every rose has its thorns

I realized that some people are just bad. And there is nothing you can do to change that. But, you can learn to protect yourself.

Now, how can I help?

Well you can’t live in fear. You, more than anyone, must understand that. Time and again you risk everything to see justice done. Is it so hard to believe that I feel the same way?

❝ YOU CREATE RULES, BUILD WALLS, PUSH PEOPLE AWAY, LIE TO YOURSELF AND IGNORE TRUE FEELINGS. ❞

NAME: Sawyer O’Connell GENDER/PRONOUNS: Female, She/Her DATE OF BIRTH: January 12th, 1984 BIRTH PLACE: Where were you born? CURRENT RESIDENCE: Santa Monica Pier/Ocean Avenue  OCCUPATION: Juvenile Defense Lawyer FACE CLAIM: Katie McGrath

BIOGRAPHY

trigger warnings: abandonment, alcoholism, alcohol poisoning, death, m.i.a. soldier

If asked Sawyer O'Connell would claim that she was born and raised in Ireland, and with her Irish accent no one has any reason to doubt her. In truth, Sawyer was born in Boston where she was raised for the first eight years of her life. The reason she prefers to lie is that the truth means acknowledging her father, and Sawyer does her best to forget he even exists.

Although they were never married, in all other respects Sawyer’s parents might as well have been. Her mother moved to Boston to be with him, they lived together and had two daughters together - Sawyer and her younger sister, Imogen. Sawyer’s father wasn’t around a lot as he travelled for work. Over time his work trips got longer and longer until he didn’t come back at all. All her mother got was a text that he wouldn’t be returning. Sawyer later found that he had a second family and he abandoned Sawyer, her mother, and her sister to be with them.

Sawyer’s mother hung around Boston for a couple of years, hoping he’d come back, but as money began to run out she had no choice but to move them all back to her native home, Ireland. She had an aunt there who agreed to let them live with her. They might not have had to worry about living on the streets, but life was still a struggle. Sawyer’s great aunt took care of her and Imogen, but she was rather old and her health started to fail. The older the sister’s got the more their roles reversed and they had to take care of her.  

They were better off financially living in Ireland, but Sawyer’s mother still had to work three jobs to keep their heads above water. Unfortunately, to cope with all the stress and pressures, nevermind the pain of been betrayed by the love of her life, her mother turned to alcohol. She was a high-functioning alcoholic, so it never affected her work, but at home, she often ended up drinking until she passed out. This meant that as well as caring for their great aunt and their school work, it fell onto Sawyer and Imogen’s shoulders to do most the cooking, shopping, and cleaning.

Sawyer never held any ill will towards her mother. She loved her dearly, and it broke her heart to see what she’d become. Sawyer knew her mother did the best she could, and if anyone was to blame it was her father. It was hard on both sister’s when after one weekend of particularly heavy drinking her mother’s body could no longer take it and she died from alcohol poisoning. Sawyer was only 16, and her sister 14.

Somehow the sisters managed to keep things together, until two years after their mother died their great aunt died too. They grieved the loss of their aunt, but her death gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Imogen decided to enlist and joined the army, whilst Sawyer made the tough decision to move back to America to attend university. She loved Ireland, and it was tough leaving, to Sawyer it was her homeland, but there were better opportunities in America.

Fortunately, Sawyer was used to hard work because that’s what it took to get her degree. Never one to choose the easy option Sawyer had decided to pursue a law degree. She’d always enjoyed a good debate and wanted to stand up for those who, like her, was a victim of their circumstances - which is how she ended up choosing Juvenile Law. To pay for her tuition, books, and everything else that came with university Sawyer had to work two jobs. It didn’t matter that everything she owned was second hand or from a charity shop, she was used to that, and it didn’t matter that all she ate were various tinned foods that cost less than a dollar a tin, at least she had food.

Graduation day was one of the happiest days of her life, even if the only person left to share it with her was Imogen. Unfortunately, the hardest blow was yet to come when she lost her sister. It had been a couple of years after graduation when Sawyer got the news that Imogen had been declared M.I.A. Not knowing what happened to her sister made it even harder to deal with. Sawyer still struggles with it, the unknown element preventing her from getting closure.

Needing a fresh start Sawyer moved to Santa Monica six years ago. Most people get the wrong impression upon meeting her, thinking she’s some kind of spoiled, bitchy, trust fund baby, and Sawyer rarely bothers to correct them. Losing her sister pushed Sawyer over the edge. To protect herself from the pain Sawyer became cold and distant. She even tries to make people hate her, acting bitchy on purpose.

Her work means everything to Sawyer, it’s what keeps her going. Money no longer being an issue Sawyer likes to enjoy the finer things in life, things she could never afford growing up. It’s this that can give people the wrong impression, they don’t realise how hard she’s worked to get to where she is. Given her general demeanour, people can be shocked when they learn what Sawyer does for a living. The way she acts around her clients is the complete opposite to how she acts around everyone else.