It was the strangest tea party you ever did see. Not the least for the fact that there was no actual tea included. There was supposed to be, of course, but last second mix ups won out this time.

There was, however, wine and champagne and juice, and a little bit of strawberry milk, thanks to Elira Hollows. Like the others, Taryn Everthorne had dressed rather whimsically, as they were instructed to do. She ran a brush through her pin straight black hair, dabbled some makeup on her face, and donned her flounciest floral gown to the tea party. At which she arrived at only to discover a startling lack of tea.

Now, make no mistake. Despite the jovial appearance of the group, in all of their pastel colors, sweet treats, and party decorations, this tea party was anything but a happy affair. Taryn could feel the tensions rolling off the group in waves, and she was well aware that she was a contributing member. What else did you expect from a group of people who didn't actually know who invited them to a tea party without any tea or why they were there?

They all thought they knew, was the problem. Taryn's invite in the mail came from Elowyn Banevale, Elowyn's came from Ravana Mistborn, Ravana's came from Azmira Wolfmire, Azmira's came from Isolde Winfield, Isolde came from Elira Hollows, Elira's came from Lysara Blackbrook, and last but certainly not least, Lysara's came from Taryn Everthorne herself. A nice, neat, perfect circle.

Taryn knew what each woman thought when the opened the letter. She had the same exact thoughts herself. Surprise came first - she hadn't heard from Elowyn or the others in years. Nostalgic fondness came next. Once upon a time, they really were quite a tightknit group. They did everything together back during their school days. The next feeling that crept up her spine was dread. Nothing had been the same after that night; it's why they hadn't connected in so long. However, after a shake of the head, as if ridding her mind of the dread away entirely, joy and excitement followed and stayed. It would be wonderful to see her old crew and catch up with them all.

Now, as Taryn looked around at all of her old friends, she was taken aback by how much time had changed them while changing nothing at all. Ravana was in her signature stripes with hair much shorter than she ever wore it back at school. Meanwhile Azmira's platinum blond hair hadn't changed a bit, but that shade of red was one she never would have been caught dead in once upon a time. Isolde hadn't really changed much, with her dyed red hair and clashing pink outfits; she just had more wrinkles than before. It was astonishing, really, to see the teenagers they once were and the women they had grown into at the same time.

Lysara, ever the leader, was the first to break the silence, "We obviously didn't all invite each other here, which begs the question - who did?"

"You don't think anyone figured out-" Isolde started, but she was cut off by a very emphatic Ravana, who said,

"Absolutely not! That was years ago! There's no way."

Elira, however, brought the question back up, "Why on earth would we all have been gathered here at a tea party by some mysterious person.

The question hung in the air, as thick and heavy as the tension, which had only kept growing. Taryn looked around, wondering not for the first time, how they had come to this. They were happy as girls. They loved being around each other during their school days. They loved to play and go on adventures and make believe. They were never meant to become this - grown women harboring an unthinkable secret from a night they could never forget no matter how hard they wished they could.

Before anyone could say anything further - before any other denials or theories could be voiced - a deep, booming voice exploded around them. The voice was creepy, without a doubt, especially considering they didn't know where it came from. There was nobody else in sight, and they couldn't even pinpoint a direction it was coming from. The bodiless voice was all encompassing which was absolutely terrifying in its own right. It was the words, however, that came from the voice that paralyzed the women in horror.

YOU WILL HIDE NO LONGER! I KNOW WHAT THE SEVEN OF YOU DID TO SORELLA WEAVER AT THE TEA PARTY ON THE FINAL NIGHT OF HER LIFE, AND YOU WILL PAY!