Chapter 1

The music at Claire' s engagement party was too loud.

Aurora "Rory" Dubois stood near a window, away from the laughing crowd.

Ethan Prescott, her Ethan, was now Claire' s fiancé.

It still felt unreal.

Claire, her younger sister, glowed as she held Ethan' s arm.

Rory watched them, a polite smile fixed on her face. Her sapphire pendant, the Aegis Locket, felt cool against her skin, a familiar comfort from her family' s long line. It was supposed to protect the wearer.

Suddenly, a commotion started near the ballroom entrance.

Claire screamed.

The music stopped.

Everyone turned.

Claire stumbled into the room, her dress torn, a dark bruise already forming on her cheek.

She pointed a shaking finger directly at Rory.

"She did this!" Claire cried, her voice cracking. "Rory attacked me! She said I stole Ethan, that I' d pay!"

Gasps filled the room.

Rory felt her blood run cold. "Claire, what are you talking about?"

Ethan rushed to Claire' s side, his face a mask of fury as he looked at Rory.

"You monster," he spat.

"She' s jealous," Claire sobbed into Ethan' s chest. "She even... she even tried to make it look like I was having an affair, to ruin everything!"

Claire produced a small, crumpled note. "She tried to plant this on me!"

Rory shook her head, speechless. This was a nightmare.

Her brother, Major Samuel "Sam" Dubois, pushed through the crowd. His face was grim.

"Rory? What is the meaning of this?" Sam' s voice was hard.

"I didn' t do anything," Rory pleaded, looking from Ethan to Sam. "Claire, why are you doing this?"

Claire just cried harder. "She' s always hated me, always been the perfect one."

Ethan held Claire protectively. "I saw her near your room earlier, Claire. She looked agitated."

He turned to Rory, his eyes blazing. "You will not hurt her again."

Sam stepped forward. "There' s more. I received a report. Damning evidence." He didn't elaborate, but his conviction was clear. He believed Claire.

He looked at Rory with cold disappointment. "You' ve shamed this family."

Their mother, Victoria Dubois, watched from a distance, her face pale with shock. She looked at Rory, then at the weeping Claire, her expression hardening against her older daughter.

"She needs to be taught a lesson," Ethan declared, his voice ringing with authority. "A harsh one."

Sam nodded slowly. "There' s a place. The Hollows. In Maine. They' ll know how to deal with this kind of... problem. For rehabilitation."

The Hollows. Rory had heard whispers. An isolated, brutal commune. A place for outcasts.

"No," Rory whispered. "You can' t."

Ethan stepped up to Rory. His hand shot out and roughly unclasped the Aegis Locket from her neck.

"You' re not worthy of this," he said, his voice like ice. The locket, her family' s symbol of fortitude, was gone.

She felt naked, exposed.

"You are banished," Ethan announced to the silent, watching crowd. "Five years in The Hollows. Maybe then you' ll learn some humility."

Sam gave a curt nod. "It' s for your own good, Aurora. To correct this behavior." He would send a directive to The Elder of The Hollows. He intended it to be for strict discipline, but Claire would later ensure it demanded far more.

Rory looked at their faces – Ethan, cold and unforgiving; Sam, stern and righteous; Claire, hiding a small, triumphant smile behind her tears; her mother, turning away.

No one believed her.

No one would help her.

Two of Ethan' s security men took her arms.

She didn' t resist.

Her spirit felt like it was already starting to crack.

The sounds of the party, the concerned murmurs, faded as they led her away.

Her old life was over.