Chrysalis

“Your pendant is beautiful,” the boy continued. “Is there a story behind it?”“Yes. I’ve always worn it every single day. It refracts light in rainbows sometimes. It’s a particularly rare cut. My mother gave it to me years ago. I can’t actually remember the occasion. I feel as if I’ve always had it.” She paused and reached for the clasp behind her neck.“I’ll take it off for just a moment and see if I can get it to refract the light through the window.”“You don’t have to go to the trouble,” the young man replied.But she had already taken it off, and it dangled resplendent from her fingertips. She took it in her left hand and cradled it, inspecting it for the rainbow shine. First moving right to left, and then up and down.“It’s okay. You don’t have to…” the young man stopped himself. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.Voletta was pleased to have surprised him so much; for, there, in front of them gleamed a glorious arch of every color shooting out from its core into the night air and illuminating the snowflakes and the faces of the two spectators. It was radiant. It truly was beautiful. Voletta smiled excitedly as she watched the young man’s reaction. She started to think maybe she could place him in her mind’s eye, when a gust of wind swept by and snatched the pendant out of her hand and downward to the snow below.“Oh no!” she cried. The snow was deep, and it had sunk out of sight.“It’s okay. It’s okay. We will find it,” the young man tried to console her.“Odeletta?” the young man whispered the name.Voletta’s head snapped up. That name. It was familiar. Where did she know it from? She sank to the ground.It was hers.It is the turn of the century in the small town of Weatherby. Business is booming as factories and automobiles transform the landscape. But to the north of town on a high hill, where Voletta lives, hidden secrets unravel that lead her to question everything about who she is. Why can't she remember what happened at the ball? And why is there a deep sadness in her spirit?Just when things are getting strange enough, a cry for help pierces through the night. Is the castle haunted? Or is Voletta going crazy?It is the turn of the century in the small town of Weatherby. Business is booming as factories and automobiles transform the landscape. But to the north of town on a high hill, where Voletta lives, hidden secrets unravel that lead her to question everything about who she is. Why can't she remember what happened at the ball? And why is there a deep sadness in her spirit?Just when things are getting strange enough, a cry for help pierces through the night. Is the castle haunted? Or is Voletta going crazy?The spell is shattered when Voletta's pendant falls, leading her on a mysterious journey to discover not only who she really is, but also what she must do to save the land of Nil'sona from the evil clutches of Malgrimith and awaken the Reign of the Spring Empress. Read more