|U N E D I T E D |

Today was a bright yellow. Colourful and happy in a way only yellow can be. I could feel the bubbling happiness seep through my skin the moment I woke up. I'm no Disney Princess— nor do I wish to be. But there's just something in waking up to the dawn; opening my eyes to the large window before me, its curtains drawn and showing me the most magnificent view of the start of a day. Could I feel anything but happy?

The vast array of colours painted the sky in a vibrant mix of violet, red, orange and a bright halo of yellow just visible at the edge of the world.

As night gave way to day, the sky changed from a brilliant dark blue to a slight violet. And just as I got tired of watching the slow transition, a small diamond like sparkle glittered off in the distance. I looked closer and it grew. There it was— the sun, shattering the sky into a million different shades. It turned the violet into a light shade of red, slowly fading away to a thousand shades of orange and finally when it had risen halfway, it gave away its bright yellow glow— lighting up the world to a new day.

The slow arrival of the yellow chased away any traces of the moonlit sky until there was nothing but the light blue limitless expanse of atmosphere with a glittering sun sparkling from millions of miles away and large cotton candies suspended from the stratosphere.

It's funny how this same major event occurs everyday but I had never actually spectated it like I did today.

But there I was, sprawled across my soft mattress with half of my body under the duvet thinking— just thinking that that was the most brilliant start to what could be the most wonderful day.

For I am yet to be proven otherwise.

Are you sure you want to publish this post?

No      Yes

A pair of bright blue eyes outlined with kohl stared back at her. Her long eye lashes were curled, making her eyes look brighter than they already were. She scanned the profile of the woman before her.

She had a heart shaped face with high cheekbones framed with sculpted jaws and a delicate nose. The woman's simmering golden hair tumbled down her shoulder in perfect waves. She was lucky to have been blessed with naturally beautiful hair.

Clad in a tight figure-hugging red Gucci dress and a pair of black Prada heels, Gwyneth looked phenomenal.

She smiled and the reflection mimicked her.

Shaking her head at her idiocy, she turned to look outside the window. The sun had set hours ago whilst she had been busy with assignments and writing a new blog post.

"Hey!" Faith screamed, entering her room.

"Hi." Gwyneth laughed, linking her arm with that of her best friend's.

"Let's go! Today is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to get wasted and just have sex." Faith said excitedly.

Gwyneth replied with a laugh and they exited the apartment, closing the door behind them.

•••

Gwyneth swayed her hips to the fast pacing music. She could feel people's gaze on her and she basked in their attention. She was an enigma enrapturing the attention of everyone around her. Everyone stood back and watched as she danced— swaying, twirling and moving with the rhythm.

The song ended and the spell broke. She stepped into a flourishing bow (earning applauds from her spectators) and strode confidently towards her friends.

"That was amazing!" Liz hugged her.

"No wonder they want you." Faith said proudly. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the excessive amount of alcohol she had consumed.

"Please, Gordon just wants me because he wants to have a good relationship with my father. I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen a single one of my dance routines. Anyway, I told you, I'm not taking up dance professionally. Remember, I major in music. That's my true call." Gwyneth elaborated.

"True call or not, you're good at both. You could easily pick one." Faith rolled her eyes. "Ooh! Look at that! I'd like to bang him and rock his world. Ah! This place is spinning around too much, seriously!"

"Woah! Take it easy, Faith." Gwyneth stopped her from falling face-first onto the floor.

"This is not fair! You're like so sober! And I'm like a drunken monkey! Haha! Do you ever wonder what monkeys would act like if they had alcohol? What about like pandas? Or snakes?" Faith rambled. "Wow! This is so fascinating. Look at all those planets! I see Saturn! Oh, and— and look! There's Jupiter! Ooooh! The sun! It looks so pretty from up close! Wait, shouldn't I be burning right now? What the hell."

"Okay, Faith. You really need to go home. Wait, I'll take you." Gwyneth muttered.

"No, I want to go and just have sex with that guy!" Faith pointed at a man with dirty blond hair. He did look pretty good.

"No. Let's go home. You're wasted." Gwyneth tugged at her.

"How are you so... normal?" Faith asked.

"I didn't drink as much. Also, I've got a high tolerance for alcohol." Gwyneth smirked.

