Prologue

       Have you ever had a feeling that everything in your world is an illusion?  That you were adopted, maybe, or that nothing really exists as you see it? Maybe that you’re a secret agents child, being hidden for your own safety, or a Princess being tested on how you adapt?

       Well, I can’t really vouch for the whole Lost-Royalty thing. But I can tell you that the unreal feeling was true. Is true. Everything you know, your entire world, is a lie. But of course, if you told this to anyone out loud, either your memory would be cleared and this book burned, or you would be told that nothing you read is true, I mean really, it’s just a book. But that, of course, just like everything else, is a lie.

       What kind of lie? An illusory lie. Look out your window. About five feet beyond it, there’s a big metal wall. Cairn, actually. Very strong. Very thick. And it is very good at pasting up an illusion. Cute little pictures to fool the minds of the Humans. Don’t believe me? Oh well. Not much we can do about that. It’s been bred into you guys.1 Might as well put this book down right now. Go ahead!

       Still with us? Okay. So who are us? We are the Visionists, a small group of Contra’s. Contras are basically what you guys would call robots. However, we live, we breathe, we think, and we feel. Just like people. We look like people, just a bit more colorful. As in, our main ‘skin,’ made of a soft silky metal, is one of about six colors. Unless you’re rare. The Visionists think that the lies we’ve put into Human heads, the illusions, are cruel, and we want you guys to know just exactly what is going on.

       I, personally, am Verie. It means truth-teller. I’m purple. I tell Humans the truth. Clement is my younger brother. 15. Aqua – a rarish skin color. Clement means gentle, merciful. That pretty much describes him. He’s kind of our spy. Or at least he’s training to be. Terrence and Terrie, or the twins, are our warriors. They’re Alexander’s kids. They’re both gold. Terrence: Tender, good, gracious. He really can be honoring. He can make you feel very welcomed. Then, within a few seconds, he’ll have you pinned against a wall with a blade at his throat. He’s a lighter, shinier gold. Terrie: Smooth and Polished. Just like her fighting style. It actually is quite amazing to watch. Kind of like your Human ‘Jackie Chan’ Movies. Not that he actually exists. But still, they were pretty good movies.2 She’s a slightly darker, more metallic gold. Ashling: Dream, Vision.  She’s an orphan. Poor little thing. At 12, she doesn’t fight. She’s just sort of there. But she sometimes has dreams – future dreams. She’s a bright cherry red.  Ethan: Steadfastness.  He’s the oldest other than our leader, and is pretty much the second in command. He’s really bossy. And green.