“I guess I’ll see you girls in January.” He closed the trunk, shaking Shanda’s hand. “Take good care of her.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” She punched his shoulder, ducking around to the driver’s door. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
As the engine roared to life, I huddled next to Bryan. “I’ll miss you.” Biggest understatement of the year.
His arms wrapped around me, holding me close. “I wish I could take you home with me. Promise you’ll be careful.”
“I will.” Squeezing his hand, I forced myself to get in the car.
As we drove off, I stared at the mirror until I couldn’t see that red ski hat any more. When I closed my eyes, not even Shanda’s swerving and sudden braking couldn’t distract me. All I could think about was that stupid red hat and all the things I should’ve said.
Chapter 31
We drove through the silver city frosted with gray-edged streets. Shanda’s car sloshed to the curb in front of her condo. Snowflakes landed on the windshield, melting as they slid down. In the distance, a speck of red dotted the white landscape of Central Park. It couldn’t be.
“How on earth did he beat us here?” I turned to Shanda.
She had an enormous grin all over her face. “What? I took the long way. Something about him wanting a moment with you away from the academy’s prying eyes. So sue me.” She nodded out the window. “Go on. I’ll be inside.”
As I opened the door, she nudged me into the icy wind, toward Bryan. I crunched through the snow until I reached him. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as I approached.
“What are you doing here?” My heart drummed a new rhythm as his eyes softened when he looked at me.
He pulled a bouquet of fresh-cut red roses from behind his back, holding them out. “These are for you.”
My cheeks flamed as I lifted the soft petals to my lips, inhaling the sweet scent. “I don’t know what to say. They’re beautiful.”
His gloved hand took mine, drawing me close. “I couldn’t let you leave without telling you the truth … about how I really feel. It wouldn’t be fair.”
The air froze in my lungs, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. I just stared into those eyes, biting my tongue. He pressed his forehead into mine, his breath warming the space between us.
“Lucy, I love you.”
My heart soared as if it suddenly grew wings. I couldn’t believe it. He said the three little words I’d longed to hear so badly. I threw my arms around his neck.
“I love you, too.” Finally, I had told him the truth. It felt good, like a heaviness sloughing off my back.
“You do?” That handsome face split into a mega grin as his arms cradled my waist. “I thought I was all alone here.”
“How could you possibly think that?” Butterflies danced my stomach as he lifted me off my feet with the lightest touch, spinning me in circles like a china doll.
Chaos, confusion, and too many emotions fluttered around me with the snowflakes. He stopped and set me down on the snow-packed sidewalk.
Something inside me snapped, and I knew I wanted more. “What does this mean? We can be together now—bring down Nexis as a team. Right?”
His gloves brushed my cheek, smoothing my hair back. “I want that, Angel Face.” A muscle in his jaw twitched even as those icebergs sizzled. “My parents want to train you.”
I arched forward, those blue eyes drawing me in like a tractor beam, inches from his nose. “What are you talking about?”
Those lips curved into that same smile he wore when he told me those three little words. “I want you to come back to Pennsylvania with me to start your training.”
“You mean, like Seer training?” That had a really cool ring to it. The idea rolled around in my brain, the workings of a brilliant scheme forming in the corners of my mind. I could meet his parents, his sister, get closer to him. Maybe they could even show me how to control the visions, or at the very least help me figure out what to do when they came. I could learn how to protect myself and develop my Seer powers.
Hands twitching like he couldn’t wait another second, he enveloped me in his arms and squeezed me tight. “Since it’s obvious your powers have come early, the council has mandated your training, and your dad approved the trip. We’ll just have to keep our relationship on the down low when we get back to Montrose. It’s not exactly sanctioned.”
“Sanctioned?” Leaning away, I wanted to choke on the word, but instead I stamped my boot in the snow. “Are you really going to let the Guardian council dictate who you date?”
“I wish is what that simple.” He drew me close again until his Adam’s apple bobbed against my forehead. He was silent for a while. Then he cleared his throat. “Should I not have told you the truth, you know, the L word?”
“No way.” I arched on my tiptoes to get a good eyeful of him. A spark of hope danced in those baby blues. For the first time since Jake returned, I finally felt ready to move on. “I’ve been thinking about it for too long now. I’m glad it’s out there. It’s the truth, after all.”
“And the truth shall set you free.” His face lit up, making the entire world brighter.
“I’m tired of hiding, so let’s be honest. Right now.”
“I can handle that.” His mouth smashed into mine as he tightened his hold. Then he murmured against my lips. “This is a much better way to study your visions.”
“Quiet, you.” I kissed him back, wriggling in his arms. Those candy-cane lips made my insides spark to life. Yep, I was exactly where I needed to be. When he pulled back, I stared up at him. “I can’t wait to meet your parents.”
Puffs of laughter blew into my face. “Not exactly what I wanted to hear right now. Does that mean you’ll come with me?”
I met his eyes and nodded. “Absolutely.”
