To say that Simon Allistair was born into anything but a normal family would be a stretch. They were the epitome of the classic American family. His father ran a construction business that was fairly prevalent in New York City, and because of that he was able to provide his family with a decent home in the Village. It was him, his parents, and his twin sister. They led a simple life didn't expect or even want anything extraordinary to happen to them.
He was raised mostly by his mother and housekeeper as a young boy since his dad was away at work. He still saw him, though, but their relationship really didn't develop until he was older. When Simon started school he demonstrated great intellectual aptitude and was placed into the gifted programs in his school. Throughout his years he was always the brain, especially when it came to math. Though he never skipped any grades, which was his own decision, he always excelled ahead of his classmates.
While this sounds great, it just sent Simon into social exile.
He had friends and everything, like Harry Miller who stuck by him since they were very young, but most people either ignored him, bullied him, or envied him to a point of disgust. That never made it easy on Simon growing up, and it became his goal to try and fit in with the other kids. He joined clubs, took part in class, and while not everyone turned away from him, he still felt out of the loop with everyone. Not to mention the fact that his hormone where wacked out and he had nobody to go to for help.
Halfway through his sophomore year of high school, Simon and his sister went to go visit their grandparents in upstate New York. His grandmother wasn't doing well and they would go every other weekend or so to be with her. Sometimes his parents came, but this particular time they did not. Over the weekend, news reports came in of a bomb going off in Kirby Plaza. It leveled much of the city, and devastated their homes. Simon's parents died in the blast, and his home was destroyed. He was devastated.
Out in Boston, Simon's aunt and uncle on his mother's side were away from New York when the bomb blew, too. They had a second house in the suburb of Newton and were planning on spending an extended Thanksgiving there. Simon and his sister went to live with them, as they were their legal guardians now. The first year after that was terrible, as Simon had to deal with his parents death and adjust to a new town, a new school, and a new home life. He had three cousins he was living with now, and while they knew each other and got along well enough for teenage kids, he wasn't used to living with them. He and his sister stuck close, and bonded more than ever before.
In Simon's junior year of school, he was fooling around with a friend he had made, Dexter Silverman, on the basketball court. They were just trying to have some fun, but some of the basketball team were there, too, and they weren't the nicest guys around. They taunted Simon and Dexter because they both really weren't good at sports. Up until that point, so many emotions were bubbling up in Simon that he didn't know how to feel half the time. This time, though, he felt something snap inside him. Or maybe it was more like a switch turning on. Whatever it was, he knew he would show those guys.
And he did.
From across the court, Simon dribbled the ball and looked at the net, so far away. Dexter figured out what he was going to try and was embarrassed for the both of them. To everyone's surprise, though, when Simon took careful aim and threw the ball with all his might, it sailed through the air and went through the hoop. Nothing, but net. That was how he got onto the high school basketball team, and started to get some confidence. That's also how he learned about his ability hit anything with deadpoint accuracy.
The rest of the school year and the summer went well. Not only was the basketball team doing really well, Simon made MVP by the end of the season for sinking a playoff-winning shot. Not only that, he won a regional math competition and was accepted into the honors society for the subject as well. He was finally starting to get happy.
Nothing lasts forever, though.
Halfway through the summer after, the summer of 2008, New York City was coming into repair, and Simon's family decided to move back. They never wanted to leave, so now that they had the chance, they made the pilgrimage along with many other damaged families. They sold their house in Newton and with the help of insurance money from their old place they were able to purchase a very nice house in the Upper East Side. Simon is excited about the notion of living in a nice place and even about going back to school. He plans on making his mark this time, leading the school's basketball team to victory and exploring the gifts that allowed him to do so. Maybe he'll even make prom king. His aim may be good, but will he able to shoot his social mark?
