Stradivarius' Legacy
an excerpt

The first think Kira noticed when she awoke was the ground. Soft and dusty, but there was a big lump impressed in her hip. Looking up, she saw a giant aquaduct, looming into the great blue sky with a bright sun overhead. The structure was white, and she could feel the spray from water traveling through the arches, falling from 3 stories away. Looking down and trying to clear the dizziness from her brain, she saw Alicia, lying still but she looked crouched over something. Kira vaguely wondered if they were performing that night. Glancing at herself, she saw her foot was resting in a paper. Picking it up, she glanced at it. Vesuvius. Sudden recollections shocked her into a flurry of emotions, including confusion, anger, sadness, and intense exhilaration. Looking back at the aquaduct, she saw that it wasn’t just white. It was freshly painted white. A man sat at the top in a white tunic, holding a clump of horsehair and a bucket of paint. He was peering at the two girls. Alicia was just waking up, and Kira dragged her to her feet, clutching the violin, bow and music. “That, was the best I’ve ever played.” Alicia sighed. Leaning against Kira heavily, she sighed as if in a dream. Kira dragged her down an alley and lightly slapped her face. “Hey, Alicia! Wake up! I-I don’t think we’re in Genoa anymore!”