His hands clamped on my waist, and he hoisted me into the air again. We spun around and around, snowflakes dancing along with us. “She wants to meet my parents. You hear that, New York?”
“Yeah, yeah, get over it,” a cabbie yelled out the window as he passed.
Bryan lowered me back to the snow. “I don’t think so, buddy. Never going to get over this one,” he yelled at the yellow car as it zoomed past.
My plan was already working out beautifully. Pennsylvania would be even better.
~
An hour later, the arctic wind bit at my cheeks as a bus sped by the condo. Shanda didn’t notice, her arms squeezing around me. “I can’t believe you won’t be here for the next two weeks. What am I going to do without you?”
I patted her dark braids. “Plot some grand scheme to get back at the blondes.”
Her shoulders bobbed as her breath puffed out. “Ha, intriguing idea. Diabolical even. I must be rubbing off on you. What would your parents say?” She pulled back, a gigantic grin plastered on her face.
“I think my Dad would approve. My mom, not so much. But I’m sure she said the same thing about Seer Training with the Coopers.” We glanced at each other and busted out laughing.
Mr. Jones loomed large over his daughter. “Don’t worry about your parents. I called them and took care of everything.”
His hand clamped down on Shanda’s shoulder and she hugged him. Such a Kodak moment. They looked like the perfect family.
“Really? Thanks, Mr. Jones, I’m surprised they caved so easily. Who did you talk to?” I watched Bryan stuff my luggage into his tiny trunk, hoping Shanda’s dad wouldn’t read too much into my question.
“Your dad.” His deep voice rumbled over the traffic noises. “He sounded like he already knew about the change of plans, but you’re supposed to call him as soon as you arrive in Pennsylvania.”
“Of course.” I exhaled, my breath steaming out in a cloud in front of me. I didn’t even want to imagine the tantrum my mom was having right now.
“Go on. Get out of here.” Shanda tapped my shoulder, pushing me to the car. “I’ve got tons of scheming to do. Don’t worry, I’ll come up wi
th something. Trust me, it’ll be good.”
“Better be.” I pulled her in for another hug. Behind me, the trunk banged, and we both flinched.
Bryan wiped the snow off his gloves. “All set. You better get back inside. Have a merry Christmas.”
She leveled her gaze at him, hands on her hips. “Now it’s my turn to tell you to take good care of her.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” He opened my door as if to prove it. She nodded at him, grabbing her father’s hand.
“You kids drive safe. Call if you need anything.” Mr. Jones waved as they crunched toward their condo.
“Goodbye.” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “And thanks for everything.”
Shanda turned and waved, eyes glistening. No way. Was it the frigid wind, or had I imagined her crying? My tough roomie with a hidden soft side disappeared through the front door. Tears welled up in my eyes as I climbed into the car.
Bryan shut the door, and I reached for a tissue. I hated goodbyes. Hard to believe I’d made such amazing friends like Shanda in only a few months.
The engine sputtered, roaring to life after a few seconds. “You ready for an adventure?”
“You sure this old girl will make it all the way to Pennsylvania?” I patted the tan dashboard.
“You betcha.” He smacked the steering wheel. “It’s my sisters you’ll have to worry about. They’ll want to hear every little detail about everything, especially Abby.”
“I can handle it. Can’t wait to meet her.” I swatted the cardboard cutout of Betty Boop. “By the way, where’s Brooke?”
“Abby picked her up on her drive in. She thought we might need some time alone.” He reached across the gearshift, clutching my hand.
“What an angel.” That expression took on a whole new meaning now.
My mind flashed back to that night. The lightning man was no sweet little cherub. He was sheer strength and pure power, fending off hundreds of shadows right alongside me. Was I really an angel conduit now? What if I hadn’t chosen the light? A shiver ran up my spine. I didn’t even want to think about it.
“Speaking of angels, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” As the car slowed to a stop, he turned to me. “What happened that night on the quad? Did you see any angels, or anything else?”
“You didn’t see it the last time we kissed?”
“Nope, just what happened at the Hard Rock.” His head snapped forward when the light changed to green. The piles of white outside the window outlined his jaw, more relaxed than I would’ve guessed. “Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do.”
Maybe my visions weren’t such an enormous deal any more. Maybe he would help me make sense of what I’d seen, if that was even possible.
“After Will abandoned me, I ran into Jake.” I clamped my lips together.
“I almost forgot about Will.” His low growl filled the tiny car. He punched the steering wheel, swerving into the other lane. A car horn blared next to us.
“Forget about Will and watch the road.” I snapped on my seatbelt, staring at him across the bucket seat. If I had to do this now, might as well get it over with. “Jake pretended to have intel on James, but he really wanted to take me somewhere under Nexis orders.”
His knuckles went white against the steering wheel. “What? You’ve got to be kidding me. If that’s true, it’s hard to believe Will wasn’t involved somehow.”
