《Children of the Galaxy》


 Prologue

    I¡¯m dreaming again and I know it. I¡¯m in a field this time, surrounded by the scent of hundreds of tulips. The wind whispers past, bringing the petal of a tulip to fall on my nose. I giggle as I brush it off. It¡¯s midnight and the moon is shining bright which seems to make my dream all the more beautiful.


    Far in the distance, I see a glow. A glow that begins to fill the sky. The dark and the light fight for space, battling in an ongoing war. Dark is pushed away as a figure is seen in the distance. The silhouette comes closer, crossing the field as the sun lights her way. A girl with skin the color of melted chocolate and hair like the midnight sky comes and sits across from me as I look to the sky, wondering where my night has gone.


    ¡°Grae,¡± she whispers, her voice almost song-like. I look back at her, confused of her knowledge of my name. She meets my gaze with eyes of blue, adorned by flecks of gold. ¡°I am here to warn you about an aspect of the night, the stars.¡±


    ¡°Stars will not guide, they will mislead and betray like darkness of night.¡± I start to object when she says, ¡°Trust the light. It will guide you to safety.¡±


    At that point, the cover of night took over once again, extinguishing the light in the sky. I was beginning to feel more at ease until I sensed something was missing, the moon.


    Although with no moon, stars littered the night sky, shining brightly and giving a sense of security. The girl beside me shifted uneasily, distrust evident in her eyes. Up in the sky, the stars started to spin. Around and around like a ferris wheel they spun. They seemed to come closer and closer until they almost seemed close enough to touch.


    Suddenly, a boy appeared beside me. With eyes of blue with copper shrapnel embedded into the iris, he turned to me and reached to the sky to grab a star. The girl looked at me, took my hand, and started to run. I grew confused and something in the back of my head told me that I need to stay by his side. I pry her vice-like grip off my hand and start to slowly walk back to the boy. She let go and stared in disbelief as I walked back to the boy who controls the stars.


    Somewhere in my mind I knew that I had seen him somewhere, but I didn¡¯t know where. I felt a pull to him, not an attraction, but almost a duty to stand by his side and support his decisions. I reached the boy everything seemed to stop around us. The wind was silenced, tulip petals froze in mid-air, and time seemed to be suspended for one moment.


    The boy looked at me with surprise and said, ¡°Well then, guess we need to stick together then.¡±


    He reached for my wrist and whispered, ¡°Sorry Grae Bear, but this is for your own good.¡± He slammed his hand into my wrist and I screamed. It hurt so bad. Little tendrils of pain snaked up my arm and seemed to infuse itself into my veins. I could feel the foreign substance take over everything in my body and my heart felt as if it were being ripped into shreds and set on fire. Pain is all I can feel and I try everything in my power to rip my arm from his grasp, but all I can do is collapse to the ground. He remained firm, letting something mold into my skin. Out of the chaos and pain, I heard his hoarse voice as he spoke softly, ¡°With this mark, you are now mine.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    My face is wet with tears and sweat burns my eyes as I look to my wrist. An angry red blister in the form of a star is now on my right wrist and it burns like a pain I¡¯ve never felt before. I cry out in pain and lay on the ground, just wanting this dream to be over.


    The girl is now over me, breathing hard with her smooth black hair sticking to her face. She wears a look of horror and whispers something under her breath. ¡°Grae, I know you¡¯re hurt, but you need to follow me.¡± Her blue eyes are frantic and she takes my hand, my blistered hand. I shriek again and I feel nothing but pain. Words pass through my ears, but I can¡¯t understand them. I try to close my eyes, but my eyes feel almost like they¡¯re being held open by an invisible string.