Faith muttered something under her breath and followed her. They shoved their way through to the parking lot and finally breathed out in relief when they saw Faith's car.

"Can we get some ice—" Faith hiccuped. "—cream?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she muttered a quick 'Yes' and opened the passenger door for her drunk best friend. Faith got into the car clumsily and Gwyneth fastened the seatbelt for her.

Slamming the door shut, she went around and settled herself on the driver's seat. Within moments, they were cruising through the empty streets.

She stopped the car in front of an ice-cream parlour and Faith squealed, fumbling with the seatbelt. Before Gwyneth could stop her, Faith was out of the car, skipping towards the parlour's glass door—

And running straight into the glass.

Muttering profanities under her breath, Gwyneth rushed towards her best friend and helped her up. Faith didn't seem to mind the fact that she was sprawled on her ass in front of the parlour because she was busy giggling.

Rolling her eyes, Gwyneth pushed open the door and let her enter first.

Her eyes scanned the empty tables when she noticed him.

Daniel Matthews. He was easily one of God's most prized creations. With beautiful bronze skin, dark brown hair that looked almost black and the most crafted face she had ever seen, he was every girl's dream.

And of course, there were his eyes. They were black. Deep endless pools of black —not the creepy demonic kind, mind you—  but they were so deep and she could stare at them all day. He was taller than her by a little more than a head when she wore five inch high heels, and he was hot.

His body was built to perfection and she knew he played basketball and worked out almost everyday. That's what everyone at the University said, anyway.

She stood frozen at the entrance and in that moment his eyes snapped into her gaze. A soft smile lit his face, showing the dimple on his left cheek.

Now she felt drunk.

"Ooo! Daniel! Isn't he the one in your Psychology class? The one you keep squealing about?" Faith whispered not so inconspicuously.

By the laughter in his eyes, she knew that he had heard her drunken best friend.

"Can you just shut up for two seconds. Let me leave with some dignity at least." Gwyneth hissed.

Shrugging, Faith strode forward and sat in the chair across Daniel. Gwyneth went to the counter and ordered their ice-creams.

"Here you go!" The middle aged woman beamed, handing Gwyneth the two cones.

Thanking her, she took the two cones and went to her best friend. She noticed that Evan Taylor was also seated at the table. He flashed her a quick smile and she beamed back.

"You went to the party, I assume?" He asked her.

"Yeah. This idiot here got drunk out of her mind." Gwyneth replied, handing Faith the ice-cream.

"I'm not that drunk! I can stand." Faith protested.

"Barely." Gwyneth noted.

"Man, I miss high school. Now, it's just tons of work. Remember the wild parties I used to throw back home?" Evan said wistfully.

"Hell yeah! I would have to spend the entire weekend hungover." Gwyneth laughed.

"Yeah, And I'd have to go back to your place because mine was too trashed. Oh, how's Penny by the way? I talked to your dad the other day and he didn't really say anything about her." Evan said.

Gwyneth's smile flickered before she answered, "She's okay..."

Understanding shone in Evan's eyes and he nodded. "Anyway, this ice-cream is so great. Don't you think, Dan?" He asked.

"Yeah." He agreed then turned to face Gwyneth and asked, "How's the journal coming up?"

It took a moment for her to answer, "Oh. Um... it's pretty great. It's simple anyway. I just write whatever I— I like writing."

"I'm so bored! You guys are neglecting me." Faith pouted.

They ignored her.

"Guess what? There's a bonfire at the beach. Wanna go? It's much better than the party." Evan suggested.

Gwyneth glanced at her friend who's eyes sparkled with delight. Obviously she would want to go.

"No. She needs to get home. She'll get sick." Gwyneth replied.

"Spoilsport. Let's just go! I'm better now. Please?" Faith requested.

"Yeah, you should come." Daniel's deep voice said. He was gazing intently at her.

"I— I don't think so." She stuttered.

Gosh! What was wrong with her? The moment he said something to her, she was all keyed up and nervous. Her gaze drifted to Evan and he was smirking at her.

She glared at him.

"Please, let's go! Please?" Faith pleaded as they were making their way to the car.

"Nope." She replied.

"But you love bonfires!" Faith exclaimed.

She didn't reply.

Huffing loudly, Faith ran away and stood in front of Evan's car. "I'm not moving unless you don't agree."

"Get in, Faith." Evan smirked.

