Shen "Phantom" Tangaroa - District 2

SHEN "PHANTOM" TANGAROA



Silent as the grave, hidden in shadows, a boy of sixteen lives on the edge of District two as he waits for his revenge.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my father's come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends

ALL LOOK AND LIKENESS CAUGHT FROM EARTH

Phantom, the word comes up a lot when describing Shen. His eyes are a ghostly midnight-blue, which are often shadowed by dark thoughts and memories, eyes that rarely anyone sees. His voice is soft and gentle, melodic in tone and very expressive, a voice that no one ever hears. His hair is pitch-black, like the darkest of nights. It falls to shadow his already darkened eyes, and shield them from anyone who might happen to catch a glimpse. His skin, while not being paper-white, is very pale and, offset by the darkness of his hair and eyes, makes him like the phantom he was nicknamed after. Thin, slightly arched eyebrows are like two black lines above his mysterious eyes. Thin lips, with only slightly more color than his skin, are often in an unreadable line. The only sign of any expression within Shen's face are his eyes, which are never seen.

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

ALL ACCIDENT OF KIN AND BIRTH,

Unlike most of the boys in his district, Shen is thin, not from lack of eating, but from lack of the large muscle mass that other teenagers built up through training. He was also quite tall for his age, measuring to about 6'2". He wasn't incapable of wielding a weapon, quite the opposite in fact, but he wouldn't last long in any kind of hand-to-hand combat or wrestling match. However, his speed more than made up for that. With his lesser weight and long legs, Shen could relatively easily outstrip an opponent. He was a decent swordsman, and he was pretty good with a spear, but his real strength lay in knife-fighting. He always keeps a knife on him, clipped to his belt and hidden under his clothes.

When someone was lucky, or unlucky, enough to see Shen, they would find he wore a black hoodie with dark gray horizontal stripes, dark-wash jeans and all black skater shoes. His clothes only exacerbate his pale, ghost-like appearance, though they also help him to blend into the shadows more. Sometimes, he can be seen without his jacket on, revealing a dark green short-sleeved shirt and a black watch on his right wrist. The watch was the one thing he has of his father's stuff, the one thing he was able to retrieve from the house before he ran away.

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends

HAD PASS'D AWAY. THERE WAS NO TRACE

He is always doing his best to stay away from people and stick to the shadows. He has done a pretty good job of it too, most people don't even know he exists. But that is as he likes it. He is constantly slipping about, avoiding any places with large amounts of activity in preference for solitude. Shen was not always this way, but ever since his mother had murdered his father, nearly killed him, after becoming drunk, he had lost his trust in the world. The world had fallen in on itself at that moment, and all he knew was that the only person he could trust in the world, was himself.

Aside from being distrusting, overly wary and quick to fight or flee, according to the situation, Shen is actually a kind person. Before the death of his father, he openly admired the beauty of nature, and he was always very inquisitive. Now, however, he shows little emotion and hold little interest in anything. Nature remains his one true passion, however, and when he can, he will read books on botany, or gemstones, or fauna. Some of these books were stolen, some were found, and still more were taken out of the school library. He hated stealing, but he hardly ever had enough money for food, let alone extra things such as books.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends

OF AUGHT ON THAT ILLUMINED FACE,

If you asked anyone who was able to glimpse him how they would describe his personality, they would most likely reply that he seemed like a quiet kid, the type who knew all the answers but was too scared, or too unwilling to share them. Quiet, though, isn't the right word. He is actually silent, in front of other people at least. The only time he ever uses his voice is to speak to plants, or an animal, or contemplate the appearance of a gem. Many people thought he was mute because of this. He keeps to himself, preferring the solace of his own company, and the peace of being surrounded solely by nature. It is the only time he can relax, when he is alone, completely alone. It was the way he had grown up, it was the way he lived, it was the way he liked it.

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

UPRAIS'D BENEATH THE RIFTED STONE

When Shen was born, he was a healthy baby boy and he grew into a nature-loving boy with too many questions for his own good. That all changed when he was ten. Up until that time, he had been living happily with both of his parents, except for the times when his mother drank and his father had told him to leave the house. He had always come back to his mother crying and his father having been beaten up. He did his best to ignore it, but the problem was getting worse and worse. When he had turned eight he had disobeyed his father and stayed during one of his mother's drunken fazes. His mother had turned on him, along with his father, and he had received many bruises. Since then, he had tried to get his father to leave with him while the alcohol worked though his mother's system, but he had been refused each time. He attempted to shield his father from his mother's blows, but to no avail, they were both savagely beaten. This continued for almost two years, until a horrible event took place.

One night, his mother had come home in an alcohol-induced rage. As always, he tried to convince his father to leave and failed, and again, as always, he attempted to block the worst blows. That night, however, his mother had lost all control and flew at them with a ferocity that Shen didn't know anyone could ever reach. Sometime during the scuffle, his mother had obtained a knife and managed to stab Shen between the ribs. He had been lucky, she had just missed his left lung, but he was bleeding heavily. His mother had knocked him aside with a fierce blow to the head, sending him sprawling. From where he lay on the floor, he had a clear view of his mother advancing on his father. His father, to Shen's surprise, was crying, tears streaking down his face. He had murmured something that sounded like, "I'm sorry. Hon, Shen, I'm sorry." This had not made his mother falter and, like a snake, she struck at her husband. Blood welled from a deep wound in Shen's father's torso and he gritted his teeth. With the other hand, Shen's mother had struck him in the cheekbone and dropped him to the ground before stabbing her husband, Shen's father, in the heart.

As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends

BUT OF ONE SPIRIT ALL HIS OWN.

Shen had let out a cry then, a strangled sound like a cross between a yowl and a moan. He pressed a hand to his own stab wound and attempted to get up. His mother had seen and rushed over to kick him down again. Then she ran out of the house. It had been the last time Shen had seen his mother, for he had forced himself to get up and leave the house, knowing that if he wasn't healed soon he would die of blood loss. He had finally managed to reach the neighbor's house when he collapsed. It had taken him four days to recover enough to walk again. Once he was strong enough, he had returned to the house and retrieved the watch from his father's bedside as well as a few other personal belongings. He then left his home, vowing to never return to that blasted place again.

For over two years he had flitted from place to place, trying to find somewhere to live. Eventually he found an abandoned house near the very edge of the populated area of District two and claimed it as his own. He has lived there for three years, still managing to go to school and obtain the basic necessities. Live has been hard on Shen, but it is better now than it was back then, now that he didn't have to worry about being beaten. While he had been searching for a place to live, he had made himself another vow, if he ever saw his mother; he would kill her. He had trained himself in the use of a knife, and practiced with larger weapons when he could. He would be ready for his mother, no matter when or where he saw her.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my father's come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends

OTHER

Lyrics: Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

Words
24 - Introduction
376 - Appearance
373 - Personality
693 - History
1466 - Total

Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends

odair