“Only because she won’t do cool pranks like switch places.” Lenny had a lower voice than I expected, especially compared to Laura.
“Like I want anyone to mistake me for a boy.” She shrugged off his comment and scooted out the chair beside her. “Come sit by me. Are you excited for class? Harlixton’s great.”
“Harlixton? I have him for Origins.” I slid into the wooden chair. “I love libraries and old books, so I’m definitely looking forward to this class.”
“Nice, another bookworm like Bryan here, our fearless leader.” Tony tilted back his chair back and kicked up his feet. “You’ll fit right in.”
“Don’t listen to him. He’s always giving Bryan a hard time.” Laura snapped her book shut.
“You guys are all Guardians? Is this entire class full of Guardians?” I unzipped my bag and fished out a fresh notebook so I didn’t have to look at them. Hopefully they didn’t hear my voice wobble.
Everyone stopped cold and zeroed in on me, eyes wide.
“Very observant.” Bryan eased himself into the chair beside me. “Yes, we’re all Guardians. We meet after this class. So stick around if you want.”
“Smooth, dude.” Lenny whispered to Bryan, but his eyes never left me. Creepy.
The hinges of the library door squeaked behind me as more students filed into class. Julia took the open seat at my table and motioned for Brooke to pull up a chair. Maybe Julia wasn’t a mean girl after all.
Mr. Harlixton walked in and took his stance in the front of the library tables. “Welcome to Ancient Writings, Myths, and Legends. Otherwise known as World Literature on your regular transcripts.”
I chuckled to myself and the rest of the class followed suit. Mr. Harlixton thrust a stack of papers at Bryan and he passed out the syllabus.
Mr. Harlixton removed his tweed jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his cream dress shirt. “This class will be a little different from most. In the back of your syllabus is a two page assessment test. This little quiz is designed to assess your knowledge of the three societies and their texts. Based on your results, I will assign you a personalized research topic that will be the focus of the rest of your time in class. Once you’ve finished your pop quiz, you are free to leave.”
Papers swished as everyone in the fifteen-person class turned to the back of the syllabus, including me. There it was, the Ancient Writings, Myths, and Legends Assessment Test.
Bryan leaned over and whispered in my ear. “I meant what I said. Stick around after class.”
His fiery breath burned down my neck, making it hard to focus on the questions in front of me. The first question was about the Flood, the next about Nephilim, which I think were half angel beings if I remembered anything from my family training. The next question read: How many Chosen Ones are there? Funny, I’d never heard that term before. Were they talking about the Seer? Did that mean I wasn’t the only one? The next question asked about firstborn bloodline powers. I knew that the firstborn of the firstborn in the line of Noah had special powers. That’s how my family inherited their Seer got their powers. The following question was a follow-up which I knew right away—the Seer only comes into their powers once every century. Breathing a sigh of relief, I breezed through the next questions without a second glance.
Julia was the first to finish and hand in her test, followed by a handful of people I didn’t know. Part of me wanted to run out of the room right behind my non-Guardian classmates, just so I could take a peek at the stained glass windows. But the postcard would have to wait. My heart sank to my knees, planting my feet to the floor. I needed to stick around if I had any hope of pledging the Guardians.
Pretending to debate over the last two questions, I watched as everyone filed out of the room. Except for the six Guardians I’d just met. As soon as everyone else left the room, I rose from my chair and made my way up front. Tearing off the last two pages of my syllabus, I handed the test to Mr. Harlixton.
“Hope I did okay.” I gave him a meek grin.
He took the papers from my hand and smiled back. “There are no right or wrong answers in this class. Only topics for further research.” Leaning in, he whispered, “I’m glad you’re giving the Guardians a fair chance, too.”
With those enigmatic words, he took the tests from the Guardian students, grabbed his jacket, and rushed out of the room with his handful of papers.
Shuffling back to my chair, I glanced around the room. “Is Mr. Harlixton a Guardian, too?”
“See what a mean? Very observant.” A satisfied grin crept up Bryan’s face. “He’s our mentor.”
