Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel

by Barbara Hartzler

  In a few days I’d find out for myself. Sure, I’d keep my word and pledge all three societies on campus. But I had my own reasons. They had nothing to do with neutrality and everything to do with finding out the truth about James.

  Chapter 1

  Rough brick scraped against my fingertips, jagged as the scar at the edge of my hairline. I leaned into the cool shade of my stately campus dorm and forced myself to remember why I wanted to attend Montrose Paranormal Academy. This big, scary school was the only connection I had left to James.

  The August heat suctioned my long hair to the back of my neck like a wet mop. They jammed too many students onto the circle drive at the campus entrance. Mostly freshman, but a few transfer students like me. It reeked like a smelly old gym sock as we waited for the dean to make her welcome speech. I wiped my moist palms on my plum tank top, but the stink hovered above the orientation-day crowd.

  Reaching into my purse with my fingertips, I felt for the worn edges of my brother’s postcard. It was the only clue James had sent of his whereabouts in the last three years. Clutching the postcard like a lifeline, I reminded myself again that the frayed card from Italy proved he was still alive. I knew it was a message, a code of some kind, telling me something. That one little postcard was the whole reason I’d left Indiana behind to attend Montrose Paranormal Academy in New York.

  Well, truth be told, the postcard wasn’t the only reason I left Indiana. But who wants to hear another cliché story about catching your boyfriend with your best friend? So tacky, right?

  Goodbye Indianapolis, Lucy McAllen has moved on to bigger and better things. That’s right, me, a sixteen-year-old, on my own in the Big Apple. The city of possibilities. Okay, more like Riverdale, New York. But still what could be better than a fresh start?

  Somewhere up ahead, a bullhorn screeched, grating into my eardrums. The crowd winced, everyone covering their ears.

  “My apologies, students.” A sharp-dressed lady in a tan skirt and suit jacket stepped on a box and addressed the group, bullhorn in hand. “My name is Dean Frederickson. Welcome to Montrose Paranormal Academy. Or just Montrose Academy to the outside world.” She winked her dark lashes.

  A cheer erupted from the crowd. Dean Frederickson waved her ebony hands until everyone quieted down. “I want to welcome all of you new students to the academy. Montrose Paranormal Academy is a neutral training ground for the three societies: The Nexis Society, The Order of the Guardians, and The Watcher Corps. Here are some pamphlets about how the academy was established.” The dean ushered to two assistants who started handing out glossy brochures.

  My insides clenched into a knot. I still had no idea how the academy could be a neutral place for three warring secret societies—especially when so much power was at stake. Which was the whole reason I’d avoided this school like the plague. Finally, a stack of sweaty pamphlets reached me. I took one and passed them on, fanning myself with the damp paper. While the dean droned on about dorm parents and resident assistants, I noticed that everyone in the crowd opened their pamphlets. Was I missing something? Maybe there was some kind of prize or coupon inside.

  Flipping open the brochure, I read the first few paragraphs. “Montrose Academy was established in 1773 as one of four training intuitions to keep the peace between the Three Societies. Before the creation of Montrose, the secret societies feuded over the sacred stones and caused countless wars throughout the world. At a peace council in 1770, the societies agreed to end the bloodshed by splitting up the stones and assigned them to four sectors around the world—Africa, Asia, Europe, and the New World (now North and South America). Each society would guard its own stone in each sector. They established neutral institutions in each sector to train members of all three societies to maintain the peace.”

  Apparently, the dean was still talking. “You may pledge any of the three societies that interest you. All the Ivy League chapters of each society recruit from the society chapters on this campus. But remember, there are severe consequences for inter-society skirmishes on campus.”

  I inhaled a lungful of ninety degrees plus humidity. I made a promise to pledge each society to see what info they had on my brother. But I couldn’t expose my true intentions. If I ended up like James, or worse, I’d be of little use to him. As the second born in the Seer’s line, I had certain gifts like foreknowledge and a keen sense of intuition. Those gifts were nothing compared to the powers of the Seer, aka my brother. But if I wanted to figure out what these secret societies did to make him disappear, this was the best place to start. I’d just have to play it cool and fly way below their radar.

