I could stare at this guy all day, especially with the way he studied me like he was actually interested.
He angled closer, his voice low. “We have certain beliefs about the way things should be. There’s so much potential out there for us, just waiting to tap into it.”
Not another lecture on potential. “We’re high schoolers. All we have is potential.” I straightened my torso, putting some much-needed distance between us.
“If you join us, then we can help you realize your potential.” He dug his fingers into his short scruff of golden-brown hair. “Believe me, it’s more than you think. You interested?”
I let my eyes wander from his face back to the book. The saint’s picture seared into my brain, as if I’d seen it before.
I tore my gaze from her hollow eyes to stare up at the moon, inhaling a much-needed breath. Everyone called it the man in the moon, but the face I saw in the sky was too pretty to be a man. So, I always called her the woman in the moon. She smiled down at me, like she wanted me to give this guy a chance.
“With so little to go on? Doubtful.”
“Here’s something you probably didn’t know.” He flipped to a black and white photo taped onto a back page. “As president, your brother oversaw my initiation. He made all the guys in our group drink a gallon of milk. The girls had to drink a half gallon.” Sure enough, five guys and five girls were lined up, chugging on milk bottles, white liquid spilled over their clothes.
“Gross, bro,” I said to the picture. James stood behind the group, hands in the air. That familiar grin across his face.
Will turned from the photo and looked at me. “No one could drink it all. He said that was the point. We all needed to learn to fail at something before we’d ever really be good at anything.”
“I miss him.” Mist clouded my eyes. James always had a way of goofing off, and then turning serious when he needed to. All with his life-affirming spin on things.
Will squeezed my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought you’d want to know how your brother loved this group.”
“I do want to know.” Pressure bubbled behind my eyes. I scrunched up my nose to keep the sting of tears back. “What do you remember about him?”
He slammed the book closed, with a grin on his face. “No more free info until you join.”
“No fair. We’ll see about that.” I pushed myself up and reached for the book.
He stood just as quickly and hoisted it over his head. No way Dimples here was gonna keep me from my brother. I jumped for the book, my fingertips grazing the brass emblem.
Butterflies dive-bombed the pit of my stomach as the bottom dropped out.
In a split-second I was transported to a dark field.
Pillars of torchlight formed a semi-circle around James, his face contorted with fear. He reached for me. I stretched out my hand to him, but he faded away.
Then the ground buckled under my feet as stubby grass morphed into charcoal hardwood again.
The toe of my silver flat caught a nail in the floor. I lost my balance and teetered toward the edge of the platform.
Will’s strong arm encircled my waist, pulling me toward him. Away from the tower’s ledge.
Bang! The book thudded on the floor.
I flinched, and his other arm wrapped around my back.
“Are you okay?” His gray eyes sliced open the shadows.
The butterflies soared straight to my chest and clogged my lungs. I couldn’t nod my head, I couldn’t blink. I was frozen like a statue, the expression on my brother’s face still stamped in my mind.
Will’s hand slid from my waist, the other still steadying my back. “You’re fine. I’ve got you.”
Each breath brought more oxygen, more clarity. “I’m so glad you caught me.”
“Me, too.” His eyes softened around the edges. “I kinda want to keep you around.”
I smoothed my hair down, my fingers bumping along the edge of my scar. It kicked off a drumbeat in my brain. Could I have some lingering head damage from the car accident six months ago? Or was I finally losing it?
“I better get going now.”
“You sure you’re okay?” His eyebrows scrunched up like an upside-down V as he helped me to the stairs. “I hope that didn’t scare you off.”
I shook my head, which made the pounding worse. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Good. You’ve got a real shot if you want to go for it.” His lips lifted into ghost of a smile. “We’re having an information session in the library next week if you’re interested.”
“Great,” I choked out, fleeing for the exit.
Will’s oh-so-charming expression didn’t scare away the fear rising in my throat. I descended the wobbly stairs into the darkness, my overworked heart thudding like crazy in my chest.
