"You were a mistake, and worthless." These were the first words I can remember. My father standing over me, reeking of booze. Hit me across the face, because I reminded him of my mother. "You have an ugly face, and her hideous blue eyes. You sicken me! Get out of my sight!" He lifts his hand, as to strike me again. I flinch in response. "Just go to your room! And I better not hear anything!" He flops back down on his leather chair. Grabbing his beer from the folding table. I run back to my cluttered room and cry silently behind the stacked boxes. 

My name is Jarrod Troy, and I've been ugly my whole life. I was born the younger brother to a perfect twin sister. She was loved immediately and made the star child. While I was barely in the picture. I never knew that parents were supposed to cook family meals. When I turned four, my father taught me how to fish. And said he was never doing anything to help feed me again. If I wanted to eat, it wasn't his problem from that point. It was one of my happiest memories. Seeing him take time off work to teach me. I smiled so wide. But that just led to being thrown in the water. "Don't ever smile like that again! I'll be at home. Make your way there yourself!" He said while heading to his car and then driving away. At age seven, my mother divorced my father. And his drinking problem only got worse. He hated seeing my face, anything that reminded him of her drove him angry. And my presence was only a sick reminder of his mistakes. I never liked being at home, he made sure to keep it that way.

School was no better, I was constantly bullied and tortured for my looks. The first day of Kindergarten I had to walk to school myself, and when I was outside the doors. My sister was standing there waiting for me. "I don't want anyone to know we're related, stay away from me at school. Actually, stay away from me in general. I don't need someone as ugly as you standing anywhere near me." She said before walking inside. Leaving me standing there alone. No one in class wanted to play with me during recess, and being alone was the norm. The teacher would have to be my partner when people would group up for projects.

Third grade I would constantly find my books in the toilet and when I would return to class being late. The teacher would have me stand with my head against the wall. The class would laugh at my misfortune and circumstance. I had no friends and no happy school experiences. At eighth grade, my hair covered my eyes and my presence was loathed more now than ever. That is when that unfortunate day happened. Tuesday, September 3rd. My father killed both my mother and my sister, and hung himself in the living room. I didn't feel any pain, any sadness. I just walked out of the house. I had to eat that night, and the fish weren't going to catch themselves.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end to the grief my father left me. He had been in debt for years, it was probably one of the reasons why everything happened. Loan Sharks came looking for the next of kin. It didn't matter to them that my father was dead, they only saw the money they were owed. And my blood ties gave them the right to pass the loan to me. I had to drop out of school to pay back the money. At fourteen years old the best I could do was washing dishes at a restaurant. The owner was kind enough to give me a job, and he didn't care that I was ugly. So when I saw him being shaken down by the same people who managed my debt, I had to step in. I chased them out, but they remembered what I looked like. So when I was walking home that night, they were waiting for me. One held my arms, and the other plunged a knife into my chest. I hit the ground, bleeding out as tears filled my eyes. "I just wanted to be handsome, I wanted to be happy..... I wanted to be loved.."

"And so it shall be..." A beautiful feminine voice echoed.

"Wake up already son! You're going to be late! Don't make me go up there Gar!" "That's not my name..." Jarrod said groggily rubbing his eyes from sleep. "Nice try Gar, but you're not getting out of your first day that easily." A beautiful brunette woman walked into the shabby room. "Get up son, I'm not playing games. You're going to school today, no matter what you want to call yourself." She throws a crimson school uniform at him. "Mom?" he asked "Yes?" she answered.

"Where is this school located again?" Gar asked while standing up. "On the outskirts of the Royal Capitol. Now hurry up, the school year is about to start and you're going to be late on your first day." She said while closing the door behind her. "I don't even really know what's going on. The last thing I remember was.. Those thugs! They took away my future, and then my life. Well... That one at least. I guess I'm Gar now, I don't even know what that's short for...." He thinks to himself as he finishes getting dressed.

He fixes his collar as he walks down the wooden steps, almost bumping into a man walking the other way. "Hey Son! I'm glad I got to see you before you left." He pulls Gar into a tight hug. "I know you're going to do great things at the Paladin Academy. That's where I learned all the amazing sword techniques that I showed you before. Just show them who you are, and the motivation you showed me during practice. And you'll be fantastic. You always find a way to make me proud. Now it's time to show the world. I love you, Son." He hugs Gar one more time. *Tears start rolling down his face.* "Thank you...D-Dad" Gar says with a shaking voice. "It's okay, son. It'll only be a couple months until visiting day. You'll be okay on your own. You're almost thirteen now, and this is a step to becoming an adult." He ruffles his hair in affirmation and comfort. "Thank you Dad.... For everything so far." Gar responds while wiping his face. "Thank me by working hard, now get out of here. Your Mother is going to be p*ssed at how late you are." "Right!" Gar grabs his bag as he hustles out the front door. 

*The sun beams across the nearby ocean as the cool, morning air hits the small port village. A crowd is gathered all along the cobblestone streets as wagons filled with students move towards their respective Academies. Everything is mostly calm but screaming breaks the silence.* "Wait! I'm not in the cart yet!" Gar yells as he struggles to keep pace with the moving vehicle. "I got you!" A young boy with alburn hair offers a hand out in help. "Oh my gosh, thank you!" Gar reaches out *As he's about to grab on. The boy pulls his hand away at the last minute. Making Gar fall onto the ground as the wagon rides away.* "Just perfect." Gar says while standing back up and dusting himself off. "On your left!" A muscular man with a red horizontal scar across his face. Picks Gar up by his shirt as he's riding by on horseback. "What the hell?!?" Gar yells in surprise. "Now, is that anyway to talk to one of your future professors?" The man asked smugly.