✮Ｓｔｅｐｈａｎｉｅ✮

CH.26: SANCTIFIED

Since I was a victim of a casualty, I was expecting that my insurance bond would cover up for breaching the contract and I wouldn't have to pay a huge fine but I costed them way too much, enough to be paying a fine for the re-casting and re-shooting of the film.

Monetary losses, litigation, long-term career damage... Quitting mid-shoot was going to ruin my life, I knew it.

I didn't even want it anymore. I was tired of everything. I was ready to give up.

The media carried my story and it was everywhere on the news and on social media. The police relented when they could find no trace of the culprits and they believed that I sold myself for sexual gratification. Everyone had a different opinion of my story; there were falsifications of articles and blogs on the internet regarding what happened to me that night.

I greatly desired for Nicole to be exposed by just anyone wise enough to see her diabolical activities around me but no one saw that. No one payed attention to the celebrity's daughter; they were all focused on bringing me down, calling me names—a wannabe, a foolish and a reckless teen, naive, selfish... Selfish?! Oh, c'mon internet!

I deserved it. She used me, deceived me and went away with it.

                    ***
My father was on his way back from Nigeria, he heard about everything. Who didn't?

We were back in Olive Valley, in Melody's apartment.

Melody was there to alleviate the depression within my soul. I was so glad that I had her around. It was unusual how peaceful I felt in her presence, forgetting about my shame and problems. We engaged in conversations and her words were more pacifying than anything else.

"Tea?"
She placed the cup of tea and biscuits on the table before I even got the chance to respond.

"Thanks."

I sat upright on the bed and she began to admonish me.

"Let me tell you the story of a young boy who dreamed dreams," said Melody. "He was about your age and he dreamt of being great. Not a hope or a wish kind of dream but an actual dream while he slept. So, he told those around him. However, they scorned him because they didn't understand, but he continued to dream that which was connected with his purpose in life.

"One day, he was asked to check up on his brothers at a field as he has been directed by his father but when he got there, he was wandering as though he had lost his way. The young lad would have easily returned home and told his father that he couldn't find his brothers, but instead he found a man that would tell him exactly where to find his brothers. Now, if the young lad had returned home, he wouldn't have met that man, and if he didn't meet the man, he wouldn't have found his brothers and if he didn't find his brothers, he wouldn't have fallen into the doom that awaited him, being planned by his envious brothers. That's not the end—if he hadn't fallen into that doom, he wouldn't have fulfilled his dreams.

"Eventually, when he found his envious brothers, they gripped hold of him and sold him into slavery, to a strange land. At this point, the young lad must have been confused and sad and overwhelmed. All he knew was that he had an honourable dream but where he found himself was somewhere quite ignoble.

"By circumstance, he went to a foreign land. Now, this happened to be the place where his dreams would come true, where his purpose lied. Just as it is during every season of great fulfilment, there comes a great temptation. He was tempted to follow lust and pleasure but he remembered God and would not sin.

"This was like a test for him, to see if he was ready for the victory ahead. And he passed the test! Though, it seemed like he had failed at that moment. What mattered the most was that he was on the right track with God and his heart knew it.