The Nexis Secret: YA Fantasy Romance (The Nexis Angel Series Book 1)

by Barbara Hartzler

  “I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. “Didn’t mean to be presumptuous.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It was nice.” I grazed my fingertips across my lips.

  “If you’re sure.” His blue eyes burned into mine, searching for something. “Get some rest, Lucy, and be careful. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” He stumbled backward and cold air filled the space between us.

  “Right, can’t wait,” I murmured, unable to look away. Instead I reached back, found the doorknob, and waved goodbye as he walked away. “See you tomorrow.”

  Lack of sleep could do crazy things to a girl. With Bryan, I forgot to check myself. Things just came naturally with him, easy and uncomplicated. Like freedom for a change. And it felt good.

  Chapter 14

  Crisp wind blasted my face as I followed Mindy out of the dorm and down the cobblestone. The chill crept down my neck and I wrapped my soft sweater around me. Another sign October had come to New York, along with the trees dotting the once-green landscape in bright red, orange, and golden hues.

  Mindy’s perfectly highlighted head slipped past me when we reached the quad, disappearing into the crowd. Almost like she wanted to ditch me. After our strange conversation about her sister, we still weren’t exactly on good terms.

  The rest of the girls from my dorm herded me up the old stone stairs for the junior assembly in the chapel.

  Candles in red hurricane globes glittered in the foyer. The arching stone cavern swallowed up all the light. Gothic chandeliers hung on wrought-iron chains from the vaulted ceiling. They cast dim circles of yellow around the room.

  Hundreds of Montrose students and faculty filled the great sanctuary. The faces all merged together, yet I couldn’t make out anyone I knew. Mindy, Shanda, even Will, were conspicuously absent. Not a single Nexis member in the room.

  From the front of the room, Lenny motioned me over. The stained glass cast tinged shadows across his and Laura’s faces.

  “Man, what was up with Will the other night. Total wacko, right?” He fiddled with the pegs on his guitar, a light maple color with wicked flames patterned into the wood stain. Laura jabbed her mic in his side, but he dodged it. “You coming to the library this Friday, Lucy? I could really use some help with English.”

  “Sure, why not? I love English.”

  “I know you do,” Lenny peered into my eyes. “I’m just glad we’re in the same class. Cuz I suck at it.”

  I breathed out a laugh. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. What are you—?” A swift blow to my shin stopped me mid-sentence. I glared down at the tiny foot, Laura’s foot. Was she grinning? “Ow, what was that for?”

  With the same brown eyes as her brother, she stared me down. “Don’t you have other plans on Friday?” She nodded three rows back. Of course, Bryan wanted to meet at the bonfire to talk. His words, not mine.

  My heart clenched. How could I be so cruel in the face of such vagueness? “Right, I guess I could squeeze you in Saturday or Sunday afternoon.”

  He slid his fingers up and down the frets. “Can’t, I promised the guys I’d help with the set up. Maybe next week?”

  “That works.” I forced my eyes to study his face, if only not to turn around in search of you-know-who. “Set up for what?”

  He coughed and stared at me like I’d asked when the moon launch was. “Where have you been? The hall decorating contest is next week. You know, the Montrose Halloween shindig. Each floor decorates their hall. Whoever wins gets a pizza party. We’re reigning champs three years running.” He let out a whoop and pumped his fist in the air.

  “You’ve probably been too busy to notice. Our floor is doing something really fabulous this year. You’re going to love it.” Laura magically whipped a clipboard out of her bag. “I’ll sign you up to help with me at the end of the month. That’ll be the final night, so it’ll be all about the finishing touches.”

  “Why not?” I nodded at her and she penciled me in. “Is this really a month-long thing?”

  “For our theme, it has to be. We’re going all out.” She shoved the clipboard back in her bag with a glare in Lenny’s direction. “Time to dethrone those boys who clean their rooms only once a year.”

  “Better to clean it for open dorms than not at all.” Lenny flicked his guitar strap at Laura.

