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

by Barbara Hartzler

  I met her gaze until the corners of her eyes softened. “What do you know about my brother?” Did she know James when he was here? Maybe they had dated or something and things ended badly. She definitely fit his usual girlfriend type, fiery Latina and all, but a little young for him.

  “I, uh—” Her face crumpled and her eyes glistened with tears.

  The bell rang, cutting her off.

  “Looks like that’s it for this class.” Mr. Harlixton’s voice rose to a firm tone. “Next time we’ll pick up with the sacred stones.”

  Julia shoved her books in her backpack, not bothering to zip it up, and rushed out of the room. I lost her in the sea of students rushing to lunch.

  In a daze, I packed up my stuff and shuffled toward the exit. But I wasn’t the last one to leave.

  Mr. Harlixton stopped me at the door. He motioned me to a far corner of the room, away from the loiterers glommed up by the door. “I don’t have time to explain now,” he whispered. “Come by my office after class today. Be careful this weekend and choose your friends wisely.”

  Goosebumps prickled up my arms. “Okay, I’ll see you later.” What an odd, almost Bryan-like kind of warning.

  Somehow my feet found their way out of the room and down the hall toward the front door. But my mind still lingered in that classroom. What could Julia possibly know about my family that I didn’t know? I raced down the hall, hoping to catch up with her, but she was already sprinting across the quad to the caf with those long legs. I’d have to catch her at lunch.

  ~

  “Julia, wait up.” The rubber soles of my flats pounded across the cobblestone as I chased my suitemate across the quad to the caf. Her question about my family blared like a foghorn in my mind.

  A gust of wind whipped my hair across my face. I brushed the dark tendrils away, raising my face to the sky as gray clouds chewed their way through the horizon.

  Splat. A drop of rain pelted my face. I pedaled my legs as fast as they could go down the cobblestone path as raindrops pelted the sidewalk around me. At last, I caught up with her at the cafeteria door.

  She held the door open for me. “I can’t get wet or it’s bye-bye sleek hair, hello frizzy mess.” Julia smoothed down her stick-straight golden brown locks, hoisting her bag over her head.

  “Wow, girl.” I huffed in the thick air, biting back a retort at her lame excuse for running away from me. It took way longer than usual for me to catch my breath. “You should be a track star. Don’t worry. Your hair is still perfect.”

  “I’m sure it won’t last through the day.” She curled up those pouty lips as we scurried inside the cafeteria to a mess of food smells. My stomach gurgled, probably because I’d neglected breakfast today. The sharp sting of pepperoni hit me first. It simmered in the pizza oven on the back wall. Then the meaty smell of boiling hot dogs mixed with the greasy goodness of fried chicken. Montrose spared no expense to ensure they represented all the regions of the country in the cafeteria. But pepperoni couldn’t cover up the damp odor of wet teens streaming inside from the rain.

  “That could’ve been us.” She handed me a tray and headed for the salad bar.

  I followed her, adding a small salad to my plate. Mom would be proud of that, at least. She’d probably hate the self-serve sandwich station, saying I put too much cheese or mayo on my turkey and rye or something ridiculous. Even after all she did, I’d probably never be able to shake my mom’s nagging voice in my head.

  Julia topped her salad with piles of veggies. I loaded up my sandwich with the final touch, honey mustard, and scanned the tables for Shanda. No luck. The crowd pushed me to the checkout line, separating me from Julia.

  After I swiped my card, I spied two red-heads lounging at an enormous table by the front windows.

  Felicia motioned me over, a small gesture that pulled me out of my inner ramblings and back to the reality like a lifeline.

  I set my tray down across from her, next to Laura. “Hi, girls.”

  “Lucy, I’m so glad you found us.” Laura put down her sandwich and flashed her warm hostess-with-the-mostest smile.

  Felicia munched on her hot dog, her green eyes bright and friendly. “Me, too. I can’t wait to hear about your class today.”

  “Really? It’s just a class.” I swung my bag off my shoulders, eyeing the red-head with flashing green eyes. “Okay, maybe a little weirder than normal.”

