Prologue.
1905, New York. In the late dusk light, the elites of Manhattan closed their doors to the wind and darkness of Autumn. The people still out on the streets walked at a fast pace, glancing about them as they went. You could never be too careful when out after dark. Who knows who might be lurking in the seedy streets or in or behind buildings and dustbins? If one was to stop at the halfway point between 5th and Madison Avenue at half-past six, they might see the silhouette of a young woman.
Carolina Broud was leaning dangerously far over the edge of a balcony on top of one of the most famous houses in Manhattan. Her hands gripped the rail with a brutal ferocity and her eyes were fierce but in spite of the hard exterior, her mind and soul were in turmoil. There was a little wrought - iron gate that provided an escape from the confines of the balcony rail. She opened the latch on the gate, stepped through and clicked it shut behind her. Clinging to the rail she took precarious steps along the narrow strip of tiles on the very edge of the eaves.
Looking down the many stories to the hard street below, Lina could see the whole city. Lights sparkled and shone as the sun disappeared and darkness descended. Lina's heart nearly jumped from her chest in anticipation and fright, but she was here now and she had made herself a promise. She looked once back at the lights in the house, then down to the ground and lastly up at the sky above her, as if she was reminding herself that she was actually here.
She closed her eyes and turned her back to the lights, her hands still tight around the rail behind her. She took a long, deep breath and brought one of her hands to her side. Leaning forward, she opened her eyes, released her hold on the rail and dissolved her ties to reality.