Heavenly Returns

by Karin De Havin

  The Katran Legacy Series

  Nine Live Parts I&II are available now!

  Click here for Nine Lives Part One:

  Click here for Nine Lives Part Two:

  Book Four of The Katran Legacy coming Winter 2016!

  Book Description

  Eighteen-year-old Taylor and her father team up to fix Junior Heaven before it collapses for good. She convinces Ryan and Celery not to cash in their prize from the Cloud Nine Contest and go back to their old lives on Earth. They agree to remain dead in Heaven a while longer to help her fight Palmer and his men who are determined to destroy Heaven and invade Earth.

  Before the big showdown between the rival factions begins, Taylor’s father sends her and Ryan back to Earth to meet up with a UFO group and convince them to help. Being alive again is wonderful but it has a downside—living with her mother again. Especially when her mother doesn’t remember she died. Taylor tells her mother she knows about the big secret—her real father is an alien. Unfortunately the meeting blows up in Taylor’s face when she breaks apart he parents’ marriage. Taylor leaves Earth without any resolution and without Ryan. As much as he loves her, he can’t bear to leave his younger brother.

  Taylor returns to find Junior Heaven on the verge of destruction. She has to figure out how to foil Palmer and his faction before there is nothing left of Junior Heaven to repair. With the help of her team and the UFO group, they finally manage to fix Heaven and capture Palmer. Now the Katrans have to leave Heaven. But where will they go? Taylor has a decision to make. Stay with her father and help him find a new home for his people, or go back to Earth to reunite with Ryan and face an uncertain life with her mother. And she thought repairing Heaven was hard.

  Heavenly Returns

  Copyright © 2015 by Karin De Havin

  Published by 9 Yards Publishing

  Cover design Book Cover by Design

  Edited by Carolyn M. Pinard

  All rights reserved

  This book is the property of Karin De Havin, in all media both physical and digital. No one, except the owner of this property, may reproduce, copy or publish in any medium any part of this book without the expressed permission of the author of this work.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, brands, and events portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author. This eBook is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Acknowledgement

  A huge thank you to my main critique partner Craig for his support and occasional hand slapping. To Judy Cox my wonderful critique partner for patiently reading the early drafts of Heavenly Returns and our fun meetings at the 6th Street Café. To my beta reader and number one fan Danyca for being such a believer in my Katran Legacy Series. To Beth Anne Miller for all her support and good vibes. And to Wanita my mentor, and awesome writing buddy. And special thanks to Kellie Dennis of Books by Design for the awesome cover!

  Last but not least I’d like to say a big thank you to my family for believing in me. Thanks to my best friend Cynthia for being a great cheerleader. An extra special thank you to my husband Dave, without his amazing support Heavenly Returns would never have become a reality.

  Table of Contents

  NINE LIVES Part One

  Chapter One-No Way

  Chapter Two-The Save Jr. Heaven Squad

  Chapter Three-The Stage is Set

  Chapter Four-Mothership

  Chapter Five-Home Sweet Home

  Chapter Six-The UFO Squad

  Chapter Seven-Epic Fail

  Chapter Eight-Death Moon

  Chapter Nine-The Prodigal Teammate Returns

  Chapter Ten-The Unthinkable

  Chapter Eleven-Ghost of Her Former Self

  Chapter Twelve-Something Gained Something Lost

  Chapter Thirteen-Fake Me

  Chapter Fourteen-The Ultimate Gift

  Chapter Fifteen-Plan B

  Chapter Sixteen-Now What?

  Chapter Seventeen-Aging Isn’t for Wimps

  Chapter Eighteen-The Saboteur

  Chapter Nineteen-The Key

  Chapter Twenty-Who Said Life Was Fair

  Chapter Twenty-One-Love Conquers All, Right?

  Preview of Karin’s YA Fantasy Jin In Time

  Chapter One- Time Machine

  Chapter One

  Now What?

  The large, glass-domed ceiling of the Heavenly palace hovered over my father’s head like a giant halo. He radiated the spiritual energy of a god. But he wasn’t the Boss of Heaven. No, he was my real father, and an alien from the planet Katran.

  I approached Father as he sat meditating on a Persian carpet. When he heard my footsteps his eyes slowly opened. As I stared into his eyes, I saw my reflection looking back at me. He had the same high cheekbones and striking auburn hair. They were the proof of my alien heritage. It explained a lot about why I never felt like I fit in on Earth when I was alive.

  My father stood up and waved his hand in front of my face. “My daughter, are you all right? Your mind is elsewhere.”

  The downside to having an alien father—he could read my thoughts. “Yes, I’m fine. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to help you fix Junior Heaven.”

  He touched my cheek. “As I explained, my daughter you are part of both worlds. I believe you alone can stop the destruction of Heaven.”

  Prickles formed on my arms. “But I have no idea what to do. Besides, Palmer will try to stop us.”

  Father let out a deep sigh. “It is unfortunate that some of my brethren have mutinied. But I will deal with them.” He squeezed my hand. “You must use all your power to right the wrong I have done to this once glorious place.”