  “Wait, how was it weird?” Laura held up her tiny hand.

  “Why do you ask?” I scrunched my eyebrows at her, stuffing my turkey sandwich into my mouth to keep from saying something rude. The deli turkey was salty and delicious, especially paired with the juicy tomato and crisp lettuce. I could still make a mean sandwich, even if I had no clue why everyone cared so much about my Origins of the Three Societies class.

  Laura shrugged her red-orange curls off her shoulders. “It’s an introductory class, so I just figured since you’re a junior and your brother was Nexis president that you’d already know everything.”

  “I guess everyone knows I’m James’ sister, huh?” I unscrunched my eyebrows. I twirled my silver ring around my finger, hoping that rubbing the family heirloom would make everything clearer. Did I really see some strange vision of a long-dead Biblical character? Better keep that part to myself, or the whole school would figure out my little secret.

  Laura and Felicia both bobbed their heads as they ate. Julia wandered among the tables and I waved her over. She settled herself in next to Felicia.

  “This is my suitemate, Julia Donovan.” I introduced her to Felicia and Laura.

  The gingers exchanged odd looks. What was that about? I opened my mouth to ask, right as the guys yelled at each other across the cafeteria, heading to our table. I bit back my question and glanced up into those famous blue eyes that unnerved me. Bryan closed snapped his mouth shut, while Tony cocked his head at Lenny with a quizzical glare.

  That made two things I’d have to ask about later.

  Tony pulled out the chair next to Julia, and Lenny plunked down beside him. That left one chair for Bryan, the one next to me. His lips twisted, not exactly a frown, but not really a smile either, until his shoulder grazed mine. I scooted closer to Laura, and we all munched in silence.

  “Hey, girl.” Shanda waved at me across the dining hall.

  Bryan snagged a chair from another table, sliding it between us. My jaw clenched as if he’d dissed me. Where’d that come from? I stuffed my sandwich in my mouth to distract myself from any more hormone-induced silliness. Maybe he just thought we’d like to sit together since we were roomies.

  “Thanks, Bryan.” Shanda plopped into her seat next to me. “What’d I miss?”

  “Lucy was going to tell us all about Harlixton’s class.” Laura nudged me and I put down my turkey and cheese. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. My face flamed.

  I took a cool sip of iced tea. “There’s not much to tell, really. It was a little odd, that’s all.”

  Julia coughed. “Odd is an understatement.”

  “How interesting could that class be? Origins of the Three Societies sounds like such a drag.” Shanda slurped her smoothie.

  “Actually, it was more interesting than I imagined.” Rolling the words over in my brain, I decided on a bland, generic response. “For instance, I didn’t know there were three chosen ones.”

  Felicia leaned in, putting her elbows on the table. Her green eyes zeroed in on me. “You really think your family has the only chosen one? It still amazes me how Nexis will skew the truth.”

  “Wow.” I clenched my fingers and narrowed my eyes at Felicia. “You don’t think all the societies do the same thing?”

  Shanda cackled loud enough the entire lunch room could hear. A few people turned their heads, but most were too busy chatting and eating.

  An odd grin crept up her face as she studied me like a bug under a microscope. “What exactly has your family told you about the other chosen ones, like the Interpreter and the
Messenger?”

  With a start, I sat up straight, my spine ramming into the back of the chair. “Nothing. What’s it to you?” I clamped my mouth shut, but it was too late. Probably said too much already.

  “I don’t get it.” Shanda turned to me. “What’s the big deal?”

  “I don’t know,” I whispered to her under my breath.

  “What’s not to get? There are three sides on this campus and you have to choose one. If your family didn’t already choose it for you.” Julia pounded her cup down so hard the table shook. All the grins evaporated. “What? It’s true.” She crossed her arms over her body and glared at me.

  “What are you looking at me for?” It felt like a shadow lingered over my head, threatening to suffocate me with accusations and implications.

  Something must’ve happened, something major.

  Whispers swirled around me. “It’s your fault. It’s all your fault.” Yet no one at the table opened their mouth. They just stared at Julia.

