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

by Barbara Hartzler

  We found ourselves in another circular vestibule with a spiral staircase, much like where we’d entered at the library. My heartbeat a little faster and electricity buzzed through my veins. Faint sparks erupted from my fingertips, drawing my eye to a hidden doorway on the left. The sparks buzzed like fireflies, circling the door as if they were trying to tell me something.

  “C’mon Lucy, we’re almost there.” Bryan’s hand was warm in mine as he dragged me to the stone staircase.

  Shaking off the strange firefly sparks, I was the last to climb the stairs. At the top, I stumbled across the uneven doorstop, landing on my knees in the dewy grass. Tony and Lenny pushed a stone panel back into place until it looked like there was no door at all.

  Stars greeted me in the cool night sky. “Where are we?”

  “The Nexis tower.” He wrapped his hands under my shoulders, pulling me up in one swift motion. “Behind you.”

  I gasped and whirled around, my face inches from the observatory tower. “Cool, unless Nexis knows about this secret tunnel. Or is looking for it. You know they have a telescoped trained on the campus, right?”

  “Seriously? Get back. We don’t want them to spot us.” Laura yanked me against the brick wall with the rest of the group, her voice low. “I don’t think they’ve found this passage before we did. That door hasn’t been opened in a long time. If what you say is true, I bet they’ve been searching for this all year.”

  “Creepy, sis,” Lenny whispered. “Do you think that tunnel goes anywhere else?”

  “Like where?” She rolled her eyes at him.

  “Like a secret passage to a Nexis underground lair? Woooo.” He reached out and waved his hands in her face like a cartoon ghost.

  “Or a Watchers’ den where they monitor us like puppets in a play.” Yep, that was me—always blurting out exactly what I was thinking. But if we found a secret entrance in the chapel, there had to be others. Maybe I was the only one here who’d ever been recruited by the Watchers, even if only for one night.

  Crickets chirped happily in the crisp night air, oblivious to our earth-shattering problems.

  Bryan looked at me, head cocked. “Why would you think something like that?”

  I dropped Laura’s hand. “Strange symbols, underground tunnels, forgotten legends. At this point, it seems like anything is possible.”

  Lenny nodded. “I’m with Lucy. I don’t like this at all. There’s gotta be more to it.”

  “Maybe.” Bryan scratched his chin, glancing away from me. “I’ll look into it.”

  “You do that.” I shrugged off his dubious maybe and glanced around at the rest of the group. “They’ve got an eye in the sky, and we’re stuck here. Now what do we do?”

  A flash of something gleamed in Tony’s eye. “What if I can distract them somehow? And find out if Felicia’s working for them at the same time?”

  “I’m listening.” Beside me, Bryan’s voice turned gruff. He reached for my hand, as if for the first time I might be able to give him some measure of strength. I squeezed back. His puffed-out chest deflated.

  Tony whipped out his cell. “I could call her up and say we’ve found some kind of secret chamber on the riverbank. Maybe they’d leave the tower.”

  Bryan shrugged, with my hand still in his. “I guess it’s worth a shot. Let’s put it to a vote. Just nod if you approve.”

  Laura nodded on my left, then me, followed by Lenny and Tony. Brooke peered over at Bryan and bit her lip. Slowly, she nodded, too.

  With an emphatic nod, Bryan gave his final approval. But his lips twitched, as if it wasn’t his first choice. Again, I squeezed his hand. His eyes softened as he stared down at me.

  “Here goes.” Tony dialed the number, gulping in a deep breath. Suddenly his lungs heaved, and his voice turned breathy as he panted into the phone. “Felicia, you won’t believe it. We’ve found something, a secret chamber under the Watchers’ field. But it’s too dark tonight. We’re going to meet up at dawn tomorrow to explore it. You in?”

  At my side, Laura stifled a giggle. Bryan just shook his head and slumped down against the brick tower.

  “Great. Bring all the flashlights and candles you’ve got, okay?” He clicked off the call and stuck the phone in his pocket. “Now, we wait.”

  “Brilliant.” Laura golf-clapped at him. “You should really take up acting or something.”

