by R L Medina
It wasn’t home.
“This is where all the classes are. I’ll show you the student lounge first. Get some coffee.” Javi smiled.
“Good.”
He scanned his ID card against the pad and the door opened for us. I blinked in surprise. They really did care about the security here.
“This way.” He led me down the hall.
I followed, glancing around at the muted tan walls and pictures of palm trees and beaches. Weird. Not what I expected at a school for monster hunters. It looked like a normal office building. Something you’d see in a doctor’s office or something.
We made it to the middle of the building, and I gaped at the green plants and sleek cream-colored armchairs and benches surrounding a giant water fountain. Tables were set up, outlets stationed at each one and on the far side stood a little coffee stand. The smell of fresh beans made me sigh in relief. We walked through the center, and I noticed right away, something strange.
The water splashed up and back into the mosaic fountain, but no sound came. I frowned and turned to ask Javi about it, but he’d already made it to the coffee stand.
“Hey, Javi.” A girl smiled behind the counter.
Her smile vanished at the sight of me, a gleam of something unfriendly in her eyes.
“Hey. This is my cousin, Rose.” He waved a hand in my direction.
She blinked and smiled. “Oh. Hi. What can I get for you guys?”
Javi looked at me.
“The biggest, darkest coffee you have. Please”
“Gotcha. And for you, Javi?” She gushed.
He grinned. “Just my usual. Thanks.”
I watched their exchange, rolling my eyes. Javi swiped his ID card once more, to my surprise.
“You can put money on your student account,” he explained.
We stood and waited for our drinks, soaking in the silence of the lounge. Once mine was ready, I thanked her and held onto it, letting my coffee cool.
Javi made a face. “You don’t like cream or sugar?”
I took my cup to the condiment bar and popped off the lid. “Yeah. Just sugar.”
“Gross.”
I ignored him and dumped three bags of sugar in, stirring it and breathing in the steamy goodness. He sipped his latte and waited for me to finish.
“We can’t really go into the classrooms right now because all the classes are in session.”
“So why did you bring me here then? Javi, you are the worst tour guide ever.”
He frowned. “You wanted coffee. I got you coffee. You’re welcome.”
It was good too. They probably imported it straight from Italy or something. I took another sip and let the warm liquid slide down my throat.
“So where to next then?”
“We could go check out the training hall.” His face brightened.
Sipping my coffee, I motioned for him to lead the way. Training hall made it sound like some kind of Avenger’s thing. I snorted to myself. Is that how the GRIMMs saw themselves? Self-proclaimed heroes of the world? Or was it worlds? I shuddered. The whole idea of there being other realms made my head spin. And the houses. Dragon, Phoenix, Centaur, and Pegasus. Did that mean those creatures really existed? There was so much I didn’t know.
By the time we made it to the training hall my coffee was gone, and I felt a hundred times better. Better prepared to handle whatever was coming next.
8
The training arena was nothing like what I’d pictured. First, it was massive. Enormous. Easily the size of my entire school back home. There were multiple rooms and levels, but we stood in the center of it all.
My mouth dropped.
From where we stood, it looked like a normal hardwood gym floor, but there were strange markings that didn’t make sense for any sport I’d ever played in a gym.
Javi smiled. “This is where we come to train. Hand to hand combat and weapons training. All of it, here. There’s a huge outdoor section on the other side.”
Above us the sunlight poured in from the glass ceiling. Javi pushed a button along the side wall, and I gasped as the ground shifted beneath us.
Large objects sprang up from the markings on the floor. A giant wooden bridge. Two massive rock faces. A huge platform complete with foam sponges and a tall balance beam.
“What is this?”
“Obstacle course,” Javi explained.
My head spun from the sheer magnitude of the place. This was no high school gymnasium. I doubted even the freaking army had a training facility this extra. In the far corner two boxing rings stood and on the other side, a caged boxing ring.
“This is insane.”
Javi stood proudly with his arms crossed over his chest. “Impressive, huh?”
“But where are all the weapons?”
He nodded toward a padlocked door behind me. “There. But you need a professor to open it.” A frown formed on his face. “Weird. There should be one on duty now. The next training class is about to start.”
“I am on duty,” a deep voice drawled.
I jumped and Javi’s shoulders tensed.
“Do you have a permission slip to be in here outside of class time?” A tall, willowy looking man spoke.
“Yes, sir.” Javi straightened and fished out a crumpled looking piece of paper to hand him.
“Hmmm.” The older man nodded as he read it.
His cold blue eyes snapped to mine. “Tour’s over. My class is about to start.”
Class? My eyebrow arched. He didn’t look like he could lift more than fifty pounds. He swept a long strand of silvery hair out of his face and sneered.
“Yes, Professor Cassiano, sir.” Javi saluted and ushered me out.
I glanced over my shoulder to see him watching us with a pinched face. Clearly, someone was not happy about our presence.
“What was all that about?” I rounded on Javi as the door shut behind us.
