hey look, it’s dawn drake! she’s twenty-three years old, she’s lived in shrike heights for nine years, and she’s currently working at donna’s roller disco. i heard she’s pretty sarcastic, but i think she’s so wise at the same time. can they make it out alive? ― victoria justice, straight, female + she/her.
this will definitely be revamped later with added connections
tw: mentions of drugs and alcohol
part i
Our heroine’s story begins in paradise, Los Angeles, and particularly in a rather unique neighborhood (Silver Lake) soon to be relocated to The Valley.
Dawn was born to two young academics: Her father an English Literature professor and her mother in the Classics with a penchant for writing steamy romance novels and selling oil paintings on the side.
Dawn was an only child which is perhaps why from a young age she was a voracious reader and an adventurer of the nearby city. She couldn’t stay put. Stranger danger? Not a concern. Dawn was up for anything and she was good at sneaking out. By the time she was 12, Dawn was hitchhiking to Venice Beach to watch older men skateboard and precociously flirt with hunky surfers. By 13 or 14 she was taking buses to the strip to wait outside clubs that she could almost always get into with a little makeup and a fake piercing. She was drinking and doing drugs with other wild girls just like her.
Eventually her parents caught on. Perhaps realized their mistake in settling down to raise her in the LA area. Her father moved the family to his hometown of Shrike Heights.
part ii
Dawn settled in well enough in Shrike Heights. A little boring maybe, but she could thrive anywhere if she had to. But Dawn never quite had the drive or direction her parents wanted from her. She was a dabbler in academics and the arts. Never committing to one thing or setting goals. Her parents shuffled her around through her teen and college-aged years. A summer job at a camp in Northern California. A waitressing job at a nearby country club. A few semesters of University in New York. Nothing gave her that push.
how ‘bout now?
So they stopped pushing. As supportive as they tried to be, The Drakes realized their daughter was a little lost. Always had been. And that she needed to figure it out on her own. Which is why they essentially stopped bankrolling her when she left New York and returned home to Shrike Heights. A little tough love. She was on her own and earning her share at Donna’s Roller Disco.
bottom line
Dawn’s wild childhood and damaging formative years left marks she’s not even entirely aware of. Instead she’s frustrated with herself and her lack of direction in life, having always dreamed of something a bit bigger for herself. Everywhere she ever went her irresponsible behaviors and lack of commitment followed. Now she’s just going through the motions. Afraid of what she’ll do to ruin it next. However, Dawn doesn’t scare easily. The current unease in town isn’t stopping her from living her life. Yet.
