Lavender Skies

By K. R. Katling

Violette Hayes is much different than anyone who would meet her on the streets would expect. They might gaze at her beautiful, silky deep purple hair that shined like the sun's rays reflecting off of a lake on a hot summer day. Her very name is derived from the elegance of her hair, that nearly reached out to her toes. This hair does not come due to a genetic mutation, yet it is natural for her to have these spectacular long locks of silk. She is part human, yet also part Cydonian, the sacred alien race that inhabits a galaxy many light years away. Furthermore, she has a long lost twin, Rosalia, living in Cydonia, who has an identical ancestry to her, yet differs very greatly from her in more ways than just the colors of their hair and their different upbringings. Violette spent her childhood with her adopted mother, Olive, and Emma, her adopted sister. They are quite close, as she has been raised here in Sundance, Wyoming since she was two years of age. Then, just as she begins to doubt herself due to the strange traits she possesses as a human Cydonian hybrid, an enormous crisis unfolds, which greatly involves her and her twin sister. Being at the center of the situation, she must release the greatest power she has within, and join forces with a group of young teenagers to face the challenges of the great forces of the unknown universe, and the most powerful beings that are ever known to man. In addition, she must encounter and befriend her sister, as she will be a valuable asset to take down the mysterious forces of the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. R. Katling
• Release date: Aug 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463808405

K. R. Katling

Hello, I'm a young author who is new to the writing community! My new book, "Lavender Skies" is available, and I hope maybe whoever stumbles upon my book will enjoy it!

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Lavender Skies
K. R. Katling


Copyright © 2019 K. R. Katling

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Prologue

Hazel awoke in a dark, gloomy room, with dim lighting in the far back corner. She was petrified, as she had been taken away from her warm and cozy cottage in England. I'm too young to die, she thought solemnly as she peered out of her frigid, steel cell and imagined the terrors that were going to take place once the repulsive alien creatures returned.

As Hazel curled up in a stiffened fetal position in the corner of her cell, she ran her hand gently across her stomach, which bulged out of her abdomen like a hump on a camel. She knew that she was at least eight months pregnant, and she had to know what was going to happen to her babies once they were born. There were two fetuses inside her, and she was extremely concerned about them. What if they were going to be probed or killed? What if they harmed them, or tortured them for eternity? She couldn't bear the graphic visions filling her mind.

As she began to quietly sob, a metal door creaked open, and a familiar man entered the room. She could recognize the heavy panting as that of her husband, Rolei, which was somewhat comforting to her.

Hello, Hazel, the voice calmly stated. It was definitely him.

Rolei, honey? Is that you? Hazel questioned shakily.

Yes, honey, it's me. Please listen to me. They're not going to hurt you, alright? I know these people. They won't hurt you. They're here to help, Rolei reassured.

Are you sure? I don't know if I believe you.

Please do. I would never lie to you. Just get through this, and you will have two beautiful baby girls with you. Okay?

Alright. But please stay with me the whole time. I love you, Rolei. Please help me.

I promise, Rolei agreed as he let in two other aliens so they could let Hazel out of the cell.

Hazel was escorted to another room, which looked much like a hospital room. It was enormous, and there were silver tools scattered across tables and desks. In the center of the room, there was a steel table that was about nine feet long. She noticed that her husband wasn't in the room, and she immediately felt uneasy.

Where's my husband? He said he would stay with me! Where is he? She panicked.

I'm right here, a tall alien figure responded.

He did not look like Rolei at all. He didn't even look human. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be.

No, you're an alien, Hazel stated sternly. You look nothing like my man.

Okay, why don't you just shut your mouth and get on the table?, one of the aliens shouted.

Hazel obliged with terror as she stared at Rolei, horrified by what he had become.

The aliens were probing her organs, invading her body from every direction. It was revolting to her, yet she couldn't do anything, as one of them was grasping a knife, and she didn't want to be dead before she gave birth to her beautiful twin girls.

Alright, you'll be expecting soon. Maybe a couple of days, one of them stated philosophically.

