The Nexis Awakening

by Barbara Hartzler

  “No,” I choked out the word, tears streaming down my face. “She can’t be gone. She could still make it.”

  “I never even saw her come up.” Goon Two’s face said it all.

  Footsteps thundered in the darkness behind us. Nexis scrambling and shouting. They were going to kill her anyway. What did they care?

  Stupid. How could I be so stupid? I should’ve known Nexis had their own plans. Despicable plans. I sank to my knees and sobbed. Maria was somewhere at the bottom of the Hudson and I was stuck here on dry land. Stomach churning. About ready to hurl on the grass.

  Anger burned in my belly. I curled my fingers into fists. Nexis would pay for this. No one else was going to die on my watch.

  If I could have fought all of those Nexis morons at once, I would have. But I could never win that fight. There was only one choice now.

  I grabbed by stomach and dry-heaved on the brown grass.

  “Gross man.” Goon One backed up a few steps, dropping his hold on my hoodie.

  And I rose to my feet and took off running.

  A few precious seconds passed before the Goon Duo made chase, huffing and hollering behind me. My legs just churned faster, my lead ever-widening.

  I ran straight to the gym. For my go bag, and the backup evidence I’d stored in my locker. If I couldn’t make Nexis pay, the Guardians would have to do the job for me.

  Chapter 5

  JAMES

  I tore across the campus. The Nexis goons were behind me somewhere. I couldn’t stop now. So I plunged into the woods, arms pumping. Face damp. Lips salty.

  Branches smacked me in the face. Warm blood oozed down my cheek, but I didn’t care. Maria had just died in front of me and I hadn’t been able to save her. But I could do something to stop another girl I loved from suffering the same fate.

  Lights shimmered up ahead. I was so close now. Tightening my grip on my go bag, I slowed my pace, edging the treeline with silent steps, until I arrived at my destination. Then I stopped. Listened.

  Crick. Crack. Every sound in the night made me flinch. But I couldn’t wait anymore. Fifty yards to freedom.

  In a mad dash, I broke free of the trees. Pounded across the open lawn then cobblestone sidewalk. I raced up the flagstone steps and pulled open the chapel doors, sneakers skidding on the marble tiles I’d walked only hours before. If only I’d done this hours ago, right after graduation. Maybe Maria wouldn’t be at the bottom of the Hudson. My stomach churned at the thought.

  It was well after midnight now. The sanctuary sat black and silent, only one sliver of light to guide me down the long hallway.

  I barreled through the library door—smack dab into Abby Cooper. We went sprawling to the floor.

  “James, what on earth?” she asked, propping herself up, her blonde mane swishing. “You’re late. We said ten, but it’s after midnight now. And you’re bleeding.”

  “Maria…” I said between breaths. “She’s dead. Nexis banished us both. She fell in the river and they just let her drown.”

  “What?” she gasped, glancing at her Guardian friends in the corner. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Abbs, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t serious.” I helped her up. Looked her in the eye. “They’re after me now. You guys have to protect me.”

  Her blue eyes went wide as her hands flew to her face. “But how could they do this? You’re the Seer. You’re the chosen one. Nexis would never—”

  “No, it’s not true.” I grabbed her arm. “I’m not the Seer. There’s been a mistake.”

  “Okay, so maybe you’re not the Seer now. But you’re next in line. Your children or grandchildren could be…” She trailed off, glancing out the lead-paned window. “Who are those guys?”

  Sure enough, two meat-heads waddled across the quad like lumberjacks, headed our way. About to come inside, treaty or no treaty.

  “Hey, they can’t do that,” Derek, the head guard, said.

  “Listen, Abbs. You’re still President, right?” I asked.

  “Ye-eess,” she said, drawing out the word. Nodding slowly.

  “I’ve got evidence for you. Nexis evidence.” I pulled the ancient pages from my hoodie pocket. “I want to defect to the Guardians. I invoke Sanctuary.”

  Goons One and Two walked in, right on cue. “I believe this little Nexis brat belongs to us.”

  I stared Abby down, pleading with my eyes. My heart jangled a new rhythm as I braced for impact.

