His jaw twitched as he flicked on his blinker and turned left past a stone chapel, blanketed by ice.
“What are those little girls doing? It’s too cold for them to be out.” I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. Yep, I just sounded like my mom. Too scary.
He slammed his foot on the accelerator, eyes as wide as marbles.
“Bryan, slow down.” My heart thumped away as we skidded past the church. “What’s going on?”
I squinted at the strange scene in front of me, my heart beating just a little bit faster.
Little girls in flowing white robes with red sashes swarmed from the church doors. Two nuns glided among the white-on-red huddle. One placed electric candles in the girls’ red-mittened hands, while the other plunked holly wreaths on their heads. The candles flickered like real firelight.
Then I saw it—a giant banner next to the chapel. St. Lucy’s Day Parade Entrance. Dread slammed me, right in the pit of my stomach.
I gasped, a choking breath that stilled my lungs. Automatically, I flipped my left wrist over. The tiniest scar still singed my skin. Remnants from the last time I stepped into St. Lucy’s church, where a lunatic Watcher vowed to brand a hot iron to mark me as the Seer, just like the original St. Lucia’s.
Bryan snatched my hand, like a lifeline desperately yanking me back to reality. “Sweetie, I’m sorry. They do this stupid parade every year. I totally forgot it was today.” He sucked in a breath. “We’re not Catholic, so we don’t celebrate it. But any event that goes on in this town is a big deal. They make a production out of everything.”
My hands trembled as his words crackled in my ears like radio static. White-gowned girls floated toward me in two perfect lines. Almost as if they had one mind synced together by the cold. A little blonde girl locked her eyes on me.
My heart pounded with new speed, and suddenly I could see. All the visions of St. Lucia I’d ever envisioned lined up one after another—like a playlist of terror.
St. Lucia appeared before me with creepy jeweled eyes of diamond and topaz, her long hair blowing behind her as she stretched a pale hand toward me. My pulse kicked into high gear as I tried to blink the image away.
But the image didn’t go away. St. Lucia morphed into the version of her I’d seen in the Nexis book, with hollowed eyes. Her face contorted as if to warn me. I forgot how to breathe. All my breath seized in my throat. Would I share the same fate, and have my eyes gouged out by the Watchers?
I shut my eyes against the horror as my stomach curdled. The darkness faded into light, as a new vision of St. Lucia emerged from the shadows. This time she had eyes of light surrounded by the rays of heaven. A peaceful feeling crashed over me, washing away all remnants of terror. St. Lucia stretched out her arm again, this time to beckon me closer. I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear her warning, whatever it was. With that she faded into nothingness.
My vision cleared, and the world righted itself. I was back in Bryan’s car, stopped in a line of parade traffic.
I turned to him. “Can we get out of here already? Doesn’t this hunk of junk have four-wheel drive or something?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here. Right now.” Bryan’s jaw hardened into a stony line as he spun the wheel hard to the right to escape the traffic jam.
The tires slipped in the slush and the car fishtailed as he peeled out. I wrapped my fingers around the seat and held on tight, my stomach churning even as I silently urged him to go faster. With a few deft maneuvers, he righted the car and slid onto a desolate two-lane highway. Soon we were headed in the right direction. Away from this sick celebration.
I didn’t care where this country road took us. At least I could breathe again.
Suddenly Bryan’s palm encircled my scarred wrist. “You have to know I’ll never let something like this happen to you again.”
“I know.” The trembling stilled, my heartbeats slowed.
“I’m not just a Guardian,” his fingers laced through mine, “I’m your Guardian now. I’ll do anything to protect you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. Leaning over, I planted a kiss on his cheek.
His body went rigid, from his head to his torso, except for a lone muscle twitching in his cheek. And that’s when it hit me. He was just as scared as I was. Only he was afraid for me.
My heart curled in on itself. Angling my face to the window, I watched as pines blanketed in white buzzed past the window. I never wanted this. Never asked to be the Seer. The gift could’ve been given to many more worthy people, like my brother James. This so-called power was taking over my life and hurting the people I loved. Being the Seer felt more like a prison than a privilege. And I couldn’t trap anyone else in my own prison.
So I pasted a smile on my face and let three empty words tumble from my mouth. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t look at me, just flicked on his blinker and turning Old Faithful onto a snow-packed road that coiled like a slinky through the forest, winding and curving for miles.
“I’m hardly ever sure of anything.” Except one thing. I couldn’t put this burden on anyone else’s shoulders. It was my cross to bear. I needed to learn to be the Seer and figure out how to use that gift. Bryan said his family would train me. Whatever that meant.
