Dark Wings. Dark Words.

Jindřiška Annabelle Reed was born at sunrise on the 17th of May, 1989, to Geoffrey and Helena Knight in their home in Farnborough, England. She had been a surprise pregnancy to the, then, 40 year old Helena. Her parents had met in Prague on a spring day and had been inseperable ever since. They had their hardships but they persevered. Geoffrey was an Officer in the Royal Airforce, Helena was a housewife, and together they raised their family with love and strong moral values. Growing up with an English Father and a Czech Mother with three children between the ages of 20 and 11 helped to ensure a sense of tradition and old fashioned sensibilities in the girl. Being the youngest meant that, to a point, Driska was spoiled and sheltered by the rest of her family. She was a shy child growing up, but she had her playmates and friends to keep her company.

Growing up was a really simple and happy time for Jindřiška. Her family loved her and helped her in all things. Her siblings were too old to resent her existence, and all in all the Reed family was tightly-knit and close. At the age of five; her eldest brother got married and Driska was the flower girl. As it was also the day before her sixth birthday she was given a crown of flowers to wear and an old copy of The Hobbit. Her brothers teased her and told her she was a little princess and that day sparked a life-long love of fantasy. It began with Tolkien, but soon spread through all of the classics and more. Robin Hood, King Arthur, Frodo... her imagination was alive with images of Damsels in distress, of Dragons, and Warlocks and Knights. She couldn't get enough.

School was difficult for the girl, however. For the first several years of her life she'd never really gone outside of her happy little bubble. Suddenly she was placed in a class with strangers and it terrified her. It took several days before she was comfortable enough to speak to anyone. Her teacher recognised the girl's difficulties and lured her out of her shell with fairy tales. It was easier to get through the day after that, but it'd still take several weeks before Driska found herself looking forward to going to school. Her group of friends travelled with her for most of her time in primary school, but each new term was still difficult when there were new people to meet. Still, as she grew older her shyness began to hinder her less and less with every year. Summers were spent with her Mother's family in the Czech Republic. To this day it is Driska's favourite country. She loves it's beauty and culture and history.

When secondary school came about, Driska's shyness re-emerged. Between the added pressures of the changes in her body, the newfound awareness that she was developing as a teenager, and the fact that she was now in a school with even more people... it was like kindergarten all over again. Puberty had begun when Driska was twelve, but it hit full force at 13 and it was making her emotions run haywire. Luckily her mother and sister were able to explain some things, and she knew she wasn't the only one changing. But she was also terrified of what being grown-up meant. In an effort to maintain her childhood for as long as possible; Driska flung herself deeper into the fantasy world whenever she felt the need to escape.

Her English teacher at school noticed the girl retreating into Middle Earth or Sherwood Forest whenever she found herself on her own. Not wanting to spook her, he slipped a copy of A Game of Thrones into her desk before class one day. She read it cover to cover over the weekend and found herself more entranced and enraptured with the world of Westeros than she'd ever been before. Once her love for A Song of Ice and Fire began, Driska never let it go. She began relating real life things with events that occurred within the books. Her friends she'd had since childhood began to pull away from her as their interests changed and they became more interested in make-up, clothes and boys. By the end of secondary; Driska's social life was virtually non-existent.

When Driska was fifteen she began playing World of Warcraft with one of her brothers. This also fed into her love of fantasy and enabled her to be social without actually having to face people. It was easier, she learned, to be the person she wanted to be online. There was no pressure, no anxiety. She didn't have to look them in the eye and try to say something that didn't make her sound bloody stupid, for one. For two; many of the people in her guild were just like her. Her grades slipped a bit at first, due to her habit of playing all night. Drastic measures needed to be taken, and her parents took her computer out of her room. She's since been able to manage her WoWtime... for the most part.

At sixteen Driska began courses at the Farnborough Sixth Form College. She was able to make some new friends, and even re-connect with old ones. But mostly; she focused on her studies and spent little time with her peers. Her siblings were all grown by now, and Driska found herself gravitating to older people. Her parents worried, and tried to encourage her to go on outings and parties with her school friends. Not wanting to disappoint them, she began to do things outside of her bubble. After two years, at the age of 18, Driska graduated with A-Levels in: Anthropology, Creative Writing, Geography and History. Unsure of what she wanted to do for a career, Driska took some time off and got a part time job at the local pet store.

It was at this job that she met Jamie Soanne. He was a regular at the shop where he bought supplies for his bulldogs; Frodo and Sam. They bonded instantly and shared many interests, from that moment on the pair was virtually inseperable. Jamie lived in Frimley, the next town over, but made the easy commute frequently to see Driska and take her out. The first year of their relationship was good for the most part, until his father died of cancer. After that, something changed in Jamie. He began to break promises, criticise Driska at every turn, and began pressing her to sleep with him. Driska had always intended to save herself for marriage like her Mum had done, as she felt it was the right thing to do. The longer the relationship went on, the more angry Jamie became. In public, he was the Jamie she knew and loved... but when they were alone it was as if he were another person. When she grew upset; he'd apologise and buy her things or take her to the zoo or to Birdworld... and she forgave him because she knew that love wasn't easy.

And then he began to hit her. Afraid to tell anyone, and believing she had done something to deserve it, Driska did nothing. She told herself he was always sorry after and that he didn't truly mean it. By the time Christmas came round in her 19th year, Driska had lost her virginity. Sex, she had always believed, was supposed to be beautiful... an expression of love. Instead she found it painful and ugly and filled her with shame. But what could she do? She didn't want to lose Jamie, convinced herself he'd change if she stayed by him and was patient. And then she caught an STI and was faced with the horrible realisation that Jamie wasn't a virgin, and he wasn't just seeing her. The confirmation came when she ran into an old friend from Primary who told her that Jamie had proposed to her and that Driska needed to let him go.

She was heartbroken, hurt beyond anything she'd ever experienced before, and she no longer knew who she was anymore or what she was supposed to do. All of her plans for the future had included Jamie and now... now she didn't know where to go. Farnborough was too small to contain her shame and broken self. Everything was a constant reminder of it all. She could go to the Czech Republic, but she didn't want to bring all of that on her family, she didn't want anyone to know. Terrified and trapped, Driska finally got up the courage to ask her youngest brother if she could move in with him. He'd moved to the States some years before for work and had settled down. It was near to perfect really. No one would know her, he hadn't been around for the relationship and would likely ask few questions. And so it was decided: Driska would move to America.

Leaving her family was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she knew that it was what was best for her. She needed a change, a new start. She felt such relief with every mile being placed between her and her past. She made plans to immerse herself into her new life, that she'd go out and do things... meet people... But, it was easier said than done. Her shyness came back in full-force, added to by a newly found social anxiety. It took close to a year before she went anywhere without her brother. Eventually, she began to notice familiar faces, however, and as long as she stuck within her comfort zone she was alright. She was given xanax by a Doctor to help with her anxieties, but Driska never took them unless she felt that there was no other option.

She has lived in Farmington for two years now. She volunteers at the animal shelter and dreams of entering University soon. She still doesn't know what she wants out of life, but she does know that she is tired of hiding... tired of being afraid of everything. She's started to force herself to talk to more people, mostly online at the present, and has even made a handful of friends in town. Driska doesn't want her past to be known, but she also doesn't want it to cage her any longer.