    The girl picks me up and she starts to run, or at least attempt to. She stumbles and falls on the ground, somehow protecting me from the fall. She stands back up, turns around, and then her eyes fill with terror. I follow her gaze and I see the boy. He grabs stars from the ever-darkening night sky and starts to spin them in a circle. The stars race around like a dog chasing his tail and the boy throws the circling stars into the sky. My jaw drops at this magnificent display and I hear the frightened whisper, ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡±


    Stars began to fall from the heavens. It would have been a beautiful sight if I never saw the afterfect. As the stars collided with the earth, they exploded and made the once peaceful field end in utter destruction. I almost couldn¡¯t believe it. It seemed to have instantaneously turned into the Devil¡¯s realm. The once beautiful flowers had erupted into flames, the ground seemed to be launching itself into the air, almost like some child was using it as an old trampoline. An old trampoline that was fraying and splitting to the point where the whole trampoline crashes to the ground.


    The girl looked at me and shouted to me with panic evident in her voice, ¡°Eidda, that¡¯s my name. Remember that.¡± She turned to run when a star bursted and hit her in the leg like shrapnel and her screams were deafening as she hit the ground. The world spun as destruction and Eidda¡¯s screams filled my surroundings, I threw up into the grass beside me.


    The boy looks over me and states calmly, ¡°You see, look at what the stars can do in the most terrifying circumstance. They can destroy, they can hurt, they can betray. But stars do not always lead astray. They can bring light, hope, and happiness. They lead the way in the darkness of the night. Grae, join me and we will be together as the moon with her stars. If you see reason, you¡¯ll know where to find me.¡±


    He turned and took a step, but he turned back. ¡°Please,¡± he whispered as his eyes filled with longing and regret. ¡°Come back and please help me rule, like it used to be.¡± He turned and continued to walk away. As he left, Eidda¡¯s blood-curdling screams filled my ears and all goes black.

 Authors Note

    Hello everybody and welcome to Children of the Galaxy! This is a remake of my original novel and I hope that it has been changed for the better. A couple of things I want to clarify before we dive into the rest of the novel:


    1.) My pubilcations may not be very often, so I apologise in advance. Life is crazy so I cannot guarantee a set schedule, but I will do my best to release a chapter every two weeks.


    2.) There may be some grammarical errors throughout, so I would be very grateful if you point them out to me because I know I will not catch them all.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    3.) If you have any questions, concerns, or advice, please leave a comment or DM me. I will try to get back to you as quickly as possible and I would be grateful for anything you guys want to say. If you guys don''t like the progression of this plot line or prefer the othe one, let me know and I''ll see what I can do.


    You all are amazing and I am so happy to try and start "Children of the Galaxy" back up! Let''s see where our travels with Grae go next!


    Sincerely,


    cetgrjx

 Chapter One

    I jolt up in my bed with a scream stuck in my throat. Sweat drips down my face and my hair is sticky to the touch. I try to take deep breaths, but they sound like the gasps of one who is struggling for air. I wait a couple of minutes panting and try to slow my racing heartbeat. Tears have been streaming down my face and I grab my pillow to wipe my face off.


    After my pillow is stained with leftover makeup, I grab my cell phone and turn on the screen. 3:14. I take a loud sigh of annoyance and throw the phone on my bed. I walk over to my closet and grab my red sweatshirt with a logo that has seen better days. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going back to sleep now, not after one of my night terrors. I grab my tennis shoes, slide them on and go over to the other side of my room. My chocolate lab looks up at me with warm brown eyes whining slightly as I bend down to pet her head, ¡°Quiet Izzy, I¡¯ll be back.¡± I open the window and reach for the tree branch outside.


    I slowly creep onto the roof and grasp the branch for dear life. I look over the city of Logan, Utah with the Logan temple shining in the distance and car lights crawl across the wide landscape. I crawl across the roof, painfully aware of the dampness and slickness of our roof from last night¡¯s rain, until I get to a more stable part of the tree. I slowly climb down our old oak tree until I reach the grass down below. I can¡¯t use the front door unless I want my mom to know that I¡¯m sneaking out. I breathe in the crisp cool air and I start to walk down the street.


    Trees sway in the gentle breeze as I pass by and leaves crunch beneath my feet. The sky is still dark, but I see the stars glitter and the moon shining bright. I keep walking, wanting the peace of the world to overcome me and make me forget what has happened before.


