Resistance (The Variant Series, #2)

By Jena Leigh

Alexandra Parker might be the most powerful Variant the world has ever seen—but even that won’t get her out of finishing her junior year of high school.

The challenge of keeping her abilities under wraps during class is daunting enough, but throw one surly, sandy-haired Jumper into the mix, and things can get downright complicated.

Declan’s new job? Watch over Alex while she’s at school and do everything in his power to keep her from losing control. But as sparks of every kind begin flying between Alex and her new bodyguard, she's left feeling more unstable than ever.

When avoiding her abilities results in a surprise visit from her parents’ killer, Alex’s worlds collide with a bang that nearly levels Bay View High.

With her freedom now squarely in the Agency’s crosshairs, Alex will be faced with the fight of her life... and a decision that could forever alter the course of her destiny.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jena Leigh
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311993007

Jena Leigh

Jena Leigh is the author of the Variant Series novels REVIVAL, RESISTANCE, REDUX, and RECKONING. Born and raised in the lightning capital of North America, she eventually made her home in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. A shameless geek, she loves coffee, loud music, bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, and shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts.To find out more about The Variant Series and author Jena Leigh, visit her online at www.jenaleighbooks.com or @jenaleighbooks.

Book preview

One

Alexandra Parker was dreaming .

And in the way of dreams, she drifted.

She was small again, walking barefoot through the house she’d once lived in with her parents. The polished hardwood floors were cool and sturdy beneath her feet. The brightly colored kitchen, a comfort.

One of her mother’s pound cakes sat cooling on the counter, its rich smell of cinnamon and pumpkin marking the arrival

of

fall

.

Pausing to stare out the window above the sink, she could see leaves already turning, the dark greens giving way to brilliant reds and radiant

golden

hues

.

This was the dream she’d had nearly every night since she learned the truth about her past. About who she was and what she was, and about the lies that had kept her ignorant to that reality for so many years.

Alex turned away from the window.

Onward through the house she wandered, searching in vain for something… someone…

The kitchen dissolved into a long, brightly

lit

hall

.

Momma? her small voice cried out. Daddy?

Alex’s calls echoed down the hallway unraveling before her. At the far end of the corridor tendrils of fog crept from beneath the closed door of her father’s study and spread slowly across the carpeted floor.

In here, Lee-Lee! called her mother.

Alex knew what waited beyond

that

door

.

A fresh hell, born each night to answer the questions that surrounded her parents’ passing.

They’d died violently at the hands of a madman. That much

she

knew

.

But fear had kept her from asking Aunt Cecilia to explain the details of how they’d

really

died

.

And so each night, here in this house she’d once called home, Alex witnessed a different possibility.

Each night she gave in to her morbid desire for the truth and opened that door to a new scenario, a new nightmare.

Tonight would be no different.

A few steps, a turned knob,

and

then

—

A scream.

A crash.

An

end

.

Alex’s own scream twisted inside of her, but no sound came. She had no form here, in this place. She was an observer and

nothing

more

.

Her parents’ bodies lay bloodied and broken on the blacktop, their sedan mangled beyond recognition. A man in a long black coat stood directly in front of the carnage. Water dripped steadily from the coat’s hem onto the rain-slick pavement.

The scene shuddered and began playing out once more, this time in reverse. Droplets of water lifted from the blacktop, from the man, from the car, and ascended back into

the

sky

.

As the man raised his arm, her parents’ car inched slowly backward.

Brilliant tendrils of violet-colored lightning danced over the mangled pieces of metal and shattered glass, causing the demolished frame of the sedan

to

glow

.

A jolt, and the scene

sped

up

.

While Alex watched in horror, the car pulled away. Her parents’ bodies were yanked forcefully into the air, drawn through the shattered windshield, and returned to their seats in

the

cab

.

Within moments her parents had been made whole. They sat helplessly, staring through the rain-covered glass at the horror taking place

around

them

.

The front end of the car reformed with a groan of warping metal. The lightning retreated and fell in on itself until it shifted into a large sphere.

Her chest tightened with recognition.

It was the same sort of sphere Alex formed by accident during her first training session with Declan.

It was the sphere of a jumper, a Variant with the ability to teleport.