  Dean Frederickson swiped at the perspiration beading her forehead. “Your classes will be a mix of core curriculum and paranormal classes. However, on your transcripts, your course will appear like normal classes; English, History, and so on. Pay special attention to those classes with a paranormal twist. This is your opportunity to see if you have any latent bloodline skills or to groom yourselves for higher up roles in the three societies.” Raising her arms, she gestured around campus. “As first-year students, your classes have already been chosen for you. However, you can sign up for campus activities and get a tour of our lovely grounds. Please take advantage of these opportunities to prepare yourself for classes on Monday. You are dismissed.”

  With a roar of grumbles and murmurs, the students dispersed in all directions. I headed toward the orientation fair’s mishmash of tents set up in between the boy’s dorm and the girl’s dorm buildings, which were actually renovated old mansions near the bank of the Hudson River. Sweat trickled down by back as the August sun beat down on me. If I could just find my roommate we could go explore the grand campus waiting just beyond the hills.

  A guy squeezed next to me in the crowd. He flashed his piercing gray eyes at me, not to mention an adorable chin cleft, and waved a flyer in my face until I reached for it.

  “Welcome to Montrose. Hope to see you there.” His cinnamon breath spiced the air between us.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Cute guys had that effect me. He tilted up his chin, like he knew it was his best feature. Or was he just trying to get me to read the flyer in my hands?

  With a gold, fire-like logo, the flyer announced the Nexis Society’s new-recruit drive. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead, as the linen paper became moist in my hand. My pulse quickened. James had been Nexis president before he disappeared. I always wondered, did they make him disappear? I planned to pledge the Nexis Society to find out.

  Our parents tried to feed us some story about how James jetted off to Europe to recover from the mysterious death of his girlfriend. But I knew that wasn’t the truth. And here was my chance to prove it.

  The flyer fluttered in my hand as I analyzed the words, trying to pick up a hint from my measly second-born powers like my brother had taught me. Could this Nexis guy help me find some connection to James? I scanned the crowd for my mystery man, but he’d already disappeared. No doubt the orientation dragon swallowed him up. Then someone ripped the flyer from my hand. The thick paper sliced through my flesh.

  “Ouch.” I pressed my fingertip to my tongue. “What’d you do that for?”

  Another guy crumpled the paper against his polo and banked it off a tree trunk into the trashcan five feet away. Show-off. I glanced up to say as much, right into the most gorgeous eyes ever.

  Hold the phone—smolder alert at the orientation fair. At least six foot with inky hair, aqua-blue eyes. Almost the exact negative of Nexis guy and his golden hair. Hello, hottie.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. You should stay away from that guy, his group, too. You’ll be a lot better off without them.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at me.

  “Who made you king of the school?” I ground my teeth together, nicking the inside of my cheek. A metallic taste filled my mouth. Yeah right, like it was some strange dude’s job to tell me what to do.

  “I’m not king of anything,
just the president of the Guardians. You should think about joining us instead.” Those blue eyes seeped through my thoughts, muddling them into mush.

  My heart leapt into my throat. Here was my chance. “You want me to join the Guardians? Where’s your invite?”

  “We’re a little more secretive than that.” A gust of wind tousled the hint of curl in his black hair, offset by pale skin that highlighted a dimple on his cheek.

  I had to focus on something else. His mouth pressed into a hard scowl. That would do. “Do you always recruit by snatching Nexis invites right from people’s hands?”

  “Touché.” That scowl didn’t last long. He held out his hand. “I’m Bryan Cooper. What’s your name?”

  My fingertips sparked at his touch. Probably just the paper cut. “Lucy McAllen.”

  His eyes widened like I’d just told him I came from the moon. He held my hand so long I almost pulled it back. Finally, he shook it. “No, that was a little unorthodox.”

