Mojie/Backstory

**Note: The backstory is shared with Gusty, Avrie, and Mocha.**

**THE STORY ALSO CONTAINS THEMES OF ABUSE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, HOMELESSNESS AND SCHOOL EXPULSION**

The story is kinda rushed, but I tried to give a general idea, so I apologise for any nonsensical items or grammar mistakes

## Early Life

Mojie was born 2 years after her brother, Gusty, was born. She had a mother (who later developed alcoholism) and a father (who would always smoke). They lived their entire lives in fear of what their parents would do to them, especially when the mother was drunk and out of control.

When Gusty was five, the parents had money to send Gusty to kindergarten, but decided that they would not allow Mojie to live the same life as him. So she escaped from them, but made sure not to go very far, only into the neighbourhood streets. Her neighbour at the time, Avrie, was playing outside and saw her running, so he told his mother, and she took Mojie in until Gusty and family returned from school.

Sometimes, the neighbourhood popular kid, Karin, would try to make friends with Mojie, only to betray her in the end. This repeated behaviour, along with the abuse she had received, caused Mojie to fear and resent her.

## The Start of a Disaster

A year passed, and the mother was arrested for assaulting a passer-by due to her drunkenness. She spent her time in jail, Mojie's father also became an alcoholic and ultimately started to be aggressive towards his children.

Gusty tried his best to protect his sister, always taking the father on whenever he would beat her. However, there was a time that the father beat Gusty up with a beer bottle, shattering it into pieces and caused his head to bleed heavily. Mojie watched as she called the police (against their father's wishes) and her brother screaming in pain.

The ER arrived, along with the police. They deduced that the father caused the violence, and promptly arrested him. Gusty was put on a stretcher, where he went into a coma for 3 years. Mojie, due to being incredibly young, was unable to take care of herself, so Ms. Landale (Avrie's mom) opted to care for her for the time being.

When Mojie was nine years old, Avrie's family announced that they were moving to a city far away. She was devastated, as she has formed a strong bond with Avrie. She begged them to take her, but they declined, saying that her brother and parents would be back soon, to take care of her.

The parents returned and immediately returned to their old ways. Mojie and Gusty were still being beaten up, and they were not allowed to call the authorities. But Gusty knew better. When everyone was asleep, he sent in an anonymous tip to their house. They arrived, declared that they did not find any evidence, and told Gusty that they would look into it the following week.

## Time Alone

Upon discovering this, the father stormed into the law office and requested for a form to legally disown Mojie. They rejected, mentioning that his daughter was still a minor and he would have to wait. He was furious, and took his wife and Gusty into the car, and left for a place far away. Mojie was forced to live in the streets, without anyone to care for her. She lived the following two years of her life by swiping food from the dumpster and having only a blanket for warmth.

One day, while she was trying to go to the dumpster for her dinner, she discovered a new arcade, which made her think of Avrie. She went in, and although some people criticized her for her attire, she made her way to a booth for a game called GamerSmash and played as a Fire Dragon, against three grown-ups. She demolished them entirely, at only one HP remaining. And this was her first time playing with actual strangers.

Someone recorded this feat and posted it on the 'gram, where Avrie took notice and immediately told his mom. "The guy said that he always sees Maddie in the streets, shivering, while the others casted her outside. We have to do something!" So Ms. Landale immediately yanked Avrie into their rusty old Kia and returned to the city where they lived. Mojie was surprised to see them back, and immediately hopped on, though not without giving Avrie a big hug first. He wrapped her in a blanket, and they set off for home once again.

When they got home, Ms. Landale immediately asked what in the world happened to Mojie's parents. "Mom and dad left, taking big bro with them," she replied, while Ms. Landale prepared some snacks for the child. She gulped all of them at once, then left for the showers, though not without asking Avrie's mom how to use them. She ultimately got the hang of it herself, and Mojie looked as good as new.

Avrie, as he noticed that Mojie does not know anything related to school, opted to teach her. She was a fast learner, and could catch up to a 3rd grade level within 5 months. This impressed Ms. Landale to no end, and she enrolled the two of them into the Willow Creek High School system. They were put into the same class, and Mojie joined the art club while Avrie joined the gaming club.

## Life at Willow Creek

It was not until Mojie reached 7th grade when she became a committee member of the Art Club, meeting Mocha in the process. She noticed that she always looked down and shy, so Mojie took the initiative to make friends with Mocha. She encouraged her to speak up and develop her talents in art, and soon after, Mocha went out to join all sorts of competitions, winning awards in various areas.

Some time later, Ms. Landale received the news that Mojie's parents passed due to a car crash. Upon hearing this, Mojie's first thoughts were, "Glad these horrible people are gone."

When Mojie was in 8th grade, Avrie introduced to her another game that got her addicted, and she neglected her grades as a result. Due to this, the principal (Mr. Wilson, not Alfred) decided to kick her out of Willow Creek. Mocha, upon hearing the news, was furious and stormed into the principal's office, demanding that he change his decision. "Don't you know? Maddie does not have any parents, she's staying with Avery's mom. And if you think you can contact them, you can't. They're dead, and Maddie said that she is glad they are gone. Now let that sink in. I'm leaving."

Mr. Wilson called Avrie's mother, but she was away for a business trip, leaving Avrie all alone. He then called Mocha's mother, Miss Brooks, to convince Mocha to reconsider her decision and hopefully provide a home for Mojie and Avrie for the time being. She agreed right away, noting how Mojie was a great friend towards her daughter and that she would be delighted to have them over.