Yep. We’ll just hold you in your cell until then, another one agreed.

The aliens, including Rolei, led Hazel back to her cell, directing her into the cell as the leader of the group, Zennui, locked the door. She was now a hostage, and she wasn't sure what her fate would be now that she was with these appalling creatures.

_

The next few days passed relatively quickly, and before she knew it, Hazel was being dragged to the hospital-like room again. However, this time, she was going to be in labor to give birth, and the aliens were actually helping her.

They didn't say anything as they placed her onto the bed and injected a needle as long as a steak knife into her midsection, and Hazel peacefully closed her eyes as if all of her problems faded away.

Several brief moments of her unconsciousness passed, and a siren rang loudly as Hazel sat upright in a comfortable hospital bed. The room was clearly not a hospital, though, as there was metal and cyan lighting all around the room, with a metal chair and desk next to the bed.

What is going on? Hazel pondered. All she hoped was that things would be okay, and that her twin girls would be okay, too. Then she felt her abdomen, and realized that she had already given birth. She had to know where they were, and what the aliens were doing to them as soon as possible.

Eventually, after about ten minutes, one of the lanky and slimy creatures stalked into the room. He was cradling the girls quite carefully, and carried them across the room as he played peekaboo with one of the adorable infants.

They're both females. Both have an identical pale skin tone and ocean blue eyes. One has rosy pink hair and the other has deep purple hair. What would you like to name the little cherubs? the alien questioned, surprisingly polite and well mannered.

Hazel took the girls from the alien’s grasp, taking in the beauty and innocence of these innocent babies. Well, one of them has pink hair, so I think Rosie would be a suitable name for her. And the other one is so adorable with her purple hair, so I think Violette would be a nice name for her, she responded.

Alrighty, sounds pretty good. I'll just inform the father while you hang tight with your children, the alien chimed as he turned around and left the room as fast as he could. Hazel could not believe that Rosie and Violette were alright, and in celebration of this, she snuggled up to her babies tighter than a screw in a wooden table, vowing to never let go.

_

Two years had passed since Hazel had given birth to Rosie and Violette. Their names were not exactly what Hazel planned them to be, as Rolei changed their names to Rosalia and Lilacia, just so their names would be in accordance with the cultural demands of Cydonia, the planet on which the children were born. She was contained in a small, prison-like confinement, while the girls were attending the school that the people of Cydonia typically attended. Her husband had never been seen again, and she knew at this point that he was a Cydonian the entire time, so she wasn't too certain on why he hadn’t turned up in nearly two years.

Meanwhile, Rosalia was chasing a royal purple and chubby ploo, a creature that lived in Cydonia that was kept as a pet for many of the Cydonians living there, in the courtyard of the school they were attending. It was a relatively peaceful setting, and Lilacia was minding her own business in the corner, reading the latest publishing of quantum theories, according to Cydonian knowledge, at least. This was when a white flash accompanied by white noise devoured the starry sky. She was throwing a tantrum and a half, and her ears were ringing as she was snatched by a dark figure stalking the courtyard. This dark figure wasn't noticeable before, nor was he completely visible. He levitated into the sky into a misty gray object floating like a cloud, with little Rosalia tucked under his stocky arm.

Lilacia was just as stunned as everyone surrounding her, yet she shocked them all by leaping into the air and floating in it as if it were water. She was attempting to rescue her sister from this mysterious, ominous man. She did all she could, and she did eventually manage to reach him. However, once she grabbed his arm to try and release Rosalia, he jerked his other arm toward Lilacia, grasping her, pulling her to his chest to ensure she would not escape from his firm grip. In a split second he was back on the strange flying object, and he was gone, along with two beautiful young toddlers.

Hazel was heartbroken, and had no idea what was going on, or why her children were even taken away from her after all they had been through. They didn't deserve this, and she didn't understand why anything like this could have happened in the first place.

