“With paint-filled balloons. Wouldn’t that be fun? Especially if we could throw darts at Will’s face.” Laura’s giggle echoed around the tiled room.
“Nice one.” The urge to laugh bubbled up inside, but it wouldn’t break free. Like I hadn’t fully vanquished the numbness yet. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”
Bryan cleared his throat. “Sorry to break up the Will-haters club, but it’s time for Felicia’s show upstairs.”
I followed him up the open staircase, more like a slip-and-slide for my boots. Just my luck, I’d trip and fall on my face.
“You’re such a klutz.” Lenny offered his hand and helped his sister up.
“You try being a girl in heels.” Laura gripped her flowy peasant skirt. “It’s harder than you think.”
“I’ll take your word on that.” Bryan grabbed my elbow, but his rough fingers only sent my inner butterflies into a frenzy, making my legs wobble.
At the top we stood at the back of a crowd huddled around a white curtained entrance. A woman in a silver dress tapped the microphone and the murmurs silenced.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m honored to have you here for our young artist showcase. Our featured artists are all in high school and were chosen based on their originality and diversity in their subject matter. Montgomery Gallery is proud to showcase these pieces of ingenuity and imagination. Each has a story to tell, so take the time to appreciate each one.” She pulled the curtain’s tassel, and it dropped to the floor.
“Found the food.” Lenny rushed to a table covered with trays of hors d’oeuvres. He managed to balance a tower of food on one tiny plate. “What?”
“Score.” Tony rushed to fill his plate, too.
Laura rolled her eyes at them and followed me and Bryan around the room.
“There’s Felicia.” Bryan pointed to a flash of auburn surrounded by reporters with notepads. They snapped picture after picture, like strobe lights in a nightclub.
I halted in front of a collection of black and white night snapshots. Blurry neon and twinkling stars, like she might’ve caught a glimpse of some of the weird things I’d seen since coming to Montrose. Yet there was a simple beauty in all the chaos, the way the light streaks blended into something glorious.
“Felicia’s work is fabulous.” Then I moved to her mixed media section, compositions of photo backgrounds with a poem or quote, dried flowers, and fabric overlays. A description of the materials hung on small plaques next to each work. In a word, gorgeous.
But the real beauties were two enormous oil paintings. One painted entirely in pastel colors with a pair of shadowy, semi-translucent figures in the center entitled, “A Walk with the Father.” The second was flanked in bold hues of red and orange surrounding a blue and black center, simply called, “Ramifications.”
“Must be some kind of pain or suffering.” Brooke cocked her head at the bold painting.
I stared at the pair of paintings, gnawing on my bottom lip. “You think? Maybe that Ramifications one could be, I guess.”
“Hey, Felicia,” Tony shouted across the gallery.
Bryan jerked back as a streak of green flashed toward us. His eyes rested on the auburn beauty in front of us.
“Hi, guys. Glad you’re here.” Her emerald dress matched her kitten eyes that stared right back at him. Her smile sagged as she smoothed down her hair. “Hectic night.”
Bryan wrapped one arm around her in a side-hug. “Your work looks great.”
Her eyes lit up at his touch, at his compliment. Somewhere deep inside, an old ember burned.
“I really couldn’t have asked for more. My pieces are professionally lit and displayed. The gallery even promoted this event well. I’ve talked to a ton of reporters. Not the Times or anything, just small markets. Still, it’s been a blast.”
“Way to go, Felicia.” Lenny cheered, pumping his fist over the crowd. “These are awesome.”
“Calm down.” With her tiny hands, Laura wrestled his arm down. “No need to cause a ruckus.”
“You’re no fun. Everyone likes a good ruckus now and then.” Lenny winked at me as if my traitor thoughts were written all over my face. He slung his arm over Felicia’s shoulder. “How about a teeny hubabaloo?”
Laura rolled her eyes then burst out laughing. “Do you mean—” she said between giggles, “—you mean, hullabaloo?”
Lenny held his head high. “No, I mean hubabaloo. It’s my new word, like hubba-hubba, with the added bonus of a ruckus.”
