In The Circle

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This document may not be re-distributed.

Anne and Liz were born three hundred years

apart, but they share something in
common…The Circle.

one
Portsmouth, England, 1700.
The sound of a baby crying from inside of a poorly built,
stone house followed by a woman yelling entered my
consciousness as Marie and I ran through the filthy cobble
streets of town.
One of my hands clutched tightly to Marie’s and the
other held down my bonnet from flying away in the wind.
A gray haired man yelled at us to slow down, but we
didn’t heed him. We had not the time. Our breaths came out
quick and heavy, and the brine of the salty air stung our
throats, but we didn’t let it stop us. It was imperative that we
not be late.
She beckoned me to keep going. She could tell that I was
getting tired. Her pristine blue eyes shone with intensity from
under her dirty brown hair that had been hastily put up in a
bun, but was now unraveling. Her bonnet had blown off

several blocks before this point, but she had paid no attention
to it.
“We’re almost there, Anne,” she said through exhausted
breaths. It seemed like we had been traveling towards this
moment for an eternity.
Mine and Marie’s journey had not started out together. I
was traveling from London when I met her along the way.
We quickly realized that we were alike.
When I had originally left from London, I had not
realized how trying it would be to reach Portsmouth. A girl
should never travel alone, but I was left with no choice.
I had abandoned my position as a lady’s maid in a
middle class house. It wasn’t hard, but my lady gave me
regular beatings just to pass the time, and boredom. When I
received the letter bearing news of what I had to do, I was
glad to have a reason to leave.
I quickly learned how good I’d had it in my lady’s house
when all of my belongings were stolen on my first night of
travel and I was left without food.
If it hadn’t been for Marie, I would have failed my
mission long ago. She was used to living on her own and
taking care of herself. She was an excellent thief, and within
an hour of meeting her, she had secured a four course meal
for me. It was wonderful.
“What if it’s not real?” I asked her when we reached the
street the letter had told us to find. From there, we would see
the building. The Rusty Wheel. A pub.
“I’m not willing to let myself believe that,” she replied.
Her eyes searched the street for the banner to the pub. They
flashed a little when the saw the flapping board with the faded
painting of a large wheel on it.
3

She pulled me towards the pub, and I could feel

resignations surfacing inside of me. I had doubts about the
validity of the letter. What if what it said wasn’t true?
The weathering door to the pub squeaked as Marie
pushed it open. The dank smell of earth and smoke
bombarded us as we descended the steps into the main room.
I felt my hands starting to tremble when a sketchy
looking fellow at one of the tables began to stare at us in an
unhealthy manner. Marie never faltered.
Without hesitation, she approached the bar and said to
the barman, “I’m looking for a man named Gaston.”
He never raised his eyes to look at her, but with a lazy
gesture, he pointed to a dingy door at the back of the pub.
She assessed it for a moment. Her keen blue eyes taking
in the setting around her, and weighing the possibilities.
Finally, she said, “I can go first, and then come back for
you. Just to make sure it’s safe.”
My eyes darted to the door, and then to the suspicious
man at the table, “I would feel safer going with you.” I
replied.
“Right.” She nodded. Together we moved towards the
door.
When she opened this door, it didn’t squeak. It was as if
it had been freshly oiled. I could feel my breath suck in
anxiously as we passed through the door, and into a dark
room. Lit only with a few candles here and there. It was an
anteroom that lead into yet another dark room.
I squeezed Marie’s hand unconsciously, and she
whispered, “Don’t be scared.”
I tried to do as she said, but I couldn’t keep the dark
thoughts from entering my mind and frightening me.
Fortunately, I was able to make out the anteroom well
enough. All of my time spent in my lady’s house had trained
4

me well. She never allowed the servants to have candles, and

we had to learn to navigate the corridors in the dark.
At that moment, a person entered the anteroom from
within the adjoining room. They held a candelabrum in
hand, the light from which blocked out their face.
Marie and I both blinked through it, trying to make out
who it was.
Finally, the person spoke. It was a man, and he said,
“You must be Marie and Anne. We’ve been waiting for you.”
5

two
Misery, Massachusetts, 2010.
It was yet another rainy day in Misery. Life in Misery was
misery. Nothing cool ever happened here. We didn’t even
have our own cell tower that’s how small it was. As a result,
cell phone reception was laughable.
The only good part about my life right now was the
dreamy fact that it was summer break, and that the beautiful
beaches of Boston were only a forty-five minute bus ride
away.
I was currently laying face up on my bed contemplating
whether or not my popcorn ceiling had a pattern that looked
exactly like the face of the Mona Lisa. I was leaning towards a
yes.
In the two boring weeks since summer had started, I’d
already found Elvis and Bono from U2. Consequently, I
could never tell them apart.