“Oh, okay.” I gnawed on my bottom lip, trying to decide what to ask first. “What exactly do the Guardians do?”
“Good question.” Bryan rose from his chair to face me. “I told you the Order of the Guardians was created to protect the sacred stones. And the Chosen Ones. Now we guard them both from Nexis.”
I blinked and stepped back. Sacred stones? Chosen ones? What was this guy talking about? Then the image of St. Lucia rushed into my mind’s eye, from the ancient text Will showed me Sunday night. The three stones whirling around the saint’s head—were they the sacred stones? My knees wobbled as the vision dissipated. I gripped the edge of the table for extra support.
Laura stood up, slipping an arm around my back to steady me. “Don’t scare the girl by giving her too much information so soon.”
Bryan’s blue eyes seared into me. “She asked an honest question, so I gave her an honest answer.”
“Touché. I do appreciate honesty.” My lips curled up automatically. “So why would Nexis defect from the Guardians over a sacred stone? And what does it have to do with creating Utopia?”
“Woah, down girl.” Felicia gulped, her green eyes going wide. “Sounds like you’ve been to the Nexis meeting, huh?”
“Yeah, and it was beyond confusing.” I shared a look with the auburn beauty.
“Well, I’m glad you’re asking us and not Nexis, then.” Bryan’s gazed zeroed in on me and he took two steps closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felicia flinch as he turned to me. “Nexis has some strange delusions that this stone will help them bring about a Utopia.”
“More like a dictatorship,” Lenny coughed out.
Taking two steps back, I knew why my dad sent me to this group. I needed to keep Nexis at a safe distance. Taking in a deep breath, I remembered Dad’s admonition to give the Guardians a chance and keep the status quo. In the back of my mind, I still wondered if Dad knew more about the Guardians than he let on.
“Why don’t we wait until next class to give her more information on the Guardians?” Tony glanced at me, then at Bryan.
“Good call, man.” Bryan was still staring at me. “I know that your parents are Nexis members, but your grandmother was on the Guardian council. You should have all the information so you can to decide for yourself.”
“My grandma?” I squeaked, my voice higher than intended. “I know my dad had a falling out with Grandma, but he never said why.”
He flinched but didn’t look away. “Really? That’s interesting.”
“Dude, what’d I just say?” Tony marched over and punched Bryan in the shoulder. “Chill out.”
Bryan closed his eyes, fingers rubbing a hole in the collar of his gray t-shirt. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Lucy.” He turned to me, eyes haunted. “How about this, I won’t overload your brain with too much info if you agree to call me if you have any questions.
I crinkled my eyes until the image of him narrowed. “Okaaay …”
“It’s a deal then.” He pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed my hand.
“What’re you doing?” I wiggled and tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn’t let go. He marked my palm with his digits.
Then those dangerous eyes returned to me. “Promise you’ll call me first if you have any questions. Okay?”
He brought my palm closer and blew on the wet ink. Tingles shot up my arm.
“Yeah, right.” My pulse poun
ded in my ears.
“I hope you do.” He let go of my hand.
Somehow, it felt cold without his warmth.
I raced out of the library, speed-walking down the hall, and pushed open the heavy front door. I tilted my face to the moon and the stars, but my hand still tingled where Bryan had etched his number into my palm. Maybe I’d call, maybe I wouldn’t. At least I had a foot in the door with Nexis and the Guardians. Two secret societies down, one more to go.
Chapter 5
After the strange events of last night, my brain felt like a pile of scrambled eggs as I elbowed my way through the crowded lobby of Trenton Hall. I found my usual seat in Origins of the Three Societies, on the third row next to Julia. Long, horizontal windows on the back wall framed the clouds outside. Rays of light and shadow dappled the lecture stage.
Mr. Harlixton uncapped a black marker and scribbled, “The Flood,” on the whiteboard. “Alright everyone. Open your books to chapter three on the flood. Those of you with Bibles, turn to Genesis, chapter six.”
