by S. A. Beck
Otto realized the others in the Atlantis Allegiance would ask the same questions. Yuhle had already decided she was telling the truth before they got here. Vivian and Edward suspected it might be a trap, and Grunt was convinced it was. If they brought her back to Nevada, her mere presence would split the Atlantis Allegiance into suspicious factions.
Dr. Yamazaki plunked some money on the table for her own meal and smiled. “It will be good to see everyone again. Let’s get out of here.”
Otto allowed himself a sigh of relief. It looked as though this wasn’t a trap after all. If they hadn’t been busted yet, they probably wouldn’t be. The feds could have blocked off the whole neighborhood and arrested them by now. She would still have to answer a million questions, but first, it was time to hit the road. Once they were back in Nevada, there would be plenty of time for an interrogation.
He looked at her more closely. So this was the scientist who had discovered the Atlantis gene. He was dying to ask her all about it. Now he could finally learn more about Jaxon.
As they walked to the door, they were both so busy scanning the street for the police that they didn’t notice the waitress pass by and brush the edge of Dr. Yamazaki’s trench coat. Even if they had, they would have barely noticed the tiny patch of clear plastic with a little spider’s web of circuits and wires. Once it was on the fabric of the coat, it was all but invisible.
Chapter 19
JUNE 18, 2016, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
1:10 PM
Jaxon was having the least pathetic birthday party of her life. It was also the biggest. She had a grand total of one friend there.
If she thought about it, the whole thing would have made her depressed. There she was, with a birthday cake in the kitchen that said an age that might not be true for a day that almost certainly wasn’t, surrounded by foster parents, two instructors, and one friend. The fact that this was the closest thing she’d ever had to a normal birthday party—one where the birthday girl was surrounded by heaps of friends and real family members—should have been enough to make her curl up in a ball and weep.
Kids with summer birthdays always complained that most of their friends were away and they couldn’t have a proper party. Having a summer birthday was a small mercy for Jaxon, because it kept her from having to explain to the people in whatever school she was in that year why no one was invited to her parties.
But Jaxon wouldn’t allow herself to think about those things. She had spent enough of her life being depressed. She wanted to feel good for a change. It sure helped that Ginger Edwards had managed to come. Jaxon couldn’t believe her luck.
They all sat in the backyard, where her foster parents had set up some lawn chairs. A banner strung across the back door said Happy Birthday, and there was a table with healthy snacks and a small pile of presents. Everyone was chatting and drinking Isadore’s awesome smoothies.
Jaxon was surprised that Marquis and Juliette had shown up. She’d never seen a teacher at a birthday party before. She hoped the Grants weren’t paying them to come, but she didn’t mind too much that they were there. While Marquis was a bit too intense, Juliette made for good company. She was very chilled out and had already made good friends with Ginger.
Marquis looked a bit awkward, as though he didn’t go to many parties. Even so, he was chatting with the Grants and made pleasant conversation with Jaxon too.
Isadore gave Jaxon one of her stiff hugs. This one lasted longer than usual. “Having a good party?”
“Yeah,” Jaxon replied, and she was.
“Well, next year it will be ten times as big. You’re going to stay with us. No more moving around for you.”
“That’s right.” Stephen nodded. “We’re going to make sure you get the education you need and the stability you deserve.”
A lump welled up in Jaxon’s throat. She swallowed and said, “Um, I got to go to the bathroom. Back in a sec.” She hurried back into the house, wiping her eyes once she was out of sight of everyone else.
“Might as well use it since I’m here,” she muttered, going to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
The downstairs bathroom was typical of the Grants’ elegant but minimalist style. The walls and fixtures were all white like the rest of the house, which made Jaxon feel as if she was living inside an aspirin. The only splash of color in the bathroom came from a fern in a white pot sitting on the windowsill. The bright green plant practically glowed in contrast to the whiteness of everything else. The sound of laughter from the party filtered in through the open window.
Jaxon smiled. That party was for her.
She noticed a dead leaf sitting next to the plant, and she grabbed it to chuck it out the window. A tingling went through her fingers. The brown leaf started turning green, fresh color radiating from where her fingers touched.
Jaxon flinched, and the leaf fluttered onto the windowsill. The outline of her finger was clearly visible as a green patch on the otherwise brown, dead leaf. Peering at it, she saw that that part was alive again.
A shudder passed through her. How the hell did she do that?
She turned to go, heart beating fast as though she were being chased by a ghost. Then she stopped, her hand motionless on the doorknob.
That quote from the Gnostic Gospels popped into her head. “If you let what is inside of you out of you, what is inside of you will save you. If you don’t let what is inside of you out of you, what is inside of you will kill you.”
She looked back at the leaf that she had started to bring back to life and nodded. “All right, I’ll figure this out. I’ve been keeping enough secrets for so long, I can keep this one too. No point in hiding it from myself though.”
Jaxon walked over to the windowsill and reached for the leaf. It skittered across the windowsill and into her hand. Her heart flip-flopped.
That was the breeze. The window is open, and a breeze blew the leaf in my hand.
