Shifting Fate (The Neturu Chronicles Book 4)

by Sarah Carter

  “I’m sorry. That sounds like it had to have sucked,” Connor states. “Were you sad as a child because of it?”

  “No, I had a group of friends that understood. They are my closest friends. Like family mostly. Two of them are Ashe and Lana. They want to meet you this weekend, actually.”

  “That’s awesome!” Connor exclaims. “Hell yeah, I want to meet your friends.”

  Smiling, Lexi replies, “Really?”

  “Yes, of course. I want to know everything there is that’s important to you.”

  “That’s sweet. What do you want to do?” Lexi asks. “We can do pretty much about anything.”

  He shrugs. “I have no idea. It’s up to you guys.”

  “I will talk to them.”

  Bending over, Connor whispers, “Are you going to tell them I know?”

  “I already did,” Lexi answers, raising her eyebrows.

  “Wow, really? What did they say?”

  “They were a little in shock, I think, but were excited at the same time. I think that’s why they want to meet you. You are the mysterious boy that knows.”

  With a nod, Connor says, “I like being the mysterious boy. I would really like to meet them. Are they special like you?”

  “I will under no circumstance talk about anyone or anything else,” Lexi declares. She shakes her head and gestures with her hands. “I’m not saying either way if there is anything else that you need to know. The secret society stays a secret, but you can meet my friends.”

  He puts out his hands. “If I know about you, why can’t I know about everyone else?”

  “There’s nothing to know, Connor,” Lexi replies. “Everyone else is the same for the most part. Nothing exciting.” She knows she is lying to him, and she doesn’t want to, but it’s important. There’s no way she can let that secret out.

  “Again, I will leave it alone. But, I would like to meet your friends this weekend. That would be awesome.”

  “They are a trip, that’s for sure,” Lexi laughs. “We are a lot alike.”

  Connor pulls Lexi closer and squeezes. “Well, I like you a lot, so I bet I will like them as well.”

  Lexi smiles up at him. “We’d better get into class.”

  “Let’s go,” Connor replies, pulling his arm away. He puts his hand on the small of her back and ushers her into the classroom.

  Getting a weird feeling, Lexi turns around and looks into the hallway behind her. That’s when she sees a guy. He looks to be only a little bit older than her. She notices that he has a camera. He sees her looking at him. With a quick turn, he starts to go down the hallway in a hurry. The weird feeling doesn’t go away. Lexi furrows her eyebrows but goes into the classroom anyway.

  Connor walks her to her table, and Lexi throws her stuff down. “Did you do the homework?” Connor asks.

  “Of course I did,” Lexi replies. “It only took me ten minutes.”

  “Man, that would be nice to only spend ten minutes on homework.”

  “My parents still homeschooled me growing up,” Lexi says. “I mean, I had to learn some things. Like how to write a paper, and how to write, period. There were things that I had to learn, but as for facts and things to know, I knew at a young age. I still put the effort in when I did school, but the older I got, the more I understood of what I knew.”

  Shaking his head, Connor says, “That must have been an interesting childhood.”

  “It was,” Lexi laughs. “I should tell you some time of some of the worst things I did as a child. Oh boy. Man, my poor parents. I’m not sure why they decided to have more children.”

  “Would they be like you?” Connor asks. “Oh wait, I’m sorry. That’s asking a question.”

  Lexi smiles. “No, it’s all right. Like I said, they are all the same, and I’m the only one like me in this whole universe. My siblings are all normal. So, my parents have it easy now. Get the worse out of the way the first time around, I guess.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Connor laughs. He stands at her table as she sits down. “So, I get to meet your friends this weekend. What day?”

  “Saturday?” Lexi replies. “You guys can come over, and then we can go somewhere.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Connor says. “If they are anything like you, I will like them,” Connor states. The first bell rings. “Uh oh, class is going to start soon. Hopefully, my lab partner is absent again.”

