SHE (Book #1)

TEASER🌞

I have nothing to lose.

I am nothing to this world. I am an orphan, both parents lie six feet under the ground. One parent, I am glad to have got rid of, but the other I lost too soon.

My mother. My beloved mother. The only person I had in this world who I would sacrifice all that I am for. She is gone.

Now.

I have no choice but to become everything she had protected me from.

Everything she couldn't be.

I must take her place in the dark royal status she came from.

"Are you ready, Miss Moore?", a man dressed in a dark suit opens the door to the shiny black car for me.

I let a sigh escape my mouth as I look back at my raggedy childhood home. The home has many haunting memories I hope to forget. The home where both of my parents lost their lives.

I turn back to the man, who is named Franklin.

"Call me Tempest, Frank," I give him a smile as I duck my head into the car. I hear him chuckle a bit as he closes the door.

I have a chance to start fresh.

I have a chance to finally get everything that I wanted now that I am parentless and an adult.

It dawns to me that this was going to happen regardless of my mother's death.

Because the real story started two years ago.

The real reason why I am on my way to my grandfather's mansion started two years ago, on a dark night on the porch of my old house.

It all started with an exchange between a 16-year-old me and a scary-looking older man, who introduced me as my grandfather.

It all started with a promise that I swore to keep...

In exchange for the death of my father.

The golden gates open as we drive through a long path before the huge house is visible. I am marveled at the gorgeous sight. How could my mother ever pass up on this? All for what? Love? I scoff at the thought of it. My parents had everything but love.

Frank parks right in front of the door, and I excitedly opened the door before he had any time to come around and open it for me. Chivalry is nice, but I am not fond of the excessiveness.

I help him take my luggage out of the trunk, even though he refused and claimed it is his job to assist me.

"At least let me take the duffle bag, jeez. I might look small for my age, but I am a lot tougher than you think, Sir," I put the strap over my shoulder.

I see another man in the same uniform as Frank come and help him with my things. I follow them through the door. The foyer has marble floors with two stairs on each side.

"You will be on the east wing, upstairs, Miss Moore," Frank says, as he guides me and the other man up the stairs.

"Tempest, my name is Tempest, Frank," I remind him. We stop in front of a door.

"Yes, but I have to maintain formality in my job, so that is what we all will refer to you as," Frank gestures to him and the guy beside him.

He opens the door. I nearly lose my balance. The room is almost three times bigger than my old room. The closet has some clothes already lined up, the bathroom is shiny clean, the bed is made, the large floor-to-ceiling windows stream in the sunlight, and there is an empty bookshelf built into the wall. My mouth hangs open.

This is all mine.

"Your grandfather is currently in a meeting in his office. Get yourself cleaned up and meet him downstairs for lunch. If you need help getting around, press," he points to the button on the wall, "this button and someone will speak to you and come to help,"

The two men place my luggage by the closet and step out. I lock the door and hold back a squeal.

I walk to the full-length mirror and take a look at the person I am now. The person who will be left behind in today as I take a step into tomorrow. I look at my pastel-colored sweater and light blue jeans, with dirty black converse. My curly hair is surely tangled up in the mess of a bun I put it in this morning.

I hop into the shower and wash my hair with the shampoo and conditioner provided. I make a mental note to ask to go shopping for hair products for my hair type. I am not exactly white. I remember seeing my grandfather for the first time, wondering how on earth are we even related? The man is white if I have seen white. I am a bit of a roasted caramel or chestnut color. Then I learned, his first wife was a black woman, making my mother mixed, but my mother had me with a fully black man making me much darker.

I walk into the closet to find all the nice and expensive brand clothing that I only dreamed to ever wear. The one thing I dislike is how revealing some of these clothes are. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with wearing such clothing, but I have a habit of always covering up, which was engraved into me by my mother. I roll my eyes as I grab a tight-fitted long sleeve and high waited pants.

I look in the mirror again. My boobs look way too huge in this shirt.
I cringe a little as I see the curves of my body. My stomach has gotten a bit chubbier, but the pants cover it well. I need to start working. I head back into the closet and put on a black blazer, completing my all-black outfit. I finish it off with a belt.

I am not appalled or disgusted at how quickly I am covering up the girl I was about an hour ago. I have to adjust to this new life very quickly. I have to show my grandfather I am capable of doing everything his children failed to do.

I look at the shoe collection. I am not a heels type of girl, because I have never owned heels. I grab high-tops and socks instead.

My hair is tied back with a puff of curls. I smile at my reflection. I look so clean. So, chic... So, badass.

I slip my glasses onto my face and walk to the button. A woman dressed in uniform comes and takes me down to the dining room.

With each step I take, my heart pounds a bit harder.

My old life crumbles behind me.

I will be entering into something I have never known.

A life of guns, drugs, and money.

A life I was never meant to find out about, according to my mother.

A life far too dangerous for a woman... an eighteen-year-old, brown-skinned, girl such as myself.

Something about that statement never sat right with me.

The woman opens the double doors to a long table. A man with grey hair sits at the end, food lined up in front of him.

He looks up.

His eyes light up as I begin to walk up to him.

He slowly rises to his seat.

"Welcome home, Evangeline,"