- prologue -

San Francisco, California

The darkness was choking and thick, swirling around her angrily. Somewhere deep down Katherine Corrigan knew that none of it was real, not the horrible blackness or the deafening howling. Still, it wasn't a place she wanted to be. She tried to run, but the darkness held her fast in place. She wanted to scream, but couldn't.

It unfolded too quickly to remember it all. Too much red, a fist lashing out, an imposing figure standing at the top of an unfamiliar staircase, a scream of pain. She tried to cover her ears but found she couldn't move at all. A deep foreboding settled into her stomach, heavy like a stone. The darkness was trying to swallow her whole.

When she awoke her room was dark, but wholly familiar. Her heart was hammering out against her ribs and her hair clung to her forehead, stuck fast by a thin layer of sweat. She threw off her blanket and stumbled toward the bathroom. The light was blinding when she flicked on the switch, causing her to stop short before turning on the cold water full blast. She splashed her face and pulled down a nearby towel. When she was finally dry she stopped to look at her reflection in the mirror.

The girl staring back at her seemed completely unfamiliar. She had changed so much in the past few months. Entering the 9th grade was hard enough, but her visions seemed to be getting stronger as she aged. It didn't help that the school she attended was full of horrible snooty girls who all but ignored her existence despite her efforts. Sleep had become a precious commodity, and the lack of it showed in the dark circles that had begun to form under her eyes. She sighed loudly.

"You're looking rough, Corrigan." She told herself, giving her face another splash before turning out the light and making her way back to bed. As she closed her eyes and pulled the covers back on she prayed silently that there wouldn't be anymore dreams that night.

Paris, France

It felt like the whole world fell away for a split second before slamming back together around her head. Her visions were always like that, pulled apart at every molecule and instantly reassembled. This time she was left with a throbbing headache that radiated from her temples, and she was forced to sit down behind the bar. The music was still blaring, but she couldn't get the images out of her head. An angry patron was pounding on the bar, waving money in her face. Luka appeared from the kitchen, and upon seeing her crouched, dropped the tray of glasses he was carrying on the table and knelt down by her side.

"What's wrong, petite?" he asked gently, and she shook her head slowly.

"I'm fine, it's just a headache." She promised, and his dark eyes were still skeptical.

"Talya…" he started, but she was on her feet already.

"Do you mind if I take off early? Celeste is expecting me to help her do some research tonight."

"You and your housemates are always researching. What could you possibly need to know so much about?" he asked, and she could only smile. Kissing his cheek she fished under the bar to find her coat. Once she had pulled the leather over her slender shoulders and taken her share of the tips she was out the door and into the cool Paris night. She almost laughed at the thought of telling Luka what they were researching. Hi, my name is Natalya, and I work for a secret society bent on stopping evil and solving mysteries. Why yes, it is a lot like Scooby Doo…

She was used to the visions; she'd had them for as long as she could remember. She only wished that recently they'd been filled with a few less familiar faces. They had aged, certainly, but the basic idea was the same. Nick's crooked smile, Philip's haunting stare… and most disturbingly, Derek's disapproving gaze. She tried not to think of the things she'd seen as she negotiated the Metro and wound her way back to the Paris Legacy house.

When she finally made it home the house was dark. Celeste and Marie had apparently gone to bed, and Alejandro would be in Beijing until Tuesday. She saw the papers on the hall table as soon as she walked in the door. She'd been dreaming of them for weeks, even if she didn't know what they said. Now she knew without a doubt what they contained, and barely had to glance at them. The words at the top were bold enough, Immediate transfer of Natalya Samuelle Rayne. The little sticky note was a nice touch, Alejandro had never been the most sensitive precept. Sorry Tals, Edmund won't take no for an answer. She didn't even look at the location of the transfer. There was only one reason Edmund would get involved in all of this, and it meant that her worst fear was about to be realized. She was going home to San Francisco.