SINFUL EMPIRE

Keira alighted the shuttle bus, heaving an exhausted sigh and yawning afterward. She was drained after having to sit for over two hours, taking a pop quiz and writing an argumentative essay, and all she needed at that time was to eat something and go straight to bed, but unfortunately for her, her work for the day wasn't done. She had less than an hour before her evening shift began and she couldn't afford to be late for work, or else, an hour's pay would be deducted from her salary. No matter how small ten dollars was, she couldn't afford to lose it from her salary. Never. Having paid the bus driver, she turned and hurried towards her dormitory building, to freshen up and change into her work outfit. This was her second month at Camden University and her tenth week after she received the mail that changed her life forever. Before then, she was just like most of the kids in her small neighborhood, Witherthrow, with no hope for a brighter future. "Back so early." Elvi

The drive to the frat house was the longest twenty minutes of Keira's life. She has never felt more apprehensive and agitated in her entire life as she did during those twenty minutes.It was like a twenty-minute-long visit to hell, in a staring challenge with the devil. Xander, as Kimberly had introduced him, kept throwing her sinister glares from the rearview mirror and he pretended as if he was just meeting her for the very first time when he went ahead to ask her how Camden University was treating her.She couldn't tell if he was playing mind games with her or if he loathed her guts for laying hands on his friend, but didn't want to say anything yet.She was very uncomfortable and edgy, but neither Elvira nor Kimberly noticed because Xander was an expert player. Without any hassle, he played the nice and chivalrous gentleman to Elvira and Kimberly, while dishing her the deadliest glares, through the rearview mirror.She was more terrified about meeting Andre at the party. If

Three months later, Keira has forgotten about the party incident with Andre and his friends. She moved on with her life, returning to her normal cycle; work, school, and home. She avoided Shakira and her cliques like a plague, shying away from every frivolous gathering Elvira invited her to, drowning herself in her academics and her work.Surprisingly, Xander dropped by the cafeteria where she was working two weeks later, with a copy of Tully and an apology note, apologizing for his and his friends I'll attitude towards her, during the frat party.She did try rejecting the book, but he was assertive and threatened to cause a scene if she doesn't accept his acknowledgment."I just want us to be friends. Platonic friends per se." He'd fessed with her when she queried his motives behind the sudden attention on her. "You're different from the other girls I've been with and very special too. I just want to be your friend and nothing more attached to it." He'd reassured her. Although

Keira was dumbfounded and frazzled, it felt like her whole world was crashing down, right in front of her. No...it wasn't possible. This can't be true. They must be mistaken. There must've been a mistake somewhere. It wasn't her Xander they'd seen. It wasn't him. She was with him last night and of course, it wasn't in best situation, but he was there, alive and breathing. He told her to go home with Drew, that he needed some time alone. It isn't possible he would turn up dead just several hours later. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words could come out. She'd a lot of questions and arguments, but her brain couldn't fathom anything for her to say at that moment. She was completely dumbfounded. "Are you sure he was the one?" Elvira, who was still recovering from the shock, questioned no one in particular. "And why would you ever think it was Keira who was responsible for his death?" She queried them still, shocked they could think such of her. "Keira