Weeping Nightshade (Avail. on Kindle)

Prologue

August 08, 8088

The Starflower shuddered violently as it tore through the atmosphere of Aetheris Prime, the hull groaning like a wounded beast. Alarms screamed to life as the interior lights sputtered once, twice, then surrendered to darkness. A heartbeat later, the emergency system kicked in, casting the cabin in a blood-red glow that painted every terrified face in shadows and crimson.

Lyra didn’t flinch. She simply stared, silent, as sparks crackled across the console. The tang of copper bloomed on her tongue, she’d bitten her lip again. A nervous habit. One she thought she’d outgrown. Apparently not.

This is it, she thought. Her fingers trembled as she shoved her glasses up the bridge of her upturned nose. Her legs bounced uncontrollably, vibrations from the failing engines humming up through the floor and into her bones. This was supposed to be an adventure. A brief, wild escape from the mundane. But this? This was no girl’s trip.

“Well, this is just fucking fantastic,” Sloane barked, her voice slicing through the chaos like a blade. She swatted at her mane of wild blonde curls, strands clinging to her lip gloss. “Anyone got a Plan B?”

Kaia let out a sharp scoff. “What, like the pill? Babe, we’re way past that kind of damage control.”

Across the aisle, Chloe gripped the armrest, knuckles bloodless. But her eyes, a deep steady brown, remained closed. Not in denial, but in discipline. She drew in a slow breath, willing her heart to settle. When she opened her eyes, they found Elodie beside her, pale and trembling, her usually flawless composure cracking at the edges.

Chloe reached out, threading her fingers through Elodie’s and grounding them both. “We’re going to be okay.”

Elodie nodded, but her jaw trembled. “I hope you’re right.”

Kaia was muttering to herself, her collection of festival bracelets clinking with each sharp movement, the patterns of her full-sleeved ink shifting like shadows.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Kaia chanted under her breath, eyes darting to the window.

Outside, the world blurred. A rush of color and wildness unfolding toward them fast, too fast. The ship bucked violently, metal screeching as the floor pitched. They were going down.

Lyra braced herself, fingers splayed across the armrests, her heart thundering against her ribs. Strands of her shoulder-length, fawn-brown waves lifted with each ragged breath, curling around her face. The red light pulsed brighter until it was the only thing they could see, bleeding across their skin making ghosts of them all.

And then—impact.

The Starflower slammed into the ground with a deafening roar. The world fractured. Metal screamed. Bodies jolted forward in their harnesses as the ship skidded across the thick, lush plains of Aetheris Prime. Dust clouded the windows. Sparks showered from the ceiling. The world stopped spinning. And silence fell.

For one long, stunned heartbeat, no one moved. The only sound was the dying hum of the ship’s systems.

Lyra’s hands were the first to move, already at her harness, her body running on instinct. “Everyone okay?” she asked, voice low and even. Too even.

“Still breathing,” Sloane grunted, undoing her buckle with a practiced flick. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Chloe and Elodie were still gripping each other’s hands. “We’re okay,” Chloe said softly with relief and disbelief.

Kaia nodded once, already on her feet. “Let’s go.”

But before she could reach the hatch, Chloe’s hand shot out. “Wait. We don’t even know if we can breathe out there.”

Lyra stepped toward the window, swiping her sleeve over the dust-streaked glass. Her soft, arched brows pinched together as she studied the terrain, the innocence in their shape sharpened by the focus in her gaze.

“This looks like the plains near the coordinates we plotted before total engine failure. We should be close to the main landing zone.” She squinted. “Aetheris Prime has a breathable atmosphere.”

“Not for long,” Sloane muttered, coughing into her sleeve as Elodie whipped out a pink bottle and sprayed herself generously.

“If I die, I’m dying fabulous,” Elodie huffed, tossing the bottle back into her bag. “And if I don’t, I’m finding myself a hot Aetherian mate. I will not die single.”

Chloe stood abruptly. “You know what? Hell yeah,” she said, yanking the spray right back out of Elodie’s bag.

Kaia choked, waving a hand in front of her face like she was swatting bees. “Right. Because nothing masks the stench of doom like synthetic berries and denial.”

Sloane groaned, rubbing at her eyes. “Awesome. Now we’re crash-landing on an alien planet mid-panic spiral AND flammable. Love that for us.”

Lyra smiled, just barely. That small gap between her front teeth peeked through, a rugged little contrast to the plush softness of her pouty lips. Thank the stars for Elodie, always breaking the tension without even trying.

They were a mess. Battered, bruised, hearts racing, but they were alive

Lyra had always been the intellectual of the group. She moved through the world like a quiet storm, watchful, thoughtful, and endlessly curious. She didn’t speak often, but when she did, her words cut right to the bone. She felt more than she let on and carried every bit of it in silence. This trip had been her idea. A spontaneous escape. A break from the monotony of Earth life that had started to feel like a cage.

In the year 8088, spaceships were as common as cars. People thought nothing of hopping on a cruiser and spending a weekend on a distant moon or lounging on a beach planet with neon sand. Vacationing off-world was normal, a way to shake off the grind and come back with a tan no one on Earth could compete with. But just like cars, spaceships had their limits. They broke down. Sometimes they did it quietly, sometimes spectacularly. And when that happened mid-flight, a girls’ trip could turn into something else entirely.

Kaia had signed on for the trip first, her wanderlust outweighing her need for logic. Kaia burned with wild energy, all reckless joy and fierce emotion. She was the traveler, the adventurer, the experience seeker. She’d spent her childhood drifting from place to place, learning early how to run before roots could form. As an adult, she moved like she was born for motion, chasing thrill, chasing change. But sometimes, in the quiet between moments, something deeper stirred. A longing she couldn’t name. A place she hadn’t yet found.

Sloane had agreed on a whim, fresh off a heartbreak and desperate for distraction. Sloane was the rebel heart of the group. Sarcastic, fearless, and stubbornly loyal. She masked her tenderness behind sharp wit, never one to follow when she could charge ahead, even if it meant dragging everyone into chaos with her.

Elodie had followed quickly, armed with glittery body spray and unrealistic expectations. Elodie was the group’s golden retriever energy. Sweet, stylish, and far more clever than people gave her credit for. With her soft smile and polished charm, she had a way of bringing light into every room, even as she quietly held things together.

And Chloe… sweet, cautious Chloe, who had only said yes because she hadn’t wanted to be left behind. Lyra could see the regret in her eyes now. Chloe was the calm one, the simple one, until you looked a little closer. She nurtured others with quiet confidence, never pushy, always in control, like she knew exactly what people needed even before they did. On the surface, she seemed submissive and shy. But Chloe was an iceberg, all calm grace above and fathomless depth below. A depth that unsettled some people, even if they couldn’t explain why.

The hatch groaned as it released, the heavy metal door creaking open to reveal a world that looked like a dream. Vast fields stretched before them, covered in glowing flora that shimmered with bioluminescence. Strange, firefly-like orbs drifted lazily through the air, and the scent of exotic blooms wrapped around them.

They stepped into the unknown, five human women staring into the heart of a planet that would change them forever. They just didn’t know it yet.