Adventures of Alexis Davenport Series

by West, Shay

  CHAPTER 51

  “YOU HAVE A destination in mind?” Master’s voice sounded even raspier than normal. He had been fighting a terrible cold virus.

  “I’m going back to ancient Egypt. Always wanted to go there,” Drifter said.

  Master waved his hand. “Where you go doesn’t matter. You must determine if the traveler is dead or if she has managed to make it back to her body. If she did, she will be in Egypt. You must draw her out.”

  “And if I do find her? What then? If I kill her, she’ll only find a way back to her body and she’ll be free to stop me again.” Drifter was becoming frustrated with this whole idea. It had seemed so simple and now everything was entirely too complicated. He had never counted on some woman being able to anticipate his actions and stop him.

  “Now, now. Don’t lose heart. I have a plan.”

  “And what might that be? Or is this another one of these things you won’t tell me?” Drifter was surprised at the anger in his voice. Careful. He knew it was dangerous to anger Master and yet he didn’t like being used.

  “Of course I’ll tell you. How else are you going to kill the girl in such a way that she can’t make it back to her body?”

  Drifter found his hopes rising. “Tell me how to kill this girl, once and for all.”

  TWISTED REFLECTIONS

  THE ADVENTURES OF ALEXIS DAVENPORT,

  BOOK TWO

  SHAY WEST

  Booktrope Editions

  Seattle, WA 2014

  COPYRIGHT 2012, 2014 SHAY WEST

  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

  Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

  Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

  No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

  Inquiries about additional permissions

  should be directed to: info@booktrope.com

  Cover Design by Shari Ryan

  Previously published as Twisted Reflections,

  2012 Self-Published (RicaShay Publishing)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.

  PRINT ISBN 978-1-62015-433-5

  EPUB ISBN 978-1-62015-423-6

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913097

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank William Kenney for coming up with the birth name of the dastardly villain, Drifter! This was a difficult contest for me to judge, as there we many great entries but William’s name just seemed to fit: Lane Stygian.

  I would like to dedicate this book to my mom and dad, who always believed in me and supported me in everything I ever chose to do.

  CHAPTER 1

  ALEXIS DAVENPORT GATHERED her water bottle and sunglasses, shouting good-bye to her mom as she ran out of the guesthouse.

  “Be back by lunchtime, Alex!”

  “I will, Mom!” She rolled her eyes. It’s not like I’ve never been hiking before!

  Jennifer, Amy, Simon and Paul were waiting outside. They were watching the gardeners her Aunt Karen had hired to tackle the huge back yard. The men worked together like a well-oiled machine. They never seemed to get in each other’s way and they instinctively seemed to know which job to do next.

  “Took ya long enough,” Jennifer teased.

  “You know how my mom is. Wants to know exactly where I’m going, who I’m going with, the exact time I’ll be back, blah blah blah.” Alex’s voice took on a high-pitched mocking tone.

  “Let’s get going. It’s gonna be a scorcher today,” Simon said.

  The group made their way through the back yard, and for the scenic beauty of the Colorado National Monument. Many people from the neighborhood were out already, enjoying the day before the temperature grew unbearable. Since there were many trails snaking from the houses that lined the Monument, Alex and her friends had the trail off the back of Karen’s house all to themselves.

  The dirt trail gradually rose into the red and brown sandstone bluffs. Alex was amazed by the desolate beauty of this place. After a few minutes of walking down the well-worn trail, Paul took off and began walking over a large boulder field.

  “I don’t think we’re supposed to be off the trail,” said Alex, glancing about nervously.

  “People do it all the time,” said Paul.

  Alex shrugged. As long as no adults called them out, she didn’t care. She was just glad to have an entire summer without having to deal with the likes of Catelyn Montgomery and Beau Johnson. The thought of not seeing those two for three months made her want to sing and do cartwheels.

  “I’m so bummed your mom won’t let you come to Hawaii,” Jennifer said.

  “It’s so lame! It’s not like we’re going by ourselves or anything. It’s not fair. She never lets me do anything.” Alex’s mood took a bad turn. She was so angry at her mom for saying no, she hadn’t spoken to her for days.

  She forced the anger down and tried to enjoy the day. Alex loved exploring the Monument. There was so much to see. Paul had been raised here and his dad had taught him the names of the plants and how to lift rocks to find all sorts of insects and bugs. As they walked, Paul pointed out various shrubs and flowers, telling them their names and what the Native Americans had used them for.

  “Paul, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Amy sounded a little nervous.

  Alex didn’t blame her. They had gone so far from the trail. Nothing looked familiar. The desert landscape began to take on a sinister air. Paul told them once that mountain lions roamed these hills. Alex pictured a predatory cat pouncing on her, digging its teeth into the soft flesh of her neck.

  “I know exactly where we are. Trust me.”

  “Check it out!” Jennifer pointed.

  Paul had led them to a large amphitheater that nature had carved from the red sandstone. The sun filtered through the pinyons and junipers, like stage lights shining on the large flat stage. Several sagebrush lizards skittered across the ground, frightened by the intrusion into their quiet world.

