Chapter I: Alone in a crowd

Elaine Thoer, daughter of Ann and Maurice Thoer, oldest of two children and the only girl among them was born in a small town which, as far as she could see, was in the middle of nowhere. Compared to most, it was small and almost insignificant, the road linking the capital to the biggest beach resort passing through their city was almost its main attraction, and the only thing making it feel important were the neighboring towns of even smaller size.

Elaine was a small, adorable child, her immaturity seen both on her face and in her eyes, her round face unmarked by any cheekbones, her blue eyes open wide in curiosity, her short, blonde hair never seeming clean for more than one day a week. Elaine was brilliant, even at a young age, her marks being some of the highest in her class, but other children's opinions of her were not the best. She never experienced actual bullying, as things had a limit, but most days she would return from school with a face reddened by tears, with only her father to notice it. The mockery never stopped, but it also never advanced, so in time she grew unimpressed both by her classmates' actions and their thoughts about her. Every birthday would be spent at home with her family, which measured a bit more in size their most, her mother being one of 6 children, her father also having 4 siblings. To the age of 20, she managed to keep a childish heart, a feat few achieve today, but its effect being questionable, as a different person might not have gone on the same path as her.

As she turned 14, her father left her family, not of his will, cancer leaving behind a widow and two orphans, and while she did not even know what to feel at the time, the effects soon showed up as she entered high school.

What 15 fiendish kids could not do to this girl, losing her only friend, even if she didn't know it, left behind a wreck. On most days, she wore the biggest smile, or a straight face, no sadness visible, not even in her eyes, but girls would find her in the most hidden corners, crying or simply curled up and not responding, on some days not even talking because if she did all she would do is erupt into tears. Her new classmates were far more pleasant than the last, and small friendships were even formed, even if they did not last past her departure. Her work suffered, and soon she found herself failing in several subjects, this abyss was where the first threads of this story originate.

The method in which her parents controlled her grades was simple, as Elaine was passionate about video games from a young age, her father buying a computer when she was six. With little in the term of social interaction, the digital world of magic and technology was all she loved doing, so every time she would get a bad mark, the response was simple: no technology. Failing a whole subject netted an even bigger time frame, as in the summer of 2003, she would have no access to her beloved video games. Lacking any release from her stress, she started visiting an internet cafe, something she had never needed before, and that is where this begins. That is when she met Nick.

Nicholas Bertram was 5 years older than her, 21 at the time, and he ran the cafe with a laid-back attitude, he had long, black hair atop a slender, chiseled face marked by small, brown eyes, the depth of his person being hidden behind his kind look and tribal tattoos. Their first meeting was uneventful, as Elaine simply clocked in, played online and paid before she left, but soon, they would grow to know each other, as one day she was waiting on the doorstep before Nick could make his morning cup.

"Good morning!", she greeted him. "Augh... 'Morning.", he answered sheepishly. "Can I come in?", she asked. "I haven't even swept yet, give me 15 minutes, then come back.", was his response. "That's okay, I can wait." was all Ell said before propping herself beside the door, watching the tall brunette getting to work, sweeping and mopping before he joined her outside, waiting for it to dry. Conversation soon sparked up.

E: "I've noticed you listen to rock too."

N: "That implies you have a taste for it as well."

E: "Can't tell from the outside, huh?"

Nicholas's attire consisted mostly of black, with dark jeans and a Xandria T-shirt being his work uniform. Elaine had no actual defined taste in clothing, most of the shopping being done by her family, her clothes were all bright colors, the outside suggesting nothing of her actual persona. This surprised Nick, but not enough to be visually distinct.

N: "What do you listen to?"

E: "Just a few... Nightwish, Kamelot, Epica, Linkin Park...

N: "I don't think linkin park count that much as rock.", he said while interrupting her.

E: "They're the first thing rock I ever tried, gotta stick with that."

N: "Heh, can't argue with that. I'm Nick, by the way."

E: "Elaine, nice to meet a fellow metalhead."

N: "Still can't believe you're one of us."

For most of the summer, Elaine came to Nick's cafe, minding her own business or sometimes joining in LAN parties, eventually she passed her make-up tests, restoring her computer rights, but she still came by to chat or battle online. She and Nick became good friends, their talks entering territory usually restricted to family. While she just saw him as a welcome friend, he saw her more like a little sister.

Nicholas was mature, even for his age. He didn't let it show outside, but his life was not in any way kind. He was accustomed to hard work and fewer joys from a young age, holding inside a wisdom reserved for people 10 years older, and here comes this girl, who could be his sister, a girl with the child of a ten-year old. Her eyes were the thing that captivated him, not like a lover, but more like a scientist, for in her eyes he could see that innocence, that pure joy and trust you lose with age, that spark that slowly dies. For him, this girl would be everything he hated, his first thoughts being of a spoiled child, one without worry or loss, but the more he learned, the more he could not believe, a polite, smart, friendly girl with enough to make talk between them redundant, with every new visit he never knew what to feel... joy, because someone can stay like that while passing through the things she did? ...or loathing. as he could not do the same. Eventually he stopped seeing it as innocence and more as inexperience, finally feeling pity for her and her lack of knowledge in the world, but that was after he gave the start for her journey, for he is the one who introduced Matt and Elaine.