“Welcome aboard.” I shook his hand, all official-like and everything. See what I mean? Responsible. Turning back to the church, I pulled my lock pick out of my pocket.
Bing. Bong. Bing. Bong. The church bells dinged as I jimmied the lock. Not helping.
“St. Lucy’s Church,” Will said slowly, as if he had just learned how to read. “We’re breaking into a church named after the first Seer?”
My hands quaked. Please God, don’t let him figure it out. Not yet. But I kept working the lock. I had to get those documents. My own Lucy needed protection from the likes of people like him. And she needed that stone.
“Don’t you have a sister? Her name’s Lucy, right?” Will asked.
I flinched and hunched my shoulders, refusing to give anything away. “Yeah, so what?”
“A funny coincidence I guess.” He started whistling to himself.
“Yeah, funny.” I tuned him out. Thank God he was fifteen and completely clueless. Back to business. I was so close. My palms were sweating now. My heart thumped in my ears. I could feel the lock about to give way. I needed to relax.
Pop. Like magic, the lock clicked and the door cracked open.
“You’ve gotta teach me how to do that,” he said as we tiptoed into the dark building.
“Shh.” I put one finger to my lips.
Darkness draped the cavernous foyer in eerie silence like it knew we were here—watching our every move.
My sneakers squeaked across the marble. I slid up against the wall, motioning Will to do the same. He followed my lead as we turned the corner and trekked up a long hallway. Two doors down was the library. I knew because Responsible James had already cased the place.
At the library door, I jimmied the lock again. This one popped open in only a few twists. These guys needed to up their security, especially in this town.
“Nice,” Will whispered.
I opened the door, yanked him by the collar, and dragged him inside. Ever-so-slowly, I closed the door until it clicked. Locking it behind me.
“Keep your voice down,” I growled at him. “Try to remember we’re on a covert mission.”
“Sooor-ry.” He hoisted his hands in the air. “What’re we looking for anyway?”
Gripping his hoodie tighter, I stared him down. “This stays between us, past president to future prez. Can I trust you?”
His eyes were wide, but he didn’t flinch or look away. “Of course you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“You can’t tell a soul. Not Nexis, not even your parents. No one, got it?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You swear? This is life or death stuff here.”
“I swear, James.” With one nod he clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I know I’m a Stanton and everything that’s supposed to mean in the Nexis world. But I’m your friend first. You can trust me. Tell me what’s going on.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, studying every nook and cranny of his face. But I couldn’t find anything. No telltale nervous tick, or rapid-fire blinking. Will just stared back at me, looking me square in the eye. Could he actually mean what he said?
Will came from a long line of Stantons, the family that had ruled the Nexis Semigod Nations for a century, with no end in sight. But this guy seemed different. I’d watched him all year. He wasn’t like every other Nexis freshman looking to climb the ladder. Maybe Will’s family hadn’t told him about their plans. Maybe he was in the dark like I was once. So I decided to take a chance on this guy.
Pulling two flashlights from my hoodie pocket, I handed him one. “Here’s the deal. I’m looking for documents on the sacred stones and their current locations. Think you can handle that, rookie?”
“So that’s what this is about.” A slow grin curled his mouth. “You’re looking for a leg up. Can’t say I blame you, either. If I was next in line to be the Seer I’d want to find the Watcher’s Sapphire, too. So everyone would take me seriously. But I doubt we’ll find a treasure map to their secret hideout in here.”
“No, that’s not it,” I said, shaking my flashlight. “I don’t want just anyone to be able to see the unseen world of angels and demons. It’s not a gift. It’s an incredible burden.” I had to give this kid credit, though. He knew more than I did at his age. Figures.
“So what are you looking for?” he asked. “You know where we keep the Nexis Ruby.”
“Do I seriously have to spell it out for you?” I shook my head at him. “There are only three sacred stones. I’m looking for the Guardian Amethyst.”
“Whoa.” He sucked in a breath. “You’ve got some balls man. That could start a war, you know.”
“Maybe,” I said, gnawing on my lip. Now was the time for some major BS. “But not if we do this right. If I shave off a little piece for protection and report its location to Nexis—”
“Nice,” he said. “That way no one can touch you and you’ll still score some major points.”
“Exactly.” I shrugged like I couldn’t care less. “You’ll get credit, too. For helping and all.”
“That’ll make me a shoe-in to take your place as president. Say no more. I got your back, buddy. Let’s see what we can find.” He aimed his flashlight at a bookshelf in the far corner and walked over to it, thumbing through the titles.
Now I was the one following Will’s lead. Ironic. Maybe he’d been on a few covert missions after all. Flashlights in hand, we searched the cedar shelves, pulled out enormous parchment tomes with interesting titles, and stacked them on a mahogany table in the middle of the dark room. We opened the most promising books first.
