The Broken Chain

Prologue

May 1999

The slamming of the large stain glass door broke the grey haired lady from her trance. She leaned against the pristine kitchen counters and watched her teenage grand-daughter skip across the foyer. The girl dropped her school bag and twirled across the floor obliviously. Rachel Anderson let out a deep sigh, and gently nudged the small wooden jewelry box on the counter.

“There really is no way around this,” she told the small yellow tabby cat curled up at her feet. “I knew this day would come eventually and all the signs are telling me it has.” The cat answered by lifting its head and giving her a soft meow. “I sure am going to miss her,” Rachel whispered “Shayne, can you come here a minute, honey?” the old woman called.

A girlish giggle answered her as Shayne Anderson Burdette appeared in the farm house style kitchen, as if she had simply floated out of the living room. She was tall and slender with the muscular body and grace of a powerful dancer. The eighteen year-old absentmindedly wrapped her long red curls around her finger. Her bright emerald colored eyes danced above her lovely rounded Irish cheek bones. Rachel couldn’t help but smile, her granddaughter wasn’t a baby anymore; she was a lovely young woman.

“Do you need something, Grandma?” Rachel’s smile widened. Shayne was such a sweet, kind-hearted girl. She could be a bit flighty time from to time, but you could never have met a more honest soul. “I have a gift for you.”

The elderly lady handed Shayne the handmade walnut box, which resembled an old fashioned cigar box. Shayne practically bounced with.excitement as she examined the treasure. She carefully ran her hands across the ornately carved initial before she opened it. Her fingers lovingly traced the large monogrammed A, before she ran them around the beautiful ivy border that surrounded the lip.

Shayne opened the box carefully, not to damage the fragile hidden hinge. Her hands trembled as she gently lifted the locket from the purple lining of the box and placed the container on the counter. The locket was a large teardrop with a pear shaped purple stone seated in the center. At the top point was a small round orange gem that reminded her of the sun.setting behind a raindrop. Below the grape colored gem, two round.raspberry colored stones were set symmetrically on each side of a slightly larger light pink oval. The stones were bound together with delicate silver filigree and finished with a large bail.

Light seemed to radiate from the colored stones giving off a faint.glow. It reminded her of how sunlight appears, if it is filtered through stain glass windows. A deep sense of satisfaction welled up in Rachel. “I knew you would like it,” she whispered. Tears sprang to Shayne’s eyes. “It is so beautiful, thank you,” she said breathlessly.

Rachel reached out and squeezed Shayne to her body in a huge hug as the girl began to slip the locket over her head. “I love you, Shayne.” her grandmother told her. “Remember who you are, and protect the chain!”

Those words rang in Shayne’s ears as the world started to spin. The earth seemed to tilt sideways as she felt herself fading into the blackness. Her knees wobbled from under her and she was falling…