Excerpt: Tough Innocence

Tough Innocence Characters

Brian Cambridge-He is nineteen-years-old, tall, with a lithe fighter’s build. He wore his whitish blond hair cut to where the strands barely topped the collar of his black leather Outious jacket. He presented a calm, cool, confidant exterior to the outside world, but beneath it all rested a coiled snake waiting to strike if provoked. His training in a variety of martial arts like Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and Tai Chi, taught to him by his father Leland, makes him extremely dangerous. His ice blue eyes were emotive, sparkling with amusement one moment, or glinting dangerously the next. After being beaten one too many times by his stepfather, Brian defended himself, and nearly killed Matthew Wallace in a fit of unbridled rage. He fled home that night, leaving his cherished baby sister, Suzan, behind, vowing to return as soon as he was settled in a new place and could properly take care of her.

Suzan Cambridge- She is sixteen-years-old, tall, and slender, with waist-length whitish blond hair and ice blue eyes. She is intelligent, likes to dance, does well in school as expected of her, and his skilled in Tai Chi and Ninjitsu. Her older brother’s leaving, has been difficult for her. While she had never suffered any beatings from her stepmonster as Brian has, since she has grown older, she has begun to fend off advances from Wallace. The incidences never happen when her mother is around, so it has been difficult for her to approach Stella about what is happening. Having witnessed firsthand how her mother has always sided with Wallace against Brian, Suzie knows that her mom would not believe her even if she told her what had been happening to her. Suzie’s main solace in the house is training with one of Wallace’s bodyguards, Master Yin Sun. The Asian man has helped her to better her understanding of Tai Chi that her dad taught her before he died, but has also instructed her in the ancient art of Ninjitsu to which she has earned a black belt. Even though she has not heard from Brian in three years, she knows that once he has established himself in another town, he will return for her and take her out of her current hellhole.

Stella Cambridge Wallace- She is Brian and Suzan’s mother. Tall, blonde haired, blue-eyed, slender form, exquisite features. She and Leland Cambridge met when they entered the same junior high school together. The two of them were inseparable from then on out and remained that way all through high school. They married shortly after they graduated and settled into a small house, which was a gift from Stella’s parents. Brian was born a year later, and three years after him, their family was completed when Suzan joined them. Although the Cambridge’s have never had a lot of money, they lived comfortably, on the money their father made from his position as a supervisor for one of the top construction businesses in New York City.

Matthew Wallace-He is Brian and Suzan’s stepfather. He is a wealthy entrepreneur, owning several commercial businesses, which provides him with a privileged lifestyle. He has a knack for spending money, does not like it when things do not go his way, and has the opinion that what he wants, he gets. He took one look at Stella Cambridge and knew she had to be his, and it was not too long before he had twisted the young widow’s head with all the special attention he paid her, the lavish gifts he bought her, and the convincing lies he told her. It was not long before he had Stella eating out of his palm and they were eventually married. Much to his chagrin, she was a packaged deal, and so he took in her two children as well.

Daniel Carlyle- Broad shouldered, levelheaded Danny was the unofficial leader of the Outious gang. At the age of twenty-four, he had assumed police had killed the responsibility of raising his younger brothers Kooler and Tadpole after their father during a robbery and their mother had left town with her biker boyfriend. The house they lived in had once belonged to their grandparents and had been passed down to them. Daniel had earned his contracting license and had managed to keep the three Carlyle's and his girlfriend clothed and fed. Both Kooler and Tadpole worked after school and on weekends to help him.

Kooler Carlyle- He was leaner than Danny, but just as tough. He wore his long auburn hair past his shoulders and often tied it back with a rubber band. His green eyes were speckled with gold and glittered when he was laughing. They turned almost completely gold when he was angry. He knew and so did Tad that if it had not of been for Danny that they would have both ended up in a foster home. Both tried their hardest to help as much as they could, including staying out of trouble as much as possible. Unfortunately, for them the kids that made up the local high school's athletics club, The Ravens did not appreciate their efforts and went out of their way to cause trouble for them.

Tadpole Carlyle- His hair was not as long or as streaked with red as Kooler's or as dark as Danny’s was. It feathered back from his handsome young face and barely touched the collar of his Outious jacket. His eyes were hazel and turned a deep green when angered or upset. He stood just an inch from Kooler and was much stockier than Kooler. He often chafed under Daniel's rules and had been known to split for his best friend Scotty's house for a day or two. All of the gang loved Scotty’s mom. She always let Danny or Koolie know that Tad was at her house and made sure he went to school.

Scotty Boyd- He had black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and an olive complexion. His widowed mother who owned her own styling salon and was the reason for his dark good looks raised him. She was a full-blooded Cheyenne who had married a man of Cheyenne and Scottish blood. Both she and her husband had been raised on a reservation for most of their childhood before moving to Ravenview. Scotty had been named for both his nationalities. His full name was Scott Cheyenne Boyd. No one except his friends had ever been told his Indian name.

Tina Anderson- She has light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her childhood had been especially tough. Her heroine-addicted mother who was capable of doing anything and everything she could to score more drugs had raised her. One of her mother’s many boyfriends’ had abused Tina when she was ten. It had taken someone like Daniel to know how to get through her tough as nails exterior and show her that all men didn't use and hurt women. They were together for almost two years before Daniel ever tried to be intimate with her. He had wanted Tina to know that he loved her and expected nothing more than what she was willing to give.

Shelley Lang- Is petite, dark haired, and has blue eyes. She is the smallest of the female members of the Outious gang. She was a quick and eager fighter though. Because of her height, she had always been picked on and learned to fight at an early age. She lived with her mom and stepfather. She was the luckiest of the Outious gang because her parents were kind, loving people. They looked past the roughness of her friends to see their true personalities and accepted them for who they were.

Kyle "Spooner" Perkins- Jet black hair and green eyes. He has a stocky build, and an easygoing personality. Usually kept his friends rolling' with the jokes he made up or learned. Loyal to a fault he often was the peacemaker between the members when they argued among themselves. Ran the Perkins gas station for his mom and was the first to befriend Brian when he came to Ravenview. Now they share a two-bedroom house and co-own the auto detailing shop they had attached to the gas station.

Tori Pearce- She has blonde curly hair and blue eyes. Lives with both her parents in a nicer neighborhood. Her parents often try to get her more involved with the other kids at school. They dislike Spooner and often set her up on dates with other boys. Most of the boys are members of the Ravens.

Sylvia Whintri- She has jet black eyes and wavy black hair. Olive complexion. Mexican descent. Lives with her mom, who is a server in one of the bars in town. She often splits for days at a time leaving Sylvia and her younger sister, Angela, to fend for themselves. Thanks to the strong friendship and support of her fellow Outious members, Sylvia, "Jazz" to the gang is never alone. Best friends with Tad and Scotty all through school she had secretly grown to think more of Scotty. Not wanting to destroy their friendship, she refuses to admit her feelings for him. She and Brian became close soon after Brian's arrival. Brian recognized a lot of her actions and feelings as ones Suzan also had and it had made him want more than anything to let Sylvia know that no matter what he would be there for her.

Kristi Richards- Honey colored hair and gray eyes. She is tall and slender and is Brian's idea of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen next to his mom. She has many similar qualities in her that he had so often admired in his own mom. Ones his mom had lost when she remarried and became obsessed with money. She lived with her Grandfather and worked part-time to help him pay the bills. Her mom had died having her and her father could not handle the loss and had sadly taken his own life. Despite this, Kristi had been raised knowing what terrific people her parents had been.