Crossing Nexis

by Barbara Hartzler

  Brilliant light enveloped the whole room, bursting every shadow and hint of darkness into white blossoms. Somehow my limbs were floating in the air. I felt weightless, free of all my burdens and obligations on earth.

  Goodbye, little Seer. You rest now.

  Suddenly my forehead grazed the ceiling. Bam! A clap of thunder rumbled above me. Then the whiteness faded away with a great gust of wind.

  And I was falling fast.

  Air whizzed around me as I plummeted to the ground.

  Slap, my back smacked against something hard, knocking the breath from my lungs

  Bryan’s strong arms curled under me.

  “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ve got you,” Bryan whispered into my hair.

  My limbs went numb as the training room faded to black.

  Chapter 4

  Darkness surrounded me—still and peaceful. I floated through the universe, a bottomless void of black space. Hands wrapped around my shoulders, shaking me out of the land of nothing. Speckles of light slashed open the void. Pinpricks of stars exploding in a night sky, shooting rays of light that collided, merging into streaks of gray and color.

  In a great blinding flash like a lens flare, the underground training room finally came into focus. My angel was gone. And I was cold. I could barely move, but my limbs felt lighter, as if they’d been hollowed out by the strange journey.

  “Lucy, wake up. Are you okay?” So much concern clouded Bryan’s eyes. Too much.

  It shocked my heart right back into reality. I propped my elbows up on the blue mats and eased myself into a sitting position.

  In an instant, his arms were around me. “Thank God,” he breathed into my hair. “Don’t scare me like that. I was so worried.”

  “We all were.” Brooke’s eyes crinkled like Bryan’s, and her dad didn’t look much better. Abby paced back and for across the mats, as if that’d help my gurgling stomach.

  Bryan’s strong arms found my waist, cupping my sides to help me stand. The blue mats swayed like the sea.

  “What happened?” A croaking sound escaped my throat.

  “I’m not really sure yet. I think I’ll have to check the book.” Mark scratched his chin and squinted his eyes like he was trying to solve a math problem. “Get her some water.”

  Brooke rushed to get me a water bottle. I downed it as fast as I could.

  “What book?” I asked between gulps. Two, three, five seconds ticked by. No one answered me.

  “You’ve definitely had enough for today.” Mark turned to his son with a lost look on his face. “Why don’t you take her upstairs now so she can rest?”

  The words rolled around in my brain like I’d heard them recently. I just couldn’t put my finger on where. My knees wobbled and I reached for Bryan.

  “On it.” Within seconds Bryan scooped me up in his arms and booked it across the room. Brooke trailed behind us then disappeared into the locker room.

  “You don’t have to carry me.” I could barely talk above a whisper.

  “Really, just let me take care of you.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “For me,” he whispered.

  “Okay, if it’ll make you feel better. I could get used to this.” I nuzzled into his chest as he climbed the basement steps. “What was your dad talking about?”

  “We don’t want this to happen again. Ever.” He eased me past the guest-room doorway and set me down on the four-poster bed. “There’s a special book the Guardian trainers have passed down for generations. It’s all about how to train the Seer. He probably thinks he did something wrong or brought you along too fast. But you were doing so good.”

  “Was I?” My words were but a breath.

  “You were marvelous.” But the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Get some rest, sweetie.”

  That worried bulldog look on his face faded away as my eyes fluttered closed. Somewhere in a faraway place Mark’s words drifted on the breeze—he wanted to talk to Bryan, and they needed to consult the book. But it all seemed so far away right now. I let myself drift off into never-never land.

  ***

  A white fog smudged out the forest background as my white sleigh of blankets rocked back and forth between the evergreens. A figure shifted at the end my bed. I woke with a gasp, somehow under the covers now.

  “Oops. Sorry I startled you.” Abby was curled up at the foot of my bed, closing her book. “They asked me to watch you, but I thought that was kinda creepy so I decided to read.”

  I made an attempt to sit up. Bad choice. The room rocked on its axis again, and I slumped back down on my pillow.

