|
|
Post by Birdybot on Nov 11, 2010 12:22:24 GMT -5
ADENA NIGHTINGALE
{and we all fall down out of the sky into the basement}
Name: Adena Nightingale
Nickname: Addy, Na-Na by some of the younger kids she knew who were too young to speak properly.
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Trainer Class: Pokémon Trainer
Personality:
The first thing most people notice about Adena is that she has problems with her mental health. It's somewhere in between OCD (obsessive compulsive dissorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity dissorder). She can never sit still and is constantly figiting. She occasionally panics and convinces herself someone's after her, but that doesn't happen very often. She normally is just very energetic and feels strong needs to do little things like tap a fence or count the leaves on a branch. She knows it's silly, but gets quite nervy if she doesn't do that. Adena hates this aspect of herself, and hopes to some day manage to get over it. She is aware that it was caused by trauma in her past, so thinks that by forgetting her past she can be normal again.
Mental problems aside, Adena is a nice girl, more intelligent than average but not a nerd or anything. She tries her best to be pleasant to people, smiling at people she recognises if she meets them in the street and loves making new friends. She can be sociable to people, but often they are put off by the way she can act quite strangely sometimes. The down side of this is that it is hard for her to find people who are willing to make friends with her, despite how easily she can win people over. The up side is that she knows that everyone who like her for her and ignores her dissorders are true friends and can be trusted.
She is reasonably intelligent, too. Although she was only ever average at school work, outside of school she finds herself able to cope well. Her kind of mind is an imaginative, creative one; not so much a remembering languages, facts and dates one. She can write poems, stories, think up the most amazing things in her head, and work out how her Pokémon should dodge the latest attack. She's not so good at camping. Pitching a tent takes a while for her, and with an attention span the size of a walnut she quickly gets frustrated. Cooking is another thing which makes her angry, but if it goes well she gets quite proud of whatever she's made.
Most people who lack something make up for it with something else. Adena makes up for her mental problems with creativity- especially with music. Able to think up the most beautiful melodies, this is the best way she has of expressing herself. She takes her violin everywhere- it was quite expensive but makes a wonderful sound. She can improvise, write music and read music to a very high standard, producing sounds which could make the soul shiver by drawing her bow across the strings. Her friends envy this talent, and since her mental health makes it hard for her to explain her feelings sometimes, this is the best way for her to express herself; the music hits a person's very soul and makes them empathise with her.
Deep down, although she won't admit it, Adena is lonely. Very lonely. All she really wants is someone by her side. She knows that a lot of the time when life gets her down, what she needs most of all is a hug and some comforting words. That's one of the reasons why she decided to become a Pokémon trainer- for companionship. She knows that truly, she needs another human to be completely fullfilled, but until that person comes along she will make do with her Pokémon.
Appearance:
Adena is about average in height, standing at about 5'5". Her weight is not really in proportion to this; she is underweight, although it is probably mostly due to the fact that she has a slim build as well as being quite skinny. She has a minimum amount of body fat, mostly having muscle attached to her bones. This makes her very athletic and fast. She is light on her feet and able to jump high, darting out the way of any oncoming attackers quickly. She is an agile person, able to move swiftly without bumping into anything. She can judge her movements well, making her able to move about fast. Her build is dainty, making her seem fragile at times, yet she still manages to be strong and graceful when in action.
The hair which frames Adena's oval face is somewhere between blonde and brown in colour. More towards the brown than the blonde, it might be described as a sort of sandy brown colour. It hangs down to just below her shoulders, with a gentle natural wave to it. It shines in sunlight, and Adena keeps it clean and neat, since she likes her hair. Her face is pretty average, with evenly proportioned features and a few faint freckles about her nose. Her lips usually have a smile on them, since she is a happy person who gives a happy impression. Her eyes lie below thin, arched eyebrows. These eyes are deep and a golden brown colour. They're the sort of eyes you can really lose yourself in. The way the light from the sun or lamp hits them might even make the colours of her eyes flicker like a little like fire. It's mostly these eyes which make her face stand out despite not being any prettier or uglier than everyone else.
Adena's body is, like her face, pretty average for a girl her age. While not completely developed yet, she does have curves. She is caucasian, her skin fairly pale, but not too white or anything. Her stomach is flat due to her regular exercise and the absence of junk food in her diet, and the one thing Adena doesn't really like about her appearance is that her hands are a little large. She has long fingers which help her with her violin playing especially, but she still doesn't really like that her hands look slightly too big. It's hard to notice unless you look hard. Her fingers, though, as well as her toes (though not as much), are definitely long.
