Do you think Alora’s feelings are justified? Can you relate to her?
TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️: This book has been tagged mature and may contain words of violence, sex, drugs, abuse, mental disorders, eating disorders and other elements that may trigger a person.*****14 years ago, Nata, Botswana.“Dineo, please don't do this. My parents are coming over. How do we explain the marks?” Keeya cried out as her husband, Dineo, landed another blow on her back. She was still sore from the beatings he gave her last night after he stumbled through the doors of their run-down apartment, drunk.“So you think you can give me orders now?” He yelled. The veins on his neck protruded scarily, and his eyes were firm with anger. Rage overwhelmed him, fueling his need for violence, which he willingly delivered on his helpless and battered wife.“You got scammed on your own will, so why are you taking it out on me like I was the one who scammed you?” Keeya yelled even though she knew it would only make him angrier.“You think I don't know you have a new lover? He gives you mone
Someone is watching me.His dark eyes and the smile on his lips make me want to run but my legs refuse to move.“My doll” he calls out to me with a sickening smile that makes my body feel like it has bugs crawling on it. “I’m coming for you, Alora. You belong to me”My eyes prickle with frustrated tears at how helpless I feel towards this man who makes all the alarm bells in my head go into a frenzy.“Who are you?” I choke out with a voice that betrays the terror I feel. I have no idea who this man is or why I am so terrified of him.“Stop” I scream when he begins to run towards me while cackling like the sinister characters in the horror movies that I hate with a passion. “Don’t come any closer” I yell out, more desperately.“Alora!” someone yells from a distance but I am too terrified to look away from the man who is getting closer as I struggle to force myself to move.“No!!!” I scream with horror when the distance closes between us and his hand darts out to touch me “Don’t touch m
Head high, chin up, one steady foot in front of the other.Remember, direct eye contact always,a flawless smile and don't flinch.Don't let them see her again.It's a new you, the perfect Alora.Don't let them near those walls you've struggled to build.These are the words that echo in my head as I walk into the building of the prestigious St James University. Classes start today and I am on the verge of a mental breakdown. I had spent more than thirty minutes in my car deciding whether I should drive back home or proceed with the class but since I knew I had sacrificed too much to be here, I couldn’t back down last minute like I told Tristain and Ronan.I resist the urge to check my outfit again in the transparent glass I pass on my way to the class. I had a custom-made denim dress with white sneakers and a custom-made tote bag. I had put my locs into a bun and put some shell hair accessories on them and I finalized it with a makeup no-makeup look I spent weeks trying to perfect.Sta
ALORA“If it isn’t Alora, the fat pig” Someone sneers, making me grow rigid. I look up and I am stunned to see Brielle Davis, standing in front of me with that familiar cruel smirk as she stares at me with the same condescending look.The hall grows silent, and people turn their attention to us, eager to see what the sudden remark is about. If I were a lighter shade, my cheeks would probably be red, but not out of shame. Instead, I am surprised to feel the surge of anger coursing through my veins.I spent weeks imagining what it would be like on the day I had to face Brielle Davis again, but I never imagined that we would be in the same class. What a fucking coincidence.I thought I would turn into a coward like it played out in my head seconds ago, but I don’t. Instead, I am filled with anger that she thought she could easily bully me the same way she and Dilora did back in high school.I hate that she saw me and walked up to me with full confidence that she could make me whimper in
I wait for Dilora to defend because there is no way in hell the Dilora I knew in high school would let anybody try to humiliate her. Imagine my surprise when she doesn’t do as I expect.Instead, Dilora sits quietly with her gaze on the ground and doesn’t utter another word. Hani and I exchange surprise glances. I guess we shared the same thoughts.This is not the outspoken Dilora I knew back in high school. Was she serious when she said she had changed? Did this new version of her somehow lose the ability to defend herself?Was she going to let Brielle paint her as an easy target for the people in this hall? I make up my mind to defend her just this once when Hani speaks up.“Funny how you keep picking on everyone, do you feel threatened? Is that why you need to pick on people to feel better about yourself and your last season shoes?” Hani snarls and Brielle's eyes widen in shock.“They aren’t last season. I just got them” she sputters but Hani scoffs.“Darling, they are totally last
