19

WITH THE FIRST TRYOUT TOMORROW, LARA INSISTED I quit right away.For as much as I dreaded possibly failing the tryout, it would’ve beennice to at least get the chance to see what I could do. Maybe I only sawSupernatural Investigations as a way to learn about what happened toQuinton at first, but I’ve done so much in just a few days. Elsie and Ilaunched our own investigation, I got to question Moreau and used what Ilearned to get Dylan to tell me about the Black Book. I think I actuallystarted to see myself as a real Agent.It would’ve been so great to prove Director Van Helsing and all theothers rooting against me wrong. The worst part is that people like Elsieand Agent Fiona were rooting for me. It would’ve been nice to not feel likesuch a disappointment for once.I take Lucy up to the Department of Supernatural Investigations. It’s late,but the halls are just as busy as they were during our tour the other day.Makes sense, I guess. Protecting the innocent is a twentyfourhour job.Like it or not, I screwed up bigtime. All Lara has to do is message thatvideo of me to her dad and I’m toast.I’m pretty sure I remember where the offices are, so I head to the rightside of the main hall and enter another hallway. The first door I come to hasa plaque that reads Strategy Room. I peek through the crack in the door tofind men and women in army fatigues arguing as they huddle over aBattleship board game. Whatever they’re talking about, it sounds serious.The next door has no plaque but shouting comes from inside. Nosy as ever,I stop to listen. “You tell the Governor that if he didn’t want his housepushed into the lake, then he shouldn’t have cleared that forest. Seems tome the yetis were only returning the favor.”I find Agent Magnus’s door locked. Just my luck. But then I hear hisgravelly laugh from somewhere behind me, so I follow the sound until Ireach Agent Fiona’s office. Well, that’s just great. I’ve got to quit in front ofboth of them.I give the door a knock.Magnus appears in the doorway. “Kinda in the middle of something, kid.What do you want?”When I practiced on the way here, I imagined myself meeting his eyesand confidently saying, “I’m looking to do something different. I’m overthe whole Junior Agent thing. Just need you to fill out the paperwork.”But now that Agent Magnus is front of me, the words are a lot tougher toget out. “Okay so . . . the thing is . . .”“Spit it out.”Deep breath. “I need to switch to another department.”The door swings open fully. “Don’t tell me you’ve given up beforeyou’ve tested yourself even once.” Agent Fiona stares down at me withthose scary blue eyes. Except she’s not nearly as frightening with her hairall done up in pretty curls. She’s wearing an emerald gown that looksamazing on her.Confused, I peek into the room to see that there is a candlelit dinner fortwo on top of Agent Fiona’s desk. “Are you guys on a date? Like a datedate?”Agent Magnus stands up a little straighter. “What’s it to you if we are?”“Oh nothing,” I say. “Just, good job, I guess. Agent Fiona is way out ofyour league.”Agent Fiona smothers a laugh as Agent Magnus goes red.“I like to think I make up for the rather significant, err . . . beauty gap inother ways. Devilish charm and impeccable character, for instance.”Agent Fiona eyes me. “I’ve got half a mind to take a look at yourintentions, see what’s really behind this sudden change of heart, Peters.”If she does that, then she’ll know about me using a spell inside theBureau. That would be a disaster. I’ve got to think of something, fast.“But I won’t . . .” Agent Fiona adds. “Instead I want ye to take the rest ofthe evening and think this through, ye hear? This is a big decision and itshouldn’t be made without at least a wee bit of reflection. If ye come backin the morning and still feel the same, then I’ll gladly sign the paperworkmeself.”“But I am sure,” I say.“Do it as a favor to me,” says Magnus. “Don’t forget you owe me one forspeaking up for you a few days back.”I sigh in defeat. “Fine.”“But I am sure,” I say.