Post by solus on Sept 22, 2007 3:48:06 GMT -5
You! Member Information
Your Name: Chase
Your Age: 19
How Do We Contact You?: MSN
Basic Information;;[/color]
Full Name: Travis Aaron Solus
Heritage: Half-Blood
Nationality: English
Spoken Languages: English
Place of Birth: Starcross, Devon, England
Age/Date of Birth: October 28th [15 yrs]
Further Information;;[/color]
Appearance
Eye Color;; Ice Blue, and expressive. His every emotion is displayed in his eyes.
Hair Color;; Blond, mostly. He gets a little bored every now and then and adds dark lights. It's not short, not long, he mostly just tries to keep it out of his face.
Height;; 6'2''
Weight;; 185
General Appearance;; {{At Least One Paragraph/ 5 Sentances}}
-EDIT
Clothing Style;; {{At Least One Paragraph/ 5 sentances}}
-EDIT
Personality
Likes;; {List}
-EDIT
Dislikes;; {List}
-EDIT
General Personality;; {At Least One Paragraph/ 5 sentances}
Publicly, Travis is an extremely social individual. He laughs, jokes, and even hits on the women around him occasionally, though with no intentions of letting them get anything out of it but heartache that is always mysteriously forgotten when they witness his smile again. Around others, he's mostly just an arrogant jerk. He’ll not think twice about ripping someone a new one and giving them orders in a manner that they fear to object. He's pushy, snide, and terribly sarcastic. His life is, and always has been, his way or the highway.
When with family or close friends, Travis is more reserved and silent, and has a great dislike for his personal time to himself being intruded on. It could be believed that it’s around his friends that Travis's true personality is revealed, though others would say it goes deeper even beyond that. He has serious problems with his emotions, letting everything that seriously EFFECTS him turn to anger. He doesn't become unhappy, or stressed, or anything negative. He is either happy or angry, thrilled or pissed. No in betweens. He also has a terribly addictive personality inherited from his father, and he has tried to stay away from every sort of muggle drug or alcohol. Because he's never seen an alcoholic wizard, he assumes that it's simply some disgusting non-magical obsession, and it just validates his idea that power breeds perfection.
His mother's family had always been well off, and with all of them dead, the family fortune rested on her shoulders. Because it was in Galleons and not in Pounds, however, it wasn't of much used to the family. His father was well off enough, but Travis had mostly earned his muggle money by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood from a young age. He didn't like being poor, and went out of his way to look as if he was as rich as he could be. This was why he wore the clothes he wore, so on and so forth. When he got his letter, and his mother told him of their family fortune, he was overjoyed. He bought nearly anything and everything he could possibly want- this is what allowed him to explore as he did, brooms and all. His clothing has, and always will be, of the highest quality. He's always been rather materialistic, and it's a trait he rather dislikes about himself.
He has a problem of being terribly avoident, and can and will ignore anything that causes him any slight distress. As far as he's concerned, if it doesn't make him smile, then it's not worth his time. He also takes this attitude when he doesn't feel like there's anything he can do about a situation. If he can't help it, or change it, in anyway, then there's no point in him talking about it and picking it apart as if that would somehow make it better. He's very adept at letting things go. If something seems illogical or impossible, he writes it off, pushing it aside and moving on to the next thing. His mind's motto seems to be, "What's next?".
He has a terrible superiority complex, and views wizards as the peak of evolution. Yes, I excluded witches for a reason. Because he's watched his mother simply take his father's abuse for the majority of his teenage years, he has nearly absolutely no respect for the women in his life. This is one of the reasons it's so easy for him to toss women aside as if they're nothing but toys. It's not that he doesn't like women, it's simply that he has no respect for them. He hasn't found a woman yet that could change his mind- but even he'll admit that it's somewhat possible. (Anything's possible, right?)