The sphere detached itself from the front bumper of the now pristine sedan and flew backward to its source—the outstretched hands of the man in the long

black

coat

.

The brightly colored orb dissolved into his palms and her parents’ car reversed into the rain-drenched night, slipped around a sharp curve, and disappeared

from

view

.

Water droplets slowed their ascent and the sound of the storm faded to a dull roar. The scene froze.

The man in the coat turned to face her, and Alex awoke within the dream. She knew she was sleeping—that none of this was actually happening—and yet, something about this felt all

too

real

.

The man’s thin lips curved into a smile.

Good evening, pet, he said, a strange echo causing his voice to waver. "Enjoying

the

show

?"

Alex looked down and realized she now had a form, but no voice. She stood barefoot in her pajamas on the rain-slicked road, the asphalt rough and icy cold beneath

her

feet

.

Alex could do little more than stare back at him in mute horror. Standing directly before her in this macabre dreamscape was her parents’ killer, Samuel Masterson.

Here he was every bit as real as she was, a fact far more terrifying than anything her subconscious might have conjured up on

its

own

.

I know you’ve been dreaming about your parents lately, he said. "Running through all the variations of the nasty ways they might have died. I thought I’d do you the favor of putting your restless mind at ease by showing you what really happened."

She wanted to tell him that he was a sick, heartless monster. That one day she’d find a way to make him pay for what

he’d

done

.

She wanted to tell him that he didn’t know what he was up against. He was the one who ought to be afraid.

But even if she’d had a voice, she knew those words would not

have

come

.

Alex was terrified.

Now you know. His grin sent a chill through her. And isn’t that better?

Masterson’s form shimmered and grew lighter, the shadows of the night seeping into the space he’d once occupied.

"One last thing before I leave

you

,

pet

…"

The world around them was gradually disappearing into the gloom.

"Don’t be afraid of your gifts. Masterson’s voice was now a disembodied roar. I gave them to you for a reason."

Darkness

swallowed

her

.

Desperate to leave the dream, Alex struggled to open

her

eyes

.

Wake up, she urged herself.

Wake

up

!

It was no use. She drifted in the emptiness until a pale light began spreading through the void. What little awareness she had started to slip away until, eventually, she surrendered once more to the vulnerability of sleep.

As her surroundings took on more clarity, Alex found herself in a forest clearing, alight with sunshine. Black clouds circled overhead, but failed to cast a shadow.

The contrast of the bright greens of the field and the deep purple hues of the sky above were both breathtaking and wholly unsettling.

Alex watched as a thick fog swirled around the trunks of the towering trees lining the small pasture, then crept outward through the knee-high grass at its edges.

Ahead of her, spread out in even rows, sat two dozen student desks. The roiling mist quickly concealed their lower halves, leaving only the dark blue seats and square wooden tops hovering above the cloud.

A whiteboard hung in midair at the front of the class. On it, scrawled in red marker were the words, "lesson learned."

Alex stared at the scene in confusion.

Thunder roared above and the empty space filled

with

life

.

Students occupied the seats.

Almost immediately, Alex recognized the faces of her Bay View High classmates. She spotted her own mop of long dark hair in a seat near the middle, facing the whiteboard. Cassie sat behind her and there was Kenzie, too, in the row to their right.

And then… a charge in the air, a familiar dancing in her chest. Alex sensed the newcomer before she

saw

him

.

A figure moved past her shapeless form and continued down the middle aisle.

Alex took in the mussed blonde hair and the gray military jacket. Her breath caught in her throat.

Declan O’Connell was fast approaching her other self, his hand outstretched. Reaching his destination, Declan touched her doppelganger’s pale forearm.

Static filled

the

air

.

Lightning filled

the

sky

.

No! her other self cried. A sphere formed unbidden in her palm, growing larger and larger, spiraling quickly out of her control.

The clearing exploded in a blinding violet light. When it faded, only the dream Alex was left to witness the aftermath. Scorched earth. Scorched bodies.

And no survivors.

It was her worst fear played out before

her

eyes

.

She’d absorbed Declan’s ability and lost control. Because of that, everyone around her had paid the price.

Alex bolted upright in her twin bed, covered in sweat and

breathing

hard

.