  “Nope,” Lexi snorts. Suddenly, a guy walks into the room.

  Connor spins around and looks at her. “That is so crazy.”

  “If you are around me long enough, you will get used to it,” she declares with a laugh.

  “It must be weird for you,” Connor replies. “To always have this information in your head.”

  She shrugs and sighs. “It’s been this way for as long as I can remember. It’s always been like this. I know nothing else.”

  “That’s a good point,” Connor says. “So, you can’t see the lotto numbers.”

  “No, I can.”

  He throws his hands out. “What! Give them to me.”

  “No, because that’s not what is supposed to happen. I do see the future, all of it.”

  His shoulders slump. “Well, that’s totally not cool. What’s the point of knowing someone who can do what you do if you can’t profit from it?”

  “I have to make sure I don’t shift time,” Lexi whispers. “Bad things can happen if I do that.”

  “Has that happened?” Connor gasps.

  “It’s a long story that I can’t get into,” Lexi responds. “But, I just have to be careful.”

  Connor nods his head. “Got it. Makes sense.”

  “You should sit down. Class is going to start soon.”

  He quickly darts forward and kisses her on the cheek. Lexi’s face heats up. No matter what, she keeps doing that with him. “I will see you after class babe.”

  “Okay.”

  Going to sit down, Connor starts to talk to his lab partner. Lexi stares at him. She still can’t believe that she’s doing this. It could go bad so quickly. But, she can’t deny how she feels about him. Lexi knows she’s never been interested in a guy before. Why, oh why, does he have to be human? She groans in frustration.

  Class is extremely boring for her today. It’s days like today that she wishes she could just start a job. She doesn’t need to go to school, and she knows it. Now though, Lexi isn’t sure what she wants to do. She always thought she would do something scientific. Follow in her aunts’ and uncles’ footsteps. But now, this helping other people idea seems so much more important. Lexi knows she would have to be very careful not to change time, but she could change lives.

  When the bell rings, signaling the end of class, Connor jumps up and immediately comes over. “Are you all set lady?”

  “Yeah, that was so horribly boring,” Lexi groans, grabbing her bags.

  After she stands up, Connor drapes his arm over her shoulders. “Well, yes, even for me that was extra boring, so I could just imagine what it’s like for you.”

  “Super, duper, extra boring,” Lexi sighs. “At least when I was home, school took like two hours.”

  “What did you do the rest of the time?” Connor asks. “We all have school for seven hours.”

  “I traveled with my family. I learned to fight. I helped with my siblings.”

  Connor squeezes her against him. “I’m glad you know how to fight. The other night could have ended very badly if you didn’t.”

  Lexi laughs. “My mom is an extreme fighter, and like hell if one of her kids isn’t going to be able to defend themselves.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Connor replies. “I have no idea how to fight. That’s probably not the best idea.”

  “I will teach you some of the basics,” Lexi states. “That way you can defend yourself. Maddie wants to learn, too, and I think it’s a really good idea if she does learn to defend herself.”

  “You have no idea how happy I am that that bastard got
what was coming,” Connor seethes. “All these years and nothing.”

  Lexi puts her arm around Connor’s waist. “Oh, he’s going to get his in the end. Trust me.”

  “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Why be able to do what I do if you can’t change the world?” Lexi laughs. “I have given that a lot of thought. I think I’m going to try to use my abilities to make people’s lives better.”

  “That would be a great thing,” Connor says. “It would be a waste if you didn’t do something good with them.”

  She smiles and nods. “Yeah.” They are quiet until they get to her classroom. “Okay, I will see you in a little while.”

  “Meet up at my locker after last bell?” Connor asks, looking hopeful.

  Laughing, Lexi says, “Yeah. I will meet you after class.”

  “Perfect. Giving you an awesome kiss right now,” Connor chimes.

  “Connor,” Lexi hisses.

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “You need to relax a little.”

  “You have no idea what could happen if my family found out,” Lexi states. “Please, take this seriously.”

