Mr. Harlixton eased into a chair beside me. “Interesting stuff about angel fire. Right?”
I gulped and glanced behind me. All around the room, pages swished as everyone pored over their ancient tomes. Nobody paid us any attention. My heart raced, but I nodded anyway.
Moonlight from the window in front of us glinted off Mr. Harlixton’s glasses. “A little birdie told me you had a strange episode at the Hard Rock Cafe. I’m guessing it had something to do with this?” He pointed to an illustration of a man with lightning emanating from his palms.
“I—” Before I could utter another word, Harlixton cut me off.
“Not here.” He hissed. “You can tell me all about it in our next meeting. For now, just keep reading.”
“Okay” I bobbed my head again, watching him through his reflection in the window as he walked back to the rest of the class. I turned to the book in front of me, eager to devour more information.
Apparently, the Seer’s powers stemmed from a covenant with God, the one in Genesis six to be precise. A black and white drawing of a man in a robe stared back at me. He was kneeling before a great beam of light with wispy shapes of light and shadow swirling from his eyes. I blinked, then blinked harder. The picture was unmistakable. Exactly the same image as the vision I’d had in Harlixton’s class. The caption read Noah’s Covenant.
“Covenant.” The word whispered in my ears over and over again, like it came from somewhere in the room. I glanced up, but none of the students were talking and Mr. Harlixton was engrossed in a book of his own. Scouring the room with my eyes, I analyzed every nook and cranny from the stacks to the turret, even out the window. No one lurked in the corners or in the shadows. I closed my eyes, and the whispers stopped.
Turning the page, I kept reading, if only to distract myself from my own craziness. This section went into the powers of the firstborn descendants of Shem. Every descendant in the line of Shem was supposed to have special gifts. Which is exactly what Mom and Dad always told us growing up. Paige and I were raised to accept the lesser powers of the siblings of the Seer. Normal, non-Seer firstborn bloodline power could range from premonitions, a sense of knowing, or a heightened discernment between good and evil. It took years to figure out and hone these lesser gifts. And until recently, I’d resigned myself to my second born status.
Someone loomed over my shoulder, casting a shadow on the page in front of me.
Mr. Harlixton cleared his throat. “You’ll want to skip to the next section. Your assessment indicated that you already know this information. For your paper, I’ll expect a detailed study of new information you learn from these books.”
“Okay.” I gulped. “Thanks.”
Without another word, he turned the page and shuffled back to his table overlooking the rest of the class. Air clogged in my throat as I read the page heading, The Seer. Below the heading, a strange symbol of a triangle with a swirling eye in the center stared back at me. The text below detailed the prophecy of the emergence of the Seer. It read, “Once every century, one appointed firstborn descendant of Noah will emerge as the Seer on their eighteenth birthday. The Seer will emerge in the midst of great turmoil, be it war or famine or plague. The Seer will be the conduit for Divine Power of both light and darkness, angels and demons, to descend upon the earthly plane.”
Swallowing down the lump at the back of my throat, I read the last line on the page. “Before the Seer can be fully imbued with Divine Power, they must choose between the powers of light and darkness.”
My lungs froze in my chest, as if waiting to breathe until I turned the page. The powers of light and darkness were detailed on the next page, and they couldn’t be more different. If I chose to channel the powers of light, I’d literally be a conduit for angel powers. As in, the power of angels would flow through me. Say what?
I’d have access to angel fire, aka lightning to vanquish demons, I could manipulate the weather, I’d have super strength, could foresee future events through dreams and visions, and be able to discern between light and dark motives.
Apparently that was just an introductory list of powers, with special skills to be honed in Seer Training. Whatever that was, it sounded really cool. Where did I sign up for Seer Training? Oh, yeah, first I’d have to turn eighteen and probably announce my status. That didn’t mean I couldn’t learn more about my awesome supernatural powers in the meantime.