Taking in her surroundings—her gray sheets with the plain white duvet, the two bookshelves overflowing with books, her antique wardrobe and the small bulletin board covered with pictures above her desk—Alex blew out a breath and collapsed against the pillows.

Another nightmare.

She could hardly be surprised at this point. They came every

night

,

now

.

A knock sounded through her

bedroom

door

.

Lee-Lee? Are you alright? I heard a shout…

The door slid open and her aunt’s pale face peered inside, surrounded by a halo of wavy golden hair. Her mouth was drawn with worry and the purple shadows under her eyes betrayed yet another all-nighter spent sculpting in her workshop.

For the last week, Alex’s Aunt Cil had been scrambling to make the deadline for her upcoming art installation at The Red Corner Gallery downtown. Once or twice a day, Cil would poke her head into Alex’s room to make sure that she was alright, but otherwise, Cil spent her days and nights toiling away in her workshop behind the house.

And Alex—after coming down with the best-timed stomach flu in history—had missed Bay View High’s first three days back after Spring Break and spent the ensuing weekend hiding from the rest of the world. Now it was Monday morning and she was officially

flu

-

free

.

Time to face the music.

Noticing that Alex was still in bed, her aunt blinked in surprise. "You’re not up yet? It’s a

school

day

!"

Cil stepped fully into the room, limping carefully in an attempt to keep from putting too much weight on her injured leg. Her dark overalls were spotted with dried clay and drops of paint.

Mmmph. Alex burrowed deeper beneath the blankets. Would you believe me if I said I had a fever?

The wooden floorboards creaked softly as her aunt walked unevenly toward

the

bed

.

She must have left her cane in the workshop again.

It had been barely a week since Masterson shot her in the thigh. The doctor that Grayson summoned to treat her wound had ordered Cil to stay off of the injured leg for at least one or

two

more

.

But with the upcoming show and work still to be finished, her Aunt was a woman on a mission—and doctor’s orders were easily ignored.

Alex felt a tug at the duvet.

Really, Alex continued. My temperature’s at least a hundred and three and still on the rise. I might be dying.

Nice try. Cil sat down on the edge of

the

bed

.

Alex wheezed and gave the most convincing fake cough she could muster under the circumstances. "See? I’m almost definitely contagious. One of the other students might catch something from me and then where would

we

be

?"

You’re a regular Typhoid Mary, it’s clear. Cil finally wrenched the blanket free. "Now. Are you really afraid of someone catching something from you… or are you afraid of catching something from one of the other students?"

Wilting under the weight of her aunt’s knowing gaze, Alex snatched up the nearest pillow and dropped it over her face, groaning into the cool fabric of the pillowcase.

It was strange how much her life had changed in little more than

a

week

.

Now, one step out of line—one wrong move on Alex’s part—and that life was officially forfeit. All it would take was one accident with the wrong pair of eyes around, and Alex would find herself the newfound property of the Agency.

With the stakes this high, Alex found it easier to withdraw completely.

I thought so. Aunt Cil heaved a sigh. You can’t live like this forever, Lee-Lee. You’re going to have to go back out into the world eventually.

Alex felt Cil pat her knee where it was hidden beneath the bed sheets.

There was a pause.

I’ve been talking with Grayson, Cil said finally. And we’ve come to a decision.

Tentatively lowering her fluffy defense, Alex slit her eyes up at

her

aunt

.

Why does that sound ominous? she mumbled into the pillow. "Honestly. If my life had a soundtrack, this is where the creepy organ music would

start

up

."

Cil squared her shoulders, apparently hoping the action would help to reinforce her declaration as well as her posture. "We’ve decided it’s time for you to resume your training. It’s important that we start exposing you to some of the more common abilities. You know… just

in

case

."

At first, the words washed over Alex without fully registering. Her thought process had come to a screaming halt after the word training.

Since Grayson believes you more or less have a handle on jumping and telepathy, Cil continued, you’ll be starting off with a focus on telekinesis.

"You want me to what? Oh, no. No, no, no." Taking the pillow with her, Alex staggered out of bed, stumbling over her journal and last night’s read in an attempt to flee from her aunt and this awful new reality.

Sleep.

Give her sleep. Bring back the nightmares.

Anything would be better than waking up

to

this

.