A noise at my window caught my attention. I looked

away from Mona to stare at the glass of my window, and a
few seconds later, a pebble sized object collided against it.
Rolling myself off the bed, I padded over to the window.
The glass of which was original to the house and was nearly
impossible to see through. But through the warbled pane, I
could make out the familiar shape of a skinny boy with khaki
shorts and a blue tee. His glittery blond hair matched his
unfairly tanned skin.
His name was Luke, and he was my best friend.
I wrestled the lock to the window open and forced the
ancient pane upwards.
“That could be considered vandalism you know!” I yelled
to him.
“Whatever, Saunders! Get your butt down here!” He
yelled back. His huge grin went from one ear to the other,
and it was completely infectious. I found myself smiling as I
slammed the window shut, and grabbed my sandals on my
way out.
“So?” Jumping from the last step on my porch, I crashed
into Luke, giving him the biggest bear hug of his life. “How
was the trip of a lifetime, you spoiled brat?”
When I released him he gave a laugh and said, “Oh, you
know, just another Fulcom family trip to some exotic
destination…yada, yada, yada. Missed you like crazy though.”
He playfully punched my shoulder as we walked down the
grassy lane from my house towards the one and only beach
that Misery had to offer.
“I know what you mean. I was about ready to do
something drastic if you hadn’t come along.” The wind was
blowing my long, brown hair into my face and I had to use
both hands to keep it out of the way.
7

Luke’s family was one of the founding families of Misery,

and also the wealthiest. Every summer they dragged him off
to some over advertised tourist trap, leaving me behind with
no one to hang out with. It was like excruciating torture. This
year’s trip was to Mumbai…or was it Dubai, I couldn’t
remember. All that mattered was that he was back, and I
could finally stop thinking about jumping off of Gulcher’s
Bluff to end my boredom.
“What did you do while I was gone? You look pale
enough to be a vampire or something!” He poked my arm,
which looked exactly as he’d described, pale and sort of
translucent.
“Um, well, first I joined this cult, and then I began
worshipping in my basement. Haven’t been out in weeks,” I
joked. “Actually, I have no idea why I’m so pale. I was at
Revere beach every other day, but it had no effect. I must be
turning into some sort of mutant or something.”
He laughed and added, “Yeah, probably.”
The beach was only mildly crowded with a few families,
and some kids messing around on boogie boards. I kicked off
my flip flops and headed for the water. I loved the feeling of
the sludgy sand between my toes. Luke did the same, and we
hung out and splashed some serious water at each other.
Out of nowhere, he stopped flinging the salty water, and
his face went tense. His eyes were focused on something
behind me, and I turned to see what it was.
In the not too-far distance, was a group of fully dressed
teens moving down the beach towards us. By fully dressed, I
meant, they had on full-length jeans, long sleeves, and most
of them seemed to be wearing black. It was definitely odd
attire, especially for a beach. There were two girls, and three
boys. Each of which seemed to be focused directly on me.
8

Luke came to stand next to me. He asked, “Do you

know them?”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head. Words were too hard to
form while I was concentrating on the group of very
fascinating people moving towards us. I couldn’t seem to pull
my eyes off them.
“They sure seem to know you,” he replied. His eyes were
glued to them as well.
The boy in the front of the group never took his eyes off
my face. And in return, I never took my eyes of his. His
brown hair was long enough that he could run his fingers
though it, and his vivid green eyes seemed to hold dark secrets
behind them. I was so focused on him that I completely
overlooked the four others behind him.
I watched in a state of awe, as they passed us and
continued out of sight. I found myself staring in the direction
that they had gone in, even though I couldn’t see them
anymore.
A hand waved up in down in front of me and Luke’s
voice finally registered. “Liz? Hello. Are you in there?”
I shook my head a little. “Yeah, I’m back,” I replied.
“Are you okay? You were in this total zombie-trance
state,” he informed me.
“Really?” I asked in pleased bewilderment. A zombie-
trance sounded kinda cool.
“Um-hm.” He nodded. His grin seemed to radiate from
his deep honey-brown eyes and then to his mouth.
“Do you know them?” I asked. “Those people?”
“Naw.” He shook his head and we started to walk. “But I
heard my dad say something about someone renting out the
McCauley Manor. Maybe it’s them.”
9

A few days later while hanging out at Maxie’s Iced

Heaven, I was just starting to enjoy my double scoop of
bubblegum ice cream when I noticed a familiar pair of green
eyes watching me. I ended up choking on a chunk of gum. It
wasn’t pretty.
By the time I regained my composure, the hot boy from
the beach wasn’t there anymore. I let out a small sigh of
disappointment and went back to enjoying my treat.
“Here,” I heard a voice say.
I turned around to face it, and…it was Hot Boy! He was
holding out a napkin for me. I looked from him to the
napkin and back again in amazement. Even his voice was
hot…if a voice could be described as being hot, that is.
“You got some on your…” He pointed to his chin,
which I took to mean that I had ice cream on my chin.
I quickly grabbed the napkin and hid my chin behind it.
“Thanks.”
“Any time.” Giving me a ridiculously seductive grin, he
waited till I was done scrubbing my chin and then said, “I’m
Zane by the way.”
What an awesome name! Zane…Zane, ah, I could say it
all day!
“Liz,” I replied. “I saw you the other day on the beach,
did you just move here?”
He shrugged. “I guess you could say that. We’re actually
only here to get something, and then we’ll be leaving.”
“We?” I asked.
“My friends and I. We all travel together.”
“Oh. Well, you won’t miss much when you leave. Misery
isn’t the kind of place you want to stay in for too long, trust
me.”
“It can’t be that bad,” he replied. “You’re here.”
10