“We’re not really supposed to be in there unsupervised.” He shrugged. “Especially now since two students were caught doing it in the caged ring.”
My lip curled. “Gross.”
Javi’s eyes widened in a look of horror. “You don’t think he thought we were doing that, do you?” He cursed, shaking his head.
“Eeew. Gross, Javi. Didn’t you put on your slip you were taking your cousin on tour?”
His eyebrows knitted together. “No. There’s no room for a detailed reason.”
“So, yeah. He probably thought that.”
“Should we go back and explain?” He ran his fingers through his hair, a worried expression on his face.
“I don’t know. He told us to leave.”
He stared at the door for a moment and turned back to me. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s forget about that. Uh… ready for the rest of the tour?”
I shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”
His lips flattened. Ignoring my attitude, he led me down the steps and paused.
“Next, stop… let’s check out the office building. There’s a doctor’s clinic there, the professor’s offices, and the headmaster’s office.
“Joy,” I murmured.
I walked with Javi, wishing I had another coffee.
The building was massive, more like a museum than an office building. Wide open spaces and sleek, expensive furniture. Once again, I was surprised to find water colored beach paintings on the wall. They really loved their beach themes.
“What’s the deal with all the pictures?” I asked Javi.
He glanced in my direction. “What about them?”
“Why beaches?”
He shrugged. “Why not? We have to appear like a normal school on the outside. For when the ordinaires try to enroll.”
“The ordinaires… like normal people? Why would they want to come here?”
“It’s an elite private academy with the highest level of security and curriculum,” he explained, clearly parroting a spiel he’d memorized.
My eyebrows arched. “But don’t they figure
out… what you really do here?”
He snorted. “We don’t let them enroll. They come and take a tour and then we mind zap them. Make them forget they wanted to come in the first place.”
His words left me speechless. Mind zap? What kind of freak school were they trying to send me to?
“This is the headmaster’s office,” Javi paused and turned to me, “but maybe we should leave that for another day.”
I frowned. “What other day?”
He ignored me and continued walking down the hall, his boots thumped loudly on the marble.
“What other day, Javi?” I scurried to catch up to him.
“Javier. Rose,” my tío called from ahead.
We stopped in front of him. I bristled, on guard for whatever he was going to do or say next.
He wore a dark suit and sneered at us with all the flair and self-importance of a politician or royal. My fists curled in response. The metal of the bracelet bit into my flesh, making me wince.
Heat rushed through me. I glared at him while he did his best to ignore me.
“Have you already begun the tour, then?” He turned to Javi.
Javi straightened to his full height. “Yes. We were just on the way to the library.”
Tío nodded. “Very good. Finish the tour, and I’ll meet you after lunch. I have a meeting to attend.”
Used to being dismissed, my cousin gave him a firm nod in response and motioned for me to follow. Once we were around the corner, he visibly relaxed and became his cheery self again.
“Wow.”
He looked at me. “What?”
“Your dad really did a number on you, huh?”
His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
I gave him a pointed look. “You act like his puppet when he’s around and you’re not the one with a bracelet.”
The tips of his ears reddened. “I do not.”
I took a step back. “Okay. Obviously, you’re not ready to deal with that. My bad.”
“I am not his puppet.”
“All right. Sorry.” I fell silent.
There was definitely some beef between them and judging by my cousin’s scowl, he was not open to me pointing it out.
Our footsteps echoed in the hall, filling the awkward silence. By the time we’d made it to the double doors at the end, he’d relaxed into his usual self.
“What is this?” I asked as he threw the doors open.
“This is the library.” He glanced around and shrugged. “Nothing special.”
I snorted. “Says you. Look at this place!”
It was like stepping into another world altogether. Or another time. Rows and rows of books filled the room all the way to the vaulted ceiling.
My eyes bugged out everywhere I looked. A winding staircase led to a second floor where more shelves stood. Little reading nooks were peppered throughout between the shelves and sculpted art. I breathed in the old book smell and smiled.
I could get used to this.
“So, you’re one of those book snobs, huh? Do you take pics of books for your Insta?” He scoffed.
I threw him a dark look. “I’m not on Instagram. And let me guess, your feed is probably filled with shirtless selfies?”
“No!”
My lips twisted into a smile. “Are you sure? Because you’re getting pretty defensive.”
His ear tips reddened. “Whatever. I’m not some douche.”
“Shh.” A girl looked up from her desk and scolded us.
We moved past her and deeper into the rows. As we turned the corner, Javi stumbled into someone.
The poor girl looked shaken. Her dark blue eyes blinked behind coral colored glasses. She clutched a giant old book against her chest with one hand and pulled back a loose raven black strand of hair with the other.
“Shiloh.” Javi flashed her smile.
She nodded in response. “Hi, Javi.” She turned to me.
Seeing that my cousin wasn’t going to introduce me, I smiled at her. “I’m Rose.”
“My cousin,” Javi was quick to add.
