CHAPTER 1

“What an obnoxious blockhead” Pandora sighed, sinking into the steel-grey armchair, she rolled her eyes for the seventh time. She’d been slouched in his office for the past hour, attempting to remove herself from  anything concerning him. 

“Wednesday, 11 am, Leigh East High School. You will be there” Clifford instructed her, “you don’t have a choice here, Pandora. You don’t just represent yourself, you represent our family.  My name.” 

Pandora sighed again, straightening her posture, “I’m not…”.

“It’s the least you can do” Clifford interrupted, taking another sip from his glass of Irish whiskey, “And I don’t expect much from you”. 

He’d been that way. Stubborn and persistent, Clifford Warren got his way. Author of best selling novels and movie director, the man was a psychotic perfectionist. Clifford raised Pandora on his own, and he’d trained her to be nothing but the best, drilling his ambitions into her. His life, his success and his glory were constantly projected over Pandora, along with his flaws and failures. Flaws and failures he’d never allow himself to accept. But it all weighed down on Pandora. 

Pandora was never a part of Clifford’s plan for his life, or more so his career which indeed was his life. He’d never expected her, and never did he truly bond with her as a child. Clifford wanted to cover his past up, bury it along with this unwanted child fate had tossed at him. But he couldn’t bring himself to abandon her, like the others he’d thrown out, over the years. Pandora was special to him, for some inexplicable reason, he was fascinated by her. She was a gift to him, and he perceived her as nothing more than another one of his characters in his books. Clifford wrote Pandora up into the woman she was today, and he felt pride with seeing how much she had evolved into being him. 

Pandora was gifted. She was intelligent just like Clifford, creative and imaginative just like Clifford, and had a striking talent for writing just like her father, Clifford. Top achiever in academics, sports, music, arts, Pandora was an ace. She had to be. Pandora reflected him in all the artistically beautiful and sickening ways. Her bewitching physique, brilliant mind and sharp tongue left many speechless. Pandora was indeed a gift to all. 

“That’ll be all then Pandora. Make sure you wear blue or green” Clifford listed “Gold jewellery won’t do, so stick to silver. Nothing too flashy. And pin your hair to the right side of your face, and have Linette do your makeup.”

Pandora didn’t bother with a reply, she lifted herself off the comforting armchair and snatched her caramel brown coat from the coat rack., “I’ll do my best”. 

“Of Course you will” he pressed. 

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“How obnoxious” Eleanor sighed, pressing her forehead against the cold foggy glass, she stared out at the empty streets of Leigh-on-Sea. She was bored, bored beyond words. Eleanor replayed the events that happened that afternoon. She’d earned herself an evening of detention. Throwing witty remarks at the biology teacher was nothing new to Eleanor, but getting detention for doing so, was. 

“This is ridiculous” Eleanor huffed, rolling her eyes back at the headmaster. 

“Ms Liyanage” The headmaster tried “You will not speak that way to me, nor will you harass my teachers.”. 

“I was not harassing her. I was correcting her.” Eleanor rose up, pacing around the brown shelved room. 

“Correcting her? Our teachers don’t need to be corrected” he defended. 

“It’s not my fault she didn’t know the syllabus well.” Eleanor started, “we have a syllabus we need to stick to, to finish in time for our Advanced Level examinations.”

“I’m aware Ms Liyanage” Mr Gregory roared, “and I can’t guarantee you will get to sit for the examinations if you keep pulling these stunts.”. 

“I was only correcting her. for giving us inaccurate study material. She should be here instead of me.” Eleanor shot back.  

“That is enough Ms Liyan…” a knock on the old oak office-door halted the headmaster in his attempt to discipline Eleanor. 

Mr Gregory’s secretary chimed in, cutting through the tension in the room “Ms Liyanage is here, shall I send her in?”.

“Yes Linda.” Mr. Gregory replied with annoyance . 

“Good evening Mr Gregory” Anjali greeted, her smile stretching out widely across her glowing, dusky face. She pulled a chair and sat beside Eleanor, adjusting her silk-like cream camisole. Anjali tried pulling her denim mini skirt over her thigh, not being able to bring it down to her knee, she rested her well-decorated hands on top, receiving a glare from Eleanor. 

She’d always been that way. Charismatic and friendly, Anjali Liyanage was able to win over anyone. Dressed in warm shades, soft fabrics and bedazzled with layers of multi-coloured jewellery, she oozed charm. Luscious black curls dripped down to her waist, where you’d be able to spot her scorpion tattoo. She was nothing like her daughter Eleanor, who instead mimicked her paternal grandmother’s mannerisms, much to Anjali’s horror, although she’d named her daughter after her boyfriend’s mother. 

Anjali had had her in her second year of university. She dropped out and left London all together. Nesting down in Leigh-on-Sea, Anjali lived in a one-bedroom annex over a convenience store, where she worked to make a living. Choosing not to drown and wallow in the sorrows of losing her lover Erik, Anjali did not allow herself to fall into a pit of self-pity. Too afraid to face her parents, who’d frown upon her choice to have a baby out of wedlock, she couldn’t begin to think about returning to Sri Lanka.

Anjali had met Erik while studying at university. They were a chocolate-box couple; red roses, soft kisses, long walks and dances in the rain. Their romance was a whirlwind with all its fairy-tale cliches from the prince charming rescuing the damsel in distress, to the evil witch and curses, they had it all. Anjali always thought that it was too good to be true. Her life was finally perfect with Erik beside her. She’d been through a lot growing up with unnecessarily strict parents, and Erik was everything Anjali had dreamt of. She loved everything about him, and it killed her when he passed away.

Anjali never cried, not once after his death. She bottled up all of her dissolution and buried it along with his decomposing corpse. She didn’t understand the feelings that devoured her. Anger, resentment, sadness. Anjali didn’t have time to wallow over Erik, although she missed him she didn’t feel lonely. She was carrying his seed inside of her and that was all she had left of him. His life. And Anjali did her very best to project the life that grew inside of her womb. The last hope she had, her little Eleanor. 

“Ms Liyanage, I apologize for having to call you in today.” Mr Gregory began. 

“That’s alright Mr Gregory” Anjali gleamed up at him, singing, “I don’t mind dropping in here anytime, Mr Gregory.” 

“Ms Liyanage…uh Eleanor caused a bit of a stir today”. Mr Gregory tried playing down, finding himself at a loss of words. 

“What kind of stir Mr Gregory?” Anjali asked, her voice soft and sticky-sweet. 

“Oh, nothing too bad. Don’t worry about it Ms Liyanage” Mr Gregory croaked out, losing himself in Anjali’s web of charisma, “Just make sure Eleanor doesn’t make it a habit to haras…uh voice out her opinions.”

“Yes of course, Mr Gregory. I’ll make sure Eleanor doesn’t make this a habit.” Anjali caroled, making sure to use his name each time she spoke, twirling her jade beaded necklace in her hand. 

This was usual for Anjali. Flirting, chatting up and leading others on to paint up the illustration she wanted her situation to be. And she’d pull any stunt to clear out Eleanor’s name.

Chapter 2 will be out on the 16th of July. 

New chapters to be released every Friday. 

By Kisavi Jayawardena