Crystal Saier, aka. "Cry", was born in the low income housing district of The Gish, in Kings Row. She was the daughter of a single mother. Her mother was always drunk or "high" on one drug or another. Either way, Sober or drunk, her mother was weird. Always talking about an old world religion called "Wicca"; speaking in riddles about spells, voodoo, and curses. Cry's father abandoned the family when she was 2 months old. Cry never knew her dad and didn't particularly care. Some of the other kids knew their father, lived with him, and didn't appear particularly too happy about it. A father would have brought extra income into the household, which would have bought much needed clothing and food, but she figured that's all a father would bring in her life.
Cry's mother was sort of around. She worked 8 hours a day, and then partied for another 12 or more. When her mother did finally come home there wasn't exactly a "love bond" and after buying the drugs and alcohol, there wasn't exactly much money for food either. Life was hard, growing up in one of the crappiest neighborhoods in Paragon City. Cry would shoplift food, clothes, personal hygiene items, anything; whenever she needed them. Shoplifting was far better then not brushing your teeth or eating food from dumpsters.
Being essentially raised on the streets afforded Cry the luxury (?) of witnessing Darwins Law in action. Many of Cry's "friends" died in front of her; from a drug overdose, or by being shot by a rival gang, did it really matter how a person died? Did it even matter how they lived?
The Gish was the home turf of a gang called, The Skulls. Cry befriended a lot of them because of naivety, lack of caring about life in general or maybe because they always ate. They had a lot of money. Not a lot by the standards of an Athens park lawyer... but a lot of money as far as Cry was concerned. Really she didn't have a choice. She lived in Kings Row, what was she going to do? Befriend a hellion? Run off with one of the Nazis? That would quickly and surely sign her death warrant and assure another fresh corpse on the Streets of The Gish.
At the age of 16, Cry met David. He was an up and coming Skull member that was rising through the ranks. He was known to have little patience and a lust for violence. Looking back on it, she supposed that he was attracted to her at first sight. She had been sitting on a bench at a dilapidated playground and he had sat next to her and started talking incessantly to her. When he asked her out, Cry said "Yes", she really had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do anyways; in fact if David had wanted to, he could have just forcefully taken her. In The Gish, girls really had little say over their fate.
In a week, Cry was officially the property of David; which was a very good thing. Cry would go to a spot for David to wait for a courier to drop off money or she would run to the store to get him something and he would giver her a small wad of cash and he NEVER asked for the change. She finally started eating regularly and because she was David's property, any Skull off the street couldn't just take her and do what they wanted. She was protected. David had a vicious temper, but surprisingly he never really beat her too badly. Maybe he really loved her, or maybe he figured that he couldn't beat her any worse then she had previously been beaten... without killing her.
A year later and Cry was miraculously pregnant for the first time. She had actually thought she couldn't bare offspring, which honestly would have suited her just fine. Bringing someone into this life was a moral dilemma. David on the other hand, pleaded, prodded and threatened her into having the baby. David looked at it as having a second life, a chance to right the wrong decisions he had made in his. A baby was a fresh start. Cry figured the baby would be ruined by the age of 7, but deep down, a part of her really wanted the baby too.
Samantha Alexandria Saier was born on a bright winter morning and Cry fell in love instantly. She held Samantha for hours until the nurses made her give the baby to them so it could be changed and bathed. Immediately when Samantha was gone, Cry felt a dark pit in her stomach. The next two hours while they gave the baby vaccines and a checkup were torture for Cry. When Samantha was placed back in her arms, it felt like she was whole again. Cry decided then and there that she would do everything in her power to assure Samantha had a good life. No, she couldn't leave David and the Skulls, or The Gish; but she could maintain vigilance over everything her daughter did and everywhere she went. For five years, that's exactly what she did. In the Gish, very few kids go to school, which Cry figured was actually good, because Samantha would stay near her mom and learn how life really was. In small doses, of course.