  “Okay,” he whispers. “I will say it in your ear next time.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I will see you at the end of the day, then?”

  Lexi smiles. “Yes, of course.”

  “See you in a bit!” Connor cheers, as he backs away.

  “Bye!” Lexi calls out after him. She turns around and walks into class.

  Spending the rest of the day thinking about Connor makes her very impatient for school to be over. Lexi knows she’s in trouble. She knows she’s in over her head when it comes down to him. But, she also knows she’s never liked a boy before. What Uncle Mason said keeps spinning through her head. She’s not actually Neturu. There’s no outing their race, and Connor thinks it’s magical powers, so she’s safe, right?

  The last bell rings, and Lexi sprints out of class. She makes it through the school. Suddenly, she hears, “Lexi.”

  She turns around. The principal is standing there. “Oh, hey,” Lexi says.

  “How are you doing? How do you like our school so far?”

  “Great.”

  He smiles. “That’s good to hear.”

  “Yeah,” Lexi replies. She wants this conversation to be over so she can go to Connor, but she doesn’t want to be rude. Her parents taught her better than that.

  “I heard about what you did in biology. You take after your father, huh?” Mr. Blyce remarks, with a bigger smile.

  Lexi laughs. “Yeah, my grandparents, too. They were both surgeons.”

  “It must run in the family. Is that what you want to do?”

  She shakes her head. “I kind of want to be a detective.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I would like to help people,” Lexi mumbles, shifting her weight. She doesn’t want to give too much away.

  “That’s great. It’s good to have ideas on what you want to do,” Mr. Blyce says enthusiastically.

  Lexi nods and smiles. “Yeah, I want to make a difference in this world.”

  “That’s admirable.”

  Now, feeling really impatient, Lexi sighs, “Yeah.”

  Mr. Blyce laughs. “I’m obviously keeping you from something.”

  “I’m supposed to be meeting my friends,” Lexi states, pointing down the hallway.

  He says, “Well, get going. I’m glad you made friends already.”

  “Yeah, I like the kids in this school. Well, except for one.”

  Laughing loudly, Mr. Blyce says, “That’s funny. Yes, in life you will learn, you are always going to run into people who you don’t get along with. It’s not just high school.”

  “It’s not me,” Lexi replies. “Someone just really doesn’t like me.”

  “Well, don’t let them get to you. Enjoy life. Don’t let the haters get to you.”

  That makes Lexi burst into hysterics. “Did you just say haters?”

  “I am around teenagers all day,” Mr. Blyce chuckles.

  “I know, but still, you just won some points.”

  He puts his hand to his chest. “I won points. Does that make me a little more than uncool?”

  “Ha. Definitely.”

  “Wow, I don’t get that very often,” he states, smiling.

  Lexi grins right along with him. She likes Mr. Blyce. “I have to go to my friends now.”

  “Yes, go ahead. Have fun.”

  “Thanks!” Lexi calls out. She turns and leaves as Mr. Blyce waves.

  She eagerly goes to Connor’s locker, but finds he’s not there. Lexi leans against it and patiently waits. A few minutes go by, and he doesn’t show. A few minutes turn into a few more minutes, and Lexi starts to get a little worried. After fifteen minutes and the hallways clearing out, Lexi is slightly aggravated. She presses her lips together and goes on a search to find him.

  The greenhouse is the only place she can figure out to go find him. The hallways are pretty much empty by this time. She makes her way there and opens the door. Lexi can hear talking from farther in. She goes towards the voices. That’s when she comes up on Connor and Jackie. Jackie puts her arms around Connor and leans in to kiss him. Lexi knows this was going to happen. She rolls her eyes.

  Connor immediately pushes Jackie back. “Whoa, Jackie, no. That’s not going to happen. How many times do I have to tell you?”

  “Connor, I love you, please,” Jackie pleads.

