Mom blushed. She actually blushed. “That’s so kind of you to say, Will. It’s lovely to meet you. My daughter, Lucy, will be starting next semester.”
Then Will turned that thousand-watt smile on me. “Really? Nice to meet you, Lucy.” He held out his hand.
“You, too.” I extended my arm oh-so-gracefully, like my ballet teacher taught me, and shook his hand. As soon as I touched him, time slowed down. Or stopped entirely.
The world spun like a merry-go-round. Then everything turned black. Morphed back into the dream again.
I finally remembered where I’d seen this guy before. He was the one standing next to James in the dark library, their heads hunkered over a book.
This time, a red stone emerged from the book. A glowing ruby. Hisses of smoke and shadow coiled around it, forming chain-like links. James handed the book to Will.
Clunk. Shadows unhinged from my brother’s back as the red-hot bauble passed to Will. James slumped over and heaved a huge sigh as if an unbearable burden had just lifted off his shoulders.
The ruby sparked as the darkness coiled up again, clamping its shadowy chain around Will’s neck.
Whooosh. The red stone dimmed, the blackness faded. Green lawn and reality returned.
I gripped the hot boy’s hand like a lifeline.
“You okay?” He quirked his lips at me. As if he knew the effect he had on me.
“I…uh—”Cocky one, huh? Big turn-off. I dropped his hand, narrowing my eyes at him. “Have we met before?” Yeah, I know. Lame save.
He scratched his chin. “I don’t think so, but I feel like we have, too. Probably because James talks about you so much.” This guy was a smooth one.
And still, my lips curved at the charmer. Traitors.
“Hey, guys. How’d I do up there?” James materialized at my side. Where’d he come from? Was I that focused on his friend? Bad sign.
“Great job, son. We’re so proud of you.” Dad clapped his hand on James’ shoulder. Like we wouldn’t notice him getting all choked up.
“I can’t believe this day is here already,” Mom gushed, throwing her arms around him. Tears glistened in her eyes.
“Oh, Mom.” James rolled his eyes at me.
“Congratulations, James. We’ll leave you alone to have some family time. Nice seeing you, Natalie.” Rosalyn gave the tiniest finger wave and turned quickly on her heel.
“Gonna miss you, man. Thanks for getting me on the inside track. See ya later.” Will high-fived my brother.
“You bet,” James said with that trademark grin on his face.
Will turned to me. “Nice meeting you, Lucy. I’ll look out for you next year.” With that, he did a one-eighty and walked away.
James narrowed his eyes at Will’s back. What was that about? Did he shift into Big Brother Protector Mode, or was something else going on?
“James!” I wrapped him in a bear hug as soon as the golden family left. “We missed you, buddy.”
“Missed you, too, Lucy girl.” The corners of his mouth curled as he ruffled my hair. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes. They seemed stagnant. My gut churned. Something was going on here.
As soon as I let go, Paige ran up and hugged his other side.
“Hey, Peanut,” James said, with that same lopsided smile. “You’re getting so big.” He picked her up with one arm. She squealed in delight. “You guys ready for lunch? I know a great place.” His patented goofy grin came back. Maybe everything was okay after all.
“Now don’t be silly.” Mom patted his arm. “I’ve made reservations at the Four Seasons. It’s not every day my only son graduates from high school.”
“True that, Mom. Let’s live it up right.” James pumped his fist in the air. “I did it. I graduated!” he yelled into the crowd.
A cheer went up. Blue and gold caps erupted into the sky.
Now that was the big brother I knew. Life of the party.
As we walked to the car, James grabbed my hand. Slowed the pace.
“Lucy, what’s going on? You’re acting weird,” James said, still with his goofy smile pasted on.
“I’m acting weird? You’re the one pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not. You just graduated. What could possibly be wrong?” I asked.
For an instant, his smile drooped. “How did you know?”
“You’re my brother. I know you. Something’s up.”
