"Hello everyone. I'm Adrian Sol Riano, otherwise known around Millennium City as Stitch. People get the wrong idea about me. Hell, its because I gave it to them. I, for all intents and purposes, should never be a superhero. I shouldn't be a mutant. I shouldn't even be alive. But some power, I dunno what, thinks I got something to prove. So I keep coming back, like a cockroach. Gross. Anyway...I hope by reading this, you understand who I am, why I do what I do, and walk away knowing that I'm a person too. I'm not perfect. I get hurt, too. It takes a big man to admit this, but a bigger one to do something about it."

History

"Like I said, my name is Adrian Sol Riano, or Stitch. Before, I used to be real quiet and shy when it came to my "origin" stories. A lot of weird and scary things happened to me. I'll try to be as specific as possible when explaining, but bare with me, this is the first time I've come out with it to the general public. It will be hard. I don't like to really show emotion, I used to get bullied a lot for it. But, here it is. My life story. Every bit of it, not a single stone left unchecked. This is one hundred percent truth."

Born on September 30, 1993, to a small middle-class Hispanic family, Adrian Riano opened his arms wide to the world. His family owned a small home in Tucson, Arizona. He wouldn't be alone, however. Just a two minutes after his birth, his twin sister Marisol followed. Growing up in the middle of the Sonoran desert, Adrian didn't find many friends. When he and his sister were both two, his real father, who remains a mystery, left, leaving a jobless Mother to look after the two. Marisol was soon diagnosed to have a mild form of Autism, which made raising the two very difficult.

Adrian loved his sister more than anything in the world. He'd often color pictures with her, sing to her, and play with her dolls even though he'd rather ride his bike in the neighborhood. Their street had a few other children, a few years older than the twins, but that didn't stop them. Marisol was very outgoing and kind, polite and respectful. Adrian was more inward and reclusive, but once people broke past his barrier, they really enjoyed his company. He used to tell jokes, play practical pranks, and adored seeing others smile. Their Mother was proud to have such great children.

When Adrian and Marisol were six years of age, their Mother remarried. For the first few months, things were the same. However, the family soon found out that their step-father was a violent, abusive alcoholic, with a short fuse and nasty temper. Their step-father used to smack their Mother around, used to beat Adrian with a wet rope or cable wires, and used to pull on Marisol's hair and toss her around.

Mother was afraid. She sent Marisol to live with their Aunt Alicia, while the police dealt with this. Adrian was torn away from his only friend, his sister, and forced to deal with a monster. For the next few years of elementary school, Adrian was a quiet boy. He never talked. He did his homework like a good boy and all, but that was it. He became neglected as his parents were in and out of court weekly.

"One of my fondest memories was when I was three. I remember it was my third birthday, and we had this huge gathering outside. My mom was still a bit depressed with Dad leaving us, but seeing cheerful faces fixed that right up. Anyway, it was like three in the afternoon. They had just brought out me and Marisol's cake. I remember seeing the little candles on top. When all the parents started drinking a bit, me, Marisol, our friends Julia, Martin, Walt, and Yolanda, all sneaked some cake. Yolanda and Martin were brother and sister. I know Yolanda was the oldest, she was seven. Weird seeing such an old kid with us little ones. Julia was four, Martin was three, and Walt was two. Yolanda had us all eat and then we ran. We were crazy. So we're now way past our backyard, sitting in some grass. Then this little lady bug crawls up my pants and up my overalls. I remember smiling a lot, especially when it ran down my arm and sat on my wrist. Eventually, our parents found us and we got a spanking. Thug life."

Adrian eventually began middle school. Everyone started to date, except for him. He still didn't talk to many people. At the beginning of the 7th grade, Adrian began showing signs of another personality disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder. He started doing things that seemed way out of character. He started tagging graffiti on school walls, lighting garbage on fire. He seemed crazy. He started being bullied severely during this grade level as well.

At the end of 7th grade, Adrian and Marisol's mother passed away after a brutal heart attack. Adrian thought he was being cursed for a some sin he committed unknowingly, and that he was going to pay dearly for it. His step-father, at this time, was in prison, and Adrian had been staying at his Aunt Alicia's apartment. Adrian was happy that he can see his beloved twin sister again. She had been going to a school for autistic children, and she was doing well. Making friends and just being generally liked in school and outside. Adrian had difficulty, though. His reckless behavior and poor grades reflected on his character. His teachers, as well as classmates, looked down on him. In 8th grade, Adrian looked forward to ending this nightmare. He hoped high school would be better. He had a poor reputation in the school as it was.

