Prism

Copyright © 2017 by Nina Walker All rights reserved.

Characters, names and related indicia are trademarked and copyrighted by Nina Walker.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Published by Addison & Gray Press, LLC.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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Chapter One

Jessa

I didn't collect secrets. I only had one. One little, messy mistake I'd kept buried in the back of my mind for months. Now, I felt the danger of its existence as I stared into the eyes of the person whose job it was to dig up those secrets. She would inch around it, gentle at first, before she'd rip it out by the roots. Then the intruder would take it away, and I would go with it.

"Do you know why we're here?" the royal officer asked. Her glare locked me in. I shook my head, knowing the lie had to be seamless.

The officers had come with their questions on the worst possible morning. Every minute of this day should have been spent preparing for the most anticipated ballet performance of my life. Not this. Anything but this.

I wanted nothing to do with magic.

I glanced at my parents and little sister. The four of us sat side by side on the sleek couch. Our bodies stuck together as the summer heat pressed its way through the family room. Lately, our luxuries, like air conditioning, were faltering. We didn't ask why. We just waited, letting the sweat permeate our lives.

My sister Lacey nervously held our dad's arm with one hand and grasped mine with the other. Aged six, she couldn't know what was at stake, but she could sense the danger all the same.

"Lacey, I have some questions for you," the royal officer in charge said, showing a tight-lipped smile. She was a pale woman, with severe cheekbones and a glossy, tight blond bun.

Her subordinates lined the walls of our living room. They stood at attention, stony expressions etched into their features. They wore white uniforms, the royal family insignia was stitched on the left shoulder of each. I'd never actually seen a royal officer of the court before, and I'd hoped I never would. They were the highest level, the protectors of the monarchs and alchemists. They didn't belong in my living room.

The lead officer reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. It was deep crimson, filled to the brim. She held it up between her long fingers, showing us the blood inside. She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a second vial. The lifeless, gray fluid seemed unrelated, but from the way her eyes leered at Lacey, something wasn't right.