CHAPTER 0 - PROLOGUE

Riley was born on the 23rd of December.. Sure this made her a cute little Christmas baby, she was the same as any other child brought into this world, innocent, fragile and in need of protection. It was just unfortunate that her parents were not the right people for the job. Riley's parents lost a daughter before, this put them into a downward spiral of aggression, hate and abuse, perhaps trying for a second baby was not the best choice.. Or perhaps it wasn't.. Riley's father always did attack her with words, calling her the accident he never wanted.

As a younger Riley was always willing to learn things on the creative spectrum, she loves to play with childish musical instruments and draw upon pieces of paper that she could find laying around, drawing imaginary friends and fake realities to escape that of her own. It was rather sad to see from an exterior view of her circumstances, this is why she had a lot of problems when it came to her education, other families and specially the faculty of her school began to see signs of abuse from her parents, but the claims were never fully investigated.

School was something that Riley loved, it was the only time that she could get away from the hatred of home, being able to spend time with the little friends that she had, looking to them for support when she could, but in all honesty they didn't really care about her circumstances and Riley was left to look after herself most of the time.

It was clear to say, Riley was no stranger to domestic abuse.



CHAPTER 1 - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Riley understood domestic violence, she understood this topic well. It's not something that is very well understood, most policemen wouldn't even batter an eye at such a claim, especially in Nevada of all places... People grow to have a reputation in a place like this, in a place like Ely, Nevada. With a population of around 4,000 people it's rather easy to assume that most people would know each-other to some sort of capacity, especially when this town is filled with local shops and no big fancy wall-marts to plague your view. It was small, peaceful and generally an okay place to live... Then again Riley didn't like it one bit, to her it was like a cancer, a dust bowl filled with hatred anger and disgust, it wasn't just the bullying and the harassment of her childhood that got to her, but the beatings from her drunken ass-hole of a father. Her mother Clara wasn't much greater to be completely honest, her mother just stood by as Tyrone Clayton fired into Riley's little face with clenched fists, simply for dropping some food during meal time. Having to come up with excuses for black eyes and bruises is something that changes a person psychologically, that trauma doesn't just disappear in the blink of an eye, that's for sure. And as time goes on and the sun sets and rises, things slowly get more unbearable until something breaks, the human will to survive and prosper kicks in and even if it means leaving everything you know behind, you still go for it, Riley, a frightened eighteen year old girl, knew she had to take this chance.



CHAPTER 2 - A GUN WITHOUT BULLETS

Riley was known to be rebellious, but she was generally a good person, she'd help others, offer what she had to peoples who required it, even though what she had wasn't necessarily a lot to begin with. Hidden scars was something that she did have however, memories and markings that remind her every day of her past, the dark scars on her back bring back memories of leather and shouting, she'd rather not talk about it.. Not at all.

On the 15th of April 2015, Riley had enough, she stood there outside her house as the aggressive figure of her father stood over her, he looked like the beast itself, Riley honestly wasn't surprised that he hadn't formed horns yet to say the least. She didn't say anything as he shouted. It was as if she finally formed a protective shield around herself against his vulgar vocabulary, but one thing she didn't have an immunity to was bullets. Tyrone, Riley's father knew she had stole something from him, money to say the least, Riley had been planning to run for some time now and she knew that if she were to get a decent head start she'd at-least need some form of currency, her mother certainly didn't have any so this left her with no choice.

"I'VE TAKEN CARE OF YOU AND YOUR BITCH MOTHER SINCE YOU WERE BORN YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SLUT AND YOU DARE STEAL FROM ME?" The father figure screamed down at her, reaching for a revolver within his back pocket. Riley knew what was coming, with a loud scream she shoved him back with all her force and made a run for it, this was her moment to free herself from him. As she ran he pulled the pistol and aimed towards her, the anger so fierce in his eyes that he honestly didn't care what happened next. He pulled the trigger to reveal nothing but a loud click as Riley would present a prominent middle finger towards him as she ran... The sneaky little girl decided that the bullets were also worth taking as well as the money. His vulgar cries filled the air, and before he could chase after her, she was gone... Away with the wind.



CHAPTER 3 - RUNNING WITH THE WIND

Her feet hurt, she was pretty damn sure that there was a blister there already, she whined slightly but kept her pace. Never had she run so much in all her life, she honestly didn't know where her stamina had came from, the last time she ran anywhere like this was a school marathon for charity, but that was in appropriate running shoes.. Not high-heeled boots. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, but she'd rather deal with this temporary pain that taking a bullet from behind. She was expecting her father to come after her, she was waiting for the sound of a ford pick up truck to come from behind... But.. it never did. By this point Riley had lost track of time, the wind had gave her so much strife in her step that she failed to realise that the small patch of building in the far distance behind her was in-fact Ely... She must have ran about five miles straight without stopping, when that thought kicked in she finally stopped and began to cough heavily, holding her hands behind her head in adrenaline filled shock.