James’ scared expression, his hand outstretched, followed me into the depths. Did I just imagine the whole thing, because of this dark tower with its creepy haunted-house stairs? Or did something really happen to my brother because of this group?
“Wait.” Shanda’s voice rang out behind me. “I’ll walk back with you.”
She sped out the door and dragged me down the path, practically wrenching my arm out of its socket. She glanced around the empty quad—the strangest expression on her face. Bending down to tie her shoe, she motioned me to do the same. I crouched next to her.
She hissed in my ear, “This should do it. I didn’t want to tell you before, because they might’ve heard. They’re not using that telescope to watch the sky.”
The air stilled around us. “What do you mean? It wasn’t pointed down or anything, was it? Plus, you showed me the August trifecta.”
“Please.” Her breath puffed in my face. “Like they’d be so obvious as to point at what they’re actually looking at. But they didn’t bother to change the focus. They have it zoomed out too much. You can see the trifecta with the naked eye. Look.” She outlined the three stars with her fingertip.
I blinked and looked up at the black sky. She was right. I could see the three stars almost as vividly as I’d seen them in the telescope.
“Real astronomers would want to see Saturn’s rings, not stuff you can go outside and see for yourself.”
“So if they aren’t watching the sky, what are they watching?” I could almost feel eyes on me. Whose eyes I had no idea, surely not Will’s. Maybe he wasn’t so wonderful after all. “Figures.” I straightened my knees to get up.
Shanda grabbed a handful of sequins, holding me in place. “They’re watching something here on campus, or someone. It could be anything. But if I were a creepy stalker with a telescope, I’d watch everything. And everyone.”
Chapter 3
A warm breeze feathered my hair. I tucked the strands behind my ear, over the scar, the only visible remnants of the accident. Sunlight slanted across the quad and tinted the grass lime green, the bricks orange. The bright colors ignited together, searing straight into my eyeballs. I lowered my head and focused on each step. One white canvas sneaker slapping the pavement, then the other. Mornings were the worst.
A jolt to my shoulder rocketed me off the sidewalk, right into the grass.
An angry guy whizzed past me. “Hey, watch it.”
Where’d he come from?
“It’s too early for rudeness.” A frog sound ripped from my throat, but he was long gone.
I straightened my purple backpack and elbowed my way into the crowd. The flow caught me and pushed me forward. With New Yorkers, everything moved so quickly. Until I reached the log jam at Trenton Hall.
I pushed my way through the swarm of people. High-pitched girly jitters blended together in a cacophony of chatter.
“Hey, Lucy.” My suitemate, Mindy called from her group of posh girls dressed in perfectly ripped jeans.
I wiped my hands down my plain dark jeans and tugged on my aqua v-neck tee. Why hadn’t I let Paige foist her Ivy League prep-school outfits on me? Because it felt t
oo much like reenacting Legally Blonde, which so didn’t work with my dark hair. My fashionista sister would fit in better at Montrose than I ever would.
“Morning, Mindy.” I waved, but she turned back to her friends. Funny, she seemed much nicer last night when I introduced myself. Just as well. As if I really wanted to crawl back into the popular crowd.
I sidestepped the pockets of teenagers and trudged up a bazillion stairs to the landing of the three-story brick monstrosity. When I stepped into the marbled lobby, the babble reverberated straight at me like a locust infestation. Mom would tell me to stop and say hi to people, but the buzz seeped into my brain. The lingering side effects of my head injury, I guess. I punched through the mob straight into my first classroom.
Silence consoled my ears. I could breathe again.
In the middle of the stadium-style desks, I found the perfect spot and planted my stuff. Great view of the lecture area below, yet plenty of distance to hide behind. I fished out my notebook and gel pen.
“Hey.” A bleach-blond guy in a muscle tee plopped himself down in the seat next to me. His arm dangled over the desktop, poised to brush my jeans. I recoiled as if he had fangs. “You’re that girl from the thing Saturday, right? Can’t hurt to make friends with a former Nexis president’s sister. I’m Kevin from L.A., remember?”