“It’s just,” he paused, eyes scanning the lawn, “I’m not sure I should tell you this, but I don’t think you should come to Montrose in the fall. Stay in Indiana.” He grabbed both of my hands and whispered, “It’s not safe for you here.”
“Not safe?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Ssshhh,” he hissed. “Not here. It’s too public. When Mom and Dad go to their council meeting, you and Paige meet me at the bridge tonight. Sunset. Tell Mom and Dad I’m giving you a campus tour or something. Okay?”
He stared at me with a look I’d never seen before.
I shook my head at him. “No. Why can’t you tell me now? It can’t be that big of a deal.”
“You’re wrong about that, little sis. Just trust me okay?” His eyes flitted over my head. He froze, jaw twitching. Looking at something behind me.
I whirled around. Nothing was there. The crowd had thinned out, except for a flash of gold. I sucked in a breath. The Stantons lurked at the far side of the campus, hawking us. Maybe James had a point.
He pulled me into a hug. Whispered in my ear. “Don’t forget. Sunset.”
“Okay.” I nodded, eager for the sun to start its descent.
“C’mon. Let’s get out of here.” He yanked on my arm, pulling me down the sidewalk after the rest of the family. Not giving me time to ask any more questions.
We picked up the pace to catch up with our parents. And it clicked. That look in his eyes. Fear. Unmistakable fear. I shuddered. What in the world could make my fun-loving brother so afraid?
Chapter 4
JAMES
“Think. Think.” I paced up and down the length of my dorm room for the last time. My mind ticked through my mental checklist for the thousandth time.
Bags packed. Check.
Go bag stashed somewhere Nexis would never find it. Check.
Meetup scheduled with little sister. Check.
Guardian negotiation scheduled for after that. Double check.
I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. I had to avoid Nexis for another few hours—and warn Lucy in a just few minutes.
I felt like I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Maria. She was still technically my girlfriend…even though she had no idea I’d found out her dirty little secret. She was a double agent working for the Guardians, probably trying to turn me the whole time we were together. My stomach lurched at the thought.
Secret societies make you do crazy things. Obviously, I was the poster child for that true fact. Maybe Maria wasn’t faking the whole time. Even if she only had one iota of feeling for me, I had to warn her somehow. If I figured out her secret, Nexis would surely find out soon enough. I couldn’t warn her in person; there was no time. How could I leave her a clue?
My brain scrambled through solutions as my heart did a break dance. I glanced out the window. The sun was already setting. Time to go meet Lucy. The clock was ticking.
Unhooking the leather necklace Maria had made me, I slung it over the bedpost. Right as a shadow darkened my dorm room.
My shoulders slumped. I had waited too long. It was too late. I turned on my heel.
Sure enough, twin Nexis goons stood in the doorway. Dressed head-to-toe in black.
My heart hammered against my ribcage, waiting for the verdict.
After eons of silence, one of them spoke. “You’ve been summoned by the Grand Council.”
Briing, Briing. My phone blared from my pocket. Lucy. My heart sank into the Hudson, along with any hopes I had of telling my sister the truth.
&nb
sp; “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Goon One asked.
“Whoever it is, get rid of ‘em,” Goon Two said. “Don’t go making this worse or anything.”
Turning back to the window, I answered on the last ring. “Hey, sorry I’m late.” The sun was inching closer to the horizon. How could I warn her now?
“James, where are you?” she asked. “It’s sunset. I thought you wanted to talk.”
“Well, um…” I racked my brain for any breadcrumb I could pass on without the dopey twins catching on. “I can’t make it tonight. Something came up.”
She huffed into the phone. “Are you joking? This whole thing was your idea. What am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad?”
“I don’t know.” The guards were at my back now. “Make something up. Lie if you have to. Just cover for me okay?”
“Okay.” Her voice wobbled like she was about ready to cry.
“Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s gonna be okay,” I croaked. I couldn’t leave things like this. “I love you.”
“Say wha—” she screeched as I ended the call.
The corners of my mouth curled. That should tip her off. We never said I love you to each other unless something catastrophic was going down. And boy was it going down. Right now.
