LEILANI
"Come on girl, you really need to crawl out of that shell around you. You have been a good girl for far too long," My best friend, Sienna said.It's my birthday and Sienna wants us to go clubbing to celebrate it, but I'm against it."I think I'm more comfortable inside this supposed shell of mine," I replied.Sienna pulled her hair almost going crazy. For the past hour, she has been trying to make me see reasons why I should go wild on my 25th birthday."It's your birthday, Lani. And birthdays only come once a year. You have to celebrate. I'm not asking you to lose your precious virginity tonight, I'm only telling you to go out a little. Just for today. I want you to experience the fun you've been missing out please," she pleaded, staring deeply at me."I can't, Enna. I can't…""Leilani Miller!" Sienna suddenly called out startling me."You are going clubbing with me and that's final," she said in a commanding tone."Sienna, you can't just decide how Icelebrate my birthday," I said."I'll go get your clothes ready," Sienna muttered, ignoring what I just said."I'm not going anywhere, " I yelled.But my crazy friend covered her ears with her hands and pretended not to hear what I said.A few hours later, Sienna and I are dressed up and ready to leave the house."Don't you think this skirt is too short?" I ask while trying to pull down the skirt Sienna made me wear which seemed extremely short."Geez, Lani. Leave that skirt alone. We are going to a club, not a church. You honestly do not expect me to let you wear those overflowing skirts of yours," Sienna said in an exaggerated voice."Look, Si…."The rest of my words trailed off as Sienna flagged down a cab and forced me in."Where to ma'am?" the cab driver asked."Lustful City," Sienna replied and I nearly puked."Lustful what? Isn't that the club you told me that had a lot of immoral activities going on in it?" I asked, my hands still pushing down my skirt.Sienna hit my hand, which was on my skirt."Leave that skirt alone. A short skirt won't make you lose your virginity, Lani," Sienna yelled.I looked up and saw the driver staring at me from the rear mirror."Keep it down, Sienna," I whispered.She rolled her eyes and looked away."We are here, ma'am," the driver announced.I suddenly became uncomfortable when he kept staring at me."That man keeps looking at me," I complained to Sienna."That's because you look like a whole damn meal," Sienna said.We stepped down from the car and Sienna paid the driver, who winked at me before driving off"I can't do this, Enna," I said."It's just for one night. After tonight, you can go back to being holy Lani," Sienna encouraged me.She took my hands and led me into the club. Men of different ages stared at me and I felt so uncomfortable, I pulled down my crop top to cover my belly."Stop that, Lani," Sienna said and hit my hand off my top."Just one night, Lani. Just have a taste of the fun you've been missing, please," Sienna pleaded.I exhaled."I can do this," I muttered and walked in.My eyes grew wide as saucers on seeing the activities going on. Some naked girls were dancing and wriggling their bodies on a pole, people were openly making out with each other."Jesus Christ," I muttered and did the sign of the cross."I don't belong here," I told myself."I will just do as Sienna wants today. It's just for today, Lani," I encouraged myself.Sienna led me to what I assumed to be a bar."You can sit here, I will be back soon. I can't miss out on this dance," she said."But, Enna…" I tried to complain."You will be fine. Just keep yourself busy with a drink. I will be back before you know it," she said and without waiting for me to reply, she ran off to the dance floor to join the tons of indecently dressed individuals in dancing.I sighed and looked around the bar. The first thing that caught my attention was a naked girl having a threesome with some guys. My eyes nearly popped out."Holy Mary, how are people comfortable with doing these types of things in public, " I wondered and quickly looked away from them. I looked down at my nails, afraid that I'll see something more outrageous if I look around again."What can I get you?" The bartender asked."Give me a glass of orange juice," I replied without looking at him.I heard someone laugh beside me, but I ignored whoever it was, it wasn't like the person was laughing at me, right?"Sorry, we don't serve non-alcoholic drinks here," the bartender said and my mouth formed an O."Would you like me to get you our signature drink? I can see that this is your first time here," the bartender offered."No, I'm fine. Don't bother.""Who brought NERDelia to a club?" A manly voice asked beside me, stressing