Fame Killed the Queen

Shining shimmering. Lipstick smeared to perfection, her eyebrow marked in an intricate arch. Oh how we love you.............

San Juaquin, it is a thriving commercial city that is known to the country as the heart of Glamour. Almost all structures are built to perfection. The buildings are covered with intricate designs, painting the city's horizon with various shapes and jaw dropping magnificence. The streets are lined with shops from famous and expensive brands. It's residents are proud and influential. Pollution is a rare sight.

What is common though, are the numerous teens dressed to impress, because to the North of the city, stands San Juaquin high-school. A five storey building, occupying a quarter, of a 1600 acre lot, commonly known as Glamor High. It is a prestigious school built for the famous. Most of its students are children of high ranking officials, celebrities and Internet sensations.

Any student who wishes to attend the school, undergoes a number of tedious examinations, both physical and intellectual. They are painstakingly sorted by means of their looks, influence and intellect. Only those who appears promising to stay on top are chosen.

Just like any school San. Juaquin hosts a prom. And when that time of the year comes, every girl will extricate themselves from their normal routine and claw their way towards the most coveted tittle, The Prom Queen.

That tittle is held by none other than Katherina Cecillia Sylvestre. A name known through out Glamour High. She has kept the crown for two consecutive years and is known as an embodiment of perfection. She is the daughter of a famous celebrity and an Internet influencer herself, garnering millions of views for her ability to transform her face to that of another person by means of make-up.

Her clothes are always sponsored by famous designers. Her body would rival any superstar with its perfect and balanced measurements. At only seventeen KC has built a multitude of fans in and out of Glamour high. As a senior, this year would be her last at San Juaquin. Everyone believed she would take the Tittle again and be known as the only student to have bagged the crown for three consecutive years. Well, that is until.......

January 4, 2018

The island of Mareta, a lone island thirty-four kilometers east of the coast of Tropia, where the city of San Juaquin is located. Adriana Velasquez packed her bags. She spent Christmas with her family in the small island. It is her father's hometown. Though her father had relocated to the city of Tropia, he still insist on spending important occasions such as christmas in the small island. According to him, one must never forget their root, no matter how high or far they have gone in life.

Adriana hated the idea of spending precious occasions in Mareta, she would rather spend it with her friends under the glittering city lights of San Juaquin. She can't find the pleasure and happiness in the small island that her father loves so much. The eerie stillness of the night and the few desolate roads around town, gives her the creeps. Her skin assaulted by numerous insects nearly pushed her to her limits. She often complained about it, but only got a good amount of scolding from her mother, who would often remind her, how she used to love the island.

Well, maybe she did, when she was a kid. But as she grew into a teen, she learned how to rid herself of the country bumpkin look and mentality. At the age of fifteen, she was so lucky to make it into Glamour high. A place that thought her how to use make-up and change her way of life. Her mother would often complain and remind her that beauty is only skin deep. But Adriana believes otherwise. Her mom lived in a time where its okay not to wear make-up or wear less expensive looking things. The world Adriana lives now is far from that. Physical appearance hold more value. It didn't matter to anyone if your smart. What matters is you look good. People will idolise you, love you, befriend you, and most importantly, be like you.

"Are you sure you don't want to spend a few more days here honey?" her mother asked.

Adriana scowled, "I would rather die than to waste another day in this wilderness." she retorted as she opened her phone.

She squealed when Kc's new tiktok post appeared on her screen. She brought the phone near her mom and moved the screen to her mother's face.

"Look at this mom, this is someone I want to be, isn't she perfect?" Adriana said while smiling brightly at her mother.

"She does look pretty honey, but I don't think it's advisable to wear too much paint on your face." her mother answered as she left Adrian's side and headed for the bedroom door.

"Make-up mom, that's what it's called. And it's art. Not everyone can do it." Adriana answered triumphantly.

"Well, the helicopter won't come until five in the afternoon. Its only nine in the morning, it's best if you leave that phone for a while and enjoy the scenery outside." her mother advised before leaving her room.