“I don’t know. He got beat up pretty bad, remember?” I hunched my shoulders. Tension seeped around the car. Even Betty Boop looked mad at me. My head ached until I couldn’t take it any more. “Enough about Will. You’ll like the next part. I asked for my angel, and he came. Like lightning, he lit up the sky and fought off tons of shadows. It was awesome. Dazzling, really.”
“Wow, the angel actually came when you asked? I can’t wait to see that.” His mouth curved as he looked at me. Warmth flushed my cheeks. “That can mean only one thing.” He grasped my hand across the seat.
I squeezed back. “What?”
For a split second, his eyes met mine. “You’re ready.” Then he turned back to the road, hand over mine.
“Ready for what?” I studied our fingers, entwined together like one, exactly how it should be.
“Ready for Seer training. Ready to become all that you were meant to be.” He eased the car onto the George Washington Bridge, the waters of the Hudson glistening below us. “Ready to be the next Seer.”
His words washed over me as I watched the river whiz by.
Was I really ready? It would be hard, even dangerous.
I’d come to Montrose to find myself. Somehow that meant seeing angels, demons, and prophets like they were straight from the Bible. But I couldn’t turn my back on it. This was my destiny, who I was called to be. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had settled into my new corner of reality.
“You’re right.” I squeezed his fingers. “I’m ready.”
I watched the New York skyline disappear as we crossed the bridge and drove away from the city, a city I’d come to love.
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “You’ll be the best Seer yet. You already have a head start.”
Was it a head start or a disadvantage?
If we could keep Nexis in the dark long enough, we could wield my early-onset powers to our advantage.
So many mind games, so much to lose. Yet I knew it was my destiny, fighting Nexis. We would win this thing. We had to. For James, for the Guardians, even for myself.
Finally, I was ready. Let the training begin.
Lucy’s story continues …
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The Nexis Awakening
By Barbara Hartzler
JAMES
Here was the funny thing: I was never that guy. The responsible guy. No, I was the guy who froze his younger sister’s training bra. The guy who paintballed the Guardian floor of Denby Hall for Halloween open dorms.
Sure, I’ve been on my own for four years of high school living it up at Riverdale, New York’s finest boarding school. And I’m still president of the Nexis Society, for at least another day. Until they find out what I’m about to do.
Because there I was, sitting on the subway, about to break into a church in Harlem.
I had told the heir apparent this was his initiation mission. That’s right. I lied to the great Will Stanton, Jr., Golden Adonis of the Nexis Society. The fifteen-year-old boy wonder who’d supposedly usher in the Utopian society Nexis had been engineering for centuries.
It was easy to lie to this kid, but infinitely harder lying to all of my friends, especially my girlfriend, for two months now.
Here’s the truth—I was doing the most responsible thing I’d ever done in my life.
I had a plan to protect my kid sister, Lucy. Even if I had to break into a church to do it. You think the cops would buy it? Yeah, me neither. Let’s pray we don’t get caught.
Cocking my head, I glanced across the subway bench at the kid who’d soon replace me. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. But right now, Will Stanton didn’t know what I knew. He thought this was a Nexis mission like any other.
The corners of my mouth curled. Good. That’s what I wanted him to think. It was his family against mine. The Stantons vs. the McAllens. And I wouldn’t let them win. If I’m going down, he’s going down with me.
The brakes squealed as we slowed to a stop. I zipped up my black hoodie and stood up.
“You ready for this?” I asked as the doors slid open.
“You bet,” he said with a grin plastered across his face. “I’m always ready for a secret mission.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Only a handful of bleary-eyed people walked out with us. Still, every hair on the back of my neck stood up. My blood pumped double-time, but no one seemed to notice two black-clad teenagers on the subway platform. It was midnight on a Thursday, after all. Only in New York.
We booked it up the steps, two at a time, and made our way out to the street without any more naive freshman comments that might give us away. I led our two-man crew around the corner to the next stoplight.
Will pressed the button, and we waited our turn. When the Walk sign lit up, we crossed Third Avenue, ducking into the shadows of the residential side of 104th. Distant sirens and the clunk of our footsteps were the only sounds in the night. Almost in the clear now.
“So, what’s this mission anyway?” he asked, breaking up the silence.
“You’ll see,” I whispered. We had to sneak past the Harlem projects without being seen. Didn’t he get that?
The street was darker now. Twenty more feet and we’d be there.
“C’mon man.” Will was whining now. “Tell me what’s up.”
Shaking my head, I kept walking. Five more steps, and I stopped. “Here we are.”
Will backed up. “No way. I can’t break into a church.”
“Some pampered Nexis president you’ll be, mama’s boy,” I hissed at him. Pivoting around to face the wimp, I glared him down. Think. Make something up. “Listen, man. This is my last mission as Nexis president. And your first. It’s a long-standing tradition to initiate the new guy. But hey, if you can’t handle it, I’m sure they’ll find someone else.” There, that should shut him up.
Sure enough, his eyes went wide. “Are you serious? I’m the next Nexis president? Awesome. Let’s do this.”
Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel Page 30