“So you think my art is attractive?” Felicia narrowed her eyes at him.
“You bet. I’d say they’re quite something.” Lenny wriggled his way out from under her glare. I gulped back a laugh. “Especially those paintings.”
“Thank you, everyone.” Her face bloomed as red as her hair. “It’s an exciting night for me.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it.” Bryan rested his arm on her shoulder. She pressed her cheek against his hand, closing her eyes.
The ember inside me sizzled.
He patted her head, then slid his hand back. “What’re friends for?”
She flinched, turning a catty glare on me. “I better get going. My dad wants to do a celebration dinner. Thanks for coming guys, I’ll see you at school.”
Felicia waved goodbye and headed for the stairs, toward a man in black-framed glasses with salt-and-pepper temples. A strange silver necklace gleamed from his neck—a pyramid pendant with an oval in the middle.
My next breath beat against the bars of my ribcage. An image flashed in my mind, of him dressed in all black.
Felicia kissed his cheek. How did she know him? He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, smiling down at her almost like a father would.
I backed up, right into the wall. My fingertips bumped against a tiny symbol on the corner of Felicia’s painting, Ramifications. A swirling eye inside a triangle, dashes radiating from the outer corners.
The same symbol he wore.
Red and orange brush strokes blurred into oblivion, until the colors burned like flames on my fingertips. A shriek almost ripped from my throat but some strange Latin words, the name for that symbol, screamed back at me. Signum Videns. Lack of oxygen blurred the gallery into splotches. Slowly I sucked in a full breath.
The revelation finally eeked from my lips. “It’s the mark of the Seer.”
Chapter 18
“What about the Seer?” Like a knock on the door of my sanity, a gruff voice pulled me out of the fire, back into the real world. This time it was Tony’s pale face and dark brown eyes I stared into. He shook my shoulders, but his words barely registered. “Talk to me, Lucy.”
“I thought I saw ...” My finger traced the outline of the symbol on the painting, then swiveled to the stairs, his escape. “With Felicia.”
He examined the painting. “Felicia? Of course she’s not the Seer.”
I honked out an ungraceful snort. “No, not her. Tthe guy with her. He had on a necklace, with a strange symbol.”
“You mean this one?” When I nodded, his forehead scrunched up like he didn’t believe me. Then his eyes widened, and he scratched his chin. “You know, now that you mention it, he did seem kind of familiar. Show me.”
“What, are you from Missouri or something?” For the first time he looked at me like I was crazy. “It’s the Show Me state. Nevermind. C’mon.”
Without a glance back at Bryan, or anyone else, I clutched Tony’s arm and dragged him down the stairs to the front door. We raced down the sidewalk, mauling through the crowd, until we hit the subway station.
“There.” I spotted a flash of green dress, aiming his head in their direction.
She brushed back her auburn hair, and he pecked her cheek. A streetlight caught the silver, reflecting it back to us. It was only a profile shot, the necklace barely visible. Then they disappeared into the shadows.
Tony stopped two feet from the entrance, mouth dangling. “Okay, that was a weird symbol, but I think I’ve seen it before. What was
he doing with Felicia? He’s old enough to be her father.”
I thumped his shoulder. “Brilliant, Watson. My thoughts exactly.”
He shook his head back and forth, like a sad bobble-head staring down the gaping hole of the subway steps. “What’s so important about it? Why can’t I remember where I’ve seen it before?”
His questions huffed white clouds into the air. They thinned out, dissipating into the inky black sky. My insides squeezed into tiny knots, as the street noise filtered in and out, blurring into a dull roar. I didn’t have any answers. I just threw up my hands.
“I don’t know.”
Footsteps pounded the pavement behind us, high pitches and low tones flitting above the din.
Brooke reached us first, gasping for breath. “What was that? You guys just took off.”
“Like the place was on fire or something,” Lenny chimed in, the only half-smiling face in the bunch.
Bryan reached for my hand, but it felt limp in his grip. “Are you okay, what happened?”
“I, uh ...” I whipped my head toward Tony. His pale face stared back at me, contorted in an odd expression. “We had to see something for ourselves.”
