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"Damaged people are dangerous, They know how to make hell feel like home."
To say Stella Swayer had lived an easy life would have been a total lie. See, she was born and raised in the OBX, also more commonly known as The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Yeah, they had some sweet spots. She could practically surf before she could walk, with the amount of water that surrounded the place it was kind of impossible not to be dragged into that sort of culture. Her dad always said she was a fish with legs, she always loved swimming. The views that their little piece of paradise had was amazing, and attracted a lot of tourism each year. The people where lovely (most of 'em), the food was great and there was a lot of history that surrounded them. However, when you're from the Cut, life wasn't all that.
Stella and her family where poor, no two ways about that, and you tend to grow up quick when you grow up poor. From a young age, she had to fend for herself, and her big brother Barry made sure she could do just that. Not only did she have a sweet right hook, but nimble fingers too. She was light on her feet, fast, and from being about 5 or 6 she could take a wallet out of a back pocket without even looking. It came in handy when you where a Pogue.
That didn't stop her from having friends though. Her father, Denny, was best friends with Big John, also known as John Routledge, meaning that she had known John B all of her god damn life. When his mom upped and left, her own mother, Fiona, took care of him a lot meaning that they where constantly together. They where the same age, and like brother and sister they fought like hell, the two hated each other 'till about 3rd grade when they met JJ. Yet, despite their dislike for one another they had each other's back no matter what. Like two pea's in a pod, Big John used to say.
Against their struggles, the Swayer's where content with their life. Sure, there was always that wish of living on the North Side of OBX, or the Figure 8 as the locals called it, but they got by. That was, until, her fathers untimely death when she was only 10 years old. Everyone took it hard, but Fiona more so. After all, Denny had been the soul breadwinner of the family, what the hell where they gonna do? How where they gonna survive? Big John helped them out where he could, but of course it was never enough, he too was fron the Cut after all. Barry ended up dropping out of high school at 14 and cleaning yatches for money, whilst Fiona busted tables trying to make enough to pay their bills. Stella? She stuck to picking pockets, nobody suspected innocent little Stella after all. The Sawyer's made enough to keep their head above water, but the stress got too much for Fiona who turned to booze and drugs to cope. Two tough years later, Barry found Fiona dead after an overdose.
As devasted as you'd expect two orphaned children to be, the two remaining Swayer's had skin like diamonds. They shed no tears for their late mother, they had seen it coming long ago. Barry became Stella's guardian, she thanked the stars that he was of age. The one thing that she was scared of was having to move away from her friends, hell, she'd of even missed Kie. Her brother told her he would never let that happen, that he'd look after her now, that they'd be okay.
But Barry got himself involved with the wrong people, he was enticed by money and riches, and although he had good intentions he did a lot of dirty shit to keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths. Their home soon became a huge hang out spot for Barry's clientele, not that she minded, some of them where lovely, though she did sometimes hate coming home to a house full of people and someone asleep on her bed. Barry was always apologetic, and would give her a bag of bud to cheer her up.
She would always call JJ to come around and smoke some with her, knowing the boy would take any chance he could to get out of his god damn house. If he wasn't at John B's, he was at hers, anything to avoid being within the same vicinity as his father. Stella had met the man only a handful of times, and one of those times she spat in his face, yes on purpose. To say the least, she wasn't welcome around the Maybank house after that. So the two would often chill in her room, hiding away from her brothers crew, watching old films or crappy shows to pass time before falling asleep, and the girl couldn't help but realise the feelings that where growing for a very close friend.
Life was as it should be for a Pogue, taking each day as it came, living for the moment with no regrets. That was, until, Big John went missing at sea.
The chateau, Big John's house, had became their hangout since that point on. John B needed his friends, and god, they where there for him. He was distraught at first, didn't know which way to turn, but as the weeks went past he pulled himself together more and more. While most thought his father to be dead, a man lost at sea, John B never believed that. He was certain that his dad was still out there, and Stella supported him in his belief. Kie and the others tried to get him to accept his fathers death, but Stella would tell them to shut up and mind their god damn buisness. His uncle T was supposed to be his legal guardian, and was supposed to be living in the chateau with him until his father was recovered, but that guy hadn't been around for months. Child services kept pecking their ore in, and John B was on the verge of being taken away. The girl would do anything to protect the ones she loved and Stella promised she wouldn't let that happen, saying that she'd even get Barry to become his legal guardian somehow, she promised she'd find away.
That's what they always said about Stella Swayer, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks with the silver tongue. It was as though she had a some form of force over people, and just by battering her eyelashes could have them falling at their knees. Perhaps it was that, or she was just a massive flirt who knew how to use her assessts.
The girl knew hell like the back of her hand, and their was a certain power that came with that, one that meant she didn't burn when flames licked her lips. No, her smile was plagued with havoc and she loved the mayhem in her madness. Stella Swayer was a force to be reckoned with, and god help those who tested her patience.