    After a couple of minutes, I reach a little park with a red slide and two old blue swings. A field of fresh green grass is outside the playground, one that has so many memories. I silently recall days of me and my dad running around this field, full of laughter and playful shrieks. My mom would come join us sometimes or just watch us play from the bench. I walk across the damp tambark and sit on one of the old swings. It squeaks softly as I sit back into the faded blue seat.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.I remember, there was one day where I was in this field, so excited to spend some time with my dad. He had gotten me a brand new red kite and I squealed in delight as he threw it up into the air. It flew carefree into the bright blue sky, never wanting to come back down. I remember his low, throaty laugh when I would jump around like a little bird, pretending I could fly. I still have the little red kite, hidden in my closet.


    My smile fell as I looked away from the field. Not all memories were happy about this field. It was a fall day and the wind was a little chilly. The red kite was kept tightly in my grasp as I eagerly awaited in this field. My dad told me that he would fly my kite with me that day, but for whatever reason, he never did. We never saw him again.


    I sighed and looked down at the ground. Life became so complicated ever since he left. A chill sneaks into my sweater and I shiver, I need to get back if I don¡¯t want Mom to find me gone. I get up and look to the sky. It¡¯s grown to a shade of purple with dawn pulling at its edges.


    My tennis shoes softly squelch on the damp pavement as I jog back home. I can see my breath as I try to quickly run home. Despite having sweat run down my back, I feel more peace and my mind has been able to put off the night terror, at least for a little bit. These terrors happen often, but I try to avoid thinking about it as much as possible. Even briefly thinking about it makes my wrist smart. I stop panting and look at my right wrist. I know a red scar is hidden underneath the sleeve of my sweater, a scar that no one knows the origins to. My mom thinks that it¡¯s just a birthmark, but my dad used to tell me that when I was a little girl, I reached up and grabbed a star so the night would always stay with me. It¡¯s silly to think of now, but that¡¯s what I loved about my dad.


    I reach our lawn and quietly scale up the tree, I look at the driveway and still see the car in the driveway. Good, Brent hasn¡¯t left yet. I slowly crawl back across the roof and into my bedroom, all to the great delight of my puppy. Her tail whizzes back and forth as I try to quiet her as best as I can. ¡°Yeah Izzy, I¡¯m home. Who¡¯s such a good girlie?¡± She yips quietly and I quickly close the window. ¡°I know girl, I love you too, just don¡¯t wake up Mom.¡±


    With a yawn, I slip off my shoes and fall onto my bed. I¡¯ve got to get some sleep, even if it¡¯s a little bit, if I¡¯m going to somehow survive tomorrow. My eyes close and, thankfully, I fall into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter Two

    My phone buzzes and a groan escapes my mouth. I reach my hand out blindly to silence my phone when I hear a thud on the ground. Of course it had to fall off. No rest for the wicked I guess. I crack my eyes open and I find my phone among a pile of clothes on the floor. My thumb swipes across the screen and the noise stops. I slowly sit up and swing my feet over the side of the bed. Izzy lifts her head and looks at me with hopeful eyes, a whine escapes her mouth. ¡°Alright girlie, let¡¯s get some food.¡±


    I stand up and open my door to go downstairs. Izzy makes a mad dash between my legs and I grip the door as an effort to stay upright, ¡°Gosh Izzy, hold up a sec.¡± I walk down the stairs and am thrown into the craziness of the morning.


    My mother is at the stove with her brown hair up in a messy bun, making eggs and watching the toaster for someone¡¯s toast. ¡°Good morning Grae! Sleep well last night?¡± I murmur an affirmative as a high-pitched squealing rings through the kitchen.


    I look at the table and see a puddle of orange juice and pieces of egg scattered across it¡¯s worn wooden face. At the head of the table is Brent, my step-dad, reading something on his phone and drinking some coffee. His brown hair is messily strewn across his face as he tries to wake up. Night shifts do that to you and Brent is not known for being a morning person. Next to him is my little sister Belle, the banshee in the kitchen. Her red curls frame her chubby face as she cries for my mom¡¯s attention. Bits of food are in her fat little fingers and her eyes are red and wet from tears.


