Adventures of Alexis Davenport Series

by West, Shay

  As he stormed out of the office, Mark vowed he would get to the bottom of the mystery.

  ***

  Alex gasped, trying to draw a breath through a chest that felt as though a two hundred pound weight was crushing the life out of her. Darkness surrounded her.

  I’m in the void again!

  She turned her head—wait, how can I have a head?—and saw her own face to the left, hazel eyes wide. To the right, she saw the face of the Mongolian girl.

  What is going on?

  Suddenly, something grabbed her and dragged her toward her reflection. Alex swore she could feel a breeze moving through her hair.

  Alex gasped when she was back in her own body, gripping the edge of the counter to steady herself. It didn’t take her as long to regain control of her muscles as it did when she returned from the void the last time.

  She stumbled back to her room and grabbed her phone, texting Jennifer about her experience. Jennifer sent a response almost immediately.

  - So what do you think happened?

  - Not sure. Never happened before.

  - Maybe he gave up?

  - Maybe.

  Alex didn’t believe the Traveler had given up, and yet a tiny glimmer of hope warmed her heart. She didn’t want to travel anymore, even though she knew the importance of her gift. All she wanted to do was finish high school in one piece without anyone finding out about her ability to travel through time.

  Maybe Jenn is right. Maybe the Traveler gave up and I can finally be free!

  DESPERATE REFLECTIONS

  THE ADVENTURES OF ALEXIS DAVENPORT,

  BOOK THREE

  SHAY WEST

  Booktrope Editions

  Seattle, WA 2014

  COPYRIGHT 2014 SHAY WEST

  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

  Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

  Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

  No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

  Inquiries about additional permissions

  should be directed to: info@booktrope.com

  Cover Design by Shari Ryan

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.

  PRINT ISBN: 978-1-62015-535-6

  EPUB ISBN: 978-1-62015-542-4

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  There are a lot of people to be included in this section:

  Thanks to A.M. Donovan for entering a contest to name this book. I think Desperate Reflections sums up the emotions in this book better than I could have ever imagined.

  Thanks to Jeff and Lisa Hollar for entering a second contest geared toward finding a point in time for the final showdown between Alex and Drifter. And while I tweaked the idea a little, the pair of them still came up with the time and place.

  Thanks to Michelle Tracey for giving her local library paperback copies of the first book of the series, Dangerous Reflections. Because of your gift, many people have enjoyed the book, and there’s no greater gift than the gift of adventure!

  This final book of Alexis Davenport is for the fans. She wouldn’t have made it this far in her adventures without you!

  CHAPTER 1

  ALEXIS DAVENPORT CHEWED on her nails while she waited for her best friend, Jennifer McDonald, to show up at the house. She tried to distract herself by checking her Facebook but her mind kept replaying her last trip through the mirror. She’d never experienced anything like it. Seeing herself and the girl whose body she would inhabit, floating in the void, being jerked rudely back into her own body.

  What happened?

  For the hundredth time, the question flashed through her mind. And for the hundredth time her mind drew a blank.

  When the doorbell rang, she nearly tossed her computer on the floor in her haste. She ran to the front door and opened it so quickly Jennifer squealed in fright.

  “Geez, Alex! Give me a heart attack why don’t ya.”

  “Sorry,” Alex said as she grabbed Jenn by the arm and yanked her into the house.

  “Leave my arm attached, please and thank you.”

  Alex ignored Jenn as she ran back to her room. She slammed the door behind them, knowing her mother wouldn’t hear. She was at work and wouldn’t be home for hours yet.

  “Okay, something has really got you spooked. Something happened didn’t it?”

  Alex turned and faced her best friend in the whole world, the only person who knew her secret. She hadn’t planned on telling anyone about her ability to travel back in time. But when Jenn had walked in on her while her spirit was gone, Alex didn’t have any choice but to tell her. It had been a relief, really. She finally had someone she could confide in and someone who could help try to figure out the ins and outs of this special gift.

  Through trial and error, Alex had figured out that she was a Traveler, someone who could travel back in time using mirrors or any reflective surface. The first time her reflection in the mirror had changed to that of a young woman from Ireland, she had been sure she was losing her mind. Or suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.

  When she realized her gift meant that her life was in danger, she almost wished she did have a brain tumor. An evil Traveler was going back in time, trying to change history and it was up to Alex to stop him. She had no idea why he was going back or what his ultimate plan was. To her, it didn’t really matter. When the Traveler went back in time, she had no choice but to follow.

  Only the last time she had traveled, something had happened before she could complete the transfer of her spirit to the Mongol girl she had seen in the mirror. She had been trapped in the void and had been pulled back into her own body before the transition could be completed.

  “So are you going to tell me what happened or stare at me all day?”

  Jenn’s question pulled Alex back to reality. She told Jenn what had happened, wincing as her friend yanked her journal out to write down every word of Alex’s account. Jenn swore she was going to write a book someday and make a million dollars when some big Hollywood producer asked for the movie rights. Alex was afraid someone would find the journal, have her committed to an asylum somewhere on a remote island or high atop a mountain and leave her in a white room for the rest of her life.

