WARNING: This section contains unmarked spoilers and heavy topics, including domestic violence, drug abuse, depression, and other difficult themes. Please do not read if these would cause you distress.


Tessa was born into an excessively large family, a combination of the Sauvagess family on her grandfather's side, and the LeTourneau family on her grandmother's. She was born to Dana Sauvagess and Mahmoud "Kyle" Baker, who were both 17 at the time. She spent her first 3 years living with her parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncle, before they moved into a separate apartment. From there, Kyle began his time as a police officer, and became increasingly abusive towards her mother and herself, primarily after he began stealing drugs from the people he arrested. Whilst he was never a particularly good partner, he had yet to act in an overly sour way--his new behavior shocked Dana, who found it difficult (and terrifying) to leave. Seeing her own parents have a healthy and loving relationship made her believe that she could fix him and turn him back into who he was before. Unfortunately, this not only failed to work, but the abuse continued to get more and more severe as his addiction got worse. Tessa would become acquainted early on in life with the cruelty of humans, and this would shape her mindset for the worse, as she would regularly watch her own father violently attack her mother without a care or regret in the world. She would later wonder if he had always been like that, or if the drugs had changed him permanently.

However, this would change one day when Dana's twin sister Arden, an up-and-coming officer herself, would receive a phone call from none other than Tessa, begging her for help as she watched him strangle the life out of her mother. Arden, who lived nearby at the time, would quickly subjugate Kyle, sending him away for years for the harm he caused his family. From then on, Tessa and her mother were finally free.

Though the start of her life was unsavory, she would go on to have a very fulfilling, safe, and mostly peaceful childhood; raised by a caring, doting mother who was determined to never allow something like that again. Tessa would excel at schoolwork, able to tackle any topic with ease, and begin volunteering on a weekly basis at a variety of venues and areas. She barely allowed herself any free time, which she didn't mind; Dana was worried, but Tessa's grandparents would frequently remind her who exactly is raising her: A determined self-starter with an endless lust for life. What else would the child of such a person be doing, if not raking leaves for the elderly, collecting trash off the side of the road, and protesting for fairer wages? Around age 9, Tessa would begin venturing into darker territory, begging her mother to take her with on risky humanitarian efforts. Dana, trying to be a responsible mother, naturally said no, but this didn't stop Tessa. First, she presented oral arguments. When that didn't work, she made a presentation. When even that didn't work, she repeated words similar to what Dana's own parents had said to her; "You raised me to be a good person and risk my life for a better world. Why is this any different?"

TBC

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