I knew I was blushing, so I took a huge bite of the cold

ice cream.
“So?” I asked while swallowing the monstrous bite,
“What are you here to get?”
He thought about it for a second, and answered, “I can’t
really describe it, other than to say that it’s priceless.”
“Ooh, sounds intriguing.”
He smiled. “I think so. Maybe when I get it, I’ll show it
to you.”
I lit up like a Christmas tree. “Really?”
He nodded.
“Awe-some!”
Before leaving, he said something that made me curious.
He said, “You’re not what I thought you’d be like, Liz.”
I was even more supremely impressed by the idea that
he’d thought about me.
11

three
The Rusty Wheel, Portsmouth, 1700.
“You know who we are, sir, but we do not have the
satisfaction of knowing your name,” Marie replied to the
man.
The candelabrum he was holding lowered to below his
chest, and his face was made visible. His features were that of
nobility. His fine, chiseled cheek bones and a strong chin
were framed with golden brown hair, or it appeared to be
golden brown in the candlelight.
“My name is Gaston de Veaufort. I am the one who sent
for you.” His voice was calm, and almost kindly. “Please,
come, we do not have much time.”
Marie and I looked to each other. My eyes reflected fear
and anxiety, while hers were questioning and suspicious of
Gaston.

He waited till we followed, and then led us into the

room next to the anteroom. It was filled with many more
candles, enough to illuminate everything.
There were steps that led into a circular recessed area in
the floor, and in it there were people seated around the
outside of the circle. Three other women, all about the same
age as Marie and myself, and two young men watched us
quietly as we entered the circle.
Gaston came to stand at the head of the circle we
formed, he said, “Some of you know why you here. You were
fortunate to have people close to you that could guide you
and prepare you. Others of you know not why you have been
summoned here, and you have many questions. They will be
answered, but the noon bell will soon ring, and with it the
opportunity will pass, and the Circle will be left unguarded.”
He seated himself so that we were all on the same level,
and he held up his hands. “Take each other’s hands. The
circle must be connected.”
Marie and I were already holding hands, and I looked to
my right where a boy who looked my age was holding his out
to me. It was dirty and sweaty. I looked to Marie for
assurance, but she was looking at Gaston.
Gaston was watching me, and he said, “Anne, you must
complete the circle.”
I had no idea what this was about, or why I was even
here? What did a Circle have to do with me holding
someone’s hand? I’d heard rumors of cult-like activities taking
part in shady places like this, and I started to question the real
reason Marie and I were here.
Feeling the attention of everyone in the room on me, I
took the boy’s hand. If anything unsavory began to take
place, Marie and I would certainly leave.
13

As soon as our hands connected, my body began to

tingle. A hum of something exciting, something thrilling
pulsated through me. It seemed to travel through me and into
Marie, and from her to the next person, and so on. It grew
and grew till I was no longer able to focus on being in the
room, or even being at all. The only thing I was aware of was
the hum of power coursing through me, through us all.
Connecting us.
Through the connection, I knew their names, everyone
in the room. The boy next to me was Henry, and then there
was Caroline, Madeleine, Marie, Thomas, Katherine, and
Gaston. I knew them all, and they knew me.
Faces of others before us flashed through me, and their
names were evident to me. There were countless numbers of
them, and they had all, at one point or another, formed a
Circle. In every circle there had always been four men and
four women. Each one embodying a human character
strength. Respect, Honesty, Loyalty, Trust, Love,
Intelligence, Compassion, and Bravery. Each one of us now
represented one of these things. Immediately I knew which
one I was, it was so obvious. I trusted Marie just as I had
trusted the letter I received. I was Trust. I knew who Marie
was too, she was Intelligent. Cunning and clever, she was the
only reason we made it here safely.
Henry, the boy next to me, was Respect. I could feel it
radiating from him. Caroline was Honest, Madeleine was
Bravery, Thomas was Loyalty, Katherine was Compassion,
and last was Gaston. He was Love.
We were also different from any other circle before us.
We had five women three men. We weren’t equal.
In all the other Circles before us, each woman would
partner with one man. They would form a bond, and the
14

Circle would be strengthened. It wouldn’t be possible now.

Two women would be left without a partner.
When the tingling began to fade, and I could clearly see
again, we were all facing each other. Even after releasing each
other’s hands, the connection to each other still remained.
“What is the meaning of all this, mate?” Thomas asked
Gaston. When he stood up, he was tall enough that his head
nearly touched the ceiling.
“We are now connected and bonded through The
Circle,” Gaston explained.
“Yeah, yeah, but what is The Circle? I saw all those
people before us. The ones who are like us, but why are they
like us?” Thomas asked.
“There is a Circle in every generation of human history.
It protects all that is good in the world,” Gaston explained to
all of us. “The people who form the Circle are chosen by the
strength of their character. You, Thomas, for example are
loyal beyond measure. You were chosen because of this, and
your loyalty will bolster the loyalty of our generation. Just as
each and every one of our traits will.”
Was it true? Would my trust make others’ trust stronger?
“Why are there not four women and four men in this
Circle?” Marie spoke up.
We all collectively looked around at each other, asking
ourselves the same question and coming up with no answer.
“I do not know,” Gaston replied. “I only know what my
grandfather told me, and that was many years ago. He was
also part of a Circle.”
“What do we do now that we are a Circle?” Caroline rose
from her seat and went to stand by Thomas. However slight
it was, I could sense a bond between them. They would
become partners, I was sure of it.
15