  “Oh, man. Just when we thought we had everything figured out...” Jenn shook her head. “Did Sean or his Master say anything about this?” Jenn flipped through the journal, trying to find the spot where she had detailed Alex’s meeting another Traveler like herself, someone else working on the side of good.

  Alex shook her head. “I’ve been over every detail of the trip to Scotland and I got nothing!” She flung herself face down on her bed, ignoring Jenn’s annoyed snort as the jostling caused her to muss the page.

  “I can’t find anything either.”

  “I am so tempted to tell mom or Aunt Karen or someone else about this. Things are getting out of control. I’m not sure I can deal with this by myself much longer.”

  “By yourself? What am I, sliced bread?”

  “You know what I mean. Seems like something an adult should be aware of, ya know?”

  “I don’t know, Alex. The only reason I believed you was because I found you standing there in the bathroom like a corpse.” Jenn shivered. “Do you really think your mom would believe you?”

  Alex groaned. “Probably not.”

  “What about telling the boys?”

  “Paul and Simon? I don’t know, Jenn. What good can they do?”

  “I don’t know. Just seems like a better idea to tell them than an adult. At least they have imaginations and would probably buy it
.”

  “Maybe we should just keep this between the two of us.”

  “Yeah, maybe that’s best.” Jenn cleared her throat. “So, what have you decided to do about Drake?”

  Alex wanted to put her hands over her ears and pretend she hadn’t heard Jenn’s question. She didn’t want to get into another fight about her boyfriend. Or maybe soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend.

  Am I really going to break up with him?

  “I have been a little distracted by the mirror stuff.” Alex said, hoping Jenn bought the excuse.

  When her reply was met with stony silence, Alex dared to look up at her best friend, hoping she hadn’t made her angry. Alex was tired of fighting about her changing feelings for Drake. When she saw Jenn staring at a page of the journal with her face pale as a sheet, Alex jumped to her knees and snapped her fingers in front of Jenn’s nose.

  “Jenn, what is it?”

  Jenn shook her head and squealed so loudly that Alex gasped in fright. “Alex, oh my gawd, I can’t believe that we never thought of this before. It’s been right there in front of us the whole time!” Jenn giggled and jumped up and down while seated cross-legged on Alex’s bed.

  “Would you mind filling me in?”

  “We are serious idiots for not thinking of this sooner. I mean it, Alex. Serious. Idiots.”

  Alex grabbed the journal from Jenn’s clenched fists, forcing the girl to look up and into her face. “What are you talking about?”

  “Sean and Gavin, Alex. What time do they live in?” Jenn stared at her smugly.

  She sighed. “I really don’t think we have time for games. If you have something to tell me, just spill your guts already!”

  Jenn merely blinked a few times and refused to say another word. Alex clenched her jaw.

  “The 80s. Happy now?”

  “And what century? The 80s can refer to 1580, 1280...”

  “Nineteen eighty. And if you don’t tell me what the hell you are so excited about I swear, I’ll...” Alex gasped, her heart skipping a couple beats. She broke out in a cold sweat and her mind went completely blank, refusing to latch onto what she was certain had been Jenn’s point.

  “So the super genius finally gets it!” Jenn grabbed Alex by her upper arms and shook her while she whooped and shouted so loudly Alex wanted to clamp her hands over her ears. Instead, both girls jumped up and down on their knees, screaming and laughing at the same time.

  When she could breathe again, Alex grabbed her laptop while Jenn called her mom and asked if she could spend the day at Alex’s. Alex barely heard her as she opened a window in Google, fingers shaking so badly she could barely type the words.

  Sean and Gavin could be alive in my time!

  CHAPTER 2

  MAX PODER TOOK a deep drag off his cigar and blew it out slowly, watching the smoke swirling toward the shelf that held a myriad of old photographs. The old black and whites were his most prized possession. He spent many an hour gazing at the faces, though he hardly needed to. He had them memorized.

  Staring at the faces of his ancestors usually filled him with pride and a peace that nothing could shake. But not today. Max sighed and snubbed out his cigar in the large crystal ashtray sitting on his desk. He picked up the phone and dialed. When the voice answered he said, “Get to my office.”

  Max waited with his fingers steepled under his chin. When he heard raping at the door he answered, “Come in.”

  Lane Stygian strode into the office, his face his usual mask of stone. Max wished he hadn’t trained the man to hide his emotions so well. He pointed to a chair and smiled as Lane sat down. Max watched his student for a time. Lane merely stared back.

  “Lane, my boy, we have ourselves a situation.” Max used Drifter’s given name knowing full well the man hated to be called Lane. He preferred Stygian or the name his comrades had given him: Drifter.

  “Yes, sir,” Drifter answered.

  “It needs to be handled most delicately.”

  “Agreed, sir.”