Faith squealed and sat on the passenger seat, sticking her tongue out at Gwyneth.

"Stop being a party pooper, Gwenny. I know you aren't one." Evan teased.

Narrowing her eyes at her annoying childhood friend, she went to Faith's car. Silent footsteps followed her. She turned back—

To see Daniel. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at her like...

She shuddered.

"So, are we leaving?"

•••

The bonfire lit her up. Her soft skin was illuminated in the darkness of the world around them and her perfectly wavy golden hair flew in  the symphony of the ocean breeze.

The others had already abandoned the place, choosing to attend the in-house party rather than spend the night in the freezing cold and he was happy about that.

Gwyneth was leaning forward, listening to something Evan was saying. A moment later her head tipped back with laughter and he thought that it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

Snap out of it.

This was getting out of hand. It had started with something akin to lust but perhaps with a mix of emotion. And slowly as he watched her, and talked to her occasionally, he grew obsessed. Now he just sounded like a crazed poet writing about the love of his life.

He knew she was attracted to him but she hid it well.

"... Daniel?" The sound of his name snapped him out of his thoughts.

He looked up to see Evan, Faith and Gwyneth looking at him.

Daniel blinked.

"I said, wanna go skinny dipping with these two hotties?" Evan repeated with a glint in his eyes.

"You crazy? It's so cold. We'll freeze." He replied.

That earned him a laugh from Gwyneth. "Your loss." She smirked and stood up.

He could see where the rumours came from. The delighted glint in her eyes and her eagerness to do almost anything indicated that she loved to live life to the fullest.

Gwyneth unzipped her dress and tossed it to Faith, kicking off her shoes.

His breath stopped.

She ran towards the beach and he thought that she was the most sinfully beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her creamy skin —now out of illumination of the warm glow of the bonfire— still lit up under the moonlit night sky.

She wore a matching red lace lingerie set and he could feel his breath hitch.

He adjusted his pants.

Gwyneth turned back and looked at them. His body stood up on its own accord.

"You guys coming?" She yelled.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned back again and dived  into the ocean with a jump.

Her squeal of surprise and delight had his heart warming.

"I can practically see the drool." Faith grinned at him.

He said nothing.

"You like her. Go for it. But I'll warn you, she isn't one to be tamed. Fun is her middle name. So if you wanna stick to your ordered boring life then forget about it." His best friend said.

"Yeah, I'll go for it." Daniel replied and took of his shirt.

"Woah!" Faith whispered and fanned herself.

Smirking, he undid the buttons of his jeans and took them off. He was lucky he had the foresight that they would probably end up here.

Wearing his trunks, Daniel ran towards Gwyneth and jumped into the water.

"It's cold!" He stuttered.

"You'll get used to it." Gwyneth replied, laughing.

"I sure hope so."

She was quiet for a moment before smiling and splashing water on him.

"Hey! C'mon!" He groaned.

Her laughter rang in his ears.

He lunged for her but she had already started wading away from him. But she was laughing and that slowed her down.

He caught her by the waist and pulled her towards him.

"Gotcha." He muttered.

"Mmhmm." She hummed and dunked his head in the water, effectively having him lose his grip on her.

When he rose again, he saw her there, standing against the glow of the bonfire, a bright halo surrounding her frame. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling in that playful way she always did.

He heard the catcalls of their friends growing closer, but he didn't care. There she was, standing like a siren— and he, a mystified sailor. But he didn't care. Consequences be damned. He wanted her, and he would have her. Even if that meant that his ordered life would get irrevocably disrupted.

•••

"Bye!" Faith said, and got off the car. Gwyneth followed her out and watched as her drenched body shuddered at the slight breeze. She looked away just as Faith closed the door, not before winking at Gwyneth.

"You good to go?" Evan's voice came from his car.

Nodding, she settled herself on the backseat.

The ride to her apartment was uneventful and took only a matter of minutes.

"Bye, then. I had a great time." She smiled and got off the car.

A door slammed shut behind her and she glanced back to see Daniel following her.

"I thought I'd drop you to the lobby." He explained.

She smiled at him and they walked inside the apartment complex. His hand was on the small of her back and she wanted nothing but to kiss him.

They stopped in front of the elevator and she turned to face him after pressing the button.