He zipped up his leather jacket, his tough guy persona roaring back in a flash. He inched his way in front of me, protective, almost like James. “Lucy saw something strange, said it had something to do with the Seer, so I had to see it for myself.”
“Hush.” I drew my finger to my lips. “Not here.”
“But that doesn’t explain anything.” Brooke’s lips furrowed into a frown. “Like why you went running out of the gallery.”
I couldn’t look at her. She wouldn’t understand, none of them would. “I don’t know if I can explain. It sounds impossible.”
“But Tony saw it too, right? You have to tell us.” She crossed her arms in front of her tiny frame.
I exhaled a breath at Tony and he nodded. We both stared at the subway entrance, hoping she’d pop up and explain herself.
“I saw Felicia with ...” The words, the truth, stuck to my tongue, unwilling to move.
Tony scratched his chin as he stared at the group. “She saw Felicia leave with a strange guy, probably her dad. He had on a really weird necklace. Some kind of ancient symbol totally different from any Guardian or Nexis symbol.”
Slowly, each of their faces fell like dominoes, one by one.
Bryan dropped my hand. It thudded to my side. “What are you saying, she’s a traitor? That can’t be true—no way. She’s been my best friend since middle school. It just can’t be true.”
“No one’s saying that.” Tony put a hand on his shoulder, staring him straight in the eye. “It’s just shady. She saw the symbol. I saw it, too. It’s true.”
“Fine, you both saw some symbol.” Bryan shrugged off Tony’s hand, edging away from me with a face full of too many emotions to name. “Maybe it doesn’t mean what you think it does. Maybe it’s a mistake. We’ll have to investigate.”
With a nod, he punctuated the end of his sentence like it was some kind of final word. And it burned away the knots inside me. As if he knew everything, as if he didn’t trust me, after all we’d been through.
“Great, investigate all you want. I’d start at the gallery. The symbol is right there on her painting. Figure it out for yourself.” The burning inside washed away as a flood of unshed tears beat against my eyes like river rocks ready to overflow. I couldn’t stand him or that sick expression all over his face anymore. I huffed and whirled down the steps in front of me.
Tony clutched my bicep, halting me on the second step. “Lucy’s right.Not here. We have to get out of here, find someplace secluded. We’ll hold a special meeting, without Felicia, okay?”
“Fine, but where, and when?” Bryan’s eyes exploded like fireballs aimed at Tony, even me.
“The chapel, at midnight. I’m going to find out what that symbol means. We’ll have to sneak out after curfew, but I’m going with or without you.” I didn’t wait for a reply. I snapped my head around and marched down the stairs.
* * *
Darkness covered my dorm room, but I couldn’t sleep. Shanda’s breathing rose and fell in a hushed rhythm. I stared at the ceiling, transfixed by the glowing stars above my head, drawing my own constellations. The questions whirred among the plastic stars like a celestial carnival ride, counting down until midnight. Like why all of a sudden Bryan didn’t believe me, and why he stood up for Felicia. As if I’d made up something horrible about her. It just didn’t add up.
Gingerly I rolled over, the green numbers of my alarm clock glaring 11:45. I tapped my fingers on the comforter. I couldn’t wait any longer. Slipping out from under the covers, I padded across the fuzzy white rug to my closet and shimmied into the first pair of flats I found. Then I lifted my Montrose hoodie from its hook and slid Harlixton’s keys from their hiding place into the front pocket. Slowly, I closed the door until it clicked.
This late at night the hallway was dark, with creepy shadows. I shivered and zipped up my hoodie.
In front of me, Brooke’s dark blonde head poked out her door. Her lips curled up. “Nice PJs. Purple stripes go great with silver flats.”
“I don’t have anyone to impress.” I twirled away from her, if only to choke back a bitter laugh. “That’s me, on the cutting edge of fashion.”
Laura tiptoed up to us in dark jeans and a black hoodie, almost identical to Brooke’s outfit. “Looks like some of us aren’t used to covert operations.”
“Well, I’m glad you came, too.” I snorted out a giggle, quickly smothering my hand over my mouth. Laura tsked her tongue at me, like she was actually serious. “Oh, c’mon. What are they going to do to us, throw us in detention?”
