| abstract
| - Andreas grew-up in the care of a mother and step-father in a mid- to upper-class home. He never knew his real father. He was out of the picture before Andreas was born and his mother never brought him up unless Andreas asked very specific questions. They had moved to Miami, Florida when he was five-years-old from Seattle, Washington. His mother was never really at home and often left him in the care of his verbally abusive, incompetent and often drunk step-father. Andreas never understood what his mother saw in the man. She was confident that Andreas would see the good in the world, just like she did, and live according to Mother’s laws. The neighborhood he grew-up in Miami, Florida was an ethnic enclave called Little Havana (Spanish: La Pequeña Habana) or Little Managua that was enriched in Cuban and Hispanic culture. When Andreas was young, his mother would take him to park to watch the older Cuban men play dominos and drink Cuban coffee on Sunday after church service at San Lazarus Church. As Andreas got older, his mother began introducing him to the Garou (Spanish: hombre lobo) and their kin in Little Havana. There are many in Little Havana and the surrounding neighborhoods that are Garou and kin. Andreas knew most of them only on the surface, there was only a handful that he knew personally. Many of the members of the neighborhood are Black Fury and Children of Gaia, although there is also a small population of Bone Gnawers and city-dwelling Uktena too. All of them had and one common goal in the community; to reform human society by using society’s tools – politics, the arts and popular culture, and most especially religion. Andreas spent the first fifteen years of his life obeying authority above himself, although when his mother suddenly died that all changed. He soon found himself out on the street when his step-father kicked him out of the house. Andreas found it hard at fifteen to live on the street; thus, he joined a local Hispanic gang for personal protection. After awhile, Andreas fell into the gang-lifestyle. Disobeying the law became his only way of survival. The gang was involved in crimes such as running guns and illegal narcotics trafficking. Andreas spent a year dodging the law and avoid being killed by other rival gangs in the surrounding neighborhoods. The older members looked out after him as if they were a family. Eventually the law caught up with him while attempting to hijack a vehicle, which ironically ended up being his step-father’s sedan. His step-father caught him attempting to jimmy the lock while staggering drunkenly out from a bar. A standoff took place between Andreas and his step-father, in which, he was ridiculed for his hesitation. Tension and anger arose in Andreas as the taunting continued. As his step-father went to reach for his gun, Andreas shot him several times in the chest. He was so wound up and pumped with adrenaline that he didn’t stop pulling the trigger until the gun was out of ammunition. Andreas was tried as a juvenile for the murder of his step-father and placed into a reform school. The youth detention center Andreas was held was corrupted and daily there were instances of abuse, blackmail, and rape. There was no escape. The only freedom Andreas had was the several hours he spent going to University of Miami as part of a program geared towards helping troubled young adults. Andreas was a bright student and received a bachelor’s in architecture before leaving the prison. After ten years, Andreas was finally released of his crimes. When Andreas was released, his father was found standing at the gate. He was surprised to see the man that he had never met standing there. His father promised to hand over his mother’s wealthy inheritance if he did something for him in return. Andreas asked what that might be. His father replied, “I want you to go to Saint Claire and look after your half-sister.” [ More to be added here... ]
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