#verptask1

Welcome to the first writing challenge! This is MANDATORY . All characters should answer the following questions as if they were chat replies, like your character is being interviewed. Please answer truthfully, these will be buried in Central Park for the next fifty years!

Let’s start with your name – What is it? How did it come about? Does it have any special meaning?

Tell us about your family. What do they mean to you? Are you close to them?

Would you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Optimistic or pessimistic?

What’s something you’re proud of? Why?

What is your biggest regret? Why?

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

What advice would give your younger self? Any advice to your future self?

Tell us about your family. What do they mean to you? Are you close to them?

Her eyes roll at the question, “They don’t mean shit.” she starts with out question. “I haven’t talked to my mom in years, I think I’ve phoned my dad... twice? I don’t know. I don’t really care. They’re terrible people, my mother in particular.” Chessie continues, not caring much for the ‘good family name’, or anything of the like. “As far as I’m concerned, my family consists of Wren, and O. They’re all I need.” Her tone is matter of fact, nodding her head. “Freya was the only.... motherly figure I had, I guess.”

Would you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Optimistic or pessimistic?

“I’d say I’m an extrovert,” she begins easily, finding the question far too simple. “I come from a big family  -- When we did anything, it was with everything. Aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone. Guess I didn’t get a choice in it.” Chessie shrugs a shoulder, before continuing. “Pessimistic.” She says too easily, having once believed the opposite. “

What’s something you’re proud of? Why?

"My career,” Chessie starts with a smile, before gesturing around the room. “I’m proud to be a part of this, part of what O has worked so hard on.” she speaks honestly, nodding her head slowly. “I’m proud of myself for being more than what my parents insisted on me being. I never grew up to be a housewife, or -- or a mother.” Chessie continues, unsure of how truthful the confidence in her words was. “I made something more of myself. I’m proud of myself for that.”

What is your biggest regret? Why?

She pauses for a moment too long, looking at anything but the camera in front of her. “No one’s going to see this for fifty years?” Chessie begins, before twiddling her thumbs, looking down at her lap. “I never went to boarding school.” She begins, voice far too soft for her liking. If no one was going to see this for another fifty years, why would it matter? If there was a time for honesty, it was now. “I found out I was pregnant when I was seventeen,” her eyes look at the camera for a moment, before she moves back to carefully watching her hands. “I immediately told my mom. That’s my biggest regret.” With a nod, she bits the inside of her cheek, her words moving far too slowly. “They sent me to live at a convent. I couldn’t even say goodbye to anyone, not even Wren.” A bitterness finds her tone, jaw clenched. “I gave him up to a couple who lived in the town nearby. They were... perfect. Kind. Couldn’t have kids of their own. I haven’t seen him since.” Chessie blinks quickly, blinking back tears to keep herself at bay. “I can’t see him, even if I tried... I think about him all the time, though. Where he’s at, what he looks like. If he has my nose, or Sebastian’s eyes.” she tried not to flinch at the mention of his name, now having brought him into it. “I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I just -- lied. Or told Wren first. i don’t know. Maybe it could have been different.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

"Only one?” she snort, sipping on the champagne flute she brought with her. There’s a pause, as she racks her brain for an answer, lips pursed into a line. “It may be better to have Wren answer this for me,” Chessie deflects, rolling her eyes. “Or better yet, ask my mother.” Her voice takes a turn for the bitter, jaw clenching at the mention of her mother. Taking another sip of her drink, Chessie speaks one more time. “What’s the next question?”

What advice would give your younger self? Any advice to your future self?

“For my younger self,” she begins, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Stop caring so much,” Chessie says with a nod, looking down at her thumbs. “This -- This shit would have been a whole lot easier if I didn’t care about anything -- Not what my mother thought, what the media would say, whatever bullshit...” Chessie trailed off, running a hand over her face, before moving through her hair. “Same thing to my future self --- Fuck ‘em all. Do what you want. It doesn’t matter what anyone has to say about it.” Chessie continues after a moment, her tone changing from before. Her head held high, nodding as she spoke.

