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[SpartanAmethyst]

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SpartanAmethyst ✦ Penumbra "Penny" Jascyzn ✦ female

x
"My greatest gift, hmm? Well, it has a little bit of a strange backstory to it. It might be better if I start from the beginning.

I was born in the New Orleans' slums to a single mother, followed by a little brother. I never knew my father; he ducked out of my life before I ever met him, and my little brother was from a different boyfriend. We had very little, and what money we did have was spent on the boyfriend's gambling addiction. He always left enough for us to eat at least somewhat decently, but every other cent he would take to the poker room and waste away, promising he'd hit the jackpot and move us out of the horrid, filthy apartment we were in. Don't get me wrong, he adored us, and we adored him. He stayed home during the day, worked nights when mom was home, and we were happy. For awhile. One weekend a police officer appeared at our front door and told us he'd been arrested; when asked why, he told us he'd been trying to cheat at the poker room, and it turned into an all out brawl. Mom never told me outright, but with how long he was sentenced, I don't think someone survived the fight. We didn't have any money to bail him out, so all we could do was visit him until he was transferred up north to a high security facility. After that we struggled to survive on just mom's income; my little brother was special needs, so pretty much everything that wasn't food went to his care. I didn't mind, at least tried not to, but on our walk home from the bus stop we would always pass by this little antique shop that had the most beautiful telescope for sale; I asked for it every Christmas and Birthday, but it was always so far out of our budget.The night before that first Christmas there was a male Viscet in a top hat standing there; he was creepy looking, but I found myself oddly unafraid. His voice was soft and calming, and his eyes held a friendliness I'd never seen before. He asked me if I liked the stars and I'd nodded enthusiastically, it was why I wanted the telescope. We talked for a moment, but it wasn't long before my mother called me. I looked away for a split second, but when I turned back, he was gone.

Fast forward a year. One evening while we were walking home, I had the urge to go potty, as all children do (I was maybe 6 or 7, not 100% sure which), so I asked my mother if we could stop at the gas station at the corner of our street. She said yes, as it gave her the chance to pick up a gallon of milk. I bounded happily to the bathroom, unaware of the hooded figure that lurked in the back of the store. Suddenly I heard yelling, and while instinct told me to be frightened, I was more concerned at what the yelling was about. Just as I'd washed my hands, I heard gunfire and an alarm sound; that scared me enough to send me scurrying into the darker part of the restroom and curl up. The alarm hurt my ears, and I knew what a gun sounded like and what it could do. I stayed there for what felt like hours before a police officer came in and found me. He tried to hide my eyes and carry me away, but out of the corner of my eye I could see them covering my mother and brother with a white sheet.

Once I was the state's problem, I bounced around between foster homes for a few months before I'd finally been dumped in an orphanage; to this day I have zero idea why I couldn't stay with my fosters. They were all really nice with lovely homes and other kids to play with; one had even had a dog! I felt so lonely by the time I'd been put in the orphanage that I stopped playing with other kids, just did my chores, maybe ate something, then went to bed. I had no desire to have any kind of social interaction. I lived there for nearly six months when the Stranger showed up again; this time it was at the front doors of the orphanage, with papers in his hand to adopt me, already approved. I was apprehensive, but the friendliness and familiarity in those vibrant purple eyes immediately put me at ease. It took only a few minuted for it to be processed, with the Head Lady showing definite signs of uneasiness, and I was walking out holding the hand of my newfound friend. Instead of a car, we climbed into a gorgeous black carriage drawn by two black horses, and I fell in love immediately. It was a long drive, taking up the entire afternoon and part of the evening, but we toured through the French District and out almost into the swamp lands. His home was small, but beautiful; it was well kept with a dark exterior, with a white flower box outside the kitchen window that herbs grew in. It was perfect, and if the wildflowers surrounding it weren't the icing on the cake, then inside was. In the kitchen there was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled with cookbooks; like my mother, I loved to cook, and couldn't wait to start finding recipes to fix. But the best part was I had my own bedroom for the very first time, with my own bathroom, free to decorate it the way I wanted to.

And standing proudly in the center of that bedroom was the telescope, shining and pristine in the last rays of evening light."
[975 words]

[Lokisaurus]

Username;
Name;
Gender;
GFBP;
Prompt; (1000 words)
Extra; (1500 words and 4 art)

[LimeThing]

Extended for five more days, until 10/20 ^^

[SpartanAmethyst]

Good luck everyone <3

[LimeThing]

And the winner is SpartanAmethyst!
Happy Halloween everyone ^^