## Reflection

Mojie packed up all her things, then boarded Miss Brooks' car and left for her house. Avrie did too, and he was in awe of how clean Mocha's car was. They returned to Mocha's home, where they stayed for a while. Miss Brooks cooked up some supper while Mojie, Mocha and Avrie discussed about whatever happened to Mojie. She did not want to disclose the details, for fear that Ms. Landale would get angry, but Avrie assured her, saying, "Nah, ma's got the Kia, she won't be back for a while now." After hearing this, and the assumption that Ms. Landale would be away for quite some time, she decided to live with Mocha, but made sure to invite Avrie to their place whenever Ms. Landale would be away.

Mojie then went to the guest room, and thought long and hard. She ultimately understood why she was sacked; her addiction to video games hindered her study. Knowing this, and the fact that she had put on weight lately, Mojie was determined to search for a sport to curb her obsession. She eventually chose karate, remembering her times as the Fire Dragon who would always bust awesome moves. She got herself signed up, and then attended the lessons as a white belt. At first, she found it difficult to keep up the habit, but she decided to lock her console in Mocha's secret drawer, and all was good.

As Mojie was out of the Willow Creek school system, and the fact that Avrie was unable to teach her again (he became a committee member of the Gaming Club and became busy), she had to resort to Miss Brooks, who was an English teacher at her school. They went over the work that Mojie had missed together, but made sure to preserve the books for Mocha to use later (they were two grades apart).

## Entering Gamertopia

Ten months passed, and Mojie reached a ninth-grade level, and she got a red belt in karate. Miss Brooks started to consider letting her back in the Willow Creek system. Then, on her birthday, Mojie had a birthday party in the Brooks' household, inviting the people she cared about: Mocha, Avrie, and the Art Club. They were surprised about this, since they never realised that Mojie was gone. So they discussed plans for the future Art Club members, including allowing Mocha on the team, until the sun was down, when everyone had to leave for home, including Avrie.

Mojie and Mocha then decided to play a round of GamerSmash, until they found themselves sucked into Mojie's computer, into a world called Gamertopia. It was there that they met Noka, but unfortunately they arrived at a dismal time, as Hansu was out disrupting the peace in the area. Since Mojie was of a high level in karate, and Mocha had some sort of history in Gamertopia, they decided to help out in restoring the peace.

## Rosehill High

After all of this was done, the duo realised that they would be stuck in Gamertopia for quite some time, so they decided to enrol in Rosehill High. Mojie was in the tenth grade, and Mocha was in the eighth grade. Avrie went with Mojie, though he arrived at the Wishing Tree a little later. They spent their school days, making new friends and experiencing what an ideal school life would be. Soon after, they were deemed the representatives of the Ceremony of Lights, but were ultimately defeated by a Region Captain, who, instead of giving her own intention for the ceremony, decided to allow more inclusion towards non-Gamertopian natives.

## Willow Creek (with Kia)

Some time after, Mojie and Mocha were promoted into the eleventh and ninth grades respectively. It was then when Noka noticed that Kia wanted to know more about their world, so she told them to show her around. They said their goodbyes to their Gamertopian friends as they readied themselves to go back home, along with Kia in tow.

Mojie, Mocha and Kia found themselves at the Brooks' household once again. Miss Brooks was a bit surprised to learn about Kia’s origins, which Mojie fabricated as similar to hers. They still decided to live together, spending their next school year teaching Kia to do things - and to keep their secret safe.

On the day of Halloween, Mojie, Mocha, Kia and Avrie were invited to Sienna's halloween party, where the Crimson Kitty incident took place. It affected their reputation so much that Mojie had to do damage control with Nianka.

Sometime in March, Noka arrived at the Brooks’ household to check on Kia, and to act as an exchange student. Mojie and Mocha tried their best to make her feel as welcome as possible, as she had heard that their school system was absolutely horrible. She tried out for the Art Club, the Choirs, and the Gaming Club, but made sure to send the secret codes to the people she had met in these clubs. Mojie helped out, by making them swear that they would keep it a secret.

Suddenly, a few months later, Noka had to withdraw from Willow Creek due to her duties back at her school. They said their goodbyes, but not until announcing that Kia would be coming with her. This saddened everyone, especially Mojie and Sienna, since they knew very well that Kia was part of the Willow Creek family.

Mojie and Mocha still lived together, but they did not see Avrie for a while, because they felt extremely bad if they saw the Landales' Kia. It especially jarred Mojie, as she started to feel dejected whenever sunflowers, bows, or even cars were mentioned. Mocha then proposed returning to Gamertopia for good, but Mojie rejected the idea, saying that her mother would like her around. Although they got over the pain, they still kept their memories in their hearts.

## Reunion

Sometime later, Mojie heard a knock on the door, where she was greeted by a familiar man, now seemingly tired from something. He explained how he was trying to search for his missing sister, who he had lost six years ago. "Maddie?" he asked her. She nodded, but can't seem to get his name out.

"Mikael."

One word, and Mojie could recognise him instantly - her protector from danger. She wanted to say a lot of things at once, but he told her to take it slow. "First of all, little sis, please calm down. Why don't we go inside?" he asked. Mojie considered it a little bit, but she decided to discuss at the backyard.

"Sis, I'm no longer Mikael. I want to get rid of the name that associates me with our parents. Please call me Gray from now on."

"I see... What happened, big bro? Did mom and dad drie away without you too?"

"Yes... they did. They said it was only a small drive, but they never came back. I was about to check, but the police went into my home and said, 'Sorry young man, they're dead.'"

"I heard what happened, Gray. They're dead."

"I thought so,"

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad you agree, big bro. Oh, Mocha's coming, I think we should continue this tomorrow."