them a table in the quiet café. "I have Australasian Myth and Legend tonight. For some reason, I thought taking an extra class would be a great idea."

  "You're a sucker for punishment. I bet it won’t be as bad as the Great Britain Mythology class, though. Robbins has the personality of a wet sock.” Cisco let Penny wave him away from the pastry cabinet.

  “Pick a table,” she demanded. “My legs still feel like they’re going to give out after Glass’ thrashing yesterday.”

  Cisco obliged, moving toward a booth. “Hey, what's that in the corner?" He pointed toward an arcade machine tucked in the corner of the coffee shop. "You want to check it out?"

  Penny rolled her eyes but followed him over to the machine. The screen glowed as pixelated explosions erupted from one of the triangular ships darting to and fro across the screen. Below, a green ship flashed as a yellow blip hit it. A slow ding-dong played, and Game Over rolled over the screen before the demonstration began again.

  Cisco dug in his pocket but pulled out an empty hand with a crestfallen expression. "Got any quarters?"

  "Nope." Penny didn't even have to look. She had lost every cent in her purse trying to outsmart Paddy in a game of poker the night before. Between the nineteen dollars and twenty-five cents lost to the cheating leprechaun, and the mild hangover she had woken up to in the morning, her visit to the bar had been one she would rather forget. “And despite always threatening to turn Boots into a purse, I don’t think she carries money.”