Mathias Pacada

### Nick Name(s)

Matt, Matty (might not appreciate this from a stranger), occasionally that quiet guy with a book over there

### Family

Miliani "Milly" (biological mom); unnamed biological father (is pretended to be nonexistent); Bernard Alo (step-dad); Kekoa Alo-Pacada (younger half-sister); Luka (older half-brother)

## Personality

Mathias is an average mild-mannered introvert who is most likely to be fine with just lying in his bed and listening to music while either reading a book or simply closing his eyes. He’s more socially awkward than his sister, but he covers up that part of him by acting stoic-like, leave most of his personal thoughts left unsaid, and sometimes add a dash of sarcasm. Like his sister, he's okay with just observing from the background—not to be simply mistaken as him being a typical loner. He can still hang out with people if he wants to, or it just happens, but don't expect him to immediately take the initiative in a conversation. He really prefers to listen to others, and he's definitely uncomfortable saying anything about himself. Unlike his sister, he doesn't see a way out of that wallflower background.

Though his grades would make anyone assume otherwise, Matt isn’t “gifted with natural intelligence.” He isn't one who believes in luck. Sure, he reads “The Art Of War” and other classic stuff just for fun, but it doesn’t automatically make him a genius. He didn’t achieve Honor Roll without trying—perhaps trying a bit too hard, now that he has to keep his studies and hockey training balanced. Because of how quiet and somewhat apathetic he usually is, and how he almost always has his nose stuck in a book wherever he goes, people who don’t know him well sometimes assume Matt is kind of a slacker who really does wish to lie in bed, listen to music and read a book all day.

He has asthma and always carries an inhaler. He’s very nonchalant about it, unless he loses his inhaler because that shit can be expensive.

## Background

It would be cruel to say that his existence was the reason his parents separated—but it’s true, or at least it feels that way to him. A few months before his sister Kekoa was born, Bernard Alo learned that his wife Miliani had a secret affair a few years ago and Mathias isn’t his biological son. After Bernard left, Matt was 3 years old when his mom and siblings began living with his biological father. At first, everything was okay. They were like a normal, happy family. But gradually, Matt’s dad began showing his true horrible and manipulative character. Luka, his older half-brother, shielded his younger siblings and kept them naive from the harsh reality, but Matt always suspected, especially whenever he found Luka with a black eye or hidden bruises. Eventually, his mom broke up with Matt’s dad and moved out with the kids. He tried taking full custody of Matt but failed—this argument also led Miliani to file a restraining order.

Soon, Bernard Alo returned to their lives (read Kekoa’s bio) and all seemed normal again. Although, after his half-brother Luka moved away, Matt felt a sort of burden as the only eldest son in the household. He started playing hockey in middle school, hoping adding athletics to his studies would garner approval or something from his step-father—it doesn’t seem to have much effect so far, just like everything else he’s tried so far.

Other than this, Mathias would claim that his life hasn’t been very interesting. He has always been a kid that chilled in the background watching the other kids have fun without him, or he ignores them while doing something else that seems very interesting to him but not always to others. Most of the time, people ignored him. It’s how he managed to stay out of trouble until last year, when his previous school expelled him for nearly beating an upperclassman into a coma. It was supposedly self-defense against a bully, but to others it looked like he randomly snapped that day, and since he had zero friends, nobody spoke up in his defense.

Afterwards, his parents enrolled Mathias in Silver Oak Academy to have him finish the rest of his freshman year and the rest of his high school career. He has a high GPA to maintain so he can keep the academic scholarship that allows his family to afford the school’s tuition. After his freshman year, his family moved from California to the state where the school is located.