  How could it be my fault? Worse, what if the whispers were right? Did this have something to do with James?

  I propped my elbows on the table. “You mentioned something about family in class, my family specifically. Does this have anything to do with my brother?”

  Julia flinched like I’d slapped her. Those goggle-sized eyes told me I’d missed a step. “You mean he never told you what happened here?”

  A bitter laugh escaped my throat. Shadows from the storm outside dappled the tray in front of me. “Please, after graduation James jetted off to Europe. No phone calls, no emails, no communication of any kind. He practically abandoned the family, abandoned me. For three years I’ve wondered if he’s even alive.”

  “Lucy.” Her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I always thought ...”

  “You thought what?” I snapped at her with more venom than I intended. Too much talk about James always brought out the worst in me. I’d be happier if Paige had been the one to take off without a word. But not James, my big bro, my confidant, my grounding influence. His absence carved a hole in my life that could never be replaced. My insides ached.

  Her eyes glistened with tears. “Maybe we should talk about this later.” With that she bolted out the door, straight into the rain. It must be a big deal for her to ruin her hair like that.

  Everyone else at the table returned to their food, except for Felicia who glared at me with her catty eyes. Picking at my food, I kept my eyes glued to the table.

  “Ahem.” Shanda cleared her throat, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “What’s that?” Her eyes flew to my backpack on the ground.

  Sure enough, Julia had jammed a cream envelope into my half-zipped front pocket. Pretending to drop my napkin, I bent over to inspect the envelope. I slid open the flap, easing out a single sheet of paper inside. By special selection, you’re invited to attend the Watcher Corps induction meeting. For serious candidates only. Come alone. Please keep the following details confidential. Do not share this information with anyone else. The rest of the invite included details of the off-campus meeting next weekend.

  I tucked the invite into my backpack and zipped the pocket closed. This was why everyone clammed up when Julia came to our table—she was a member of the Watchers. Had she caused the stupid scene about my brother just to hand me an invitation? Now I had more than one reason to figure out what the elusive Watcher Corps was all about.

  “Are you okay?” Shanda hissed in my ear.

  Glancing around the table, I caught Felicia staring at me again for the umpteenth time today. Later I mouthed to my roomie, flicking my gaze at Felicia. What was that girl’s problem, anyway?

  Chapter 6

  The clouds parted and splatters of sunshine washed onto the cafeteria table and its plates of half-eaten food.

  “What was that about?” Felicia’s green eyes were on me again, sending a chill down the back of my neck.

  “I have no idea.” I clawed through my long hair, twisting it around my fingers and letting the soft waves trickle down my back. I stared out the window as the raindrops petered out. The rest of the crew mumbled things behind me, but I tuned them out.

  “Earth to Lucy.” Shanda’s ebony fingers filtered the light into confetti before my eyes. “Incoming.”

  A familiar smell wafted across the table. Soapy with a hint of spice. Will plopped himself in Julia’s spot and turned his gray eyes on me. I forced a smile.

  Kevin scraped up a chair next to him. “Hi, guys, mind if we join you?”

  Tony scooted away from him. “Whatever.” Did all the Guardians have a beef with Nexis members? Maybe it wasn’t just Bryan after all.

  My sandwich lay half-eaten on my plate. The sight of it made my stomach flip-flop, like it couldn’t take anymore stress. “I’ve got to get to English. I’ll see you guys later.” I reached for my backpack and rose to my feet.

  “Bye, Lucy.” Bryan’s concerned expression did nothing to calm my nerves. Until he edged closer and whispered, “Don’t forget our deal.”

  I nodded. His smile almost looked genuine, but was it for Will’s benefit or mine?

  “I’ll come with.” Shanda palmed her smoothie, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

  Together, we rushed to the door as fast as my feet could walk without running. Outside, I inhaled a giant gulp of damp air. The rain clouds thinned out now, but water still clung to the trees, the grass, and the cobblestone.

  “Wait up.” Will’s voice called out. More footsteps sloshed behind me.

  “You girls walk fast.” Kevin puffed as he sidled up to Shanda. “How you been?”