  She gawked at me for a long time, mouth dangling open.

  I could practically feel the seconds peeling off my skin one layer at a time. One, two. Seventy-five. Tick, tock, Abbs.

  With one nod she stepped between me and the goons. “He doesn’t belong to you anymore. James McAllen is under provisional Guardian protection according to the ancient code of Sanctuary.”

  “Yeah?” Goon Two asked. “Under whose authority?”

  “Mine,” she said. “I am the acting president of this Guardian chapter. Now, if you’ll kindly leave, you are both in violation of the most recent Nexis-Guardian treaty.”

  “We ain’t leaving without him,” Goon Two said, pointing at me.

  “You listen to me, Buster.” Abby arched on her tiptoes and glared Goon Two straight in the eye. “If you want to start World War three over some Nexis dropout, be my guest. You’ve already done enough damage for one day. But before you do something that might get you and your friend here excommunicated, or worse, you better go back to your boss and make sure they want a war on their hands.”

  “Listen, girlie,I’ve had enough smart talk from you stupid kids today.” Goon Two grabbed my collar but kept staring at Abby. “This one’s coming with me.

  I glared up at the guy, then glanced at Abby. Her eyes flicked over to her three guards hovering in the corner. In five steps they crossed the room, flanking her on both sides.

  “You heard the lady. Out you go.” Derek grabbed my arm, shaking me free of the goon’s grip. Then his two beefy friends took stun guns out of their back pockets and tasered the goons.

  Plunk. Thud. They both dropped to the ground in thirty seconds.

  My jaw dropped. “That was awesome!” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Abbs. You probably saved my life. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

  She glared at me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Your evidence better be good.”

  “Yeah, it’s real good.” A thin smile quirked my mouth. “How about sacred stone locations?”

  “Are you serious?” Threading her fingers through her hair, she gaped at me. “It must be the end of the world for you to give that up.”

  “Believe me, it is.” Every ounce of fight drained from my body in one breath. The ground buckled beneath my feet.

  “Hey, you’re exhausted. C’mon, Sit.” Abby swung her arm across my back, led me over to an empty table, and sat me down in a chair.

  My backpack slid to the floor. I didn’t have the strength to reach for it. I watched as Derek’s two guards dragged the Nexis goons out of the library to who knows where. But Derek stayed put, eyes on the door.

  “Nexis will notice soon enough that two guys are gone, and their future seer, too.” Derek glanced at Abby, then me.

  “Yeah, that’s the problem ” I said, letting my head crash into my hands. “It’s gonna be a long night.”

  “James, you’re safe here.” Abby’s hand rubbed little circles on my back. Soothing circles. “We’ll do whatever we have to. We’ll get you out of the country if necessary. But first, you have to tell us what happened.”

  “No.” I glanced up. “I can’t leave the country. I still have to warn Lucy.”

  “Your little sister? What’s she got to do with this?” Abby asked.

  I chewed on my thumbnail. Stared at the ceiling. They’d know the truth soon enough. These were the only people who could help her now.

  “Okay, here goes.” I sucked in a huge breath and let it all ride. “I’m not next in line to be the Seer. I’m not even in th
e Seer’s line at all. My mom had an affair and forgot to tell anyone.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Abby gasped, hand dropping from my back. “I’m sorry, James. I really am. That’s terrible.”

  “Yeah, especially when I had to read it on my own birth certificate.” I couldn’t even look at her anymore. The shame washed over me. I’d done plenty of things wrong, tonight especially, but being an illegitimate child was out of my control.

  “Your birth certificate?” she asked, cocking her head at me.

  I rubbed one grass-stained sneaker into the dingy carpet. “Remember the ski trip we took to Canada? Mom wouldn’t give me my birth certificate, said she lost it and didn’t have time to get a new one. So I had the state of Indiana mail me a new one. Surprise. Surprise.” I dared to glance up at her.

  “You were so quiet, all spring break. No wonder.” Her eyes softened. Made my insides cringe. “But I don’t get it. How did Nexis find out? You turned eighteen only a few hours ago. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  I shook my head. “Honestly, I have no idea. I thought at first that Will turned me in for stealing the evidence I’m about to give you, but there’s no way he knew my secret. It had to be something else.”