  The words felt familiar. Back on Earth, I was always cleaning up my mother’s messes. “Can I have my friends help me?”

  “Of course. If they are willing to stay in Junior Heaven and not return to Earth until we win the battle with Palmer.”

  I swallowed hard. “How can I ask Celery and Ryan to remain—dead? They won the contest and they’re excited to return to Earth. To be alive again.” I instinctively circled my birthmark. “Now I have to ask them to delay their return for what could be months.”

  He took my hand in his. “You are a leader, Taylor. You will find a way.”

  ***

  Sabrina, my guardian angel, gently took off from the steps in front of my father’s palace. She pumped her wings hard and her beautiful platinum blonde hair grazed her doll-like face. “Hang on tight. I know where Celery is. “

  Another mind reader. It felt good to be riding on her back again. I clung tightly to her downy soft feathers as the air of Junior Heaven brushed past my cheeks. Flying through the air over the mile-high skyscrapers of New Life City still felt exhilarating. Despite the fact that Junior Heaven crumbled by the minute, the soaring skyscrapers and spires of the ministry buildings were still impressive. No plane ride I’d ever taken could match the feeling of excitement that surged through me as we sped across the sky.

  Sadly, the evidence of the city’s continued deterioration had grown worse since the last time we passed by. The once shiny spire of the Ministry of Angels building was coated with a gummy film. The towering Celestial Jewels building’s crown no longer sparkled like a beacon across the sky. It made me wonder if Sabrina knew my father and his people were the cause of Heaven’s decline.

  Sabrina banked around a group of angry sto
rm clouds. “Go ahead. Ask me. I will give you an honest answer.”

  Ugh. How I longed for the day when I could return to Earth and my thoughts would be my own. “All right. Did you know my father is an alien? That he is running Heaven, not your boss?”

  Her wings trembled for just a second. “No, I had no idea. You may think angels have a lot of power in Heaven, but we are just servants. Only the Seraphim truly know what is going on.”

  After my run-in with a towering, multi-winged Seraphim, I knew what she meant. “Okay, I believe you.”

  “As your guardian angel, I am duty bound to protect you and tell you the truth. I can not lie.”

  After some of the harsh truths she’d told me in the past, I wished she could. Sabrina zoomed toward the towering needle-shaped skyscraper of the Sterling Empire Hotel. “Celery is in room five hundred and six. I wish you luck in convincing her to stay.”

  I gripped tightly to Sabrina’s wings as she did a hard right turn and landed in front of the hotel. “I still need to talk to Ryan. So pick me up in an hour.”

  She nodded and gave me one of her bright white celebrity smiles. “My pleasure. Besides, I can't wait to see how you tell Ryan your big news.” Then Sabrina flapped her wings, and in a flash she was gone.

  As I trudged up the hotel steps, my feet like they were made of lead. How could I ask my new best friend to give up her hard won prize of a life on Earth to stay behind with me? Besides, I didn't have a clue how I could stop Heaven from crumbling apart. But that wasn’t the worst part; I had to tell her who I really was.

  The gold-mirrored elevator doors opened and I pushed the button for the five hundredth floor. Maybe by the time I got there I’d have an answer.

  The elevator shot up like a rocket, and in a second I was on Celery’s floor. So much for time to think. As the elevator doors opened, I traced invisible Saturn-like rings around

  my birthmark. Thinking of my favorite planet usually helped calm me down. All this time I thought my birthmark was something that made me special. Turned out my father—and all the Katran—had one.

  I marched down the hallway with mirror-clad walls, determined to convince Celery to stay. I knocked on the door of 506 still not knowing what to say. The door flew open and Celery’s welcoming smile and bright green hair made me forget all my troubles. She held open the door. “I wondered when you were going to show up. I can’t decide which souvenirs from JH to take back to Earth.”

  I loved the way Celery always abbreviated words. I’d managed to pick up the habit, too. “Looks like you’re going to take half of JH with you.”

  She trotted over to a sleek mid-century modern sofa. It looked like a bomb had gone off there was so much stuff covering the shag area rug. She held up the Betty Boop Devil bobble-head doll I found during the scavenger hunt in Angel City. “I was so tempted to take this, but you found her fair and square.” Celery placed the doll in my hand. “She’s yours.”

  I took the doll from her. “Cel, I have something kind of heavy to tell you.”

  She stared into my face. “I knew something was wrong when I opened the door. Shoot.”

  “We’re good friends, right?”

  “Of course. We rocked the Cloud Nine Contest.” She plopped down on a Danish modern chair. “Why do I get the feeling that’s not what you’re talking about?”

  “I feel like I can tell you anything. You know I had that meeting with the boss, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was so into packing for home, I totally forgot to ask you how it went.”

  “Well, the guy I met isn’t the boss of Heaven.”

  “What do you mean? Is he second in command?”

  “Well, he’s a really nice guy, super cool, actually and he’s...”

  She leaned forward in her chair. “Would you spit it out all ready?”

  “He’s my father.”

  Celery teetered on the edge of her chair. “What? Your dad died?”

