The Nexis Awakening

by Barbara Hartzler

  The flyer fluttered in my hand. My brother, James, was Nexis president two years ago. Could this group help me find some connection to him? He hadn’t spoken to me, or anyone else in the family, since he graduated. Bumming around Europe does that to people, I guess.

  I scanned the crowd for my mystery man, but he’d already disappeared. No doubt the orientation dragon swallowed him up. Then someone ripped the flyer from my hand. The thick paper sliced through my flesh.

  “Ouch.” I pressed my fingertip to my tongue. “What’d you do that for?”

  Another guy crumpled the paper against his polo and banked it off a tree trunk into the trashcan five feet away. Show-off. I glanced up to say as much, right into the most gorgeous eyes ever.

  Hold the phone—smolder alert at the orientation fair. At least six foot with dark hair, aqua-blue eyes. Almost the exact negative of Nexis guy. Hello, hottie.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. You should stay away from that guy, his group, too. You’ll be a lot better off without them.”

  “Who made you king of the school?” I ground my teeth together, nicking the inside of my cheek. A metallic tasted filled my mouth. Yeah right, like it was his job to tell me what to do. “You don’t know much about girls, do you?”

  “Hold it. Why do you say that?” Those blue eyes seeped through my thoughts, muddling them into mush. I had to focus on something else. A gust of wind tousled the hint of curl in his dark hair, offset by pale skin that highlighted a dimple on his cheek. Okay, anything else. His mouth pressed into a hard scowl. That would do.

  “Do you always answer a question with another question?”

  “Touché.” That scowl didn’t last long. He held out his hand. “I’m Bryan Cooper. What’s your name?”

  My fingertips sparked at his touch. Probably just the paper cut. “Lucy McAllen.”

  His eyes widened like I’d just told him I came from the moon. He held my hand so long I almost pulled it back. Finally, he shook it. “Please, educate me on girls, since I have no clue.”

  “If I must.” I wriggled my hand from his tight grip. Wouldn’t want to give him any ideas. “Girls don’t like to be told what to do. Next time ask or suggest something if you ever want it to happen.”

  He belted out a laugh so loud people stopped and stared. Then he doubled over. Seriously? One good jab to the ribs and he’d crumple to the sidewalk. He’d deserve it too, for laughing at me, but I wasn’t that brave.

  He propped his hands on his knees. “You’re right, my mistake.”

  When he glanced up his blue eyes were hovering at my level now. Automatically, I backed up. “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “Whatever you say, Lucy. See you around sometime.” He stood up to his full height and waved, a laugh still lingering in his eyes.

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes as he disappeared into the crowd. Like I really wanted to see him around. Hotties were always dangerous, especially ones with gorgeous eyes. The next time I saw him, I’d let him have it.

  Teenagers packed the orientation fair. They surrounded me on all sides. I blinked at the clipboard shoved in my face. Can we say personal space, people?

  The fabulous roommate I met this morning pushed her way through the snarled lines and snatched the orange Astronomy Club sign-up sheet from me. Her twelfth clipboard today. Shanda Jones needed an intervention.

  “Let’s take a walk.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my frayed jean shorts.

  “Okay, just a sec.” With an ebony hand she flipped dark braids over her shoulder and grabbed another clipboard, scribbling her name on it.

  I peeked over her shoulder. “Fall play tryouts? I say go for it.” Memories of my stint in Alton High’s drama club fought their way forward.

  Shanda’s eyes scanned my face like she didn’t believe me. “Why don’t you sign up, too?”

  “Not me, I don’t need that kind of pressure right now.” The crowd caved in on us. Who could see anything in this maze of people? “I’ve been dying to explore the campus on my own.”

  On tiptoes, I gazed beyond the herd. Green lawn and freedom lay dead ahead.

  “Sure. Let’s get out of here.” She carved a path through the pack of teens and parents. “I took the grand tour a few months ago. One of Dad’s houses, the Central Park condo, is less than an hour away.”

  Wow, her dad must be loaded. Why wasn’t he here? Probably the same reason my parents were AWOL—busy, busy, busy.