Rosalia and Lilacia were both extremely perplexed. Why would a strange man kidnap them, and why would he take them to a different planet? This was a difficult question to answer, as not even the kidnapper was completely sure. Rosalia just wanted to play with a ploo, and Lilacia just wanted to explore the amazing wonders of Cydonia. Now they were leaving the planet system, and they were not aware of it yet, but they would not be coming back to this place for a long, long while.

Chapter One

I observed the diamond stars sprawled across the sky, and immediately thought of the billions of stars, galaxies, and planets located throughout the universe. Many people are not aware of what exactly is on these many celestial objects, as they have barely scratched the surface of the endless universe that surrounds us. We only inhabited a small planet called Earth, and it surprisingly doesn’t vary much from the planets in other galaxies and solar systems. People think that Earth is so special, and that it is the only planet that has life, and even if I didn't know how I know this, I could easily tell them that this is not true in the slightest. 
 If you've gazed up into the dark night sky, you would only see some stars, sparkling like glitter was spilled all over it. There would be an enormous circular ball with countless dents and shades of ghostly white and cloudy grey. There would also be planets in closer proximity to Earth, such as Mars and Venus, with their glowing presence that is barely visible to the naked eye. The sky is a beautiful canvas, with numerous works of art that are there for us to observe and take in its stunning beauty.
 I was undeniably obsessed with the studies of astronomy and outer space. Many spectacular stories were based off of the sky and celestial objects, and I was fascinated with pretty much all of them. I have spent the brief sixteen years of my life falling in love with these stories and myths. My guardian and closest friend, Olive, was also quite fond of them, and she would always read me a story about astronomy every night before I would drift off to sleep as a young girl.

Olive was quite the motherly figure in my life, and she’s nurtured and cared for me for all of those years, since she adopted me at only two years old. Her hair was styled in a bold buzz cut, covered in a deep shade of dirty blonde. Her eyes were a vibrant shade of green that illuminated her irises like a lush forest filled with trees. She possessed skin as soft as silk, being a pleasant feeling for a young girl when she needed a comforting hug from her mother. Throughout her life, she had raised her daughter, Scarlette, and me, who she considered as her second child.

Days before I was adopted into Olive and Scarlette’s household were times filled with heartbreak and sorrow, especially when I lost my family. I was not certain on what had happened to them, yet strangely all I knew was that I vaguely recalled it being involved with a strange man whom I’ve never met, or at least since he left me on the doorstep of the small house that I lived in at this point in my life. If only I knew exactly who this man was, I could piece some of my life together, and answer the question on why I was so different than the rest of my family. I could figure out why my hair was a vibrant shade of violet, and why I seemed to have developed such strange anomalies that allowed me to manipulate the movement of objects. Maybe I could have found out why I had abilities that let me release the deepest fragments of my imagination out of the confines of my mind and into the real world.

Thud! A strange thumping noise filled my ears as I lifted my head in curiosity. When I jerked my head around to see where the noise came from, I saw my sister Scarlette wincing as a large and heavy astronomy textbook, Space: A Great Adventure Through the Universe, slid off of her foot.

Well, I was going to just leave you to observing the lake while giving you this cool book here, but you know, sometimes a heavy book is going to fall onto your foot while doing something for your sister, Scarlette snickered as she cautiously grasped the book, holding it in front of her to hand it to me.

Thanks, Scarlette, I thanked her gratefully as I took the textbook from her gentle grasp. You know, I really appreciate you going to the library and getting me these. It’s a nice gesture, really.

Hey, that’s what sisters are for, right? Well, I gotta go back to the house to help Mom get ready for dinner. Just try to be back by six, okay?, she grinned as she turned around to return to our small yellow cottage.

Scarlette was a kind and caring woman. She was decently tall, especially for the age of twenty, and had long golden curls that shone like the sun on a warm summer day. When she was in a pleasant mood, her sky-blue eyes gleamed like the sun’s reflection on a lake. She was among the greatest role models in my life, besides Olive, and even if she wasn’t my biological sister, she sure treated me like one. Without her in my life, I wasn’t sure whether I would’ve been the same person I was today.

