I never had a father; mainly because he took off before I was born. So I was brought up by my mother, well not exactly since she dedicated her life to drugs, alcohol and sex. It's because of her… problems, she forgot everything, including my name. It was a hard life but eventually I got used to it. However when I was 7, the world I knew changed forever. It started on what seemed to be an ordinary night with my mother going out and leaving me alone at home. I did what I normally do; eat, watch tv, play games then sleep. The next morning I got out of bed. Something wasn't quite right about this morning. Something felt out of place and it was quiet but so was every other morning. I dismissed the feeling and continued on with my day. By midday, my mother still hadn't returned and I was starting to get worried. So I decided to go search for her.
For hours I walked the streets, searching alleyways and asking people in stores if they had seen her. Eventually, exhaustion and hunger took over and I returned to the small cluttered apartment we called home. After preparing a sandwich I turned on the TV and flicked through the channels, searching for my favourite television show when I passed the evening news. I quickly flicked back and watched as the reporter spoke of a recent mass murder in my neighbourhood. That's just the usual… I thought to myself but I couldn't help but notice the worm of doubt wriggle its way through the cracks in my mind.
The next morning I was woken abruptly by a knock on the front door. Leaping out of bed I ran to the door, hoping my mother had returned but instead it was two grown men wearing the blue and black outfit of a cop.
"What are you doing here?" I asked fearfully. Why were they here? What do they want? Has mother done something wrong? Panicked thoughts crossed my mind.
"Are you Jessica? Mrs Ottesen's daughter?" One of the men asked. I gulped. "Yes." I replied.
"I'm afraid we have some terrible news to tell you." One police officer knelt down and spoke to me at my level. "It's your mother. Two days ago a group of armed men came into the local night-club and shot everyone on sight. Your mother was inside… we found her body amongst the others." He said gravely.
I was lost for words. My mother… dead? How was that possible? I thought. "So… So you're here to take me away." The kneeling officer nodded.
"Since you have no relatives you will be taken into foster care. A kind family will take care of you." He explained. I shook my head and backed away.
"We're here to help. We'll help you pack your things and take you to the foster care centre." The man stood up and walked up to me. With a firm hand he asked me to take him to my room where all my possessions that could fit into my backpack and suitcase were packed and taken to the police car.
I resisted the entire time, tears were streaming down my face as I screamed, bit, kicked and hit the man holding my arm but no matter what I tried, he didn't let go. By the time we reached the police car I was too exhausted to fight and the man placed me in the back seat while his companion started the car.
I spent quite some time at the foster centre until a couple adopted me. They were kind and taught me much. The woman ran a self-defence school where I was one of her most dedicated students and the man was a medic at a major hospital who taught me the finer points of healing. By my 12th birthday my 'family' grew from three to six. Tension began to grow between the couple so it was decided they give up two of their children; I being one of them. I was then made to live with a family who owned a property in the middle of nowhere. The mother was a school teacher and her husband a mechanic. They were nothing extraordinary but as soon as I could, I dropped out of school, ran away. I literally vanished from the face of the Earth.
For a year I remained a shadow. When I finally stepped into the light I emerged a changed person. I was Jessica Anne Ottessen no longer. I was Black Sparrow. Admittedly this new alias was inspired by my idols, Swift and Mimic. They were iconic comic book characters. Their comic series ran for years however the comic series was mysteriously cancelled a few years ago. I collected and kept every single issue of their comics, even the specials. They inspired me to become a vigilante and fight crime. There was a powerful and corrupt company with stolen top-secret proto-type technology. Deciding to take the initiative I stole the tech. It looked like a remote control. I pressed a button and out of nowhere a portal formed. Curiosity got the better of me. I walked up and reached out to touch the portal. The second my fingers made contact I felt as though I was both being dragged into the swirling, roaring light. I tumbled into infinite darkness and hoped I would someday return to reality once more.