“I’m not naive.” Gulping in a major breath, I clenched my fists. “I know you can’t protect me from everything. That’s why I’m here. To learn how to fight. To stand up for myself. So bring on the Seer training. I’m ready for it.”
“That’s my girl.” He squeezed my hand. “You’ll be awesome at this.”
I closed my eyes against the whiteness, but the truth still smacked me in the face. It iced the breath in my lungs. I wasn’t even close to ready for this.
Who-knows-how-many miles outside of Harrisburg, Bryan turned onto a deserted road that wound through luscious fir trees. Old Faithful plowed her way through inches-deep snow, then angled down a winding driveway that dead-ended in front of a house large enough to be a lodge.
“This is where you live? It’s breathtaking.” If I snapped a photo right now, of this lodge nestled among the evergreens, it’d make the perfect Christmas card.
“It better be.” He shut off the car as two wrapped-up figures trudged through the snow toward us. A golden retriever lolloped along behind. “The Guardians lorded over every detail of this place, from design to construction.”
“The Guardians?” I cocked my head at him, unsure if I’d heard him right.
“Incoming,” he pointed at the passenger side window.
As soon as I opened my car door, Bryan’s mom enveloped me in a giant hug. “I’m Cindy. It’s so good to finally meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Coo—, uh, Cindy.” I hugged her back.
“Brooke has been talking about you non-stop. Ever since she got home with Abby.” She put her arm around me and led me down the driveway. “You’ve been so good for her, helping her come out of her shell. We’re so grateful.”
The golden retriever jumped up, its paws landing near my shoulders. Foul breath assaulted my frozen nose as I dodged its lolling tongue.
“Down, Ginger.” Cindy patted the dog’s golden fur. Ginger landed on all fours and followed Cindy to the front door. At the porch she called back. “Mark, don’t forget the bags.”
Mark towered over me, offering a lanky arm. “Hi, Lucy, nice to meet you. Guess that’s my cue.” Hard to guess where Bryan got his broad shoulders.
I plowed through the snow after Cindy, leaving the guys to their luggage duty. She ushered me into the foyer where I shook off snowflakes under a vaulted ceiling.
As I hung my parka on the coat rack, Brooke rushed up to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Lucy, I’m so glad you’re here.” She squeezed me tight.
A lanky girl hovered behind Brooke, unable to hide because she stood a good six inches taller. She fidgeted with her long blonde hair, twirling it around her index finger.
&n
bsp; “Don’t be shy.” Brooke motioned the girl over. “This is my older sister, Abby.”
“Nice to meet you.” Abby’s face broke into a smile as warm as her mom’s. “You look so much like your brother.”
“Hello, she’s a girl. That’s not very nice,” Brooke scrunched her forehead at her sister.
“Oh, that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I just . . .” Abby’s blue eyes darted from Brooke back to me as she resumed her hair twirling.
“Don’t worry about it. I actually think that’s a compliment, especially now.” I shrugged it off, trying not to think about my brother. James was in Europe somewhere, having the time of his life no doubt. More like running from Nexis. Pressure built behind my eyes at all the what-ifs whirring in my brain. But I couldn’t go there. Not right now.
“I’m sure you miss him a lot.” Abby grabbed my hand, just like Bryan would if he was here. “I know just the thing to cheer you up. You wanna see your room?”
Without waiting for answer, she squeezed my hand and tugged me across the fluffy entry rug and down a hardwood-lined hallway.
“Here we are.” She gestured to the perfect little white and oak room. “Maybe later we can talk about your brother, if you’re up for it.”
“I’d like that.” My lips curved, too. “I love talking with people who knew James.”
“Great. Maybe tonight after dinner.” She offered me another glimpse at that warm smile. Then she slipped out of the room, her long blond hair swishing in waves behind her.
She left me all alone in this small but comfortable room, complete with soft white carpet, a white quilted bedspread, and matching oak furniture. I padded over to the window, taking in the snowy scene outside. Tall pines fringed the backyard, almost like the landscape hanging over the bed. The cavernous ceiling was pristine with beautiful rustic beams, but it wasn’t my room. Back home, I’d filled my room with color and random doodles—my own organized mess.
Out of nowhere, an overwhelming wave of homesickness washed over me. Gnawing my bones with its icy loneliness. This would be the first Christmas I’d ever spent away from home. Even if things weren’t right with my family, they were still my family. And I missed them.
I reached for the phone to dial my dad’s number, but my finger froze mid-air. What would I say to him if he answered? Hey, Dad. Sorry I don’t wanna come home and face all the drama of my stalker ex-boyfriend and keeping secrets from my sister about the discovery that my brother is really my half-brother. Yeah, I’m sure that’d go over real well.