She stood there, somewhat shell-shocked, the adrenaline filling her veins and the thought in her head reminding her that this was it, there was no going back to the way things were, after-all it's not like she wanted to to begin with. She slowly began to re-compose herself ashs she brought herself to a slow walk, looking down at her feet and then to the sky again, her mind running through a multitude of different possibilities, where could she go? What could she do? She diddn't have the answers for questions like that just yet, but she knew that anywhere was better than here. With her eyes looking down across the long straight free-way she saw the sign for the Utah border, a new county.. A new Start? She thought to herself with a small smile upon her lips, with a gentle swallow of saliva she began to march onward, carting along nothing but a simple backpack on her back with basic supplies for survival.



CHAPTER 4 - HITCH-HIKER IN TRAINING

Riley waved her arms around like some sort of native Indian trying to summon a rainstorm, she looked rather pathetic, jumping around the side of the road trying to stop the cars that passed by, she began to pant as each car continued to go past without even stopping or looking at her, she began to feel like she was invisible at this point, but she knew that she had to keep trying, she had to keep at it or she'd be forced to either go back to a world of shit and beatings or walk to the border, something she really didn't want to do. Beginning to give up after a space of an hour she's perch herself down upon the edge of the road, leaning back slightly to rest her tired feet. Her green eyes would scan the skies and the horizon, taking in the beauty of the landscape. Even though Riley was born and raised within these surroundings it didn't get any less beautiful, the snow was just starting to show at the peak of the mountains and it was generally an awe inspiring sight to say the least, taking in a small breath she'd look up as the sound of another vehicle approached, perhaps this was her chance.

Jumping to her feet she almost completely ran out into the centre of the road as the pick-up truck raced towards her, she blinked as it began to slow down, the man behind the wheel tilting her head to the side and activating his indicator. When the light began to flash Riley immediately began to feel butterflies fill her stomach, a part of her was relieved and happy, she knew that something good may come out of this.. but then the negative thoughts began to flourish, she didn't know who this man was, she didn't know if he would turn around and rape her, but she honestly had no other options right now.

As the truck came to it's stop, she bit her lip down hard, looking in at the front cabin of the truck as a bearded, scruffy looking old red-neck eyes her over. His face was expressionless in nature, he didn't appear to be too pleased to see her, or perhaps he just didn't care. "I can take you to the border, small town named Baker down there.. then right at the border there is a trucker stop, but I doubt a girl like you would want to mix with the truckers eh?" He'd say to her with a dry tone. Riley would just look at him with a frozen look on her face, unable to speak or do anything, all she could manage at this point was a small nod of her head and a whisper. "Sure." She'd reply, looking down nervously. "Well, let's not waste my time, climb in the back." He'd say with a voice of order and authority, gesturing towards the trunk section of the pick up truck. Riley let out a small exhale of hair, she'd rather sit in the back.. After-all, means she didn't have to sit next to some old red-neck. With swift moments she'd climb up onto the back of the pick-up and would park her butt down within her, grasping onto the edges and taking the moment to take off her jacket. This was it... she thoughts, gazing back over the town of Ely as it began to disappear from sight.



CHAPTER 5 - AN UNCOMFORTABLE RIDE

Riley found herself bouncing around in the back of the pick-up truck like a metal ball in a pinball machine, it hurt at first but then she realised that this wasn't exactly a first class ticket she had here. As the truck travelled down the road she couldn't help but admire the landscape, she'd smile softly as the wind blew through her hair, watching the birds fly overhead and the scattered clouds fill the blue patches of sky above. She'd reach into her backpack to pull out a water-bottle, helping herself to a small sip of aqua pura. Half an hour passed by this point and the wind was beginning to give her a chill, she covered herself in her jacket as the truck would hit several bumps on the road, causing her let out a loud yelp, followed by the sound of laughing coming from the driver inside the truck. She'd feel somewhat embarrassed, causing her cute little cheeks to turn red.

After what began to feel like an eternity, the truck finally began to slow down, turning right off the main free-way and into the small town as promised, it began to look like something out of a ghost story, the buildings were destroyed, abandoned and the town was so small that it made Ely look like New York city. The truck would come to stop before a voice would sound from the cabin. "Er you go lass, now get off my truck." He'd say with a snarl to his voice. Without any delay she'd jump off the truck into the sand and dust, before being able to even turn around and that the man he was away, rallying off like he had some sort of important meeting to go to. Riley sighed heavily, turning around in a 360 motion to see what this "town" had to offer her. She began to head off towards what appeared to be the only motel, covering her eyes from the dust as it rolled through with a whine. Was this really all there was? She thought, sighing once again as the sun slowly began to set.