Anticipation sizzled in my veins and I flipped the page. Then my jaw dropped. This section only talked about the dark powers. Surprise, surprise. There were just as many dark powers as light. If I chose darkness, I could use dark powers to call up shadow demons to do my bidding, read and control people’s minds, take over their bodies, cause earthquakes and other natural disasters, and suck the life out of people.
The realization hit me like an anvil to the brain. What happened at Hard Rock was definitely some kind of supernatural battle—probably meant to test my powers. A sudden shiver raised the hair on the back of my neck. Would that shadow demon have sucked the life out of Jake if I hadn’t intervened? Or was Jake just a pawn in some grand scheme?
Wisps of cold wove their way under my skin. I couldn’t take it anymore. I slammed the book shut and rose to my feet. Glancing around the room, I only saw the members of the Guardians left in the room. How long was I entranced by this strange book?
Laura peeled off her gloves and motioned me over with one hand. “Are you still interested in the Guardians? We’d love to answer any questions you have.”
I exhaled the breath I’d sucked in for too long. “Yeah, I guess. I’m keeping my options open.” Twirling a lock of my dark hair around my finger, I sat down next to my ginger friend.
Bryan scraped back and chair across from me. “As long as you haven’t been initiated by any group, then you’re still in the running. What do you want to know?”
Maybe I could trust these people. The smallest flutter of courage rose from my gut. I opened my mouth. “Honestly, I want to know what really happened to my brother.”
Lenny leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I’m guessing Nexis is giving you the runaround.”
“You can say that again.” I puffed out a hot breath. Sure, my heart had softened toward Will after our double date. But it still felt like he was hiding something.
Bryan’s face fell as he gnawed on his lip. “Unfortunately, there aren’t any seniors in the Guardians this year. But my sister, Abby, was president when your brother graduated. Maybe she knows something.”
A flicker of hope ignited in my heart. “Could you ask her?”
“You bet.” He nodded, giving me a huge grin that lit up his blue eyes. “As long as you agree to pledge the Guardians.”
Of course there was a catch. My head told me Guardian intel on James was a long shot since he was a Nexis member. Even so, a thrill of excitement tingled up my spine. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
He reached out and shook my hand, sending a fresh shower of sparks as those aqua eyes lasered into me. “Don’t worry. We’ll think of something really good to introduce you to the Guardians.”
“Can’t wait.” My stomach did a cartwheel.
Clip-clomps of heavy feet pounded from the hallway, one by one, until a dark figure filled the doorway.
“What’d I miss?” Tony’s deep voice echoed like a gong in the quiet room. That boy could win a James Dean lookalike contest. All he needed was a leather jacket over that blue and gold Montrose Soccer uniform.
“Lucy just agreed to pledge the Guardians.” Brook squealed excitedly.
The Guardians congratulated themselves while I did a mental celebration on my own. I was about to pledge another secret society. Two down, only one more to go. The Watchers were next up on my list.
Chapter 11
Remnants of the weekend still slithered in and out of the corners of my mind. Jake showing up out of nowhere, the dark wraith versus the angel of light, smoke clashing with lightning. Somehow I made it through the next few days of
classes, but the images swirled in my head all week. Would I really be able to control both light and darkness someday? All I wanted to do was run out the door of my last class so I could check out those books in the chapel library. Surely the answer lay somewhere one of those books Mr. Harlixton was not-so-gently nudging me to read. Maybe if I could learn to hone my powers, I could use them to find my brother. That alone was worth the risk.
With a little extra pep in my step, I skirted through the mass exodus leaving Mr. Harlixton’s classroom.
“Wait up, Lucy.” Bryan called from behind me, parting the crowed to stand beside me. “How are you doing today? You look great.” Those aqua eyes burned two little holes in me.
I could’ve melted into the floor. “Thanks.” My face flamed under his scrutiny.
We hadn’t had much interaction since orientation, just a few meet-ups in research class. But I knew there was more to this guy than just a cog in the secret society system. Needless to say, Bryan was definitely on my radar.