  Shanda’s usual cackle teetered into a giggle.

  Will caught up with me as I lagged behind the flirting spectacle in front of me. “They seem to be hitting it off.” He stayed by my side as we headed to Salinger Hall where all the lit and art classes were held.

  “I can see that.” If Shanda’s ebony cheeks could turn bright red like mine, they’d light our way to class like Rudolph’s shiny nose.

  Will angled his jaw, tilting that perfect cleft in his chin toward me. Oh, to have such perfect genes. “You okay? You seemed upset back there. If it’s about the other night, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have let that Bryan kid get to me like that.”

  “No, it’s not about that. I feel kinda dumb for overreacting. Believe me, I’ve got bigger problems.” My fingers tangled in my long hair as I debated telling Will the truth. “My suitemate brought up my brother. It’s a sore subject.”

  “You’re not dumb, but I’m glad we’re cool.” His gray eyes wrinkled like a smiling cat, as if he really meant it. “I wonder how your brother is doing.”

  Could such a gorgeous guy really be a straight shooter? Before Jake, I always took things at face value. Now I had no clue. “How well did you know James?” I jumped a puddle and planted my feet on the sidewalk.

  Stopping by my side, Will turned to face me. “I was only a freshman when he was a senior. He was president of Nexis then, always the life of the party.”

  A picture of James sliding down our banister in his PJs popped into my head. His shaggy hair mussed up, that goofy grin all over his face.

  I cracked a smile. “That’s definitely James. He’s probably the life of the party wherever he is now.”

  The grit of rough fingers brushed the hair off my cheek.

  A chill crept down my spine at his touch.

  “I’m sure you miss him.” His gaze fixed on me, holding me in place. “Someone so beautiful shouldn’t be so sad.”

  Tears rushed to my eyelids. One spilled over, trailing down my cheek.

  With his index finger he wiped it away. “I’m sorry. I know you said it’s a sore subject.”

  “You can say that again.” I wiped my eyes and studied the wet toes of my canvas Toms. Funny, I hadn’t even noticed until now.

  He nudged me with his shoulder, out of my dreary thoughts. “Hey, at least you’ve got our double date to look forward tomorrow night.”
<
br />   “Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.” Did my heart just stop?

  “Ouch.” Will’s hand flew to his chest, over-dramatically clutching his chest muscles. “And here I’ve been planning something awesome to take your mind off of everything.”

  “Oh, really?” I bit my lip, peeking up at him behind my lashes. “I could use a nice distraction right about now.”

  “Good, ‘cause you’re gonna get it.” He turned those gray eyes on me full force, running his hand through his sandy mop. “I’ll make sure you forget all about your problems.”

  “Really?” For the first time today a surge of warmth flooded through my body. “I think that’d be fun.”

  “Me too. Now, let’s get you to class.” He pressed his hand against the small of my back, leading me to Salinger. Strange, how the warmth of his hand comforted me and sent chills up my back, all at the same time.

  ~

  With quick strokes of ink, I sketched an outline of the city into the margins of my notebook. Tingles of excitement laced their way up my arms. A night in the city sounded like just the thing I needed to take my mind off of all the drama of my first week at Montrose Paranormal Academy.

  The last bell rang, and I shoved my notebook and pen into my bag. The mad end-of-the-week rush carried me down the cobblestone path from Salinger and across the quad. Unfortunately, my week wasn’t quite over yet. I still had one more appointment with a certain teacher. Should I tell him about the strange things I’d seen, and the Nexis eye in the sky?

  My stomach lurched as I fought against the current of students streaming down the steps of Trenton Hall. If only I could push back the image I’d seen in Harlixton’s class, the bearded man, kneeling, with black and white and gray swirling around him.

  I trudged around the halls like a reluctant mouse who didn’t really want to find her way out of the maze. On the left, I found a door with a golden plaque that read Mr. Harlixton. Rocking back on my heels, I fiddled with my sweet-sixteen ring, wondering if I really wanted to go in.

  “Better get this over with,” I mumbled to myself, peeking my head into the closet-sized room.