I retrieve my book and tablet from the table and stuff them into my bag as soon as the professor exits the class. It was a long and boring class but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would since it was much more bearable than the ones back in high school.My body isn’t very good at remembering instructions so I unconsciously let my eyes trail to the back of the class where I find myself staring into an abyss of winter grey eyes. He was already staring at me.Kian never stopped looking at me during class. I was uncomfortable during the entire lecture because I could feel his eyes watching my every move, making my skin crawl with awareness but I had to force myself to keep my eyes on the professor. It was such a nuisance.Hani gets on her feet to stretch and lets out a moan of relief as her bones crack with her movements. We have been sitting for three hours so my joints feel tired.“Lunch, ladies?” Hani asks and I shake my head to refuse her offer. I had planned to sit in my car becau
KIAN It’s supposed to be four boring years of wasting my time taking courses that I already know more of than the professors teaching them but both our dads insist that Laurent and I need to provide a university certificate to take over the conglomerate. Yet, as soon as I enter the double doors, my eyes locate her on instinct, sitting amidst people who don’t hold a light to her glow. Fake. I find myself spitting the word in my mind before I can process what I mean but I know just fine. I don’t need to be a psychologist to know the confident look she wears is just a façade, one she pulls off effortlessly well. I’ve never seen brown skin glow the way hers did. Her locs make her stand out with all the accessories in them and they are calling on me to tug on them harshly as I watch her small pouty lips open in a silent moan, begging me to take control of her body. Her eyes meet mine and her mouth falls open. I have to look away because of the surge of pleasure that courses th
ALORA I stumble with ragged breaths into my apartment after spending an absurd amount of time trying to get the keys into the lock as my hands are unstable and my palms, sweaty. Everything is so disoriented that I can barely focus on the space in front of me. It’s a miracle that I could drive home without getting into an accident as my anxiety was through the roof and I drove like a drunk teenager. I throw my things on the bed, including my phone not giving a fuck after it bounces on the bed and hits the floor with a loud thud. I can always buy a new phone but never a new mind if it breaks now. I race towards the drawer beside my bed and use the key to open the locked compartment. I pick up the syringe and the bottle but freeze when I remember that I took a dosage yesterday before bed and couldn’t take another. It’ll be too risky. I dump the items back into the drawer and shut it with the key. My legs are shaky because I am in a dire situation. I don’t know what else to do an
ALORA’S DILEMMAI crash through the doors of my apartment like a mad woman. The rain had started by the time I left his place, but I couldn’t afford to wait till it stopped. I don’t know how I got a cab that brought me home but all I knew was that I didn’t want to stay anywhere close to Kian anymore. By the time I arrive home, my clothes are soaked and stuck to me like a second skin, my shoes feel heavy on my feet and my bones are stiff from the cold. The locs on my hair are heavy as well, adding to the headache I feel from the whole messed up situation. I stand in the middle of the room, trying to make a feeble attempt to catch my breath while my heart ached painfully in my chest. I always had some chest pains whenever I entered the rain. Now that I am alone, I let loose. I allow the tears to rack my body, soaking my already wet cheeks as the shame of what happened earlier consumed me. It’s been barely an hour since I saw Kian and he touched me in a place no one has ever touche
ALORABy the time I painstakingly drag myself through the meal, the wet spot on my top has disappeared but Kian won't hear it. He insists on having me change but deep down, I know he just wants to see me in his shirt, call it intuition.I was standing in the middle of his oversized bedroom which had a massive king’s bed in the middle. The lush sheets are so inviting and I am tempted to dive into them.Kian is currently in the walk-in closet, large enough to pass as a clothing boutique with clothes colour-coded to perfection. The door is wide open and I watch him go through his shirts, looking for one that will fit me.He removes a white shirt gently from the hanger and walks over to me before handing it over.“This should do,” he says“I don't need to change anymore. The spot is gone”“Why do you like making me angry, dimples? Do you want me to change the shirt for you? I have no problem doing it for you”I pull the shirt from his hold and dash into the other closed door in the room wh
ALORAMy body jerks away from him and I turn to face him with a horrified expression but he has a fucking smile on his face like I am the most amusing thing on the face of the planet.“You are so expressive, it’s fucking sexy, dimples” He mocks from where he stands and I’m left speechless. What do I even say to him?“Stop saying things like that” I mutter weakly and his eyes glint with mockery.“What things? That I want to fuck you against that window or you are expressive?”“Both” I choke out “Don’t say stuff like that to me. You don’t even know me so why are you suddenly doing this?”“It’s so euphoric to get under your skin, dimples besides, I don’t question myself. I want you to be mine” My eyes widen and I stumble a few steps back from him.“Why are you moving backwards, you can’t escape me” He mocks and takes two steps towards me but I hold out my left hand to stop him.“Don’t come near me” I stutter and keep moving backwards until my back hits the wall and his grin widens.I quic