CHAPTER 6 - A NEW LIFE

A month had past, her money was spent up and she was still in the same damn ghost town, a mere sixty or so miles away from where she originated, she hadn't even crossed the border at this point. Sure, she explored the area's around her, the lakes, the gas station and trucker station over by the border, she went to all those places, looking for some sort of employment, but nothing ever came out of it. Riley began to think about going home.. But she knew in her heart that she had to keep going, even if it meant going through hunger, the cold or the hard times..

The payment on her motel room had just ran out today, this is when she realised that she had just became the newest member of the homeless society of America. It was getting dark and gloomy, she hadn't ate today and she was beginning to feel the result of being alone. It isn't nice to live in fear, to live in fear of never seeing or meeting people again, being ignored by others or knowing that you have nowhere to go and no means of getting there. Riley sobbed briefly from time to time as she walked out from the motel, looking for some sort of place to rest her head for the night. With the gentle patter of her worn boots she made her way out to a possible prospect that she had seen several days prior, an old abandoned farm house about five minutes out from the town, sure it looked like somewhere a serial killer would lay in wait for unsuspecting victims but she really couldn't argue with herself right now, she was tired and cold... Perhaps the farm would suit her needs, only time would let her see.



CHAPTER 7 - THE BEGINNING

Riley pulled herself into the old wooden barn, it was dark and incredibly creepy, but it seemed empty for the most part which is honestly all she cared about at this point in time. Looking around for somewhere to rest her head she found a heap of hay, this was perfect she thought, immediately dropping down to the ground and pressing her head into it. It wasn't the most pleasant smell but it was something. Before closing her eyes she used her jacket as some sort of blanket, her clothes by this point had been through so much that she was generally beginning to look worn down an homeless, unlike the pretty little girl she was when she first left.

Reaching into her backpack she took out a packet of chips, this was all she had left, the only food she had. She frowned deeply at the bag, knowing that she was probably going to start to death at some point, but her stomach had already gone without food for some time. It rippled and rumbled loudly, making her feel like her stomach was beginning to eat itself from the inside out. Letting out a solid cry she'd give into the pressure, a tear running down her right eye as she'd rip open the back and give into the tasty potato snack. After violently defiling the bag of chips, representing something of a wild animal, Riley would calm herself. sighing heavily and dropping the ripped packet to her side. Her small bruised hands gripped into the hay pile for warmth as she decided it was time to rest her bones.

Slowly drifting off to sleep, Riley felt hopeless and alone, she needed some sort of direction.. Reason or a companion, at the point she honestly didn't care if it was a dog, a chicken, a cow or a person.. She just needed a friend in the world.

With one last breath as the wind blew in through the gaps in the ceiling, she began to feel that perhaps this was the end.. Perhaps she wouldn't wake up.

But Riley failed to realise, that this was only the beginning.

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Ms. Armstrong is an energetic girl with a rather blunt approach to life. Despite her time in juvenile institutions, she has shown a great willingness to trust in other and believe in the best possible result for her action despite things rarely happening just as she seems to wish they did. Oftentimes rash and mercurial in her decisions, she will keep attempting to reach her goal until even her optimistic view become marred by the results. Such a lack of foresight do cause her trouble, and while she is easily fooled by trickery she rarely fall for the same trap twice.

Of an ordinarily friendly and bold temperament, she is know to get cold and bitter towards those she feel wronged her and will hold a grudge for quite some time. While her instinct to trust what she is told is strong, some verbal triggers and body language seems to bring her into a stubborn stance of wariness towards others, that mood continuing on until she 'take some time alone'. The triggers are as of now considered to be signs of doubts in her interlocutor, such a questions and concerns. As such, a need for self-sufficiency seems to be a strong component of her psyche.

Unwilling to show weakness, she seems to be suppressing her negative emotions a great deal...


The girl show a great deal of leadership abilities and care for her fellows, and is often seen with various teenagers during social times. Her working habits prove her to be hardworking and quite hard on herself as she pull much of the weight of any task she undertakes. While she seems eager to believe in another's sincerity, she is surprisingly unwilling to trust in their abilities and will tend to work alone instead of attempting teamwork. Such a lack of interest in cooperating in chores have made her a few enemies, though slackers tend to be grateful for the lessened workload.