Desired by The Kings

Chapter 1

I was busy living my life, enjoying my time away from my strict parents and with my classmates and friends. While still in communication with them and my twin sister, Majara. I thought everything was fine because I was happy, but reality pulled me back to earth when Majara suddenly became silent a month ago, and terrible news reached me.

"Majara's dead."

Two words. Two words brought tears to my eyes. Two words made me crumble in front of the cops. Two words change my whole world.

I cried on the cold floor. It didn't even register when the cops left, or my Parents kissed my head and left. None of it matters. My twin is gone. Dead. And I didn't even get to see her before she died. I didn't get to say goodbye. Her last message was when she told me she loved me.

I should have known.

"Suicide." The cop's statement kept on repeating inside my head. My twin was getting bullied, so she took her life by jumping from the building.

Why? Why didn't she tell me? I could've helped her. I could've... "What? What would you do, Majiko? You're so caught up in your life and happy being alone. What would you do?" My conscience taunted me, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

I closed my eyes and squeezed my chest feeling it hard to breathe. That is not true! I love Majara, and I care about her more than anyone. She's my only sibling!

So, where were you when she jumped off the building?

I shouted in pain and stood up. I ran and ran, not caring where I was running to or who I was bumping with. I ran until I couldn't anymore.

I felt arms wrapping around me, drawing me close to their chest. I whimpered at the familiar feel of my best friend's embrace. I buried my face in his neck and cried some more.

"H-he's gone, Benj. My twin left us."

He tightened his grip on me, and it comforted me a little. "Ssh, Jiko. Cry it out first, okay? Let it all out."

After what seemed like forever, my tears stopped, but my heart continued to bleed. Somehow, I sat outside a cafe with a steaming hot cup of coffee. I can feel my head aching from crying too much, and I'm sure my eyes are puffy, but I don't care. Anyone can take a picture of me and laugh at it, and I wouldn't even care. I don't care about my reputation anymore.

Benjamin hold my hand and smile sweetly. "Are you calm enough now, babe? Try drinking this coffee. I know it'll calm you down a bit."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes first before sipping the coffee. It did calm my body a little, but not what I'm feeling right now.

"Now, what happened to Maja?"

Hearing her name made my lips quiver, and I could feel another round of tears coming, but I swallowed them down.

"Suicide. She j-jumped off a building a month ago, and I only found out now." My voice cracked a little, so I cleared my throat, but it hurt me.

Sadness filled Benjamin's eyes, and he blinked back his tears. He said nothing for a few minutes, and I respected that. Majara was close to him, too. We all grew up in the same neighborhood, after all. And Benjamin has been my best friend for five years now. Maja was like the sister he never had, being an only child.

"We should've stopped her from entering that school, Majiko."

"Kings University?"

He nodded solemnly. "I heard things about that school but never actually believed it because it was ridiculous."

"What things, Benj?" I demanded.

He looked away from me and sighed. "I thought they were rumors. Some guys in there are said to influence all the other students. They said they have this gang who bully, beat up, or worse, kill students."

I gasped and stood up. "That is ridiculous, Benjamin!"

Benjamin shushed me before pushing me gently back on my seat. "That is why I told you it was a rumor."

"The cops told us she was getting bullied, so she killed herself, and now.." I trailed off when my throat closed up. "And now you're telling me that she c-could have been killed?"

"I'm not saying that she's been killed for sure. I said she might have been, but those were baseless rumors, babe. There was no evidence based on what I heard."

"How long have you known about it?"

"What? Maj---" I cut him off before he could finish.

"How long? Damn it!"

He sighed and bit his lip. "Before she entered six months ago."

I laughed. "And you didn't even bother telling me?"

"As I said, they were just base---"

"Fires don't start out of nowhere, Benj." I stood up. "A little warning would've been nice." I stared at him for a minute before leaving him. I ignored his calls. I just walked away from him, feeling sad and betrayed. The one person I thought I could count on was someone I couldn't trust.

When I came back, my parents were sitting and waiting for me. They both stood up when they saw me and held my hands.

"Are you okay now, honey? We were worried about you."

"I'm fine," I answered, dismissing their concern.

"We called your Uncle Jim there and told him to take care of Majara's remains."

I blinked back my tears. "When will her body arrive here? And why just now? Why didn't he inform us right away?" I asked with my eyes closed, heart aching and veins pulsing in anger that Uncle Jim hid it from us.

"You know how busy your uncle is, and he's just as heartbroken as we are. He didn't know how to tell us. And about that, her body," I snapped my eyes open to look at my Mother. "We told him to cremate her body and bring her ashes home."

"What?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. "You did what?!" I yanked my hands back from them and stepped back. Suddenly feeling suffocated being near them, like I did before, like what I felt that pushed me left them when I turned eighteen.

"You heard us right, Majiko, and our decision is final."

"Why? Why would you do that?! We didn't even get to see her body! Take it back. Take it back!"

"Because what she did was an unforgivable sin!"

I was left speechless after that. I suddenly felt so disgusted that even looking at them made me vomit. I am looking at my parents, my mother, who gave birth to us, and my father, who taught me how to protect myself. The parents who raised and loved us, and now looking at them, I feel like I'm suddenly looking at strangers. Have they always been like this?

I looked at my father's and mother's faces, not seeing the loving parents we grew up with but two cold-hearted persons. Two religious people so blinded by their beliefs they forget about their child.

Seeing their faces fueled the rage inside me. "Are you even hearing yourselves?! That is your daughter! My twin! How could you say that about your flesh and blood!" My hands are shaking, and another wave of tears are falling down my face, but this time, instead of grief, it's because of anger.

"Watch how you talk to us!" my dad shouted back at me in anger, and while it always made me cower back before, I kept my head up this time.

"Majiko, please. We're doing this for our family. Imagine the humiliation her death will bring to our family; she even did it at the University! Do you want that? What would your friends say? I will not go through that because of my child's sin!"

I covered my mouth when I felt the urge to puke suddenly. My stomach is curling in with so much disgust. I shook my head to control myself. I cannot believe what I'm hearing.

I laughed bitterly. "You know, Majara died alone. She was probably afraid, but no one was there for her. She didn't even call me! What could be her last thoughts before she killed herself? Did you even think that maybe she's thinking about us? We were not there with her, mom, and dad. We failed to protect her." I laughed like hell and bent over to clap my knees. When I managed to calm myself, I stood up straight and went closer to our family picture. I touched Majara's face lovingly.

"You weren't exactly the best parents, you know? You sent her away because you are ashamed of having a daughter who couldn't even get a B in her grades. You always put other people's opinions over us." I glanced back at my mother.

They always labeled Majara as the rebel without any life goal or dreams, while I was dotted because I was smarter. They were always ashamed whenever we had a family reunion, and sometimes, they will even discourage her from coming. When I was younger, I never understood it and basked in their attention until I was old enough to understand that it wasn't a good thing.

"My friends' opinion? News flash, mom. They never mattered to me. Our reputation? Oh, don't worry. You wouldn't have to worry about that." I went inside my room and collected all my things, all the things I bought from my savings, and left those things they gave to me.

"Where are you going, young lady?" Dad asked me angrily while gripping my arm tight.

"I'm giving you what exactly you want. You wouldn't be embarrassed, and nothing can ruin your reputation when you have no children anymore, right? I'm doing you guys a favor by leaving. "

I snatched my arm back from him and started walking.

"Oh, before I forgot." I looked back and smirked at them. "I disown you as my parents."

I ignored their calls and walked away. From my home, my family. Or was my family.

I need the plan to know the truth about my sister's death.