Alex stood in the corner of her room, wedged between her bookcase and a nightstand. She held out the pillow as though it could protect her from her aunt and this absolutely half-

baked

idea

.

You should have started training seriously the second we got home. Cil shook her head. "Instead I’ve been babying you for the

last

week

."

"You haven’t been babying me! Frowning, Alex tossed the pillow back on the bed, as though she hadn’t just been hiding behind it like a toddler defending herself from the bogeyman. And what good could possibly come from exposing me to new abilities? What, was blowing up the computer lab not enough? Do you want me to destroy the entire school?"

Cil rolled her eyes. "Indulging your desire for isolation hasn’t done you any favors. Avoiding your ability is not enough. We need to prove that you can

control

it

."

"But I can’t control it,

Aunt

Cil

."

Did you miss the part about training? Alex’s aunt raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

I’m not doing it, Alex insisted. "I won’t… I can’t."

I’m not having this argument with you, Alexandra Catherine.

Ohh, and out comes the

middle

name

.

Her aunt was serious

about

this

.

You’re going to meet with Nathaniel after school today, and that’s the end of it. Cil sighed and softened her tone. "You can’t hide from your ability, Lee-Lee. It’s a part of you. The sooner you make peace with that, the sooner you can start living again."

Didn’t she realize?

Alex was doing this to protect them, as much as herself.

Cil got carefully to her feet, stepping lightly toward the hall before pausing to examine the two outfits hanging from Alex’s closet doors. One was a pair of jeans and a gray peasant blouse, and the other was a red asymmetrical skirt with a white tank (a gift from her best friend Cassie, who was still on a mission to liven up Alex’s wardrobe).

Before disappearing into the hallway, her aunt nodded toward the skirt. "You’ve always looked good

in

red

."

Alex deflated. She spared a glance at the clock.

7

:

26

.

With a sigh, Alex walked to her closet and yanked the jeans and gray blouse off the hanger.

She was going to

be

late

.

Two

Alex gripped the steering wheel of her beloved Jeep Wrangler tightly as she whipped it through an intersection and a hard left turn. To her right, Alex’s best friend Cassandra Harper stomped an imaginary brake on the passenger-side floorboard and reached up to take hold of the

roll

bar

.

A whimper came from the backseat. "Brakes are your friend. Brakes are your friend! God. I’m having flashbacks to DC. You’d be a perfect match for either of my older brothers, Alex. None of you know how to drive. All three of you seem to have your right foot superglued to the gas pedal."

Sorry, Kenzie, said Alex, letting up on the accelerator.

The jeep slowed and Kenzie let out a long breath. No worries. Her voice carried the auditory equivalent of a shrug. "It’s going to take a lot more than that to throw me this morning. You guys have no idea how insanely excited I am right now. Just don’t kill us on the way to class, and

I’m

good

."

Alex stole another quick glance at the clock on the dash—and then slammed on the brakes to keep from running a red light. Everyone in the Wrangler lurched forward.

Late.

They were going to

be

late

.

Which was fine by Alex, of course. She’d be quite happy to miss the entire day at this point—up to and including her training session with Nathaniel that afternoon.

Her passengers, however, were having none of that. Kenzie was unnaturally excited for her first day at Bay View, and Cassie…

Well, she had more than made her position clear the minute she’d launched herself into the passenger side of the jeep, grumbling about alarm clocks and tardies and her perfect attendance record.

If they missed homeroom, Cassie would make Alex

regret

it

.

Anyone who didn’t know Cassie well might find it hard to take such threats seriously. The feisty blonde was all soft curves and kind eyes and perpetually quick with a smile. Alex, however, knew better than to mistake that softness for weakness.

Cassie was the biggest sweetheart in the world—provided you weren’t being an idiot.

A sweetheart, who currently seemed bemused. "What is wrong

with

you

?"

What? Alex shot her a sidelong glance as she maneuvered the jeep around a big boat Lincoln that was slowing them down by doing twenty under the speed limit. "Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.

Everything’s

fine

."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. We’ll get to you in a minute, speedy, she said. "I had been talking to Kenzie. I was going to ask her why she’s suddenly acting like a pod person."

What? Me? said Kenzie. "What’d

I

do

?"

