I don't own any of these characters. This show is owned by people other than me though I do love the show.
A/N-this story deals with child abuse, rape and possibly other issues that are not appropriate for young readers. If you do not like this type of story then be advised that this story is not for you.
Hidden Truths
Everyone knows that you need food and water to survive, without these you would either starve or dehydrate. What is also important, though not considered needed to survive, is the need for love. Some people live their entire lives knowing what it is like to be loved simply for being but then there are others who have never been loved or cared for. I fall into that last category.
Both my parents are dead. My mom overdosed when I was five and my father was shot by a cop while he was trying to do a drug deal. Yes both my parents where involved with drugs, that is one of the only things I remember about them. Neither paid me any attention when I was young so once they were dead I didn't really miss them, at least not until I was taken to the orphanage. By the time I was fourteen I had already been through 47 different homes and none of the families cared for me, hell the only reason I was there was so they could get another government check. I was abused severely in all but four of those homes and I have the scars and nightmares to prove it. At the other four homes I had to fend for myself, I practically lived off the streets and out of my backpack. When I turned 14 I had finally decided that enough was enough, I was tired of getting new scars every week and I had nothing to lose, not my pride since several of my foster parents had already stolen that along with my virginity and I had no relations to hold me back so I did the only thing that made sense, I left.
I ran away from my foster home and lived on the streets while going to school and working at various jobs. I crashed in a different place nearly every night and at times had to dig through the dumpster that was near the McDonald's. It's kind of ironic, I think I've eaten everything off of their menu but I have never stepped foot inside one or actually ordered anything. I learned really quick where to avoid and what type of people to avoid, unfortunately the quick lesson was due to some attacks that led to more scars and nightmares. By the time I turned 16 I could hold my own in a fight with a guy that was more than twice my size, I knew how to steal what I needed and couldn't find in the dumpsters and I learned how to avoid the cops, figuring they would just send me back to another home. I lived like this until I graduated high school and no one ever noticed. I guess the social workers either got tired of trying to find a place for me or figured that I was still with the Johnston family, either way I never heard from any of them again.
Throughout school I was always to busy working and studying so I never got close to anyone, which was fine by me since most the people were spoiled and immature. It never occurred to me that that was normal teenage behavior. The day I found out I had gotten into Stanford with a full scholarship was the happiest day of my life. When I got there I was happy that everyone ignored me and my apparently weird behavior. It wasn't my fault that I took every chance to get a laugh and listen to music, after living a rough life you learned to appreciate the simple things. I finished college faster than anyone expected and had my degree by the time I was 21. Once I was finished with college I moved to the brightest city in the world where I got a job as a lab technician at a crime lab.
Man, the day I went in for my interview was great. I had just gotten my first real apartment which was fully furnished and I can happily say that I still live there. When I went to the crime lab for my interview the boss had lost his tarantella. Everyone was freaking out and didn't pay me any attention until I found the thing under a desk and picked it up since one of the techs was about to squash it. For some reason people thought I was brave for messing with the spider and the boss seemed especially impressed when I walked into his office holding the spider in one hand and shaking his hand with the other. Guess growing up around rats and roaches really helps people get past any fears they may have of bugs.
The rest of the interview went smoothly and nothing in my past came up so I didn't have to go into dreary details. I started the next day and the lab hasn't been quiet since. My CD player is always on and I just have fun as I work. Most people seem to think I'm crazy or some kind of drug addict but what can I say, I've never actually been taught how I am suppose to behave so I just do what I want. I think they let my weird behavior slide since I am the best, and that is the truth. I can get the work done in half the time as everyone else and my work is always thorough.
I have now been working there for three years and I have gotten close to the nightshift. They may actually be the closest thing to friends I have ever had but I know that it is impossible for me to be close with any of them since that would require me telling them things about me that they don't need to know. I have successfully hidden all traces of my past from them and I think that they all just settled into the belief that I grew up with an overprotective mother and was a complete dork. They all think that this is the first time I've actually had to work and that my life has been picture perfect. Funny how these people can catch a murder by finding a hair but they can't figure out the person they see every night. I guess me dancing around my lab while blaring music to deafening levels and always being happy really throws them off. Not that it actually matters of course since it's easier to let them think what they want. Maybe they'll figure it out but until they do I'm going to enjoy my role as the care free lab rat with crazy hair and loud music.