She didn’t feel a breeze and decided to ignore that fact. Holding the dead leaf between two fingers, she focused on it. Green life spread from her touch and transformed the curled-up, dry leaf into a living thing once more. Jaxon studied the plant and found where the leaf had dropped off. One stem on the side was brown and wilted. She ran her finger along it, and it sprang to life.
“Let’s see how far this can go,” she said.
Pressing the base of the leaf against the end of the stem and holding it on with two fingers, she concentrated, imagining the leaf reattached to the plant. After a moment, she took her hand away and gasped.
The leaf and stem were reunited as if they had never died.
Suddenly she felt tired. It wasn’t overwhelming, more like she had just run up a long flight of steps, but the effort of reviving the fern had taken some energy out of her.
“Well, looks like I won’t be saving the rainforest with the touch of my fingers!” She chuckled, looked at her handiwork, and smiled. This was nothing to be ashamed of.
Jaxon rejoined the party.
“Open your presents!” Ginger said, edging her chair closer as Jaxon sat down. “I love presents, even if I’m not the one getting them.”
“All right,” Jaxon laughed. She picked up one that was wrapped in black paper embossed with gold Asian dragons. She looked at Marquis. “Is this from you?”
Marquis grinned. “Yeah, I guess it’s easy to tell.”
“Aw, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Jaxon said, touched. She opened it and found a book. Jaxon spent a minute puzzling through the title and author so she didn’t embarrass herself. “The Art of War by Sun Tzu.”
“It’s as much a philosophy text as a military manual,” Marquis explained.
“Um, thanks.”
“Open mine now, Jaxon,” Juliette said. Her yoga instructor pushed another gift in Jaxon’s direction.
Jaxon smiled at her and opened it. Another book. Had these people forgotten she was dyslexic?
She worked through the title. “The Tao of Pooh.”<
br />
“It’s actually pronounced ‘dow.’ It might help you in your spiritual path. Bet you didn’t know Winnie the Pooh was a spiritual master, did you?” Juliette said.
Jaxon laughed. At least this one had cute pictures. Next came Stephen and Isadore’s gift, a small rectangular package that sat at the center of the coffee table. I hope this isn’t another book. I won’t be finished reading them all until my next birthday.
To her surprise, it was a set of gardening DVDs.
“We’ll loan you a computer so you can watch those,” Stephen said. “You really have a green thumb.”
Jaxon smiled at him. You have no idea.
She had saved Ginger’s gift for last. It turned out to be a beautiful dress.
“Got to look your best at school,” Ginger said before kissing Jaxon’s cheek.
“Wow, this is great! Actually, they make us wear uniforms.”
Ginger’s eyebrows wiggled. “Well, la-di-da!”
The two girls laughed and embraced.
Isadore came out of the back door with a large cake with seventeen candles, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”
“Make a wish,” Isadore said.
I wish I belonged somewhere. Jaxon blew out the candles.
“One more year until you’re eighteen,” Ginger said, nudging her. “Then you’ll be a legal adult and can do whatever you want.”
That reminder hit Jaxon like a bucket of cold water. She only had a year in this home. She had just gotten here, had just begun to feel comfortable, and soon she’d be moving on.
To what? University? She didn’t know if the Grants would pay for it or even what she would study. If she didn’t go to college, what would she do? She could always get a job. Would that make her happy, or would she still be lonely and different? Everyone always talked about getting out of school without realizing that entering the real world didn’t solve any problems—it only changed them.
Jaxon watched Isadore cutting up the cake and felt as if she were seeing it from a million miles away. Then she snapped out of it. That was the old Jaxon gnawing away at her insides. She was going to be different now.
Okay, the cake was some macrobiotic blob made with locally sourced brown sugar and free-range, cruelty-free eggs, and it tasted like tofu that had been watered down with Ovaltine, but Isadore had slaved in the kitchen all morning to make it for her.
Jaxon looked around at all the smiling faces. Sure, her one friend lived in another city and all the adults at her party were weirdos. Was that so bad? They were here, weren’t they? They were chowing down on cake and had brought presents and were actually spending time with her. When was the last time a roomful of people had done that?
Hey, even Marquis was there. Just a few days ago, she had smacked him during practice. Jaxon still got shivers when she thought of the animalistic fury in his eyes when she had hit him. But was that so surprising? She’d made a lucky hit, and he had been taken by surprise by her unusual strength. Being a martial artist, of course he had responded with hostility. Who wouldn’t?
But he obviously didn’t hold a grudge, seeing as how he had shown up on his day off and even brought a present. It was a lame present, but at least he had brought one. He didn’t have to do that. And Marquis was giving her something even better. He was teaching her how to defend herself. If those strange men ever came back, she’d kick their asses even more than she had last time.
But maybe she wouldn’t need to. How would they even know she was in Los Angeles? Her name wasn’t on any bills or anything, so unless they could get into her sealed CPS files, they’d have no way to find out where she was.
Yes, she thought as she looked around, maybe I have finally found a place where I belong, a place where people care about me. She smiled with renewed confidence.
She was safe here.