I blinked but pulled out the heavy textbook and my grandma’s Bible from my bag. Julia opened her pink leather Bible, as did the girl next to me.
“It’s nice to have a source book. Aren’t you glad your family clued you into that?” Julia whispered, a shadow crossing her face.
“I guess,” I mumbled, turning the gilt pages to the assigned Bible passage. Luckily, Genesis was the first book of the Bible. All over the room, people cracked open the good book. Every student had one today. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who figured it out. Good thing I’d listened to my instincts and brought my family Bible to class.
Mr. Harlixton smoothed down the fuzzy hair fringing the edges of his bald spot. “Today we’ll discuss the precursors to the flood and theorize what made God angry enough to drown the entire Earth in water. If we have time, we’ll examine the original secret society that formed in its wake, ultimately leading to the three societies that govern this school.”
A hush filled the room. Everyone in class opened their notebooks out, pens ready to write. Did everyone think the entire world hinged on what Mr. Harlixton would teach today? Excited murmurs rippled through the rows of students.
Julia leaned in, her voice low. “Most people are only told one side of the story, from the secret society they were born into. It’s a big deal for them to finally learn the complete picture so they can decide their allegiance for themselves.”
“Right, that makes sense, I guess.” This was all brand new information to me and I had a feeling it would only get weirder. I glanced at Julia if only to gauge her reaction, but her eyes were glued to the man behind the podium.
Once the murmurs died down, Mr. Harlixton resumed his lecture. “The three societies interpret the Genesis six passage on the flood very differently. As you see, it talks about the Nephilim, a creature who was said to be half man and half angel. All three societies agree on one thing—that ‘sons of God’ in this passage means angels. Or fallen angels, actually demons. They are the same, don’t forget that part.”
I’d never noticed the part about angels marrying human women. How did I miss that? The flood story I’d heard in Sunday school was about Noah’s ark and all the animals.
I scanned the passage again, and there it was in Genesis chapter six, verse four, a little blurb about these Nephilim creatures. Just one verse. Not much to go on, really.
Murmurs buzzed behind me, but I tuned them out to hear Mr. Harlixton. “Most Bible-believing Christians in the world today believe that God sent the flood to destroy all men. Because it was mankind who was so sinful. However, after the flood, the first secret society emerged from a select few of Noah’s offspring who believe the flood was God’s punishment to wipe out the Nephilim. This camp is further divided into many sects, but for our purposes, I’ve lumped them all together. We’ll go into more detail in a minute.”
The girl on my left whispered to her friend. “Why would God want to wipe out the Nephilim? They are badass.”
“Shut up.” Her friend hissed at her.
Mr. Harlixton paused, his gaze zeroing in on the talkers. “I think you know why, Miss Brunsford.”
“They’re too powerful for the human world,” Julia mumbled, her eyes narrowing at me. “But I guess you’re into the Utopia nonsense, aren’t you?”
My jaw dropped. I had no response. What could she mean by that? I shrugged off her strange behavior as the lecture resumed.
“Alright, Miss Donovan. I’m getting there. Hold your horses.” He chugged a glass of water, leaning against his desk. “God charged Noah to save humanity with his ark. After the flood, God gifted his three sons with divine powers to keep humanity in check so there would never be a flood again. Every firstborn child of Noah’s three sons has certain powers to keep the balance. This is where the chosen ones come from—the Seer, the Interpreter, and the Messenger.”
I breathed a tiny sigh of relief. At least I wasn’t the only one caught in the secret society crosshairs.
“Once every century, the chosen ones emerge from the firstborn bloodlines to save the world.”
“Usually from a crazy Nexis scheme.” Julia mumbled beside me.
Mr. Harlixton jerked his head in her direction, but continued his spiel. “Just because there are three Chosen Ones doesn’t mean they’re all equal. The Seer is the most powerful of the Chosen Ones. Once the Seer emerges to fulfill the prophecy, it summons the Interpreter and the Messenger to fulfill their role in the century prophecy. But you’ll learn more about the Chosen Ones in your Firstborn Bloodline class.”
