Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Packing Revelations
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
The Story Continues
Prequel Sample
Break-in
Teaser
Book 2 Sample Chapter
Sample
The Nexis Series
About Author
Acknowledgments
Montrose
Paranormal
Academy
Book 1
The Nexis Secret
Barbara Hartzler
Copyright © 2020 Barbara Hartzler
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2020
Editor: Rachelle Rae Cobb (2019), Rachel Garber
Cover Design by Barbara Hartzler
For my Granna, who is rejoicing with the angels now.
Prologue
Six Months Ago
A world of white blinded my eyes, but I couldn’t blink. Too much effort. Vague outlines, then silhouettes of color emerged from the whiteness. The ivory outline of a man’s face, his hair glowing like sunshine, his pupils full of light. “You’re okay, Lucy. You’re going to be okay.”
My eyelids sank shut. Too heavy.
The smell of antiseptic singed my nostrils. Faint voices wafted through the background. Mom’s hushed whisper, “Should we even give it to her? I don’t want to upset her.”
Dad’s low growl, “She needs to know her brother is safe. It’s her postcard. She has the right to read it.” His muted baritone faded into the darkness.
A postcard? From James? My eyelids fluttered open.
A hospital room—finally something tangible. So white, but not blinding any more. The same bright-eyed man stared down with golden cat’s eyes, a smile etched into his perfectly sculpted face.
“Who are you?” I croaked through parched lips. “Where are my parents?”
“I’m here to help, Lucy. You’ve been through a lot.” With every syllable, warmth twinkled in his clear eyes, soothing my aching forehead.
“What happened?” I propped myself up on my elbows. Then the white world tilted on its axis. My head thudded onto the scratchy pillow.
“Easy there. You don’t remember the accident?” His smile faded, but no frown lines creased his face. His hand hovered over my forehead. With a light touch, like the wings of a butterfly, his fingertip grazed my temple.
It all came back to me. It wasn’t an accident.
There they were, on the couch. My boyfriend with his arms wrapped around my best friend. His face smushed against hers, lips locked. I winced. How could they? Acid rose up my throat as tears clawed at my eyes. When I’d screamed at them for betraying me, my BFF had the nerve to tell me off! “Jake wants a girl who stands up for herself.” Becca had spat at me. So I’d done exactly that. I stood up for myself and slapped her across the face. Maybe not the best idea, considering the cat fight it had started. I remembered breaking a lamp or a vase or something. Then Becca shoved me into the fireplace. My head had smacked into the brick. Hard. That’s when the lights had gone out.
That was all I remembered until I woke up in this strange hospital room.
I reached for my forehead, brushing my fingers against the bandage over the laceration at my temple. “Ouch.” Back to reality.
“Major ouch.” The man eased my hand down. “Better get some rest now. I’ll see you again soon.”
“Good idea.” I tried to smile, but my lids drooped again. His golden light drifted away, but his warmth stayed with me—wrapping me in a peaceful cocoon.
Swoosh. I jerked awake.
A woman in scrubs drew back the curtain. “Doctor, she’s waking up.”
The sunshine man was gone and the day had darkened.
A light lasered into my eyes. A white-coated bald guy flicked a flashlight at me, then withdrew it. “Pupils normal. Hello there, Miss McAllen.”
“Where am I? Where’s my family?” The words gurgled from my throat, as if I hadn’t spoken in days.
“They went down to the cafeteria. I’m sure they’ll be right back.” His beady eyes peered at me behind frameless glasses. He pulled out a pen and scribbled on his clipboard. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Sort of. There was some kind of accident.” I closed my eyes. The memory popped and crackled into focus like TV static. “I was in a fight. I hit my head on a fireplace right? How bad is it?”
The doctor flipped through the pages of my file. Then a low whistle pierced my ears. “You were unconscious for several hours and you’ve been sleeping off and on for a few days. There’s a severe cut on your head. You lost some blood. Don’t worry, though. We fixed you right up.”
“What do you mean?” I clutched the side of the bed and pulled myself up. A shockwave pounded through my forehead, then the room wobbled and I slumped back down. “Like brain surgery or something?”
“Nothing like that.” He dropped the clipboard at my feet and pointed to the IV bag full of clear liquid. “Just fluids to rehydrate you. And stitches. You had a nasty gash on the head from your friend’s fireplace. Head wounds can bleed a lot, especially if left untreated for awhile.”
I raked my fingers through my long hair. Whew, it was all still there. I rubbed the dark brown ends against my lips. Soft, but greasy. “I need a shower.”
“Sorry, but you can’t get the wound wet. Your head injury required eleven stitches.” He handed the clipboard to the nurse and she disappeared down the hall. “You rest now. Nurse Sherry will check on you later.”
“Okay, doctor.” As he padded to the door, a chill crept through the empty room. I called out after the white coat. “What about that nice guy who was in here earlier? Is he a nurse?”
“I don’t think you’ve had any male nurses in the three days you’ve been at
