Who shoots at the mid-day sun, though he be so sure he shall never hit the mark, yet as sure as he is, he shall shoot higher than he who aims at a bush.
-Phillip Sidney

I guess I can make a little time to tell you my story, since you're so interested. I'm sure I'll have you needing a tissue by the end of it all. Or maybe not.. I'll even try to cut the drama and give you the straight story. Feel privileged, I don't often go without embellishing things.

I was "lucky" enough to be born to a wealthy family. Born and raised right in Beverly Hills. Impressed yet? I don't know why anyone would be, but you'd be amazed how many people are. I don't get it, but there it is. Rich equals important to a lot of people, right or wrong. Personally, I would've rather been born poor to parents that actually gave a damn. Yeah, poor little rich kid. That's me. I'm sure everyone reading this is probably ready to cry already.

Okay, well... my earliest memories are not of my parents, but of one of the various nannies I got stuck with. She was probably the best and I guess I probably looked at her as more than a mom than my own. Hell, I probably thought she was my mother. She was an older woman and she took care of me until I was five. She would've been there longer because she promised she'd never leave me. But wouldn't you know it, she broke that promise. Just like all adults. Of course, she didn't mean to. They rarely do, right? But she... she had a heart attack. Lived a few days, but then died. I was really devastated, but after awhile I guess I just started to look at it like she was one in the string of adults that didn't think about me or my feelings at all. Twisted point of view, I know. But what can I say? I didn't have much experience in the way of people sticking around. I saw my parents maybe once every month or so, and then only for two or three days at a time. Maybe they regretted having me, I don't know. It's not like we had any meaningful conversations.

I was about 10, I think, when I decided to try a new tactic to start getting my parents' attention. I was on my fourth nanny by that time; most of them didn't stick around for very long. Wasn't any use to get close to any of them. Anyway, I started to act out. Not always temper tantrums, not for me. I got dramatic all the way around. Whenever they were home I'd come up with some shit to get all dramatic about, even if it was as simple a thing as getting a sliver. It worked a little, but not much. I figured I'd start doing it with bigger things and even got taken to the hospital a couple of times to get checked out to see if I'd broken something. Never did, although if I was smart I would've broken something just to make it seem legit. But I never could bring myself to actually cause myself that much pain. I guess they got desensitized to it and my nannies just got plain sick of me. Can't blame them.

Well, for a long time I just acted all dramatic everytime something happened. But I got bored of that when it didn't get me much attention from anyone. So I started to pull back from everyone. My parents would buy me anything I wanted and the nanny always had a credit card to use for it. So I had a room all decked out with TV and all the game systems I could possibly find as well as all the games that looked remotely interesting. I'd lock myself away for days there, sleeping on the sofa and only leaving to get something to eat or use the bathroom for one reason or another. I think everyone looked forward to those spurts. Nobody ever seemed to check on me or ask me how I was doing, so the quiet must've been enough for them. Makes sense, huh?

It was when I was 15 that someone got me interested in the drama department at my school. It was a teacher, in fact. He'd witnessed some of my more dramatic moments at school and thought I had potential. So he encouraged me to try out for one of the plays. I figured I might as well go and try, even if I fell on my face. I was actually very surprised when I actually got a part. Not a bit part, either. It wasn't a starring role, but it was a good part, especially for someone who'd never actually acted seriously before. It was fun, really fun. I got really into doing it and even joined up with the local theatre group. I finally felt like I fit in somewhere, even made some actual friends. Never really had any before. What was cool was when one of our plays got some real recognition. I mean, there were even some high ups in the theatre business who came to watch and gave us encouragement. They took some real interest in a couple of the actors especially. Me included. That was something I felt really proud of. :I called my parents specifically to tell them that. I thought they might actually say they were proud. I should've known better. An actor in the family? The horror.

I'll skip all that. I don't feel like going into the things they said and shit. And frankly, I didn't care that they wanted me to quit. I wasn't going to do it. I was having too much fun, and I guess I was finally getting attention I'd been wanting for a long time. Sadly, I found out that when I do get attention, it's not the best kind. This kind had to do with a woman you've all heard about before. That's right. Mora Thay. This was the time she went out hunting for attractive guys for her exclusive little club. She liked actors and models and lucky me.. I was doing some tryouts for a real part. One that'd get me going with a real career. But there she was, watching the tryouts. And when I came out... feeling really good about my audition, by the way... she approached me. I didn't really want to bother with her because I had other shit to do and she was way too bubbly and bouncy for me. But she's not the kind to take no for an answer, as I'm sure everyone knows. Hence my inclusion in what she called the Foxes. I prefer Pantera, don't you?

Well, I was there with it all awhile before she had to let go of us. Some of those people were downright mean. I'm not a tough guy, so I knew I couldn't hold my own against some of them when they wanted to fight. Jaedyn and Thornton were the big ones doing that, so I stuck around them as much as I could. Of course, that dramatic streak I ended up with has become so much a part of me that I just can't ditch it. When the opportunity strikes, I can't help but take it, just like I still lock myself away for up to days with the games that are here. That got some pissed at me, and Jaedyn and Thornton got annoyed on occasion. But you know what? As annoyed as they got, they never ignored me. I always knew that they'd pay attention, even if it was to smack me. I think Jaedyn understood really well what I was up to. Thornton maybe too, though he's really hard to read sometimes. Jaedyn doesn't let me get away with any shit, never has. I'd get away with so much at home, that I guess I just never got used to consequences. Jaedyn's been making sure that doesn't happen anymore. Maybe it'll help me learn limits, I don't know. I can say that I decided to stick around New Orleans, though. For the first time, I guess I figured I could be part of something in which I might make a difference. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. But at least I decided not to run away from it. I wonder if my parents know I'm gone yet.

The road to your life's work is the ongoing process of taking the best of what's in you and expressing it fully to the outer world.
-Lawrence G. Boldt

May you have... The HINDSIGHT to know where you've been The FORESIGHT to know where you're going And, the INSIGHT to know when you've gone too far.
-Irish toast