“So this is Raven Falls,” Jon said as Eve led him and Ezra through the tree-shaded campus. The usual crowds of students moving like ants were gone, leaving only the occasional summer-term student and the landscapers to drift along the winding brick pathways. Summer was Eve’s favorite time at Raven Falls because she didn’t have to wade through randoms to get anywhere. The wild roses sprawling across the grounds were alright, too.

“It’s nice here,” said Ezra. He was looking around with his journalist-face on, observing everything. Eve’s upper back itched under the scrutiny, but Ezra kept whatever thoughts he was having to himself.

Eve hummed, breathing in the smell of grass and rose. “It’s alright.”

The Folklore department, and her parents’ offices, were wedged in the basement of the English Literature building. Lush ivy grew up the red brick of the building, clinging close to the windows, and, Eve knew from experience, blocking out most of what light made it into the basement offices. She remembered sitting in her mom’s office, a book in her lap and vending machine snacks in a pile beside her, looking up at that green-tinted light and imagining a tunnel, a path to somewhere else—fairyland, maybe, or maybe just anywhere that wasn’t a stuffy academic’s office.

The basement was too-bright and as stuffy as ever, and Eve pulled at the neck of her tank top. It was a maze down here, but her parents’ offices hadn’t moved since they’d been hired, so Eve could probably have walked it in her sleep. She stopped at her dad’s dark, wooden door. It had several printed-out memes taped to it, as well as a plaque with his name on it.

“Listen,” she said, spinning to face Ezra and Jon. Ezra quickly shifted his gaze away from Jon and looked guilty, while Jon let his linger on Ezra and looked shameless. “Professor Donnelly is weird but knows his shit. I’m sure he has a lot to do, so let’s just figure out what the fuck is up with Kyle and go.”

Jon protested. “No fair, I want to talk about folklore.”

“Donnelly,” Ezra was murmuring, “how do I know that name?”

“Talk to Ez about werewolves on the way back, then.” Eve knocked on the door.

“Come on in,” her dad called. Eve pushed the door open, and he looked up from the book he was reading. “Sunflower!” he said, beaming at Eve so hard his eyes nearly closed. His hair, the same mousy-brown as Eve’s, was sticking up in different directions from where he’d scratched his head while working. A pen was clamped onto the collar of his t-shirt, but he held a different one in his hand. His office was cluttered with random knickknacks and more printed memes. Papers in haphazard stacks covered the desk, with books acting as precarious paperweights against the swiveling fan in the corner. Smoke from a snail-shaped incense holder gently wafted around the room.

Eve smiled back at him, making sure Jon and Ezra couldn’t see it. “Hey,” she said. Her dad came around his desk to hug her and smiled at the guys. “This is Jon Beck and Ezra Park.”

He shook their hands. “Alex Donnelly. Are you two helping my Sunflower with her ghost problem?”

“Professor,” she scolded. “Don’t call me that.”

He laughed. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

Ezra laughed nervously and pretended to dig through his pockets for his notepad and pen. Jon’s smile tightened a little. He glanced at Eve and narrowed his eyes slightly. Eve ignored them both.

“Have a seat, have a seat,” Alex said, sitting down and gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. “Caroline isn’t teaching a class this term, so hopefully I can answer your questions well enough without her expertise.”

“You know more about supernatural shit than her, anyway,” Eve shrugged. “And we need to know what supernatural shit might have persuasion powers.” Ezra sat with his notepad on his bony knee, already taking notes.

Alex looked up as he thought. “Persuasion. Can I assume we’re limiting it to Western European and North American creatures?” Eve turned to Ezra and Jon.

“Most likely,” Jon said. An easy smile stretched his mouth, and he leaned forward to talk. Eve had a sinking feeling that he and her parents were going to get along too well. “It’s located in this area, so it would have to have some cultural consciousness to give it power.”

“Excellent,” Alex said, rubbing his hands together. “My first thought is vampire, though they don’t have that ability in every iteration.”

“Not a vampire,” Eve said. She didn’t look at him, instead looking around his office. He had a few new thrift store decorations, probably ones her mom had deemed ‘cursed.’ “He’s been outside in the sun.”

Alex hummed and steepled his fingers. “Even you’ve seen this being, Eve? That’s new.” Eve pursed her lips and looked even further away. “But, sunlight wasn’t fatal for Dracula in the Stoker novel. Have you tried spilling a bag of rice in front of him?” He swiveled in his chair and scanned one bookshelf for a moment.

