The prospect of a hot cup of deliciousness lifted my spirits. I quickened my pace to meet his long strides.
My eyes hurt taking in all the lavish display of money. The sidewalks were paved with bright white stone that was almost too white to look at. It was how I envisioned heaven would look like with all the whites and golds. This wasn’t a school. It was its own little town.
Lush greenery dotted the path as we walked to the end of the block. Javi pointed out all the buildings we passed.
“That one is House Phoenix.”
I looked to where he pointed. A giant red brick building towered over us. At the top of the doorway was a giant bird made of flame carved into the plaque.
“And behind these houses, House Pegasus and House Centaur.”
I couldn’t see anything past the giant brick building. Turning to him, I shook my head. “No House Unicorn?”
His eyes narrowed, calculating if I was being sincere or a smart ass. “No. It got voted down.”
My lips quirked into a smile. “So, where’s the quidditch field?”
He frowned. “This isn’t Hogwarts, Rose. GRIMM Academy is the top school for GRIMMs. It’s not a joke. We do serious training here.”
“Okay. Okay. Sorry.”
We came to the end of the block and Javi led me across the road to the other buildings. I stifled a yawn as I matched his strides. A pit was growing in my stomach. Why was he showing me the school now? Deep down, I suspected they were going to try to enroll me.
That wasn’t happening. I needed to find a way out before then or maybe the school would be my way out? I could escape the campus and be free without them knowing. I glanced in the direction of the guard house. Was that just wishful thinking? Could I really do it?
“Rose?” Javi had stopped in front of the giant stucco building.
I pushed away my thoughts and followed him toward the entrance. We walked up the long wide stone stairs. A cool breeze swept across us, making me glad for the long-sleeved shirt I’d chosen. The white colored stucco of the building and tan tiled roof was beautiful and probably cost them a small fortune. Spanish architecture was common in California, but there was something different about seeing it here amidst the lush landscape of the sandy white beach. It didn’t feel familiar to me.
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