Adriana huffed and threw her phone on top of her bed. She stared at it a moment longer, then decided to put it in her pocket. We'll, if there is one benefit from staying in the small island, it would be the scenery. Not because she enjoys it, but because she can take photos that will be used in the school news paper. They used her photographs when editing pictures for the high ranking and glamorous teens of San Juaquin High, as means to lure more students into believing that their idols are often traveling to different places. It maybe deceitful, but who cares, as long as the kids at school and all those aspiring to attend the school remains in the dark, then it's okay. That is the motto Chantell, their school news editor lives by. She drilled those words inside Adriana's head when she first joined their club.

She wasn't always that happy about it though. She was furious when she first joined them and found out, how everything she thought she knew, was nothing but a lie. Chantell and the rest just laughed at her ignorance. They told her she was too naive and she will never survive their school.

Adriana proved them wrong. See, if there is one thing she was certain about herself. It is the fact that she is smart. She exelled in everything she did and by god she knew she will survive Glamour high. It only took her a year to learn the do's and dont's. Now at sixteen years old, Adriana is named, the best looking and smartest member of the news paper club.

You might ask why she joined San Juaquin high-school. The answer is simple, her name is Katherina Cecilla Sylvestre. Adriana idolised her so much, her perfection is something Adriana longed to achieve. She knew KC back in the day. They attended thesame primary and grade school. They weren't close, but they did have moments were Adriana felt a connection with her. Not in a romantic way but in a sisterly kind of affection. She is far from being a lesbian.

KC used to be as simple as her, despite being the daughter of a famous star. KC often wore simple jeans and shirts, but when she started to attend San Juaquin, she surprisingly changed her appearance and became an Internet sensation in a matter of months.

At first, Adriana only wanted to understand, then she fell in love with the way things worked at Glamour high. Her mother was appalled when she dyed her hair blond and started to wear make-up. But after a lot of arguments, her mother gave up, with only a warning about not losing herself while riding the tides. Adriana often wondered what her mother meant by that.

She left their small Inn and walked the side of a hill, something she hates to do. She once told her father it would be great if they could build an actual trecking road on it, but her father laughed and said "it's better to leave it as it is, the road moves with nature"

That's something Adriana can't figure out. What exactly did her father mean when he said move with nature?

She spent the entire day, walking along the side of the hill with her camera hanging perfectly around her neck. She was so absorbed by the numerous scenery that she managed to capture, her stomach failed to remind her of lunch, until the familiar sound of a helicopter flying above her brought her back to reality and her feet running towards the Inn. Finally she murmured, "I'm going back to the City."

Hair check, make-up check, mini dress check, heels check. Perfect Adriana murmured before slinging her gucci bag on her shoulder. She skipped with glee at the thought of spending a whole day inside San Juaquin High. Oh the perfection of it all, she will never tire of it. She went straight for the front door when she got downstairs, not bothering to utter a greeting, to the people who eyed her from the dining table.

"Adriana, have your breakfast" her nanny commanded, but she didn't spare her a glance.

"If you leave this house without breakfast young lady, I will make it my mission to remove you from that school." This time, it is her father who spoke. Her father, Peter Velasquez is a famous politician, known for the bill he created that allowed the allotment of funds for young and aspiring musicians. He believes, that with the growing influence of music on the younger generation, it is only reasonable for the country to give specific funds to hone talents from across the land.

"I can't eat breakfast, I'm on a diet." Adriana reasoned before attempting to exit their house. Her escape was immediately blocked by her mother though.

"Diet, do you have any idea how skinny you are Adriana?" her mother asked, using her sarcastic tone, accompanied by a smirk which Adriana hates so much.

"You can't expect me to eat bacon and rice for breakfast mom."

"Eat Adriana" Her father yelled. But she neglected his command by yelling back "Do you have any idea how many calories are in that food!"

A resounding and cheek ripping slap landed on her face before she even knew what happened.

Adriana immediately had her eyes wide and with fury, which she never thought could have come from her, she pushed her mother down, which caused the woman to stumble on the floor. But before Adriana could realise what she had done, her father immediately grabbed her arm, turned her towards him and slapped her face hard.

