In some stories, the scene begins with a protagonist that has it all. Someone who has lived their life in complete happiness; or possibly ignorance. Like many, Koa longed to be one of those people. A child who didn't have to watch their mother struggle to pay the bills, or watch their father slowly become more and more involved in work and less available at home. But as Koa later learned in life, the happiest people weren't the ones who had it all. They were the ones whom had each other.
Life wasn't exceptionally hard for Koa, growing up. Like any other family, hers had difficulty, but she was loved. Her mom was always there for Koa and her sister, Maia, despite working the night shift in an emergency room. Her dad was a homicide detective with the MCPD, which sometimes could mean that he'd get home late and wouldn't be able to tuck his daughters in for a few nights in a row. But her family was tough, and no matter how many late nights it took, her parents always found a way to be together. To keep their family together.
It was nice. Koa had a great life growing up. She was good at school, quiet, usually sitting at the back of the class. The only times she was really outgoing was dying her hair or talking with her friends online. She'd always been the quiet, shy kid that didn't talk much, and it wasn't until high-school that she really broke out of her shell. At least, online.
She got involved in computer sciences and the AV club at around fourteen. It was the place she met her best friend, Nate. It was how she got more and more comfortable talking and having fun over the computer rather than in person. About six months later she started getting interested in programming. Nate was a natural, so he decided to show her the ropes. Six months after that she was immersed in programs, code and her computer. Her parents were concerned, but they also knew that she was happier there than being forced to be part of the 'outside world', as they called it. She was a natural, and getting better every day. Nate and her later joined a group for programmers, and they advanced their skills as the years went by.
When Koa turned sixteen, her parents decided to move to New york, where Koa's mother was from. Her parents had talked about it and they wanted to be with their kids more, rather than see them less and less in passing. So there they moved. Koa said good-bye to Nate, and they moved from the scenic Aspen, Colorado to Millennium city, New york. Koa's mom got a job as a in-home nurse, and her dad chose to work as a Private Investigator. Everything was good, as they were settling into their home. Koa got more involved in gaming, (which her sister totally took over, by the way), and spent more time out of school at the Library, from which she met a sweet older lady named Ella. Ella, other than Nate, was the only person outside of her family that had gotten Koa to completely open up. She liked her, Ella was nice and sweet and relatable, and even though she didn't know a whole lot about computers, she knew a bunch about books. Weekly recommendations kept Koa on her toes as Ella and her discussed characters and ethical issues that appeared in a lot of the literature Koa picked up. It was interesting, for her, to dive into a world not online and be able to be taken away to a far-away place, a paradise island or possibly a secret bunker where secrets unfolded.
Koa was at the Library the day the meteor shower came. At the same time, Ella had been walking home alone when she had gotten jumped by a mugger. She hadn't been very far from the Library when Koa heard someone scream. She dropped what she had been doing and ran outside, searching for the sound when it came again. She ran towards the sound and found Ella in an alleyway, hands pressed to her stomach, blood dripping from those hands. Koa had let out a strangled scream, like someone had ripped away her voice at the last second. Running over to her, she put her hands on top of Ella's. She had no idea what to do, but she couldn't just do nothing. She wanted to help, she wanted to fix her more than anything. But she had no way to. The blood was coming too fast, and Koa had not a thought on what to do. But by then she didn't have to. Suddenly screaming, Koa fell onto the alley as she felt something hot and sticky touch the skin of her abdomen. She looked down at herself to notice a dark red spot growing against her shirt. Adrenaline soared into her veins, making her heartbeat quicken. She felt faint, dizzy, like suddenly sitting up after lying down for a long time. But then the pain was gone, and Ella was sitting up. "What.. What did you do?" Ella had asked, gingerly touching Koa's stomach. Koa shook her head, pulling up her shirt to reveal no mark, no wound left to find, the only remnant left the blood stain on her stark white shirt.