Fire on the Horizon
Chapter 1: The Mask of Light Alara had always felt as though she was living two lives at once. To the world, she was the girl with a spark in her eyes and a laugh that could fill a room—an inexhaustible spirit who could strike up a friendship with a stranger on a bus ride, who threw herself headlong into experiences with fearless curiosity, and who seemed to turn life into a wide, colorful canvas where she was both brushstroke and painter. People admired her energy, her optimism, and her ability to embrace the unknown. Her friends thought they knew her. They saw her as carefree, adventurous, generous, someone who could lift spirits with a word, a smile, or a spontaneous joke. They counted on her for fun, encouragement, and inspiration. They did not see the depth of her vigilance, the intensity she carried like a hidden fire, a secret compass guiding every choice and reaction. Beneath the surface, Alara’s inner life was a storm contained in a calm exterior. When she was alone, she ...