"Is this what you have become Adriana, how low had you fallen?" her father yelled accusingly at her.

Adriana, shock stricken by what happened fell mute. Her mom hit her, she hit her mom, her dad hit her, the realization slowly dawned on her as she glanced down at her mother who was still sitting on the floor.

" Mom, I'm, I'm so sorry" Adriana pleaded when the full extent of her actions sent the neurons on her brain in turmoil, and her heart to clench.

Angela Velasquez glanced up at her daughter, she never should have allowed her to attend San Juaquin High. She is aware of the negative effects the school have on teens, but she believed her daughter is a smart girl and would be wise enough to protect herself from the influence the school has. But clearly, she was wrong. She barely recognised the teen who pushed her a few minutes ago.

"Why do you insist on going on a diet when you barely have fat on your body" Angela asked as her husband hoist her up.

"Because everyone goes on a diet mom, not just me" Adriana reasoned while attempting to take hold of her mother's arm, but her father pulled her mom away and sent Adriana a disappointed look.

"Just because everyone does it Adriana does not mean you have to do it too" her mother murmured as she ran a hand on her husband's chest to sooth his growing anger.

"But mom, I don't want to get fat" Adriana screamed and with that, she received another slap from her father.

"You are grounded young lady" her father yelled before he tugged on the gucci bag that Adriana slung on her shoulder. He threw the bag on the floor, raised his hand and pointed a finger to her daughter's direction while saying "You will not leave this house until I say so."

Adriana felt mortified, she started to panic and threw a pleading look towards her mother, but Angela shook her head, knowing exactly why her husband did what he had done.

"Your going out of control Adriana" her mother said whilst picking up her daughter's bag and motioned for the nanny to come get it.

"You can't do this to me, this is a crime!" Adriana screamed as she tried to grab the knob of their front door.

Angela immediately wrapped her arm around her daughter's waist and pryed her hand away from the knob.

"Stop it, take this time to think of your actions, and I hope you find it within yourself to bring back the girl you once were." Angela said as she successfully removed her daughter's hand from the door.

Adriana, accepting her defeat, wiggled free of her mother's hold, ran towards their nanny, grabbed her bag and mounted the stairs.

Peter shot his wife an apologetic smile. "She will come out of this" he said, assuring his wife that their daughter is still the thesame girl who found beauty even in simple things like a broken bottle.

Upstairs, Adriana opened her phone and went directly to KC's proile. It surprised her to see that not a a single update had been posted since last night. KC always made sure to post a photo of herself before going to school, showing her army what clothes she'll be wearing, the brand, and where to buy them.

"Weird" Adriana whispered as she naivagted through facebook, making a few stops whenever Kc's name or picture pops up. "She is so perfect, Adriana said to no one.

Nightfall, Adriana fell asleep for the whole day. She awoke at seven in the evening and surprisingly found her body feeling light and refreshed. Her head and shoulder didn't ache as well. It is probably the first time she felt comfortable stepping out of bed.

In the past year, her body usually felt heavy even after a night's rest, if she could even call it that, because the truth is, Adriana would spend a lot of time with her body and neck bent in front of her phone. A rumble on her stomach reminded her that she had not eaten anything since morning, so, she ditch her phone and walked out of her room with an urge to eat.

She smiled to herself when she got to the kitchen and found a note that said "Dinner in the microwave." Looking at the hand writing it most likely have been written by her mom.

Adriana ate in silence, she mused and asked herself, if she had come to school today, what would she be doing at this time of night? Probably trolling Facebook and Instagram on her phone. Her fork immediately fell on the floor when she realised that she had left her phone, for the first time in the past two years, she actually ditched her phone!

Immediately, Adriana left her food on the table and ran up stairs. When she opened her phone, the notification in her school's forum is about one thousand. "What the hell" Adriana said as she tapped on the notifications.

Her jaw dropped when a photo of KC appeared on the school's forum, showing her idol wearing baggy clothes, without make-up and her hair hanging losely, dishiveled and sitting on what looks like a cafeteria, but clearly, not located in San Juaquin.