“Isn’t that nice?” Goon One clamped onto my arm and yanked me out of my dorm room.
Goon Two followed at our six, as his buddy dragged me down the hallway and out the back stairwell.
Night descended on Montrose. I surveyed the empty campus. Not a soul within shouting distance.
“Don’t even think about it.” Goon Two hissed behind me. “Or we’ll put you in the hole until the Council’s ready for you.”
The hole had to be ten times better than whatever these guys had in store for me. Without a second thought, I balled up my fist and clocked Goon One square in the jaw.
One slight problem. He barely flinched.
“Help!” I bellowed into the night as loud as I possibly could.
“Told ya not to do that,” Goon Two said.
Bam! Something hard smashed into the back of my skull. For a few seconds, I saw stars. Then nothing.
The world was black. No gray. Okay, mostly black. With a couple of shadowy figures standing over me.
“Wakey, wakey, Sunshine,” someone said to me, but he and his buddy seemed so far away. “I told you not to resist, but you had to do try anyway. The Council is ready for you now.”
“Where am I? What time is it?” I croaked out. My voice didn’t sound like my own. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, geez. This guy’s a mess.” His face came into focus. Right, Goon One.
The second black-clad thug hoisted me up from the ground. Back on my own two feet, I brushed the grass off my black jeans. Stalling, of course. Desperate to get my bearings.
The full moon hovered high in the dark sky overhead. I stood in the middle of a field, but I wasn’t alone. And the moon wasn’t the only light I saw. In front of me, six flaming torches protruded from the ground in a circle, blazing in the night. The epicenter of a Nexis tribunal.
Nope, this wasn’t a dream. It was really happening.
The goons pushed me into the middle of the torch circle. I lost my balance. Landed on my knees.
Six figures in matching black robes stepped forward, hoods over their heads. Pillars of torchlight flickered around me, mixing light and shadow on each shrouded face. Never enough to reveal their true identities.
I pushed myself up. Stubby grass sliced into my palms. Long reeds rustled in the wind. Something gurgled in the distance, the faint burble of rushing water.
In a flash, I knew where I was. On the Montrose practice field, by the Hudson River.
Oh, boy. This is not good.
So it’d come down to this. A bunch of cloaked Nexis members surrounded me, glaring fireballs at me. No one could save me now. A cold shiver rippled down my back.
Dead ahead, Mr. Head Robe Guy asked. “Do you know why you’re here?”
I rubbed my sneaker into the dirt. Shrugged. Nodded.
“We know the truth,” came a woman’s voice on my left. “You are not next in the line of the Seer. You’re an illegitimate McAllen.”
“Did you think you could keep your identity from us forever?” a man hissed behind me.
I whirled my head around, but he receded into the shadows. “I didn’t know. I just found out.”
“That much I believe,” the woman said. Her velvety voice sounded familiar. “But I wish you would’ve come to us sooner. We could’ve helped you.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered to the ground.
“You would’ve been demoted, yes.” Ah, finally it clicked. Little Miss Velvety Voice was Will’s mom. Perfect. “But right now you’re facing a far worse sentence,” Mrs. Stanton said. Then silence.
Dum, dum, dum. Judgment time.
“James Stanley McAllen.” Her emotionless voice reverberated into the night. “You are charged with theft of sacred documents and conspiracy against the Nexis Society.”
“That little rat,” I hissed under my breath. I’d deal with Will later. If there was a later. “I plead guilty to theft, but not guilty to conspiracy against Nexis.” Ha. They couldn’t possibly know about my meeting with Abby later, right?
“Silence, boy,” a gravelly voice boomed behind me.
All my bravado dissipated in a puff of smoke. I whirled around to face him. This guy was obviously the man in charge.
Though hidden in shadow, I caught a glimpse of his weathered hands. The Stanton patriarch, for sure. The Stantons had ruled over the Nexis Council for the past three generations. Why had I ever trusted their little minion?