    Mom looks at me and adjusts her red glasses. ¡°Get some breakfast, you can¡¯t go to school on an empty stomach dear.¡± I reach for a piece of toast when she adds, ¡°Can you make some cereal for Belle before you go? She doesn¡¯t seem to want the breakfast we have for her.¡± I nod and look in the pantry. A pink bowl catches my eye and I grab a box of something, I didn¡¯t check the label. I pour milk and brightly colored circles into the bowl. I grabbed Fruit Loops, Belle¡¯s gonna love that. With a spoon in hand, I give my screaming sister the cereal and turn back to the pantry.


    Izzy is sitting anxiously beside her empty food bowl, her tail thumping against the ground at an astounding pace. She whines a little and tilts her head, her soft brown floppy ears hanging from her head. I grab the container, pour the food into the bowl, and tell Izzy to leave it. Her brown eyes are solely focused on her food bowl and how much she wanted to have it. Little droplets of drool fall from her mouth as she pants anxiously, waiting semi-patiently for her food. After ten seconds, I mutter the word, ¡°Okay¡± and she races as fast as she can to get some of her doggy kibble. Her nails click across the kitchen floor and she launches her head into the metal bowl. Bits of dog food fly everywhere as she inhales the remaining food in the bowl. I laugh a little while my mom mutters under her breath about how that dog acts like she starves all the time. After the food bowl is empty, Izzy takes it upon herself to clean up the remaining kibble and scraps of food that Belle has thrown off the table.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I pull out my phone and look at the time, 7:40. ¡°Mom I¡¯ve got to go. I¡¯m going to be late..¡±


    Mom flips the eggs in the pan and turns to look at me, ¡°Grae, get some breakfast before you leave,¡± Her nose wrinkles when she adds, ¡°did you even brush your hair this morning? It looks a little messy.¡±


    I sigh, grab a leftover elastic from my pocket, and put it into a ponytail. ¡°Love you Mom. Gotta go.¡± She quickly kisses the top of my head and waves me out the door. My keys jingle as I grab them from the hook by the door and proceed to exit the house. An old rusty what looks to be black car sits outside of my house on the street. I smile slightly and unlock my car. It took me a good two years for me to save enough money and convince my parents to let me buy this beauty. I throw my bag in the passenger seat, climb in, and start the ignition. She rumbles to life as I check the different mirrors to make sure that I can see. I shift into drive and then pull out onto the road.


    The radio quietly plays popular songs as I quickly drive to the high school in my town. I tap my finger on the wheel in beat of the song that¡¯s playing amd sing the song in my head. I pass the temple, all lit up like a beacon in the dark, and other houses getting ready for the day.


    The city passes by as I drive down the streets to my school, also known as my personal type of heck. The tall building looms over me as I pull into a parking space and shift into park. For a second, I sit in the seat and stare at my prison. Students run across the campus to their first class and cars are desperately trying to find a spot with minimal walking distance to the school. I grab my bag and lock my car. I breathe in the damp air and look at the grey sky. I close my eyes momentarily to try and gain some peace or composure before I step into the devil¡¯s playground. I open my eyes and start to walk toward the brick building. Well Grae, welcome to a new day.

 Chapter Three

    The bell rings to signify the end of class and the start of a new period, lunch. Everyone dashes out of the classroom and I hurry to put my history book back in my bag. Everyone¡¯s excited for lunch. Lunch means freedom, socialization, or not having to think for a good half hour. Of course since I don¡¯t have friends, I can¡¯t socialize, but I can sure take freedom to the extent.


    Before I get some lunch, I hurry to the bathroom and take a quick pee break. After I finish my business and wash my hands, I look up at the mirror. A skinny girl with a mousy brown ponytail looks back at me. Her blue eyes with silver flecks look up and down my outfit and has a look of disappointment. Freckles dot her nose and her nose crinkles the longer she looks at me. An old sweatshirt hangs off her figure and earbuds can be seen poking out of the top. She looks down and I don¡¯t meet her gaze again. I finish washing my hands and put my earbuds back in where they belong.