Now, onto her clothes. Adena likes to look stylish, but she does like comfort too. She generally wears old jeans or leggings, something which allows a lot of movement and isn't a skirt or dress. She avoids dresses and skirts as much as possible. Her shoes are simple too, trainers. She has a couple of pairs, and she's had both for a while and finds them comfortable as well as decent supports for her feet. Her T-shirts are usually of a simple design, either plain or maybe striped, perhaps with a few words or a picture on them. Nothing too complex. She generally wears baggy ones to allow more movement and comfort, and manages to pull the look on with a little careful choice. She has a hooded jacket in case it gets cold, as well as a coat and a few warm jumpers.
Lastly, we cover her voice. It's not something you see, but it's part of what makes her herself. Adena's voice is the sort you can pick out from a crowd, something which didn't please her at school. It is not exactly loud, but louder than average. Her voice is a definite female one, gentle, soft and soothing at times while full of energy at others. Her accent is from southern England, but in no way makes her seem any more posh or rich than she is because the tone and way she speaks.
History:
Adena was born in the quiet village in Sinnoh. It was large for a village, with a few shops, a small school and lots of countryside. It was a great place to grow up since there were a lot of places to explore; the woods, the fields of flowers, and the windmills. She and her friends would sometimes venture further out than that, but they tended to stay reasonably close to the town in case they got lost or something. It was fine and all living in the countryside, but when she grew older Adena wished she could go shopping easily and see the world. There was a bus service, but it was about an hour to get to the nearest shopping centre. Adena enjoyed being able to explore the countryside and be with the Pokémon on the nearby farm to the extent that she could understand their speech and they were like family, but always wished she could be nearer a large town.
Adena's life was pretty basic country life. She attended the local school, met up with friends, played on the farm, in the woods and on in the flower fields. Things all changed, however, when she was five years old. Her mother, Jenny, suddenly became secretive, turning the spare bedroom into an office for herself and locking herself in there for pretty much the whole day. She kept her office locked at all times, and changed the subject whenever someone asked what she was doing. People began to grow suspicious of what she was doing- after all, it could well be something illegal being that much of a secret- and distanced themselves from the Nightingale family.
After a year of secretism and no hints of evilness from Adena's mother, people began to trust their family again. This was welcomed by everyone, and soon things began to return to normal, with the exception of Jenny, who now seemed even more stressed. Still she refused to say what she did in her office, and still people remained suspicious but didn't mind being friends with their family. They were an accepted part of the community once again. People felt that this family was a perfectly ordinary one, with nothing odd about them at all aside from the fact that her mother locked herself away. They learned to assume that it was probably just some very secret special work thing. That is, until a couple of months after Adena's sixth birthday.
Adena walked down the stairs, and smiled as she saw her mother. She didn't see her very often these days, so it was nice to see her outside her office. Jenny didn't smile back at her, just sighing and running her hand through her hair. Adena noticed the hand was shaking. Her mother looked very stressed... but why? "Mummy, what's wrong?" she asked, looking a sweet, innocent little girl.
Jenny felt a pang of sorrow, bending down to her knees to get to closer to her daughter's height. Stroking Adena's hair fondly, she murmured her answer. "Don't worry, darling. Some people are just being a bit nasty to me about my work." she reassured, giving her a smile.
Adena saw through it. "No, mummy, it is bad, isn't it? My teacher said that you should stand up to meanies. She says that bullies are always weak and stupid and jealous. You should stand up to yourself, mummy!" she said, trying her best to help. This clearly touched her mothers' heart, and she looked more sad, with extreme longing in her eyes as if she something was final. "Mummy?" Adena persisted.
"I can beat the bullies, Adena. You don't need to worry about your mummy. It's hard, that's all." Jenny said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Adena's ears before straightening up. "Now, I've got work to do if I want to beat them. You go play with your friends for a bit, OK? I'll be down for dinner today, with any luck." Jenny kissed the top of Adena's head before moving up to her office. Adena looked at her, biting her lip unsurely before hurrying off to meet her friends. After all, what was a little six-year-old to do?
