Ashes of Fame

Star shaped hair pins! They appear in her view and she smiled at the elegance, she watched as the hairstylist’s hand picked one up from the small table, it glitters.

Her gaze was fixed on the large mirror in front of her staring intently.

There were many images that one could see in the mirror: the hairstylist working on her hair, her bed which was in a distance and some other objects in the background but don’t be fooled because she wasn’t looking at any of these, no, she was admiring her own face.

To say she was always fawning over her own face would be an understatement, she is obsessed with her face.

Her eyes moved over every feature, her full lips that shines with red gloss, her naturally defined eyebrows, her petite nose, the tiny but visible mole present at the right corner of her lips, she adored every single detail.

“You look beautiful.” The hairstylist complimented with a compulsory smile.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

The hairstylist wasn't surprised nor was she offended by her nonchalant reply. By now, they were all used to it. Even if anyone was offended, no one dares to reprimand or call her out on her character.

For SHE was Zara Felicity Jones.

The one and only daughter of the most talented doctor in all of North America, Alexander Jones. The name Jones is a very revered name in Dallas, Texas.

It is also where the Jones hospital was established, people come from far and near to get treatments because of the very intelligent medical practitioners, the patients hospitality and the high success rate that the hospital was known for.

Nineteen year old Zara is not a model nor is she an actress but she is a celebrity. Being the daughter of Alexander Jones was enough to give her all the popularity and fame she has. She thrived with the name and took full advantage.

In accordance with her name, Felicity, she is always happy. Why won’t she be? She has everything at her beck and call. She not only owns things, Zara owns people. She was treated like a princess and she lacks nothing.

“Is that a Goddess I see there?” A voice came from the threshold of Zara opened bedroom door.

It was Nora, one of her best friends. Zara smiled standing up and twirling around as her friend enviously scrutinized her accessories and attire.

Zara was wearing a black mini skirt that barely covered her ass with black leather jacket that opens widely in the front to show her spaghetti straps crop top which almost reached her belly button.

The attire looked casual but it being on Zara, there is nothing casual about it, the brand screams wealth.

Her shiny black high heels increases her elegance and Nora whimpered mentally knowing she could never measure up.

“You look good.” Nora told her friend masking all the envious thoughts going through her head.

“We both know I look more than good.” Zara replied proudly sitting back down before checking out her hair in the mirror.

“You did a good job. You can go.” She told her personal stylist who sighed silently in relief.

Zara was very hard to please, even when she was in a good mood. She believes herself perfect and so wants everything related to her to be perfect. It's a trait she got from her mother.

Carrie Jones, the wife of Alexander Jones is a sophisticated woman to the core. Carrie raised her daughter to become who she was today.

In Carrie's eyes, she had raised a very beautiful, elegant and perfect daughter and she couldn't be more proud of what she did.

Her friends envy her daughter's beauty, fame, and charisma.

Carrie is a social butterfly and even though her friends would bring out the topic of her daughter's perfection almost every time they meet, it never gets old, she loves the attention.

After all, all the talk about her daughter would always end up with the agreement that her daughter turned out like that because her mother raised her well.

If there is one thing Carrie loves more than her own family, it will be fame and compliments, she lived off it.

“When are the others coming?” Zara questioned her friend who has taken a seat on the edge of her bed.

“They will soon be here.” Nora replied feeling the material of the bed spread.

Zara smiled in satisfaction at her reflection before she stood up and went to grab her phone from the bedside table. She moved to the couch and sat down.

Placing her legs on top of each other, she faced Nora.

“Can you see up my skirt?” Zara asked.

Nora sighed before moving her eyes downward.

“I can see your panties, Zee.” Nora told her.

“Does it look good?”

“Looks okay. The lace ends looks so nice.” Nora said getting interested and bent more to take a better look.

Her image of curiosity disappeared as Zara snapped her legs shut sitting in a more conserved manner.

“Now don't be a pervert. I got it as a gift from one underwear brand that wants me to model their products for them. What's their name again? Luscious, yes, that's the name.” Nora smiled.

Nora's mouth was wide open. Luscious is the most expensive and the best underwear brand in all of Europe and they are quite popular in the United States.

Nora couldn't believe that Zara was given a modelling offer all the way from another continent.

“Are you accepting their offer?” Nora asked skeptically.

“Sure I am. They've bribed me after all and their product looks so good.” Zara shrugged.

“Soooo, you are flying there?” Zara asked.

