The first twelve years of Vala's life were a stretch from perfect; her small family was on their way to pick up their eldest son from a sleepover. However, a horrific car accident instantly killed her father and her mother later died from complications due to the crash and the premature labor of Vala. Vala's brother being only seven years older than his sister the two were placed in the foster system as there was no family able or willing to take the pair.
The fostering system worked diligently to keep them together, and for years they bounced around homes; some families offering to adopt Vala only to change their mind when a younger infant came along or when the agency attempted to place both children together. It was a long road for Vala, and it was only getting started. The homes ranged; some were wonderful havens, a reprieve away from the woeful excuses the system had placed them in before. However, the last residence was by far the worst.
Vala was ten years old and a handful, pushing buttons because she could to get a rise out of the particularly abusive man who she'd come to know as Dave. Dave was a "functioning" alcoholic who liked to hit on little girls, to belittle and mock Vala whenever she cried, to force her into cruel and unusual punishments while his wife insisted her unruly and "bratty" behavior warranted it. However, one day he was going too far. Shaking and tossing Vala's small body to the point it looked bleak for the little girl and her older brother in a fit of rage and in an attempt to protect Vala snapped and murdered Dave.
Just shy of eighteen the eldest Hale was tried for manslaughter as an adult; the plight of the underprivileged kids lost to a broken system. He was charged with fourteen years in a prison near the max sentence, and the only safety Vala had ever known was taken from her in a flash. However, things made a small turn around, a well-off aunt who had previously been unable to care for Vala and her brother heard news of what had happened and took Vala into her home officially adopting her at just barely eleven years old. Her new life was a good one, in a nice neighborhood with picket fences and neighbors, she couldn't help but love.
It was almost enough to take away the sting of losing her brother, but sometimes it's too late, sometimes there is too much damage that no amount of normalcy will ever make it go away. Vala grew up wild, flirtatious and in need of constant affection and thus surrounded herself with a slew of "friends" and became known as quite the party girl. She spent her nights using her fake I.D to get into clubs and her weekends partying with friends. By the time she was eighteen she had perfected sneaking out of her families home, and one fateful night tragedy unfolded. Experimenting with drugs her friend Naomi O.Ded and in a frenzy of fear and panic, Vala attempted CPR, cracking her friend's ribs and being the ultimate cause of her death. It was ruled an accident, and no charges were brought against Vala, but the death of Naomi has haunted her ever since that fateful day.
Vala was aimless for many years, bouncing from degree to degree at a local community college only to never really decide on what it was she wanted to be. She was reckless, a party girl with an attitude to match the personality that wound up using up all her aunts' kindness and needed to find a job at twenty to support herself or she'd have been homeless. She became a stripper shortly after and moved to Williamsburg. Aggressive, Vala is a small woman but has no issue sticking up for herself, her emotions are turbulent and can change quickly and easily depending on the day. She is unpredictable and perverse. However, she is known to be flirtatious despite being a virgin until she was eighteen, she wears her heart on her sleeve and loves with all of her heart. She is passionate and creative with a drive for art; despite her flaky nature art has always been always something she could admire and enjoy and even give a try too. Ultimately Vala is driven by the beating of her heart and follows her whims. She dreams of helping the innocent people in the world but is perfectly content under neon lights for now.