“We have proof you’ve traded secrets to your girlfriend,” he said.
“Maria? She has nothing to do with this.” Dang it! I hate it when I’m right. I steeled my gaze and stared at him. “What are you accusing her of?”
“As if you didn’t know,” a second woman said. “You can’t fool us. Not anymore.”
“Hey,” I stomped my foot into the ground. I wouldn’t drag Maria down with me. “I’m still a Nexis member and the current president of this sect. I know my rights.”
Cynical laughter rippled around the circle. “You’re crazy.”
“You’ve been corrupted.” A screech cut across the sphere.
“Do you seriously think you’re still one of us?” One of the Cloak Heads sneered. As if I even cared about that now.
Mr. Stanton held his hand up. “As of yesterday, you’re no longer president of any Nexis sect. You’re an illegitimate McAllen. We’re about to remedy your membership status. For your crimes against Nexis, you are banished.”
“Banished,” someone hissed.
“Banished.”
“Banished.” The word echoed three more times. Each figure nodded as they pronounced my sentence.
I crumpled to the ground. My head started spinning. They were right to banish me. Heck, I didn’t even know my own name. My true father. What would they do with me now? How could I ever escape the clutches of the Nexis Semigod Nations? There were factions all over the world they could banished me to where no one would ever find me.
A choked scream lodged in my throat. Only silence came out.
Two guys grabbed me by the shoulders and hauled me out of the ring of fire, kicking and screaming of course.
But I wasn’t the only one waiting to be sentence by the Grand Council
A girl whimpered somewhere across the dark field. “I’m sorry, James.”
“Maria, is that you?” I lunged for her, but my captors held me back. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but I’m scared.” A tear trickled down her cheek as she rubbed something around her neck. The necklace she had made me for my birthday last year.
My breath hitched. She must’ve come to my room looking for me. Were the goons just camped out in my room, picking up whoever stopped by? Was Lucy next?
Liquid steel pumped
through my veins at the thought of these goons touching one hair on my sister’s head. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to find a way out.
Suddenly two cloaked figures flanked Maria. Dragged her into the circle of hell I’d just come from.
“Don’t tell them anything,” I screamed into the night.
A fist pummeled my cheek. I bit my tongue, tasting blood. So worth it.
I had to stall, had to think of something. Whatever they had on her, it was probably because of me. I wasn’t about to leave her alone to face her sentence. No way.
“What exactly do you think they meant by banished?” I asked my two goons. “Does that mean I’m out of the group and I can go on my way? Because if that’s the case, you can let me go now and I’ll be out of your hair.”
They stood there for a few minutes. Stared at each other.
I shrugged and tried to look casual. But every muscle in my body tensed, on high alert, as I listened to Maria’s tribunal.
The words were faint at first. “The Nexis Council finds you guilty of espionage. The sentence is death.”
“Death.” The word echoed around the circle. Five times.
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe it. Were they really about to kill a teenage girl in cold blood?
She screamed. A high-pitched, ear-piercing screech that echoed across the field, ripping my heart clean out of my ribcage. My whole body came alive at that sound. I slipped free from my guards, sprinting straight for her.
Grabbing her hand, I yelled one word. “Run!”
With that, we took off on a fifty-yard dash. Headed for the river’s edge. If we could make it to the woods, we might have a chance.
“James!” she screamed, looking behind her.
I turned. Goon One clamped onto her free hand. I let go of her other hand, clawing at the guard with all my might. It worked. Maria was free. But the guard had me now.
“They’ll get you, Maria. Run!” I screamed.
But it was too late.
Goon Two had already caught up. He reached out to grab her. Then suddenly… She. Was. Gone.
Plunk. A sickening splash. My heart stopped.
“Maria!” I fought like a wild animal. Kicking. Clawing. Biting. Until I wrestled myself free. I had to save her. Without a second thought, I dove straight for the Hudson.
The Nexis Awakening: YA Fantasy Romance (The Nexis Angel Series Book 0) Page 3