Killer Empire

Chapter 01

THE LAST THING Devora could remember from the day she was kidnapped was that he was making fun of her name again.

A boy that starred as the male lead in her daydreams; the prince charming of her fairytales; the beloved star of their high school. Liam Pine, despite being a glorious dream was only just that— a dream. In reality, he was nothing but a brutally rude boy that hadn't grown up.

Even though Devora knew that simple fact well enough, it still utterly crushed her heart.

Liam was the epitome of perfection in Devora's eyes ever since she was young. He possessed gorgeous slicked-back golden blond hair and sparkling eyes that held the skies within and his smirk rivaled every other heartthrob that walked the Earth. It was true. His outer appearance was a gift from the gods, meant to bless the rest of humanity. However, for what he had in outer beauty, he lacked in his personality.

It was simply made with everything putrid and foul.

He preyed on the weak and only hovered around the strong. Together with his like-minded friends, they've terrorized the entire student body, forcing them to bow from their low positioning in the social hierarchy.

Devora had sworn that after this day, she would never harbor a crush for that wretched man again. Liam took it a little too far this time, laughing about her name, which had been inspired by her grandmother's before her death. He even took it further and pushed Devora aside when they crossed paths in the hallways of their school, leaving a nasty bluish-black bruise on her shoulder.

It was just last week in which the poor girl had moved away from her home town in an attempt to move away from the snide remarks regarding her name. However, it seemed as though the cruel comments followed her everywhere she went.

Her grandmother had been her best friend growing up, and it was only just a few years back, on Devora's thirteenth birthday had she passed away peacefully due to old age. The name of 'Devora' was a play on her grandmother's name, Deborah, and she grew up mighty proud of it until she reached the wretched creation known as high school.

High school had been particularly hard for Devora. She was a singularly gifted student, and yet she was often looked down upon just because of her school smarts. She was athletic and could hold up in a competitive sport rather well. The only thing was that she wasn't blonde, nor was she a cheerleader. And hence from there on, she became the victim of all too many backlashes and critical insults.

All too many times had Devora lay alone at home with a good book in her hands, her nose buried within the precious words of a story that took her off to a far off land with characters of the author's wildest imaginations. They became her only friends, and the words of a good touching book became that to her as of a bible to a religious man.

The constellations of the night sky soon became her guardians, those that advised her and listened to each and every bit of her woe and worry. She knew deep in her heart the stars were ever constant; they do not give proper advice that could possibly fit the questions she wished to ask. However, it provided her with great comfort that there would be someone, something that was willing to listen to each and every night.

It became particularly hard to find someone she could confide in. It used to be old grandma Deborah that listened and baked sweet aromatic cookies that would calm the young girl down before an anxiety attack even began. But now with her parents busy with their ever-growing company and her aunts living states away, she could only request for the company of inanimate objects she knew she could count on, no matter what.

That day, without any shoulder for her to lean on, Devora locked herself in a stinky little bathroom cubicle in school and cried herself into oblivion. The pain was not just from her bruises but also from the crack in her heart.