“I don’t…think so?” Ezra said. He glanced at Eve, tilting his head slightly.

“I don’t carry around bags of rice to test for arithmomania,” Eve said. “Why are you looking at me?” she said.

“We’ll table that line of thinking for now.” Alex pursed his lips as he grabbed a book with medieval art of a humanoid creature with horns on the cover. “Tell me more about this being. Does he have any interesting defining features?”

“No, he’s extremely boring looking.” Eve sniffed. Ezra and Jon looked at her, surprised.

“Uh, what?” Ezra said. “He’s objectively one of the most attractive people in Blackwood.”

Eve gaped at him. She squinted. “What the fuck?” she said.

“Yeah, I mean, the one time I saw him, I would not call him boring-looking.” Jon raised his eyebrows.

“He literally looks like a bag of uncooked rice,” Eve said. Then she frowned at the looks the guys were giving her. “But everyone else does act like he’s hot shit, so maybe I just have better taste than everyone in Blackwood.”

Ezra scribbled something in his notepad and brought the pen to his mouth, nibbling on it as he gave Eve an appraising look.

Alex glanced between them and brought his hands up to his chin. “Appears attractive to most people, persuasive. Does he react at all to holy symbols?” Eve and Jon turned to Ezra, who shrugged. “Did he say a specific phrase? Was it that you suddenly want to do what he wants or was he controlling you physically?”

Jon crossed his arms as he thought, his jacket squeaking as he moved. “He didn’t seem to have any kind of activation phrase or spell. It was like I was in a daze—I can barely remember what he said. But he wanted something, and I wanted to make him happy.” He glanced at Ezra as if to confirm. Ezra nodded slightly and looked down at his notepad, clearing his throat.

Alex frowned and met Eve’s eyes. He looked like he wanted to ask her a question, but instead, he looked at her for a moment and gave her a small, encouraging nod. “It’s hard to say for sure. He could be some kind of demon, most likely an incubus. And if he’s a fairy, that’s a whole different matter depending on the lore.”

“What about werewolves?” Ezra asked. The fan ruffled the pages of his notepad and he smoothed them down, not looking at anyone.

Eve pressed a hand into her face.

“I won’t say it’s impossible,” Alex said. “Though they’re not known to be especially attractive.”

Ezra frowned a little and then scratched his cheek to push it away.

“Speaking of werewolves,” Eve said, narrowing her eyes at him. She did try not to sound like she thought it was bullshit, but she could only act so well. “How would we know if someone was one? And how would we stop one, if one…existed?” Ezra and Jon weren’t going to give it a rest until the werewolf problem was dealt with, so she might as well deal with it.

“The easiest way would be to observe them on the night of the full moon.” Alex thought for a second. “They might become more frenzied or wolf-like in the days leading up to it. A transformed werewolf wouldn’t be able to enter hallowed ground; they may not be able to while ‘human’, either. You could also see if they react to silver or wolfsbane.”

Someone knocked once on the open door and walked in. “If you use wolfsbane, please be very careful, Sunflower,” Eve’s mom said, her voice soft. Her floaty, patchwork maxi dress swished around her ankles as she paused and looked at Jon and Ezra. “Oh hello.”

“Light of my life!” Alex said, standing and smiling at her, all dopey and lovestruck. Eve scowled and scuffed the toes of her sneakers against the tile floor. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve seen my daughter,” she said. Pale hair hung long down her back, moving in the fan’s breeze, and Eve’s neck sweated just looking at her.

“You’re Eve’s parents,” Ezra said, smacking the bottom of his fist into his other palm. “That’s where I know the name Donnelly from.”

Jon blinked and looked between the three of them, recognition dawning with an, “Ohhhhh.”

“Yes, our Sunflower likes to call us Professor on campus so no one will know. I’m Caroline, nice to meet you.”

“Jon Beck,” Jon said, standing and shaking her hand. “I’m a paranormal investigator assisting Eve with her ghost problem.”

Ezra clutched his notepad in one hand and shook Caroline’s in the other. “I’m Ezra Park with the Blackwood Review,” he said automatically. Then he blinked. “Ah, sorry, I’m also working with Eve.”

“Sunflower, I didn’t realize your haunting had gotten so serious,” Caroline said.

“Don’t call me that,” Eve snapped. She crossed her arms, fingers digging into her arms.

“I’m sorry, my love.” Caroline moved to stand behind Alex’s chair. “But it is your name.”