1 Prologue

" I wanna go to the gawden! Mully said abowt vis things that are really squishy, and-"

A small girl in purple rain boots insisted, with every sentence she stomped her feet.

" It's pouring outside! You don't want the sniffles again, right?"

A tall man with white hair pushed the purple- clad toddler's chin up, and ruffled her hair.

The girl stuck out her top lip, turning away. Then she whirled her head around, eyes wild.

" I fink they awre cawlled errtha wums."

She mumbled to herself for a bit, then clapped her hands with excitement, " They come oud in the rain!"

" Earthworms! You don't have to go outside to see them! We have them composting in The Lab. Do you want to see? What do you say, Cyn?"

The man chuckled to himself and reached for the toddler's hand.

Slowly, the girl peeled off her raincoat, and leaped into her father's arms.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

The small girl, Cyn, wriggled out of the satin blanket that covered her bed. Her feet were hot, so she waddled over to the tile bathroom that was connected to her room. For safety precautions, it was also her parent's bathroom, so they could help her at night.

The bathroom consisted of five rooms, Cyn lived in a manor after all. The first was the shower room, which acted as a mud room, and well a shower. The room had three showers total, all of them were stocked with an assortment of shampoos and lotions. Sometimes Cyn liked to rub all of them into her feet, and slide around the slippery foyer, only two stories down.

The floors were a smooth black marble, and the shower heads were silver. This was the room that was connected to Cyn's bedroom. She pressed her feet into the marble, pretending to soak up it's cold feeling.

She pushed herself up, heading back to her room, when she realized she had to go to the bathroom. She passed through the baths (or a tub, as she liked to call it!), and the sauna, and reached the toilets.

Another person was in the bathroom; Cyn could see their shadowy figure bending over the sink. Being the curious child she was, Cyn looked tentatively into the washroom. The thin, short figure of Cyn's mother was placing unfamiliar bottles into a small leather satchel.

It was common for Cyn not to recognize what was in the medicine cabinet. Her parents used the medicine cabinet for extra botany supplies. Almost every drawer in the manor had some type of seed or elixir, and Cyn's parents always knew where to look.

Cyn waddled over to the toilet and sat down. She heard her mother shift around, and soon Cyn heard her mother's footsteps retreat into the shower room. Cyn, bathroom forgotten, crept through the sauna and the tub room. Her mother was walking back towards Cyn. In desperation Cyn fled towards the toilets, crouching behind the door. Cyn's mother was retreating back into her room. Her father rose from the bed, and walked over to Cyn's mother.

They spoke in hushed whispers, and as Cyn moved closer, she noticed that their tones were harsh.

" You can't go out now! It's too dangerous. I know you've been- its- not yet-"

The words were cut off by mumbled whispers and footsteps scuffled out of the room. Cyn heard someone sigh and flop on a bed, and she heard someone bound down the stairs.

The front door opened and then slammed shut, and Cyn winced at the sound.

Cyn was a small girl, and she assumed that her mother was just out to check on the garden. The purple girl turned around, and headed for her room.

Inside she pushed open her closet, which was a great feat considering her size. She pulled on her lavender rain boots, that sadly, had never encountered a puddle.

On went the rain coat, and the matching bucket hat that was begging for a downpour. Now she was ready. Cyn slipped down the stairs on her bum, using the perfectly polished banister as her slide.

She landed on the landing with a great big thump. The rainboots were quite big, and they were hard to move in. Ungracefully, Cyn maneuvered herself to the middle of floor two.

She then followed the same procedure as before. But now that she knew what to expect, the great thump didn't hurt so much.

Cyn spotted one of her many feline friends, Parvus. Parvus loved adventure, but he was so tiny that he would just end up hurting himself. Parvus was a silly kitty, and Cyn had taken the serious responsibilities of teaching him the way of explorers.

Petting the small animal, Cyn almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

" Lets go, Parvus, we've got an adventur waiting! I fink you'd be the purfect cat for the jawb!'

The purple girl looked down at Parvus with intense focus. The only reply the kitten gave was a simple meow. Cyn stood up, pulling the squeamish body of Parvus with her.

✧ �� ✧ ✧

Cyn and Parvus sat in a wet heap in the manor's foyer. Cyn was out of breath, while Parvus was enraged. He stalked away, shaking his fur out. He daintily hopped up onto Mother's favorite loveseat, twirled around, and plopped down in annoyance.

Cyn was now in a fowl mood; the unexpected rain and wind had pushed her and Parvus into a pillar, and they were back inside seconds later. With a wet bottom and a desire for sleep, Cyn stomped up two flights of stairs and into her room.

✧ ✧ ✧

Hawthorne sat at the table with his hands pulling through his hair.

Cyn sat at the far end, cheeks puffed up and her nose was red. Cyn's arms were crossed, and she was squeezing Iris, a gray kitty with stunning purple eyes.

The only person not present at the table was Myrtle, Cyn's mother.

Hawthorne wasn't quite sure how he'd explain the disappearance of Myrtle to Hyacinth. Hyacinth definitely knew something was up, and she'd inherited her deductive skills from her mother, so there was no stopping her.

" Where is Mommy? Is she still working in the gawden?"

Hyacinth narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

" Hyacinth, hon-", Hawthorne was cut off by a very annoyed toddler.

" It's Cyn Daddy! I don't like it when you cawl me Hya-, Hyacin-thah", Cyn whined.

" Cyn, I think Mommy got lost in the garden. She refused to listen to me, I think that storm was too strong.`` Hawthorne mumbled. " I don't know if she's coming back."he choked out the last few words, looking up at his daughter with a grim expression.

Hyacinth waddled over to Hawthrone and tried her best to give him a hug. Then she crawled up the stairs, dragging Iris with her.

Hawthorne sat at the table for hours, sometimes glancing outside to look at the garden, and ducking his head down so it hit the table with a loud bang.

Hawthorne dragged his feet up the stairs, and walked into Hyacinth's room.

The little girl was fast asleep, her puffy eyes closed gently and her chubby fingers balled into fists. Hawthorne then turned around and headed for the library. He closed all of the windows, and lit a small kerosene lamp. Hawthorne pulled a small book from his pocket. It was a black leather, with white monogram.

When Hawthorne looked up from his book, he noticed that it was late into the night. What he didn't notice was a pair of purple eyes, glaring at him through the darkness.