Muggles, however, he has a certain distaste for. His father has cemented the fact that Muggles are nothing more than violent, idiotic, troublemakers. He doesn't see the point in killing them, or enslaving them, but he doesn't see why wizards are HIDING from them. He's never understood why wizards were below muggles, and he doesn't like it all. This personality trait didn't form until he was much older, in his fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts.
Through all the masks, through all the heartache and the insane amounts of time Travis has spent building up his walls, there still remains nothing but a scared little boy in his heart. He's shy, scared, and a complete child. Under all the anger, suspicion, and greed, there lies a small boy who simply wants to be loved. It's cheesy, and stupid, and therefor he would never dream of expressing any of it, or even admitting it. He was trained to be the way he is - he didn't choose it. He didn't even want it, and is desperately looking for a way out. The problem is, he hasn't found anyone who cares about him as much as he cares about himself, and therefore hasn't been able to trust anyone enough to let them that close to him. He truly is his own worst enemy.
Personal History][/color]
Parents;; Mical and Danielle Solus
Relationship With Parents;; When he was younger, Travis had a fantastic relationship with his parents. His father had come from a fairly unknown family of muggle brutes, most of them in muggle prisons for alcohol or drug related charges. His mother's family was nearly extinct, being that there were no more males in her family, the family name had no chance of being carried on. Travis actually had considered taking this name instead of his fathers, a decision that he is still in the process of making. At home, his father treated him with very little respect, and was usually drunk and not worth talking to. His mother loved him dearly, and took care of him in every respect. She was always there to make him feel better, to love him, to treat him like he was a prince.
As far as the magical world goes, his mother mostly kept him in the dark. His father didn't like the fact that his wife was capable of powers beyond his comprehension, and was hoping beyond hope that Travis didn't have this trait. When he received his letter, his father mostly grunted and made a few snide remarks. His mother, however, was thrilled. She began to tell him everything she possibly could, simply rationalizing that he would need to know everything he could, as to not be surprised.
As his years in Hogwarts progressed, however, things in his home life turned for the worse. His father's drinking finally escalated to his mother and father finally getting a divorce, though he was the initial reason and the person who bound his father from the house. While he dislikes his father for everything the man stands for - brutality, stupidity, addiction - he knows that he is the only thing the old man has left in life, and his faint compassion for his family draws him to this decision. On the other hand, his mother adores him, and has always treated him with the utmost love and respect. It's a tough decision for Travis to make, though he knows it won't matter much, seeing as this is his last and final year at Hogwarts, and he will most likely be living on his own after.
However much compassion he has for his father, one of the largest things that bothers him is how much the two of them are alike. Both resort to violence when confused with emotion, all emotions turning to anger. Both have a selfish tendencies, addictive personalties, so on and so forth. This can't be helped by the fact that Travis is the spitting image of his father in nearly every way-save his blue eyes. His father's green eyes are the only thing that separate them in Travis's mind, and he holds on to that fact. On the other hand, he has no sympathy for his mother, because he can not understand why she put up with any of it. He has written her off as weak, and his father as a completely selfish pig, leaving him rather alone as far as family goes.
Siblings;; N/A
Relationship With Siblings;; N/A
Background History[/color][/size]
First Year: His first year at hogwarts was uneventful. His school work being his main priority, he didn't meet many other students. He did, however, gain a considerable amount of respect from his teachers. By the end of his first year he was taking classes way above his level, and seemed to be years ahead of the other students. He didn't really care much about anything else, because at the time, the only person he was trying to impress was his mother.
His disassociation with the other students was just a small indication of how shy he is. He wouldn't start conversations with them, no, he would wait for them to come to him. He just kind of...went to school, and kept to himself. He spent a lot of time in the library, reading, and wandering around the castle. He wasn't much of an explorer, yet, but it kept him entertained. He went home for the holidays, like everyone else did, and tried to avoid the school-wide dramas.
