Fanny nodded. “You’ll find Magnum to be very forthcoming if you give him the chance.” Her eyes gleamed with hero worship. “The many microphones and cameras—”
“Cameras?” Brady interjected.
“Yes,” she said, but one of her eyes twitched for a moment, making me think it had been a slip. “The surveillance is for your protection as well as ours.”
“Doubt that,” Layla said. “We’ve never beenlesssafe than since we met Magnum.”
“True that,” I said.
Though it didn’t need adjusting, Fanny smoothed her hands down her jacket. “This school is about to be filled with students of all sorts with a vast range of capabilities we have too little idea about. You all may be able to survive death, but these students, some of them are quite skilled atcausingit. Trust me when I tell you, you want the security Magnum affords you.”
A chill ran over my skin and I sat up ramrod straight. “Are these new students going to be used to … kill us?”
Her eye twitched in a tell, before she hastily replied, “Magnum has not yet informed me of his plans for you.”
“Lie,” Layla snapped, voicing my own thought. My girl was definitely in a pointing mood today, as she now aimed her rigid index finger at Fanny. “You just flat-out lied to us.”
The assistant didn’t deny it. She merely tilted up her chin in defiance.
Layla pressed, “What kind of supes are coming?”
Fanny just stared back blankly.
“Shifters? Vamps?”
“Layla,” Brady started. But then Fanny’s eye twitched again. Brady leaned back in his seat with a whistle. “No shit …”
“Dayum,” Layla breathed. “That’s gonna be awesome. What else? What other powers?”
“I’ve neither confirmed nor denied a single thing.”
“Yeah, you have,” Brady said. “Never play poker with your boss. He’ll take you for everything you have and add it to his stuffed vaults.”
Fanny huffed, then scowled for good measure. “I personally will not be referring to anyone in the student body of this fine institute as a supernatural or a ‘supe,’ and I highly recommend you don’t either.” Her frown deepened. “As far as I know, there is no such thing as a vampire or a shapeshifter. I’ve not once heard Magnum use those terms. The new students will be blessed with uniquegifts, with specialabilities. They are imbued withskillsfrom beyond this world. They are not caricature-like paranormalcreatures. For goodness’ sake, this is reality, not fiction!”
“Just like I said,” Brady interjected. “I told her this wasn’t a book. We’re not living in a damn movie.”
“Precisely,” Fanny said.
Undaunted, Layla’s eyes still sparkled. “Hmmmm. We’ll see.”
Fanny snorted. “This is a waste of my time. We have to get going. You’re to meet with the scientists first. They’ll perform an examination to get a preliminary baseline reading on each of you. Then we’re to meet with your instructors. First, those who’ll teach you”—she paused to curl her lips in apparent disapproval—“ninja skills. Next, those who’ll nurture your minds.” The latter was apparently sufficiently dignified for her; the sneer vanished. “Finally, we’ll get all the supplies you need and get you ready to begin your training first thing tomorrow. Now …” She cast a sneer at Layla in particular. “Is there anything else I can help you with before we set off for the day?”
“Yes,” Hunt answered right away. “We want the titles to our cars, even the incomplete ones, so that when we choose to leave, we’ll have no problem taking them with us.”
“Of course,” Fanny said a little too easily, too graciously.
The lack of titles was the least of our worries in leaving this place, but kudos to Hunt for thinking of it. The more we had lined up in our favor ahead of time, the better.
Without warning or apparent reason, the dishware atop the table began to rattle.
Bobo whined, rushing to my side, where he placed both his snout and paw on my lap. Griffin’s hand landed on my shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Brady asked, pushing to his feet.
“Nothing,” Fanny said, too breezily. “Nothing at all, I’m sure.”
Then Brady’s spoon began to clink against his bowl. Layla scooped up her mug from where she’d set down her coffee, clutching it close.
