Prologue: Vacation at the Beach

A pristine beach met Velicity’s eyes, destined to be her vacation spot. A perfect place to relax and forget my worries! Velicity thought dreamily. Little did she know, her vacation would be much more than she ever imagined.

*****

     Velicity was taking a stroll at the edge of the beach, the whitewash barely touching her bare feet. She was wearing a summer dress and flip-flops, a wide-brimmed hat completed the picture. It was late afternoon and the sun gave off a bloodred glow as it began to dip below the horizon. The salty, fresh tang of the cool water seeped into her nose calming Velicity as she watched several girls splashing each other, laughing merrily.

     Slowly, the seductive lull of the ocean began to make Velicity’s mind drift and wander; her eyes stared far off into the sunset.

     While immersed in her thoughts, a golden glint in the sand caught her attention. Tentively, she stepped closer, and then picked it up. A small, golden locket fashioned to the likeness of a miniature dragon. It looked very carefully made down to the last golden scale. The miniscule rubies that served as eyes seemed to glow with an internal flame. Velicity then noticed a gentle vibration coming from the locket: a hum of power.

     Curiously, she gently pried open the locket with her fingernail. Velicity expected a picture of a person, or a lock of hair. Instead, a blinding flash erupted from the locket. Velicity flinched at the sudden burst of light. Amid her surprise, she didn’t know that she had escaped the fabric of her world into an entirely new one. At that moment, her life was changed forever.