"I remember this one time at lunch, I went outside to eat, as I always do. There was this old bench I'd sit at and eat my nasty sandwiches and applesauce. One time, this girl came up to me. She was so beautiful! It wasn't anything sexual, I mean she had no curves, totally flat chested. But the way she carried herself, her face, the way her reddish hair bounced...it was unforgettable. She said her name was 'Liz' and she was wondering if she could eat lunch with me. My jaw dropped, like those cartoony jaws. Yup, that was what I did. I said it was ok and we ate. We talked a little bit. I was nervous and really awkward. I mean...I never had talked to a girl before. Eventually, we ate lunch everyday together and I got her phone number. I remember staying up late just to talk to her."

Adrian had poor grades already, but they only worsened. His teachers viewed him negatively. His peers viewed him negatively. His only friends were his Aunt Alicia, Julia (who had gone to school just down the road from him), and his twin sister Marisol. That all changed when he was eating lunch, and was approached by a fellow 8th grader named Elizabeth Dewhurst. Everyone called her Liz. Liz was an exceptional student, respectful and studious. It seemed she had a case of "bad-boy syndrome" and approached Adrian for that matter. She may have had another motive; Adrian never found out for sure. Liz had reddish hair, looking dyed for sure, and a slight tan. She also had big brown eyes that sparkled in the sunlight.

The two grew increasingly close as the year went by. Things were finally looking up, until his family found out that his step-father was murdered in prison. Liz was there for him. Eventually, Liz and Adrian started going steady, slowly beginning to hold hands in public and all that good stuff. They first kissed at a lunch sometime in February, and Adrian never forgot that moment. He likened it to sitting on a pier at night, the waters calm. Suddenly fireworks explode in the sky above them, illuminating the bright colors across their faces, taking in all the wonder. That was what his first kiss was like.

Liz told Adrian that at the end of the year she would be moving to Versailles, France, for a better business opportunity. Adrian was distraught. The end of the year rolled by rather quickly, and the two parted ways, never to see one another again.

"I can honestly say I loved Liz. I mean, she talked to me and spent time with me when I was going through tough times. I looked forward to waking up and seeing her at school. I dunno...its different. I mean, I've dated a few girls here and there, but Liz was one of the special ones. I think we kissed like twice in the whole six months we dated. I remember butterflies in my stomach just thinking about her. Getting late-night texts from her; those made me smile. Now she's gone and I haven't seen her since. I hope she's doing well, she deserved it."

Adrian managed to graduate. Adrian and Marisol's Aunt Alicia moved to the city of the future, Millennium City. The trio had a nice, simple apartment. The girls shared a room upstairs while Adrian got his own basement room. He enjoyed his quiet man cave. As he soon approached day one of high school, Adrian thought back on his life. He had been making too many mistakes to count. This wasn't him, this wasn't who he wanted to be. He needed to change.

Adrian's first few days of high school were like any other freshmen's. He had trouble finding his classes and his role in the school. He wasn't a jock, but he liked to run and play basketball. He wasn't a gamer, but he liked playing old arcade games. He wasn't the Goth, even though e was reclusive and wore a lot of black clothing. Adrian wasn't sure what he was. However, he decided to not let others choose for him. He struggled and strained, but managed to be sociable and talkative to students of all ages. However, many ignored him, for his Histrionic factors began playing in. He was often very flirty with woman and formed bonds with them that simply weren't there. he was very emotional and took the slightest hint of negativity harder than it needed to be. He strived to be the center of attention, finding himself in the principal's office almost daily. Adrian was messing up. He knew he was sick in the head. He had his moments when he behaved, but at other times, he was, to be put frankly, a bad kid.

"I remember feeling like 'Andy' from the 'Breakfast Club'. Love that movie. I had gotten in a fight with our basketball team's small forward. His name was Ken or something. I think he started it because I was on the ground and he was on me. Bam, bam! Punch after punch. Then I'd roll over him, grab his collar and wail on him. Back to him, then me, back to him, then me. After a few seconds our school nurse ran over and we both got sent home that day. A few weeks later, I realized I started the fight. In my mind, he was beating me up. In actuality, I threw him on the ground and punched him out. He had winked at this girl I liked. That was when I knew, like really knew for sure, I was sick in the head. I was a monster on the inside, and in a few months, I was one on the outside."

