Prologue

"I wasn't always this way. I was not always the hero you see me to be, a shoulder to cry on or someone who could be counted on. I know I am far from perfect. Where shall I begin? There really was no true beginning; change was gradual, like the winds over the rolling hills. My name is Leon and this is my story.

I have had my share of difficulties. I have stolen, cheated and lied. I know I have displayed my share of misplaced anger. So what changed? How did I become the hero you see me as today? I really cannot answer that but give me some time and I shall try.

It seems like so long ago now ... I was running havoc on my parents and pulling pranks at my school. I was nine the first time I met her. I didn't know it then but I would come to fall in love with this person. She was in every way my opposite (or so I thought). Where my hair was light, her hair was dark, where my eyes were dark, hers were light. It wasn't just looks though, our personalities were opposite also. Where I was a 'mischievous' child, she was a seemingly 'adult' child. She was a star pupil and the teacher's pet. The only thing that made us the similar, in my opinion, was the fact that we both shared High IQs.

Was it her that changed my life? I am still unsure but then you wondered this anyway. The same year I met her I had also lost my twin brother to a drunk driver. My parents had taken the loss hard, and I had not allowed myself to cry. This was all consuming. Then one day while I was visiting her, contemplating the worst possible outcomes for my life...

She cooed me, she allowed me to cry ... she coddled me. She dried my eyes. Yes, it was this girl, this opposite, who kept me as sane. She kept me from taking my life that lonely night. You wish to know her name? I'll tell you of course, but you must already know. Her name was Hope."