She tucked her red hair under her black hood and tugged on the tassels. “I’m not talking about detention.”
“All right, I get it.” I shrugged my navy hood over my head. “Okay, I’m serious now.”
Brooke nodded with wide eyes, pulling her hoodie up, too. “Now you look like the Unabomber in funny pants.”
“Better than Little Black Riding Hood over here.” I elbowed Laura as her eyes sparked at me, but her lips curved slightly. “Okay, Miss Director of Clandestine Affairs, lead the way.”
“That’s more like it.” Silently, she motioned us down the back stairs and into the kitchen. She made a beeline for the sink, opening one of the windows. “Hurry up, before someone comes down for a midnight snack.”
I hopped up onto the counter, swung my legs out the window, and shimmied down the siding until my flats found the dewy grass. Brooke thumped her knee against the windowsill, so I unhooked her leg and eased her down.
Laura’s tiny feet made no sound on the grass as she jumped down, pointing at Brooke. “You’re the tallest. Shut the window slowly so you don’t wake Miss Sherry.”
Brooke silently obeyed, then glided with us across the empty lawn. Dew soaked into my flats, squishing between my toes. Maybe Laura was right about my crazy outfit. As the night chill whipped around us, we huddled together. A warmth seeped into my heart as we skirted buildings, slinking through the shadows until we reached the back side of the chapel. After my outburst, the fact that they still went along with my nutty idea meant only one thing. Somehow I’d made friends at this school. Real friends.
“I’ve always wanted to try this. There’s a secret entrance back here. It looks like it’s been bricked over, but it’s not.” Laura tapped on the red bricks until her knuckles found a hollow one. When she twisted it to the left, the brick whooshed aside to reveal an ancient, almost decrepit, door.
“How’re we supposed to get in?” Brooke peeked around my shoulder, as if the old door would jump out and bite her.
“With these.” I stuffed my hand into my hoodie pocket, hoisting the keys into the air.
Moonlight washed over the shiny metal key, slanting strange lines on the wrought-iron skeleton key. Laura nodded at me as if she approved, while Brooke’s jaw dropped.
> Footsteps crunched behind me, heavy by the sound of them. About time the boys showed up. Bryan led the black-clad trio, his eyes on the keys dangling from my hand.
“Where’d you get those?” With rough fingers, he clawed at my forehand.
I wrenched my arm away from him. “Guess someone doesn’t know everything.”
Nostrils flared as his breath steamed up the chilly air. “Just open the door already.”
“Fine.” I whipped my head around so hard my hood drooped back. My hands shook as I cleared dirt away from the rusted lock. With a sharp motion, I slid in the giant skeleton key and pushed on the weathered wood.
Flashlight in hand, he edged past me, his wet sneakers squeaking across the tiled hallway. He twisted the library doorknob. “It’s locked.”
“Oh ye of little faith.” I jingled the keys in his ear, squeezing in next to him. “Got it covered.”
A puff of hot air warmed my neck as I unlocked the door for everyone. The other four trickled inside, but Bryan just stood there beside me. When I turned to him, his eyes trailed their way down to my pants, then my feet, taking awhile to get there.
I glared at him, wrinkling my eyebrows as if I could ever figure this guy out. Let him mock my crazy outfit all he wanted. With a flourish, I flipped my hair out from under my hood and flounced into the room.
“Stop being such a baby.” Brooke’s jaw jutted out at her brother. “We came here to figure this out fairly. Let’s get it over with so I can go back to sleep.”
“Fine, I’ll listen and try to keep an open mind.”
“Thank you. That’s all I’m asking.” She rolled her eyes at him, turning to me. “Who wants to go first?”
I chewed my lip and glanced at Tony, his dark hair highlighted by the moonlight from the window. “I don’t really know where to start. I guess at the gallery. I saw this strange symbol around Felicia’s dad’s neck, then on her painting. Suddenly the name for it popped into my head, the mark of the Seer—”
The Nexis Secret: YA Fantasy Romance (The Nexis Angel Series Book 1) Page 17