Adrian couldn't think of anything he could do. He went through the motions, so to speak. He dreaded everyday he had to put on a fake smile and leap off a building just to grab some form of attention. He needed it. He didn't know why he craved the attention, whether good or bad, of his peers. Everyday, instead of focusing on actually getting quality grades, he thought up the next crazy thing to do. He got a lot of boos and cheers when he did something reckless. He felt heroic, important. Then he planned something crazy: he was going to steal Principal Jones' sedan.

He went home excited. He was truly a disturbed young man. He took out his notebook, called all of his friends. He planned it so meticulously, so precise...you'd think he robbed international banks for a living. Then, as he rummaged for a blank paper in his folders, which sat quietly in his nightstand, Adrian found a picture of Liz. He had made her a promise to clean up. There was a part of him that wanted to move on past her, knowing he wouldn't see her again. But another part knew that in spirit, she never left. Then he made a change.

Adrian was transferred from Westside High School to enter Grace Memorial High School. This was a much better school. Cleaner, friendlier people. He tried to lie low for a while and avoid any sort of recognition. It was there he met his best friend Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a lot of money for a kid his age. He drove fancy cars, wore the nice clothes, had the latest phones. He taught Adrian a thing or two about being cool and relaxing. To not get some emotional with negativity and that people would like his normal self. That was the thing though: Adrian didn't think he had a normal self. He was still roaming school with dangerous mental illnesses.

In time, Adrian passed his driver's test, and received his very own license. Not too many students at "GMHS" were driving yet. Adrian felt pretty damn cool. He also got a job at Darren's Pizza. He was a delivery boy. He always had a smile and made sure to be extra polite. He didn't make much, but his tips were higher than average due to his calm demeanor and respectful attitude for the customers. He didn't like it though. He felt fake, like he was lying to everyone. he really wanted to be a musician.

"This one time I had stayed late in school (GMSH), studying in the library. I was there for like an hour before my legs needed a good stretching. So I did some walking...and the door to the theatre was open. So I strolled in, went backstage, and checked out all the goodies. Had some sweet costumes, a lot of props, but something at the far end of the small room caught my attention. It was almost shining there. I rushed over to it and held it up. It was a Epiphone DR-100 acoustic guitar, and was in a rare solid white color. The very top of the headstock had some dried on spilled gold paint on it. I remember looking around and deciding to take it home. This was my new baby and no one would manhandle it again. When I got home, I told Alicia that my friend got it for me. Marisol loved it. I remember the next morning coming down the stairs and freaking out. She had a black Sharpie in hand. She wrote 'Angel' across the bottom, wider area. Forget what it's called. I didn't ever yell at sis', so I asked why. She said it looked like an angel. I've had 'Angel' ever since."

Adrian played that guitar everyday following that fateful night. To his surprise, no one ever reported it stolen. And what also surprised him, was that he could bring his guitar to school and play between periods. With some calming tunes, Adrian instantly picked up the "finger-plucking" technique and in time became quite the accomplished musician. For a time he also practiced piano, but he thought a guitar would be easier to move between classrooms. He signed up for music classes and even writing, to be able to match lyrics to his notes.

Jeremiah eventually moved in with his older brother Terrence. The two had a very nice and expensive home in City Center. Adrian was invited and packed his things. He said hard goodbyes to Alicia and Marisol, and moved in with the guys. The rooms were very wide and spacious...except for Adrian's. He had a small, basement like room exactly like his old one. He was kind of annoyed, but a home free of women was what he needed. Shockingly, within the next few months, Alicia and Marisol moved back to Tucson! They didn't even tell him. Towards the end of Adrian's Junior year of high school, he scrapped together the last of his pay checks and boarded a grey-hound bus to the Sonoran Desert.

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"Coming back from all that...it was intense. I would be forever changed into this monstrosity. I think Adrian died down in the desert. Stitch is who I am now."

Adrian hadn't a dollar to his name now. After he stepped off the grey-hound bus, he went for a walk. All he had was his new face, his black beanie, and a small ripped-up backpack. He strolled through a park in City Center, the one near the Mind, Inc. building. He thought about what he might be doing in school right now. He may have been graduating this year. He could be driving around the latest date to the make-out point. He could have had a few one-night stands to punctuate what he hope would have been a spectacular senior year. Instead, Adrian, or rather, Stitch spent the last two years torturing, dealing drugs, and beating people to bloody pulps for a twisted and psychotic boss.