1 Prologue

The alcoves of the stage blasted with confetti and the stadium erupted with lavender glees. Vibrant glints were specked on her sparkling frame as blissful tears blurred her vision.

"And here are the five finalists of Miss. USA 2017. Put your hands together for these wonderful girls!" the host screamed in the mic, gesturing at the girls.

Leona was one of them. The finalist of the competitive beauty pageant contest, Miss. USA 2017. She was just a step away to represent her country in a universal contest, competing with nearly 130 participants.

Her glassy eyes flickered at the sense of accomplishment. Dreaming of possessing the crown was something she had been doing since she was six. Six years old never conceived for toys, a chocolate house, a talking barbie, but a crown on her head and her name written down in the history of American allure cavalcade.

Finally, she did it.

"Mom, dad, and brothers must have watched me. They must be happy!" She rumbled, peering down at the flowers with teary eyes.

Leona meandered into her dorm room with a corsage of florals and a smile never leaving her lips. She caught glimpse of Sia, the second finalist of the contest and gloom slithered in the chest, drumming against her ribcage cause the young woman was limping.

Leona instantly approached her figure, grabbing her arm for support. The elder woman looked at her and her smile died.

It didn't bother Leona. She knew that the woman didn't like her and the bitterness prevailed only because they were competing for an international title. Nothing personal.

Leona smiled, pure innocence weaved in honey. "I will guide you to your room, come on," she urged.

The thick lashed woman rolled her eyes with a sour face and shook her head in denial. "I would rather crawl."

Leona sighed. "And get this dress dirty? Did you forget that we have to give them back to designers?"

The woman hissed at her like a noxious serpent but when she glimpsed at Leona's saintly smile and dimples that could fuck the whole damn universe, she softened.

"Come on," the eighteen years old sought, pulling the limping woman. She even held her heels in her hands. She always believed that she got that sympathetic and loving nature from her elder brother. On that note, she was eager to contact him and share her blissful moment.

Once they were in the room, Leona prepared the ice packs and placed them on Sia's feet.

"You are too naive. I despise you for that," Sia mumbled, her unwavering gaze settled on the younger. Leona heaved her gaze and shrugged, then went back to cure her feet. She had been bestowed with the sentence a quite lot of times, but her kind heart didn't get what they mean.

Later, Leona strolled back to her room, in a deep trance. There was a sense of anguish in her bones. The final round was in a week. Losing was not in her privileged. The nervousness almost nauseated her. She rang the only person she trusted the most.

"Hello, Miss Universe. Congratulations for making it to the finals," her elder brother's voice was dry as a Sahara desert, she knew deep inside he was dying of happiness. Martin had never been a man with sugar words. He had an odd way of expressing his emotions.

"Love you too. Where is Lev?" she plopped on her bed, a sigh of comfort tumbling off her red lips. The high heels in which she was whisking around throughout the day split her feet and lower back. But the pain was exquisite.

"Of course, you love the younger brother more than the elder. But he is currently crying in happiness, locked in the bathroom. Probably will continue for two hours."

"I am not crying!" she heard her younger brother's hoarse voice and laughed out loud. Lev was cotton candy. Sweet and soft. Though at times he pretended to be the tough guy and adorably failed. But there was one time when he beat the shit out of two guys twice his size cause they harassed his dear sister.

"Yeah, sure," Martin said with a humorous laugh that instantly warmed her aching heart.

"Stop it, don't bully him," Leona snapped, massaging her scalp her tired fingers, thinking it's her mother who was doing it.

After the soft rummaging noise, her younger brother took over, "Lia! I love you!"

Leona chuckled at his loud voice. Lev never liked the name 'Leona'. He always thought that the name is too fierce, too dark for his sister's angel-like personality and naive turquoise eyes.

"Love you too. Were you crying?" she asked, the teasing texture in her tone rippled a groan from him.

"NO! I am proud of you, Lia, you know," a nimble emotional shift in his voice again provoked the rushes in her eyes.

"Lev, I am n-

"Nervous" he sighed, "You are the best, Lia. The crown is yours and even if you don't get it, it's fine. I will throw a pity party and set a karaoke. You can dance, sing, eat tons of junk, and cry but not on my shoulders, of course. Don't want your snot on my hoodie"

She smiled at his annoying way of consoling her, "I don't know, it's just, things are worrying me."

"Is it about him?"

A lump rose in her throat and she strenuously ingurgitated the words. She couldn't tell him. She could never spill the catastrophe secret that was estimating her shoulders. She couldn't tell anyone or they will despise her for it. The reputation of her family that her father and brother created shedding sweats, tears, and pulling on sleepless nights would turn into specks of dust because of her.

"Lia, involving with him might -"

The bell went off, jolting her up and slitting a grunt from her. She wanted to do nothing but makeup with the bed and her sleep. Every limp was hollering in exhaustion, and she felt like her bones might crack if she moved a muscle. When the bell again rang, she wasn't left with a choice but to heave her ass up from the fluffy mattress.

"Lev, I will call you in a bit."

"Okay. Eat a lot. You look good when you are chubby. Love yaa!" Her sixteen years old hung up not before making the unbearable kissing noise.

Shaking her head with her lips still stretched in a wide smile, Leona crawled to the door and swung it open. The temperature of her blood dropped to zero degrees celsius when the smiling face and red roses came in view.

"May I come in?"

The angel's heart never thought that night was going to change her life in a way, she couldn't fantasize. She was thrown into a schism of Hades which was insurmountable to come up through. She lost everything, she was astray down on oaths of coals, she was left in the lurch by the people whom she called family and the fans who referred her goddess of the universe

She gave up on her soul.