“We must stay together. That is how the Circle remains

powerful. I have arranged a place for us to stay in
Bedfordshire,” Gaston began to say.
“Bedfordshire! That’s over a hundred miles away!” Marie
exclaimed. “It would take days of traveling with all of us.”
“I have several coaches we can use,” Thomas interceded.
“I have a coach as well,” Madeleine added. Her
pearlescent blue eyes shone brightly in the orange glow of the
candles. Her English was coated with a heavy French accent.
“As do I,” Gaston replied. “The length of time does not
matter, all that matters is that we stay together.”
“We are just expected to trust you. We know nothing of
you,” Marie countered.
Gaston’s eyes met mine and he asked me, “Do you trust
me?”
Having all seven of them focusing on me was daunting.
I’d grown accustomed to being treated as if I was invisible, so
much so that I yearned not to be seen.
“I…I.” My voice came out in stutters. I thought about
the question, and asked myself, Do I trust this man? “I do.” I
knew I could trust him.
“Anne!” Marie chided me.
“I trust him as I trust you,” I said to her. “I felt the same
way about you, that I could trust you, and now I feel that
towards him. Towards all of you,” I said to the group.
A soft voice entered the conversation, and we all turned
to face it. “She above all, would be the best to answer that
question, don’t you think, Marie?” It was Katherine who
spoke. She was wearing the same type of clothes that I would
wear during my work hours at my lady’s house. She must
have been a lady’s maid too.
16

Marie was silent for a moment as she thought about it,

and finally she looked at me, and said, “Then we go to
Bedfordshire.”
17

four
Saunders Residence, Misery, 2010.
“You have got to be the most boring person on the
planet!” Luke exclaimed when he found me staring up at my
ceiling in my room.
“Yeah. But I think I found Obama in the corner over
there.” I pointed up at the ceiling.
He chuckled at my patheticness and collapsed next to
me, making the bed bounce crazily up and down.
“How was tennis?” I asked. Luke had been at his tennis
lesson, which his mother forced him to go. It was either
tennis once a week, or a five week tennis camp in the
Hamptons.
“About as fun as watching mold grow,” he answered.
“Hit my instructor in the head with the ball once—kind of
made it all worth it.”
“Ooh, now that would have been fun to watch,” I
commented.

“Maybe next time you’ll come?” he asked. He’d been

trying to get me to go with him to his lessons, but I knew
Mrs. Fulcom would be there giving me the stink eye. She
majorly disapproved of Luke’s friendship with me. She
preferred it if he’d hang out with the snobby group that drank
Pellegrino and commented on the boorish concert they’d
attended with mummy and daddy.
Luke hated Pellegrino, and the last concert he went to
was Greenday.
Answering his question, I sarcastically said, “Only if they
let me blast the Yeah Yeah Yeahs through their speakers. Oh,
and I don’t have to wear white, do I?”
He smiled. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“A big elephant-sized no,” I added.
We laid there a while staring up at Mona and the gang,
and then he asked, “So what are you doing later?”
“Um, dunno. Thought I’d head over to Maxie’s. Wanna
come?”
“Tempting,” he replied. “But my parents are having a
lame dinner party and I have to be there. Thought you might
like to crash it.”
I cocked my eyebrow up mischievously. “I will give it
serious consideration. Abigail Fulcom could use a little
excitement in her life.”
His hand brushed against mine and he said, “I could use
a little of you too.”
Choosing to ignore the obvious mushy, romantic
overtones his comment implied, I opted for sarcasm. “What!
Only a little?!”
“Fine,” he said dramatically. “I need you more than air
itself. Better?” He smiled.
“Much.”
19

Later on, I was seriously thinking about crashing

Abigail’s party, but I decided to think about it over ice cream.
Bubblegum, of course.
Maxie always knew what I wanted. Whenever he would
see me coming, he would whip up my double scoop of
bubblegum on a cone.
When I walked in the door to the ice cream parlor, I was
greeted by the familiar chimes of the bells clanging on the
door and the intoxicating smell of fresh sugary cream. Just the
slightest smell of it brought back memories of being a little
girl and walking with my mom and dad down the beach
while the ice cream I was eating melted over my fingers,
making a sticky, but yummy mess.
As was routine, I went over to where Maxie normally had
my cone waiting for me, except this time, there was nothing. I
nearly had heart failure.
I looked up to Maxie and gave him a concerned look.
“Are you feeling okay, Maxie?”
He gave me a big chuckle, and pointed over the counter
towards the table area.
First, I spotted my ice cream waiting for me in its little
holder at a table, and then, I realized that there was someone
with it. Immediately, I got predatorily angry. How dare
someone take my ice cream!
After taking a second to build my anger, I looked closer
at who it was. It was Hot Boy—I mean Zane. And he had his
own double scoop of bubblegum ice cream.
I felt confusion filling up my already filled brain. Like,
why did he order an ice cream for me? Or, how did he know I
would be coming here? Did he just order the same ice cream I
liked and hoped that I would come? And, did he really like
bubblegum ice cream, or was he just eating it because he
knew I liked it? I needed answers.
20