“No, they are coming here. We will be using their branch in New York.“ Zara answered typing furiously on her phone.

“How many times do I have to tell this pauper that I'm not interested before he backs down?” Zara said.

“Don't tell me you are talking about George.” Nora asked with wide eyes.

“Who else can frustrate me like this? Of course I'm talking about George!” Zara answered furiously.

“You seriously told him you are not interested? But you said you were going to give in. That guy has been showing interest in you for two years now.”

“Oh yes I was going to actually give him a chance but that was before I found out that their company doesn't really belong to his dad. It belong to his father's cousin who is in another continent and so George's dad is just a replacement that could be removed whenever the owner says 'I‘m coming home’.” Zara explained.

“So what? They are rich!”

“What I'm saying is he is below my level, Nora.” Zara said with finality.

“If you say so.” Nora said, giving up on the argument.

George has been Nora's crush since they were kids but George only sees her as a friend and Nora would feel hurt anytime he saw him display his persistence with Zara.

She has gotten used to it though but that doesn't mean that she doesn't always wish that Zara and George would never end up together.

Now it is happening and her heart leapt in joy when she felt Zara's determination about not giving George a chance at all.

George not having a chance with Zara meant that she has a chance and could try her luck.

For she knew George would never look her way or anyone's with Zara still in the picture, he was obsessed with her and everyone knows it.

“Buuut.... there is someone else I'm interested in.” Zara said dropping her phone on her lap and giving Nora her full attention.

Nora laughed, a genuine laugh as she fell back on the bed and her crop top rose up making Zara get a view of the ring on her belly button.

Zara would have done the same when she found out about it but she absolutely fears needles or any sharp objects at all. The only piercing she has on her was the single one on each her ears.

Nora however, she has a lot more that that and she rocked it. Zara's attention slipped back on Nora who was still grinning from ear to ear.

What Zara sees in her stepbrother, Nora would never know. The first time Zara had brought up the issue of having a crush on her stepbrother, Nora had thought she was joking.

It wasn't for the fact that he was ugly, no, that's far from it.

Kenzo, Nora's stepbrother who is a half-Japanese half-American is a very snobbish and taciturn man.

The last time Nora saw him was when his father got married to her mother and that was three years ago.

That was the first and last time Zara had seen him since she attended the wedding and since then, she couldn’t forget his face.

“I told you I don’t have Kenzo’s number. The only one who has it is my stepdad and Kenzo rarely picks up his father’s call even.” Nora said truthfully still amused.

“Then get it from your-”

Zara’s sentence was interrupted when her other two best friends walked in looking flashy and dashing in their all-black attires.

“Aren’t you gorgeous!!” Zara said walking around her friends.

“I know right? But wait, what are we dressing up for anyway, and I still don’t understand why you texted me that I must wear all black.” Nina, one of Zara’s friends asked.

Nina just came back from France and hasn’t really had the time to catch up on her friend’s latest news.

“We are going to a funeral.” Jade, Zara’s third friend said with a smirk before walking to Zara’s full length mirror to examine her outfit once again.

“Whose funer- Wait! The old woman’s finally dead?” Jade guessed.

“You got that right.” Nora chipped in with a smile.

“I’m glad she’s out of the way now. She never liked me and always try to turn my dad against me.” Zara chuckled.

“Now, the only person that can get on your nerves is your aunt.” Jade said faking a sad face with a pout that makes Zara laugh.

“Aunt Gina is no match for me, baby. The old woman was the one backing her like a rock, now that she’s gone……”

“She is as harmless as a snail.” Nina finished Zara’s sentence and the others laughed.

“We are going to the club after grandma’s laid to rest. Let’s go rock this funeral, shall we?” Zara stood up picking her purse.

“We shall.” Her friends chorused as they all marched out of the room with happy faces as opposed to the expression people wore when going to a funeral.

Fools, that was what they are but they don’t even know that. The little brain they possessed was already clogged with pride, love for fame, worldliness, riches and greediness.

Their eyes plastered with mud but they are too lazy to lift their hands and wipe it off.

The four stood out like sore thumbs at the funeral but then again, birds of the same feather flocks together.

What Zara doesn’t know was that her time of fame was limited and the time is ticking counting down her doom.

Going to her paternal grandmother’s funeral will be the first step she will be taking as she walked into her own misfortune.

The angel of luck had left her shoulders, now on it, was the messenger of tears but she couldn’t notice any of this.

For she was too blind to see.