Second Year: In his second year, he became more ambitious. He started exploring the parts of the school that he had before thought too dangerous. This came about mostly out of boredom- there were only so many hallways to wander in before you started opening doors. He got himself into quite a few mishaps, seeing as many of the doors he opened led him to magical pests. He quickly became adept at clearing rooms of these beasts, almost to where it became more of a chore than a pleasure. He had to admit, it was fun to run around and find things, possibly having to duel with loose pixies in a closet. He thought about exploring beyond that, but never came to it. There were still places he wouldn't go- the Forbidden Forest being the biggest one.
His school work continued to improve, as he started mastering spells at least a year above his comprehension. He was becoming more and more curious, and he had started reading things he probably shouldn't have. He went home again for the holidays, but his home life was getting more violent, and he was becoming rather stressed about it.
Third Year: His home life was getting more and more stressing, as he had caught his father literally beating his mother during his summer break. He had resolved not to go home for the holidays, but after pressure from his mother, ended up going home anyway. His love for his mother and father both was tearing him apart, as he could not condone his father but could not understand why his mother, a powerful witch, would take his blows. Obviously, some part of him rationalized, she wanted this in some way. His attitude developed into a, "I can't do anything about it, but I can at least avoid it and not thing about," mentality.
He didn't spend much time exploring this year. He mostly moped around, feeling sorry for himself. As a 13/14 year old, he was a completely selfish jerk. He was more than completely self involved, and if something hurt him in anyway, he couldn't see anyone else's side but his own. He started seeking comfort in others at this point, mostly in females, for they were kind and sweet to him. He couldn't relate to them, really, but they were nice to be around and he missed his mother's comfort so badly that any sort of care was something that he would take, and take gladly.
His school work began it's decline in this year, as he started to literally just not care. As long as he graduated, he rationalized, why did it matter how good his grades were? He knew what he could do- and none of the jobs that the wizarding world had interested him at all. The more he learned, the more he knew all he really wanted to do was explore. He didn't want to protect people, he didn't want to learn more about dragons, and he had gained a certain distaste for the government that he couldn't really place. So because it didn't matter to him, they started to drop.
Forth Year: As his home life became worse and worse, so did his attitude. His father had now moved on from his mother to him, because he was becoming larger and much more athletic and capable of taking more damage. He was also getting smarter and more sarcastic, so his mouth began to get him in trouble. It was hard for him to simply hate his father for this, because he knew that he shouldn't be so snide with him. His mother had lost nearly all of his respect, and even he began to speak with her with disdain and hatred. This stopped as he spent more time home, however, as he couldn't be mean to someone who loved him so much. He couldn't rationalize why she was putting herself through this, but, she was, and she was in pain, and she did love him...so it was his responsibility to care about her and love her. And this he did.
When he went back to school, his grades continued to decline. His test scores would be perfect- as he was still reading everything he could find in the library (and other places) - but his homework and in-class grades were the worst they had ever been. He mostly just sat at the back of the class and either slept or doodled. His drawings were actually rather good, though he would never admit it or acknowledge it. He ended up covering more of his textbooks in random drawings of his professors going through several different kinds of death. He was caught doing this once, and was given several weeks of detention. (clearing out pests, so it wasn't so much of a punishment!) It only amused him though, as it amused his peers. This is when he really began to appreciate the amount of people around him. Sure, he had been smooth talking girls for the last year, but he hadn't really noticed just how many people knew who he was. He stared becoming much more extroverted, talking loudly and speaking with an arrogance that he didn't even know he had. He quickly grew a "fan" group of sorts, but nothing really beyond that. His associations with women stayed pretty much the same- he broke a few more hearts and had a few experiences with them for teh first time. He was gaining quite the reputation as a womanizer, and he wasn't particularly offended by it.
Magic && School
Strong Area of Magic;; Dark Arts
Weak Area of Magic;; Potions
Preferred House Choice;; Anything but Hufflepuff
Responsibility or Guidance?;; Responsibility
Forgiveness or Justice?;; Justice
Adventure or Security?;; Security
What does "Never tickle a sleeping dragon" mean to your character?;; Tickling is evil beyond reason.