Did aliens suck your brains out in your sleep last night? asked Cassie.

Not that I recall, Kenzie replied. "Although I did have time for an extra cup of coffee this morning, since you two were

running

late

."

Alex cut her eyes up at the rear view mirror, glancing warily into the backseat. The last thing Kenzie O’Connell needed first thing in the morning was an extra dose of caffeine in her system.

Bay View High wasn’t going to know what

hit

it

.

"Who, asked Cassie, twisting around to peer into the seat behind her, in their right mind gets excited about their first day starting at a new school?"

Are you kidding? Kenzie’s grin lit up the rearview mirror. "It’s a public school! A public. School. As in, a school that is open to the public! No uniforms. No psycho headmaster whose only joy in life is reprimanding innocent redheads with a weakness for caffeinated beverages. I’ve been waiting for this day my entire life! I heard there’s almost three-hundred kids in our junior class alone. Is that right? I can’t even… I mean, do you know how tired you get of seeing the same sixty faces day after day, year

after

year

?"

You went to a private school?

asked

Alex

.

"Sixty kids? Cassie grimaced. That’s it? That was your entire junior class?"

Hey! said Kenzie, as though something important had suddenly occurred to her. Do we have lockers? I’ve always wanted a locker.

Cassie and Alex exchanged

a

look

.

The light changed.

A few hundred feet later they stopped again. Oh, the many joys of rush hour traffic and the start of tourist season.

Alex chewed distractedly on her thumbnail. Four minutes and counting until they pulled in at the school. Three, if they caught the next two lights on green.

Then the fun would really begin.

Are we actually at the intersection of Highway 9 and something named Tater Peeler Road? asked Kenzie, squinting out the scratched plastic window of the Wrangler’s

cloth

top

.

Cassie was busy scrutinizing Alex. "You’re still spazzing about the skin thing,

aren’t

you

."

Not a question.

’Mmnot, Alex mumbled.

Right. She smiled. "Stop gnawing at your

fingers

,

then

."

"Who the heck names a road Tater Peeler? I mean… this is the beach. If you’re going to go full-on weird, why not something like Barnacle Bob Boulevard or Don’t Park Here Tourists Or We’ll Tow You Drive."

Don’t Park Here Tourists Or We’ll Tow You Drive? echoed Cassie.

You locals are weird about parking on private streets near the beach. It’s a thing I’ve noticed.

Mmhmm, said Alex distractedly, still staring up at the red light.

So excited! Kenzie was mumbling. Hey, look! A Bayside Brews! It’s a chain? I thought that cafe on the Boardwalk was just a one-off. And this one’s only five minutes from my new house! Love it. Think we have time to hit the drive-through? I could use an iced coffee.

Cassie straightened out the folds in her gray linen skirt. Alex, remind me to slip our new classmate a Xanax at lunch.

The light changed. Alex hit the gas just a little

too

hard

.

Cassie grabbed for the roll bar again. "Maybe I should slip you

one

,

too

."

Sorry.

Kenzie was still smiling in the backseat. "I’m not going to apologize for being in a good mood. If Declan can’t ruin my morning, I’m pretty sure

nothing

can

."

Alex perked up slightly at the mention of Kenzie’s older brother, then forced herself to ignore the sudden increase in her

heart

rate

.

The guy was a derisive, condescending jerk, Alex reminded herself.

A derisive, condescending jerk that could be kind of sweet when he wanted

to

be

.

What’d he do this time?

asked

Alex

.

He bogarted my bathroom! she grumbled. I had, like, ten minutes in there this morning. Total.

Cassie smirked. Alex thought of Cassie sharing one bathroom with four brothers of her own and figured she understood Kenzie’s frustrations all

too

well

.

"He’s supposed to be sharing one with Brian. Instead he hijacked my en suite. And it took him ages this morning, she continued. He can take five-minute showers whenever it suits him, but god forbid I want to look cute for something. Then it takes him half a

freaking

hour

."

Declan.

Shower.

Alex flashed back to her first morning at the cabin—of Declan striding casually down the stairs with his hair tousled and still wet from the shower, smelling of cinnamon and woodsmoke and something uniquely Declan…

A warm blush crept into her cheeks as she attempted to bury that thought beneath a few tons of imaginary cement and lines from a play she’d memorized the previous semester for her English class.