  He raised his eyebrows, taking a slight bow. “I just might.”

  “Shush.” Brooke slammed her finger to her lips. “They might hear us.”

  “Sorry.” Laura mouthed, still smiling at Tony.

  I slunk down the side of the tower on the grass next to Bryan. The wind whipped at my face, and I wrapped my arms around my knees. His hand found its usual place on my back, rubbing circles, only this time it wasn’t for my comfort.

  “What if this actually works?” His hushed words floated up into the cold breeze. “We’ll have to treat her like a traitor. This can’t be happening after all these years.”

  “We’ll figure that out when the time comes.” My words weren’t really about Felicia. My brain was still back in that tunnel, piecing together all of my brother’s actions over the past three years. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around how much he’d sacrifice for me.

  Vibrations trembled behind the stone tower wall, then stomping, probably heavy footsteps down a certain wrought-iron staircase. A door creaked open and slammed shut. Kevin’s bleached head barreled into the darkness, his legs churning in the fastest sprint I’d ever seen. Soon he was out of sight, headed straight for the field across the river.

  “Well, I guess we know the truth now.” Tony’s whisper was solemn, as if he never really believed it could be true. “I’m sorry, man. I hoped we were wrong.”

  “Me too,” I whispered so low I wonder if Bryan even heard me.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled us both up, his face full of weary lines. “Let’s get back to the dorms. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”

  In an instant, he let go of my hand and took off running.

  I tried to keep up, but halfway across the quad my legs turned to mush and cold air seared into my lungs. I slowed the pace, but he kept on running into the night. The white outline of the hawk’s wings on his jacket practically flapped in the darkness, almost as if he were really flying. Tony and Lenny disappeared after him until all the boys were out of sight.

  I whispered to the starry sky, “Help him figure this out.”

  Laura and Brooke finally caught up to me.

  Brooke nudged my shoulder. “He’ll be fine, he just needs some time to cool off.”

  “You’re right, I know.” My hot breath steamed into the cold air. I had stuff to figure out, too. I hoped my dad could handle all the questions I was about to hurl at him over Thanksgiving break.

  Laura’s lips curled up. “Let’s sneak back in the way we came.”

  I nodded and followed them into the shadows, wishing I could turn back time to the way things were when my brother was safe in America—before he figured out that I was the Seer and he was not. I’d almost rather be in his shoes right now.

  Chapter 24

  Dad’s salt and pepper Einstein hair stuck out above the mob crowding the airline gate. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Mom wasn’t next to him. I exhaled the biggest sigh of relief in the history of the world, bobbing and weaving around the human clusters standing between me and my dad.

  “Sweetie, you look so grown up.” He wrapped his big-bear arms around me, ruffling my hair. Some things never changed. “Montrose must be good for you.”

  “Most of the time.” I bit back any hints of sarcasm in my tone. We had a whole forty-minute drive back home for me to interrogate him. “I missed you, Dad.”

  “Me, too, Monkey.” His eyes glistened behind his turtle-shell frames, as if he wanted to say more. “C’mon, let’s get those bags of yours.”

  “Just one this time.” I followed him to baggage claim, his arm slung over my shoulders.r />
  “Really? That’s hard to believe.” A laugh rumbled from his chest. The Dad of my childhood still stood beside me, even if I wasn’t sure if he knew more about James than he’d told me.

  The baggage carousel spilled over with luggage, a mosaic of colors blurring into its own pattern. Dad plucked my pink suitcase from the baggage-go-round. Like a twelve-year-old again, I trailed him to the parking lot.

  When I’d picked out that bright pink suitcase years ago I’d filled it with jewelry, dolls, and dress-up clothes. Now it had traveled all the way to New York with me and back again, scuffed and frayed from the trip. If that bag could take a beating and keep going, couldn’t I do the same? I knew I had to.

  “Hop in, monkey.” Dad hoisted my suitcase in the back of the van, then opened my door. “I’m surprised you’re letting me get away with calling you that.”

  “That’s the last one.” I wagged my finger at him as he climbed behind the driver’s seat. “I only hung upside down on the monkey bars after you took me to the circus.”