Minor Details:][/color]
Pets;; N/A
Wand;; Ivory, Chimera Core, 10 1/2 inches.
Quidditch position;; Chase & Keeper
RP Sample;; [/color][/size]
Travis crossed the hallway that led from his room to his Mother's. He had been collecting his things, intent upon leaving as quickly as possible. His Father wasn't home, and he was rather happy about that. If he was there, he probably would've killed him at this point. Walking into his mother's room, he sighed. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the silent and still pictures of her husband's friends and family. Of their wedding, of her Travis's own birth. It was depressing, watching her, as her picture perfect life had completely fallen away from her. Her Mother's family had passed long ago...this was all she had. He couldn't stand to watch this any longer, and since he couldn't destroy his father, (or at least kick him out), all he could do was leave himself. He sat silently beside her on the bed, clasping his hands together and looking at the floor.
They sat there for a few moments, both silently saying what they needed to say. He just wanted her to understand. He couldn't stay here, he couldn't. Not after living in this for as long as he had. It was all driving him slightly insane. His father's jabs, the abuse, the violence. He simply couldn't take it anymore. After a moment, his mother turned her head towards him, and spoke softly, "Go....Do what's best for you, dear." She tapped him softly on his knee, and he shook his head.
He looked at her, searching her eyes. It had always struck him that they had the same eyes- it was like looking into a mirror. They were always just as expressive as his..but they had grown cold, distant. "Mother..." He couldn't just leave like this. He was beginning to change his mind, his anger dissipating at the sight of her distress.
"No," she stated, "This is what's for the best. I'll see you during Christmas. Go."
With that, she stood, and left the room. He paused for a moment, looking around at the things that his mother had held onto so dearly, her life, her family, her pride...he stood from the bed, and went back to his room. He spent a few moments gathering his things, and then made for the fireplace.
He couldn't believe his family had dropped to this level of sadness.
Your Name: Chase
Your Age: 19
How Do We Contact You?: MSN
Basic Information;;[/color]
Full Name: Travis Aaron Solus
Heritage: Half-Blood
Nationality: English
Spoken Languages: English
Place of Birth: Starcross, Devon, England
Age/Date of Birth: October 28th [15 yrs]
Further Information;;[/color]
Appearance
Eye Color;; Ice Blue, and expressive. His every emotion is displayed in his eyes.
Hair Color;; Blond, mostly. He gets a little bored every now and then and adds dark lights. It's not short, not long, he mostly just tries to keep it out of his face.
Height;; 6'2''
Weight;; 185
General Appearance;; {{At Least One Paragraph/ 5 Sentances}}
-EDIT
Clothing Style;; {{At Least One Paragraph/ 5 sentances}}
-EDIT
Personality
Likes;; {List}
-EDIT
Dislikes;; {List}
-EDIT
General Personality;; {At Least One Paragraph/ 5 sentances}
Publicly, Travis is an extremely social individual. He laughs, jokes, and even hits on the women around him occasionally, though with no intentions of letting them get anything out of it but heartache that is always mysteriously forgotten when they witness his smile again. Around others, he's mostly just an arrogant jerk. He’ll not think twice about ripping someone a new one and giving them orders in a manner that they fear to object. He's pushy, snide, and terribly sarcastic. His life is, and always has been, his way or the highway.
When with family or close friends, Travis is more reserved and silent, and has a great dislike for his personal time to himself being intruded on. It could be believed that it’s around his friends that Travis's true personality is revealed, though others would say it goes deeper even beyond that. He has serious problems with his emotions, letting everything that seriously EFFECTS him turn to anger. He doesn't become unhappy, or stressed, or anything negative. He is either happy or angry, thrilled or pissed. No in betweens. He also has a terribly addictive personality inherited from his father, and he has tried to stay away from every sort of muggle drug or alcohol. Because he's never seen an alcoholic wizard, he assumes that it's simply some disgusting non-magical obsession, and it just validates his idea that power breeds perfection.
