Beautiful ruin

Chapter 3.

A/N - This is a long one y'all buckle up.
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How do you know when you've bitten off more than you can chew?

Is it when your eyes grow wide and your mouth waters at the sight of succulent food but can't finish it because your stomach refuses to hold more?

Or how about when you apply for a job and get hired with zero experience?

Maybe, just maybe it's when you move from state to state, country to country, time zone to time zone all alone at the spur of the moment, because you decided to become the face of a prominent fashion brand without realizing all the time and effort it would require?

Those were the questions Elise had been asking herself for the past month. All her life she was praised for her looks from her family, friends, strangers passing through the street at the same time as her, and she loved it. Vanity believe it or not, was what kept her from ruining her life. Growing up in Houston, there was a certain toughness that a person needed. Elise wasn't born wired that way. In fact, Elise was far from tough in her earlier years.

Her mother and siblings did their best to shield her from the world that waited to corrupt her innocent nature. Her efforts weren't in vain either, because it worked. Elaine Sommers, knew first hand what it was like to lose a spark at an early age. With each passing moment Elaine witnessed her babygirl grow and blossom into a beautiful young woman. And the thought of Elise one day going into this dangerous world troubled her deeply.

However troubling it would be one day it would happen, and she knew Elise would need to be prepared. She poured into her, words of affirmation, speaking power and strength over her babies life. Praying over her while she would be sleeping and anointing her head with holy oil in the wee hours of the night.

What she didn't realize is that the world had already began taking bits and pieces away from her growing seed.

Whilst her mother may have been around to see her grow up, she hardly kept her attention on Elise as much as she did her older brothers. Somehow trouble always followed the two brothers wherever they went. So on days where she had a recital, or parent teacher meetings, or anything to do with Elise at all, her brothers unknowingly took Elaine's time.

Now it wasn't Elaine's fault. No not all. However, with bills to pay, and kids to take care of alone, she worked hard to make ends meet. Her sons just couldn't get right. They were older, far more advanced in the ways of the world. For them it was eat or be eaten and Elijah and Efani were tired of starving.

They knew their mother tried her best to get them everything they needed. And she did good with the basics. But the brothers wanted more— leading them down a path of destruction. Elise's mother had missed out on so many things for her, because her brothers always had court, or parole check in's, or needed to be bailed out and picked up because they'd gotten arrested.

And with the free time on her hands, Elise made friends. Her friends were peculiar choices. You would think that she'd befriend girls in her middle school age group, but no.

Elise gravitated towards her brothers female friends, most of which were in their late teens. And they actually enjoyed having her around. They didn't know that the talkings of sex, and drug use would ever rub off on the young girl. And if it did, it wouldn't be their problem. If Elise wanted to be around then she'd get used to it.