  “Ahem, every year from the time you were seven until you were twelve.” He started the car and headed to the exit, punching some buttons on the radio.

  “All right, you had your fun. No more monkey talk.” Still, a teeny smile escaped.

  “We’ll see.” He laughed his gentle, rumbly laugh again, turning up the radio. “It’s one of your favorite songs.”

  The sweet refrain of Mrs. Robinson played from the speakers. “I just love the Beatles.”

  “Didn’t we settle this years ago?” Dad shook his head as he steered our new Mercedes SUV onto the highway. “It’s not the Beatles. It’s Simon and Garfunkel.”

  “No way.” I pumped up the volume until the bass vibrated the speakers. “It sounds like the Beatles.”

  He turned the volume down. “I think you can take the word of someone who was actually alive when the song came out.”

  I tapped the title into my phone. “Then they covered it from the Beatles, because it’s all over the Internet that it’s the Beatles.”

  “And the Internet is so accurate.” Dad chuckled to himself.

  The DJ came on after the song ended, announcing Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel.

  “No way,” I huffed. “That can’t be right.”

  “You’re so stubborn, just like your mother.” His shoulders stiffened, like he didn’t mean to mention her.

  I turned down the volume until the car was silent. “Why didn’t Mom come with you?”

  “She had a lot of shopping to do with Paige. There’s a big dinner tomorrow, you know.” A muscle in his jaw twitched as he kept his eyes on the road.

  I chewed on my lip. “Good. Maybe now you can tell what really happened to James. And if you’re secretly a member of the Guardians.”

  “I don’t know how you found out, but I’m glad you’re figuring things out for yourself.” The life drained from his voice. “Do you remember that night after graduation when you had a bad dream and woke me up?”

  I stared across the car at him and nodded. “I’d forgotten all about it until recently.”

  “Well, it wasn’t a dream.” He lowered his voice, as if anyone could hear us over the holiday highway traffic. “James really did get banished from Nexis. Luckily, he found out before Nexis did.”

  “How is that even possible?” Fragments of the dream still resonated in my mind, my brother ripping those pages out of that book.

  Shaking his head, Dad’s chest rumbled. “Of all things, it was the senior ski trip. He requested his own birth certificate so he could go on the class trip to Canada. I guess your Mom had somehow doctored the one we have at the house. But the records on file don’t lie.”

  “That’s crazy.” I gasped. “The one time he ever did anything responsible.”

  “No kidding.” Dad honked at a black truck that cut him off. “In a way, the timing was actually a good thing. He knew what was coming, so he tried to protect you.”

  My eyes started to mist. The discovery was too fresh. “I just found that out recently. But I don’t get why you didn’t tell me what really happened.”

  Dad cleared his throat. “I made a pact with James to keep you in the dark as long as possible. For your own safety.”

  With a sigh, I rubbed the knot forming in my temple. “Since Mom is really into Nexis, I understand not telling me right away. But even after the accident, and the postcard? Why didn’t you tell me the truth before I went to Montrose?”

  He flicked on his blinker, exiting the highway. “I wanted to, but your mother was too excited. I knew you needed training and education, but I also didn’t think you’d understand the gravity of my secret until you’d been at Montrose for a while.”

  “Really? What do you mean by that?” I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.

  “Your mother believes James defected to the Guardians on his own after Nexis banished him. She has no idea I’m a Guardian spy. If Nexis ever found out, my life would be in danger.” At the stoplight, he turned to me. His well-worn face was ashen.

  “Wow.” I exhaled softly, my mouth a gaping hole. “I had no idea.”

  “I know, honey.” He reached out and ruffled my hair as the light turned green. “That’s why I asked my buddy Harlixton to mentor you.”

  “Yeah, Mr. Harlixton is great.” I smoothed my hair back into place. “But I still don’t get why you’re a Guardian spy.”

  A muscle in his jaw twitched as he hit the accelerator again. “I’ve been a Guardian my entire life, just like the rest of my family. Except I was the stupid one who decided to rebel and marry someone normal. Then Nexis swooped in and recruited your mother. I made the choice to turn double agent so we could all stay together, as a family. Now I can’t help but wonder if everything is my fault.”