His mother's family had always been well off, and with all of them dead, the family fortune rested on her shoulders. Because it was in Galleons and not in Pounds, however, it wasn't of much used to the family. His father was well off enough, but Travis had mostly earned his muggle money by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood from a young age. He didn't like being poor, and went out of his way to look as if he was as rich as he could be. This was why he wore the clothes he wore, so on and so forth. When he got his letter, and his mother told him of their family fortune, he was overjoyed. He bought nearly anything and everything he could possibly want- this is what allowed him to explore as he did, brooms and all. His clothing has, and always will be, of the highest quality. He's always been rather materialistic, and it's a trait he rather dislikes about himself.
He has a problem of being terribly avoident, and can and will ignore anything that causes him any slight distress. As far as he's concerned, if it doesn't make him smile, then it's not worth his time. He also takes this attitude when he doesn't feel like there's anything he can do about a situation. If he can't help it, or change it, in anyway, then there's no point in him talking about it and picking it apart as if that would somehow make it better. He's very adept at letting things go. If something seems illogical or impossible, he writes it off, pushing it aside and moving on to the next thing. His mind's motto seems to be, "What's next?".
He has a terrible superiority complex, and views wizards as the peak of evolution. Yes, I excluded witches for a reason. Because he's watched his mother simply take his father's abuse for the majority of his teenage years, he has nearly absolutely no respect for the women in his life. This is one of the reasons it's so easy for him to toss women aside as if they're nothing but toys. It's not that he doesn't like women, it's simply that he has no respect for them. He hasn't found a woman yet that could change his mind- but even he'll admit that it's somewhat possible. (Anything's possible, right?)
Muggles, however, he has a certain distaste for. His father has cemented the fact that Muggles are nothing more than violent, idiotic, troublemakers. He doesn't see the point in killing them, or enslaving them, but he doesn't see why wizards are HIDING from them. He's never understood why wizards were below muggles, and he doesn't like it all. This personality trait didn't form until he was much older, in his fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts.
Through all the masks, through all the heartache and the insane amounts of time Travis has spent building up his walls, there still remains nothing but a scared little boy in his heart. He's shy, scared, and a complete child. Under all the anger, suspicion, and greed, there lies a small boy who simply wants to be loved. It's cheesy, and stupid, and therefor he would never dream of expressing any of it, or even admitting it. He was trained to be the way he is - he didn't choose it. He didn't even want it, and is desperately looking for a way out. The problem is, he hasn't found anyone who cares about him as much as he cares about himself, and therefore hasn't been able to trust anyone enough to let them that close to him. He truly is his own worst enemy.
Personal History][/color]
Parents;; Mical and Danielle Solus
Relationship With Parents;; When he was younger, Travis had a fantastic relationship with his parents. His father had come from a fairly unknown family of muggle brutes, most of them in muggle prisons for alcohol or drug related charges. His mother's family was nearly extinct, being that there were no more males in her family, the family name had no chance of being carried on. Travis actually had considered taking this name instead of his fathers, a decision that he is still in the process of making. At home, his father treated him with very little respect, and was usually drunk and not worth talking to. His mother loved him dearly, and took care of him in every respect. She was always there to make him feel better, to love him, to treat him like he was a prince.
As far as the magical world goes, his mother mostly kept him in the dark. His father didn't like the fact that his wife was capable of powers beyond his comprehension, and was hoping beyond hope that Travis didn't have this trait. When he received his letter, his father mostly grunted and made a few snide remarks. His mother, however, was thrilled. She began to tell him everything she possibly could, simply rationalizing that he would need to know everything he could, as to not be surprised.