  “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” Abby dashed into the bathroom and scurried back holding a wet washcloth. She eased down next to me, pressing the cold terrycloth to my forehead. “Is that better?”

  “A little.” I didn’t try to move my head again. Though I could’ve used a nice chocolate milkshake right about now.

  Massaging my forehead in little circles, she stared down at me. “Listen, Lucy. There are a few things I’ve been meaning to tell you.” She paused, gnawing on her lip.

  I studied her face. “You’ve got a captive audience.”

  As her eyes met mine, a shadow crossed her face. “About James.”

  “Oh.” The breath stole from my lungs.

  “I felt guilty about not telling you James’ secret. Then that stupid Will got to you first.” Her mouth twisted in a half-sneer as she peeled the now cold washcloth from my forehead. “Now I wish I had just come out with it. But it wasn’t my secret to tell. I’m sure your brother had his reasons for not telling you.”

  Hadn’t Will said something eerily similar that night? I mashed my lips together, as if I could hold in all the pent-up anger I’d felt when Will dropped that not-so-little bomb on me. More like a nuclear explosion.

  She wrung out the washcloth in a bowl on the nightstand, then turned to look at me. “I’m so sorry. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you ever forgive me?”

  “I was not happy about the way I found out, but that’s hardly your fault. Will completely blindsided me.” Even now, I balled up my fists just thinking about his smug face. “Did I wish I knew before Will ratted out my brother? Of course. But I wish my parents would’ve told me the truth first. So I didn’t have to hear about it from anyone else.”

  “Yeah, I bet that sucked.” Her eyes were glazed over, and she continued to chew on her bottom lip, her face scrunched up like a bunny’s. Maybe the only time in her life she’d ever resembled Brooke.

  How could I hold a grudge against anyone in Bryan’s family? I’d felt more at home here than I had in my own house back in Indiana for the past few years. Ever since James disappeared.

  I reached for her hand. “Don’t worry, okay? There’s nothing to forgive.”

  “Thank you, Lucy.” She exhaled the biggest sigh of relief in the history of the world. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Especially since I’m sure you’ll be around for awhile.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I muttered under my breath.

  “You feeling any better yet?” Abby asked.

  “A little.” Patting the bed, I motioned for Abby to sit across from me. “Tell me a little more about my brother.”

  Her blue eyes lit up as she perched on the edge. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  Slowly, I inched my way upward until I was sitting up in bed, leaning against my massive pile of pillows. The world stayed still this time. Progress.

  “Were you there when he got banished? What happened to him afterward?”

  “No, I wasn’t there.” She gave me a headshake. “That’s a Nexis ceremony they do in secret. But I was president of the Guardians when he came to us for help.”

  “Really?” My heart sank a little, and I tried to hide my disappointment. “I had no idea Bryan was just following in your footsteps.”

  She smiled at that. “I convinced Harlixton and the council to let James in. We even assigned him bodyguards until graduation.”
/>   I cocked my head at her. “But why would you do that?”

  Her hands toyed with the white comforter. “For the information,” she admitted at last. “We made a deal with him. Protection for all the dirt he had on Nexis. On his eighteenth birthday, he came to us with intel to trade. I wish he didn’t have to do it that way. It only made him a target.” She winced at the memory.

  “Poor James.” I cringed, too, but for different reasons. I’d seen everything James went through to escape Nexis. The banishment, the circle of fire, that tortured look on his face. It was one of my earliest visions.

  “Trading secrets was the only way out for him. Once Nexis figured out he wasn’t the Seer, he was doomed. And he knew it.” A tear droplet leaked from the corner of her eye. “They tried to kidnap him at graduation. If his guards hadn’t found him, I don’t know if he would’ve survived.”

  I choked up too just thinking about what Nexis must’ve done to my brother.

  She wiped her eyes. “I begged the Montrose leaders to call in the Guardian council. They put him on a plane to Europe the next day. And I never saw him again. That’s all I know.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Do you have any way to contact him?”

  “No, I wish I did.” Her eyes dropped to the bedspread. “I wish I’d done better by him.”