Blowing off dust. Poring over yellowed parchment. Page after page after page of nothingness. Pure Nexis propaganda. Outlines for their Utopian world order, aka global domination. Blah, blah, blah. The usual Nexis garbage.
At last, I’d found the two words I’d been searching for. Sacred stones.
This section was an overview of the twelve sacred stones of the twelve tribes of Israel. Apparently, the legend of the stones originated from some passage in Exodus. Each gemstone was reported to have its own unique properties—four rubies, four amethysts, and four sapphires. These stones formed the basis for each secret society’s beliefs.
Nexis started with an obsession to find the rubies because they have the power to give fallen angels human-like bodies. And the ability to mate with the women of earth and create Nephilim. Yeah, crazy stuff.
This book documented how Nexis found all four rubies by the 13th century. For nine hundred years. they’d been protecting their precious stones and hunting down the other three components of their plan: the Seer, and at least one amethyst and one sapphire.
A chill slithered down my back. They’d been trying to get the Seer on their side for years. This was the closest they’d ever come. I could feel their grip circling me. Slowly tightening the noose around my neck. Waiting until I turned eighteen to reveal their true plan.
Tomorrow, Nexis would know the truth. I wasn’t the Seer. I couldn’t be. The truth was almost a relief, actually. Except the part about Mom having an affair and the fact that Dad wasn’t really my biological father. I wasn’t James McAllen after all. A sad story. Pathetic, really.
Two months ago, I needed a passport for the senior ski trip to Canada. Mom wouldn’t give me my birth certificate. Said she lost it. So I played the responsible card and went through all the red tape to get my passport on my own. Only to find out I wasn’t who I thought I was.
If I wasn’t the Seer, then Lucy was next in line. I had to protect her, even if she was only my half-sister. Because tomorrow was my eighteenth birthday. The day that everyone would find out the truth. A truth I’d known for a long time. Longer than two months, if I were truly honest.
I never had the Awakenings, not like the legends say you’re supposed to. I laughed it off when people talked about it. Like it was no big deal. I told myself I’d probably be the Seer’s dad or grandpa or something. Deep down, though, something always felt off.
I wanted to run, start
a new life somewhere. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I knew my sister would be safe. If I wasn’t the Seer, at least I could be the Guardian of the Seer. Has a nice ring to it, right?
I read on. The next passage was about the purple stone. The stone of protection. Finally. It was all there in black and white. Nexis knew where all four amethysts were—under Guardian control, of course.
Centuries ago, when Nexis started organizing, there was opposition. Naturally, because their plan was crazy. The Guardians came together to protect the world from Nexis. While Nexis combed the earth for rubies, the Guardians searched for the amethysts. From this record, Nexis believed they’d hidden one stone in each of their four primary locations, America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Over the centuries Nexis tried to steal the amethysts, without success. They’d sent spies into the Guardian ranks, learning approximate locations for each stone. In the 1900’s, a spy reported the American amethyst was in New York, but Nexis still hadn’t found it yet. The last search was dated a year ago. A spy had heard rumors that the amethyst was hidden in the neutral zone, Montrose Academy. He searched the chapel but found nothing. No notes about any more rumors.
“I’ve got something,” Will said a little too loudly.
“Quiet,” I hissed at him. “There could be someone here.” Nonetheless, I rounded the table and read over his shoulder.
“Look here,” he pointed at a passage. “It’s a record of the amethyst at Montrose. Crazy, huh?”
“Yeah, crazy,” I whispered. My eyes landed on the passage. Sure enough, a record of the American amethyst. I stopped in my tracks. My heart punched against my ribcage. I was so close to finding it, but I had to be sure.
I skipped to the most recent entry—from six months ago. A rumor of the amethyst buried somewhere in the Montrose chapel library, or a hidden tunnel below it. The next entry was the Nexis plan to dig under the chapel. To get permits.
“A hidden tunnel?” I asked silently.
Click, clack, click.
I froze. Looked at Will. “Go to the door,” I whispered. “Check if someone’s coming.”
My fingers itched. I knew this page was important, so I kept reading. Nexis bribed cable companies and city officials, but each time the city denied their permit. At the end, there was a strange note. A reference to another page in another book.
“Someone’s coming,” he hissed across the room. “Let’s get out of here.”
Voices floated down the hall. They sounded far away. Far enough away to give me time to do what I knew I had to do.
Sticking the flashlight in my mouth I scanned all the titles on the table until I found the book I needed. Adrenaline pumped through my body as I sliced through the pages at lightning speed, looking for the right one.
