The Mimics

Chapter 3

"Mimics. Dangerous monsters." Teckles pauses, looking through the rows and rows of books. "They come out of reflections. The key thing to know? Never, ever, ever, look at any type of reflective surface ever again. Now that you have experience, the Mimics will come, I promise to you. They come through Fronts, portals from their reality to ours. You know the pond the Mimic came out of? That's its Front. Be careful-"

The two double black doors are thrown open and a familiar voice cuts through Teckles voice.

"Celene, I need to talk to you. Like now." I glance at Teckles, then at Noah, now standing at the doors, panic clearly written all over his body.

"She'll be right there, Crownhunter!" Teckles looks over at me, smiling warmly.

"Good luck for you and your mission. It won't be easy, but I'll be here to help you through it. By the way, I knew your mom." I stop in my tracks, turning around to face her.

"What? How?" She smiles, the twinkle coming back in her black eyes.

"She was an Elite. And a close friend of mine." Elite? Who are they? But I had no time to waste. Noah was still standing there, beckoning me to come.

"Thank you for telling me, are you going to free later?" She nods, smiling.

"Of course. You can always find me here."

"Thank you, Ms. Teckles." Then I'm gone, racing through the library to Noah.

He grabs my hand, lacing it with his and pulls me out of the library, shutting the black doors. Sparks fly everywhere his hands make contact with mine, making me gasp for air. He pulls me down the hallways, explaining the situation.

"Cel." Then he pauses. "Can I call you that?" I nod and he continues walking, pulling me into an empty room. "Okay listen Cel. I need to explain this place to you." I nod, but what Teckles told me remains in my head.

"What are Elites? Teckles was telling me about them." He sighs, running a hand down his face.

"Look, there's an important hierarchy here. We need to follow it, and so do you. Welcome to the Academy of Mimic Hunters, which you can call the A.M.H.. First at the bottom we have the ephemeral beings, the mortals. That's what everyone thinks you are, but since you could see this building, you can't be. Higher up, the Mimic Hunters. The people that fight the Mimics. Each academy around the world has over 10 Mimic Hunter teams. After that, leading each Mimic Hunter team, there are Crownhunters, talented and powerful Mimic Hunters trained to take down Mimics all their lives." I scratch my head, remembering what Teckles said.

"Aren't you a Crownhunter?" He nods, grinning.

"You're observant for someone who should be a mortal." I distinctly roll my eyes, acting annoyed.

"Oh, shut up." His smile disappears, eyes shining bright. His ocean blue eyes travel down my face, and he looks away, clearing his throat.

"Next are the Tellers. They are the leaders of each academy, like this one. Teckles is one. Honestly, they're old retired Mimic hunters that have nothing left to do with their lives. So, they just sit in the library and give advice to newbies." I cock my head, eyeing him.

"What if she's listening? You can't speak like that about her." He shrugs, mischief gleaming in his blue orbs.

"I don't know if observant Celene has seen yet, but she favours me. Probably cause I've been here for a long time." I push back to a wall, rolling my eyes.

"Makes sense. I have a feeling you're like a golden boy. Crownhunter Noah." I run my hands through the air, envisioning a banner. He chuckles, smirking.