  I wriggled my hand from his tight grip. Wouldn’t want to give him any ideas. “By the way, no one likes to be told what to do. Next time ask or suggest something if you ever want it to happen.”

  Bryan belted out a laugh so loud that people stopped and stared. Then he doubled over. Seriously? One good jab to the ribs and he’d crumple to the sidewalk. He’d deserve it too, for laughing at me.

  He propped his hands on his knees. “You’re right, my mistake.” When he glanced up, his blue eyes were hovering at my level now. “I’ll find you on Monday to give you a personal invite to our first meeting. How’s that?”

  “Fine, I guess.” I backed up, narrowing my gaze at Bryan. How exactly did he expect to find me? Did they just handout new student’s schedules to the campus presidents of all three secret societies? Creepy.

  “Have a pleasant weekend. See you on Monday.” He stood up to his full height and waved, a laugh still lingering in his eyes.

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes as he disappeared into the crowd. Like I really wanted to see him around. Hotties were always dangerous, especially ones with gorgeous eyes. But maybe all guys weren’t like my ex. Only time would tell.

  Shaking off the odd encounter, I walked toward the fair and replayed the words from the Nexis flyer in my head. Tonight at sundown. Observatory Tower. At least I had my first genuine lead.

  Teenagers packed the orientation fair, surrounding me on all sides as I approached the white tents of the activities fair.

  I blinked at the clipboard shoved in my face. “No thank you.” Can we say personal space, people?

  Luckily, I had a fabulous roommate who I’d met this morning. A real native New Yorker. She pushed her way through the snarled lines and snatched the orange Astronomy Club sign-up sheet from me. Her twelfth clipboard today. Shanda Jones needed an intervention.

  “Let’s take a walk.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my frayed jean shorts.

  “Okay, just a sec.” With an ebony hand she flipped dark braids over her shoulder and grabbed another clipboard, scribbling her name on it.

  I peeked over her shoulder. “Fall play tryouts? I say go for it.” Memories of my stint in Alton High’s drama club fought their way forward.

  Shanda’s eyes scanned my face like she didn’t believe me. “Why don’t you sign up, too?”

  “Not me. I don’t need that kind of pressure right now.” I had enough to worry about. The crowd caved in on us. Who could see anything in this maze of people? “I’ve been dying to explore the campus on my own.”

  On tiptoes, I gazed beyond the herd. Green lawn and freedom lay dead ahead.

  “Sure. Let’s get out of here.” She carved a path through the pack of teens and parents. “I took the grand tour a few months ago. One of Dad’s houses, the Central Park condo, is less than an hour away.”

  Wow, her dad must be loaded. Why wasn’t he here? Probably the same reason my parents were AWOL—busy, busy, busy.

  A light breeze blew across my face. “Much better.” I inhaled the fresh air.

  I had a feeling I’d love this school as much as James had once upon a time. The Montrose campus sat on a hillside nestled above the Hudson River. Off to the south, green lawns leveled off into a quad where two enormous brick buildings with stone pillars that housed the classrooms faced opposite of the first-class cafeteria and gigantic old library. But the two crowning jewels of the campus were the Gothic stone chapel on the far side of the quad and the observatory tower nestled between two hills.

  Those gorgeous arches and stained glass chapel windows begged for a closer look. Maybe they could give me some insight into my brother’s cryptic postcard.

  “Eye candy at two o’clock.” Shanda’s manicured nail pointed out a sandy-haired heart-breaker zipping down the cobblestone sidewalk across the quad. “He’s got some potential.”

  “Not a bad pick.” Tousled hair, but cute with the right amount of chisel, kind of like the mystery flyer guy. Why couldn’t I go one day without thinking of boys? This was at least the third one today. Get a grip, girl. Like I could think about dating again after my last debacle. “So not happening.”

  “You wanna bet?” She raised a pencil-thin brow at me. “I can help you snag him.”