“I got this.” He lifted the bag off my shoulder, brushing back my hair. “I heard you had a run in with your ex last weekend. Did you campus security ever catch the guy?”
I turned away from the burning blue and smoothed my hair back in place, grazing the scar with my fingertips. “Besides the standard, ‘we’re looking into it’? Nothing yet.”
“Then he’s still out there.” He practically punched open the outer door. Then his hand steadied, and he held it open for me. “I’m sorry you have to go through that. My ex is crazy, but at least she’s not a stalker.”
At the bottom of the steps, I slowed my stride and tilted my head at him. “You’ve got a crazy ex, too?”
He pursed his lips together. “Colleen and I dated for a while freshman year. I thought it was no big deal, but when we broke up, she joined Nexis just to spite me.”
“Yikes,” I sucked in a breath, an image of the green-eyed blonde flashing in my head. “Sounds like you might know a thing or two about crazy exes.”
“You can say that again.” Bryan ran a hand through his dark, short-cropped hair. “Listen, I know this probably sounds weird after our crazy ex talk, but there’s this dorm party this weekend. You wanna go with me?”
“Oh.” I stepped back, as a strange feeling buoyed in my chest, making my limbs feel light as air. “That sounds fun.”
A grin split his face. Rosy shades of cream and pink and red flushed his cheeks. “Great. I’ll see you in your dorm lobby tomorrow night at seven.”
“Great. See you then.” I squinted at him as he waved and sauntered off down the cobblestone path. Maybe I shouldn’t lead the guy on, but he intrigued me. How did a girl who didn’t want to date wrangle two guys into asking her out?
Blinking like crazy, I walked back to my dorm to get ready for tonight. Keeping my options open didn’t count as dating, right? Crickets chirped in the empty quad. My only response.
~
A pillar of afternoon sun striped across the foot of my bed. I slipped my bookmark into the conjugation page of my French book and tiptoed to the window. Washes of feathery white smeared across the blue sky. I could almost hear the birds chirping. I found the lever at the bottom and cranked the creaky handle with my fingertips until the window jutted open.
Something banged behind me so loudly I jumped. My elbow hit the crank.
“Ow.” The sore spot smarted as I rubbed it.
“Sorry, I knocked.” Julia shrugged, hovering in the doorway.
“Come on in.” I waved her inside my dorm room. “I’ve been meaning to ask, is it okay if I bring Shanda to the meeting tonight? Since it’s off campus, I need a ride.”
“Since she’s undeclared, that should be fine.” Julia hovered between the butterfly chairs, eyelashes quivering. “Can we talk? I think you deserve an explanation about last week.”
A breeze wafted across my face, smelling sweet and crisp with a late-September chill. I pulled on my sweater. “Let’s sit.”
“I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. Especially at lunch like that, in front of all your friends.” Julia plunked down in the chair opposite me and clasped her hands in her lap. “I’m really sorry.”
“It was kind of weird.” I couldn’t see her eyes through the sandy fringe she’d let fall across her face. “I didn’t even know you had a sister, let alone that she knew my brother. Are you guys close?”
Silence shrouded the air—even the birds stopped chirping to hear what Julia said next.
“Maria and I were close until she died two years ago.” Tears rolled down that Miss America’s face, smudging her mascara, streaking her makeup.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” I palmed the tissue box, nudging it against her knee. Any words of comfort I could fathom got stuck on the tip of my tongue. She wouldn’t glance up, yet I had to ask. “How did she die?”
She sniffed and dabbed her face. “It was here at Montrose. They found her in the river.”
“Ohmigosh!” The screech escaped before I had a chance to check it. Horrible images floated in my mind. “That’s so awful.”
She wailed into the Kleenex, blowing her nose with a loud honk. “I always thought James knew more than he let on. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m totally irrational sometimes.” She balled up her tissue, her pageant face completely gone now, her red nose splotchy, eyes puffy.
