Whispers of the Soul

1: A Game Born

c o p y r i g h t ©

All rights reserved to Devyn Eubank.

This story is original, and therefore cannot be posted, copied, or used in any way. Any unauthorized reprint, photocopy, recording, or use of a storage/retrieval system is prohibited. Whether that be by tangible or electronic means. Some things may branch from urban legends, general monsters and existing stories concerning the supernatural. However that does not mean I'm taking anything illegally, only that of which is public domain. With that said, anyone who uses specifics from my story will not be tolerated.

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n o t e

The characters in this book are fictional, and any relation to a living person is merely coincidental. Also, there may be grammar mistakes, and since I don't have a beta you'll just have to forgive me-- I'm only human after all.

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w a r n i n g

This story contains content that may be triggering to some people, such as foul language and mature themes. You have been warned.

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a u t h o r ' s    n o t e

I'm quite excited for this book, because though it may have an odd plot, theme, or be quite simple, I couldn't not write when I saw this portrayal of character Alan did. The Count de Creux will be based off of Alan's rolls in Mesmer and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the later specifically because he looks absolutely handsome in that movie. Also, his character is very much like the Vicomte. With that said, please enjoy and leave feedback, I'm completely open to constructive criticism!

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Chapter 1: A Game Born

The year is 1874, and France was a peaceful place to live in despite the Depression it was under. The Belair family was a prime example of people who actually thrived off it-- few had, but France was always under some turmoil or another with the wars and constant shift in power. The only way to survive was through business, and thankfully that was what Antoine Belair was quite good at. So naturally, in his success, he tried for an heir. But to his great surprise - and even larger chagrin - his wife, Lady Catherine Belair, gave birth to seven daughters.

Being in the middle of seven sisters was not an experience Valentine liked, though that didn't mean it had no perks. In fact, in some, possibly even most instances she found it quite worked out in her favor. For instance, etiquette in France was long and extremely droll, especially when it came to courting and how a lady should act. However Valentine had discovered a loophole: she'd found that being the middle child meant no one recognized her, and no matter how horrible it sounded, it wasn't all that bad-- because it meant no one cared how she acted, and she quite liked having that freedom.

Her older sister, Elise, was the beauty of the family. At only twenty, it was a wonder she was still unmarried, but that only meant she had all the more suitors lining up for her, which was how she was dear mom's favorite. And a prat, let's not forget that very large detail. Valentine often thought that was why mother liked Elise so much, they were both made of the same, nasty stuff.

Then there was the youngest, dear Isabelle. She was cute and very innocent, just having turned fifteen and attracting nearly all men to her with her soft features and high-pitched voice. Valentine didn't know where she'd gotten her angelic traits from, as their father was a tough man and their mother the embodiment of evil. But she never questioned it, only watched from the sidelines as her sister was courted by men left and right. It was quite funny how she turned all of them down.