Swansea, Wales, 1997
Mick Rawson hates math. When the call he's being pulled from class comes, it gets a bit of an excited quirk to his step. He doesn't have choir tonight, so he doesn't exactly care that he's being pulled out early.
The only off thing about his call is not seeing his mum waiting for him in the front office. Usually she would have gotten Jenna before him, her school is a few blocks before his, the more expensive private school he once attended before a slip up had him kicked out. Something was wrong, he could feel it.
"Meical Rawson?" He hates his birth name, so much so that whenever it's spoken, it usually means something bad. Or at least, it was the only time his parents still used it. There's a man standing in the front office, dressed in an ugly suit that makes his school uniform look fashionable, and he sounds English, a bit of a jarring sound compared to the Swansea accents he's used to. "I have some bad news. You need to get your sister. There's been an accident."
"Mick, where are we going?"
She's forceful for an answer, she's scared and confused, it's a bit expected. She was upset he pulled her from school, said he wasn't allowed and threatened to tell their mum. He let her rant and yell until she calmed down, flipping through the radio stations before finally settling on one.
"We're gonna see, Nan, okay?" he's hoping that shuts her up, that she'll stop talking. He needs to focus.
"Where's mum? You always 'ave to ask mum before borrowing the car."
"I did, I promise. That's why we're going to Cardiff," he's pretending nothing's happening, burying it down. His only concern right now his is sister's safety. Its all that matters. "Just relax until we get there, eh, Jenna? M'drivin'. Study your Welsh or somethin' please."
It's only small talk now, Mick gets her on the subject of school and hopes that keeps her occupied. It keeps him from thinking about it too, he's terrified of what he's going to do. How he can continue.
She's been crying since he told her.
Eventually her questions about their parents became too much. Their grandfather had just passed away a month before, their grandmother didn't even speak to Mick anymore, the only reason he was there was because the loss affected them all and he's still family, he still deserves a place to stay.
But their parents deaths hit Jenna hard.
A car accident, heavy pile up where a few other people were killed, his mother was driving their father in for work before she headed into her own job. They worked so much, and Mick was struggling to find a job that would allow a convicted minor to work there just so he could help a little bit.
Thankfully, their grandmother handled the details of funerals, though his father was mostly just slapped with whatever less that couldn't be given to her daughter. Micks been too focused caring for Jenna to mourn, making sure she's done her homework and driving her to and from school and keeping her from being depressed. It's all he can do, she's his priority now.
His grades are slipping, after he'd been doing so well since his stint in a juvenile center after vandalizing a few stores with some friends. He promised his mother he would do better, but he can't focus. Everything feels like it's resting on his shoulders, his grandmother is too distraught after two deaths so soon.
His grandfather and his dad once shared a cigarette during his uncle's funeral. Grandad was a heavy smoker, but his dad explained the smoke made the pain a bit less, like it wouldn't hurt after a few puffs. He doesn't like drinking, any time he's tried he's gotten sick. He knows where his grandfather kept his cigarettes.
Mick inhales his first of many cigarettes, just trying to relax. He needed to move on.
Mick skipped the funeral until the very end. Jenna was angry he wasn't there for her and his grandmother scolded him for missing something so important. But he just couldn't.
The following months are all focused on Jenna, fighting to keep her out of foster care. Mick's too old, thankfully his grandmother is appealing to raise her. That wins out, he's not as worried. But his focus is solely on her.
Transitioning to school in Cardiff is hard. Mick makes a few friends here and there but his focus is more or less struggling to get by. There's a girl he has his eyes on, but his nervousness has him keep it to himself. Recruiters from the British Army visit the schools, and an interest in Mick is quickly taken. He has to finish schooling, but eventually he enlists, citing he wants to do his grandfather proud, when honestly it had nothing to do with that. Mick wanted out,away from Wales and away from what reminded him of what happened months before. He loves this country, but it's time to move on.
He starts training a few months after he graduates, not exactly ready to leave Jenna just yet. His engagement was a failure, and rather than waste more time, Mick is moving on. Through assurances that Jenna will be completely fine while he's gone he heads off and kickstarts the career that would eventually turn him into a killer. Nothing could have prepared him for the damage war caused, nor would he choose any differently. He does his job, works his way up, earns an honorable discharge, and moves on.