  He softens and looks down at her. “Jackie, I don’t feel the same way. Please, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

  “Well, you are,” she snaps.

  Sighing, Connor pushes her away. “Jackie, you have to understand, we are never going to be together.”

  Obviously seething mad, Jackie clenches her fists. “You just wait, Connor!”

  “Wait for what?” he replies, looking very frustrated.

  “You are your girlfriend are not going to work out.”

  Connor shoves his hands in his pockets and looks to the ceiling. “Jackie...”

  “No, you just wait. I promise you, you’re not going to work out.” There’s a different tone to her voice.

  He looks back down at her. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Of course not,” Jackie chirps, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

  “Don’t threaten me,” Connor states seriously. “That will really cement that we aren’t going to get together.”

  “Didn’t you already say that?” Jackie retorts, sharply.

  Raising his eyebrows, Connor says, “Jackie, you’re crazy. It’s probably better if we don’t talk.”

  “That’s fine by me.” Jackie arrogantly replies. She turns on her heel and walks away.

  Connor blows out a breath of air between his teeth and runs his fingers through his hair. Lexi finally comes out of the shadows. “Hey.”

  He looks up at her and then sighs. “Hey, how much of that did you catch?”

  “The last part. Do you think she will be a problem?”

  “No,” Connor answers, shaking his head. “What could she possibly do?”

  “I don’t know, but she was mad, and you never know with a woman scorned,” Lexi states.

  That makes Connor smile. “True. Women are crazy.”

  “And men are pains in the asses,” Lexi counters, poking him in the chest. “But, seriously. Do you think she will become a problem?”

  “I will handle it if she does.”

  Suddenly, there is a rustling. Lexi and Connor turn around. The same kid with the camera is standing behind some plants. He sees them looking and runs out of the greenhouse. “What in the hell?” Lexi whispers. Knowing something is up, she takes after the guy.

  “Lexi!” Connor calls out.

  She ignores him. Being a fast runner, Lexi goes tearing down one of the hallways. She sees the guy turn and look at her. He quickly darts out of the front doors. Pushing her body to the max, Lexi keeps after him. But wh
en she gets outside, he isn’t there. She spins around in a circle. “Where in the hell did he go?” Lexi gasps. She closes her eyes and tries to sense him, but gets nothing. Furrowing her eyebrows, Lexi is suddenly very frustrated. It’s unusual for her powers not to work.

  Connor comes running out the door. He pants. “My god, are you fast. What is going on?”

  “There was this guy watching me today,” Lexi whispers, crossing her arms. “Another guy came to me last night.”

  “Part of this secret society?”

  Lexi shakes her head. “I have no idea. I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a feeling they know what I can do.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Connor asks. “How many people know?”

  “Not a lot.”

  “Where did the guy go?”

  Spinning around in a circle, Lexi exclaims, “I have no idea! There’s no way he was fast enough to get away from me.”

  “Maybe he is special, too.”

  She shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  “Can’t you see his future?” Connor asks. “I mean, if you see everything.”

  That makes Lexi think. She really knows nothing about this guy. Closing her eyes, she concentrates. There’s nothing. It’s a black void. Lexi opens her eyes again. “There’s nothing. I have no idea who he is or what’s going on.”

  “That’s strange.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Lexi mumbles.

  “Is there someone you can tell?” Connor says. “I know you can’t tell me anything, but...”

  Lexi shakes her head. “It’s probably nothing. The last thing I want is for someone to look into school. It’s the only place I can be around you and not totally hide. If I told someone, that would go up in smoke.”

  “All right. Are you sure no one should look into this?”

  Laughing, Lexi replies, “What could they possibly do to me?”

  “That’s true,” Connor snorts.

  “I’m the most destructive thing on this planet,” Lexi declares. “But, I’m a sweet girl that would defend the planet, not destroy it.”

  “That’s good to know,” he laughs with her.

  Lexi.

  “Hold on, my dad is calling me,” Lexi tells Connor.