If you are reading this because you want a funny story with a happy ending, then stop. Turn around and put this book right back on whatever dusty shelf you got it from. There is a reason it was there in the first place, untouched and abandoned. Because I can't promise you a happy ending and my story is far from funny. Sure, there are moments to reflect and laugh on, moments that are lighthearted end enjoyable, but they are fleeting. This book is about my trials, about the life and death of those I cared for, and everything in between. It is about my life; about everything I've seen in the short time I've been alive. This book is about what happens when the stories you read as a child come to life and draw you into them.
My name is Clint Barton. I am fifteen years old, and let me start my story by saying I don't have a home. I'm not homeless, I just choose to pick my own home. I've never been able to stay in one spot for very long. As a kid I would run away from foster homes every time the opportunity presented itself. You're probably assuming my parents are dead at this point. They are. Sounds harsh, huh? That's life. I hope you haven't gotten the wrong impression about me already; I'm not a troubled kid. I'm not a dick. I am not violent, unruly, or uncooperative like a lot of orphaned kids. I just don't like being pinned down in one spot and I don't believe in sugar coat things. I don't like for people to know my secrets. I don't like to get to know people; I don't want someone to be able to manipulate my own emotions and thoughts against me. That is fair, right?
So as I sit here, as I begin writing out my story for you, I have to wonder: Why? Why am I doing this? If I write this, everyone will know my secrets, everyone will know who I care about, what my story is, where I have been and where I will go. It could prove to be dangerous to me, even deadly. But I feel the need to write it, maybe because I don't know about the unknown; I don't know what will happen to me in the coming times. I don't know if I will have a chance to tell my story again. And that thought scares me. Because if I died right now, only a handful of people would even remember my name and face. And once they passed on...my memory would be gone. I want the world to know who I am. Who I really am. Not who I used to be. I need them to know what I have done for them. Not because I want fame or fortune, but because I want them to be prepared. Because I want kids like me to have a chance in this hell on earth. Because there is one thing I can promise you: there is far more terrible times coming.
My name is Clint Barton, and this is my story.
