Prologue

"Follow the stars for they will lead you to me." Thirteen year old Viviane Norman read the inscription for the millionth time. She didn't know who it was for or from, let alone what it meant, but for all of her life the girl had kept those words, and the ring in which they were written, her secret.

Viviane's parents were historians, sometimes leaving for long periods for "business trips" Well, that's what they called it, but Viviane had a hard time believing that leaving for months at a time was part of a historian's job. Robert and Ilene Norman spent more time away than at home, always leaving Viviane with her brother, Rance. Rance was seven years older than his sister, and held the firm belief that that made him in charge. The fact that he usually was probably didn't exactly hurt his ego.

There was a light knock on the door, "Viv?" Viviane knew who it was immediately; there was only one person in the entire world who called her that.

"In, in." she said in a hurried whisper. A lanky boy, slightly older than Viviane, slipped into the room and sat down on the floor. "You shouldn't be here."

The boy shrugged, "What can I say? I heard your parents went off again, had to make sure you were keeping that brother of yours out of trouble." Viviane didn't believe him, there was more underneath his nonchalant visage.

The boys name was Tyler, Viviane had know him all her life, and most people thought that the two were best friends, but something in Tyler's eyes the past few yeas told her different.

"Come on, Tyler, what are you here for?" She cut him a look that said she meant business. "I don't see you for weeks and then you just show up? Something has to be going on." Okay, so Viviane was exaggerating a little when she said weeks, it had only been one week, but she was trying to make a point.

The corner of Tyler's mouth curled slightly up and he ambled across the room to sit next to her on her bed. "I took a little trip," he began quietly while twirling a lock of Viviane's wavy brown hair that was so similar to his own. "I went to the palace house of records and I found out about your little secret." Viviane froze, she couldn't think of anything he could possible be talking about besides the ring. It was true that the ring was her only secret- that she knew of- but the more she thought about it the less sense it made. Why would the palace house of records have anything about her and her ring, and how had Tyler even gotten in? The palace and palace records were strictly off limits to the people of Astoria, the occupying Umbrians didn't want the people to have anything that reminded them of the way life used to be.

"How did you-"

Tyler interrupted, "I have my ways. You know, I really wish I would have found out before we got to be such good friends, I really like you." His face turned serious and his voice lowered to a whisper, "Viv, I want you to know that I don't want to do this."

Out of the corner of her eye Viviane saw Tyler pull a knife from his pocket; it was the last thing she saw before everything went black.

A/N: Muahhahaha, cliffie! Hope you enjoyed it, I should have the first chapter up soon, most likely this Monday, maybe Tuesday. Please review, you know you love that purple button!