Instead, I set the phone on the nightstand in easy reach in case they decided to call and check in.
Tucking my suitcase under the bed, I curled up in a ball on the giant four-poster bed. In a house full of familiar strangers, I felt so alone. All the emotions I’d held in since the attack churned in my gut, threating to bubble over.
Sheer anger rose to the surface. My blood boiled as I tried to shove the memories of Jake back into the dark pit they’d come from.
I couldn’t understand it, couldn’t wrap my brain around it. Flashes of that night played in my head. Jake shaking me, yanking my arm out of its socket. Trying to take me God knows where. If it wasn’t for Angel, my angel, who knows what would’ve happened? To think, I used to date that guy. I shuddered at the thought. Thank God Bryan showed up. He was such a hero that night.
One question lingered like a neon sign. What happened to Will? Did Jake beat him up too, or were they working together in some kind of Nexis plot to take me to their underground lair?
Even though he’d called two dozen times since that awful night, I ignored every call. Erased every voicemail. Pressure built behind my eyes. I was too afraid Will was in on the plot. Call it magnetic charm or a latent self-destructive streak, but for some reason I felt drawn to him. No more. I couldn’t let him get any closer. Couldn’t let that night repeat itself. But I couldn’t go there. Not right now.
If I let my mind wander down the what-if road, I’d be consumed by the shadows of what could’ve happened.
Before I left Montrose, my trauma counselor told me, “Don’t let the darkness consume you.” And it stayed with me.
I couldn’t dwell on that horrible night forever. I had to find a way to shove it aside and move on. Or it’d eat me alive.
Instead, I vowed to focus on the good things in my life—to feed my spirit with much-needed light. Angel, as I had taken to calling him lately, did come to save me when I asked. He helped Bryan rescue me, which brought me to the next step in my journey. Staying with a warm and welcoming family who could protect me and train me to fight my own battles. Probably the safest place I could be right now.
I unfurled my limbs from my self-made cocoon. The shadows dissipated and a sense of calm enveloped me like a warm blanket. I was safe. And I was stronger than I ever thought I could be. Soon, after Seer training, I’d be even stronger. I smiled at that thought, even as my fingers curled into fists. Seer training was just the next step in my journey. And I was ready.
Watch for Crossing Nexis, Book 2 in the Nexis Angel series.
Coming Fall 2019 . . .
www.barbarahartzler.com
MORE BOOKS BY BARBARA HARTZLER
THE NEXIS SERIES
Book 1: The Nexis Secret
Book 1.5: The Nexis Awakening
Book 2: Crossing Nexis (Fall 2019)
Book 3: The Nexis Conspiracy (2020)
Book 4: The Nexis Crusade (2020)
DEVOTIONAL
Waiting on the Lord: 30 Reflections
To sign up for my mailing list to get your free copy of The Nexis Awakening:
www.barbarahartzler.com
Acknowledgments
No writer can release a book, great or small, all by herself. With that in mind, I’d like to thank my amazing husband for always supporting me—even to the point of surrendering our shared laptop. You made this book possible. To my fabulous beta reader Sharon Hughson, I’m so glad I found you. Thanks for the kind but necessary prodding needed to get this book off my computer and into the world. It’s nice to have someone like you in my corner.
To all my readers and fans who’ve stuck with me over the past years when the books weren’t churning out as fast as any of us wanted—a big thank you for hanging around and being (mostly) patient. I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me or these silly stories. They aren’t silly to me, and I’m flabbergasted to know you feel the same way, too.
Also, a little shout out to my faithful writing buddy, Herbie the zany Shih-tzu. Because a little fluff, a lot of faith, and a smiling face always helps me stay on track. A final round of applause to my favorite dude, that Big Guy upstairs. Without guidance from above, this idea would’ve never found it’s way out of my head and into the world. Thanks for making me do things that are ultimately THE BEST!
Barbara Hartzler is the author of The Nexis Secret, the story of The Seer—a.k.a. one girl with a gift to see the unseen world of angels. Not to mention the two secret societies vying for her allegiance. The Nexis Secret is inspired by Barbara’s college experiences and peppered with anecdotes from her teen missions trip to New York City.
She’s always wanted to write, not necessarily about angels, but the idea was too good to pass up. As a former barista and graphic designer, she loves all things sparkly and purple and is always jonesing for a good cup of joe.
So grab a cup of coffee and peruse her website at www.barbarahartzler.com. You can read her blog, explore all the behind-the-scenes extras in The Seer’s Vault, or learn more about her writing journey, fun facts, and The BARBARA awards for best fiction (mostly YA).
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