After pondering my life with my family here in Wyoming, I stowed the astronomy textbook underneath an enormous gray boulder, and made sure there was nobody around to see what I was about to do. Then, when the coast was clear, I submerged my hands beneath the cool, fresh water of the lake, closing my eyes to concentrate on the movement of the mild currents through the water. After about fifteen seconds or so, the water surrounding my hands began to glow a faint periwinkle light, and as I lifted my hands from the lake, the water slowly followed my hands as I moved them upwards. I was molding and shaping the pockets of levitating water droplets, gaining control over every last drop.

The water then began to surround me as I was formed it into a gigantic bubble, with me enclosed inside. As my muscles started to relax, the bubble rose me into the air, and I was able to spectate the many beautiful sights of life in Sunstone. There were many bright golden specks that illuminated the small town, like fireflies buzzing on a warm summer night. Tall wooden stumps topped with lush green leaves were scattered across the land, accompanied by bushes with fruits and berries of every kind. Numerous gray stone and wooden buildings were strategically placed around Sunstone, ranging from tiny cottages, such as the one I lived in, to large commercial buildings and stores.

As the bubble reached higher into the night sky, I realized that I was inhaling water, which didn’t surprise me, because I have done so many times before. This made me think of the fact that I was still inside of a bubble. Since I was ascended at such a high altitude, the odds of the bubble popping would be pretty great, and this enormous pocket of water would land onto the town of Sunstone. I had almost forgotten that I was enclosed inside of a bubble, because of the captivating view of the town from the sky. This would not have been a pleasant thing for either me or the people below me. Therefore, I had to return to the ground, so the bubble wouldn’t burst, and so I could get to my family in time for dinner.

Dinner! I had almost forgotten about that! I had to get back to the house for dinner, or my family would be worried sick for me! Or worse, they would find out about my powers! This thought made my mind rush like a busy highway, and I concentrated as hard as I could to get the bubble to lower onto the lake. However, since my mind was so stressed, the bubble exploded due to my loss of concentration, resulting in me plunging toward the ground in utter fear.

I immediately followed my instinct, and in doing so, I spread out my limbs and closed my eyes to imagine the droplets of water surrounding me. I could feel each individual molecule binding together, creating a vast sheet of ice. As I continued to fall, a cushion of ice was spread beneath me, and I knew that I would be safe.

Just as I could feel the forces of gravity accelerating my body, I motioned my hands to spread the molecules apart, and that is just what happened. The cold, smooth ice transformed into a warm bubble of water once again, to act as a cushion to break my fall. Swerving slightly to the left, the bubble swerved with me, and I was ready for the collision.

Splash! I dove into the lake, and ounces of liquid flung into the air as I dove into the water. I plunged beneath the depths of the lake, sinking like a stone into the deposit. I would usually dive under water every day to explore the lake, and to escape the stress of everyday life once in awhile. This was my alone time, and I valued it greatly. Yet now wasn't the time to be alone, as I had a family dinner to get to.

I quickly submerged from the surface of the lake, swimming to the sandy shore as quickly as I possibly could. Within seconds, my feet were standing on the sandy coast, microscopic grains of sand as soft as a blanket of snow scattered all around the edges of the lake. I slowly wiggled my bare toes through the warm sand, inhaling a large huff of oxygen. As I was doing this, I swore I witnessed someone spying on me through the lanky trees surrounding the lake and my house.

I became quite paranoid now that there was someone stalking me, and even worse, that someone saw what had just happened. The last thing I wanted was for someone to realize who I really was, and that I was in fact not normal for a human girl. I had abilities that even I was afraid to use and harness as my own. If Olive knew about my powers, she would have told me not to ever use them, as they are quite dangerous if used the wrong way. I would have disagreed, though, as I continued to use them in secret in case I would need them in the near future.

However, now I was really beginning to regret this decision. I bolted towards my house, my bare feet leaving muddy footprints in the long path that led to the little cottage I called home. I could sense someone chasing me, but I didn't even look back. All I could think about was getting inside as soon as possible.

