Luck seemed to be a constant companion of Phoebe's throughout her life. Some how, she always managed to be in the right place at the right time. And, while her parents scoffed at the notion, her Irish nanny emphatically insisted that Phoebe was a child gifted with 'the sight'. Of course, in those days, such things were nonsense and superstition to brushed off with a laugh and blamed on a hidden stash of whiskey. A talent young woman, she excelled at art and music, and were she not the daughter of one New York's elite families, she could have had a splendid career in either field. No child, however, is perfect and Phoebe was no exception to that particular rule.
Phoebe's imperfection reared it's head shortly after puberty. While she was perfectly healthy, she would, upon occassion have episodes during which she would paint horrendous and/or strange images that seemed to make no sense and have no bearing on her life. Unbeknownest to Phoebe, or her family, these events were actually taking place, albeit far outside of thier particular circle of circumstance. Needless to say, doctors were consulted, medications were prescribed and the whole matter was kept as quiet as possible. After all, some things just are not spoken of in polite society.
After graduating Saint Mary's, Phoebe was accepted into Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusettes to study art. Of course, her proud parents set her up with her own residence off campus, making absolutley certain that thier darling girl would want for nothing. It was midway through her sophmore year that Phoebe experienced one of her 'episodes' and woke to find herself confronted with a painting a rally she could not remember making. A week later, some of her classmates invited her to Boston to attend a civil liberties rally. It was there that she met, and fell in love with Jonathan Thornton, future lawyer and activist.
Ah, Jonathan was nothing like the men she had kept company with before. The son of one Boston's wealth elite, he turned his attentions toward helping the poor, and displaced. So much so that thier first date was an afternoon serving in a soup kitchen at a local homeless shelter. Phoebe's parents would have been mortified. Fortunately, niether Phoebe, nor Jonathan, were foolish enough to mention that particular events. Even so, it set the course for thier future. Hand in hand, the pair would attend charity events, host rallies, and volunteer thier time at local shelters. Habits that held true after their graduations, marriage and move to New York City. Habits that would eventually result in Jonathan's death on August 7th 1998, only three years after the birth of thier daughter Annmarie.
Jonathan's death, and the events leading up to it, are a subject Phoebe refuses to discuss. Again, barely two weeks before the event at which he was shot, Phoebe experienced one of her episodes. This time, rather then brush it off, or attempt to conceal it, she brought the painting to Jonathan and begged him to reconsider attending the local shelter for a time. And, while Jonathan did not mock her worry or her impractical belief that something bad might happen, he -did- assure her that he would be fine and that no threat was worth turning thier backs on those in need. Sadly, this altrusism was one of the things about Jonathan which Phoebe most adored. And so it was that they continued onward, only to have him shot in the heart and die in her arms before the ambulance could arrive.
Were it not for her daughter, Phoebe's life would have been over. Annmarie, however, was her father's child and quickly became her mother's reason for being. And, again, Phoebe's relatively enchanted life would devastated by the loss of her child on March 14, 2009. Some things, some pains, are too horrible to bear, too horrible to acknowledge, lest you give them power and allow them to steal your hope. So it was with that terrible painting. Oh, Phoebe did everything in her power to keep it from happening. She tried questioning her child, she tried grounding, she tried everything. Teenagers, however, will do as teenagers see fit and sadly, Annmarie's gift was one that she was not ready to share with her mother. No. Instead, Annmarie snuck out…. met with her friends and ended her life.
Phoebe's life, it turns out, is not so magical, after all. And, while the thought was there to end it all, faith and a solid Catholic upbringing kept her from taking such a step. Perhaps she could not save her own family from the violence and madness, but she would do her damnedest to save others. In the name of her beloved husband, and her darling child, Phoebe has been taking steps to do what she can for evolved, in whatever manner she might be able to lend a hand. Of course, Phoebe isn't evolved. No, she refuses to believe that might be the case. Yet.