Tears welled up just looking at her, but a seething pulse drummed into my ears. “I don’t understand why James would know anything.” I wanted to scream. How could she accuse James of being involved? Could either one of us be rational here? Then a memory floated in to my consciousness. Didn’t Dad say something about James being so distraught over his girlfriend’s death that he jetted off to Europe? I’d always thought it was a cop out, but maybe there was more truth to Dad’s explanation than I’d imagined.
Julia yanked out more tissues, wiping off the streaks of black eye makeup. “They were dating at the time and some people said they were about to break up. Just rumors, of course. I wish I knew the truth, though.”
I gulped as a tear leaked out. She needed to know the truth. “All I know is that my Dad said James was upset that night because his girlfriend had just drowned. He was too upset to deal with it, so he took off to Europe. And we never heard from him again.” My eyes welled up again. For three years I wondered if James was still alive, but what if I’d never gotten that postcard? I couldn’t imagine Julia’s pain over losing her sister.
“Really?” She sniffled as another sob racked her shoulders. “According to Colleen and Monica, he was the last one to see her alive.”
“How would they know if they weren’t even there?” Her words felt like an accusation, as if she’d just slapped me in the face. They electrocuted my brain with a life of their own, lacing the air with resentment, bitterness, betrayal.
And then the room started to spin as the beginnings of a vision sucked me in.
Julia’s splotchy face backlit by afternoon sunlight faded into deep shadows, twisting and twirling around me.
My dorm room merged into a mishmash of colors swirling together in one fuzzy blur. Like it was supposed to be that way all along.
I gave in to the spinning. Who was I to say no, to stop what needed to stay in motion?
I let the whirlwind take me wherever it wanted to go, into a chasm. I was falling into an abyss, unknown and unseen, cloaked by mist. A hand reached out.
Somehow it was James I saw in the fog.
He clawed at the mist, searching for me, trying to show me the way. But I fell too far, too fast, too deep. Reaching out with my hands, I tried to circle the clouds under my feet. Didn’t I read somewhere that the Seer could control weather? But it was too late. James was gone, and nothing but gray surrounded me.
Just like that I was back in my dorm, staring at my suitemate, her face clouded with confusion. How long had I been out this time?
“I’m sorry to dump all of this on you, Lucy. I hope you’ll still come to the
meeting tonight.” Julia gave a tiny little wave and disappeared out the door.
I didn’t want to move, but I had to. I had to find a way out, or something bad would happen, as if the fate of the whole world depended on me. I picked up my keys and headed out the door.
One thing I knew for certain, Colleen and Monica were just plain wrong. I had to get to the bottom of this.
Chapter 12
Shanda eased her Mini Cooper into the parking lot of the Riverdale Coffeehouse. A bell jangled overhead as we stepped into the dingy, beige-tiled restaurant. At the counter, we ordered two grasshoppers as the invitation instructed.
“That’ll be ten dollars. This way.” The waitress stuck a pencil in her hair and ushered through a yellow gingham curtained to a back room. “Your drinks will be out in a few minutes.”
Shanda and I glanced at each other and shrugged.
“Is that Miss Sherry?” Shanda his in my ear.
Sure enough, our dorm mom sat on a burgundy booth bench in the back of the room, facing rows and rows of empty diner chairs.
Julia turned her perfectly highlighted head and waved us over to sit beside her on the front row. “You guys are the first ones here.”
“Great.” Shanda mumbled under her breath. “Fashionably early.”
Just then, the waitress returned with a frozen cup of chocolately-coffeeness complete with whipped cream on the top. I put the straw to my lips and sucked down the minty-chocolate goodness. As I sipped, more people trickled in behind us.
“You should try it.” I tapped Shanda’s arm with my cup. “It’s amazing.”
Shanda took a sip. “At least it’ll keep me awake through this thing.”
Caffeine buzzed through my veins, and I bounced on the cracked burgundy vinyl seat. Murmurs and whispers rippled throughout the crowd, making me wonder if the rest of these people were as clueless as I was about the Watchers. These guys were pretty secretive, even for a secret society. This may be my only chance to get any intel on them.
Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel Page 11