Thomas "Tommy" Rollins*

[Megami†]

Name: Thomas "Tommy" Rollins
Gender: Male
Age: Seventeen [17]
Grade: Senior [12th]
School: Bayview Secondary School
Hobbies and Interests: Drawing, Coloring, Arts and Crafts

Appearance: Standing at 5'7" and weighing around 150 pounds, Thomas -- though he prefers to be called Tommy -- isn't a physically imposing figure at all. Thin and gangly looking, his body resembles that of a child more than an adult. His dark chocolate locks fall in whimsical curls all over his head and always seem to have that "just got out of bed" look to them. His eyebrows are dark, kind of thick and sometimes messy, although Tommy never bothers to pay too much attention to them. His eyes are a bright green in color and seem to have a sort of innocent quality about them. He always seems to be wide eyed, which makes his eyes resemble a puppy's that much more. The rest of his facial features are pretty plain. His nose seems to fit his face nicely, not seeming irregularly long or wide. His lips are sort of narrow, but no one ever seems to notice, as Tommy seems to perpetually have a wide grin plastered upon his face. When he smiles, he has dimples, which stand out all the more on his round, child-like face. In terms of dress, Tommy doesn't care about name-brand clothing, or anything of the sort. He can normally be seen in t-shirts (his favorite color is blue, so he's often wearing blue ones), jeans or, on warm days, khaki shorts, and blue and white tennis shoes. His shoes are Nikes, bought by his parents for his 16th birthday, and although he's not normally interested in name-brand anything, he's very proud of those shoes, and wears them everywhere.

Biography: A native of St. Paul, Tommy was born to Mark and Sarah Rollins, an electrician and his Realtor wife. Happy and healthy, albeit overly chubby as a baby, he was to be the first and only child of Mark and Sarah. In fact, he was their "miracle" baby. Due to a defect with Sarah's reproductive organs, she was always told she wouldn't be able to have children. For four years, she and Mark tried to have a baby, and with no result. They visited fertility clinics, Sarah took drugs, they did everything within their power to have a child. It all ended in failure. Sarah's sudden unexpected pregnancy was something she referred to as a miracle from God. From the first days onward, the doctors warned her against having the child, stating that he was bound to be born with any number of birth defects. The Rollins' didn't care. They just wanted a baby. Their baby.

The pregnancy was a rocky one, and Sarah nearly lost the baby several times. She was in and out of the hospital throughout the entirety of her pregnancy, and even when doctors warned her that both she and the baby may not live through the delivery, she insisted on giving birth to the baby. By some miracle, both child and mother survived the delivery, but it was apparent from birth onward that Tommy wasn't quite right. Everything about him, right down to his motor skills, seemed to develop much more slowly than they should have. That didn't matter to Sarah though. He was her baby.

When Tommy entered adolescence, his deficiency became abundantly clear. Upon entering school, it was quickly discovered that Tommy was indeed slower than most children his age. Up until this point, his mother hadn't wanted to believe it, instead allowing herself to think Tommy was just special. When Tommy was suddenly diagnosed as being mentally impaired, Sarah fell into a sort of depression. Tommy was promptly enrolled in special education courses, much to Sarah's dismay. It took months for his mother to get over the blow, but she bounced back quite well, suddenly seeming to embrace Tommy for who he was.

Despite everything, Tommy was a happy child. He rarely seemed to get upset, and loved the simple things in life. He loved drawing and coloring, and one of his favorite things in the world was arts and crafts. He liked to play outside, and perhaps the best present he ever received was the golden retriever his parents bought him for his tenth birthday. Ever since he got him, Goliath has been Tommy's best friend, and, at times, his only one. School was rough for Tommy, and things only seemed to get rougher as he progressed into high school. The other children frequently made fun of him or picked on him. Much to his parents' (and teachers') surprise, though, Tommy seemed to take it all in stride.

Even now, this far into his senior year, he's always smiling. He's a genuinely nice person with a heart of gold, as conveyed by the fact that he's even nice to the people who pick on him. He's the type of guy that will give you the shirt off his back -- although he might take that statement in the quite literal sense. Unfortunately for Tommy, his mentality hasn't changed much since he was a child, and so he still enjoys all the same things he did as a small kid. Coloring, drawing, arts and crafts. Simple things make Tommy happy. He seems quite at peace sitting out in the quad watching the butterflies, and it doesn't take much to make him happy. In Tommy's eyes, life is good. He has his parents who love him dearly, and he has Goliath. Mrs. Kat, the remedial classes teacher, even chose him to be her helper this year and told him he was one of the most well-behaved students she had ever had. Tommy isn't quite sure what all this graduation business is about, but everyone else seems to be excited about it, so he is too.

The end-of-the-year graduation trip was a big deal to Tommy's parents. Nothing made them happier than the fact that their son was going to be allowed to graduate high school. In a way, his mother saw it as Tommy being able to conquer his "developmental delay" and lead as much of a normal life as he could. When Tommy came home with parental consent forms regarding his class's senior trip, Sarah was more than happy to sign, even volunteering herself to come along as a chaperon. With that day rapidly approaching, she and Tommy have spent all sorts of time planning for what they both assume is going to be a wonderful trip.

Advantages: Tommy's obliviousness may well prove an advantage in this game. Perhaps he won't understand what's going on around him. If he somehow manages to comprehend the program, the drive to see his family again might drive him to attempt winning the game.

Disadvantages: His biggest handicap is blatantly obvious -- Tommy suffers mental retardation. Tommy probably won't even comprehend what's going on, let alone realize that he'll have to kill to survive. He's definitely not at the peak of physical prowess, and he's never been in a fight in his entire life. He doesn't have much common sense, and he's easily manipulated and eager to please. Traits like these might spell out his quick demise.