I confidently approached him, and my ice cream, and

said, “You again.”
He gestured to the seat in front of the waiting treat, and
waited for me to sit.
“How is it?” I asked him about the ice cream.
He took a lick of his and said, “It’s delicious. I’ve been
thinking about it ever since I saw you eating yours.”
That answered one of my questions.
“They are addictive,” I warned. Picking mine up and
immediately taking a bite that had a bubblegum chunk
showing.
“How’d you know I would come?” I asked.
Trying to make a bubble with his gum, he answered, “I
didn’t. Maxie did.” He nodded towards the older man behind
the counter who was smiling at us.
“Ah,” I said. “Maxie, you sly dog.”
The ice cream maker chuckled and waved his scooper at
me.
“So have you found what you were looking for?” I asked
after taking another bite.
His luscious green eyes rolled over my face. “I’m getting
closer to it. I’m sure it will be any day now.”
I gave an understanding nod, and said, “Then you’ll be
leaving?”
“Yep,” he replied cheerfully.
I didn’t view the idea of him leaving as cheerfully as he
did. I liked having Hot Boy around. He was hot.
“That’s too bad,” I said. “Not many people I know can
appreciate the fine taste of bubblegum ice cream. It’ll be sad
to be the only one again.” I let out a sigh.
He smiled at me in a way that made me think that he
wanted to say something, but was holding back.
21

“Where are your friends anyway? I haven’t seen them

around.” I asked.
He finished his ice cream and settled back in his chair,
“They had to leave, but they’ll be back. Hopefully soon. I’d
like to introduce you to them.”
“Yeah! I love meeting new people. The ones around here
can get so boring.” I leaned forward with excitement.
From behind the counter, Maxie yelled, “Hey!” when he
heard what I said.
“Everyone except you, of course,” I yelled back.
Zane leaned forward. “Great!” His green eyes lit up when
he saw how much his offer excited me. “Do you have a way I
can get a hold of you, you know, other than bubblegum ice
cream?”
I gave him my cell number and he gave me his. I
promised that if he didn’t call me to meet his friends that I
would hunt him down. He didn’t seem to mind.
After I finished my ice cream, he walked me to the door.
Even held it open for me like some kind of gentleman.
“So, I’ll see you around,” I said to him as we walked
down the sidewalk.
“Yeah. And I’ll call you when my friends get back,” he
replied while running his hand through his hair. “I think
you’ll like them.”
“If they’re anything like you, I’m sure I will,” I assured.
Giving him a cheerful smile, I started to walk in the direction
of Luke’s, pausing to look back over my shoulder. Hot Boy
was watching me walk away, and the way the sun was
illuminating him, he looked extra-hot.
22

five
Pendleton Manor, Bedfordshire, 1700.
It took us three days to reach Pendleton. I rode with
Marie and Katherine in Thomas’s second coach. Thomas
rode alone with Caroline, which would have been outrageous
if our circumstances had not been different. Gaston,
Madeleine, and Henry followed in Madeleine’s coach. It was
quite the procession.
It turns out that Pendleton belonged to Gaston’s
grandfather, who bequeathed it to Gaston upon his death.
The estate was flagrantly affluent, boasting more than a
full staff, and several smaller houses off of the main house.
Though Gaston offered each of us our own quarters,
Marie and I still chose to stay together. Having her close
made me feel safer. During the trip, Madeleine and Henry
seemed to bond, and they were now spending all their free
time walking and talking to each other among the grounds.

It was very interesting to watch a woman, with such

grand means and a man with little, become so close. Their
qualities were perfectly suited for each other. She was brave
enough to choose him, and he was respectful of her of her
every whim.
Caroline and Thomas were always discussing something
of importance. Whether it was the war politics, or what we
would be having for dinner. She always gave her honest
opinion, and he was always loyal to his thoughts, and hers.
Being together seemed to bring out their innate qualities, and
make them more potent.
Katherine would float among us, tending to each of us
and making sure that we were cared for. She spent her spare
time caring for the staff, and even working with them. She
was such a wonderful person. I liked being around her, and
always made a point to sit between her and Marie at dinners.
Life became something of a dream. I was free of beatings,
and never wanted for anything. I often felt restless and would
take long walks down to the lake.
Someone had even put in a stone bench just for me. I
used it so often I was worried of wearing it down.
Marie would often lock herself up in the library, with a
book in her lap and a quill at the ready to take notes. She was
so brilliant.
Gaston was still somewhat of a mystery to me. We had
hardly uttered more than three sentences to each other since
coming to Pendleton. During the days, he always seemed so
busy taking care of official business, and at dinners he spoke
mostly to Madeleine and Thomas. But every once in a while,
I would catch him watching me, admiring even. It would
make the butterflies in my stomach start dancing wildly.
24

It was one particularly gloomy day when I decided to go

for a walk down to my bench at the lake. There, I could think
about anything. It was like my mind could be free.
If I let them, the voices and memories of members from
the Circles before ours would flood my vision and take over
my thoughts.
It was a nice escape from the tedium of doing nothing.
But it could also be disturbing at times.
Listening to the calming sound of the water lapping
against the edge of the lake, I settled into my favorite spot on
the bench and closed my eyes.
At first the dull gray light of the sky shone through my
eyelids, but as I let my mind slip into the hazy state I had
done so many times before, the light faded away and was
replaced by a fuzzy image.
The further and further I slipped into the state, the
clearer the image became, until it was just as vivid as reality.
It was the scene of eight people gathered in a circle with
hands interlaced. Four women and four men. The image
began to move, just as if I was in the room watching them. A
glow seemed to radiate off of each set of hands and I could
feel the power that this Circle held.
Each of them was bonded. It was incredible to behold
how strong they were. Honesty mixed with Bravery,
Compassion with Loyalty, Trust with Respect, and Loving
with Intelligent. Their combinations branched out to create
more than just eight human strengths.
That was why we were meant to bond with each other,
to create better strengths, and those strengths would influence
our generation.
“What are you seeing?” a voice broke the silence.
25