  A light breeze blew across my face. “Much better.” I inhaled the fresh air.

  I had a feeling I’d love this school as much as James did. The Montrose campus sat on a hillside nestled above the Hudson River. Off to the west, green lawns leveled off into a quad of brick buildings that flanked a Gothic stone chapel on the far ridge. Those gorgeous arches and stained glass windows begged for a closer look.

  “Eye candy at two o’clock.” Her manicured nail pointed out a sandy-haired heart-breaker zipping down the cobblestone sidewalk across the quad. “He’s got some potential.”

  “Not a bad pick.” Tousled hair, but cute with the right amount of chisel, kind of like the mystery flyer guy. Why couldn’t I go one day without thinking of boys? This was at least the second one today. Get a grip, girl. Like I could think about dating again after my last debacle. “So not happening.”

  “You wanna bet?” She raised a pencil-thin brow at me. “I can help you snag him.”

  “No way, I’m not into dating right now.” I smacked my hand over my mouth, but the truth popped out before I could stop it. At least my brain won the battle of the hormones, probably because the nearest guy was fifty feet away.

  “What?” She halted in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth wide as the sequined outline of Mick Jagger’s lips on her rocker tee.

  I plowed straight into her shoulder, and the horrible images rushed back. Clear as the cloudless sky.

  Jake and Becca, kissing on the couch, tangled together. Their faces followed me anywhere, even a thousand miles away from home. I blinked hard and the scenery turned watery.

  “Bad breakup?” Shanda’s smile was soft.

  “Yeah.” I couldn’t smile back, my lips just twitched.

  She nodded with a familiar expression that said maybe she’d been there, too. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really.” I shook my head. “I just want to start fresh. On my own terms.”

  “Understandable.” She didn’t say anything more, just resumed the pace like nothing ever happened. Now that was cool.

  We marched on in silence, stopping at the stone steps of the chapel.

  Like a mini Notre Dame Cathedral it towered above us, even more breathtaking up close. A kink formed in my neck from staring up at it. “Impressive, don’t you think?”

  “It’s supposed to look that way, or no one would pay the huge tuition bills. Soon you won’t even notice these cobblestone sidewalks or your so-called impressive buildings with too many steps. But if you start swooning over the benches dedicated to someone’s dead grandmother, I’ll have to kill you.”

  “Fine, I’ll swoon in silence.” I slapped my palm against my forehead and dropped to the nearest bench. “Bring me my smelling salts.”

  “Get up, girl, you’re missing the true gem of Montrose.” With her finger she outlined an enormous stone tower behind the chapel and the quad. Its white dome gleamed in the afternoon sun. “That’s the observatory. It’s huge. I can’t wait to use the giant telescope.”

  “Now who’s swooning?” I laughed as she helped me up. Overhead the sky sparkled bright blue, not a wisp of cloud. Yet a damp smell hung in the air, like the fragrance after a big rain.

  Chiseled guy tackled the steps two at a time. A larger-than-life shadow trailed behind him, almost wraith-like. Weird, since the afternoon sun was nowhere near low enough to cast that kind of shape. At least I learned something in art class. Maybe another building refracted the light or something. He disappeared into the tower and so did the shadow.

>   I blinked and everything looked normal again. I must’ve stared at the sun too long.

  Once classes started I wouldn’t have time to worry about boys. As if I’d ever go for future Ivy League boys and senators’ sons anyway. Dream on.

  I tugged open the dusty blinds with a whoosh that echoed off the hardwood floors of room 210, my boarding school dorm for the next nine months. The windowpane stood tall and alone against the far brick wall, like a sentinel on guard. Nothing could go wrong on its watch. Famous last words, right?

  A perfect view of the river loomed beyond the glass, juxtaposed against a serene lawn. The green contrasted with the deep gray water, merging into a peaceful palette. If I closed my eyes, I could almost hear the gurgle of rushing water.

  The faint refrain of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds jingled from the depths of my purse. I dug out my cell phone. “Hello?”