"I—" She was cut off from saying further as his finger shushed her. He was so close. His head bent low with their foreheads touching.

She could feel the heavy beat of her heart and the thrum of her pulse. She gazed up into his dark dark eyes and she felt like she was yanked into another world entirely where nothing else existed but them.

Her head tilted up slowly and their lips were only centimetres apart. He moved closer and her eyes closed. A second later his lips were on hers.

She'd kissed a lot of boys. She had slept with a fraction of them too. But nothing could prepare her for this. No, there were no fireworks or tingles. But in that moment everything and everyone else ceased to exist. It was a sweet and soft kiss that grew passionate by the second. It was like everything around her had exploded. She could feel herself growing impatient. And she knew he must have used every ounce of his will power to not carry her and take her on the nearest bed available.

She so badly wanted to invite him up to her apartment and spend the night drowned in passion. But she knew that she couldn't. Because at that moment the kiss felt like so much more than the others she'd shared.

She didn't want to devalue it by rushing things.

He pulled away from her but not completely, their foreheads still touching and his gaze intense. It felt as though he could see right through her skin and into her soul.

His eyes stuttered close before he pulled away, reluctantly.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked.

Gwyneth nodded.

She watched his retreating back till he left her apartment lobby. But before he was completely out of sight, he turned back and gave her a dazzling smile.

Smiling goofily she got into the elevator and waited for her floor. The elevator doors opened with a ding and she stepped out unconsciously. Her mind still on the dark haired man.

It was not until she swung the door of her apartment open that she completely snapped out of it.

There— sitting on the couch in front of the TV, was Mason Miller: Faith Miller's older brother.

Growing up, Gwyneth had always looked at him as her own brother. He was as overprotective of her as he was of his own sister and she loved him for that. But he'd fallen into the wrong crowd when he went to University. He lost everything: his friends, his family, his diploma and his sanity.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

He turned to face her and said, "I found your apartment keys in Faith's room. I decided to come say hi. But you weren't here so I made myself home."

"You're supposed to be in rehab." She said, walking closer slowly.

He laughed humourlessly. "Right, rehab. They thought I was stable enough to join the human world again. I got here day before yesterday. But you wouldn't know, would you? Who cares about the black sheep of the family? Faith didn't deem it important to tell you. My dear parents can't talk about me without barfing and now you don't want anything to do with me."

"I didn't say that." Gwyneth replied.

"You didn't need to. It was implied." He said, standing up.

He stalked towards her, slowly. Like a predator fixing its prey. His prowl made her nervous and she took a step back. But he didn't stop. He moved closer until she was pressed against the door and his chest was just inches away from her.

"Tell me." He whispered. "Did you miss me?"

"Back off, Mason." She retorted.

The smile vanished from his face and he pressed closer until she was sandwiched between him and the hard wall. Her breath came in pants and she could feel her heart hammering against her rib cage. Only this time, it was out of fear.

"Look at you." He crooned against her ears. "You're so turned on. I knew you had a thing for me."

"Mason. Back. Off." She snapped.

"Or what?" He smirked.

"I'll scream the fucking place down." She said angrily.

"I'm not stupid. Your apartment is sound proof. Don't lie to me, Gwen." He said.

This wasn't him. He would never do this. She could smell the drinks and she knew he was completely out of it. Whatever he had done to convince the rehab facility that he was stable had worked. But he was not. He was too far gone.

"Mason, let go." She protested as he gripped her elbow harshly and pulled her towards her bedroom.

"Never." He bit out.

"Mason!" She screamed. "No!"

He threw her on the bed and looked at her with an evil glint in his eye. "It'll be easier for you if you shut the fuck up and just concede." He said, pulling off his shirt.

She tried getting up but before she knew it, his body was thrown atop hers and she lost her breath. "Don't you dare pull some shit." He growled, pinning her to the bed.

"Mason, please. This isn't you." She pleaded.

"Fuck that. This is me. Stop being so stub—" He was cut off by the door flying open. Three men stood at the doorway and she sighed in relief. Maybe they would help her.

But the moment a smile lit the face of the man in the middle, she knew that no one would.

"Look what we have here." The stranger said.

He seemed to be the leader because with one wave of his hand, the other two sprung into motion: one closing the door and the other pulling Mason off her.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Mason spat.

