Chamber

Background
The spoiled second child. If nothing else sums up Jonothon Starsmore this will never fail. Even as an adult, he shows the signs of this beginning.

Born into one of England's royal families (Jonothon has no idea his family was a part of the Clan Akkaba, and that he's related to Apocalypse.), a life of privilege was his. His father is a solicitor for the wealthy of London, and his mother a socialite. Evan Starsmore was a stern, but highly intelligent man, who had a good head for business. Unfortunately he also didn't like mutants. England's view, in general, on mutants is far, far better than America's, but that didn't change his dislike. Not that this would be relevant for some years.

Eleanor, mom, was the quiet one. The beautiful one. She loved Evan, it was obvious, but the problem was she loved him far more than either of her children. This lead to a loving neglect for Jono and his older sister Elaine. Not that they were ever physically abused. There were always nannies and teachers around to try and fill that void, but it didn't change the fact that mum and da were always too busy jetsetting with the other nobility to pay much attention to their children.

And if you can ignore the fact of that loving neglect, life was easy. Jonothon got everything he ever wanted. His sister was a good eight years his elder however, so while they are fond of one another, he didn't see much of her either. Mostly Jonothon, as he grew old enough, found himself in private schools. Schools that he hated with a passion. The good boy at home became a problem children as he moved into his teens. To his way of thinking the schools were huge, empty things, that dealt pain. Before long he was getting suspended, and then thrown out of more than one.

What his parents didn't realize is that Jonothon was a mutant, and a telepath to boot. This is the only ability of his that showed upon his reaching twelve years of age. The rest, well, that would take years. Being a young telepath, and never knowing the word for it, much less why he was hearing these voices... the boy started taking it out on others, and his environment. It didn't take long for word to get back to his parents that the boy was hearing voices.

What else could that mean? There was something very wrong with Jonothon. Evan and Eleanor talked it over and began sending Jono to a host of doctors and psychiatrists. A rather miserable year of drugs and fear for the boy. Nothing worked. Not even some of the strongest medications available. Finally, at their wits end, his parents decided to put him in an private hospital, hoping that round the clock care would make a difference.

Unfortunately Jono heard them talking about it. Never mind he wasn't in the same part of the house they were. He was old enough by now, and wise enough, to grasp what this meant. Terrified, the boy packed his things and ran away.

Fourteen and on the streets is an idiot thing to do, but Jono had an advantage other kids didn't. He could hear what people were thinking. This alone saved him from the worst the streets had to offer. The first few weeks were the worst. After his money was stolen, and his pride stomped into the ground, he got lucky and met some homeless people who were honest in their kindness. They took the boy under their wing, and for the cost of some of the protection his ability could provide, they showed him how to survive on the streets.

Lucky or not, this was hardly a good time for the boy. For months he survived on the streets, miserable. The weight of hearing people's thoughts, and being unable to keep them out, began to take a large toll. Especially while homeless. At the level he was living there isn't a whole lot of brightness and pleasure.

Yet he still managed to survive, and even became able to earn something of a living. Nothing much of course, but he discovered a machine shop in one of the poorer parts of London, and started hanging out there. Little by little the mechanics who worked there allowed him in, and taught him things. In time he could earn some cash by helping out around the shop.

And then he met Davis. The nice guy who came to deliver food and supplies to the homeless shelter where Jonothon came to get the occasional meal. Everyone loved Davis, but there was something incredibly wrong with the man. Yet only Jonothon seemed able to sense this. Davis was a sociopath and blossoming serial killer. What Jonothon found in Davis' mind terrified him. Sixteen, and a mind filled with horrors, the teen fled and never went near Davis again. Davis went on to kill of course, but his preferences weren't for teen-age boys, so Jono was never in any true danger. Beyond the trauma at any rate, and since Jono never spoke of this to anyone, Davis had no reason to seek him out.

Little by little, by sheer force of will, Jonothon began to close himself off from that press of thoughts. Davis was the last straw. Gradually he did it so well he stopped hearing the voices entirely. To the point he couldn't protect himself anymore. The streets are dangerous, and a gang found him where he shouldn't have been.