  “Lucy, didn’t your plane land hours ago?” Mom’s pitchy tone bordered on shrill, and just like that Poof! the peace was shattered. “Why haven’t you called yet? Is everything okay?”

  “Sure, I guess.” I bit into my tongue. She definitely didn’t want to hear all my doubts about Nexis. I tucked myself into the cubby of brick around my window, drawing my knees up to my chin. “Sorry, Mom, but orientation was out of control. By the way, it’s nice to talk to you, too.”

  “You should’ve called sooner.” Her voice shot up to the stratosphere. “How’s your dorm? Are you making friends with your roommate?”

  “Yeah, she’s from New York and promised to show me around. I can’t wait.” A school-sponsored bus ride from the airport didn’t count as my first trip to the city. Not that Riverdale and the school didn’t have their charms, as in far away from Indiana.

  “You’ll love New York in September, it’s beautiful.” Mom’s worried tone evaporated. What a relief. “Once you get into Nexis, you’ll be all set.”

  She sounded more like a game show host than a mother chatting with her daughter, always pushing her own agenda on me.

  I gritted my teeth. “What if I don’t want to join Nexis?”

  “Now’s not the time to be unreasonable.” Her voice switched straight into Mom Mode. “We’re talking about your future here. Don’t you want to get into Yale?”

  All the fight left me at the mention of Yale. Both she and Dad graduated from Yale, and James was supposed to go, too. We were all heartbroken when he disappeared to Europe and cut off contact with us. All we got was a postcard every few months. How could I disappoint them now? Especially when I had a chance to find out why he ran away.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s strange being at the same school James was. It’s like his shadow is everywhere.”

  “I know, honey.” The sugar returned to her melodic voice and my jaw relaxed. “From what I hear, Nexis has a great leader this year. Did you look up the Stanton boy like I told you to?”

  “No, not yet.” I huffed into the phone. “So don’t get any ideas about fixing me up. I don’t need any more drama, please.”

  Sometimes she could be so clueless. I swiveled on the windowsill. As the sun lowered, a golden tint highlighted the tiny wave crests, muddying the rest of the Hudson.

  “You’re right.” She sighed through the phone. We both had a hard time apologizing. “Want to talk to Dad?”

  I braced my arm against the brick. Ready for impact in T minus ten seconds. “Sure, put him on.”

  “Hi, honey.” Dad’s soft tone threw me off. No more grilling me about college? He’d asked about it all summer, if he was home. Why stop now? “Glad you made it there in one piece. You put any more thought into a major?” Goody, the impatient tone I expected all along.

  “I’m not even in college yet, give it time. I’ll figure it all out soon, you’ll see.” Unacceptable by Dad standards. I only had two years to get into Yale. What did I get myself into? I banged my head on the glass. Maybe the river could tell me what to do.

  “You’re right, sweetie, but now’s the time to start preparing. That’s why we sent you to Montrose.” Did he mean that for real or as in, don’t waste our money young lady? Bring on the guilt trip.

  “And I thought you sent me away to avoid any more scandals.” An edge of bitterness crept into my voice. My scar tingled at my temple, as if it could read my mind. As if it could remember the accident that brought me to this place, a thousand miles from home.

  “On the contrary, we sent you to Montrose for your own protection. Not to mention a good education.” His calm monotone spoke more than what he actually said. At least to me.

  “Any word from James?” Even my sister, Paige, and her incessant beauty tips would be a welcome distraction right about now.

  “James found his calling painting the Venice canals.” A crisp edge sliced through his voice.

  “Funny, I didn’t know he could paint.”

  “Me, either.” That familiar baritone laugh rumbled from the phone. How I wished I could reach out and hug him, tell him I wouldn’t turn out like James. “Paige is out with her friends somewhere.”

  Mom yelled in the background. Snippets of garbled conversation filtered in snatches.

  “Okay, Natalie, I’ll tell her,” Dad practically huffed into the phone. “Your sister’s at the movies, okay? Now don’t you listen to your mother. You stay away from boys, even that Stanton one.”