Samantha always wanted candy. She loved the sweetness of the sugar, or the bitterness of the chocolate, or the texture of the confection. Cry laughed and swore to herself that Samantha was getting addicted to candy but she decided to take her beloved daughter to the corner market for a treat. It would be a day that would haunt Cry for the rest of her life (and possibly afterlife).
The streets were clear, there were no sounds of gunshots, and everything looked great. A beautiful day in the ruins of The Gish. Samantha scurried into the store as fast as she could to make her way to the candy section. Cry followed her in and went to the counter to get ready to pay and make small talk with the cashier. It was at this point that Cry saw, through the corner of her eye, a figure in white enter the store and approach the counter. She didn't look at the person, she knew the white outfit was a tell-tale sign it was a Skull. She heard him **** his shotgun and watched as the cashiers face went white. He was in a hurry (or maybe he was new to crime and the Skulls), he quickly stammered "Give me the money or you die b(^$%". "Hurry!" he commanded. At this point, Samantha ran up and yelled "Mommy! she had found the treat she wanted. The skull turned and shot her in the chest. As Samantha fell she gasped loudly. Cry screamed and ran over to her but she knew it was too late. Blood was everywhere and Cry could see the floor through the hole in her daughter. The Skull ran out of the store.
The world went black for Cry. She stopped eating and drinking. She cried or slept almost non-stop for an entire year. Cry went down a dark hole in her soul. When she started eating and drinking, and could carry on a conversation without sobbing uncontrollably, they let her out of the institution. She was going to go home to David but decided to see her mother first, if she was home. When Cry got to her mothers place she noticed that inside everything was dark and dusty. Cry guessed her mother had moved but apparently the landlord had seen her walk up to the door. He came out and explained how Cry's mother had died from a drug overdose last month and they were waiting for contractors to come and clean the place out. Without thinking, Cry said she would rent the place and clean it instead. The landlord agreed and took Cry's welfare card to debit the rent. He returned with her card and keys. Cry let herself in.
She wandered around looking at everything. Reminders of an ugly and sad past, but reminders of her life nonetheless. She went into her mothers room and for some reason stopped to look at and read the books on the shelf. Cry didn't read very well but she could make out most of the words. What started as curiosity soon turned into an obsession. Cry methodically and completely read every book. Most of her mothers books described spells for making someone fall in love with you, or making yourself rich, but one book in particular was different. Cry hadn't found it right away. In fact, she had guessed her mother never actually read it. It was an average size black tomb, filled with small writing. It had fallen behind the other books and halfway down the shelf. When Cry blew the dust off of the book, she blew the dust off of her old life. Her reading improved from the other books, she sat and read, memorizing each page of this strange book. It didn't talk of spells for love or money. It discussed revenge, violence, misery and pain.
Cry wasn't sure if she had changed from reading the book, or if she had changed from her experience. Cry could, ironically no longer cry. She couldn't feel pain. She could fake smiles and fake all sorts of emotions, but deep down she didn't feel anything except anger for the Skulls. It was time for her to return to David. When she entered his apartment there was a girl there. Cry figured the girl was maybe 18, maybe younger. Regardless, the girl died quickly. Cry hadn't meant to return here for vengeance or murder... but something dark inside of her had been released. When David came home and found his girlfriend dead, he was outraged. Cry watched him turn red, shocked at her insolence and surprised at her return home.
Cry's pupils blackened with the weight of misery and slowly she began chanting. David looked for something to beat her mercilessly with, but it was too late. As the final word escaped Cry's lips, a dark vaporous skull leapt from her hand and hit him squarely in the chest. He fell to the floor instantly dead... it almost reminded her of Samantha.
"Now, to find Samantha's killer" Cry thought. "I will have my revenge!" Cry screamed at the top of her lungs, "I will damn you all to torment!"
Many Skulls died that day, and the days after, but not the one Cry was seeking.
Cry wasn't sure where he was but she had a lifetime to find him...
