Five years ago, Amara Adley set alight her youngest and only daughter's bedroom in a fit of jealousy induced rage.
Six year old Navi-Jade was pronounced dead shortly after the authorities extinguished the deadly fire, although they never recovered...
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Five years ago, Amara Adley set alight her youngest and only daughter's bedroom in a fit of jealousy induced rage.
Six year old Navi-Jade was pronounced dead shortly after the authorities extinguished the deadly fire, although they never recovered a body.
On the one year anniversary of the incident, Matthew Adley, father of seven, ended his own suffering.
Amara Adley was never found.
Six of the Adley brothers remained, going through the motions of life like perfect strangers, until five years later the impossible happens, giving their family the second chance they desperately needed.
Navi-Jade Adley. 11years old. Navi-Jade is far too radiant and determined for someone who's been abused to the extent she has. Her innocence is both endearing and heartbreaking considering the tragedy she's experienced in her short life. Although her past five years have been the most traumatic, she is the one that ends up bringing the most joy to her mostly adult brothers' lives, the very people who are supposed to provide her with just that.
Miles Adley. 17 years old Miles, the youngest Adley brother, somehow managed to keep a death grip on his innocence after his family's tragedies since he was young enough that the traumatic memories are more faded. His brother's overprotectiveness of him being the new youngest sibling helped with this too. Miles also known as 'Smiles' has the impossible ability to brighten his brother's days with his cheeky remarks and blinding optimism. The responsibility of solely keeping his drifting family together weighs heavy on his shoulders...his chosen tactic for distraction when things seem too heavy is some well intended teasing and mischief.
Elijah Adley 19 years old Elijah has a soft spot for Miles that he tries to hide and bury beneath his nonchalance and pessimism. His chosen coping mechanism post tragedies was to deny, deny and deny any emotions at all because the pain was too overwhelming for him. He can be rather volatile when emotionally triggered and acts out because of it, finding himself in some sort of trouble just to lash out at someone amd inflict the pain he doesn't know how to cope with. He experiences depressive episodes ever since the night he found his mother bolting his little sister's door closed after setting her on fire. He fought against his brothers as authoritative figures when Ryle became his official guardian, although he secretly looks up to Kai and the two have a bond.
Kadence Adley 22 years old Kadence has always struggled with finding his place in his family and after the incidents his insecurity of providing nothing to his family was amplified. Kade disappeared from his brothers in the hopes of finding himself and discovering what role he plays best in the people he loves lives. He's surprisingly laid back for all that he's experienced in his young life and he hides his hurt like a pro after five years of practice. Kade gets away with considering himself one of the older brothers until he has a disagreement with Ryle or Kai and he's right back to feeling like that seventeen year old boy who wasn't quite an adult yet, excluded from all of their family business matters.
Kai Adley 25 years old Kai is unapologetically and brutally honest with no qualms about offending anybody. He has a reputation for being violent in all senses of the word. Kai discovered his father in a pool of his own blood in the very burnt hallway that his little sister took her last breaths in. It's hard to believe he's the same person in comparison to the boy he was prior to that day since it changed him for the worst. He puts on a brave front and uses violence to cope through his traumas which may make him seem less fazed although he certainly is. Luckily his job as an undercover police officer allows him a healthy outlet to his years of pent up anger and resentment. If it weren't for his job and his two older brothers he'd surely be either dead or behind bars by now.
Romeo Adley 28 years old Romeo is the string that holds his remaining family together. Where Ryle is all business minded, throwing himself into the logistics of life to ensure a certain type of stability, Romeo is the polar opposite. He's warm smiles and home cooked dinners. He's the attentive eyes with a knack for picking up on every change of his brothers' moods. He's studied psychology for a while before losing his little sister motivated him to follow in his father's footsteps and join law enforcement as a detective. Romeo still finds his qualifications in psychology useful coming from such a family as his who eat anti-depressants like coco pops for breakfast. It's a curse to his colder brothers who claim they can't have a conversation without feeling like he's tricking them into spilling their secrets but everyone adores him even if they won't admit it.
Ryle Adley 30 years old Ryle took on so much responsibility the day his father killed himself that he erected walls so high, nobody could ever see a crack within him. He and Romeo are like the north and south pole in terms of similarity. Ryle is a closed off, indecipherable shell of who he used to be, and was forced to be that way for his sudden new roles, being promoted to the police crime commissioner in place of his late father and being a legal guardian to his kid siblings. Romeo is the only person he allows close enough to get a glimpse of the man he truly is, the brother he's always known, but the second things get soppy Ryle shuts down and bolts.
