Sharon Bachelder was a Canadian criminal. For many years she committed crimes with her brother, George, but not long after she turned 30, she went solo. It was never noticed by relatives and friends that she was truly, very beautiful. This was why Hypnos fell for her. He persisted and persisted but Sharon continued to say no to his many requests to ask her out. Hypnos was so desperate for her, he put her in a very, very deep sleep and raped her. When Sharon awoke, she was stunned. Hypnos has left her a note explaining why he did it, and how he was a god and that.
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I didn't know who my father was, I didn't even know how I came to be until I came to camp...
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During Avan's babyhood he was quite badly treated, but he did get food, water and all the essentials. However, he had to stay in the car whilst Sharon robbed and arsoned. It all continued like this for two years, until Sharon chose the wrong target. She choose the house of a drug dealer to rob and arson but unfortunately for Sharon, the police had planned a raid on the house. They caught her and took her to prison. When they found Avan in the car, they took him to a Children's Home.
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I lost my only family on that night. I was only two, but it was the worst day of my life. Or so I thought.
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As Avan was little and cute, he was quickly fostered by a couple who could not have children of their own. Their names were Keira and Daniel O'Manning. They treated with all the love, the kindness, the respect that Sharon didn't. Sharon had been given a three year prison sentence and then, after another year, if she could prove herself, she could have Avan back.
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I liked Keira and Daniel, and although they treated me a hell of a lot better than my mum, they could never replace her.
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Aged four, whilst he was still with the O'Mannings, he started the local elementary school. His teacher was a women called Annalie Sharpe. She noticed that Avan was quite distracted, even with just playing. She noticed he was a bit of a loner, with no other friends. He usually just sat in the corner, thinking about things unknown to anyone else.
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Yea, I had no friends. No, I didn't care. I had my thoughts.
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School continued just the same, and so did his life for another year - until Social Services got in contact to say they had organised a supervised visit from Sharon to Avan. If things went well, after the visit, Social Services would search Sharon's home to check she was a sutiable parent, then there would be longer visits, then finally, after a year perhaps, Avan could move in.
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At the time, I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted to be with mum, but then the O'Mannings could help me, help me live a decent life.
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The first visit went well. It was supervised by Avan's social worker and the O'Mannings. Avan and Sharon had a 'conversation', about as detailed as she could get with a five year old. She seemed like the perfect mum. She found out Avan's likes, his dislikes, any allergies and all that. More visits followed, and soon, Avan was moving in.
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I loved her. She kinda loved me. Kinda being the operative word there.
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At first, when Social Services were still regularly visiting, Sharon kept up the perfect mum act. As the visits drifted to one every six months, when Avan was eight, the abuse started. It was beatings, shouting, and whippings. She used things like knives, belts, and threatening to kill him if Avan told anyone. At school, Avan became even more closed off, he was a loner, no friends, sad, depressed and a hell-of-a-lot maturer than anyone else in his class.
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I wanted to tell on mum, I wanted to die. I was depressed as shit.
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However, whenever Social Services visited, she would tidy, and act like the perfect mother again. She was like this until thirteen, when she let her guard down for one visit. Everything was realised and Avan went to temporary foster care. After two days of that his mum was imprisoned for child abuse and neglect, and Avan was moved to a Children's Home. A week or so later, when he was walking home from school, he was attacked by a hellhound. Luckily, a huntress named Ranger Mills saved him. She explained it all to Avan and took him to camp for the summer holidays. There he was claimed by Hypnos, and got a key from him that turns into a celestial bronze dagger. At the end of the summer holidays he went back to the home, with instructions from Ranger to send him and IM when he wanted to go back to camp and a drachma for doing so, and stayed there, defending off any until he was 17.
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I loved camp, but I needed to go to a school, for a bit more, so I could get a decent education.
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Life went on for Avan. He managed to defend off any attacks with the few lessons he had at camp during the summer holidays. His life was normal, apart from the attacks. But, as he got older, the attacks got more frequent and he decided he needed to go back to camp. So, he gathered some food, he weapon that he received at camp, his few possessions and ran.
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I knew there was a river up ahead, where water crashed against rocks and the spray created a rainbow. In the day. I ran away at 11pm at night, when it was dark.
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Avan started off at a deserted estate, cycling around until he found the forest he was looking for, where the stream mentioned above was. He could of sworn something was following him. He looked left. Nothing. Right. Nothing. Little did he know that a dark, monstrous shadow was looming. Something that wanted to kill him.
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Something was gonna happen that night. I could feel it...
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By the time Avan reached the stream, it was dark so no rainbow was being created from the spray. He lay on his backpack, his key clutched tightly in his hand and tried to sleep. He awoke with a hellhound over him, slobber dripping on his head. Avan's eyes went wide. He transformed his key and started swiping at the hellhound. He killed it in one simple blow, only to be ambushed by a second one! This one was harder. It jumped and leaped out of the way of Avan's blow, and tried to bite and claw him. He rolled and ducked and as the hellhound jumped over him, he stabbed his sword upwards. Hellhound dust fell on his hair, making him laugh. When he checked his watch it was 5am - one hour and two minutes until sunrise. He fell back asleep.
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That battle...it still haunts me to this day. I was so f*ckin' scared!
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When he woke, he sent the IM to Ranger at camp, and she game with a child of Hades, Twilight Abbott, and shadow traveled them to camp.
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Camp is my home now...
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