Adam Daniel Kershaw was born into a family that didn't exactly want him, persay. Nor had they planned for him. For highschool sweethearts Daniel and Madeline, their plan had always been to never have children - they were too busy living life in the fast lane (read: too busy doing drugs and getting drunk) to care about raising a child. Everything seemed to be going well for them in the first few months of marriage. They had graduated high school, both had seemingly well jobs that supported both of their habits (since really, let's face it, that's all they cared about at that point in time), and even had a place to call home (despite the fact that it was in fact a run down trashy one bedroom apartment that the word "fixer upper" couldn't even describe). In some people's eyes, they were on a path to nowhere - but in theirs, they were just fine. That's why when 5 short months after tying the knot Madeline found out she was pregnant, she freaked out. A child wasn't in their destiny, it would only hinder their outrageous lifestyle. Despite neither not wanting a child, abortion was out of the question - that was one thing Madeline detested more than anything else. She refused to go through with it. So, in the end, they had no choice but to suffer the consequences of their actions..and seven months later they welcomed Adam into the world.
For a while things seemed to be good. Both Madeline and Daniel fought as hard as they could to resist the calling of drugs and the party lifestyle merely for the sake of their child. Of course that, too, had been unplanned. But one look at their precious baby boy and their whole world changed - they now had someone to take care of that depended on them. Madeline progressed better than Daniel, it was easier for her to let go of her previous lifestyle since more often than not, she was the one that actually took care of Adam. Daniel really never played a role. However, things quickly changed...it didn't take long for both Madeline and Daniel to slip back into the life they once knew. The first time it happened, they told the hospital it was an accident. Poor, three year old Adam was admitted to the emergency room on a snowy November night. He had a broken arm. Having never been doubted before, everybody believed Madeline and Daniel when they said that he had tumbled down the stairs....they were incredibly proud of both of them for making the turn around that they had - clearly they didn't know what was hiding beneath the surface. Just a week after his arm was healed, three hours after Madeline dropped him off at Denise's, their babysitter, Denise was bathing him and noticed a series of small circular burn marks on his back that stretched out like a line. Disgusted, she called Madeline and demanded to know what had happened to Adam. Madeline told him that while she was getting ready for work, Adam had been laying on the bed and fell backwards onto her curling iron. Slightly doubting her, Denise told Madeline she understood and the two hung up. Sad to say, Adam never made it back to Denise's again. Maybe if he had, things would have turned out in his favor.
While on the outside the Kershaw's appeared to be the picture perfect All-American family, when they were in the confines of their own home things turned sinister. Both Madeline and Daniel had began using drugs frequently, and both spent majority of their time at home high or drunk. Madeline would watch as Daniel tormented young Adam. Over the next few years, Adam was admitted into the hospital for fractures, sprains, internal bleeding, and more broken bones. Finally, when Adam was 6 years old, Child Protective Services took him away from his parents and sent him to live with his aunt and uncle. The only downfall? They lived in the same town, just a different part. To stop anything from happening, Adam's aunt and uncle placed a restraining order against Madeline and Daniel. They both violated it numerous times and spent many nights in the local jail.
Adam started high school, awkward and scared. However, the only thing he had to look forward to, the thing that made him feel safe was ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
kaitie. For as long as he could remember, and even despite the move, Kaitie had always been one of his closest friends. Though he had never quite ever been comfortable telling Kaitie the situation that landed him at his aunt and uncle's house, he was almost positive that she could sense something in him that wasn't quite right. If she had, she'd never mentioned it..and for that, he was thankful. To this day he still refuses to talk about his parents. Luckily for him, he's gotten away from Toronto and instead followed Kaitie to Longport, NJ for school. It's better for him to be around somebody positive than be stuck in a place he hates. Even if he has gotten away the damage is still done, the impact has been made. If anything, the situation was good for him. He's a fairly confident guy, but he's got his weaknesses. And he avoids drugs like the plague - though he can't seem to turn away alcohol or the occasional joint or two. He isn't a hardcore party guy, but he isn't the type to want to sit around and do nothing either - he just knows how to say no. In away, despite how hard it was growing up without an actual mother and father, he's glad that this happened to him - in the end it's made him a better person
