Decoding History:
The Invisible Thread
The year is 2055. In a world where power reigns supreme, knowledge is the ultimate weapon, carefully guarded and ruthlessly controlled. But in the shadows, a strange alliance thrives: as underground libraries and sanctuaries for the keepers of forbidden wisdom are formed through covert coalitions.
Thirty years after the Librarian of Congress was fired by a two-line email, the world has lost much of its knowledge.
Into this dangerous landscape steps Eliza, a book whore was raised an orphan, trained as a courtesan, attempts to discover what is hidden in the past, while her present is never stable.
Cloaked in coded messages within books passed through clandestine libraries, this sisterhood seeks to reclaim lost power in a world determined to keep them silent. But in a society built on secrets and surveillance, can the future still be shaped, or will the forces of control crush her rebellion before it even begins?
Trailer A: Historical Vibe
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Trailer B: Mystery Vibe
Reader's Choice
Gentle reader, thank you for coming on this journey through mysteries and marvels, good times and bad. In every timeline there are choices—moments that shift and shape our lives.
Patricia—Tricia Barkley, is at the cusp of making such a decision. This choice is weighty and should not be made alone. Ah, the crossroads--a choice that will shape her future, each path offering its own trials, revelations, and transformations.
And then—the question of companions.
Should she take Abi, Bea, Jenny—all three? If Abi, Bea, and Jenny do not accompany Tricia, where do they go?
• Abigail/Abi with her capacity for forgiveness, and overcoming the untold trails of being raised by an addict could be incredibly nurturing, offering understanding and a gentle influence.
• Beatrix/Bea's steady and unwavering nature might provide a grounding force and practical support. Her sarcasm and strength.
• Jennifer/305/Jenny's optimism and persistent efforts to bring joy could offer a much-needed lightness and joy.
Each would bring a different kind of support, a different kind of perspective. But Tricia must consider—would she be shaped by them, or would she allow the path itself to shape her?
This is not merely a choice of location—it is a choice of self-definition.
So, gentle reader, what wisdom will you offer? Which path will challenge her, nurture her, transform her?
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Virginia
The Order of Clara Mercy Convent, DC
Bell-View Farms, Pennsylvania
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Virginia, rises like a monument to curated privilege, its manicured lawns and soaring windows reflecting a legacy of selective excellence. Within its walls, arched sunlit classrooms and reverent libraries blend modern functionality with old-world charm. The air carries whispers of floor polish, linen, and aged leather—signaling tradition stitched into every hallway.
Presiding over this composed order is Headmistress Janet, her polished warmth and tweed-clad precision embodying the school’s ethos. She offers visitors a tailored tour with well-rehearsed charm, her firm handshake and practiced cadence more about presentation than intimacy. Yet beneath the glossy brochure experience, subtle divides begin to show: dormitories split between indulgence and efficiency, privacy exchanged for institutional practicality.
What mysteries await in the classrooms for the elites pampered princesses able to pay for a few more years of freedom for their daughters?
The Order of Clara Mercy Convent rests quietly amid the noise of the D.C. landscape, its colonial brick façade softened by moss and memory. A place of solace, solitude, and silence surrounding it—a silence that seems cultivated over centuries. Within, the Convent’s corridors shimmer with fractured light from stained-glass windows, casting ruby and amber halos across cool flagstone and weathered saints who watch with carved compassion. The space resists urgency. It breathes in reflection.
Presiding with grace and grounded wisdom is the Abbess, her voice low and resonant, her presence more sacrament than authority. A sanctum of sunlit classrooms, simple dormitories, and a chapel where artificial flame meets ancient faith. The rooms are spare but warm, offering sanctuary without indulgence—spaces where discernment is planted gently. A single flower at the foot of each bunk.
The Abbess’s words—“a place for the lost to be found”—echo not as command, but as truth long withheld.
Bell-View Farms, Pennsylvania—less a facility, more a time pocket with edges softened by hard work and unspoken stories. Corrugated steel slats filter in unforgiving light, machinery hums a measured rhythm and footsteps mark a choreography of purpose.
Georgette and Marty Washington—the owners, the only names used here. The numbering system, inherited from a long-retired internal code, is worn like legacy—never questioned, rarely explained. It marks placement, belonging, history. The numbers mark your room, your cottage, your position. The dorm rooms echo this pattern: modest but self-contained, each with a kitchenette, a private bath, and the quiet dignity of utility. The factory, too, shares this script: hand-labeled cups at water stations, shared benches worn smooth by years of labor.
Bell-View Farms isn’t simple. Its truths are layered in steel and sisterhood—and not all of them are meant to be spoken aloud. A place where secrets have secrets.
Voting
Patricia (Tricia) Barkley
Patricia “Tricia” Barkley, age seventeen, is the second daughter of the U.S. President in 2055—a role she didn’t choose but can’t easily escape. With thick, brunette, sun-streaked hair that refuses to stay perfectly styled and brown eyes that flicker between defiance and vulnerability, Tricia embodies the tension between privilege and longing. Her restlessness shows in every fidget, every glance away from her societal duties, every sidelong challenge to tradition.
She’s rebellious not for attention alone, but because she craves meaning beyond choreographed appearances and inherited expectations. Tricia struggles with resentment—toward her lineage, her public image, even herself—but beneath that is a quiet hunger for authenticity. She yearns for connection that isn’t negotiated by staff or photographed for headlines.
Abigail (Abi)
Abigail “Abi”, age nineteen, is a quiet force of empathy and resilience—slight in frame, with dishwater blonde hair and a gaze that disarms with warmth and curiosity. Her gentle demeanor, shaped by the instability of being raised by an addicted parent, conceals a deep reservoir of strength. Caroline Barkley saw that strength early on, recognizing in Abi a steadying influence and loyal companion for her daughters. Over the years, Caroline included her in family outings and formative conversations, quietly folding her into their circle. Rather than allow Abi’s life to follow the expected path of early marriage at sixteen, Caroline sponsored her enrollment at St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, where Abi’s kindness, curiosity, and capacity for forgiveness now flourish—socially, intellectually, and emotionally. Abi’s story is one of quiet elevation, a testament to the power of being seen and nurtured.
Beatrix (Bea)
Beatrix “Bea”, age twenty, is a quiet powerhouse wrapped in irreverent charm—a shotputter with the grace of a storm held in check. Her steady, unwavering presence makes her a natural anchor in any group, offering grounded support and razor-sharp observations seasoned with sarcasm. A distant cousin to the Barkley family, Caroline saw in Bea a rare combination of strength and loyalty, inviting her into social circles as a companion for the First Daughters. She now studies at St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, her tuition covered by the Barkleys, extended her time from the inevitable duty of marriage. Though she moves through high society with ease, Bea never compromises who she is: a bouncer in a sundress, practical, perceptive, and utterly unshakable.
Jennifer/305/Jenny
Jennifer—known affectionately as Jenny, or 305 at Bell-View Farms—is a buoyant presence with strawberry blonde hair, pale hazel eyes, and freckles that dance across the bridge of her nose. At around 21, she carries a contagious energy shaped by loyal years of labor and camaraderie. A Regency-vid devotee who dreams of being a ladies’ maid, Jenny blends playful romanticism with practical grit. Her optimism is more than a personality trait—it’s a quiet rebellion, a persistent effort to bring warmth where others might resign. Jenny offers joy like it’s a skill, earned and shared; and though she’s no longer at Bell-View full-time, her legacy there lingers in every hug, nickname, and twirl she brings to a room. She spent her entire life at Bell-View until she left with Eliza. An orphan with a mystery of her own.
Evolution of the Cover
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