Adena's mother kept her word about eating with the family at dinner, and Adena was delighted by this despite being still curious about what was wrong. This question was answered about halfway through the meal. Bang. Something thumped the front door hard. "Mrs Nightingale? We know you're in there! Open the door or we'll force our way in!" a gruff, angry voice called. Adena watched as her mother dropped her fork and knife, pale going as pale as a ghost, eyes wide and mouth gulping soundlessly in shock. The little girl grew worried. Her fearless, strong mother was scared? Something absolutely terrible must be happening!
Another thump and shout from the door brought Jenny to her senses. "Everyone, shush. I can tell you now that I've been researching some top secret scientific project, and these are crooks come to steal my research. They have no reason to harm you, but I want you to say nothing, do as I say, and stay in the background. This is extremely important. Adena, I need you to be a big girl now. OK?" she whispered. Adena and her father Peter nodded, the six-year-old feeling tears of fear well up in her eyes and a scream struggle but fail to to break through her tightly shut mouth.
Jenny moved towards the door, opening it with a shaking hand. "Hello, grunts. I suppose you're here for the project." she said coldly, blotting out any fear. Adena, peeking out from her position behind her father's protective legs, could see the other men were huge with bulging muscles. The largest and strongest of all spoke. "No, Mrs Nightingale. We're here for you." he said calmly, an evil smile crossing his face. Jenny began to breath more audibly, hyperventilating in panic. "No... no! Yo-you can't- my family... why?!" she said in a high voice. The man spoke again. "An intellect like yourself could do amazing things working for us. Honestly, it's not like you have a choice in this." he said, stepping aside to reveal that the other men were carrying handcuffs and ropes. He himself smirked as he lifted his shirt to reveal the holster of a gun.
Adena felt tears run down her cheeks. She didn't understand. At her age, children usually viewed the world as a happy place, understanding adult's warnings but never really acknowledging dangers. She couldn't see how anyone could be really bad, so bad they might actually take her mother away. As Jenny retreated, attempting to escape, Peter shuffled further back too to protect them. She couldn't help herself as she saw the man hit Jenny. "MUMMY!" she screamed at the top of her little lungs.
The man snapped his head up to see her, wincing at the scream. "My my, that's a set of lungs you got there. Don't worry kid, we won't touch you or your dad. Keep our record as clean as possible, we will, but we need your mummy." he growled, not really liking Adena at all. He grabbed Jenny's struggling hand and locked it to the other behind her back with the handcuffs. Two strong men held her in the same place while the others tied the rope so tightly around her she winced in pain as they cut into her skin. The men began to drag her away, aside from one easily holding back a struggling Leduro and a furious Peter. The woman screaming and crying now. "My husband! My daughter!" she wailed, feeling like her soul was on fire with sorrow.
"MUMMY! Mummy, how can they do this? Mummy, I don't understand!" Adena cried, feeling similar things to her mother but worse- she didn't know this could happen. She was confused too.
"Adena, Adena! I love you, and I'm sure you'll grow up to be a strong woman! Never forget that I'll always love you and be proud of you!"
"Mummy, what are you saying? You're not leaving, are you? You can't go! I have to see you again!!! MUMMY, WHEN?!"
"Adena, I have to, but I promise I will see you again. I promise. On... on Thursday, all right? I promise I will see you on Thursday afternoon, about 3 o'clock, at the town entrance sign!" Jenny said, her tear-streaked face moving out of sight at last as the man holding back Adena rushed to help the others, leaving the six-year-old screaming her little heart out, terrified and traumatised for life.
Two days later was Thursday. Adena had been horrified, letting what had happened slowly sink in. Everyone in the town knew, and she had been off school, obviously. In her heart, though, she still had hope. Thursday, 3 o'clock, by the town entrance. Her mother had promised. The little girl ran as fast as she could at about half two, not understanding the situation properly and having convinced herself that the men would let her mother fulfill the promise. She sat eagerly by the distinct entrance sign. Cars were few in the area, but every time one went past she would watch it excitedly, holding her breath until lowering her head with disappointment as it didn't stop.
Adena sat there religiously and waited. Without her noticing, the sun slowly began its descent. All throughout this, she grew more worried but kept hope. However, as she saw the moon and stars in the sky and heard the nocturnal Pokémon begin to stir, she hung her head in sorrow. Could it be that her mother wouldn't see her after all? A single tear dribbled down her cheek and fell to the dirt below, soon joined by more. Before long the six-year-old was crying uncontrollably, body shaking with her great sobs as tears poured down her cheeks. She tried to keep herself together, but she couldn't; this was the sort of crying people do when they physically can't stop. As more cars and even a few people on foot walked past and avoided her, she collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious among her tears.