  James and I used to be close like that. What would he think of my life here? Of the Guardians, of Bryan? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him for five seconds?

  I couldn’t stand it any more. I peeked over my shoulder to see Bryan in the third row next to Brooke. She ushered me to sit next to them.

  “Go on.” Laura’s little hand shoved me forward. The lights dimmed and all the chatter died down as I wove myself into a seat between the Coopers.

  A chorus of groans creaked from the ancient wooden pews as everyone took their seats. Late morning sun spilled in from the East windows, snatches of blue and gold filtering through the glass. The colored light danced around the congregation.

  “Welcome to our special junior assembly.” My English teacher, Mrs. Erickson, tucked her short blond hair behind her ears and pushed up her black frames. “We have many distinguished guests and alumni from around the world. Be sure to introduce yourself to someone new today. You could be shaking hands with a senator or an ambassador—or some future ones.”

  The junior band tiptoed to the platform as her speech ended. Laura stood behind a microphone off to the side. Lenny picked up the guitar, its glossy flames reflecting back at me.

  A shaggy-haired guy took center stage and asked us all to stand. He nodded to Lenny who shredded the guitar into a fast song I’d never heard before, but it could definitely be on the radio. Who knew? Lenny was way cooler than I’d ever imagined.

  The band followed up with three other songs. I basked in the glow of stained glass and rocked out with each song, my kind of school-sponsored event. What a great way to make this old chapel come alive. When the band finished their last number, I clapped and cheered with the rest of my class. Then Mr. Harlixton took the podium.

  He spoke on a strange topic, Daniel’s prophetic visions, but his narrative came to life with his storyteller’s voice, just like in his classes. His story sank deep into my bones, more so than ever before. When he illuminated some great truth from the Bible, his words made me want to go back and read the passage again. Maybe I was more like Daniel than I realized.

  As his talk came to a close, his face hardened and he stared right at me. “I hope you each catch the vision for your life. You have a purpose here, and if you keep looking, that purpose will reveal itself to you.”

  Crystal clear, those words rang through my head. Vision. Purpose. Reveal.

  I peeked at him through my lashes, and his gaze was still set on me with a question mark all over his face. Like he wanted to make sure I got the message. I blinked and sat back in the pew with a creak that echoed in the quiet.

  His eyes narrowed as he nodded. “Thank you. You’re dismissed, everyone.”

  Around me, students gathered their things and filed out of the sanctuary. As the crowd swarmed out, Mr. Harlixton’s words bounced around in my brain like ping-pong balls. Vision. Purpose. Reveal. The words latched ahold of my thoughts and wouldn’t let go. They played a repeating rhythm in my head, over and over again. What did they mean, to me?

  Bryan nudged me forward. “You ready? I’m starving.”

  “Yeah, sorry.” I trailed behind Brooke and Bryan out of the sanctuary.

  On the steps, the brisk air nipped at my cheeks. As soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, a cold hand grabbed mine. Familiar gray eyes stared back at me.

  “Lucy, I need to talk to you.” Will tugged me down the sidewalk.

  Bryan turned in a split second and barreled right into him, jostling him into the grass. “I don’t think so, buddy, you better back off.”

  After that odd assembly, there was no room in my brain for this kind of boy drama. “Better just get this over with. I’ll hear him out and meet you
in the cafeteria. Save me a seat, okay? I’ll be fine, promise.”

  “Fine, I’ll see you later.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight. His blue eyes seemed to get paler as he glanced from me to Will, finally resting on me. “If you’re sure.”

  Slowly I nodded at him, but he just shook his head and stomped off. “Great.” I mouthed to the gray sky.

  “Finally, I thought he’d never leave us alone.” Will sprawled out on a stone bench under a cluster of red maples. His gray eyes matched the sky, enough so you’d think the whole thing was some kind of elaborate photo shoot. He patted the space beside him. “Have a seat. I won’t bite.”

  “You said that before. I’m not so sure.” I stood tall, dropping my bag on the spot where he wanted me to sit. “What do you want?”