In Book 3, The Atlantis Gene, Jaxon’s new life in LA is torture until she hears about a teenage vigilante in the news. Turns out he’s someone she knows from her posh private school. She begins sneaking out of the house to join him in his fight against criminals downtown. Read an excerpt at the end of this book!
Sign up for S.A. Beck’s Newsletter here and be the first to know when the newest books are released for 99¢.
About the Author
S.A. Beck lives in sunny California. When she’s not surfing, knitting or daydreaming in a hammock, she’s writing novels.
Drop her a note about what you think of her books at [email protected]
www.sabeckbooks.com
Sign up for S.A. Beck’s Author Newsletter to get notified of new book releases and sales
All Books by S.A. Beck
The Atlantis Saga (7-book series)
Book 1: The Atlantis Girl
Book 2: The Atlantis Allegiance
Book 3: The Atlantis Gene
Book 4: The Atlantis Secret
Book 5: The Atlantis Origins
Book 6: The Atlantis Guard
Book 7: The Atlantis Ascent
* * *
The Mage’s Daughter Trilogy
Book 1: Blood Magic
Book 2: Angel Magic
Book 3: Demon Magic
Excerpt from The Atlantis Gene
JUNE 12, 2016, MOJAVE DESERT, NEVADA
11:45 AM
Even though it was barely past noon, Otto Heike felt exhausted. He slumped in the back of the Subaru and watched the desert go by. He’d had a sleepless night during an eleven-hour drive in that very same car, a terrifying morning making contact with a scientist who should have been lying half dead in a hospital bed, and then a tense hour driving out of Albuquerque, wondering when they were going to get shot.
The shots never came, and fatigue was getting the better of his fear. His eyes kept closing, and his thoughts became muddled. Then an awareness of their situation jerked him awake, and he looked behind them on the lonely desert road, searching for pursuit.
Next to him sat the scientist they had gone to Albuquerque to pick up, Dr. Akiko Yamazaki, a middle-aged woman who his friends in the Atlantis Allegiance had told him had suffered a massive stroke. She seemed fine at the moment, though, and had told them a story about how a group of Atlanteans had come into her hospital room, magically healed her by laying their hands on her head, and whisked her away as they were chased by cops and government agents who killed all the Atlanteans while Dr. Yamazaki made her escape.
That last part sounded magical too.
Otto was having a hard time buying her story. There were too many unbelievable things about it. But if someone was going to make up a bogus story, would they make up one that made no sense? Dr. Yamazaki seemed too intelligent to devise such a lousy alibi.
His companions in the front seat looked as confused as he was.
Dr. James Yuhle was driving and kept glancing at the doctor through the rearview mirror. Yuhle was as exhausted as Otto from the all-night drive, but Vivian, who sat in the passenger’s seat, had insisted that he get behind the wheel.
Otto thought he knew why. Vivian was a mercenary, and Yuhle was a scientist. Vivian looked fine after her own sleepless night, but she obviously wanted Yuhle to drive so she could keep her hands free.
And that meant she suspected trouble.
Vivian had a 9mm automatic in a holster on her hip, and her purse was filled with grenades. In the trunk of the car, she had stowed a duffel bag filled with a small arsenal of weapons.
Her face remained calm, however, at odds with all the suspicious things she’d been saying before they picked up Dr. Yamazaki. Hell, an hour before, Vivian had had the scientist in the scope of her sniper’s rifle when Otto had picked up Dr. Yamazaki at the rendezvous.
For several minutes, there had been silence. It seemed like an hour. Dr. Yamazaki finally broke it.
“So where have you set up base?” she asked.
Yuhle opened his mouth to reply, but Vivian cut him off.
“The desert.”
Silence.
“I see,” Dr. Ya
mazaki said.
“So tell me more about this breakout. What else can you remember?” Vivian asked.
Otto shook his head and looked out at the desert passing by. They were on a county road well away from the interstate. No other cars were in sight. Occasionally they passed an isolated ranch or a lonely cluster of dusty trailer homes, but otherwise there was nothing but rocks, scraggly bushes, the occasional lonely mesquite tree, and distant mountains under a brilliant blue sky.
Why was Vivian asking her about that again? She’d told the story of her breakout three times already.
Then it hit him. Vivian was looking for inconsistencies in her story. Otto tuned in as Dr. Yamazaki told about her getaway for the fourth time. He couldn’t find anything different from the last three times she’d told it.
So where did that leave them? Believing that a commando squad of Atlanteans had healed her brain, helped her escape, and then conveniently all got killed?
Otto remembered his girlfriend, Jaxon Andersen. She was an Atlantean with no training, and yet she had managed to beat up half a dozen government agents. So yeah, maybe they could have busted her out, but what about healing her brain? Was that even possible? He didn’t know much about strokes.
He did know that medical researchers had spent years looking for ways to heal the damage and had come up with nothing. His grandfather, one of the smartest people he had ever known, had suffered a stroke a couple of years ago. Grandpa went from being a whiz at fixing cars and solving crossword puzzles, someone who could quote whole pages from books he had read years before, to a drooling mess in a wheelchair.