I threw him a questioning look as I took her offered pale hand.
Shiloh just smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Javi continued to wear his goofy smile. “I was just showing her our library, and then we’re gonna grab some lunch in the cafeteria. You should come with us.”
My eyebrows flew up. Ah. So that’s what this was. He liked her.
Her smile faltered and confliction flashed in her eyes. “Thanks, but I can’t right now. I… I have to get back to studying.”
Ouch.
Javi shrugged though I could tell her rejection stung him. It was clear this wasn’t the first time she’d done it.
“No prob. I’ll see you later then.” He turned away from her and continued walking.
“Bye. Nice to meet you, Rose.” She nodded at me and scurried out of the library.
I caught up to Javi. “Soo….”
He blew out a breath. “What?”
My eyebrow arched. “Who was that?”
“Shiloh. Just another girl in my house.”
“Uh-huh.”
His ears reddened. “Is it that obvious?”
I smirked. “You were practically falling over yourself.”
He cursed.
“What’s so special about her, anyway?”
He let out a loud sigh. “Everything. She’s beautiful, smart, and nice. Like genuinely a nice person. She’s perfect.”
I snorted. “Nobody’s perfect, Javi.”
“She is. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just this connection I feel when I’m near her. Don’t laugh. It’s stupid, I know, but I feel it. If she knew the real me, I think she would feel the same.”
“So why won’t she give you a chance?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He turned to stare moodily out the window.
I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure how to respond.
“This is the part where you’re supposed to tell me I’m a great catch and you know she’ll fall for me someday.”
“But sometimes it doesn’t work out, Javi. Sometimes you just have to move on.”
He turned back to me. “Wow. You’re horrible at pep talk.”
It was my turn to shrug. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Love sucks.”
His brow furrowed. “Speaking from experience?”
I flushed. “I don’t want to get into it.”
My ex was the last person I wanted to think about.
He stretched his hands out in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Let’s go grab some food and drinks and drown our misery together.”
I smiled at him. “Sounds good to me.”
“This is the cafeteria.”
My mouth hung open. Like everything at the school, it was huge. The white tiled floor sparkled under the gorgeous chandeliers. Chandeliers. The school had freaking chandeliers in the cafeteria. Cafeteria hardly seemed the appropriate word. No. The place looked like a royal wedding food banquet. Different size tables dotted the room, all dressed out with gold, silver, or royal blue tablecloths and beautifully carved chairs with plush cushions. Even the dishware was grotesquely fancy and expensive. In the middle of the room, rows of buffet tables made of marble decked with silver and gold stood; the varied aromas wafting from them.
“Is that crab legs and steak?”
He glanced to the buffet table where I was pointing and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Oh my god, how much money does this school have?”
“It’s Malibu.”
I snorted. “Who pays for all this?”
He frowned. “The families of students and the government.”
My head whipped back and forth as I took in all the deliciousness. There was literally anything you could want. Not only did they have the giant buffet tables, but they also had a freaking serving staff that waited on students.
I let out a long whistle. “This is crazy.”
Javi stared at me like
I was the oddity. I snorted. If he’d shown up in my school cafeteria, he would have been sorely disappointed.
“Hey, Javi!” A girl called.
His lips broke into a grin that I’d learned he reserved just for the ladies. I rolled my eyes as he winked at her.
My gaze snagged on Shiloh who stood watching the exchange. She met my stare and glanced away.
I whipped to my cousin who was oblivious to it all.
No wonder the girl wouldn’t go out with him. The idiot. No self-respecting girl would take the school flirt seriously.
I elbowed him, earning a glare.
“What was that for?” he demanded.
I gave a pointed look toward Shiloh, but she’d disappeared into the throng of people.
Javi frowned in confusion.
“Never mind. But that girl you like just saw your disgusting display.”
He blinked. “Huh? The winking? What’s wrong with that?”
I sighed. “Really? You don’t see why flirting with another girl might send the wrong message to the one you supposedly like?”
He didn’t respond.
I threw my arms up in frustration. “I give up.”
“No. Don’t give up. So, you think she was jealous?” His eyes lit up.
Ignoring him, I made a beeline for the first buffet table and snatched up a plate.
“Ouch. It’s hot!”
Javi handed me a tray to put it on. “Wait. What did you mean back there?”
I grabbed a fork, knife, and spoon on my plate. Just in case, I would be ready for all kinds of delicious food in all its forms.
“That you can’t be flirting with everybody if you’re trying to date her. She’s gonna think you’re not serious about her.”
Javi grabbed his own tray, plate, and silverware. “But I am serious!”
I reached past him to grab a salad bowl. “Don’t tell me that. Tell her. Make sure she knows that you’re not playing the field.”
My mouth watered as I scooped up the yummy Walldorf salad along with some fresh fruit. I glanced down at my plate and debated grabbing another one.
There was no way I was going to miss out on all the gourmet food.
“You know we can make as many trips to the buffet as we want to.”