  “Maybe someone in the records office?” Derek’s young protégé chimed in as he walked back into the library. “If the Guardians have someone in the Registrar’s Office, Nexis must, too.”

  “Shut up, Marco,” Derek said. “Or you’ll be the last Deluca the Guardians ever admit.”

  “Sorry, man, I’m just saying. He graduated today. They must’ve pulled the final records weeks ago, put two and two together,” Marco said, hanging his head.

  At that, I threw up my hands. “Whatever. I don’t care how they found out. All I care about is protecting Lucy. That’s all that matters now.”

  “Okay, guys. Enough arguing. We’ve got to get to the bottom of this.” Abby turned my way, eyeballing the yellowed parchment in my hands. “So why the sacred stones? Once they found out about you, she’d be the next target in the line of the Seer.”

  “I had a plan.” I unfurled the parchment on the table and smoothed out the wrinkles “See, I wanted to find the amethyst. Maybe chip off a piece and give it to her as a present. So when they did figure it out…”

  “She’d be protected.” Abby nodded as the light finally went on. “Glad you came to us then. We’ll protect you, and we’ll protect her when the time is right. But you’ve got to make it worth our while.”

  “Okay, Abbs. It’s all here in black and white.” I leaned closer, pointing to the passage that would secure my Guardian membership. “Look here. Nexis knows about the hidden tunnel. They think that’s where the amethyst is. They even tried to bribe city officials to dig under the chapel library.”

  “What? How could they possibly know that? Let me see.” She reached for the page.

  But I wouldn’t let go. Instead, I tightened my grip. “I figure, since I brought you the intel, I can negotiate for a tiny little piece of the amethyst. Just a sliver to protect Lucy. Then I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll even join the Guardian army in Europe. I don’t care. But that’s my price.”

  She whistled between her teeth. “It’s a steep price, James. I don’t know if I can pull this off.”

  “C’mon, Abbs, I know you can make this deal. And I’ve got more intel. You know I do.” I covered her hand with mine.

  Time to amp up the charm. I knew she’d always had a crush on me, ever since the Guardians tried to recruit me freshman year. Now, I’d milk it if I had to.

  “You know,” I turned my best Hamlet look her way, “this is only the beginning. With what I know, I can help the Guardians bring down Nexis. Isn’t that the ultimate prize?”

  “Alright, James.” Her mouth curled up at me like I knew it would. “I’ll take this to the Guardian Council. See if you have any prayer of getting in.” Her smile faded as she stared at my hand on hers.

  “I hope so.” I pulled her hand to my lips and feathered a kiss across her knuckles.

  She yanked her hand back, her grin vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Marching toward the door, cell phone in hand, she paused at the doorway. “What exactly happened to Maria?”

  “I wish I knew. They thought she was helping me, I guess. Maybe they found out she worked for you.” My heart sank like a rock into the depths of my chest, remembering the look on Maria’s face. “They didn’t just banish her, they sentenced her to death. We tried to run, but before I knew it, she slipped and fell into the river.”

  “Oh, no! How could they?” she gasped, all the color draining from her face.

  “I tried to dive in after her, but they stopped me.” I doubled over like someone knocked the wind out of me. “It was too late anyway. And it’s all my fault.”

  “No, James.” She shook her head, mouth pursing in a grim line. “That one’s on us.”

  “How can you say that? You weren’t even there?” I asked, glancing up at her.

  “You’re right. She’s one of ours,” she said. Monotone.

  “What? You can’t be serious? She was my girlfriend for three years and I only started putting the clues together a few days ago. But I wasn’t sure. If I didn’t have any proof, how could Nexis?” My hands balled into fists so hard it felt like my fingers were bleeding.

  “If they’ve got someone on the inside, you better believe we’ll get to the bottom of it. And we’ll make Nexis pay.” Abby gritted her teeth, staring straight into my eyes. “I can promise you that much.”