    I hurry off the campus and to my car to get something to eat for lunch. I turn the key and my baby rumbles to life. I sigh a little, back out, and then drive out of the parking lot. I try to find the closest fast food joint so I can make it back to class on time. I drive past old shops down on Main Street, the store windows shining and showcasing whatever wares they¡¯re selling. People walk in and out of stores, some carrying shopping bags and others just a smile. I drive down for a little bit until I see a semi-crowded drive-in and I turn into the lane to get some food. I don¡¯t even look at the menu before I say my order. A spicy chicken sandwich and some kind of caffeinated drink, no fries. I pull up to the window to some blond university chick with pink highlights and a nose ring. ¡°The total¡¯s $7.82. Cash or credit?¡± I hand her my debit card and she turns inside the building ¡°Your order will be right out.¡±


    I only have to wait a couple of minutes before she comes back and hands me a brown paper bag, it¡¯s already warm from my sandwich. I grab my drink and my card and mutter a quick thanks. I pull out of the drive through and park in the lot by the fast food restaurant. I shift my car into park and pull out my chicken sandwich. I bite into the crunchy skin and I smile in delight. A burst of spice hits my mouth as I bite into the moist chicken. Cool fresh lettuce crunches as I bite down and the ranch add that little tanginess that makes the sandwich go a long way. But it wouldn¡¯t be complete without the white bun on either side of the sandwich. I take a sip of my drink and am very happy. Whoever came up with the idea of adding caffeine to drinks is a genius and I owe my life to them.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I take more bites of my sandwich when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Confused, I pull it out and look at the message on my lock screen. ¡°U aren¡¯t wanted. Kill urself plz?¡± A gasp escapes my mouth and I toss my phone on the passenger seat. I raise the sandwich again to take a bite, but soon the sandwich also lost my attention. Things like this happens, but I still can¡¯t believe that someone could do that, would want to do that. But apparently they do, to a girl who they believe is strange and doesn¡¯t belong. I look at my scar and shudder. It¡¯s all because of that, all this horrible stuff, that disfigurement is to blame.


    I have these night terrors close to every night, causing my wrist to burn and throb in pain. Every time it happens, I wake up close to tears and just cradling my wrist to try and make it stop. I¡¯ve tried to tell my parents about it, but ever since Dad left, Mom hasn¡¯t been the same. It¡¯s been years, the pain and my mom needed a change. Luckily for her, she met Brent, my step-dad, got married, and a couple years later had my little sister Belle. Life has finally started to turn up for her, why spoil that with my problems? I¡¯ve tried to tell people, but they just don¡¯t believe me anymore. No one seems to care. We¡¯ve tried to go to the doctor about it, but they told my mom that this is just a way to express myself, that I¡¯m just jealous and I want to get some attention. The way she looked at the ground, disappointed and just weary of having to deal with something that apparently is an expression rather than something wrong¡­ I never told her about it again. I couldn¡¯t bear to see that look again.


    So I just suffer by myself, that¡¯s why I sneak out, that¡¯s why I try not to scream in pain when I wake up from these terrors. I don¡¯t want to burden my mother with this. I can handle this myself. I¡¯m a big girl, able to take care of myself. Nobody needs to know my pain because nobody cares. At least, that¡¯s how it¡¯s been for the last ten years. So I can make it, I¡¯ll get over it eventually, hopefully.


    I wipe my eyes quickly, feeling the dampness on my cheeks from the silent tears that escaped. I turn to look at the clock and my heart drops, I¡¯ve got four minutes to be in class. My eyes go wide and I shift my car into drive and I, safely, try to get out of the parking lot as fast as I can. Fate must have been laughing at and taunting me because it seemed like every car possible is on the street. I swear, I probably could have walked back faster than the traffic was going at this rate. My sweaty palms and racing heartbeat accompany me as I try to quickly maneuver through traffic. I look at the clock and I see the clock turn 1:30. I¡¯m late. I groan loudly and put my head on the steering wheel, today is going pretty great, isn¡¯t it?


    Somehow I make it back to school in a couple of minutes, but I hurry and run out of my car once I¡¯ve parked. My chicken sandwich sits sadly in the passenger seat with two bites taken out of it. Along with the sandwich sits my happiness, alone and waiting for me to return.