When she realized that the lines were actually dialogue between Benedick and Beatrice in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, she abruptly stopped her recitation and bit down on her

lower

lip

.

Not helping.

Preaching to the choir, Kenzie, said Cassie. "Brothers. Who

needs

’

em

?"

Kenzie nodded her agreement.

"But speaking of the O’Connell boys… said Cassie. How’s Aiden?"

My cousin is doing just fine, thanks for asking, said Kenzie. "Although he won’t shut-up about this certain blonde

I

know

."

Cassie appeared to be fighting back a smile.

No, seriously. Kenzie leaned forward to peek into the front seat. "Call the poor boy and put him out of his misery. My entire household will

thank

you

."

Last red light. They were now one left turn and a two-hundred yard drive away from the junior class

parking

lot

.

Alex drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and tried not to think about crowded hallways and closely placed desks.

She eyed the three-quarter sleeves of her peasant blouse and suddenly wished she’d remembered her jacket. Eighty degree weather or no, it would have been nice to be a little more covered.

During the long weekend she’d spent hidden away in her room, the newfound confidence she’d acquired over the break had slowly withered away, replaced instead by the growing fear that she might never be able to fully control her abilities.

In the wake of learning the truth, Alex had been able to stand up to beings and organizations of indescribable power—but she’d only done so in an attempt to protect the people she cared about most in this world.

Now that they were home again—safe again—Alex had been forced to accept another, far more horrible truth: the biggest threat to the well-being of those she cared about, now, wasn’t the Agency and it wasn’t Samuel Masterson.

It was Alex herself.

The revelation left her terrified of who might be made to pay the price the next time Alex lost control.

And in a place like Bay View High, losing control wouldn’t be a question if,

but

when

.

The light changed. Traffic in the left turn lane inched slowly forward as the first car in line caught a break in the traffic. Just as Alex tapped the gas, a sleek-lined, black Honda sportbike cut in front

of

her

.

She scrambled to hit the brakes.

"Hey! Cassie grumbled, her hands splayed on the dash. She glared at the biker. Nice

driving

,

jerk

."

Kenzie stared out the windshield and snorted in amusement. "You should have hit

him

,

Alex

."

Two feet in front of the jeep’s front end, the guy on the bike shot them a glance over his shoulder.

He flipped up the shaded visor on his helmet.

A familiar pair of hazel eyes stared back at her, crinkled slightly at the corners. He was grinning.

Declan.

The traffic pulled forward.

Alex let out a breath as she followed Declan onto the road leading up to Bay View High School’s

parking

lots

.

The junior lot was located on the far side of campus and was composed of three short rows of second-rate parking, followed by a vast expanse of hard-packed gravel, where the overflow

ended

up

.

As Alex maneuvered the jeep up and into the overflow area, Declan parked his bike at the very front of

the

lot

.

Naturally.

And with four minutes to spare! said Kenzie. Alex pulled the driver’s seat forward to let her out of the backseat. Give the girl a medal!

Thank you, Ms. O’Neill, said Alex as she righted the seat and slammed the driver’s side door closed.

Who? Kenzie blinked in confusion as she shouldered her backpack. "Oh, right! Kenzie O’Neill. I’m

with

ya

."

Forget already, Kenzie? said Cassie. I thought you were excited about the whole ‘incognito’ thing.

It was easy to forget that the real reason Declan and Kenzie were starting classes at Alex’s high school wasn’t just because the Grayson family had relocated to Bay View. It was also to appease the Agency.

Their new last name was simply a precaution. According to Grayson, the name O’Connell had a certain weight attached to it in Variant circles. The last thing Alex—or the others—needed right now, was to draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

As part of their agreement, Alex would only be allowed to remain free so long as she kept a low profile.

And so long as she was being watched. She was meant to be kept under control.

The real watchdog in this situation wasn’t Kenzie—it was her 18-year-old brother Declan.

He was the one who had officially taken on the assignment.

What can I say? Kenzie led them across the parking lot and toward the glass doors leading into the humanities wing. "I’m too excited about that square hunk of metallic real estate someone’s about to assign me. I can’t focus on playing secret agent this morning.