“Right.” My eyes narrowed at the spray-tanned hand he offered. I let it hang in the air. Wasn’t he hitting on Shanda that night? Like I couldn’t see right through him, just a carbon copy of my ex.
Finally, he retracted his orange hand.
Students filed in behind me, bringing their chatter with them. A tall man in tweed clomped down to the desk in the middle of the room. He scribbled “Mr. Harlixton” on the white board.
“Welcome to Western Civilization 101 where we’ll be discussing the beginnings of civilization all semester. Just in time for you to figure out which campus civilizations you want to join. Choose wisely. Your future depends on it.” His stern tone circled around the room.
“Pass these out.” He strained the arms of his jacket, handing the front row a packet of papers. “You’ll find the syllabus here and a list of campus groups. The Ivy League schools don’t look kindly on fluff activities like party groups that masquerade as legitimate organizations.”
Dad would love this guy. Great minds and all, he’d say.
Mr. Harlixton jabbed his finger into the packet. “Read the attendance policy in your syllabus to know many times you can ‘not show up’ and still pass. If you have questions, come talk to me after class or take advantage of my office hours, listed in the syllabus. Did I mention you need to read the syllabus?” He glared at the front row. My spot looked better and better.
Faint giggles erupted around the room and Mr. Harlixton's face softened slightly. “Now, on with the story of civilization.”
He perched on the desk and crossed his legs. Could I clap now? What a brilliant performance, if you wanted to scare off slackers. No way was this teacher as scary as he pretended.
He launched into a story about ancient Mesopotamia. He covered every bit of history a book would, but he made it come alive. For some reason he kept citing Bible passages in his stories. Kind of an odd thing to reference in a history class. Maybe the Ivy League schools wanted their students to be well-versed in all aspects of life. Before I knew it the bell rang and storytime, aka class, ended. Backpack zippers swished and papers shuffled as everyone left.
I jogged up the stairs and parted my way through the Red Sea before Kevin even moved. I flung open the side door, smack dab into some guy’s broad shoulder. His backpack hit the marble with a clank.
“Sorry, about that.” I glanced up, right into familiar blue eyes that matched my shirt today. Would he think I planned it?
My nerves kicked into hyper-drive, like a hamster spinning its wheel in my stomach.
I fidgeted with my bag strap, snagging my paper cut. It throbbed. “Don’t draw any blood today.”
Bryan swiped his bag off the floor and swung it over his shoulder in one fluid motion. Then he smiled at me. The real kind, not like Kevin’s fake one. “Still in one piece, aren’t you? What class are you coming from?”
Always answering me with questions. Could he be more annoying? Still, the hamster wheel churned my eyes into the ground. “I just had Western Civ.”
“With Mr. Carter or Harlixton?” His words jumbled together. Was he nervous, too? Good.
“I have Harlixton. Why, is he bad?” I gazed up at him, chewing my lip the whole time.
“No, Harlixton’s great. You’ll love him.” A light turned on in that ocean of blue. “If you had Carter I’d have to pray for you. Really pray.”
“That bad, huh?” How sweet was that? Yeah right, stupid traitor thoughts. I’d have to murder them later.
“One day in Carter’s class I raised my hand to tell him to shut up and stop repeating himself, but my friend stopped me. I ended up banging my head on the desk to keep myself awake.” His eyes practically sparked when he laughed.
“Wow, that’s bad. I mean, you seem like a pretty sane guy.” For a control freak, maybe. Much better.
Kevin picked that moment to burst into the hall. “Get a load of this guy, giving us an assignment the first day of class.”
“Reading a syllabus doesn’t really count as an assignment.” No way could I juggle two guys at once, especially ones I didn’t want to juggle. I waved and headed for the door, but they both followed me like puppies.
“Very funny. You’re one of those girls, aren’t you?” Kevin brushed my arm.
My whole body tensed up. The hamster wheel stopped cold.