the NERDelia part.I instantly knew that he was talking about me, so I turned to look at him."Say that again," I said."Who brought NERDelia to a club," He repeated without blinking an eye.I eyed him and called the bartender over."Get me your strongest drink," I requested."Are you crazy? You can't even stand a glass of alcohol," my mind screamed.But I turned a deaf ear. Soon, the bartender returned with the drink and handed it to me.I gulped down the first glass and my face scrunched as I felt a burning sensation down my throat."Someone is trying so hard to belong," the annoying stranger commented.I eyed him and kept drinking. I am going to show him I am not some nerd, he thinks I am.Soon, my eyes felt heavy and my legs wobbly."Virgin Mary is finally drunk," the guy commented.Call it the influence of alcohol or whatever. The moment I heard the word virgin. I suddenly felt annoyed. Was it really bad to be a virgin at twenty five, I asked myself. Sienna keeps teasing me about being a virgin and now this handsome stranger."And who told you that I am a Virgin," I asked irritably."You are," he said, sounding so sure."I'm not," I argued. The alcohol now really affecting me."How about you show me? Just a night with me to prove your point," He said smiling."Sure," I replied. Fully under the influence of alcohol.The handsome stranger seemed surprised at how easily I accepted. He held my hand and led me out of the bar to God knows where."This is surely going to be a crazy night."Hello readers. This book is my entry for the new contest. It falls under the remorse category. I'll be completing the ongoing book this month. Then starting from the first day of July, I'll begin updating this one. Add the book to your libraries and anticipate !!! Like always, comment your thoughts on the first chapter :)
NEXT MORNINGLEILANII woke up to the throbbing pain of my womanly part. Was my period coming?" I wondered and forced myself up. I opened my eyes and was welcomed by an unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" I asked myself."Sienna!" I called out, but there was no response."Do you normally shout when you wake up?" A deep and husky voice asked beside me.I quickly turned in the direction of the voice and screamed instantly."What…What are you doing beside me?" I asked wide-eyed."Seems like you forgot. This is a hotel room and you and I fucked last night. Where else do you suppose you will see me this morning, if not beside you," He asked and slipped out of the bed, baring his entire body to me.I covered my eyes with my hands."I wonder why you are covering your eyes when you saw every part of me last night. You kept screaming about how much you love my fucking style," he muttered.His words felt like atrocities to my ear."And oh, I was right. You are a virgin and I had fun deflowering you
NEXT MORNINGMALCOLM COMPANIESMALCOLM"Here, you need to sign these documents," Michael, my best friend and assistant, said and placed some files on the desk.I groaned in exhaustion. After spending an entire night with the virgin girl, I returned to see piles of files, waiting for me and awaiting my review."I'm tired, Mich," I said and yawned."You should be, after all, you spent an entire night at a club banging some whore," Michael said with an eye roll."What's life without fun?" I asked."Yeah, you've had fun. Now, fun time is over, quickly review these documents, so I can get the remaining.""Wait, there is more!" I yelled.Michael ignored me and walked away.Being a billionaire is tiring. I have to work twenty four hours a day to keep the company moving. Day in and day out, there are always files heaped on top of my desk. I have so many companies scattered all over the world. I have hotels, restaurants, clubs…The thought of a club made my mind go back to the girl I spent a ni
THREE WEEK LATER LEILANI It's been three weeks now and I have been living like nothing happened. I did as Sienna asked and lied to my mum, who always asks about my virginity whenever she calls. I felt guilty for lying to her at first, but Sienna made me realize that it was my body and I owe no one an explanation."Aren't you going to work today?" Sienna asked, on seeing me still lazily lying on the bed."I'm tired…" I couldn't even complete my statement when a sudden urge to puke came. I hastily stood up from the bed and ran into the adjoining bathroom and puked until there was nothing left. Sienna stood behind me massaging my back to help me calm down."I really think it's time you see a doctor," She suggested.I nodded in agreement. For over one week now, I suddenly developed this morning sickness. "I will ring in sick today, and go to the hospital for a check up," I told her."Do you want me to come with you?" She asked as she led me out of the bathroom."No, I can't have you ski
