Everyone except for Galaxas Gaylord’s parents and best friend considers her a freak. To avoid the constant stares and ridicule for her natural gray/green hair and skin, and eyes the color of sunrays, she chooses to live a life of seclusion in the wilderness close to Seward, Alaska.

Convinced she’ll never find the man of her dreams, Galaxas ends her relationship with her abusive boyfriend and looks to the stars. When strange things begin to occur, Galaxas’ mother reveals the secrets of her origin. Secrets that are mind-blowing and life-changing. Secrets that will put the people she loves in real danger. Until now, everything about her life has been a lie.

Now, Galaxas is plagued by new questions: how far is she willing to go to find her soulmate? And is she responsible for her ex-boyfriend’s death?

 

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Release Date: October 1, 2024

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance

~ A White Satin Romance ~

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Excerpt

Chapter One

Follow your heart, even if love takes you to the stars in the heavens or down into the depths of the sea. Reach beyond the stars...

Galaxas’ head rested in her hands as she stared at the stars, mesmerized, wondering if eyes in the sky are watching the people on Earth. Questions knocked at her mind’s door: Are the eyes good or evil? Or both? What is it about the stars? Could that be where love lies? Every night as she stared at the stars, it felt as if the twinkle of the stars wove into tingly strings that swirled right through her heart. And every night, she wrapped her arms around her body and twitched in sync with the stars twinkling in the sky. When reality sunk in, the thought of anyone on Earth ever being interested in her was nothing but hopes scattered in the wind.

 

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A pile of DVD cases lay on the floor. A cracking sound filled the air as trembling fingers broke the discs in pieces. Galaxas bit down on her bottom lip as she destroyed her collection of fairy tales, sniffling and wiping the tears before breaking apart the next disc. She stared at the artwork of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella before smashing the discs into shards of disappointment. Lips quivering, she spoke out loud in shattered words. “Fairy tales aren’t real. Why waste my time imagining a life of love and happiness? Take what you get, and that means settling for a jerk or being lonely. Forever.

“But Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella’s life was miserable for a while and look how wonderful everything worked out in the end. Maybe I shouldn’t have destroyed the DVDs,” she reasoned to herself and threw her hands up. “What does it matter anyway?”

Her nose twitched. “What is that smell? The brownies. Oh no. They’re burnt. Just a harbinger of my pathetic life.” She jumped up and pulled them out of the stove. The clanging of the pan in the sink resonated throughout her house. She threw a coat on and stomped outside.

A blanket of black silk covered the sky. Did God shake a bottle of glitter over the galaxies? The endless sparkles took Galaxas’ breath away. “I wish for you, you, you and you,” she said pointing to each star, while repeating the child’s rhyme, ‘Star Light, Star Bright.’ “Hello up there stars. I’m really lonely. Any chance you have someone up there just for me? You know why I ask, don’t you? Because I belong up there. I don’t belong here.”

Her head dropped, timbre low. “Will I ever find someone to love and someone to love me?” She put on a brave demeanor in front of her parents and best friend, but truly she was lonely. What was her choice? Live in seclusion or be ridiculed because of her condition? Wet spots on her coat weren’t from raindrops.

But loneliness passed quickly. Fall was in the air. How could she not notice? Her favorite time of the year. The array of colorful leaves crunched under her feet. The air was full of pleasant scents of the fall season. She stared and sniffed at the plethora of colorful leaves covering the ground, exhaling all types of gases from stomata. Pinene, a species of terpene, and a pine scent spread. A noticeable musty smell was present from highbush cranberry mixed with other natural scents.

Galaxas loved how the Alaska sky in the fall season had a deeper blue color and was always covered with migrating birds flying in a “V” shape. The constant sound of honking followed the “V” formation. She smiled while tilting her head upwards with a hand to block the sun over her three-inch protective sunglasses. The Aurora Borealis would appear very soon with colors that took her breath away. Snowcapped mountains always in her view. A mischievous, chilly breeze of winter burst by, teasing Galaxas. “I’m coming, too. Get ready.” The wind gust blew her hair straight out.

It was her routine every evening: A hot cup of cocoa with gobs of whipped cream, a comfy, warm coat and peace and quiet sitting on the porch swing while gazing at the stars. Although, what she wouldn’t give for some noisy city sounds. Cars honking, people laughing and carrying on conversations hopping from store to store. Nope. A life of seclusion was what she had to look forward to, and, for the rest of her life.

There was no need to turn the porch light on. She could see fine without it. For reasons she couldn’t identify, her body would prickle with fluttery sensations as she stared at the stars.

The porch swing squeaked as it gently swung back and forth. It came to a fast halt. She pushed her head forward, tilted it up and stared in astonishment. One of the stars looked like it was sending a message. It looked like an SOS message trying to get her attention. How was she unaware that the area around her heart had a slight glow? She had no idea about that.

She fell back against the swing, staring into space, mouth dropping inch by inch. It literally looks as though it is sending a message, and what’s even weirder, I feel like it’s trying to get my attention. Being all alone, she usually spoke out loud to herself in an unfulfilling attempt to cover up the loneliness.

She let out a gasp. Lights flickering from the star started forming into something that looked like a flashlight beam shining directly towards her, getting closer and closer. Her heart began to pound and accelerate. Was she imagining it or what? She jumped off the porch swing and backed up towards the front door, listening to the irritating squeak, until the swing came to a stop. The light was now shining on the ground in her front yard heading for the porch. She looked up at the sky. It was still coming from that one star. Hand over her heart, trying to get her frozen feet to move, she finally made it inside and locked the door. Her body leaned against the door while taking rapid breaths. The light shined in underneath the door. Her eyes widened, and in that moment she couldn’t breathe.

In the twinkling of an eye, it disappeared. She ran to a window, tilted her head up to look into space. The stars all twinkled normally and not one of them stuck out like the one that shined down.

“Am I losing my mind being out in a wilderness all by myself? Maybe being a recluse is affecting me mentally.”

She plopped on the couch. Emotionally exhausted, her body slid down, and her head landed on the pillow. Eyes shut and she was out fast.

 

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