  “You better,” I said, but I couldn’t look at her. Double agents and secrets. Where did it ever end? All my limbs went limp. Numb. My world had smashed into smithereens all around me and there was nothing I could do to put the pieces back together.

  No. All the power was in someone else’s hands now. I could only sit back and wait until my fate, Lucy’s fate, was decided.

  I slumped down into my chair and buried my face in my hands. Powerless. Again.

  Chapter 6

  LUCY

  Rubbing my eyes, I rolled over in bed and turned off the pay-per-view movie. Paige and I had scarfed down a whole box of Ray’s Pizza and watched the latest hotel movies, but it just wasn’t the same without James.

  I checked my phone. Half past midnight and not a peep from my brother. Where was he anyway? Probably gallivanting around the city with his friends. Oh well, let him blow off some steam. He’d earned it. Soon he’d be home for the summer and things would be back to normal. Maybe then he could tell me why, exactly, I shouldn’t go to Montrose. And why he said, “I love you,” just to get out of giving me a tour.

  As soon as I turned off the light, my eyelids sank shut. The blackness weighed down on me like a soothing blanket, lulling me off to dreamland.

  Then the darkness morphed into an inky blackness, twisting and howling with a roar as loud as a freight train. Strange winds swirled around me, tangling my hair across my face until I couldn’t see.

  Shivering, I clawed the snarled strands from my eyes. The wind was an invisible force. Cold and harsh. Holding me in place, so I couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.

  The scent of woodsmoke billowed on the wind. Shapes materialized on the horizon, zooming into focus like a movie close-up.

  A dark, empty field with torches planted in a circle. Six angry figures cloaked in black. Circling. Sneering. Shouting evil words at a lone figure huddled in the middle.

  “James!” I screamed and reached for him, but my hands came back empty. Nothing but air.

  No one heard me, no one saw me. I was invisible. The look on James face said it all. Scared. Tortured. Yet still defiant.

  The robed vultures closed in on their prey.

  “Crazy,” they shouted.

  “Corrupted,” one spat.

  “Banished,” they repeated, one after the other. Six times.

  A lone cry ripped through the air. The tortured scream of a girl.

  Then the scene changed.

 
Flashed to James running in the dark, arms pumping. He raced across campus. Sprinted through the woods. Headed straight to the chapel.

  Why would he go there? The thought rolled around my brain with no answer.

  James wasn’t alone. People chased him.

  Two hulking thugs, dressed as black as the night. Muscles bulging as they ran. Gaining on James.

  “Run, James. Faster,” I screamed, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me. My lungs heaved for air as if I were running right beside him.

  Together we pummeled up the stairs. He opened the chapel door and disappeared inside. Then everything faded away.

  And the blackness enveloped me again, sucking all the air from my lungs.

  I woke with a start. Gasping.

  I shot straight up in bed. My heart thumped in my chest, forehead soaked with sweat.

  “James,” I whispered into the dark hotel room.

  Fumbling with my cell phone, I checked the time. One fifteen a.m., but I didn’t care. I dialed James anyway. No answer. I dialed again and again. No answer.

  Fear gripped me, causing hot bile to trickled down my throat. The dream seemed so real, I couldn’t shake it. It wasn’t just a dream. My brother might be in real trouble right now. Out there on his own.

  Think, Lucy. Think.

  I remembered his last words to me on the phone. And I knew there was only one person I could tell.

  I flipped off the covers, raced to the door, and tumbled out into the suite, trying to navigate in bunny slippers. Without knocking, I let myself into Mom and Dad’s room, walked to their bed, took Dad by the shoulders, and started rocking.

  “Dad, wake up. Dad.” I said his name over and over, shaking him as hard as I could.

  “Lucy girl?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. “What’re you doing?”

  “Finally.” I dropped to my knees by the bed. “James is in trouble. You have to come quick.”

  “What? Where’s James?” Dad shot up in bed, jostling Mom, who barely stirred.

  I lowered my voice. “C’mon, get up. It’s an emergency, I promise. Meet me in the living room.” I padded out to the couch. After what seemed like decades, he emerged in his robe. Hair spiked every which way.