As his years in Hogwarts progressed, however, things in his home life turned for the worse. His father's drinking finally escalated to his mother and father finally getting a divorce, though he was the initial reason and the person who bound his father from the house. While he dislikes his father for everything the man stands for - brutality, stupidity, addiction - he knows that he is the only thing the old man has left in life, and his faint compassion for his family draws him to this decision. On the other hand, his mother adores him, and has always treated him with the utmost love and respect. It's a tough decision for Travis to make, though he knows it won't matter much, seeing as this is his last and final year at Hogwarts, and he will most likely be living on his own after.
However much compassion he has for his father, one of the largest things that bothers him is how much the two of them are alike. Both resort to violence when confused with emotion, all emotions turning to anger. Both have a selfish tendencies, addictive personalties, so on and so forth. This can't be helped by the fact that Travis is the spitting image of his father in nearly every way-save his blue eyes. His father's green eyes are the only thing that separate them in Travis's mind, and he holds on to that fact. On the other hand, he has no sympathy for his mother, because he can not understand why she put up with any of it. He has written her off as weak, and his father as a completely selfish pig, leaving him rather alone as far as family goes.
Siblings;; N/A
Relationship With Siblings;; N/A
Background History[/color][/size]
First Year: His first year at hogwarts was uneventful. His school work being his main priority, he didn't meet many other students. He did, however, gain a considerable amount of respect from his teachers. By the end of his first year he was taking classes way above his level, and seemed to be years ahead of the other students. He didn't really care much about anything else, because at the time, the only person he was trying to impress was his mother.
His disassociation with the other students was just a small indication of how shy he is. He wouldn't start conversations with them, no, he would wait for them to come to him. He just kind of...went to school, and kept to himself. He spent a lot of time in the library, reading, and wandering around the castle. He wasn't much of an explorer, yet, but it kept him entertained. He went home for the holidays, like everyone else did, and tried to avoid the school-wide dramas.
Second Year: In his second year, he became more ambitious. He started exploring the parts of the school that he had before thought too dangerous. This came about mostly out of boredom- there were only so many hallways to wander in before you started opening doors. He got himself into quite a few mishaps, seeing as many of the doors he opened led him to magical pests. He quickly became adept at clearing rooms of these beasts, almost to where it became more of a chore than a pleasure. He had to admit, it was fun to run around and find things, possibly having to duel with loose pixies in a closet. He thought about exploring beyond that, but never came to it. There were still places he wouldn't go- the Forbidden Forest being the biggest one.
His school work continued to improve, as he started mastering spells at least a year above his comprehension. He was becoming more and more curious, and he had started reading things he probably shouldn't have. He went home again for the holidays, but his home life was getting more violent, and he was becoming rather stressed about it.
Third Year: His home life was getting more and more stressing, as he had caught his father literally beating his mother during his summer break. He had resolved not to go home for the holidays, but after pressure from his mother, ended up going home anyway. His love for his mother and father both was tearing him apart, as he could not condone his father but could not understand why his mother, a powerful witch, would take his blows. Obviously, some part of him rationalized, she wanted this in some way. His attitude developed into a, "I can't do anything about it, but I can at least avoid it and not thing about," mentality.
He didn't spend much time exploring this year. He mostly moped around, feeling sorry for himself. As a 13/14 year old, he was a completely selfish jerk. He was more than completely self involved, and if something hurt him in anyway, he couldn't see anyone else's side but his own. He started seeking comfort in others at this point, mostly in females, for they were kind and sweet to him. He couldn't relate to them, really, but they were nice to be around and he missed his mother's comfort so badly that any sort of care was something that he would take, and take gladly.
His school work began it's decline in this year, as he started to literally just not care. As long as he graduated, he rationalized, why did it matter how good his grades were? He knew what he could do- and none of the jobs that the wizarding world had interested him at all. The more he learned, the more he knew all he really wanted to do was explore. He didn't want to protect people, he didn't want to learn more about dragons, and he had gained a certain distaste for the government that he couldn't really place. So because it didn't matter to him, they started to drop.