What do you want to be remembered for?

Tell us about your family. What do they mean to you? Are you close to them?

“My only family is dead.” Even if she had tried, O wouldn’t have been able to stop the words from spilling out. It wasn’t until she saw the surprised look on the interviewers face that she realized what she had said and cleared her throat, back pedalling. “I already told you guys about my dad --- he might be dead too, actually, as far as I know. But, anyway. My mom is the only family I’ve ever had. We were close, everyone knows that. You have to be when it’s just the two of you.” Her throat tightened, the hinge of her jaw tingling in a tell tale sign that she was beginning to lose the composure she had worked so hard to keep. Her index finger wiped under her eyes harshly, and she let out a shuddering breath. Don’t start crying now. “Anyway, my step dad is still kicking but I haven’t spoken to him or either of his kids since the funeral.” She didn’t even bother dropping their names because that’s just how little she considers them to be her family.

Would you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Optimistic or pessimistic?

“Introverted. I like people and I like going out, but I need my space and my alone time afterward to unwind and recharge.” O knew that she could be rude and condescending even on the best of days, but when she’s been surrounded by people for hours on end with no chance to breathe? Look out. “I’m realistic. Things aren’t always going to be good or bad; you have to watch for the grey area.”

What’s something you’re proud of? Why?

Two hands lifted to gesture at the signs around them, as if it wasn’t obvious. “All of this.” O had poured her entire being into the company since Freya’s passing, and it was obvious to anyone who had spent any time working on the event. “We put a lot of work into this launch and rebuilding things. I wanted to make sure we kept some of my mom’s signature looks and pieces, while also giving it a newer spin to help with the rebirth. It was a lot, but I think we did well.”

What is your biggest regret? Why?

O hesitated at this question, obviously uncomfortable that they’ve delved back into deeper waters. “I wish I spent more time with my mom. We spent a lot of time together, especially when she was sick, but I wish there was more. There were times when I’d blow her off to go out partying or something and I wish…. That I hadn’t.” Her jaw was tense again, manicured fingers pressing into her palms and no doubt leaving marks. “I remember how disappointed she would look when I’d cancel plans and I hate that. I always thought we’d have more time. When she was healthy I thought she’d be around for ever, and when she was sick…” O cleared her throat, not wanting to cry again. “I was convinced that she was going to get better, right up until the week she took a turn for the worst. It was naive. I should have accepted that she wasn’t invincible and that there wasn’t always going to be more time.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

“Nothing. I like myself exactly as I am.” Short and sweet, if not a bit arrogant, at least it’s honest.

What advice would give your younger self? Any advice to your future self?

“To my younger self, pay more attention to those business meetings mom drags you to. They seem boring now, but they’re going to come in handy.” Her lips pursed together and she unclenched her fists, allowing herself to react just the smallest bit. “I don’t have any advice for my future self. I wish she’d come give me some though.”  

What do you want to be remembered for?

Tell us about your family. What do they mean to you? Are you close to them?

“I haven’t spoken to my Rodriguez family in almost 10 years,” they say coldly. “It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even bother to consider them my family.  Honestly, Lorraine has been more of a mother to me than my own has ever been.  So,” their voice trails off. “I guess that goes to show that blood doesn’t always mean family. Oh Dios mío, let me get myself back on track...” they run their fingers through their hair.  “The Archibald’s mean the world to me.  I spend every holiday and... special occasion with them.  I don’t know how close we are, but Quinn always tells me mom texts me more than she does him, so if that says anything about our relationship...”

Would you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Optimistic or pessimistic?

“I consider myself more of an ambivert.  I like being around people to an extent, but an excessive amount of social interaction drains me.  I need time to recharge.”  They chuckle as they run their fingers through their hair.  “I am more of a realist, I guess.  I just... choose to see things for what they are, if that makes sense.”

What’s something you’re proud of? Why?