  “Look at that bird!” Jennifer squealed, pointing to a blue bird perched on a branch of a large pinyon pine.

  “That’s a pinyon jay. They bury the pinyon nuts in little caches and dig them up in the winter to eat,” Paul said.

  “Sounds like a lot of work to me,” Simon said. “Why don’t they just bury them all in one place?”

  “If another bird saw that, they would eat the cache and the jay would starve come winter.”

  “Whatever. I’ll stick to McDonalds, thank you very much.”

  “You’d never survive in the wild.”

  “Why would I need to?”

  “What if you ever get lost and needed to spend the night outside?”

  Simon barked laughter. “I just won’t ever get lost!”

  “Let’s stop this talk of getting lost and having to spend the night out here, shall we?” Amy suggested.

  Alex nodded emphatically. A mountain lion would eat us for sure.

  Paul called to the group, urging them to follow him. “I have something I wanna show you guys. But you have to swear not to tell anyone as long as you live.”

  They all swore, curious as to what Paul was so excited about. Alex wondered if he would burst with the news. He walked so fast they had to yell at him to slow down.

  “What’s the rush?” Jennifer sat on a rock so she could catch her breath.

  “I just want to show you guys before we have to be back.”

  “We won’t see it if we die of exhaustion first.”

  Paul rolled his eyes. “You’re not gonna die.”

  They got moving again, gro
aning at his urging and pleading. Alex got excited the further they walked. The climb was steep. She kept her eyes down, unwilling to look at the horizon to see just how far they still had to go.

  “This way.” Paul squeezed himself between two rocks, disappearing into the darkness.

  “I’m not so sure about this. What if there’s a snake in there?” Alex stopped short of following Paul into the crack.

  “Then I’ll be the first to get bit! Come on!” His voice ghosted to her out of the darkness.

  Alex took a deep breath and followed Paul. She had to walk sideways. The rocks scraped her back and her chest constricted as she moved through the darkness. The rocks seemed to be closing in on her. She wanted to turn back but she could already hear the others behind her, grunting and shoving as they made their way through the crack.

  Get a grip, Alex. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see the faint outlines of the rock walls. Paul had disappeared and her heart thumped in her chest.

  “It’s this way.”

  Alex screamed when Paul’s voice sounded from right behind her.

  “Damn it, Paul! That’s not funny.” Alex punched him in the arm as hard as she could.

  “Alex! Everything okay?” Jennifer called out.

  “Oh, everything’s peachy! Paul just jumped out at me from a hole in the freaking wall, nearly made me crap my pants. But I’m good, thanks.” She threw as much sarcasm into her words as possible.

  She ignored the giggles and whispering from Jennifer, Amy, and Simon. The hole in the rock wall now occupied her attention. It was hidden in shadows, making it invisible to anyone who didn’t know it was there. Alex reached out her hand and jumped when Paul grabbed it.

  “What are you waiting for?” Jennifer had arrived at Alex’s back.

  “The hole is off the ground a bit so make sure to step up.” Paul’s face materialized out of the inky blackness.

  “Well, look out so we can get in there,” Alex grumbled. Crawling through cracks and holes wasn’t exactly her idea of a fun time. Walking out in the open, breathing fresh air was more her style. Although to be honest, sitting home curled up with a history book was her idea of heaven.

  Fear gripped her as thoughts raced through her mind of what she might be setting her hands on; something slithery, or slimy, or hairy. She could hear Paul moving ahead of her and Jennifer coming up behind, moaning and hissing at Amy to stop shoving.

  Suddenly, a light appeared. Alex crawled toward it, eager to emerge from the dark, tight tunnel. She saw a shadow moving back and forth, and the sound of mumbling reached her.

  “Come on in!” Paul said as Alex awkwardly pushed herself out of the tight space.

  She brushed dirt and bits of gravel from her legs and hands, wincing at the dimples the gravel had made in her knees. All of that was soon forgotten when she got her first good look around.

  Paul was standing in the center of a small cave. A lantern sat on a rickety green plastic table, keeping the shadows at bay. Alex felt comforted by the slight hissing noise of the lantern. It reminded her of camping trips when she was young.

  “Hey! What the heck is this?” Jennifer’s voice went up a couple of octaves as she stepped from the tunnel.

  “I found this years ago. Was just out exploring one day and came across it,” Paul said.

  “How did you manage to find the tunnel? I mean, it’s damn near impossible.” Alex hadn’t seen it when she was fumbling her way in the darkness of the crack in the sandstone rocks.

  “Well, I sorta accidentally found it. Lucky, really.”

  “I’ll say! This is bad ass!” Simon said.

  Alex agreed wholeheartedly. The cave had many natural shelves that Paul had stocked with all sorts of things. She poked here and there, encouraged by Paul.

  “I brought all this stuff up here little by little, ya know? So my mom and dad wouldn’t find out.”

  “This is the coolest hide-out ever! Why haven’t you told us about this sooner?” Simon asked.

  “It’s my secret place. It’s something that’s just for me.” Paul shuffled his feet, looking embarrassed.

  “Well, we won’t tell,” said Amy.