LEILANII spent the entire day roaming aimlessly at the park. I was hungry, barefooted and tired. But I wasn't going to go home yet, knowing that my mum was still there, probably waiting for me to come back. I found an empty seat, I lowered myself into it. My mum had a church programme to attend in the evening, so all I had to do was wait till it was past five before going back. Although I have made up my mind to go find my baby daddy, I didn't want to go to him looking like a beggar, I need to get back home, tidy up and look good before going to find him. Getting pregnant outside of marriage doesn't make me less human. I still had my dignity to uphold.Finally, the time I have been waiting for came, I rose from the seat and found my way out. Getting home, I find Sienna pacing around the living room worriedly. I slowly entered the house and shut the door. Sienna turned around at the sound of the door shutting. Her eyes widened on seeing me, she hastily ran up to me and pulled me into
MALCOLM "Mum, I would really appreciate it if you leave. I'm busy here and you aren't helping at all. Your constant scolding is making me lose focus." I clasp my hands together, pleading for her to leave.My mum has been in my office since 8 Am trying to make me see reasons why I had to get married. It's already 1 pm and she hasn't shown any sign of leaving."I'm not stepping out of this place until you agree to what I said. You have been together with Isabelle for two years, so why are you hesitant on getting married to her?" My mum asks, her eyes gauging me.I pretended not to have heard her and focused my attention on my laptop. Even though I couldn't concentrate, I still stared blankly at the laptop. I wanted to give my mum the impression that I wasn't listening to her, so she would leave. But who am I kidding? BANG My mum forcefully shut my laptop, making the screen crack. I look up at her, anger clouding my vision."You broke it," I growled."So what? If you had answered my qu
LEILANI I yelped in pain as the steaming coffee came in contact with my skin. I felt my skin burn and tears clouded my vision."Get lost," the lady who had just splashed hot coffee on me said, staring daggers at me.I gazed at my one-night stand, who stood there watching the entire drama unfold with a nonchalant expression. Tears rolled down my eyes without restraint and I quickly looked away. I heard murmurs and looked around, only to see that employees were gathered watching us. Embarrassed was an understatement of how I felt. Hastily I turned around and ran as if my pants were on fire. I ran with all my strength and might, I bawled my eyes out as I ran. Embarrassed and dejected. I felt like the universe was suddenly against me. I kept running, twice, vehicles nearly knocked me down. But I cared less. I kept running to get far away from that awful place.Finally stopping at the bus stop, I lowered myself into the empty seat and stared blankly into the space, lost in thoughts. My bab
FIVE YEARS LATER LEILANI "Mummy, can you take me to school today, please?" my little bundle of joy asks.I crouched down to her and held her hands, smiling lovingly at her."Don't you want your nanny to take you to school?" I ask, gently caressing her hand."No, nanny scolds a lot. Nanny is so scary," my five years old daughter complained.Hearing this, I felt anger cloud my senses."Who the heck did the nanny think she is to scold my precious daughter and make her scared," I thought, annoyed.I abandoned my handbag on the couch, carried Melinda and stormed towards her nanny's room."Sarah!" I yelled in anger.In a split second, the nanny hastily left her room and came to meet me.I watched as she gulped nervously, on seeing Melinda in my arms."I pay you to take care of my daughter, right?""Yes ma'am," she answered and bowed her head, taking in shaky breaths.I exhale and tried to calm myself down."Tell me, why do you always scold Linda?""I'm sorry ma'am, it will never happen ag
LEILANI "Mum, where are we going?" Melinda, who I had just woken up asked, staring curiously at me. "California," I answered and led her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. "Why are we going to California?" She asked. I couldn't help but notice that she was staring expectantly at me, as if there was a specific reply she wanted. "We are going for business, we will return soon," I replied. But then her face fell. "What's wrong baby," I asked worriedly. Linda shook her head. "Nothing." I was not satisfied with her answer. I know my daughter and I can recognize each look on her face. Melinda seemed to be holding back on voicing out her thoughts. I gazed at her and feigned a hurt expression. "I will be hurt if you do not tell me what's wrong with you." Her brilliant little eyes stayed on my face for a while, and then she sighed. "I was wondering if we were going to California to finally see Dad. But then you said it was for business. I couldn't help but feel disappointed," Meli