This was the point in Adena's life when she began to decend into her mental problems. She convinced herself that because the men had taken her mother away, they would some day return for her and her mother. She grew a little paranoid, and obsessive- to start with, she would touch everything that reminded her of her mother. Her father reacted differently. Finding it impossible to cope with the loss of his wife and a mentally disabled child, he grew depressed until he finally went over the edge and turned to drugs and alchohol. This progressed until he became violent, lashing out at Adena and beating her. She would flee, running to hide at the same spot. Always the same place. Adena would hide from her father at the place which would tear at her heart in a different way; the town entrance sign.
Luckily for Adena, the neighbours couldn't help but notice that her father was often getting drunk or high then beating her. They, however, were too afraid of Peter to do anything about it; the man would simply glare at them if they threatened to do anything to stop his behavoir. However, the school was noting as well how Adena would always have some sort of bruises or cuts, and often she would come into school looking terrified, shaking, stinking of Peter's alcohol and covered in brand new injuries. Before long they realised the problem and reported it. The headmaster took Adena out of lessons to talk to her. At first, the young seven- nearly eight- year old simply looked at him with fearful eyes, but he managed to get her to talk eventually. The girl explained to him all about how since Jenny had been taken away, Peter had turned to drugs and wasn't behaving in a very happy way.
Adena never did go back to class. The headmaster called social services and the police, and they all went to the remaining member of the Nightingale family's home. Forcing the door open, they found Peter lying on the sofa watching football on the TV. He wasn't really paying much attention, if the look on his face was anything to go by. A can of beer was in his hand, and he stared at it dumbly before switching his gaze to the TV as the crowd errupted in chants when one of the teams scored a goal. He yelled something pretty much inaudable at it, although one of those words was without doubt a swear one. One of the policemen raised an eyebrow, the other pulling Adena close to her as she could see how this might end up.
"Mr Peter Nightingale? Father of Adena Nightingale?" one of the two policemen said, stepping forward. Peter looked towards him, turning the TV off and glaring. "Yes. What are you doing in my house? Get out, you son of a *****!" he yelled, voice growing louder. Adena winced as his eyes turned to her. "You! Girl, did you bring these people here? I thought I told you about this! Remember? Mummy's not coming back if the police get involved, because the men who took her don't like police." he spat, voice not exactly full of fatherly love.
Adena shuddered, before gathering up the courage to speak. "No, dad. Mum's not coming back because the men who took her are evil. You just don't want the police here because you've been bad." she said in a small voice. The policewoman rubbed her shoulder gently, feeling quite sorry for the child. Peter stood up, beer belly slowing him down a little. "I've been bad? I've just had a few drinks, that's all! Anyone would do the same in my situation!" he said, whining slightly. The social worker swallowed, stepping forward to stand beside the policeman.
"It's not just a few drinks, I'm afraid. We can see clear signs that you've been acting violent towards Adena. She's told us what you've been taking and in what quantaties. I'm surprised you even managed to get your hands on so many illegal substances." he explained calmly, while the policeman clipped handcuffs around Peter's hands. "But... oh, fine, take me away! What about the girl, eh? What are you gonna do about her? I don't exactly want her around! She's annoying! I wish I'd never had her!" he growled.
The policewoman gave him a slight smile. "We know. You're clearly in no fit state to look after Adena, especially if you only know her as 'the girl'. She'll go to a children's home, where she'll live a nice life while you get sorted out in prison for taking illegal drugs and child cruelty." she said, nodding. And that was exactly what happened next.
Adena was relieved to see her father taken away in the police vehicle, but it was then her turn to leave. She was allowed to quickly pack her things before she returned to school, said goodbye to her friends, and off she went to a children's home.
Adena sat on her bed, suitcase next to her with one hand resting on top. She was staring into space, face devoid of expression. She was worthless, wasn't she? Mother kidnapped, father in prison. Abandoned. Unwanted. Unloved. Her family had broken apart through the various different ways, but as every child in this sort of situation does, Adena was blaming herself. If she had done something, maybe those men wouldn't have taken her mother away. If she hadn't been so stupid and annoying and pointless, maybe her father wouldn't have beaten her and turned to drugs to drown his misery. They would have been together, happy, a proper family. She moved eventually, still thinking through the trauma of her life. The girl was pretty much an empty shell, moving through the daily routine without real awarness.