"Do you think I won't have people tailing you with your heavy debt. You owe me, Miller." The leader's gaze landed on Gwyneth and she stiffened. "Maybe you can pay me back by letting me fuck your girlfriend."

"She isn't my girlfriend." Mason said.

"Even better." The man murmured.

Gwyneth scrambled onto her feet, ready to take off but at that moment the other man stood in front of the door— effectively shutting her only way out.

"Now, now. Aren't you a beautiful thing? No wonder Mason wants you for himself." The man murmured, trailing a finger down her face till the base of her neck.

She flinched away from him.

"Looks like we can have some fun here, don't you think, Miller?" The man taunted with his eyes on her.

She should've brought Daniel up. This wouldn't be happening if she did. She would've been safe. None of this would've happened. She felt fear creep up her spine.

No. No. No!

Bile rose at the back of her throat but she fought the urge to vomit and tried to think of a way to get out. But nothing came into her mind. Her purse was in the other room. What could she do?

"Here's a deal. You're off if you let me take her." The man said to Mason. "You can join too."

Horror gripped her bones.

They were going to rape her. She could sense Mason's hesitation but it was only for a millisecond before he agreed.

"Mason. No." She pleaded.

He ignored her and looked away stoically.

"Mason. Please! How can you do this?" She asked as she was thrown onto the bed.

"Stop screaming, sweetheart. You're going to love this." The man muttered as he crept over her.

She struggled against him but to no avail. His weight pinned her down and crushed her body.

Her eyes searched the darkness of the room for Mason but he just stood there. Someone switched on the light and she squinted.

"Mason." She whimpered.

"Just shut up. This is my only way out. I don't have fucking money." He snapped.

His eyes were foreign and she could see nothing of the boy he used to be. The drugs had changed him. Every ounce of humanity had been drained from his body.

Gwyneth struggled as the man began nipping at her neck— enough to leave a bruise.

"Why don't you join me, Miller? This ain't no fun without two men." The leader murmured in a seductive tone.

There was a moment of silence before she heard the sound of a zipper. She felt the man smile against her skin.

"Please. Mason, please don't do this." She sobbed.

But no one heard her. It was like talking to corpses. No one was here to save her, and she had never felt this helpless before. She hadn't believed when they told her that he had changed but now...

He had defied her trust in the worst way possible.

The two men climbed over the bed with lust-filled eyes. Mason was stark naked and Gwyneth closed her eyes. She wanted to die. It would've been better if they killed her. She could feel the rustle of clothes and she heard the sound of another zipper opening.

She could do nothing as they pinned her down. They didn't care that she was sobbing and whimpering and struggling.

Please, please. Someone help me. I can't— oh god! I can't. Please.

She didn't know whether she had whispered those words out loud or she had called for help in her head. She didn't know anything.

She felt someone take ahold of both her arms and pin them above her head. Another pair of hands tied her wrists together and she was stuck— helpless and bare.

A rough and large hand caressed her breast and another tugged at the zipper of her dress. She felt the tight material of her dress slide off of her.

She pleaded, pleaded with everything in her. Her whimpers turned to sobs and to screams. But no one could hear her. And the ones who could didn't have enough compassion in them to help her.

The lacy material of her panties snapped against her skin and she screamed.

Please. Please.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, falling to the side of her face and wetting her hair.

A large hand slid over her body and she whimpered.

She begged for anyone— anything to stop what was happening. But the Gods turned their heads. She'd had enough share of happiness.

The two men ignored her sobs and took pleasure in her body— feeling, caressing, kneading.

But this wasn't the caress of a lover. It was one of a molester. This wasn't the touch of a man. No, it was the scrape of a monster. Every touch felt like a gash on her body.

And even though she didn't want any of it, she felt her body react. And in that moment, she hated herself— and her body for betraying her. She hated those animal instincts that made her body react to the torture they ensued upon her.

She hated her face, her eyes, her lips, her hair, her hips; her entire existence. Between her screams and sobs, she cursed her birth. If only she had never set foot on this horrible treacherous world.

For she had felt happiness and hope under the same sky, the same stars but she had never ventured the thought of the universe, of the world to torment her— to grasp at every single happy moment of her life and snatch them away from her, to let her see that perhaps the universe wasn't as loving as she had perceived it to be.

|Attached picture subject to copyright ©️ 2018|