  As Alex stood watching her friends sharing in this amazing secret, she was filled with happiness and contentment. The fact that Paul had shared with them made her feel like a part of a very special group indeed.

  I wonder what they would say about my secret.

  She wished she could tell them all about her trips through the mirror to the past, and her encounters with the man trying to change history. Jennifer knew, but only because she had come across Alex while her spirit was inhabiting the body of Anastasia, a Venetian courtesan.

  Alex didn’t think she would have been able to get through the other trips without Jennifer. She was always there to talk to Alex about her trips through time. It made the experiences much less frightening.

  “I gotta get back, guys. Mom said I could only be gone for a few hours.” Alex hated to be a kill-joy but she didn’t want to face the possibility of being grounded for part of her summer break.

  “You guys head out first, and I’ll turn off the lantern and follow you out,” said Paul.

  Simon offered to take the lead. This trip wasn’t nearly as frightening. Alex knew there wasn’t anything dangerous in the tunnel. But when the light winked out, her heart skipped a beat and she began crawling faster. When she heard Paul coming behind her, her fear escalated to the point of near panic. She knew it was Paul, and yet she pictured a faceless man crawling after her, holding a knife, ready to slit her throat.

  “Alex, you okay?”

  Alex couldn’t answer Jennifer. Her throat had closed tight. She shook her head, trying to shake the horrible images from her mind.

  “Guys, crawl faster! Alex is freaking out or something.”

  Alex inwardly groaned. Leave it to Jennifer to blow things out of proportion. Except that she was sort of freaking out. She moved so quickly she ended up almost crawling over Amy in her haste to exit the stifling tunnel.

  “This way. Just follow me.”

  Alex was grateful that Jennifer grabbed her hand. She wasn’t sure she could even remember which direction to go to get out of the crack.

  She thought there was never such a beautiful sight as sunlight and blue sky. When she squeezed out of the crack in the rock, she made for the nearest boulder and sat down before her legs gave out.

  “Better?” Jennifer asked, her brows furrowed in worry.

  “I just need a minute. Claustrophobia or something.” Alex waved her off. Now that she was out on the open, her heart was slowing to a normal rhythm and her breath was slowing.

  The group hurried back to the main trail. Alex was impressed that Paul could even remember how to find it again. Everything looked the same to her: the rocks, the pinyon, and the juniper trees scattered about, the various bushes and cacti. I’d never be able to find this place again.

  Alex checked her watch. “I gotta run, guys! It’s noon already!” She waved to her friends and took off jogging down the trail. She didn’t think her mom would ground her for being a little late; then again, she wasn’t positive. Better to be safe than sorry.

  She burst through the front door of the guesthouse. “I’m home! Mom?” Alex frowned when she didn’t get an answer. She had expected her mother to be waiting at the dining room table, eyes on the clock, just waiting for the stroke of noon.

  She went to the intercom and dialed “0”. “C.C.? Is Mom around?”

  “She and Karen ran to the store right after you left.”

  “Thanks.” Alex hung up and fumed. I didn’t need to hurry back! She wouldn’t have even noticed I wasn’t back on time!

  With nothing to do, Alex sat and idly flipped through channels on the TV. Not even a month into summer vacation and I’m bored out of my mind. At least she had rehearsals for Wicked to look forward to. The students met once a week on Sundays at the theater at the local college. And she
worked in her aunt’s clothing store three or four days a week. Karen usually gave her Saturdays off to spend time with her friends, for which Alex was grateful.

  Alex lost herself in mindless boredom until her mom got home late that afternoon. As soon as she walked in the door, Alex knew she had some sort of news.

  “Hey. I know we never got a chance to talk about this more, but I called a lady today about looking at her rental,” Patricia said.

  “Where is it?” Alex tried to sound enthusiastic, but she just couldn’t pull it off. She didn’t want things to change. So many things had changed about her life in the last year, and she just wanted things to stay the same.

  “It’s really close, only a few streets down. She’s a really sweet old lady, but the house is just too much for her to manage since her husband passed away. Her kids want her to move to Ohio to be closer to them. And since she’s a friend of Karen’s, she’s giving us a really good deal on the rent.”

  Alex had to admit that the idea of living in the area didn’t seem so bad. Maybe her house is really big too! And I can have a bigger room with more bookshelves!

  “I told her we would meet her at 7:30.”

  “Sounds good. But if I don’t like it, I don’t want to live there.”

  “Give it a chance, Alex,” Patricia said, her tone indicating to Alex that she had better not press her luck.

  Well, I won’t live there. I will ask Karen if I can stay here in the guesthouse by myself.

  Alex and Patricia walked to the main house to see if Karen and C.C. needed help with dinner. Karen and C.C. had just taken the ribs out of the oven when the pair came in through the back door of the main house.

  “Smells good! What’s for dinner?” Alex closed her eyes and savored the smell.

  “This here is Mark’s recipe. He doesn’t make ribs using BBQ sauce,” Karen grabbed a bowl off the counter. “He mixes together equal parts honey, soy sauce, apricot jam, and a little garlic.”