  I shook my head. “No, turns out the father I’ve know my whole life isn’t my real dad.”

  Celery held back a laugh. “T, you sure got me. You know I’m a sucker for a soap opera storyline.”

  “Cel, this isn’t a joke. And that’s not the biggest news.”

  She sat back in the chair. “Okay. Let me guess, your dad’s from another planet.”

  Jeez had she become a mind reader too? “How did you know?”

  “I was kidding.” Her eyes grew wide. “You’re not?”

  “You know my weird birthmark?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s totally cool. What about it?”

  “It’s the mark of my father’s people. They’re from the planet Katran.”

  She bit her lower lip. “So that means you’re an a…”

  “Yep.“

  She sat staring at me. “I feel like I’m in a movie or something. It’s just so surreal.”

  I laughed. “Welcome to my crazy world.”

  Celery gave me a weak smile as she ran her fingers through her lime Jell-O colored hair. “Guess you have me beat in the outcast contest.”

  I gave her a thumbs up. “Well, if you’re cool with being seen with me, I have to ask you a favor.”

  “Sure, anything for my alien friend.”

  Trust Celery to take my big news with a grain of salt. “My father wants me to help him fix Junior Heaven. He says there is something special about me.”

  Celery laughed. “I’ll say. Miss teen alien.”

  I took a deep breath. “I feel terrible, but I need to ask you to hold off on returning home for just a bit. I could really use your smarts.”

  A crooked smile crossed her face. “Flattery will get you…”

  “I’m serious, Cel.”

  Her face flushed. “You know what you’re asking? You want me to stay dead so we can fix Heaven?”

  I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  She got up from the chair. “When do we start?”

  ***

  Sardi’s restaurant was packed as usual. Ryan wasn’t the only one who loved amazing Italian food. In Heaven you could eat anything you wanted and never gain weight. No wonder dead people couldn’t get enough pasta and pizza. Ryan jumped up from a cushy leather booth in the back corner and waved me over. His crooked grin had returned along with the rest of the face I loved. My father had changed his appearance so no one would recognize him as a previous Cloud Nine contestant. It enabled Ryan to help Team Galaxy win. I took in his handsome face, grateful my father had made good on his promise.

  I raced over to him. Ryan pulled me into his arms and gave me an enormous hug. “So I see you survived meeting the boss. What’s he like?”

  I plopped down in the booth, not looking forward to telling the story again. “He was everything I thought he would be.”

  Ryan ran a finger along his chin. “I’m grateful to have my old face back. So thanks for that.”

  “It was the first favor I asked for.” I stroked his cheek. “I missed the face I fell in love with.”

  He kissed my hand. “It was so great to get up this morning and recognize my reflection in the mirror.” He sucked in an excited breath. “I can’t wait to get home and see Noah again. I have so many plans for places we can go together. After almost losing him I’m not going to take a minute of my life for granted.”

  My admiration for Ryan had only grown since we’d been in Heaven. To sacrifice his life for his little brother’s was a level of love I’d only seen in movies.

  He flagged down a waiter. “Let’s celebrate.”

  The waiter zoomed next to the table holding a bottle of Dom Perignon. He popped the cork and poured us two big glasses. Another waiter showed up right behind him with my favorite Italian meal of chicken cannelloni. I still couldn’t get used to the fact everyone in Heaven was a mind reader.

  Ryan held his glass high. “To life back on Earth.”

  I clinked his glass and swallowed a big swig of champagne. But I needed more than liquid courage to ask Ryan to stay. I stared into his t
winkling pale blue eyes and knew his happiness wouldn’t last long. “I have a favor to ask.”

  “Anything for you.”

  “I need you to stay in JH and help me do something very important.”

  His eyebrows stitched together. “We won the Cloud Nine Contest. I thought the prize was we could go home and be alive again?”

  I felt my eyes well up. “Yes, you’re right. Team Galaxy worked hard to win. But I hoped you could be on my team again, only this time to fix JH. Celery is already on board, but there is no way I can do it without you.”

  He fell back against the seat cushion. “Is that why the Boss of Heaven wanted to see you? How can he ask you to stay here? To be dead.” He hung his head. “If I stay with you I’ll be dead too.”

  I squeezed his hand. “It's only until we fix JH. After that we can go back to Earth. Be alive again.”

  “Okay, if it’s only temporary I might be onboard. But I still don’t know why you feel obligated to stay.”

  “Because he’s my real dad.”

  Ryan pushed back his half eaten spaghetti. “What did you say?”

  “The Boss of Heaven is my real father. But he’s not from here. He hijacked Heaven.”

  The color fled from Ryan’s face. “Taylor, you’re not making any sense. Who has the power to hijack Heaven?”

  “My father is the leader of a group of people from the planet Katran.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I get it. You’re totally messing with me. Did Celery put you up to it? One last gag before we head back home.”

  After my conversation with Celery I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. I reached for his hand. “Ryan, I’m telling you the truth.”

  He pulled his hand away. “So, you’re telling me your father back on Earth isn't your real father? Your true father is from another planet?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But that means…”

  “You’re dating a girl who’s part alien.”