When There is an Echo:
Echo gazed at her reflection in her mirror. She tousled up her nut-brown hair then smoothed it down. Looking down at her dress, Echo realised that silver was definitely not her colour. It was Founder’s Day for the School of the Stolen and everyone had been ordered to wear their ‘special dress’. Rising from her seat, Echo turned to face the side of the dorm she shared with Lucky Frine. Lucky’s name was no misnomer. And she was incredibly lucky. Winning a scholarship, coming top in every class and, for Echo, the ultimate stab was seeing Lucky befriend James.
James didn’t know how much Echo loved him. She remembered their first meeting when James was two years old. Her father had taken her to meet Laedin Michaels the head of the Council. He had been in hiding for three years now. Echo had never met anyone with eyes as green as James’. The day after, Echo’s father began teaching her how to scry. Her first vision had been of her and James, their faces shimmering and they were holding hands. When Echo’s father heard this he had rejoiced. There was a chance to come to power, his scheming mind thought. But all Echo had seen were a pair of innocent, frightened green eyes and she hid from her father the fact that the vision was dark and shadowed. From that day on, she was infatuated with James and whatever it took, she would have him.
Lucky:
Hair every shade of blonde, silvery-grey eyes like the pebbles in the Silverlight River, Lucky Frine was a miniature of her mother, Louise Frine. Eighteen year-old Lucky was beautiful in a strange, ethereal way. She was petite and slim at five-foot-five though her legs were long for her body. Her blonde hair was thick and slightly wavy and her mouth small but full. Lucky’s smile was wide and she gave it freely.
A quiet but excellent student, teachers generally didn’t notice her. Lucky had mastered the art of being off the grid and going unseen. She just didn’t want to be noticed. School before the School of the Stolen had left her feeling isolated. If she was noticed, she was bullied because she had a mad mother.
Lucky’s whole life was a lie. And she knew it. But she couldn’t wheedle anything out of her mother and when she asked about her father, Louise would shut up like an oyster. Lucky was sure there were hidden pearls in her mother’s mind. So Lucky tried to play on her mother’s good side. She did what her mother told her and never went down to the Silverlight River and remained quiet in the house. But the rules she constantly broke were the rules surrounding the Book.
Lucky knew that in those vellum pages, her life was hiding somewhere. But sometimes, knowing the answers is dangerous.
Dark Visions:
Lucky was bent over her scrying bowl. It was in the Sight Tower that all scrying took place. The tower’s Fliestone shone in the sunlight and Lucky found her attention wondering. In front of her, James was tapping his fingers on the table as he waited impatiently for the class to end. Lucky had a feeling James was just as useless at scrying as she.
Why can’t I scry? I can see visions of other people when they touch me but I can’t scry! Lucky just didn’t understand it. Next to her, Echo’s face, usually blank when scrying, was now slightly marred by a frown. She was obviously deep in a vision. Turning her attention back to her bowl of water, Lucky let her mind empty.
James fidgeted in his seat. He rested his cheek on the cool table. His green eyes fell on Professor Klimt. There was something about him that was vaguely familiar. Right now, he was stalking around the room slapping anyone who was not paying attention to their bowl on their head. James stretched and heard his shoulders crack. Klimt turned and his hard blue eyes met James’ green ones. For a second, Klimt’s eyes softened before returning to their hard shield.