Pulling myself out of the state, I came back to

consciousness. The light temporarily stung my eyes as I tried
to focus on the person next to me.
“Gaston. I didn’t even hear you come up,” I said while
fixing my somewhat sloppy dress. “I was watching one of the
Circles before us. They had all bonded…it was amazing.”
“Yes.” He smiled. “It is pretty incredible. Even with our
Circle only being half bonded, I can feel its strength
increasing. It’s amazing how it can do that.”
“Mm.” I nodded. “How is it that we are meant to bond?
Our Circle that is? There are not enough men.”
“Bonding does not require men-women groupings,
Anne,” he said thoughtfully. “Only that the members within
the Circle bond with another.”
“Oh,” I replied. “That makes sense, I suppose.” I leaned
back to contemplate what that could mean, and came to the
only obvious conclusion. “So, you and Katherine are
bonded?”
I knew that Marie and I shared a special bond. I already
felt like we couldn’t be separated…that we had become like
sisters.
He let out a confused smile. “Whatever made you think
that?”
“I just figured that since Marie and I are so close that…”
“You think that you two are bonded, and that would
mean that Katherine and I must be bonded.” He finished my
thought for me. “It does make a certain sense. You and Marie
are nigh inseparable. But, no. Katherine and I are not, and
will not be bonded.”
“Then, you and…Marie?”
“No.”
“That only leaves me, and, well, obviously we’re not
bonded,” I explained.
26

“Obviously?” His head tilted to the side questioningly.

“It’s just that you and I have barely spoken. It’s not like
we even know each other.”
“This is true,” he answered. His hand settled on the
bench and traced little patterns as he asked, “What do you
think of this bench?”
“Well, it’s a bench.”
“Yes, but, do you like where it is? Is it a comfortable
bench?”
I thought about it for a second, and realized that the
bench is exactly where I would have put it myself, and in fact,
it was comfortable. I could sit on it for hours and still be at
ease.
“Yes, and…yes.” I answered his questions.
“Good. Then I guess you could say that I don’t not know
something about you,” he replied.
“You put the bench here?”
His brown eyes gleamed with pride. “Yes. I was aware
that you came here a lot, and I thought you would like having
somewhere to sit.”
“Wait a minute…are you trying to tell me that we are
bonded?” I felt all of my blood rush to my cheeks and a
feeling of nervous anticipation came over me.
“Trying, but not so sure I am succeeding,” he answered.
“No.” I stood up from the bench. “No, no, no, no, no.”
My hands started fumbling together nervously and I started
to pace in little circles around the bench. Gaston simply
watched in amusement.
“Does this upset you so?” he finally asked.
“Of course it does. I’m not…I’m not prepared for
something like that.” I pressed a hand to my forehead to keep
my head from spinning. “I’m not ready. And what about
Marie?”
27

He stood up and put himself in my path. “Anne, calm

down. Just because we are bonded doesn’t mean that we must
be more than friends, not if you don’t want us to be.” He
placed his hand comfortingly on my shoulder.
Very aware of his hand, I asked, “And you are okay with
only being friends?”
“My trait is Love, Anne. I don’t think you’ll find it
possible to be only friends, but, I’ll be happy with whatever
you choose.”
I knew as soon as he said it that he was right. The way he
was looking at me sent all sorts of shivers through me. It was
like I was something he treasured above all others. It made me
forget any worries that I might have had.
“Oh, dear,” I sighed in resignation.
His hand on my shoulder moved up to my cheek, and as
his hand touched my skin, I felt the power of our bond flow
into me. Love and Trust. The basis for any good relationship.
How would it be possible to deny such a thing?
Making myself think of other things, I asked, “What
about Marie and Katherine?”
“They may choose to bond, or they may not. It is up to
them, but it would be in the interest of the Circle if they did.”
His eyes sent messages of devotion and affection into mine,
the presence of which was intoxicating.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“What?”
“Talk about one thing, but look at me like that.”
“The same way you talk about one thing and look at me
the way you are now.”
Confused, I asked, “How am I looking at you?”
“As if you trusted me with your life.”
I realized that his hand was still resting on my cheek, the
sense of which made me blush further.
28

“Am I looking at you like that?”

He nodded.
Did I trust him with my life? In a way, I already had.
From the moment I read his letter, I had put my trust in him.
I continued to do so by coming to Pendleton.
“I must trust you then. With my life.”
The warmth in his eyes grew. “Then I must love you.
With all my heart.”
If music had been playing, then at that moment it would
have swelled into a beautiful harmony of harps and violins, all
playing the good notes to signify our incredible realizations.
29

six
Fulcom Residence, Misery, 2010.
After leaving Hot Boy, I walked the five or so streets
from the beach to Luke’s neighborhood. The houses only
seemed to get bigger and bigger the further I walked, until
there was only one huge, ginormous monstrosity of a house
left. The Fulcom’s.
Luke rarely invited me over to his house. I figured it was
because it embarrassed him, well that, and the fact that his
mom hates me.
I quickly realized that I wasn’t wearing the proper attire
for a frou-frou event like this, but I really didn’t give a darn.
If Luke wanted me to crash this party, then by golly, consider
this sucker crashed.
With the same snobby, nose-in-the-air attitude of the
other guests, I marched myself, cut off jeans, flip flops and all
to the front door, and proudly punched the buzzer.
Cromwell, the Butler, answered in under three seconds.