My eyes were about to bug out of their sockets. Why hadn’t my parents told me about the other two chosen ones?
Mr. Harlixton must’ve noticed my crazy-eyed expression, because he was staring right at me. “Let’s do a quick overview of the three secret societies before we dive deeper into the feud that tore them apart.
Oh goody. I squirmed in my seat, but I knew I needed to hear this.
Mr. Harlixton scrunched his eyebrows at me, then swung his gaze around the room. “The Nexis Society want to bring back the Nephilim, and use them as leaders to usher in a Utopia here on earth, with the aid of the chosen ones and the sacred stones. More on those later.”
I sank further into my seat. I had a lot to learn. At least now I knew what Julia meant when she spat on Utopia. She thought I was bound for Nexis.
The clouds outside shifted, sending shadows scurrying over Mr. Harlixton’s face. “The Order of the Guardians was the original secret society formed from the grandchildren of Noah. Their original mission was to protect the chosen ones and the sacred stones. In the Great Feud, Nexis and the Watchers stole certain stones when they split from the Guardians. Now the Guardians directly oppose Nexis, because they believe that the Utopia that Nexis wants to create will exploit society and only benefit Nexis members.”
Oh, man. The hits kept coming. I almost didn’t want to hear the rest.
“The Watcher Corps want to enforce law and order among the Guardians and Nexis, so that there will never be another Great Feud. They consider themselves the neutral Switzerland of the secret societies.”
Okay, that wasn’t so bad. I could get on board with neutrality.
A wave of mumbles swept around the room. The murmurs grew louder now, as spurts of arguments broke out behind me. But some strange fascination kept my eyes on the balding man in the front of the room like my life depended on what he had to say.
A guy in the front row raised his hand. “I’ve always wondered why God gave divine powers to humans at all.”
“Excellent point, Mr. Dixon. God knew humans weren’t all bad. In face, he found one completely blameless man, Noah. He was the only righteous man, according to Genesis chapter six, verse nine.” Mr. Harlixton grabbed his marker and scrawled Blameless on the board. “Being blameless in a world full of sin was a big deal to God.”
I squinted, zeroing in on the word blameless. The words shifted as Harlixton’s messy scrawl on
the whiteboard melted into a black and white puddle. The puddle fizzled into a great beam of light that focused on a man. A middle-aged bearded man in funny clothing. “Blameless,” boomed through my mind. “I will establish my covenant with you.”
The booming voice came from a beam of pure white light that surrounded the bearded man. Holding a glowing purple stone in his hands, he nodded and bowed his head. With his eyes still closed, he turned to me. Then he opened them in a flash. From his eyes, swirls of floating light and shadow streamed straight at me.
One man called out above the rest.
To save the world.
To regenerate it.
And somehow I felt unworthy, like I didn’t deserve such an honor. And it wasn’t even about me. These were ancient words, from a thousand centuries ago, right?
Somehow they rang true in my heart. In my mind. In every part of my being. I could feel it in my bones.
Who am I? Am I really the Seer?
I couldn’t take it anymore and clamped my eyes shut. The images danced in the darkness, then dimmed.
I inched my eyelids open.
The swirls of light morphed once again into the classroom. My back slammed against the chair, rattling my spine. I blinked several times to make sure the vision truly disappeared.
My mind waded through every plausible scenario that could make what I just saw okay. Nothing made sense. That was the second vision I had at Montrose Paranormal Academy. Maybe I was more than just the next in line to be the Seer. Maybe my powers were starting early. I gulped back the bile that burned my throat. I needed to figure out my powers and get them under control before I did something really stupid—like reveal all my secrets before I figured out what happened to James.
“Heavy stuff, huh?” Julia whispered, jostling me out of my mental ramblings. “You okay?”
“It’s a lot to take in.” Definitely an understatement.
Julia jerked back like I’d jolted her with a taser. “You’re telling me you don’t know all of this already? Not even from your family? Or your brother?” She whispered the last word so softly I had to read her lips.
Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel Page 6