ALORAMy hands become clammy, my heart skips a beat and my breathing grows shallow as my unwilling legs drag across the marble floor towards Kian.It doesn't matter how much I see him in a day, he always seems to be able to draw out these feelings of fear and excitement from me which I am growing to hate every passing second.I have reasons why he scares me but I can't come up with any reason why he excites me. It shouldn't be normal for heat to course through my veins and tingles to creep up my spine when I see someone who is dangerous but I don’t feel this way about anyone, just him.I'm suddenly aware of my nipples grazing my shirt, now regretting why I didn't put on a bra today. The shirt is big and no one would notice but now my nipples are erect and with the way his eyes fall on my chest, he notices them too.He watches me as I approach him with hesitant steps b
ALORAI walk down the hallways, scanning the area for a sign that someone was watching me. I woke up the morning paranoid much to my dismay.For some unknown reason, my mind is convinced that Kian saw me last night and now he has someone watching me so they can snatch me when no one is watching.Watch better Alora. Who knows? Maybe they'll kill you and dump your useless body somewhere mommy and daddy can find you.It'll be a field day for meThe voices in my head are having a field day with my new weakness and they are taking the utmost advantage of my new discovery but it is a shame I am too distracted to care about them at the moment.Last night confirms Dilora’s warning about Kian’s family being dangerous and now I understand her fears. The mafia were the people who you wanted to avoid with your entire bein
ALORAI jolt back in shock and press myself against the wall before any of them can me. I don’t know if he heard the loud gasp that escaped my lips.There is nothing worse than being a witness at a crime scene. I’ve seen enough in movies to know that was a big NO. I already have enough on my plate and I don’t want to be chased and killed because I saw something I shouldn’t have. “Why would Kian be in such a place like this?” my hand flies to my chest to calm my heart which is pounding hard.I know I should turn around, walk back to my car, drive home and pretend that I didn’t see anything like a smart person would have done but no, I decide to take another peak.I swear, my curiosity at times like this is my biggest weakness.I slowly peek around the corner again, making sure my body is not in sight. Kian is now standing in front of the man who is whimpering like a baby.Even under the poor lighting, he still looks so good. The way his eyes twinkle with glee, possibly at the thought
ALORAI pick myself off the floor minutes later. I still feel disoriented so I decide to take the regular anxiety pills I have. I walk back to my bedroom on shaky legs. I eye the locked compartment and my hands itch to take that instead.I keep my body pressed against the wall to fight the urge before I enter my walk-in closet instead to pick the drugs. I haven’t had the need to take the ever since I tossed them there when I was arranging my things a few days back.I can still remember the first day Mom had gotten me the drugs after I had been cross examined by way too many people than I cared to remember who instructed me that I would only take the drugs until I got better enough to take the regular ones.When I was little, I hated the pills I was given because I felt they were too big and would never be able to go down my throat but here I was barely ten years later, hanging onto a thread as if I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t take one.I want to try and resist but my urge consumes me
ALORA I stumble with ragged breaths into my apartment after spending an absurd amount of time trying to get the keys into the lock as my hands are unstable and my palms, sweaty. Everything is so disoriented that I can barely focus on the space in front of me. It’s a miracle that I could drive home without getting into an accident as my anxiety was through the roof and I drove like a drunk teenager. I throw my things on the bed, including my phone not giving a fuck after it bounces on the bed and hits the floor with a loud thud. I can always buy a new phone but never a new mind if it breaks now. I race towards the drawer beside my bed and use the key to open the locked compartment. I pick up the syringe and the bottle but freeze when I remember that I took a dosage yesterday before bed and couldn’t take another. It’ll be too risky. I dump the items back into the drawer and shut it with the key. My legs are shaky because I am in a dire situation. I don’t know what else to do an
KIAN It’s supposed to be four boring years of wasting my time taking courses that I already know more of than the professors teaching them but both our dads insist that Laurent and I need to provide a university certificate to take over the conglomerate. Yet, as soon as I enter the double doors, my eyes locate her on instinct, sitting amidst people who don’t hold a light to her glow. Fake. I find myself spitting the word in my mind before I can process what I mean but I know just fine. I don’t need to be a psychologist to know the confident look she wears is just a façade, one she pulls off effortlessly well. I’ve never seen brown skin glow the way hers did. Her locs make her stand out with all the accessories in them and they are calling on me to tug on them harshly as I watch her small pouty lips open in a silent moan, begging me to take control of her body. Her eyes meet mine and her mouth falls open. I have to look away because of the surge of pleasure that courses th