I flicked off Kevin’s hand, ready to slap him if he made another move. “That’s what my parents are paying for.”
“Let’s hope they get their money’s worth.” Kevin stepped toward me, but Bryan edged closer. “Me, I just want to get by and have fun.”
“Isn’t that the Nexis motto?” Bryan puffed out his chest like an action figure. He stared down Kevin, who glared right back. Cage match anyone?
“I’ve been waiting for an easy teacher.” Kevin inched forward.
“Shoulda gone with Carter.” I got him good. Before he could fight back, I pushed open the front door, shielding my eyes from the sun. From up here the quad looked peaceful. I booked it down the steps, ready to inhale the sweet smell of freedom.
“Burn!” Kevin gasped behind me, his long legs matching me stride for stride. So much for freedom. This guy couldn’t take a hint. “Have you heard Bryan’s story about how boring Carter is?”
I turned on my heel to channel all my annoyance into one laser glare. “You walked in on the middle of it, right?”
“What’s up now? This girl’s got game.” Kevin stumbled into Bryan, who checked me out like I was under a microscope, same as Kevin. Guess players ran in packs.
“Now you have to make it up to me and my poor bruised ego.” Kevin’s lip lowered into what must be his most charming poor-me face.
Wouldn’t work on this girl. I busted out laughing. “Yeah, right.”
“I’ll show you around the city. What’s the harm in that?” He nodded at Bryan who couldn’t stop staring at me.
I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at him. His hang loose expression didn’t waver. “Doesn’t sound so innocent to me.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll chaperone. How’s Friday?” Bryan had HOPE scrawled across his face in giant letters. So adorable, especially after he showed his guy colors only seconds ago. How could I say no to that face?
I chewed my lip for the fiftieth time this morning. No way could I hang out with two guys by myself. Dad would definitely disapprove. But what if they knew something about James? Kevin was some kind of Nexis leader, right? I shifted my bag to my left shoulder, and a crazy idea popped into my head.
“I don’t know. Why don’t I talk to my friend and get back to you?” Shanda would die before she’d ever agree to a double date, especially in a city she knew li
ke the layout of Tiffany’s.
“I’m gonna hold you to it, chica.” Kevin resorted to the he-man nod. Gag me.
“Fine then. See you around, I guess.” I flipped my hair behind my shoulder. When I stole a backward glance, they both stared after me. I waved goodbye to a grinning Kevin and a jaw-dangling Bryan. So much for playing it safe. Hopefully Shanda wouldn’t kill me.
* * *
The musty stench of mold mixed with bleach assaulted my nose as I opened the door to second floor Nelson. I raced down the hall to my room and flung open the door.
But it was empty. Great. Now Shanda was really going to kill me. Why had I agreed to some lame double date in the first place? Stupid hormones.
With a flourish I shook it off, sucked in a deep breath, and walked back into the hall. Posters and decorations hung on the white cinder block walls as more girls settled into their new home for the semester.
Now seemed like a good time to have a chat with my suitemates. Hopefully they would provide a much-needed distraction to my roommate dilemma. They’d plastered their plain oak door with framed pictures and cutouts of their names, Mindy and Brooke. I knocked and hoped for the best.
“Hello?” Mindy opened the door, her smile wide.
“Hi, I’m Lucy, remember? One of your suitemates. Just thought I’d come over and see how your first day was.”
“How thoughtful of you.” She ushered me inside. “Brooke’s not here right now. She’s at a freshman mixer or something. You’re new, too, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yep, but I’m a junior.”
“Oh, perfect, me too. But I’ve been here since I was a freshman.” She turned that warm smile on me and gestured to a purple fuzzy futon. “Sit down, won’t you? We can get to know each other.”
“Your room is starting to look good.” Maybe a little sparkly and girly for my taste with its pink, purple, and teal rugs and bedding. But somehow she made it look quite chic.
She plopped on the other end of the futon. “I just love to decorate. Can’t you tell?”
“It’s like a designer magazine or something,” I said.
The Nexis Secret Page 3