  “Are you kidding me? You saved his life!” I cocked my head at her, trying to fathom any more help she could’ve given my brother. “It sounds like you did everything you could. And then some.”

  She kept staring at the comforter and wouldn’t look at me. Pink splotches broke out all across her face.

  At last, it dawned on me. “Wait a sec. I get it now. You have a crush on my bro, don’t you?”

  “What? I—” Her mouth hung open. “How did you figure that out? What are you the Seer and psychic?”

  “Yeah, right.” I threw my head back and laughed. “One unwelcome gift is enough for me, thanks.”

  “Was I that obvious?” Golden hair fell across half her face as she nibbled her lip.

  “Kinda.” I stifled back another giggle. “Hold up. I’m missing something. Where did Maria fit into all this?”

  She peered at me through her bangs. “She was his girlfriend. They were both in Nexis together.”

  My lips formed a big O. “So that’s why nothing ever happened with James.”

  “But we were friends, even though we stood on different sides.” She huffed, parting her bangs so I could see her eyes again. “I always wanted more, wanted him to renounce Nexis and join the Guardians. I just never realized how much it would cost him. I don’t think he did, either. I’m so sorry, Lucy.”

  “Don’t be.” I thumped my hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Nexis kicked out my brother because he wasn’t the Seer. He’s not me.”

  She bobbed her head slowly, patting my hand. “It’s not your fault that you’re the Seer and he’s not.”

  I shook my head hard enough to send a pillow flying. “No, it’s not my fault. That’s all on my mother.”

  “I’m sorry I brought it up.” She hopped off the bed, hugging the pillow to her chest before handing it back to me.

  “No worries.” I sank back under the covers. When I looked up again, she hovered in the doorway. I couldn’t miss my chance. “Can I ask you one more thing? How did Maria die?”

  “That poor girl.” Her knuckles went white on the doorframe as if she couldn’t stand up without it. “I wish I knew what happened. Whatever it was, James must’ve seen the whole thing. He was so afraid. He barely even spoke to me about it. His guards said he’d cry her name in his sleep. However she died, it must torture him.”

  With that, she left. The gloom gathered its icy tendrils and settled a fresh batch of fog over me. How had this Nexis versus Guardian struggle become my new reality? A world where people were ostracized just for who they were. Oh yeah, and someone might die in the process.

  Not on my watch. If I had any say in the matter, I’d be the Seer to finally end to this ridiculous conflict. Somehow.

  ***

  The next day I woke up to the heavenly aroma of hot coffee and a rap-rap-rapping on the door. Stepping out of the shower, I found a fight outfit waiting on the bed for me. And a steaming mug on the nightstand with a note beside it.

  Peace offering. - A was all it said. Maybe, in spite of all the Nexis/Guardian stuff between us, we were finally becoming friends.

  Smiling, I sipped the coffee. Warm and creamy, with no sugar, just the way I liked it. She must’ve asked Bryan. Letting the warmth seep into my fingers, I downed a few more gulps. Hopefully a mega-dose of caffeine would amp me up enough to tackle training again.

  My sore muscles felt even more weighed down as I velcroed the padded materials over my workout clothes. Like a walking lead balloon, I trudged downstairs to Cooperstown gym.

  Abby waited at the bottom of the stairs, eyes fixed, jaw jutting out. Lifting her chin, she gave me a hard stare. No one needed to know about our little talk last night. My head dipped as I passed. She nodded back. We were cool.

  “Dad has some work to finish up before Christmas Eve, so he left me in charge.” She took up a fight stance in the blue-mat quadrant next to Brooke. Fully outfitted, they were both planted in front of Bryan for some reason. “Today I’m going to teach you how to take down an attacker twice your size.”

  “Guess who gets to be the attacker?” Bryan mumbled against his mouthguard.

  “Great.” I furrowed my forehead at them. “How on earth am I supposed to take you down?”

  “By leveraging your assets,” Brooke piped in as a huge grin spread across her face.