Crystal Saier, aka. "Cry", was born in the low income housing district of The Gish, in Kings Row. She was the daughter of a single mother. Her mother was always drunk or "high" on one drug or another. Either way, Sober or drunk, her mother was weird. Always talking about an old world religion called "Wicca"; speaking in riddles about spells, voodoo, and curses. Cry's father abandoned the family when she was 2 months old. Cry never knew her dad and didn't particularly care. Some of the other kids knew their father, lived with him, and didn't appear particularly too happy about it. A father would have brought extra income into the household, which would have bought much needed clothing and food, but she figured that's all a father would bring in her life.
Cry's mother was sort of around. She worked 8 hours a day, and then partied for another 12 or more. When her mother did finally come home there wasn't exactly a "love bond" and after buying the drugs and alcohol, there wasn't exactly much money for food either. Life was hard, growing up in one of the crappiest neighborhoods in Paragon City. Cry would shoplift food, clothes, personal hygiene items, anything; whenever she needed them. Shoplifting was far better then not brushing your teeth or eating food from dumpsters.
Being essentially raised on the streets afforded Cry the luxury (?) of witnessing Darwins Law in action. Many of Cry's "friends" died in front of her; from a drug overdose, or by being shot by a rival gang, did it really matter how a person died? Did it even matter how they lived?
The Gish was the home turf of a gang called, The Skulls. Cry befriended a lot of them because of naivety, lack of caring about life in general or maybe because they always ate. They had a lot of money. Not a lot by the standards of an Athens park lawyer... but a lot of money as far as Cry was concerned. Really she didn't have a choice. She lived in Kings Row, what was she going to do? Befriend a hellion? Run off with one of the Nazis? That would quickly and surely sign her death warrant and assure another fresh corpse on the Streets of The Gish.
At the age of 16, Cry met David. He was an up and coming Skull member that was rising through the ranks. He was known to have little patience and a lust for violence. Looking back on it, she supposed that he was attracted to her at first sight. She had been sitting on a bench at a dilapidated playground and he had sat next to her and started talking incessantly to her. When he asked her out, Cry said "Yes", she really had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do anyways; in fact if David had wanted to, he could have just forcefully taken her. In The Gish, girls really had little say over their fate.
In a week, Cry was officially the property of David; which was a very good thing. Cry would go to a spot for David to wait for a courier to drop off money or she would run to the store to get him something and he would giver her a small wad of cash and he NEVER asked for the change. She finally started eating regularly and because she was David's property, any Skull off the street couldn't just take her and do what they wanted. She was protected. David had a vicious temper, but surprisingly he never really beat her too badly. Maybe he really loved her, or maybe he figured that he couldn't beat her any worse then she had previously been beaten... without killing her.
A year later and Cry was miraculously pregnant for the first time. She had actually thought she couldn't bare offspring, which honestly would have suited her just fine. Bringing someone into this life was a moral dilemma. David on the other hand, pleaded, prodded and threatened her into having the baby. David looked at it as having a second life, a chance to right the wrong decisions he had made in his. A baby was a fresh start. Cry figured the baby would be ruined by the age of 7, but deep down, a part of her really wanted the baby too.
Samantha Alexandria Saier was born on a bright winter morning and Cry fell in love instantly. She held Samantha for hours until the nurses made her give the baby to them so it could be changed and bathed. Immediately when Samantha was gone, Cry felt a dark pit in her stomach. The next two hours while they gave the baby vaccines and a checkup were torture for Cry. When Samantha was placed back in her arms, it felt like she was whole again. Cry decided then and there that she would do everything in her power to assure Samantha had a good life. No, she couldn't leave David and the Skulls, or The Gish; but she could maintain vigilance over everything her daughter did and everywhere she went. For five years, that's exactly what she did. In the Gish, very few kids go to school, which Cry figured was actually good, because Samantha would stay near her mom and learn how life really was. In small doses, of course.
