Gala Marian's Past – The Bird

Gala Marian had always been a woman of strength, her every word and action calculated to project an image of confidence and resolve. Beneath that hardened exterior, however, lay a past that she had buried so deep even she could barely acknowledge it. It was a life marked by pain, but also one that shaped her into who she was. And though she had learned to mask the scars, Gala knew that the weight of her history had the power to destroy her if anyone ever learned the truth.

Her earliest memories were of a family that seemed perfect, almost too perfect. Her parents were successful and well-respected in the community, the embodiment of success and stability. To the outside world, they had it all—wealth, power, and a pristine reputation. But the façade hid the cold, suffocating reality within their home. Her mother, though physically present, was emotionally absent, a woman incapable of offering warmth or affection. Her father, on the other hand, was someone Gala could never trust. He was charming to the public, a respected figure, but in private, he became something else entirely.

It didn’t take long for Gala to understand the darkness lurking behind closed doors. When she was just a young girl, her father’s monstrous behavior began. He was a man of power and influence, someone whose reputation was untouchable, which made him all the more dangerous. At first, she tried to avoid him, staying out of his way, trying to make herself invisible. But there was no escaping him when he wanted something. And every night, without fail, he would find ways to violate her spirit, to break her down bit by bit. The innocence of childhood was stolen from her, replaced with a terrifying knowledge that her world was not safe—that she wasn’t safe.

She couldn’t tell anyone. Who would believe the child of such a respected family? Her pain would be dismissed, her torment overlooked for the sake of preserving the family’s reputation. So Gala remained silent, isolated in her suffering, the girl who felt like a bird trapped in a cage, her wings clipped, her hope slowly suffocating.

It wasn’t until years later, when she had the strength to leave, that she found a way to escape. She joined law enforcement, driven by a need to reclaim control over her life. It gave her a sense of purpose—being in charge, setting the rules, taking control of her environment. It wasn’t a cure, but it was a coping mechanism. She buried the memories of her father’s abuse deep inside, hidden behind a mask of professionalism and determination.

Yet, even with her success, Gala knew the truth. She carried the weight of her past everywhere she went. There were nights when, alone in the dark, the memories resurfaced. The bird in the cage, her helplessness, her isolation—these things never truly left her. She had built a life, yes, but the chains of her childhood still held her tight. And every now and then, she would remember the freedom she had never had, the future she had never been allowed to envision.

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Wayne Jackson's Past – The Tiger

Wayne Jackson’s life had always felt like an endless pursuit—an exhausting race for something he couldn’t quite grasp. From an early age, he learned that love was not a given, that affection and warmth were not freely given. His family, while outwardly functional, was emotionally detached. His father was a successful businessman, focused entirely on his career, and his mother, though kind in her way, was emotionally consumed by her own struggles. There was never any time for him, no place for him in their lives.

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Wayne wasn’t angry about it at first. As a quiet, introverted child, he learned to keep to himself, to observe rather than participate. The solitude didn’t bother him—it gave him the space to study the world, to understand the behavior of those around him. But as he grew older, the emptiness set in. The nagging feeling of being invisible, of never truly mattering, began to gnaw at him. His father’s praise came only when it was convenient, when his achievements aligned with his father’s goals. His mother smiled at him, but it was hollow, empty, like a mask she wore to hide her own pain.

This neglect became a silent storm inside Wayne, a tiger that grew fiercer with every passing year. It was a hunger for connection, for real love, that he could never satisfy. The tiger in his mind roared for affection, for recognition, but it was elusive, always just out of reach. He tried to fill the void by excelling in everything—school, sports, anything that might earn him the attention and approval he so desperately craved. But it was never enough. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he worked, he was never truly seen, never truly valued.

The neglect from his parents left a deep wound, one that shaped Wayne into the man he would become. As an adult, he was successful, driven, and seemingly invincible. But underneath it all, there was a deep, unresolved pain. He became cold, pragmatic—focused on work, on achievement, anything to keep his mind off the emptiness inside. But the tiger was always there, haunting him, reminding him of what he lacked: love, connection, and acceptance.

In his work as a law enforcement officer, Wayne found some semblance of purpose, but his emotional walls remained impenetrable. He had never learned how to truly connect with others, to let them in. The tiger, though, refused to let him go. It clawed at his heart, reminding him that no matter how much he achieved, he would never feel complete. He would never feel truly loved.

But even in the face of his pain, there was a flicker of hope within Wayne. He couldn’t let go of the belief that, one day, he might find the love and validation he had been searching for all his life. The tiger still roared inside him, but he refused to let it consume him. He had to keep going, keep fighting—for something real, for something that could finally fill the void.

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Shared Struggles – The Hunt for Healing

Despite the differences in their pasts, the struggles of Gala and Wayne were intertwined by a common theme—a longing for connection. Gala’s past, filled with trauma and broken trust, left her with a fear of vulnerability. Wayne’s emotional neglect created a wall between him and others, a fear of never being good enough. They both buried their pain, channeling it into their work, into helping others, but their pasts continued to haunt them.

It wasn’t until they began working together with William that they realized they weren’t just saving a broken man. In the process of trying to save him, they found themselves facing their own brokenness. They began to see that, just as William needed healing, so did they. They were no longer just chasing shadows of the past, trying to outrun their demons. Together, they would confront their pain, their scars, and maybe—just maybe—find a way to heal the wounds that had shaped them.

They weren’t alone anymore. And for the first time, they both wondered if it was possible to truly escape the cages they had built around themselves.