“Mr. Fulcom is not available,” he said in his haughty,

nasally voice.
“I know.” I pushed passed him. “He invited me to this
shindig.”
“Hmm.” His beady eyes assessed me.
“So, where is Mr. Fulcom?” I asked in the same nasally
tone as Cromwell’s.
“Mister Luke is by the pool, with his friends.” Cromwell
put an evil little lilt on the word ‘friends’ that made me
wince. As if any of these people could actually be Luke’s
friends! Except me of course.
“Thanks, Cromwort.” I waved behind me as I headed for
the pool.
I snarfed an iced tea from one of the trays a server was
carrying, and was able to make out Luke’s golden hair. It was
unmistakably his. What I did have a problem with was the
petite blond girl who was sitting close enough to Luke to
count the freckles on his face.
Homing in on my target, I moved closer. Eventually, I
was close enough that I could hear the banter going on
between them.
He would say something then she would giggle and then
the other way around. It was…nauseating.
“Well, I crashed this thing to make sure you didn’t die of
boredom,” I said to Luke, interrupting their conversation.
“But I see now that maybe that wasn’t necessary.” I gave
Blondie an almost evil-sneer.
“Liz?” Luke practically jumped out of his lounge chair. “I
didn’t think you were gonna come.” He looked from me to
the blond girl and back again. “This is Fiona, Fiona this is my
best friend Liz,” he introduced us.
Fiona’s eyes lit up and she smiled at me. “So you’re the
infamous Liz I’ve heard so much about.”
31

“And you’re the Fiona that I’ve heard nothing about.” I

looked from Fiona to Luke expectantly, and a little pissed.
Since when did Luke have a friend that I didn’t know about?
He knew exactly what I was thinking. “I met Fiona in
Dubai. Her parents know my parents…” He shrugged.
“What a small world,” I replied acidly to Luke. To
Fiona, I said, “So are you and your family are just visiting
Misery?”
Please say yes.
“No, my family is back in Boston. I was just on my way
back from another trip and I thought I’d stop by to visit
Luke. After everything he did for me in Dubai, it was the least
I could do.” She gave him a warm, brilliantly white smile that
made me want to gag.
“Oh,” I said suspiciously. “And what did Luke do for
you?”
“Nothing we can’t talk about later,” Luke cut in. “But
right now, I think dinner is ready.” He gestured us inside, me
more forcefully than her.
To my dismay, he seated Fiona at the opposite end of the
table as me. I was sure it was all a plot to keep me from
talking to her. When he came back to sit next to me, I gave
him the full power of my dagger eyes. I wasn’t even sure why
I was mad at him, but it felt right to be mad.
“Elizabeth…I don’t remember inviting you,” Mrs.
Fulcom said to me as she took the seat at the head of the table
closest to Luke and I.
“I did, Mother,” Luke interrupted.
She let out an almost indiscernible grunt before
whispering something to the woman next to her.
“So,” I said under my breath to Luke. “When were you
planning on telling me about your travel buddy?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. Never.”
32

I ripped my wheat roll in half with more oomph than

was necessary. “Why?”
“Not important I guess,” he replied without looking at
me.
Grimacing, I said, “Didn’t look ‘not important’ to me.
You two seemed downright cuddly.”
“Would you just drop it?” he snapped sharply.
“Yes, Your Highness.” I stuffed half the roll in my mouth
just so I wouldn’t be tempted to say anything I would regret
later. This would be the last Fulcom dinner party I ever went
to. Luke was always so uptight with his parents around.
After the freaky gelatinous dessert, I excused myself from
the table and headed for the door.
“You’re leaving?” Luke asked from behind me.
“Yep,” I replied without turning around.
“You mad at me?”
“Yep.”
I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Liz…” he started to say.
His mom’s nails-on-a-chalkboard voice interrupted him,
“Luke dear, your father wants you,” she called from the
dining room.
“One minute, Mother,” he replied, and waited till her
heels headed in the opposite direction. “Can I come over
later?”
“Yep.” I was starting to wonder if I knew any other
words, but it got the point across.
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” His hand left my shoulder, and
I heard him walk away.
It was dark outside as I walked home. The sound of the
waves hitting the beach was playing in the background, and I
decided to go sit in the sand for a while. The beach at night,
was prettier than the beach during the day, at least, I thought
it was.
33

I tried to figure out why I hated Fiona so much. She

seemed kinda nice, compared to the other bitchy girls that
Mrs. Fulcom pushed at Luke. Maybe I didn’t like her because
she was so pretty…but, no, that wasn’t it.
The truth was, I didn’t like her, because Luke did. It set
off all sorts of hidden alarms that I didn’t even know I had. I
wanted Luke to only look at me the way he was looking at
her. I wanted him all to myself, but yet, every time he made a
move to get closer to me, I pulled away. Like magnets with
the same polarization. I was attracted to him, but the closer
he got, the further I repelled.
It must be that time old problem of being friends, but
also being more than friends at the same time. It never
seemed to work out they way people wanted it to.
34

seven
Pendleton Manor, Bedfordshire, 1700.
This time at dinner, things were awkward. Marie sat
where she normally sat, but this time, Madeleine had moved
to on the other side of Henry, and Gaston offered me the
now empty seat next to himself.
I was torn. I didn’t want to not sit next either of them.
The decision was so intimidating, that instead of choosing, I
said, “Please excuse me. I’m not hungry this evening.” I gave
the group a little bow and left the dining hall, taking quick
steps in retreat so that no one would ask any questions.
I hadn’t thought about what would happen if I was
bonded to someone other than Marie. I still wasn’t sure that
she and I weren’t bonded, in a way.
The sound of footsteps following me echoed through the
large hallway. Gaston’s familiar voice asked, “Anne, is
something wrong?”