  “Relax, Dad, I think guys are scum, too.” I hugged my knees and pressed my cheek against the cool glass. If he were here, he’d reach out and ruffle my hair.

  “Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. Don’t forget that we love you, Lucy.” His voice cracked when he said my name. Dads could be so silly sometimes.

  “Love you guys, tell Mom. Bye now.” I hung up the phone. Only a few days on my own and I missed them already. So much for independence.

  The door swung open with a bang. I jumped from my window perch.

  Shanda scurried in with a tower of boxes and dropped them on the floor. Her boxes and suitcases formed a mountain of stuff in front of her closet. It dwarfed my tiny pile of luggage. She peeled back the accordion doors and hung up armfuls of clothing.

  “I’m just going to set up the room.” Her designer clothes belonged in a celebrity closet, not a prep school dorm room.

  I gasped, such gorgeous fabrics. “Is that cashmere?”

  “You bet.” Shanda draped the green sweater over my arm. “It’s so soft.”

  I scrunched the silky wool between my fingers. “Heavenly. Maybe I should unpack my stuff, too.”

  With a flourish I went to work dressing up the bulletin board over my desk with bright fuchsia polka-dot paper and my family photos. What a cute, scrapbook kind of window into my life back home.

  Something scraped against the wood floor behind me and I whirled around. “What in the world?”

  She had the whole room laid out. Our beds pushed against the far brick wall, a white fuzzy rug in the center, flanked by black butterfly chairs. Posters hung all over the white cinder-block walls. Mostly bare-chested boys, but some pictures of Paris or New York.

  “Silly putty.” Shanda hoisted the package like a trophy.

  My gaze flicked to the pinups. Heat curled up my neck. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  Was she really one of those girls, the pop star obsessed, boy-crazy kind of girl? Because her rocker tee and faded jeans said she had more edge than that.

  “You don’t like it?” Her almond eyes batted at me, those bronze-glossed lips curving into a cute frown that probably worked on Daddy.

  I shook my head. No pouting princess would change my mind. “Those have to go.”

  “My boys?” She rushed to the nearest one, tracing his smile with her finger.

  Why didn’t she get it? A muscle in my jaw twitched out of control. How could I forget about guys if they were everywhere? “Listen, I love the chairs, the rug is fine, but there’s no way I’ll put up with half-naked boys staring at me 24-7. Buhbye.”

  “What are you, a prude or something
?” She twisted her lips and laughed in my face. The nerve.

  “That’s ridiculous.” Every muscle in my body tensed. In the last six months only Becca and Jake ever made me this mad, and they turned the whole school against me.

  I forced my eyes shut. Calm down. They were only posters, but they reminded me of Jake. And not in a good way. “They make me uncomfortable. Can you take down the guy posters? The rest are fine.”

  “That’s fair, I guess.” She yanked them down one by one, firing a glare at me each time. She arranged the pinups in her closet like a shrine. Gimme a break.

  “Thank you.” My heartbeat still thundered in my ears. So much for roommate bonding. Can we hold the drama, please?

  Pacing back and forth, I wrung my hangs in a vain attempt to shake off the sparks of lingering anger. Because an even bigger question blared through my brain. Would she hold a grudge, or would she find a way to let it go?

  For some reason I didn’t want to set foot at this Nexis meeting alone. I couldn’t even explain why. But one thing I knew for sure. It was worth apologizing to my roommate.

  After all, Shanda was the one who wanted a crack at the observatory tower. So why did the mere thought of it freak me out?

  Chapter 2

  I had to make it to the top, or Mom would kill me. I jogged up the cement steps to the tower, my flats pounding louder than my heartbeat. The observatory rose from the top of the hill like a steeple. A domed pillar of brick watching over the whole campus. Night wind whipped my hair into my eyes, darkness closing in. I tossed the strands back, glimpsing moonlight once again.

  Shanda’s braids flapped in front of me as we booked it up the wide steps. “C’mon. We’re missing all the fun.”

  My heart thundered, still two beats behind her. “We’re never going to make it on time.” The path dimmed with each step, even the moonglow faded. Only a glint of gold pricked through the darkness.