Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 27: Guide to Prestigious Schools

Most folks had bailed 'cause of the stench coming off Frank. Alvin handed a beer to Chief George and said, "Chief, if you got more to say and it's cool, spill it. Honestly, I ain't got beef with the cops!"

George looked up at Alvin, thought for a sec, and said, "I dunno if I should tell you this. I've seen your stuff; you got some crazy skills and some badass pets. I wanted to pick your brain; maybe it could help."

Alvin internally rolled his eyes. These guys always did this—ask if they should say something and then just say it anyway. Why the drama? If I don't talk, I'll just watch you squirm.

The old Chief kept going, not even phased, "Recently, a bigwig from Stark Group got jumped. Her bodyguard bit it saving her. Our digging showed the attacker was a vampire."

Stopping Alvin from busting out laughing, Chief George said, "No joke, a real vampire, with fangs, night prowling, blood-sucking. A deep dive showed it's a whole crew. Lots of missing folks over the years are tied to them."

Alvin shot the Chief a sarcastic look and said, "Wow~ You didn't catch this for decades, but the second a Stark exec gets hit, you crack the case!"

Wiping his eyes in mock disdain, Alvin said, "Honestly, Chief, you've set a new low for my opinion of Big Apple City's finest!"

Chief George gave a bitter smile and said, "I won't dodge the blame. When I found out, I ordered a probe. But I lost over ten officers; they were all solid guys.

I don't want their deaths to be for nothing. So I came to you; I thought you might have some intel."

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Chief George sincerely said, "If you know anything, spill it, so I can send those bastards to hell."

Alvin thought for a moment. Chief George's face didn't look fake; he really cared about public safety and was hurting from losing his men. Plus, night, fangs, blood-sucking—it all rang a bell. This world didn't have vampire flicks, but Alvin had seen plenty in his past life. It made him curious but also wary of getting into deep trouble.

Jessica, nearby, was hooked by Chief George's story, leaning on the bar with her chin in her hand, like she was listening to a bedtime story.

Ginny climbed onto a high stool, copying Jessica's pose, even though she didn't get what the adults were talking about, but she could watch her dad!

Alvin was amused by Ginny's antics, tickling her until she giggled.

After planting a kiss on his daughter's cheek, Alvin turned to Chief George and said, "Maybe I know something, but I'm not sure. Can you bring someone who was there? Someone who can give me the lowdown on what they saw, heard, and even smelled."

Alvin paused and said, "But isn't this the kind of thing S.H.I.E.L.D. should handle? They're the pros."

Chief George's face twisted in anger at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearly, he hadn't gotten any love from them. Just like the FBI looking down on the CIA, the Chief was obviously not taken seriously by S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I got one line from them: 'The matter is being handled. We will inform you after it's resolved.' These jerks don't give a damn about civilians and cops.

A city councilman brought this up a few times, and then his whole family vanished. These bastards are out of control."

After cursing out S.H.I.E.L.D., Chief George seemed to feel a bit better and said, "I can set up a meet with the Stark Group exec. Can you do it?"

Alvin stretched and grinned, "I'm the owner and chef of this joint. As long as it's chow time, I'm here. Gotta feed the fam, right?"

He then playfully pinched Ginny's little nose and shot Jessica a mock-disdainful look.

Ignoring Jessica's eye-roll, Alvin extended his hand to Chief George and said, "I don't know how this'll pan out! But I can tell you're a solid cop. If this vampire stuff is legit, I'll give it my all. Got a kid now, and I'm also a principal."

Chief George knew about Alvin's self-proclaimed principal gig, and Alvin had just made a promise.

So Chief George joked, "Yeah, Principal, your school's the wildest I've ever seen. My daughter's heading into 11th grade; maybe I'll think about transferring her to your place.

You know, teenage girls are a nightmare. Wish I could follow her around with a shotgun to keep the bad boys away."

Looking at Ginny, who was fiddling with her fingers at the bar, Alvin nodded sympathetically and decided to draft some strict rules against early dating at his school.

Nodding firmly, Alvin said, "My school has a zero-tolerance policy on early relationships! You should think about transferring your daughter next year. Can't promise everything, but our graduation rate is top-notch. Our senior class teachers are all big-shot professors."

Alvin silently excluded Professor Cage from the "big-shot" category, but no need to spill that to George, right?

Chief George didn't expect Alvin to actually invite him to send his daughter to his school. Feeling a bit awkward, he laughed it off and said, "I'll have to run it by my wife and daughter!"

Just then, Alvin realized George's daughter was a stellar student. If handled right, it could set a precedent, and outside students would have to shell out big bucks to get into the community school.

It's not that Alvin looked down on other schools. In a couple of years, in terms of exams, the community school could leave others in the dust. What? Just being good at exams isn't enough; you need social practice too? Our Hell's Kitchen kids go home one day a week, and that day is the best social practice.

To make the school successful, you need results. It's too late for that now, but there are always shortcuts. Bringing in some top students for exams would boost the school's performance, right? Maybe it only takes a year to become a prestigious school.

Thinking about prestigious schools in his past life, where rich folks threw money at them, Alvin thought, "Our community school doesn't need that. If you got cash, we'll take you."

But first, he needed to convince George to send his daughter over. Alvin said, "Consult? What's that? Don't make me lose respect for you, George. I can guarantee your daughter won't have a boyfriend at my school. And she'll be in 11th grade, taught by two retired Columbia University professors, Professor Wilson and Professor Cage.

Wilson's a nominee for the top literary award in America, and Professor Cage is even more impressive, a Nobel Prize nominee in math. Imagine what your daughter's future will be like under their guidance!

Either professor could easily recommend your daughter to the top universities in the country. What are you waiting for, George? Think about the bad boys circling your daughter at her current school. Her future's in your hands."

George was clearly swayed, rubbing his chin, "I'll think about it."