  “That’s a lot to take in, Dad.” His words were crashing cymbals in my ears and none of it made sense. “Why didn’t you just tell mom about the Guardians when you got married?”

  He ran a hand through his thinning hair. “The Guardians said I couldn’t. Once you’re in one of these societies, it’s like your life isn’t your own. That’s why I wanted a normal life when I was your age. And it’s why I want you to remain neutral for as long as possible.”

  “I can definitely agree to that.” I stared across the console at him and gnawed on my lip. If he was willing to tell me the truth, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Do you think my Seer powers can come early?”

  “I guess it’s possible.” He shrugged, the corners of his mustache lifting. “Tell me what you’ve been seeing.”

  I described to him all the visions I’d had since I started at Montrose Paranormal Academy—everything from James getting banished by Nexis to the angel/demon fight at the Hard Rock. Gulping down a healthy dose of shame, I even told him about the initiation when I dabbled with the dark powers. When I wrapped up my spiel, I felt lighter somehow. It felt good to tell someone the truth.

  “I guess it’s my turn to say wow.” At the next stoplight he turned to me with those teddy-bear eyes. “The visions you described sound like passages from my grandmother’s journal. Since she was the last Seer, I’d say it’s possible.”

  “Really?” Relief washed over me. “I’m obviously not joining Nexis, after what they did to James and what they could do to you. But do you think I should join the Guardians?”

  “It’s your choice, Lucy girl.” He reached across the seat and ruffled my hair again. “However, it might be in your best interest to remain neutral. For now. There’s only one reason your Seer powers might be activated before your eighteenth birthday. It means war between the three societies is coming soon.”

  I had no word. Dread crept its way into the pit of my stomach. I lifted my eyes to the clouds, a silent thought stuck to my lips. But I couldn’t keep it to myself.

  “Do you think James is okay in Europe?” I whispered, saltwater welling up again.

  “I don’t know.” Dad’s eyes glistened, too. “If war is on t
he horizon, it will probably break out in Europe first. If your brother isn’t on the front lines yet, he will be soon.”

  As Dad finally pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t help but picture James is in Europe as fighting broke out in the streets. I shivered and tucked the thought away.

  Dad’s voice filtered into my ears, breaking my trance. “Lucy, you have to promise you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even your sister. If your mother found out, James and I would both be in jeopardy.”

  “I know, Dad. I promise I won’t say anything.” My words eeked out softly as I reached for the door handle. I hated what Mom did. Why did she ever join Nexis?

  ~

  “C’mon, Pinky.” Dad rolled my suitcase up the brick path to our yellow-sided home, shadows of dread hovering as dusk settled in. How could I face Mom like nothing ever happened? She must’ve known all along I’d be the Seer one day, and she’d never breathed a word. Maybe that was why she’d always been hardest on me growing up. One thing was certain, I could never let her find out my gifts had come early. Those pesky thoughts niggled at my dread.

  Dad swung open our red front door, clunking my suitcase onto the carpet. Mom’s dark head hovered over the sink, a potato in her hand. Her face lit up when she saw me, and she dropped the potato with a thump.

  “Lucy, my girl, there you are.” She dried her hands and rushed up to me, damp fingers wrapping me in a hug. “How I’ve missed you. Sometimes I wish we’d never sent you to that school. It’s so far away.”

  I hugged her back with stiff arms, almost robot-like. The warmth I’d hoped for didn’t materialize, from her or from me. As if we both knew what was coming. “I’ve missed you guys, too.”

  “Natalie, let the girl get situated. She’s had a long flight.” Dad lugged Pinky soundlessly down the carpeted hall.

  Still Mom clung to me, as if she couldn’t let go. “I just hope you know how much I love you.”

  I sucked in a shaky breath. “I know, Mom. I love you, too.”

  When she released me, tears sparkled in her eyes. “If I could change the way I handled things, I would. But I want you to know that I love James just as much as I love you and Paige. Your dad loves him, too. He’s a good man.” She waved her hand in front of her face, as if she were swatting at a fly. “But let’s not worry about this now. You get freshened up for dinner.”