As soon as I reached the cottage, I stormed up the creaky chestnut brown steps of the porch, and pounded on the front door as if my life depended on it. In an instant, Olive yanked the door open, with a sly smirk sprawled across her face.

"Can you explain to me why you have been at the lake, observing, for such a long time?", Olive calmly questioned me with an unsettling amount of sass.

Well, um, you know, I, um, got really interested in this amazing book Scarlette gave me, I began, stuttering greatly.

Mhm, that's quite interesting. Now what is this book about?

Well, Scarlette interrupted suddenly. It's about astronomy and the stars above our heads.

Yeah, I agreed. I read about the constellations, and how beautiful they are. You should really see the pictures! They’re so colorful, and the resolution is so--

Alrighty then, girls. That seems like a great book. I'm glad you're into reading. Now, let’s eat some delicious meatloaf while we talk about our days. Olive concluded as she reached for a tray containing a slab of sliced meat, filled with spices and seasonings that you could smell from miles away.

The meatloaf’s texture was rich, each slice being as moist as a freshly baked birthday cake. The smell of the various spices of garlic and thyme and paprika rifting into an aroma that made my tastebuds water with hunger. My stomach growled like a wild tiger as I pulled a chestnut brown chair out for me to sit in, so I could dig into the juicy meatloaf, piece by piece.

Scarlette did the same, her face all lit up as she scooped three slices of meatloaf, some buttery mashed potatoes, and a mound of round green peas onto a porcelain plate. I plopped two slices onto my plate, along with some mashed potatoes, peas, and bright orange squash as sweet as nectar.

So, how's the food? Olive asked, breaking the temporary silence that came upon us while stuffing our faces with her amazing meatloaf.

I think it's amazing! Scarlette and I praised her simultaneously.

Well, I'm glad. I've worked in the kitchen for hours making it. Olive told us, poking her stainless steel fork into a chunk of meatloaf.

Hey, Violette, Scarlette began, facing me. How was your day? Did Olive teach you anything interesting?

My day was pretty good, I responded. "Today was basically about practicing more calculus, and writing an essay on Star Planet. It’s a strange read, but I actually kind of liked it. Olive always picks the best books for me."

I'm so flattered, honey. Thank you. Olive chimed as a genuine grin was painted onto her face.

Aww, no problem, I cheered, returning the smile she gave me.

The remainder of dinner was spent in silence, besides the clanking of silverware as it touched the plates, and the chomping of peas, mashed potatoes, and meatloaf, of course. It was a delicious meal, and all of us needed something to fill our stomachs after the long days each of us had.

Scarlette, Violette, Olive called to us as we headed to our bedrooms. Just make sure you guys get some good sleep for tomorrow, alright? Scarlette, I know how you need to restock tons of books at the library or whatever. And as for you, Violette, we need to talk.

Uh-oh. Whenever Olive said that we needed to talk, it was never a good thing. One time it was because I went out to town without her permission, or when my academic performance was decreasing.

Okay, I'll be in my room. I responded politely, yet shakily, hoping that the reason we needed to talk wasn't too serious.

I turned the cold doorknob of my bedroom door to enter. Shadows filled the room with darkness, and the only light in the room was from a small window in the left corner of the wall facing the door. I pondered what Olive wanted to talk about as I plopped onto my bed and viewed the starry sky from the window.

Tap! Tap! The backside of someone’s hand knocked several times on the door, followed by the golden knob of the door turning slowly and opening with a creak. Olive entered the room, waving and faintly smiling as I looked at her. Once she knew I was aware of her presence, she sat on the bed next to me and faced me with the glow of her forest green eyes.

So, would you like to explain why you think I want to speak with you? Olive challenged, lifting one of her eyebrows.

I really don't know, I replied, shrugging with a blank expression. I really can't think of any reasons why you're mad at me, unless it's because I did something I shouldn't have. Did I do anything I shouldn't have in homeschool?

"No, you didn't. And I'm not mad at you. Just