  “Listen.” He slung his arm across the back of the bench. “I didn’t want to be the one to have to tell you this. But your mom asked me to watch out for you, so here goes. First, you disappear in the middle of an important initiation. Now it looks like you’re falling for the wrong guy.”

  “First off, that was no ordinary initiation, more like some kind of test. Well, I failed.” Miserably, I should add. His eyes widened and his chin tilted, like he wanted me to challenge him. Game on. “Second, two days ago you almost kissed me, remember? You’re just mad because the guy I’m falling for isn’t you, right?”

  “Ouch, that hurt. You don’t know how much I care about you.” His game face fell, and suddenly his hand curled around mine. I wriggled my fingers against his, but he clamped down tighter. “Maybe you’re right, but not just for that reason.”

  “Okay then, what is it? Spit it out already.” I pursed my lips together. Could I really trust his perspective?

  “Feisty today, aren’t we? I like it.” His eyes dropped to my mouth, traces of a grin creeping up his face. Then he cocked his head at me. “First off, Bryan’s little group is completely messed up. They only want you for your abilities, you know? They don’t care about you at all.”

  “What?” I backed up, sliding my hand from his grip. How could he possibly know about my so-called abilities? I hadn’t told a soul. Two could play this game. “Abilities? Just because my daddy’s on the school board and my brother used to be your president doesn’t mean I have any abilities. I’m nothing special.”

  In an instant, his smile faded. “Is that what they’re telling you? Don’t believe it for a second. You may not know it yet, but in a few years you will. But by then they’ll have you under their thumb. Do you really want to be a pawn in their little game?”

  “Better to be a pawn in yours, I’m guessing. Exactly what game might that be, anyway?”

  Those platinum eyes were stuck on me like Velcro, and I couldn’t look away. The breeze died down, the air stilled around us.

  “You wouldn’t believe the truth if I told it to you.” He stood too, closing the gap between us. His cinnamon breath warmed my face until my cheeks blazed.

  Yet I couldn’t pull away. Those hypnotic eyes held me in place with some strange sort of fascination. A shiver slithered down my neck.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” My voice wobbled, a chink in the armor that finally gave me the freedom to break his gaze. Wind rustled through the maple tree. A red leaf drifted on the breeze, landing in my lap.

  “Thanks for watching out for me.” I said it more to the maple leaf than to him. I didn’t want to think about the initiation, or Colleen and Monica’s accusations. He didn’t add anything more, if there really was anything more. “You better say what you wanted to say, or I’m taking off.”

  He reached out one finger and grazed my chin, guiding my face toward his. “I doubt he’s told you what really happened, but Bryan broke my friend’s heart last year. He dumped Colleen for not conforming to the strict Guardian rules. Then he kicked her out. That’s why she joined our group. I just don’t want the same thing to happen to you. You don’t deserve that kind of heartache.”

  Could he really be so low? What if someone pranced around campus telling everyone about me and Jake, from Jake’s perspective? I’d kill them.

  The anger practically steamed from my pores until I wanted to scream. “Why should I believe anything you say?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” His jaw clenched. He punched his thigh, then his head snapped back to me, a fire in his eyes. “Why would I lie?”

  That really burned me up. “As if I know the inner workings of your twisted mind. I don’t know why you’d lie, but you lied about James. Why wouldn’t you lie about this?”

  “What I told you was entirely true.” His arms crossed over his chest like he wasn’t going to budge.

  “Liar.” If only I could punch him right now. I balled up my fists, clenching them to my sides. “I know he was kicked out of Nexis. What did you do to him?”

  “I didn’t do anything to James.” He reached across the gulf I’d carefully crafted between us and grabbed ahold of my fist.

  The harsh vision came back to me, the field, the figures. I yanked my hand back. “Nexis threw him out. How could you keep that from me?”

  “I’m not supposed to tell anyone. How did you even find out? You’re not a member. Look, I’m sorry, Lucy.” His fingers ran up my arm, brushing back my hair. I flinched as his nails grazed my skin. “If you become a member, I can tell you everything. I promise.”