  Max sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get any more than one word answers. “Perhaps it’s best you not travel for a while, until I can find a way to get rid of the...ahem...problem.”

  “Any other orders for me, sir?”

  Max smiled. Finally, the man’s stony façade was beginning to crack. “As a matter of fact, I do. While you might not be able to travel for a time, that’s no reason that my plan must come to a halt. There’s one important thing you can be doing that doesn’t require you to travel.”

  “And what would that be?” Drifter sat up straight in his chair.

  “I need you to do some research.” Max leaned forward as he revealed his plan and the part Drifter was to play.

  He laughed aloud at the naked hunger in Drifter’s eyes as he saluted. Max dismissed his man and leaned back in his chair, relighting his cigar and pouring himself a glass of bourbon. While his plan would still move forward, there was the little matter of Mark witnessing Drifter’s traveling. He had come up with the explanation that Drifter had a medical condition. But Mark was smart and Max knew the man didn’t believe a word of it.

  How could he have been so careless?

  Max threw the glass against the wall, growling in fury. Everything depended on Drifter’s success in changing the past. Not only had he been thwarted at every attempt by a specially gifted Traveler—and a girl no less—Drifter now had to worry about a fellow soldier finding out his secret.

  And ruining all of Max’s plans.

  He walked to the shelf and grabbed a picture that was hidden behind all of the others, dusting it on the sleeve of his uniform. He gazed into the dark eyes he knew so well. His heart swelled with pride as his thumb gently traced along the insignia of the Schutzstaffel: Adolf Hitler’s infamous SS.

  I will succeed in my plans to bring honor and glory back to our family once again.

  CHAPTER 3

  ALEX LOOKED UP as the bell rang and shoved her books in her backpack. As she walked down the hall to meet Mr. Edwards, she tried to calm her nerves. Today was her first tutoring session and she had no idea how to tutor a large group. She tried to help her friends with their homework but most of the time she just let them copy her, knowing they would pay the price in the end when they didn’t do well on their tests.

  She was also distracted by thoughts of Sean and Gavin. She desperately wanted to locate the pair. She would finally have someone who could Travel to help her in the here and now. Alex hoped the three of them could find a way to defeat the evil Traveler.

  You have to find Sean and Gavin first, Alex.

  As she got closer to the room, she heard rowdy voices and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. Taking a deep breath, Alex opened the door. When she saw who was in the chair closest to the door, she wanted to turn tail and leave.

  Beau Johnson, the hottest guy in school, sat grinning from ear-to-ear. When he spotted Alex, he whispered something to the boy behind him and they broke out into laughter.

  Could my life get any worse?

  “Let’s settle down. I’ve asked Alex to help. If you want to continue playing sports, and make it to your senior year, I suggest you take this seriously.”

  Alex smiled gratefully at Mr. Edwards as the class quieted down.

  “Now, I’ve chatted with the other teachers and we have a plan for the semester. We’ll be hitting all subjects so I hope you are as good with science and math as you are with history. Here you go.”

  He handed Alex a stack of papers.

  She flipped through the pages, breathing a sigh of relief. Most of the stuff was fairly easy. She grinned as the students in the room groaned and whispered to each other, none having a clue what most of the material was covering.

  “Let’s break into groups. I’ll lead one and Alex can lead the other. Any questions?” Mr. Edwards looked over the top of his glasses as though daring anyone to speak. “Fine. Starting on this side of the room, you’ll be in group number one, you’re in number two, you’re in number one...�
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  Alex counted in her head quickly trying to see which group Beau would end up in. Why does it matter? You don’t even know what group you’re in charge of!

  “Okay, I’ll take group one and you take group two, Alex. We’ll go over the first page today.”

  She wanted to groan when she saw Beau heading in her direction. She swallowed against the dryness in her throat and fought the urge to smooth her hair. As the students took their seats, she read through the first page of the packet Mr. Edwards had given them, relief washing over her as she read the familiar information. The students would be going over the history of the United States beginning with its discovery.

  I could do this in my sleep.

  Alex wondered if she could force the mirror to change so she could go back to visit those early years in American history. She often tried to visualize what the country must have looked like back then, so wild and new and free. Not to mention dangerous.

  “Are we going to sit here all day or are you going to help us?”

  Alex blushed and looked up at a tall girl with a surly expression on her face. She was slouched down in her chair and tapped her pencil on the desk.

  “Just getting my brain ready to discuss history.”

  “Don’t you have any books or anything?” the girl asked.

  Alex cleared her throat. “Well, no. I don’t need them.”

  “Told you she thinks she’s better than everyone else.”

  Alex turned to the voice. Another girl, someone she had seen hanging out with Catelyn Montgomery, the meanest girl in school and Alex’s mortal enemy, looked at Alex with a sneer.

  “I never said I was better than anyone else. I can’t help it if I’m good in school. History’s my thing. I don’t need a book for what we’re doing today. Now, who can tell me what you’ve gone over last week?”