LEILANI Here I am, seated on the sandy beach overlooking the vast water. However, instead of watching the water being pushed around by the waves like everyone else, My entire attention is on my two adorable kids, building sand castles in a corner. “Stop that, Melinda,” Miranda screams at Melinda who was so invested in destroying the sand castle she had built. “Let’s do something else, I’m tired of building sand castles every time we visit the beach,” Melinda yells and continues to kick and scatter the sand castle they had spent almost an hour building. “Melinda, stop that,” I yell, bringing their attention to me. “She doesn’t want to play with me,” Melinda complains, her eyes getting moist. “You mustn’t run around all the time,” I say, but Melinda was hearing none of it. She threw herself on the ground and began to roll herself on the floor. “Melinda, stop that,” I say, now pissed off at her unruly behaviour. She rises from the ground and grabs hold of Miranda’s swimsuit. “Th
FIVE MONTHS LATER MIRANDA “Stop that Melinda!” I screamed as she continuously banged her spoon on a stainless plate, creating a loud disturbing noise. “You never like playing!” She screams back, giggling. “I’m trying to study,” I replied, pulling my hair. But my crazy twin smiled and banged the spoon on the plate even more loudly. “Fine,” I say, slamming my book shut and rising from the bed. “What do you want to do?” I ask. “Yes!” she screams and leaps up. It’s been five months since I was taken home by my real family, five months since I discovered Aunt Isabelle’s true colours, Five months since I found people who sincerely love me and wished the best for me. Honestly, my family has become the most important part of my life. I can never stay a day without seeing them. My mum, Leilani, treats me like I'm the most precious thing on earth, and most times I wonder why Melinda never gets jealous. My dad, on the other hand, treats me like I'm the most delicate thing on earth. He
MIRANDA “Is that another me?” the little girl who looks exactly like me gasps I stood still, unable to say a word and watched as she also took steps towards me, her legs shaky and her eyes fixed on my face the entire time. Getting to me, she raises her hand to touch my face. But then, I am reminded of Aunt Isabelle's words about her being the major reason why my parents don't want me. "Don't touch me," I snarled and roughly shoved her aside. "I need to speak with Malcolm Blake and his wife," I said, older this time. "That's my mum and dad," the girl who looks exactly like me says. I glanced at her and eyed her unpleasantly. "I'm not dragging that with you," I snarled at her. "Anyone getting the duo, or I should barge in and find their suite myself?" I ask. "No, I'll call them," the lady says. Nodding my head at her answer, I stood still watching her make a phone conversation. "They'll be here soon," she says, putting down her phone. "So doppelgangers are real," the annoyi
MIRANDA I was so engrossed in the storybook Aunt Isabelle had purchased for me when I noticed someone trying to come into my room through the window. Scared, I got into the closet to hide myself. I would’ve called Aunt Isabelle, but then I recalled that she had warned me on several occasions to always keep my windows locked. Not wanting to get scolded by her, I carefully hid myself inside my closet and shut the door, heart beating erratically and waiting for the intruder to show up. However, after a long wait, no one showed up, making me look out of the closet. Then, I heard someone screaming for help. People asking for help was a normal occurrence in our neighbourhood. I’ve always watched a lot of people struggle with their captors. It was a daily occurrence that scared me. But then, I always watch to know who to look out for. Like always, I tiptoed to the window and that was when I caught sight of a familiar woman being pulled by the hair. For some reason, the way the man was tuggin