Samantha always wanted candy. She loved the sweetness of the sugar, or the bitterness of the chocolate, or the texture of the confection. Cry laughed and swore to herself that Samantha was getting addicted to candy but she decided to take her beloved daughter to the corner market for a treat. It would be a day that would haunt Cry for the rest of her life (and possibly afterlife).
The streets were clear, there were no sounds of gunshots, and everything looked great. A beautiful day in the ruins of The Gish. Samantha scurried into the store as fast as she could to make her way to the candy section. Cry followed her in and went to the counter to get ready to pay and make small talk with the cashier. It was at this point that Cry saw, through the corner of her eye, a figure in white enter the store and approach the counter. She didn't look at the person, she knew the white outfit was a tell-tale sign it was a Skull. She heard him **** his shotgun and watched as the cashiers face went white. He was in a hurry (or maybe he was new to crime and the Skulls), he quickly stammered "Give me the money or you die b(^$%". "Hurry!" he commanded. At this point, Samantha ran up and yelled "Mommy! she had found the treat she wanted. The skull turned and shot her in the chest. As Samantha fell she gasped loudly. Cry screamed and ran over to her but she knew it was too late. Blood was everywhere and Cry could see the floor through the hole in her daughter. The Skull ran out of the store.
The world went black for Cry. She stopped eating and drinking. She cried or slept almost non-stop for an entire year. Cry went down a dark hole in her soul. When she started eating and drinking, and could carry on a conversation without sobbing uncontrollably, they let her out of the institution. She was going to go home to David but decided to see her mother first, if she was home. When Cry got to her mothers place she noticed that inside everything was dark and dusty. Cry guessed her mother had moved but apparently the landlord had seen her walk up to the door. He came out and explained how Cry's mother had died from a drug overdose last month and they were waiting for contractors to come and clean the place out. Without thinking, Cry said she would rent the place and clean it instead. The landlord agreed and took Cry's welfare card to debit the rent. He returned with her card and keys. Cry let herself in.
She wandered around looking at everything. Reminders of an ugly and sad past, but reminders of her life nonetheless. She went into her mothers room and for some reason stopped to look at and read the books on the shelf. Cry didn't read very well but she could make out most of the words. What started as curiosity soon turned into an obsession. Cry methodically and completely read every book. Most of her mothers books described spells for making someone fall in love with you, or making yourself rich, but one book in particular was different. Cry hadn't found it right away. In fact, she had guessed her mother never actually read it. It was an average size black tomb, filled with small writing. It had fallen behind the other books and halfway down the shelf. When Cry blew the dust off of the book, she blew the dust off of her old life. Her reading improved from the other books, she sat and read, memorizing each page of this strange book. It didn't talk of spells for love or money. It discussed revenge, violence, misery and pain.
Cry wasn't sure if she had changed from reading the book, or if she had changed from her experience. Cry could, ironically no longer cry. She couldn't feel pain. She could fake smiles and fake all sorts of emotions, but deep down she didn't feel anything except anger for the Skulls. It was time for her to return to David. When she entered his apartment there was a girl there. Cry figured the girl was maybe 18, maybe younger. Regardless, the girl died quickly. Cry hadn't meant to return here for vengeance or murder... but something dark inside of her had been released. When David came home and found his girlfriend dead, he was outraged. Cry watched him turn red, shocked at her insolence and surprised at her return home.
Cry's pupils blackened with the weight of misery and slowly she began chanting. David looked for something to beat her mercilessly with, but it was too late. As the final word escaped Cry's lips, a dark vaporous skull leapt from her hand and hit him squarely in the chest. He fell to the floor instantly dead... it almost reminded her of Samantha.
"Now, to find Samantha's killer" Cry thought. "I will have my revenge!" Cry screamed at the top of her lungs, "I will damn you all to torment!"
Many Skulls died that day, and the days after, but not the one Cry was seeking.
Cry wasn't sure where he was but she had a lifetime to find him...