LEAVING OUR FOOTPRINTS ON THE GROUND.
Darcy and Garrett always knew that they only wanted to have one child. It wasn't for a lack of affection for little ones; in fact, Darcy herself was a family therapist, and Garrett frequently imparted medical care to them as well. No, it was simply that they wanted to give this one person every bit of attention and wisdom that they had between them. Since they were both in intense professions requiring a lot of time and education, the idea of having three toddlers and a handful of nannies to take care of them didn't appeal. They knew they wanted and could handle one, so one was what they had.
Valerie Carr grew up ensconced in a small family when one only considered her blood relatives - but in looking at all other ties, she was absolutely surrounded by people who would do anything for her. That was because her father was close friends with a member of a motorcycle club known as the Goat Heads. While he never had the desire to patch in, he did use his skills and more mainstream trajectory for good: anyone in or affiliated with the club never had to pay for so much as a band-aid. Garrett was essentially on call for them at all hours of the day, ready and willing to come to their aid and to keep quiet about whatever he witnessed while tending to their health. Darcy, too, was on hand to resolve any emotional issues between patches and their old ladies, a practice which earned her the affectionate title of the 'love doctor' to her husband's regular 'Doc.'
Despite the fact that her parents worked a lot, Valerie never felt neglected. They made time for her when it counted and, if any significant events were missed, always made sure to videotape - and actually watch - them later on. When she was very young, they did employ a family friend to be the occasional babysitter, but otherwise, Darcy and Garrett both were very conscious of the fact that they had made this child, so they would be the ones to take care of her.
Unfortunately, while her home life was very loving, school proved to be difficult for Val, at least socially. She wasn't athletic, and her interests weren't exactly popular. She was a part of the photography club and tutored others in math, her favorite subject. She helped put on the drama productions as a part of the crew, too frightened of the spotlight to be on stage herself. She didn't attend the dances or get involved in class decisions. She wasn't actively disliked, but she wasn't memorable beyond her trademark red hair. Most people knew her only by that small detail and couldn't remember her name if their lives depended on it.
When she was about to go into her sophomore year, her simple existence was shattered. Her mother had convinced her to go to a pool party thrown by her classmates - a last hoorah before the summer was over. Val, being more on the shy end of the spectrum, hadn't wanted to go prance around in a bathing suit in front of that many people when she could have instead been reading or taking pictures. But Darcy had made a good argument that she'd spent her freshman year being a hermit and needed to make more of an effort to build relationships with her peers. So, Val begrudgingly went, and actually ended up having a great time. So great that she stayed well into the evening and whined about having to leave when Hilary, her babysitter, arrived to pick her up. Her protests were quickly quieted by the look on her face: something was terribly wrong. It was then that Val discovered both of her parents had passed away in a fire that had also swallowed up her childhood home.
Val's life was in flux. She was fourteen years old and had abruptly lost everything she'd ever known. Well, not everything. The Goat Heads, upon hearing of her tragic loss, worked hard to smooth over the harrowing transition period. Darcy and Garrett's friends in the chapter, Laura and David, took Valerie in so that she would have a familiar place to land. It wasn't the same as having her parents or her home back, but it was something.
She didn't go back to school for another two months, luckily having been given a grace period due to her situation and the fact that her academic record proved she'd be able to catch up. This time around, being memorable was decidedly not her problem. Everyone had heard about what happened and suddenly, she had dozens of friends she'd never been aware of before. People were sucking up, asking too many questions, and acting like they'd been close for years rather than having only a few minutes' worth of interactions between them. Valerie held a deep, burning anger inside her for what she'd lost but she didn't lash out. She went through her days like a robot until, slowly, people started to forget. New stories cropped up, new scandals arrived to focus on. She was left to her own devices, blending into the background as she struggled to find her place in the world without those who had brought her into it.
About a year after the fire, Nora's parents decided to adopt Val, and she hyphenated her last name to include theirs in a show of appreciation for their kindness and generosity in inviting her into their lives. She had their blessing in going off to college and at least some financial help, but she still had to take out plenty of loans to make it through the NYU Business program with an Accounting concentration and a minor in Media, Culture, and Communication. Needless to say, Valerie put a lot on her plate; the busywork kept her from wallowing in what still feels like a permanent void in her heart. She did try dating sporadically throughout the four years, but nothing seemed to stick. Boys either found her too boring or too complicated; there was no in between. Generally, Val was fine with that. She had her academia and her photography and those things kept her relatively happy.
She's been out of college for about a year now and is working at Seven Sins, where she helps out with promoting and ensuring the budget runs smoothly. She knows that eventually, she will likely take her CPA exam and move on to a job more in line with her passion for math, but for the moment, the position is giving her plenty of experience in a business setting while also putting her in regular contact with those she considers family. She feels like she can be herself with them and rarely ever wants to go home - which is, currently, a small two-bedroom apartment she shares with Jamison Augustine in Astoria, Queens. All in all, life has mostly settled for Valerie, but she's always prepared for anything to shake the ground beneath her.