“This is probably going to sound cocky, but... I am proud of the things that I have done for myself and I am not ashamed to say that nor should I ever be.  It’s taken a lot to get me to where I am today and... some people may think I’ve had life handed to me on a silver platter because of the Rodriguez name, but I fought to get myself where I am right now and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

What is your biggest regret? Why?

“There’s a lot of things I regret,” they laugh. “Like the cheeseburger I ate twenty minutes ago or the extra glass of wine I had last night.  But I think there will always be aspects of my life that I regret, but they’ve brought me to where I am now and regardless, I am still very successful.  So, why dwell on that?”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

“Pfft, if you asked me this when I was seventeen years old, I could give you a list the length of my arm of the things that I thought were wrong with my appearance but now, I honestly don’t care anymore.  I like food and wine too much to care if it adds anything extra to my hips or thighs because Lord knows that’s where it all goes,” they chuckle.  “If I could change one thing about me... it would be how I let such small things bother me.  I’d like to be able to let things roll off my back a bit easier.”

What advice would give your younger self? Any advice to your future self?

“I would tell little Tatiana Rodriguez not to make themselves small for anyone.  Not for any boy or girl, not for their friends, and certainly not for their parents.”  They gnawed on the inside of their cheek for a second.  “Just to enjoy everything life has to offer.  Have those glasses of wine or the extra french fry... nobody knows how long we’re here for, so we might as well enjoy it.”

What do you want to be remembered for?

Tell us about your family. What do they mean to you? Are you close to them?

There is nothing in the world more important than family. They are the foundation of anyone’s life, and I firmly believe that a solid home life is the launch pad to a successful life. I was raised according to longstanding southern values, which means big family dinners and being protective of your loved ones, and I can honestly say that those are also the values that I want to instill in my future children. In that case I’m very lucky, as my fiancee seems to strongly agree with me on that point of view. 

I’m the closest with my sister Francesca - which should come to no surprise seeing as we’re twins. I know it’s impossible because of our genders, but sometimes it really does feel as if we’re identical twins, rather than fraternal. We grew up side by side, hitting the same milestones at the same times, and I knew that I always had a partner in crime in her. I know that recently, things have been rocky between my parents and Chessie, but I’m determined to make things right, and I’m sure fifty years from now, when I’ll hopefully be reading this, Chessie’s falling out will be nothing more than a hiccup in the family history. 

Would you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Optimistic or pessimistic?

I love to spend time with people that I like and meeting new people, so I guess that qualifies me as an extrovert. I’m neither an optimist or a pessimist, but a realist. I have my feet planted firmly in the ground and I don’t let my mind wander too much - whether to the good or the bad side. 

What’s something you’re proud of? Why?

The company. It may look superficial, but AberCorp is at the core of my family, and it has been made great by so many of my ancestors. I’m honored to call myself CEO, and I’m forever grateful to my father for moving the company to New York City when he did, realizing that it had much more potential that would not be fulfilled in my hometown. As much as I miss Birmingham sometimes, our family has really been able to make a name and leave a mark on New York City, and that is not something that all people can say.

What is your biggest regret? Why?

My grandmother got very sick when I was at Princeton, but I was convinced that she still had time so I waited until after my finals to hop on a plane to Alabama. When I arrived, she had just passed away, and my biggest regret is that I couldn’t say “I love you” one more time before her passing. 

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My sexuality. I’ve been told I have a ‘resting bitch face’, while I always think I come off as very friendly, so if anything, I’d probably like to change that.

What advice would give your younger self? Any advice to your future self? 

To my younger self I would say to keep doing you. I had a fairly easy childhood, where it didn’t take too much of me to get good grades and stay socially active. Maybe you could try a little bit harder in shop class in 8th grade - but don’t worry, that’s the only year you’ll take that course. So just, see it through.

To my future self, I sure do hope we’re still doing as well as we were when we were children. Hopefully you’ll have a couple of beautiful children with your beautiful wife, and hopefully AberCorp is still going strong. Keep working hard, the sky is only the limit to people working towards an end goal. We want a lot more than that - we want the whole galaxy.

What do you want to be remembered for?