Prologue

I knew that something was wrong with me from the get-go. I mean, you don't exactly have to be a doctor to know I have some sort of condition that makes me different from everyone else; all you need is a pair of eyes and ears to figure out what kind of person I am. It's been that way—I've been that way—since the third grade. It sucks.

I know that in life there's usually supposed to be that one weird, hyper kid that completely overlooks the cover and delves straight into the book simply because nobody else would. My life doesn't have that kid though. In fact, I don't think that they have that kid in all of Shade City.

I can't really pinpoint the thing that makes me seem so unapproachable, but I think that being named after the city doesn't help my case too much. I think that I would really like the name Shade if I lived anywhere but Shade; I think that's what my parents were thinking when I was born.

Another thing that deems me unlikable would be my speech issues; I don't talk unless I really need to, like when introductions are being made or when someone's about to get hit by a car…I don't think those two are related in any way at all, so I don't know why I used them as an example, but you get my point. Anyways, when I do talk, I stutter, mumble, combine like three words into one, and spit a little. And it's all just because I get a little too nervous around people.

And yet another thing that makes me stand out would be my stature in general. I'm tall, weigh a little more than I should at my height, and my bone structure is wide. Mom says it's because I'm either German or Russian—I always get the two mixed no matter what—and dad says I was an Amazonian woman in another life. I think dad's more likely to be right since I kind of hate all of the guys at school and like watching sports that involve violence. Then again, I hate the girls at school too, and I'm pretty sure that people other than Amazonian women like kickboxing and rugby.

Speaking of kickboxing, next week is my birthday and my dad is taking me to Seattle to watch a couple fights, which will be amazing. He says that he got seats close enough for their sweat and blood to get on us, which will also be amazing. Mom doesn't think so though and isn't too happy that I'm going in the first place because she's kind of a hippie.

I asked my older brother, Ronnie who just turned twenty two, if he would come with Dad and me, but he can't because of some college stuff he had to do. He said that he would come down and visit me once he had time, though, and I'm more than glad to wait as long as he actually does come. My family is pretty close and I hope to God it'll stay that way.

They're all that I have.