Chapter one

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the wish

The sun was streaming through the trees of Sic Forest as Aerial Calcine, age fourteen, and Lucid Imbue, age thirteen, walked down the path leading form the Northern Garden of Calcine Manor, Aerial's home above the small village of Calcine. Lucid was tall and lanky, with jet black hair and deep purple-gray eyes that seemed to stare straight into your soul. Aerial was tall and thin, with flowing golden-blonde hair and soft, ice blue eyes.

Aerial had just turned fourteen and was about to leave for the distant city of Shlep Upalong to attend boarding school in the castle of Amoral Docent, the rich widower who trained all young girls of nobility in the ways of the court. While Aerial did not like this idea, her parents insisted that she had to attend so as to learn to be a young lady.

"I don't want to go and be surrounded by all of those snobbish girls," Aerial explained to her parents inside the beautifully decorated parlor off the entrance hall, trying very hard to keep the pleading out of her voice.

"Aerial, you will only be there for two years," her father, the Lord Baronial Calcine, had stated. "Now I want you to act you're age and not like a spoiled little girl. Is that understood?"

He had not raised his voice but Aerial wished he had. Standing there in the presence of his disappointment was almost more than she could bear.

"Yes, father, I am sorry." Aerial left the room and went to find Lucid to tell him about her parent's decision.

After explaining all of this to him, Lucid walked along in silence for a while before saying, "At least you will get to come home when you're sixteen, it's not like they are keeping you locked up forever."

"That's not the point, Lucid!" Aerial exclaimed plopping down on a fallen tree, and wrinkling her crimson, red day dress. "The point is that I didn't get a choice in this. My parents have always decided what they think is best for me and I'm sick of it."

"Aerial, they are only trying to ensure that you will get all of the respect possible when you take over their legacy." Lucid explained to her.

Aerial knew that he was right but that didn't make her feel any better about the decision. "Sometimes I wish that I could just run away and be free, you know. Never have to listen to anyone else's rules or having to be dressed by six people so you look nice for dinner. Sometimes I just want to get so far away form it all that I don't even remember half of it."

Lucid just stood there in silence waiting for her to finish. Aerial knew what was going through his mind. She's crazy, that's what he's thinking right now. Aerial knew how he was going to respond also. You need to understand how lucky you are to have all of this. He would say or maybe something like, if you run, where will you go?, who will you stay with?, how will you get food? And he would probably be right.

Aerial had never actually imagined running away or any of the consequences that it entailed, but that still didn't mean she didn't want to find out what life would be like away from her parents.

"Aerial," Lucid said quietly, "did you ever consider asking your parents why the are sending you to the Lord Docent for schooling?"

"Yes, and I did," Aerial responded almost too quickly, "my mother said that she was schooled there when she turned fourteen and that is was one of the best experiences of her life."

"Well, then your mother wouldn't send you there if she didn't think it would be good for you." Lucid said.

"I know, you're right, you always are," Aerial said, not trying to suppressing the grin that spread across her face. "I just don't like it that's all."

She got up and dusted her self off and they started the trek back up the path to the looming building that was Calcine Manor.