Stopping, I turned around. “Yes. I can’t do this.” I

avoided looking in his eyes, because I knew they would be
just as dreamy as they were by the lake.
“You mean dinner?” he asked, closing in the distance
between us.
“No, us,” I said in a whisper.
“Have your feelings towards me changed?”
I almost laughed. “Of course not.”
His hand reached out and closed around mine, which
was trembling. “Then what is it?” His other hand nudged my
chin up so that I had to look into his eyes.
I was caught in his gaze for several moments before I
could answer. “Marie. I can’t choose between either of you.
Not even if my life depended upon it.”
His loving gaze never faltered. “I never expected you to
choose between us, Anne.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Whatever feels right to you.”
I leaned into his shoulder. “This feels right. But so does
being with Marie.”
His arm folded around me, and he whispered, “We’ll
figure this out.”
A new voice disrupted the silence, “Well, I must admit, I
didn’t expect this.”
I turned around to see Marie watching us with crossed
arms. Part of me felt guilty, as if I had betrayed her.
“Marie…”
“So you’re bonded?” she asked skeptically.
I nodded. “Yes.”
She shrugged and started to leave.
“Wait!” I ran to her, before I knew what I was doing, my
arms wrapped around her in a fierce hug. “This doesn’t
change anything between us.”
36

She hugged me back. “I know, dear.”

As she left, a wave of foreboding crept over me that I
couldn’t shake off.
“It’ll be okay,” Gaston said comfortingly
I looked back into his devastatingly loving eyes and said,
“I don’t know.”
The foreboding feeling still hung in the air over the next
few weeks, even though all the bonded couples were getting a
lot closer, including Gaston and I.
At first, things between Marie and I seemed to be the
same as they were before, but eventually she stopped coming
to dinners. Katherine, sensing the need of the Circle for all of
us to be bonded, even tried to befriend Marie, but Marie was
like a stone wall. Sometimes I wondered if the only reason she
stayed at Pendleton was because she knew it would break my
heart if she left.
The first entertaining thing to really happen at Pendleton
was when Gaston’s younger brother, Brom, came to visit. He
had the same eyes and hair color as Gaston, but their manners
were exact opposites.
I learned from Gaston that Brom had been left out of the
family will, and when he was old enough, he left to join the
army.
What really bothered me was the way that Brom would
watch Marie during the few times that she decided to join us
for supper. It was similar to the way Gaston would look at
me, except it was full of hunger and lust. I made a point of
staying close to her whenever he was around.
“Tell me, Marie,” Brom said from his perch on one of
the library sofas. “Why is it that I never see you out among
the grounds, like Miss Anne here?” His eyes passed over my
face lazily and landed on Marie’s. I didn’t like the way looked
at her, it was almost indecent.
37

“Why is it that I should walk the grounds, Mr.

Veaufort?” Marie replied keenly.
“Is that not what young women do?”
“Not this one.” She turned the page of her book.
He leapt from the sofa and came to sit in the chair next
to her. “Maybe you just haven’t found the right person to
walk with you.”
“Maybe,” she answered. “And since they’re not in this
room, I see no reason that my reading should be interrupted.”
Brom smiled at the quip. “Touché.”
The sound of boots hitting the floor entered the library. I
looked to see who it was, and was surprised to see Gaston and
the rest of the members of the Circle coming towards our
table.
“Brom,” Gaston called. “Would you mind giving us a
moment?”
Brom’s playful smile disappeared. He got out of his chair
and gave Gaston a wicked smile. “Of course not, Brother. It is
your house after all.”
38

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--Ali

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Anne and Liz were born three hundred years

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She pulled me towards the pub, and I could feel

me well. She never allowed the servants to have candles, and

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A noise at my window caught my attention. I looked

Luke’s family was one of the founding families of Misery,

Luke came to stand next to me. He asked, “Do you

A few days later while hanging out at Maxie’s Iced

I knew I was blushing, so I took a huge bite of the cold

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He waited till we followed, and then led us into the

As soon as our hands connected, my body began to

Circle would be strengthened. It wouldn’t be possible now.

“We must stay together. That is how the Circle remains

Marie was silent for a moment as she thought about it,

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“Maybe next time you’ll come?” he asked. He’d been

Later on, I was seriously thinking about crashing

I confidently approached him, and my ice cream, and

“Where are your friends anyway? I haven’t seen them

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It was very interesting to watch a woman, with such

It was one particularly gloomy day when I decided to go

Pulling myself out of the state, I came back to

“Obviously?” His head tilted to the side questioningly.

He stood up and put himself in my path. “Anne, calm

“Am I looking at you like that?”

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“Mr. Fulcom is not available,” he said in his haughty,

“And you’re the Fiona that I’ve heard nothing about.” I

I ripped my wheat roll in half with more oomph than

I tried to figure out why I hated Fiona so much. She

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Stopping, I turned around. “Yes. I can’t do this.” I

She hugged me back. “I know, dear.”

“Why is it that I should walk the grounds, Mr.

If you enjoyed reading this, use the stars to

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