  “No way. I’m not into dating right now.” I smacked my hand over my mouth, but the truth popped out before I could stop it. At least my brain won the battle of the hormones, probably because the nearest guy was fifty feet away.

  “What?” She halted in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth wide as the sequined outline of Mick Jagger’s lips on her rocker tee.

  I plowed straight into her shoulder, and the horrible images rushed back. Clear as the cloudless sky.

  Jake and Becca, kissing on the couch, tangled together. Their faces followed me anywhere, even a thousand miles away from home. I blinked, my fingers curling into fists at my side.

  “Nasty breakup?” Shanda’s smile was soft.

  “Yeah.” I couldn’t smile back. My lips just twitched.

  She nodded with a familiar expression that said maybe she’d been there, too. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really.” I shook my head. “I just want to start fresh. On my own terms.”

  “Understandable.” She didn’t say another word, just resumed the pace like nothing ever happened. Now that was cool.

  We marched on in silence, stopping at the stone steps of the chapel.

  Like a mini Notre Dame Cathedral it towered above us, even more breathtaking up close. A kink formed in my neck from staring up at it. “Impressive, don’t you think?”

  “It’s supposed to look that way, or no one would pay the enormous tuition bills. Soon you won’t even notice these cobblestone sidewalks or your so-called impressive buildings with too many steps. But if you start swooning over the benches dedicated to someone’s dead grandmother, I’ll have to kill you.”

  “Fine, I’ll swoon in silence.” I slapped my palm against my forehead and dropped to the nearest bench. “Bring me my smelling salts.”

  “Get up, girl, you’re missing the true gem of Montrose.” With her finger she outlined an enormous stone tower behind the chapel and the quad. Its white dome gleamed in the afternoon sun. “That’s the observatory. It’s huge. I can’t wait to use the giant telescope.”

  “Now who’s swooning?” I laughed as she helped me up.

  Once classes started, I wouldn’t have time to worry about boys. As if I’d ever go for future secret society leaders and wannabe senators anyway. No, I had bigger goals for my time at Montrose Paranormal Academy. My plan might be harder than I thought. Could I pledge all three societies without getting sucked in? I’d find out in a few hours with the first group on the list … The Nexis Society.

  Chapter 2

  Tonight was the night. My first step to finding my brother started with one little meeting. I jogged up the cement steps to the observatory, my canvas flats pounding louder than my heartbeat. The tower rose from the top of the hill like a steeple—a domed pillar of
brick watching over the whole campus. Night wind whipped my hair into my eyes, but I tossed the dark-brown strands back and let the moonlight lead the way.

  Shanda’s braids flapped in front of me as we booked it up the wide steps. “C’mon. We’re gonna be late.”

  My heart thundered, still two beats behind her. “We’ll never make it on time.” The path dimmed with each step. Even the moonglow faded behind a cloud. Only a glint of gold pricked through the darkness.

  “I think it’s in here.” Through the shadows, she pointed out an engraved plaque etched with the words, Stanton Observatory, established 1847.

  “Figures.” My mom’s voice danced in my head, cheering me on. Now I knew why she told me a few days ago to “look up that nice Stanton boy.” His family must rank high in the Nexis food chain. My mom always wanted me to be someone I’m not—someone who cares about high society. For once I had listened to her advice, though not on purpose.

  A wave of dread washed over me, sinking into the depths of my stomach. I wanted to run back into the moonlight, but I was on a mission. Holding my chin up high, I followed Shanda into a wood-paneled foyer.

  “Welcome, ladies.” A brassy blonde ushered us toward a spiral staircase that snaked up the tower. “I’m Colleen.” She swept her hand over a tag on her shirt. “I’ll get you all set up.”

  Without asking, she handed me a nametag.

  “How’d you know my name?” I plastered it on my black v-neck t-shirt and smoothed my hands down my jean shorts.

  “Everyone knows about the McAllen family. Since your brother was president, people say you’re destined to inherit his throne. Though let’s hope you don’t run away to Europe like he did.” Her catty green eyes narrowed at me in the low light.