Forth Year: As his home life became worse and worse, so did his attitude. His father had now moved on from his mother to him, because he was becoming larger and much more athletic and capable of taking more damage. He was also getting smarter and more sarcastic, so his mouth began to get him in trouble. It was hard for him to simply hate his father for this, because he knew that he shouldn't be so snide with him. His mother had lost nearly all of his respect, and even he began to speak with her with disdain and hatred. This stopped as he spent more time home, however, as he couldn't be mean to someone who loved him so much. He couldn't rationalize why she was putting herself through this, but, she was, and she was in pain, and she did love him...so it was his responsibility to care about her and love her. And this he did.
When he went back to school, his grades continued to decline. His test scores would be perfect- as he was still reading everything he could find in the library (and other places) - but his homework and in-class grades were the worst they had ever been. He mostly just sat at the back of the class and either slept or doodled. His drawings were actually rather good, though he would never admit it or acknowledge it. He ended up covering more of his textbooks in random drawings of his professors going through several different kinds of death. He was caught doing this once, and was given several weeks of detention. (clearing out pests, so it wasn't so much of a punishment!) It only amused him though, as it amused his peers. This is when he really began to appreciate the amount of people around him. Sure, he had been smooth talking girls for the last year, but he hadn't really noticed just how many people knew who he was. He stared becoming much more extroverted, talking loudly and speaking with an arrogance that he didn't even know he had. He quickly grew a "fan" group of sorts, but nothing really beyond that. His associations with women stayed pretty much the same- he broke a few more hearts and had a few experiences with them for teh first time. He was gaining quite the reputation as a womanizer, and he wasn't particularly offended by it.
Magic && School
Strong Area of Magic;; Dark Arts
Weak Area of Magic;; Potions
Preferred House Choice;; Anything but Hufflepuff
Responsibility or Guidance?;; Responsibility
Forgiveness or Justice?;; Justice
Adventure or Security?;; Security
What does "Never tickle a sleeping dragon" mean to your character?;; Tickling is evil beyond reason.
Minor Details:][/color]
Pets;; N/A
Wand;; Ivory, Chimera Core, 10 1/2 inches.
Quidditch position;; Chase & Keeper
RP Sample;; [/color][/size]
Travis crossed the hallway that led from his room to his Mother's. He had been collecting his things, intent upon leaving as quickly as possible. His Father wasn't home, and he was rather happy about that. If he was there, he probably would've killed him at this point. Walking into his mother's room, he sighed. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the silent and still pictures of her husband's friends and family. Of their wedding, of her Travis's own birth. It was depressing, watching her, as her picture perfect life had completely fallen away from her. Her Mother's family had passed long ago...this was all she had. He couldn't stand to watch this any longer, and since he couldn't destroy his father, (or at least kick him out), all he could do was leave himself. He sat silently beside her on the bed, clasping his hands together and looking at the floor.
They sat there for a few moments, both silently saying what they needed to say. He just wanted her to understand. He couldn't stay here, he couldn't. Not after living in this for as long as he had. It was all driving him slightly insane. His father's jabs, the abuse, the violence. He simply couldn't take it anymore. After a moment, his mother turned her head towards him, and spoke softly, "Go....Do what's best for you, dear." She tapped him softly on his knee, and he shook his head.
He looked at her, searching her eyes. It had always struck him that they had the same eyes- it was like looking into a mirror. They were always just as expressive as his..but they had grown cold, distant. "Mother..." He couldn't just leave like this. He was beginning to change his mind, his anger dissipating at the sight of her distress.
"No," she stated, "This is what's for the best. I'll see you during Christmas. Go."
With that, she stood, and left the room. He paused for a moment, looking around at the things that his mother had held onto so dearly, her life, her family, her pride...he stood from the bed, and went back to his room. He spent a few moments gathering his things, and then made for the fireplace.
He couldn't believe his family had dropped to this level of sadness.