Preface

Sophie grabbed those hand, the hands of whom she loved, for her life was complicated in ways she could have never expected. The secrets, all of their secrets, rested on her shoulders.

Sophie looked back, to see the black-cloaked puppets and their masters, gaining speed. How many lies were there?

One lie.

Two lies.

Three lies.

Wait. No. Two lies.

Lies, truths, something in between, Sophie didn't understand. Understand what? She didn't understand any of it. Everything was blurry. So blurry.

He wasn't that bad after all. No, not he, they. They weren't bad.

Sophie looked down into the inky blackness. She nodded to her friends, and jumped, pulling them with her. What would happen next? What would be the next chapter in the story? She didn't know. After what they just uncovered - that beautiful, deceiving staircase? The friend, who wasn't really just a friend? The brothers? So many misunderstandings. So many, Sophie couldn't count.

Dark and light.

Light and dark.

Fire and water.

Water and fire.

So different, yet so much the same. So many of these pairs.

Sophie focused on the words that had flip-flopped her life the most.

Together.

Apart.

One.

Many, and many more to come.