“Do it as a favor to me,” says Magnus. “Don’t forget you owe me one forspeaking up for you a few days back.”I sigh in defeat. “Fine.”The sleepins are being held in two of the training rooms. One for the girlsand one for the boys. We’re supposed to use the locker rooms inside tochange into our pajamas. The whole purpose is to relax and buildfriendships with other trainees before the stress of tomorrow’s tryouts.As soon as I step into the training room, Lara hops off her bed and comesright up to me. “Well?” she says, hands on her hips.I can’t even meet her eyes. “They said I have to wait until morning. Theywant me to be sure.”Lara huffs. “You’d better be sure.” Then she turns and stomps back to herbed.I pick the bed the farthest away from everyone else. I’m not in the moodfor Lara tonight, and all the other girls have chosen beds that surround hers.She’s like the sun and they’re a bunch of little planets. They all talkexcitedly about what tomorrow’s tryout might be. Lara assures everyonethat she’s seen the rules on her father’s desk and that it’s basically a massiveobstacle course with little stations where we have to answer supernaturaltrivia questions.Hearing that makes me feel a little bit better. I’ll get to save myself theembarrassment of being the only moonstone badge recipient to fail a tryoutand be sent home. For all the reading I’ve been doing, it feels like I haven’teven made a dent in my supernatural booklist. While the other girls pressLara for more clues, I lie back on my pillow, pull out my cell phone, andplug in my earbuds. I close my eyes and before I know it, I’m drifting off tosleep.What feels like just minutes later, my eyes jump back open. Dylancrouches over me, flicking my cheek with his hand. I sit up and freeze.What’s going on? I’m not in the training room anymore. I’m on the floor ofa small library. A dusty desk sits to my left and there are battered bookcasesall around me.“Good,” says Dylan, standing up. “You’re finally asleep.”“You mean awake?” I say groggily.“No, I mean asleep. We’re sharing a Wakeful Dream. I think this is thefirst tryout.”For real? I think back to Agent Fiona and Agent Magnus wanting me towait and make my decision in the morning. They didn’t want me to quitbefore the first tryout.I groan. I’m not a fan of being tricked.But I’m also wondering if maybe it means they think I actually have achance of passing.Ugh. But I can’t pass. Not with Lara holding that video over my head.“Are we partners?” I ask him.Before Dylan can answer, a ball of red flame bursts into existencebetween us. It grows, burning whitehot before it explodes into a fierymessage. Dylan circles around to read it with me.WELCOME TO THE FIRSTJUNIOR AGENT TRYOUT.GET TO THE BASEMENT DOWNSTAIRS AND RETRIEVE WHAT WAS STOLEN.HINT: IT’S THE MOST VALUABLE THING YOU’LL FIND.BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICE.AND REMEMBER,YOUR EVERY DECISION WILL BE JUDGED.GOOD LUCK!The words disappear into a cloud of smoke.“Be prepared to explain your choice,” Dylan repeats.“Maybe there’s more than one object to choose from?” I say.Dylan laughs. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge if there wasn’t. Ithink we need to figure out the answer to your first question—are wesupposed to work together or is this a me versus you competition?”They can’t expect us to work together. “It has to be a competition,” I say.“If they eliminate the loser of each pairing, then that leaves the sixteentrainees that move on to the next tryout.”“True, but don’t forget that real agents always work in pairs.”I bite my lip. He makes a good point.“Hmm,” says Dylan. “Maybe we should agree to work together untilsomething tells us we can’t.”“Okay.” Hopefully that comes sooner rather than later so I can just getthis over with and let him win.“We should start by observing our surroundings,” Dylan says, lookingaround. “There’s probably a reason we’re in this room.”“All I see is a lot of books.”“Look for details,” Dylan says. He points to the corner of the ceiling.“How about those cobwebs?” He sniffs. “And there’s dust everywhere.Maybe we’re in an abandoned house.”I point to a pot full of pretty white and violet flowers. “Someone has tobe watering those.”“Good find. Let’s keep that in mind while we head to the basement. Uh,okay if I lead?”“Sure,” I say. “You’ve got more experience in the supernatural world.”Dylan pulls open the squeaky door and pokes his head out. “We’re at theend of a hallway. It seems empty.”“Seems?” I say, but he’s already stepped into the darkness.Here goes nothing. I follow Dylan into the hall. It’s dark as far as I cansee, the only light coming from two open doorways on the right side of thehall. Unless one of those rooms leads down to the basement, I don’t knowwhere else the entrance might be.We tiptoe through the darkness, the floorboards creaking loudly beneathour feet. Twice, we hear what sounds like voices up ahead and Dylan has usstop and wait. Both times it just gets quiet again and we continue down thehall.It seems like forever before we reach the first doorway. Dylan stops usshort of the entrance. “We should check out both rooms. We don’t want anysurprises.”