The voices were louder now. Closer. My heartbeat skyrocketed, fingers flying in overdrive.
“Hurry up,” Will said, hands flailing like a madman. “C’mon already.”
Eureka! I found it. Something about St. Lucia and the stones. This better be it.
“Just take the book and let’s go,” Will hissed, grabbing my collar.
“And have them find a sacred book missing? Not a chance,” I hissed back, my heart pounding. No time to read. I grabbed a few pages…and ripped. I ran toward the door, stuffing the pages in my hoodie.
“What did you do that for?” Will held the door open, staring at me.
I ran past him. “No time. Let’s go.” I took off running up the hall. Churned my legs as fast as they would go.
Will was right behind me. But he wasn’t the only one. Someone chased us in the dark.
My brain kicked into panic mode as my legs found a new gear. I rounded the corner and sprinted for the front door.
Then Will yelped. “Hey, get off me.”
An old priest had one gnarled grip on the hem of his jacket.
“Keep going.” I yanked on Will’s arm so hard the priest dropped it.
In a flash, we took off down the steps and raced up the street.
Footsteps echoed behind us. Slowed, then stopped.
Two seconds later we rounded the block. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the priest in his black garb, keeled over, hands on his slacks. Wheezing like crazy as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“That was close, man,” Will gasped between breaths.
“Too close. But It’s not over yet,” I breathed as we jogged up the sidewalk to the nearest subway station. Tumbling down the stairs, we hopped on the next train.
“I can’t believe we didn’t get caught,” he slumped lower on the bench across from me, “and you ripped the pages out of a hundred-year-old book. Must be something good, right?”
“I hope so,” I said, stuffing the crumpled pages deeper into my hoodie.
When I saw Lucy tomorrow, I’d warn her. Tell her everything. Until then, I had twelve hours to come up with a plan. Before I turned eighteen and her cover was officially blown.
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Book 2 Sample Chapter
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MONTROSE PARANORMAL ACADEMY
Book 2: Crossing Nexis
By Barbara Hartzler
Chapter 1
Snowflakes splatted on the windshield as my new boyfriend’s car charged uphill through the slush. A shiver slithered down my spine as I grinned at Bryan’s profile. Fits of sleet and snow assaulted us on the three-hour drive from New York to Pennsylvania, but my heart felt lighter with every mile between me and Montrose Paranormal Academy. My junior year had started with the hope of a new beginning, only to end with my crazy ex stalking me a thousand miles to try to kidnap me. Not your average semester.
But then again, I found out I wasn’t your average girl. In just a few short months, I’d discovered I had the power to see the unseen world of angels and demons. And become an angel conduit. Yeah, still trying to figure that part out. Not exactly a gift I’d asked for, by the way. Nope. Apparently my family came from a centuries-old firstborn bloodline dating all the way back to Noah the Bible guy. I just lucked out it was my turn to carry the mantel of the Seer. At least now I had a new boyfriend to help train me.
“Here we are, good old Harrisburg PA. At last.” Bryan squeezed my hand with his rough fingers, bringing me back to reality. We coasted into his hometown—more like a snow-encrusted Thomas Kinkade village.
The car shuddered to a stop at the red light.
“It’s beautiful, all wrapped up in snow.” I couldn’t help but smile at the welcome distraction.
Quaint little shops lined the streets, their roofs capped in snow. White Christmas lights twinkled in the eaves. Street lamps with red bows flickered on as dusk gathered around Main Street.
“It’s the envy of all other towns.” Bryan’s blue eyes sparkled as the light turned green.
“It’s okay, you can admit it. You live in one of those towns. The kind with festivals to commemorate the first snow.” I blinked at him, just staring at his profile. I still couldn’t believe this guy was my boyfriend. Earlier today he’d told me he loved me and somehow convinced my dad to let me go to Pennsylvania to meet his family. What a guy, right?
His brow bunched up as he stared at the road. “Uh oh. I forgot about this crazy festival. Looks like we’ll have to go around.”
“What festival?” I turned to look out the windshield. A barricade I hadn’t noticed blocked the street in front of us, frosted enough to blend into the snowy backdrop. Bundled-up people lined the sidewalks, waiting around for something.
Those blue eyes snapped toward me, suddenly h
aunted. “Lucy, I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot.” His jaw twitched as he flicked on his blinker and turned left past a stone chapel, blanketed by ice.
Glancing at his stone profile, I spotted two rows of elementary schoolers lined up on the sidewalk. “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 ignored me and 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 a St. Lucy’s church in Harlem, where a lunatic member of the Watcher Corps tried to brand me with a hot iron to mark me as the Seer. Breathe, it’s over now, I told myself. But the memory flashed back, clear as day.
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.
Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel Page 31
