1 Chapter 1: Seriano High; Texas, California.

A young brunette at the age of five sat in a cozy living room, surrounded by the sound of the snow blizzard passing by at a rapid speed. Her body trembled in fear at the wild thought of the house flying apart like what the young girl had once witnessed in many movies. She began to hope her mother would return to her side as to how she had promised. But even faith wouldn't be by her side. The young child awaited her mother for three days straight through the blizzard and yet dear old mom didn't show up.

On the fourth day, as the blizzard reduced to a slow and steady wind, the father of the child returned with an unknown woman. The lady opened the door and gasped at the sight of the child collapsed. They sent the child to the hospital for aid. When the doctors asked for the child's' closest relatives, the father said he didn't know her at all. She was an abandoned orphan. The child was too weak to protest and she calmly accepted her fate.

Living with a hospital nurse, the man soon returned claiming he would adopt the child as his own, concealing the truth from society. His 'deed' helped him gain popularity among the ladies while a hired maid raised the child. He kept her old name but changed her sir name. Yet the girl rejected that title and kept her mothers name, knowing only she held love for the beloved child.

Thus begins this story...The story of a young rejected daughter by the name Zoe Mckelsi.

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Morning struck Zoe's face as she woke by the heat and NOT her blaring alarm clock. The clock had been ringing for over 30 minutes and still, not a single soul in the house decided to awaken the girl. She could only gasp at the sight and rush downstairs.

Zoe was fast in preparing herself but even that wouldn't help her in her current situation. The clock was ticking as she raced towards campus, knowing far too well her 'beloved' father held no thought for her transportation. Her feet were lifted in the air as she jumped down the subway stairs and her knees bucked as she made contact with the concrete surface. Zoe hissed at the stinging pain of impact yet still kept going. She managed to buy a ticket and stumble onto the train on time before the doors automatically shut. She finally huffed a sigh of relief before glancing at her watch. 'I'll arrive five minutes late. Hopefully, Mrs. Catherine would come late like usual.'

But luck wasn't something Zoe had on her side. She noticed the shocking pink mustang in the teachers' parking lot and ticked her teeth. 'Well, there goes my luck.' Reaching class, her Additional Math teacher had decided to poke her head out the window and caught sight of her rushing in the halls. She stopped Zoe in her tracks and gave her the 'glare'. If glares could kill, Zoe would've been a lifeless doll. Zoe could only clench her fists in anger at her current situation. 'Why in God's name did she have to come early now? She would always come late with her excuse of make-up...' Zoe huffed in her mind.

"Miss Mckelsi… I wonder what had occurred this time?" Mrs. Catherine asked while crossing her arms tightly across her chest, giving her chest a tight space to squeeze in.

"I'm so sorry but I was up last night finishing my homework.." She lied between her heavy pants to catch her breath, knowing far too well this particular teacher had it in for her. Ever since their first class together, Mrs. Catherine despised Zoe for her overconfidence in class.

"Well, I'm expecting you to be running around the entire field six full laps and help rake the dry leaves into a pile after school" the strict teacher retorted mercifulness with a smug smirk carved over her polished face.

Accepting her faith, Zoe entered the class. She wasn't surprised to be called out by the class brat; Ariana Snow. Ariana decided Zoe was another old wad of chewing gum left to be stepped on and stepped on she did. Zoe had held back her anger over the years of studying in the same pathetic state she was in. She held no thought about changing herself.

Studying, getting bullied, studying more, and eating. It was all in her routine and she didn't mind the fact that she was aiming for her parents' dreams instead of hers. Her hobby was writing and Zoe wanted to be a novelist. Her parents thought it was a ridiculous idea and made her follow a doctor's medical course. And she had followed each rule without resistance. At some stages, Zoe would cry in her room, asking herself why she was like this… Her parents' puppet… A programmed machine, following every action she was programmed to do. She was tired yet couldn't find her way out of the terrible fearful hell hole…

Once the bell rang, ending school hours, Zoe recalled her punishment and decided to get it over with before the day ended. Running around the field, she ignored the other students that passed by while gossiping about her. The words uttered by the so-called 'hot' students were also ignored and if they tossed anything to annoy her, Zoe kept running silently.

Being a klutz as herself, she accidentally stumbled over something hard. It was apparently a buried box. Falling face first, she cursed under her breath and glanced at the item that caused her pain. 'What the?' Slowing getting up and wiping the dirt off her face, Zoe pulled out the box and examined it on her lap. 'Who the hell leaves a box underground in an area like this place?' Trying to open it, she struggled for a while until giving up. Planning to take it back to her house and accomplish the task later, she snuck it into her bag.

On the journey back, Zoe's eye caught the news reporting an article about her father's hospital and his achievement he had succeeded the previous month. Zoe watched his fake smile cross the screen and smiled softly. 'If Father is happy with what he is doing, I'm sure I would also be happy.' Entering her house, she walked towards her room until her stepmother stopped her in her tracks. She seemed to be in a bad mood. Her make-up was smudged due to it expiring the day before and she looked wary. Based on the alcohol smell Zoe managed to whiff out in the atmosphere, she suspected this lady to have returned from a bar.

"Zoe, dear…where have you been? Not only did you come home late, but you also left this house early morning and didn't say a word...As your mother, I want to know the truth this time, Zoe.." She ordered with a hiccup while her arm held her up by the couch.

It was a moment of silence until Zoe turned her back and began walking away. There was no way in hell Zoe would face her stepmother while she was in such a state of mind. Zoe's mother scoffed at Zoes' attitude and grumbled.

"What kind of daughter acts like that to her parents? Especially her mother.." She scoffed in frustration. The statement had stabbed her daughter's heart without her knowledge or consideration.

"…It's not like you ever care..." Zoe grumbled under her breath as she entered her room. Her heart was pounding with ache and frustration and all Zoe wanted was to crawl into her bedsheets and forget the entire encounter had ever happened.

Slamming the door shut, she leaned on her door and took off her bag from her shoulder. Pulling out the box from her bag, she took a pair of scissors and placed it on her bed. Smirking, she smashed the boxes' lock and opened it. Coughing the dust out of her lungs, she glanced at the contents and furrowed her brows. 'Who the hell keeps fifteen-year-old newspapers?' She thought in frustration. Looking through the newspapers, she found an interesting article 'The Amazing Secretary's' Disappearance..' Gently placing it on her desk, she blew the dust away and read the article slowly.

"The Flame Kingdom's Department Of Administration 'DOA' had a devastating riot as their secretary, Samantha Mckelsi, age 45, disappeared in the 'Dark King' Vector incident while saving the majesty, Queen Arlina. Witnesses had confirmed that the death of the secretary is the 3rd tragedy in the humble town. Will the queen get over the other two tragedies and continue ruling us in peace?"

Zoe read the article and found the name stated an interesting one. 'Samantha Mckelsi is mom. But mom disappeared ten years ago leaving dad with another woman…it can't be her' The confused teenager lay on her bed, allowing her mind to consume the information. But after so long, her eyelids began to feel heavy and despite her hungry, she decided to call it a night.