“Good idea.”Dylan leans into the open doorway and whispers, “A weapons room.”We both slip inside and close the door behind us. The sunlight and warmair coming through the large, bustedout window make the room feel like anoven. Outside, a wide desert stretches into the horizon. A cactus that’s beenchopped down is all there is to see.“Maybe we should choose something,” Dylan says, picking up a daggerfrom the weapons rack. Axes, maces, a javelin, and a couple swords hang from metal hooks. There’s even a crossbow.I grab a really coollooking ax—which is surprisingly light—and give it acouple swings. Then I get a scary thought. “Does this mean we’ll have tofight something?”“No clue. I’m as much in the dark about this as you are.”That might be true, but the way he twirls the dagger between his fingerslike a pro makes it clear he at least knows how to fight. “We should getgoing,” he says.I nod and follow him out the door.The hallway feels even darker than last time. Probably because theweapons room was so bright. Dylan moves quicker this time, ignoring theloud floorboards. Having that dagger must be a confidence boost. Or maybehe’s as ready to get out of this spooky place as I am.Dylan’s breath catches, and he stops suddenly. I don’t have to ask why.Gleaming red eyes appear in the dark. A hulking frame in tattered clothingsteps into the light of the second doorway, its head hanging unnaturally toone side. It’s missing an arm and one of its legs is turned the wrong way.It moves toward us with jerky steps. A growl fills the hallway.Dylan lifts his dagger. That’s when I see it.“No!” I shout, and grab his arm.“What are you doing?” says Dylan.The creature stumbles right past us.“Look,” I say. Lit by the sunlight pouring out from the weapons roomdoorway, I’m able to point out the bouquet of flowers in the creature’s hand.“Just because we’re afraid, doesn’t give us the right to attack,” I say.“Where I’m from that happens a lot—you get labeled as bad or scary justby how you look or what neighborhood you’re in. Remember that flowerpotin the library? I’ll bet whatever that was is just going to put some flowers init.”“Thanks,” Dylan says in the darkness. “That was a good call.”I smile. “Maybe I should lead.”He laughs. “Good idea.”I move to the front and into the next doorway. Another room with a viewof the desert landscape. “It’s empty.”Dylan joins me in the doorway. “Are you sure?”Before I can answer, something whimpers. Looking harder, I’m able tomake out a girl tucked into the shadows directly beneath the window. “Help,” the girl says. “Please.”Wait, she’s a Junior Agent trainee like we are. Stephanie something. Asword lies at her side.“I don’t wanna be a Junior Agent anymore,” Stephanie says. “Did yousee that thing in the hall? Can I come with you guys?”“No,” Dylan says firmly.“Seriously?” I ask. “Can’t you see she’s scared?”“Where’s your partner?” Dylan asks.“When I told him I wanted to quit, he left me here,” answers Stephanie.“Said he wouldn’t let me ruin his tryout.”“So you haven’t left this room?” Dylan asks.Stephanie shakes her head. “I never should’ve picked this stupid career. Idon’t know what I was thinking.”Enough of Dylan’s questions. I’m going to help her.I make it all of two steps before Dylan shouts my name. He adds, “Don’tgo any closer.”“I’m helping her,” I say.“Ask her where she got the sword,” says Dylan.I stop cold. She would’ve had to go to the weapons room to get thatsword. But she just told us she hasn’t left this room.A wicked grin spreads across Stephanie’s face, revealing fangs. The sightmakes Moreau’s fangs flash in my head and I totally freeze up. She lungesfor me, but Dylan shoves her back just in time. The girl stumbles into thesunlight, where she dissolves into a cloud of ashes.“Thanks.” I close my eyes and shake out my nerves. “How did youknow?”“Since the first test was about something scary being harmless, it onlymakes sense that this test would be the opposite.”Why didn’t I think of that? Having a partner is working out pretty well sofar. Which is probably the point—we’re supposed to work together.