It ended him in the hospital, where his desperate parents found him at long last. In spite of the fact the boy showed none of the signs of the mental illness that made him run away, they had come to understand something their son did not. He was a mutant. Two years of searching and they had stumbled over the works of Charles Xavier.

This was a huge wake up call for Evan. It's one thing to hate mutants, but quite another when you find out your only son is one. He'd battled with this for years, Eleanor at his side encouraging him for the better, and gradually he came to accept that Jonothon wasn't something to be hated.

Not that they changed their ways much, and continued being distant, but they did keep a slightly better eye on their son. As he recovered from the severe beating he took on the streets, some strange things were occurring. The boy ate less and less, yet didn't lose weight. Food and drink were something that gave him trouble. Jonothon got to the point he simply couldn't keep food down at all, and not even tube feeding would help. Desperate yet again, his parents realized they needed help. So they contacted Charles Xavier.

Jonothon didn't want to go, but he was given no choice. His things were packed and shipped to America, then he too was sent to Westchester, and Xavier's.

Personality

 * Well lettered: Jono's a smart guy. He's not a genius, but neither is he stupid. A quick and agile thinker, he's often able to get himself out of tight spots using his wits. On top of this he's been very well educated. Being sent to the best of England's schools, and then furthering himself with Xavier's has only enhanced what he naturally has.


 * Alone in the Crowd: Self doubt plays a large part of Jonothon's life. He has not fully accepted himself, and with that he assumes that no one else can accept him either. He is alone, the one standing out as odd in the center of the horde, and no one can change that. People will take pity on Jono, and do their best to make him feel not only welcome, but truly a part of the group. Sadly he will be the one to ruin this effort. He stands out only because he believes he should.


 * Depression: An aspect of his time on the streets, and his own horror in what he's becoming, the teen suffers depression. He's on a round of medications for it (Patches and injections), so day to day things aren't too bad. Still, it will color a great deal of his life. Little things will have him falling very quiet, and withdrawing. Miss the meds and things are going to start going bad in fairly short order. Mainly because the whole issue is in his head. The meds don't really affect him, but he thinks they do. So without.. trouble.


 * The secrets: Jonothon is really, really good about not talking of himself. Too good. It's not that his life is anything he has to hide, and yet he almost never speaks of his. Family, friends in England, schools, his life on the streets.. even playing the guitar. For some reason he keeps such things close. Seldom tells even those who would be close friends. Secrets that don't have to be secrets, and yet are.


 * Running away: When the emotional shit hits, Jonothon runs away. It's something he's always done. If something hurts he will avoid it. Something bad and he won't take responsibility for the affair. It's going to be frustrating for people who want to get close, as that's going to make him run away too. This isn't a physical leaving, but instead a closing off. Best way to get him to shut up is touch on something that bothers him.


 * Quiet: Really, Jonothon enjoys being quiet. Doesn't stop him from speaking when there's a need, and he certainly will speak his mind, but for the most part he will gladly sit in the background and allow others to do the talking. Some people may interpret this as being shy, but that isn't the case at all. The teen just doesn't like to talk a lot, especially now that he's lost the means for verbal communication. Always uncertain someone will react badly to his telepathic speech.

There are negative connotations to this as well. Mostly because it affects how he deals with people. Bull headed. He's set in his ways in many regards. To the point where it actually effects his ability to learn. He's too damn stubborn.
 * Stubborn: This really must be listed thanks to the affect it has on his every day life. See, Jonothon is so incredibly stubborn that he holds his very body together. By sheer force of will alone. To say that he's stubborned himself free of death is no understatement. Once he's set his mind on something that's it. The odds of changing it are slim. If at all.


 * Music: The one true pleasure in his life is music. Jonothon enjoys playing the guitar, and in collecting music. Truth be told his tastes could be considered eclectic, for he's so many different types and artists in his collection that it may make people wonder about him. If he runs away from a problem, it's to where he can listen to music. If he needs to unwind it's to music and playing the guitar.. this is how he deals with his problems - Jono seeks solace in music.