Cassandra Morphy

Maya San Lucas had been lost in her dreamworld for the better part of five years. But Desparia was no longer a fantasy world for her. It was a nightmare, full of powers and creatures beyond her control. Going to that world took everything from her, destroying her sanity, and bringing her and her friends to certain doom. The life of a thief, and a mage, was so much more exciting than high school, but in all the wrong ways.

After returning from that world of horrors, Maya is left with nightmares plaguing both her sleeping and waking life. Demons stalk her from the corner of her eye, or even out in broad daylight. Therapy was doing little to help, though she knew that her therapist was likely to have her committed for telling the truth. The only thing that lent her any solace was the new girl Meg. For some reason, the demons never came when she was with her.

But as Maya's powers grew, summoning magic to a world that had none, she got a disheartening look at the world that she had left behind. A new evil has come to the empire, taking the place of the fallen emperor as if nothing had changed. When her friends became more determined than ever to return and carry on the fight, Maya ran from them, seeking the safety of the new girl. But Meg has secrets of her own, mysteries that Maya wasn't quite ready for. And as the two of them grew closer, there were other powers coming into the picture that Maya wasn't expecting.

Not much happens in the small town of Chicagorn. The mages rumored to still roam the kingdom of Fandor don't come there, as they would soon be caught and turned in. Most of the people born there head out into the world soon after they come of age. Those stuck behind often find themselves with few opportunities in life, much to Megana's dismay. But then, as long as no one finds out that she is one of those mages, she just fine with her sleepy little life there. However, when her boyfriend heads out to join the troopers, the group responsible for hunting those mages, she's left behind with only her best friend Claire.

That is, at least, until Claire kissed her. Such relationships don't happen in Fandor. Suddenly, she had two secrets to keep from the people of her small town, who always seemed to be in everyone's business. Always looking for reasons to turn on those that don't quite fit in. The stress of it all quickly seemed to become too much for Megana, though not enough to turn her back on this new love that she found in the most unlikely of places.