Free Undercover Magic by Judy Teel Page A

has set the bathrooms on fire again."
    At least public schools never had to start night classes for vampires. According to
     their own law, no acolyte could be turned before the age of twenty-five. To the public
     they spouted a bunch of crap about it being an adult decision and, "As responsible
     citizens we support that." What I'd heard in back rooms was that the survival rate
     increased after twenty-five because the immune system was mature. Ugh.
    This particular principal's office looked more like a top executive's digs than a
     poorly paid public servant. There was even a small wet bar in the corner, though it
     only had soda and bottled tea. We made sure we checked. Good liquor was a prime bargaining
     chip for information on the street. We weren't about to pass that up.
    Knowing we didn't have much time, Falcon and I split up the work, riffling in a systemic
     way through desk drawers, trash cans, and files. It was slow going.
    "Most of what I'm finding is blank paper or memos about who's bringing bagels on Friday.
     They're definitely hiding something." I pulled the inter-dimensional distortion scanner
     out of my breast pocket and started scanning the walls of the office.
    "Where does a practitioner school keep their secret documents? Sounds like the first
     line of a bad joke." Falcon shoved the papers he was going through back in the file
     drawer and sauntered to my side of the office.
    From just behind me, he watched the readout on the screen of the device. A purple
     light suddenly flashed on at the top of it.
    Falcon pointed at the wall, nearly hitting me in the face in his excitement. "There!
     Now key in the— Stop. Stop! Not like that." He grabbed the gadget out of my hands.
    "You're lucky we're such good friends," I said, stepping back as I watched his thumbs
     flying over the face of the device like he was texting. "I've destroyed people for
     less."
    "Yeah, yeah." He pointed the scanner at the wall and a soft purple light beamed over
     the spot, revealing a glowing two by three foot rectangle.
    "Pretty. Now how do we get into it?"
    "Faith, young Luke."
    "I've also killed annoying people for old movie references."
    He pressed another button. The purple light narrowed into a horizontal strip and scanned
     down, tracking where the outline had appeared. The light went off. The surface of
     the wall shimmered and a wall safe slowly appeared and solidified.
    "I take it back. You're a keeper." I stepped up and used the camera on the lock. When
     I pushed down on the handle, the door of the safe swung open. Finally we were getting
     somewhere.
    The light on the camera in the corner started flashing.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Cooper heard the grunt of impact as Marc landed on the assassin. He dropped his supposed
     dinner and was on his feet and sprinting for the other building before it hit the
     fire.
    Above him, at the edge of the hole in the building, Marc struggled to disarm the vampire.
     Cooper picked up speed, instinctively calculated the height and trajectory and jumped.
     Behind him the roasting rat caught fire and ignited like a torch, lighting up the
     wall and casting his shadow into monstrous proportions as his leap carried him to
     the second floor.
    He plowed into the back of the assassin as the vampire aimed his rifle at Marc's head.
     They tumbled across the floor struggling for possession of the gun, the vamp morphing
     as they went. 
    Cooper grabbed the weapon in both hands and the vampire fired in rapid succession.
     The shots went wide. Marc sprang at them, wrangling the vampire by the head and jaw
     to keep him from biting either one of them.
    Cooper ripped the gun out of the vampire's grip. The vamp twisted free of Marc and
     bit down on his back teeth. His body spasmed under Cooper and he jumped back, repulsed
     and sickened. Marc did the same.
    Blood spurted from of the assassin's mouth. His back bowed into a rigid plank of pain
     as black coagulated fluid tracked down his cheeks and then he