Siren

Prologue

~Before~ 

Ariste, Italy * 1847

The wind blew through the school girls' hair as the carriage raced past home after home in the village of Ariste, dropping the pupils off at their post class destinations.

"Do you think you'll be going to the annual Royale Crowne Balle?" Lucy asks her friend Margie.

"Well, I'm not sure if Pa will let me go." Margie says timidly, "When is it?"

"In two moons, and it will be all the rage!" Lucy exclaims.

"Eligible suitors from all over the lands will be attending." a girl named Charlotte pitches in, "It would be a shame if you missed out."

Margie gently rings the bell on the carriage, signaling to the driver that this was her stop.

"Bye Margie! See you at the schoolhouse tomorrow!" the two girls say.

Margie slowly walks towards her home thinking about what Lucy and Charlotte had said. The Royale Crowne Balle came around every year. It was where all the eligible bachelors met the girls who were finally old enough to be wed off. The girls wore beautiful Balle gowns and the men wore lavish tuxedos. It was supposed to be one of the happiest days in a girl's life, unless of course she got paired with an unwarranted bachelor. This year Margie was finally old enough to attend, however, ever since the death of her mother Margie's father needed her help around the farmhouse. It was hard enough making ends meet without having to hire outside help. And once one was married, she simply could not live at home anymore.

Turning the key in the lock, Margie walked into the farmhouse, shutting the door behind her. The room was bright, filled with natural sun light which flowed in through the windows. Margie then walked over to the large looking glass near the front door. Her coarse red hair flowed in waves down to her waist. Freckles spotted her nose and cheeks, bringing out her bright blue eyes. Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from upstairs.

"Hello? Is that you, Papa?" Margie yelled through the house. Getting no answer, she decided to walk up the stairs and investigate.

*

"Quickly! Hide it!" Sage whispers urgently to Zane. Zane looks around for a plce to hide the thick book and quickly decides to pull up one of the hard wood floor panels and hide it there. After making sure the book fits, he replaces the panel.

The two men quickly exit the farmhouse from the window through which they had entered, as Margie walks into her bedroom and looks around in suspicion. She could have sworn she'd heard something. As she is walking across the floor to investigate her bed stand, a floor panel creaks. She taps it again with her foot and sure enough, it is loose. She gently lifts and removes the panel and pulls out a large book entitled, Shadows of Dreams. This book wasn't like the textbooks Margie read from in school. Everything in this book was neatly handwritten, and not in someone's best ink Calligraphy either. It was in a thick, circular font. Margie had never seen anything like it before. Just as she is about to close it to view after she has cooked dinner; the book opens by itself to a page entitled, "Prophecy of the Siren."