Fast forward to my 5th grade year, specifically the summer time.  By now, my father had left PA, and Chelsea and I had relocated to live with my mother.  She and my step father (a man I'll always consider a true second and real father) had decided that between Chelsea and I, they and a still growing family (I'd eventually get two more sisters) needed a bigger home that could accommodate.  I won't get into why he left (or even how I felt about it) now, but what's important to know is that I used to spend summers in Louisiana with my dad and his southern family.

During that summer in LA, my cousin introduced me to AOL, specifically AOL role-playing chat rooms.  The concept was simple enough. There were places I could go on the Internet where total strangers could speak with one another. But not just any old conversation. These rooms were meant to be used by people who had created some kind of character.

This drew in the fantasy-world lover in me, and the not yet awakened writer as well.  Create a character, they can be whatever you want. Angel, Demon, Sorcerer, Elf, whatever your heart desired.  I'd played games before where I worked within the confines of the alternate provided.  But this? To be able to construct my very own reality wth my very own rules? And then interact with other actual people in that reality? I was instantly hooked.

I kept my character pretty basic, just your typical warrior angel.  For my new name, I of course went with Cloud.  And that was it.  A new me was born.  In both my mind and the mind if anyone I spoke to, my supernatural representation had come into existence.  I quickly made friends with those within my cousin's sphere of influence, as well as a few people a bit beyond her crowd.  And so enters my second exposure to the idea of love.