CHAPTER 1

Deloise's Home, Chicago.

Inside the walls of a three-room capacity bungalow, Deloise was found inside one of the rooms that belonged to her, with a tripod set up that held her phone as she prepared herself for a smooth delivery of the monologue script she found on the internet.

Immediately getting into character, facing the camera, she began:

" Of course I know I'm pretty! The problem remains that you don't."

She cocked her hand towards the camera and summoned a deranged look that could bring paralyzing chills and fear to her prey.

" It's all because of you! " she said with every reason and conviction like she had thought it all through and could never be wrong with her assumptions.

" You choose her over me. " She spoke with discontent. " Again and again, time without number. You caused this, you should have chosen me! " She screamed, getting angrier as the seconds trickled by. " When I said to make a choice, you picked wrong."

Deloise gestured her gun to her head and pulled the trigger, feigning suicide, and immediately fell limp upon her bed. At that moment, Esther - Deloise's mum, walked in. On seeing her daughter go limp, her spirit nearly left her body before she sighted the setup.

Deloise, saw her mom come in and almost lose her footing immediately palmed her face. She readied herself for a lecture which she knew was looming now she was caught in the act.

" Louise dear, what exactly is going on?" Esther asked, almost too calmly.

" Shooting? " She drawled.

Esther grew aggravated. " Baby, you should know by now that you are not supposed to be playing around." She said, displeasure clouding her face. " Especially at this pivotal point in your life." She lectured.

" I know ma, I'm just trying out my acting skills on this new monologue I stumbled on earlier today, it's so challenging and exciting so I decided to–" Deloise shared excitedly only to be cut off by her mother,

" Enough already! I don't want to hear it, Loise. You shouldn't be here wasting precious time." She reasoned, " You should be preparing for your future in law school! " she projects firmly, sounding dissatisfied.

" But mummy you know I don't want to pursue law as a profession," Deloise whined. " My passion is acting and I want to make a profession out of it."

" I don't want to hear it! We have a plan, Deloise." Esther said, taking a breath, " The earlier you start pursuing it, the better for us.I am your mother and I know what's best for you, this is nothing but a hobby and no child of mine is taking that path," She said sternly.

Deloise's face fell, and every trace of her prior happiness vanished to thin air.

" Don't make a big deal out of this, listen to me. I wouldn't mislead you, having the brains which you do, you'll make for a very great lawyer in this state. And that, my dear, is a life to lead," Esther spoke with a patronizing voice.

Deloise felt ambushed and lost words to explain or defend how important her dream to be a world- renowned star meant.

" But I love what I do, you know I can do this, I'll become famous and do great stuff, Mom. I have no desire or call to the bar." She complained, almost childishly.

" This isn't a conversation." Esther said, having had enough, " I believe I've made myself clear. Clean up all of these and let me not see them or you in front of them ever again." she ordered, gesturing to the whole setup. " I've allowed you to have your fun. It's time you got serious and that's final," Esther walked out the room with an unpleasant look. Leaving no room for rebuttal and a hurt Deloise.

Mood soured, Deloise took down the tripod and mock setup she made and headed for a change of outfit, feeling suffocated and caged by the words and plans of her mother.

Soon enough, she was girded in a black jogger and T-shirt alongside her running shoes. She picked up her phone and connected her earphones ready to leave the house to her favorite spot.

A saddened Deloise sprinted away from home, leaving her mother to her devices, all the while trying so hard to understand why her mother had such an uncouth feeling towards her chosen career path and passion.

As Eminem's ' Am not afraid ' blasted into her ears, It felt like the world was laughing at her. Of course, she was afraid! She couldn't even imagine not having the support of her mother, talkless of going against her.

' Why couldn't she do this for herself? Why couldn't the world stop revolting against her? Why does her mother have such a deep-rooted hatred for the film industry? And why the hell, couldn't she be happy?

Deloise pondered and sprinted even faster, feeling even more upset and conflicted. She got to a park not so far from her high school, her go-to spot in times like this which held a lot of memories from her childhood.

Deloise was born and bred in Chicago, a place where she discovered her passion and was groomed into the woman she was. With everything, the city felt more constricted than ever.

Esther's dream for her daughter to one day become one of the most respected and brilliant lawyers from Columbus University was forever standing as a bane towards the existence of Deloise.

Her fears of what could be, should she not accept the plans of her mother kept her up at night and scared the daylights out of her. She knew her mother and how very extreme the repercussions for disobeying her could be.

Mumbling, she sat on a log of wood and took a breather. She logged into the popular microblogging app as an effort to get her mind off the waters of the confrontation earlier experienced.

Scrolling through the news feed from her timeline, she encountered snippets of an interview from one of the most successful veteran actors in the industry.

" The film and entertainment industry scene at large would be stoked to have you back after your two-year hiatus, Mr. Daniel." The interviewer said to veteran actor, Daniel Greenwood.

He smiled modestly, " The industry is such a beautiful place, one that makes dreams a reality. I'm just glad to be a part of that, now as a director and actor. "

" Well, you're going to add to the beauty! I mean look at you, girls all over the world are blown away by today's news.They are all anticipating your return,"

Daniel let out a laugh, " It's no secret that I am not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship at this time, I can't say I'm not grateful for the love and support from the fans though, so thank you all. " He said, effortlessly killing any further inquiry.

" So there you have it, Daniel Greenwood is back in the entertainment scene, ready to take on a journey as a production director and actor in his home city, New York!"

Deloise exited the video after getting the gist of the situation. With a smile, she continued reading comments from fans of the actor. The news of the return of the movie King Daniel dominated every conversation.

There, she whispered to herself that one day she also will attain such height and level of artistry and stardom.