Jake's POV/ Backstory

As a kid, I was always happy. I had a pretty crappy life but some how, I always managed to stay happy. When I was 3, my parents started fighting. I never understood what was happening because of how young I was, but I knew something wasn't right.

When I turned 5, I found out my dad cheated on my mom. Again, I didn't really know what it meant, but I knew it was bad. That was the year my parents got divorced. I still stayed happy because I didn't know how terrible my life was.

But when my mom moved with me and my dad didn't come, I got really confused. My older sister, Jacklyn, looked really sad and every once in a while, I'd see her cry. My mom stayed mostly away from both of us because she was always sad.

As I grew up, I started understanding what actually happened and I started getting sad. By the time I was ten, I still hadn't been to school. My mom is too depressed to really do much. My sister and I have to work all the time for money. My life is just too busy for school.

But that year, something terrible happened. I was sitting in my room painting when I heard a scream from downstairs. I went down to see what the problem was, but the whole floor was covered in smoke. I tried running out the door, but all the exits were blocked by the fire.

I ran up to my room and jumped out the window. I fell hard on the grass beneath me, but I still managed to run out of there. I later found out my left foot was broken and so was my right knee. Once I got far a away from the fire, I saw fire trucks and men running into my house.

I couldn't handle watching anymore, so I ran away. I ran hard and fast. Eventually, after climbing over a fence and getting scraped up from bushes, I found a huge tree in a clearing. For awhile, I just sat under it and cried a lot. But I got hungry and thirsty very soon.

That was the day I learned how to steal. My mom and sister were dead, so I had to learn how to take care of myself. I became really smart and knew how to do things. I knew I couldn't go get a job, because people thought I was dead. And I wanted it to stay that way.

After awhile of just stealing food, I decided I needed some shelter. So at my special tree, I started building my tree house. It took so many years, but eventually it became what it is today.

I always feel bad for stealing, so I only do it for things I really need and if it's cheap.

The day I ran into Catherine was probably one of the best days I've ever had. I hadn't talked to another person for over 5 years. Right now, I'm seventeen years old. That's only one year older than Catherine. I really hope she comes back often. I get really bored staying at my treehouse alone all the time.