  “You haven’t denied any of it. Can you promise it won’t turn out like it did with James? That I won’t be banished from the country for God knows what reason? Blamed for someone’s death?” Tears stabbed my eyes.

  “What are you talking about?” His eyebrows scrunched into that V shape I used to think was cute.

  “I’m talking about Colleen and Monica accusing my brother of being the last one to see Maria Donovan alive.” My voice was booming now, shattering the silence of the quad.

  “What, why would they say that?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, air whooshing from his lungs. “It has to be a misunderstanding. They didn’t actually say he did anything, did they?”

  “They implied.” If only I could bore holes into him with my eyes. “If you think I would ever join a group who kicked out my brother, whose members implicated him in someone’s death ...”

  “I still don’t know how you found out about James. I wanted to tell you myself.”

  “Please. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Why was I still sitting here, listening to all this garbage? Like he had some kind of spell over me, a cobra staring me down with its sick fascination. No more. I snatched my bag off the bench, threw it over my shoulder, and stormed down the cobblestone.

  “Lucy, wait,” he called after me. “Don’t be like this. You don’t understand. I have so much more to tell you.”

  “Too little, too late.” I ran across the quad as fast as I could, as far away from him as I could get.

  I’d made my choice, and Will knew it now. What would he do? If he was mad enough to confront me like that, what about my parents—would he tell them? But above all those questions, one blared through my brain like a fire alarm.

  Why would my own parents want me to join Nexis after what had happened to James?

  Maybe they didn’t know, they certainly hadn’t seen my vision. On the other hand, maybe Bryan made up the whole thing about his sister and James. I pushed that question back into the shadows. I couldn’t think about that now, even entertain the idea. Will practically admitted that Nexis threw James out and my vision confirmed it. Period.

  Chapter 15

  With a quick knock, I burst into Harlixton’s office, ready to pound a gavel on his desk and demand some answers. Silence and the stench of despair filled my nostrils, seeping into every pore. A deadly aroma of French press and moldy books, the hollow cry of a neglected office, reeked of so much more than stale coffee. If only my frustrations could drown themselves in the murky darkness.

  On the wall, the clock ticked as I cleared off a chair to wait for my teacher. Maybe it kn
ew more than I did, that time was running out. I couldn’t just go with the flow and listen to whatever Will or Bryan said. Not this time.

  Mr. Harlixton bustled past me with a stack of books up to his chest and dumped them on the floor. “Miss McAllen, right on time I see. You’ll have to forgive my oddities. You know some people say that a messy office is the sign of a productive person. At least I do.”

  “Never heard that one.” I crossed my arms, leaning on the edge of his desk. “I know your little speech in junior assembly was meant for me.”

  “Possibly.” He scratched his chin and stared right back at me.

  “What I don’t know is why would you single me out like that?”

  “Let’s just say I wanted you to come and find me. There are too many people watching me. If you didn’t seek me out on your own, they’d get suspicious.”

  “What does that mean?” I threw up my hands like an exasperated little girl. But I couldn’t help it. This was getting too weird. “Why does everything have to be so cryptic around here? I just want some answers, and I want them now. I don’t know what to believe any more.”

  “I see. Then you must’ve heard a bit from both sides by now.” He pushed up his glasses as an expression of utter calm swept over his face. So calm it hit me like a splash of cold water on my cheeks.

  I snapped back in my chair. “Yeah, you could say that. It’s been interesting on both sides, especially with Bryan’s crew.”

  His loud laugh roared around the small room. “Is that what you call them? Boy, would he get a kick out of that.”

  “You can’t tell him I said that.” The plea came out high and breathy. For the first time since I arrived at Montrose, I desperately wanted to sink into the dark depths of my past where things were so much easier.

  “Calm down, I have no interest in matters of the adolescent heart. I’m more concerned that you figure out what is true and what is false.” He waddled over to the pile of books he’d left by the door. “I pulled these from the school library. Feel free to peruse them and take whatever you need. I recommend the top three.”