And so this empty shell behavoir continued, Adena not completely aware of life. The psychiatrists in the home reckognized her problems and decided she would get over it naturally, and it was best to not disturb her. The two other girls she shared a room with had seen it before in each other, so ignored her and let her get on with it. In a way, Adena was grateful for this, although in another way she could have done well with a friend at a time like that. Eventually, however, a time came when she broke out of the shell. This was a few days after she first arrived. Adena was sitting on one of the squashy sofas in a brightly coloured, almost creepily cheerful room where a load of other eight-year-olds played along with kids a few years younger and older. She was staring into space as usual, when she noticed the calender. It was Thursday. Thursday, nearing three o'clock.
A tear slid down Adena's face as she reckognised the timing, emotions braking through to the surface at last. The tear was followed by another, and soon a flurry was starting accompanied by silent sobs, the girl's body shaking with them. This time, she wasn't ignored. A boy the same age as her with a cheerful air about him, scruffy blonde hair, shining blue eyes and a wide, happy smile which shone through his whole face and gave him dimples. He sat down next to her, looking concerned. "Is something wrong?" he asked, automatically putting an arm around the girl for comfort. Adena glanced at him, then shook her head. "It's just... it's Thurday, three o'clock. My mum promised me she would meet me then at the town entrance, and this is my first time not waiting for her since she promised. The first time in... I think three years at least." she managed through her uncontrollable sobs. "It's silly, isn't it? I know it is, I should stop, I'm sorry, I... I-"
The boy smiled, patting her gently on the shoulder. "Ssh, it's fine. I never knew my parents, but I would do the same for them. I'm sure your mum will find out what happened and come and find you some day, wherever you are." he told her, "Or maybe some day you'll find her." he finished, grinning brightly. Adena couldn't help but smile back weakly, the sobbing stopping and the flow of tears slowing. She held out a hand. "Adena Nightingale." she introduced herself. The boy shook it. "Michael Baker." he introduced himself in return.
From that simple comfort and introduction, Adena and Michael became best friends, along with a boy named Fellen. Gradually, spending time with Michael and Fellen eased Adena out of her shell and back into her previous self, and she made a fair few new friends. It was the two boys, though, who Adena trusted with all her secrets and worries. They would listen to her and help her, and they were the ones who pressured her into starting violin lessons when they found out that she had played before, starting at an incredibly young age and reaching a decent standard before her father grew annoyed at the sound of her violin and broke it in pieces while beating her with it. Adena fell in love with the instrument again, and although shy at first, she eventually filled the home with the sound of violin music, which at first wasn't anything you'd want to exactly listen too, but over the years became a beautiful sound which would make kids actually stop for a little as they passed whatever room she was practicing in.
As they grew up, only a few of them were adopted, since they were already past the age most kids were adopted at. Adena, Fellen and Michael remained together, telling each other everything and going everywhere together. In fact, a number of kids even teased Michael and Adena about being boyfriend and girlfriend- until when the two were about eleven, when Michael started having a relationship with another boy. Naturally, he got teased even more for having a boyfriend, but Adena was his friend all the same and stood up for him in these cases. She was bullied, too, for her mental problems and being able to play an instrument, but Michael and Fellen stood up for her, too. They grew up avoiding the wrong crowd and sticking with a group of good, loyal friends. Adena certainly wasn't going to get involved with crime, alcohol and/or drugs after what she saw with her father.
At the age of sixteen, children at their home were allowed to leave to go out on their own Pokémon journies or to go to a boarding school if they liked, starting at the end of the school year. Fellen had left to a foster family over a year before, and Adena and Michael weren't sure whether they wanted to go off with Pokémon or continue an education, but eventually they decided to leave. After all, the education system in the area was bad, run down and crime ridden, the boarding school on offer was in the same condition. They knew that they wouldn't manage to get all that good an education there, and so were better off getting experience and having fun being Pokémon trainers. At first, they intended to go along together, but they later of decided to go their seperate ways; Adena wanted to be a trainer in Teima while Michael wanted to be a co-ordinator in Hoenn. Adena keeps in contact with Michael and was sad to leave him, but she knows she'll see him again some time and that for now she should concentrate on being the best trainer she can.
Team: None yet.
Other: None.
|
|
