Synopsis for Devised

Devise. To contrive, plan or elaborate…

Plot

When eighteen year old Diana Moore is snatched from her home, one cold night in March, no one could imagine the week-long trauma that she would suffer or the struggle sister Maddie and friends would endure in order to see her again.

‘Devised’ follows the chain of events that happen that week…

It starts with an abduction and soon the situation becomes progressively worse. Now, Diana’s life is on the line, yet Maddie is forced to follow the three rules that are keeping her sister alive.

No questions. No rescue missions. No police.

It’s clear that this isn’t an ordinary abduction. This was planned for something much, much more sinister and chilling. As the week draws on, a group of six individuals are sucked into the unsolved case of the ‘pin prick’ murders, fearing that Diana has become the latest victim. And what’s more, they all find themselves being watched by mysterious men who always seem to be one step ahead of them.

For everyone, time is running out…

Setting

Devise is set in a number of locations, all in the town of Brookfield, a fictional town on the East coast of England. Brookfield is a well educated and commercial area with a busy shopping district and a college named after the town. Most of the area is attractive and well looked after. There is a newspaper/magazine publisher in which the ‘Fresh Press’ brand originates and where reporter Anisha Sharma works.

Other spots within the town include Café Athena, Anisha’s apartment block and the old, red telephone box.

Outside the town, there are only two different locations. The first is a warehouse where Diana is imprisoned and the second is an old lakeside house where the plot thickens.

Characters

There are a number of characters in this story, some in completely different situations to others. But the story mainly revolves around the Moore Sisters who are battling to save each other, despite their differences.

The Moore Sisters - Diana and Maddie

With a year’s difference between them, Diana and Maddie were once close and as most sister relationships go; the eldest is the responsible one whereas the youngest always seemed quite the opposite.

Prior her abduction, Diana Moore is a bright, caring college student who regularly feels anxious and hates being left alone – especially at night. Once taken, we see just how helpless Diana can be, yet also how brave she is to face her fears on her own.

Maddie is the ‘wild child’ of the Moore household and like most seventeen year old girls, she drinks too much at house parties and take risks. But Maddie isn’t as laid back as she likes to think and although she believes that adventure is her middle name, she often finds herself getting frustrated and impatient under pressure.

Kayleigh Westwood and Tom Ryan

The one thing that Kayleigh and Tom have in common is their concern for both the Moore Sisters.

Kayleigh has been Diana’s friend since primary school and on the night of her abduction, Diana managed to call her, hoping that the abductors words would help her find them. However, Maddie and friend Tom have different ideas and try to freeze her out of the investigation. Kayleigh is a stubborn girl and strong minded- refusing to conform to other people’s demands. She’s not stupid and she knows exactly how to use her good looks to manipulate men.

Tom is Maddie’s best friend and has always been her life line. Since they were little, he has dedicated most of his time watching her back and getting her out of trouble, so he knows exactly how she thinks and feels. He’s a very observant and suspicious character who has a talent of piecing things together quickly. Like most people, Tom finds himself often being overpowered by Maddie and often tends to her when she has had too much to drink or becomes uncontrollable. He knows that she can be over the top and intense at times, but he still cares a great deal about her. Maddie and Tom are unbreakable and know that they would do anything for each other.

Anisha Sharma

Anisha Sharma- a divorced immigrant working in the Media industry- is an Indian reporter, desperate to write whatever article she wishes for the paper she works for. She works extremely hard and enjoys researching every possibility in life. She catches on about Diana quickly and even though at the start of the story it’s clear that she and Maddie have had a less than friendly past, she’s mature and smart enough to know that grudges will only waste the little time that they have. She has the high-tech equipment to undergo an investigation this big, but doesn’t really know yet how dangerous her interference can be. Like a business woman, she deals with things one step at a time and doesn’t tend to let things get to her. In her previous profession, she’s seen a lot of horrible things and works to put an end to them all.

The ‘Pin Prick’ Murders – Warning: Spoilers!

Originating from the West of America, four bodies of young girls in between in the ages of fourteen to eighteen were found dumped in various different states, all sharing the same characteristic of an injection-like wound on the inner elbow.

Blood tests concluded that no drug had been put into their bloodstream and autopsies reported that there were no signs of blood clots. All four of the girls had bleeding noses and popped scleras. Evidence showed that the girls were held captive for about a week before their deaths. Rebecca Lockhart was the last victim from Portland, Oregon. Her body was never recovered.

The murderers were hired men, working for a beautiful but cold villain known as ‘Nevada’ who uses these girls for her own ambitious, illegal experimentations that unleash deadly side effects.

After an FBI raid at their last hideout, Nevada disappeared…

Others details…

Because this work is not yet finished, it would be hard to estimate how long the story would be. Each chapter contains about 2,000 to 3,000 words and so far I have thirteen chapters written. The genre is mainly crime/drama and as of yet, hasn’t been published anywhere else on the site.

Thank you to everyone for commenting and I hope you enjoy the read!