  “No way that’s gonna work.” I bit back a laugh. “First off, I don’t have any assets—”

  “Ahem,” Bryan cleared his throat. “Yeah right.”

  “Okay.” My cheeks burned. “At least not any that would take down an attacker. And second, I don’t think I could punch Bryan. Just look at that face.”

  As soon as he placed his hand over his heart and turned those baby blues on me, I was gone, baby. Gone.

  Abby moved in front of me, shoving sparring gloves over my hands. “You’re just going to have to forget that you’re lovebirds for an hour. It’s not the end of the world.”

  “Like that’s gonna happen.” Brooke actually rolled her eyes at me.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Oooh, it’s on now. Challenge accepted.”

  Bryan took a step forward. “Just pretend I’m Will. Then you’d want to punch me, right?”

  “Good one.” I turned to face him.

  “Or think about something Bryan did to make you mad. I’m sure he’s done something. He can be uber annoying.” Brooke pursed her lips at her brother.

  It came to me quicker than I thought—the bio lab where Bryan tried to study me like a science project. I balled up my fists just thinking about it.

  “Excellent.” Abby rubbed her hands together. “Your main weapon is speed, so we’ll work on fine tuning that today. But even with speed, it’ll be hard to land a punch that counts unless it’s in the sensitive areas.”

  “Landed some of those a month ago. Solar plexus and in-step to be precise,” I said, without even thinking. My moves hadn’t been enough to get away from Jake.

  Bryan cringed as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Those aren’t the best ones. The best way to catch your attacker off guard is to elbow him in the face. Like this.” She winged out her elbow and popped Bryan’s padded jaw. “A nose hit is good, too, but since it’s unprotected you’ll just have to mime today.” She jabbed her elbow at his nose, then his jaw. “You try.”

  I mimicked her one-two motion, lifting my elbow up to his nose, then his jaw.

  “Lean into it,” she barked. “Leverage your body weight. Good. Now switch. Left side up. Jab, jab. Jab.”

  She repeated the orders, and I followed the dance until my lungs burned again. On the next pass, I tripped and my elbow smacked dead on the br
idge of Bryan’s nose.

  “Ohmigosh,” I rushed up to him, gut wrenching into guilty knots. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Nice one.” Blood dripped down his face slowly at first, before trickling to a gush.

  Brooke zipped into the bathroom, racing back with gobs of tissues. “Tilt it back. Put pressure here.”

  “I know how to take care of a bloody nose. It’s not the first time.” He tilted his head back, dabbing his nostrils with tissues.

  I knelt down to mop up the blood-spattered mats. “Did I break it?”

  “No, it’s fine.” His voice came out pinched and muffled. “You don’t have to kiss my feet or anything.”

  “Thanks for that.” I wanted to hug him for trying to make me feel better. But I didn’t want to I’d break him again. “Maybe we should put a hold on fight club for the day. It’s just not my forté.”

  “I don’t know.” He tilted his head down, removing the tissues. “You got in a pretty good shot there.” He smiled at me, almost looking like his normal self again.

  I lifted my lips to smile back, but a strange odor filled my nostrils. Musty and foul just like—Bam! A wall of air slammed into me, knocking me off balance.

  Darkness swarmed every corner of the room, graying out the light. Forming a spotlight around the three of us, with a strange red light glowing in the center. Whoosh. Wind howled at my face, blasting my hair back. Then came the horrid shriek. A screeching whistle that carved out my eardrums.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs, clamping my hands over my ears. Sinking to the mats, I curled into a ball on the floor. Was I going insane?

  With all that was left of my scrambled brain, I cried out to the heavens, “Make it stop! Please make it stop.”

  Strong hands gripped my shoulders shaking me, tugging on my arms and legs. But I couldn’t release my protective cocoon.

  “Lucy, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Bryan’s words barely pierced through the howling agony.

  Tears streamed down my face. The Guardians moved around me, forming a circle. Murmured words rose and crested on the high-pitched wave. Words that seemed to calm and still the hellish noise. Finally the screeching nightmare dissipated into the air as the shadows receded from the light.