"Miranda." I gasped and stared wide-eyed at my little angel staring down at me. The maniac kept tugging my hair to bring my attention to him, but then it was as if I couldn't feel any of those at this moment. My entire focus was on the little girl in the window. "Miran…" I try to call again. But then, I'm cut shut as a familiar voice calls out the name before I could complete it. "Miranda," Isabelle's annoying voice sounded. At that moment, I felt my skin crawl and my heart began to beat frantically. "Don't tell me Elodie and her husband gave my daughter to this witch," I mumbled, gripped by fear. Having witnessed what Isabelle is capable of, the last thing I want is to have her next to my loved ones. Most especially, my daughters, but it seemed like that was just my wishful thinking. Eyes still on the window, I watch my daughter's face lit up with a smile the moment Isabelle reaches her side. I watched, with tears trailing down my cheeks as Isabelle fondly pats my daughter's hai
LEILANI “What?” I gasp in shock. Malcolm ignores me and rises from his seat. I grab hold of his hand to stop him from walking away. “How can you just drop an information like this and suddenly try to leave without explaining things to me?” I ask, still in shock. Disbelief clearly written on my face. “What? You suddenly want to believe my words right now?” Malcolm asks and pulls his arm off my grasp. “Malcolm,” I whisper in shock at the force he used in pulling his hand away. “What Leilani? What! I'm sick and tired of constantly having to explain myself to you countless number of times. I try to please and understand you all the time, but you keep making things hard for me. Tell me, do you even believe what I just said about Elodie?” He suddenly throws a question at me. I stare at him without saying a word. Honestly, this news is a shocker and I'm having a hard time believing it. “See, you don’t,” he says. Casting one last look at me, he dumps his cutleries, not caring if they f
LEILANI “When did we suddenly get to this?” I ask myself. I stood in place, too shocked to move. This was the first time a gun was being pointed at me. Yeah, I live in the United States, and shooting often occurs. But then, this is the first time I’m actually witnessing it. I watched as the guy pulled the trigger. “Is this my end?” I ask. Suddenly, I’m snatched like I weigh nothing and thrown aside. “You really want to die, don’t you?” Malcolm’s angry voice echoes. His voice sounded so far away, yet I was in his arms. My focus was on the masked guy trying to get away. I watch as he slips into one of the hospital rooms. “Baby,” Malcolm calls, shaking me rigorously. “Huh,” I answer absent-mindedly. “Leilani!” he suddenly yells my name. Making me snap out of whatever trance I was in. “He tried to shoot me,” I mumble. “I almost died without meeting my daughter,” I begin to cry. “Almost, but you didn’t,” he says, pulling me further into his arms. “She is dead,” I mumble, point
LEILANI The moment Frank runs past us with his skinny wife in his arms, Malcolm and I immediately run after him. Getting outside the building, Frank runs over to an old truck that looks like it will break down at any minute. “Are you honestly taking her to the hospital with that?” I ask “Let’s use my car,” Malcolm calls after him. Soon, we all got into Malcolm’s car, and he speeds to the hospital. Getting to the hospital, Elodie is lowered into a stretcher and wheeled into the emergency room. Malcolm and Frank goes off, as Frank mentions that he would like their family doctor to attend to her since he works here. I watch as both of them walk away in search of the doctor. Frank’s sister and I rushes after Elodie, who was already wheeled to the emergency room. “Has something like this happened to her before?” I queried her. She gave me one downgrading look and didn’t bother to answer. It is already bad enough that I haven’t seen my daughter even when I’m already in Colorado. Now,
LEILANI "You should pull yourself together, Lani. I'm sure you don't want Melinda to worry about you," Malcolm says the moment he ends the call. I didn't say a word and quietly snuggled into his chest. Honestly, I, too, knew I must have frightened Melinda. Heaven knows how she is feeling right now. This is one of the reasons why I said I'm not a good mother. "I'll go heat the milk. You need something to help you calm down," Malcolm says and proceeds to leave the room. Just as soon as he leaves, my phone rings, and I realize it's Sienna after speaking with Sienna. I felt calm and knew that I didn't need the milk to calm me down again, as my best friend had already did. I rose from the bed and found my way down the stairs. I was barefooted, so my feet barely made any sound. Getting to the kitchen, I found Malcolm on a call with his back turned on me. Not wanting to distract him from the call, I quietly stood behind him while waiting for him to finish answering the call. "You mean my