I am the Raven

Cathy Lawson was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on the second day of the new millennium. With her black hair and dark skin, however, she has no resemblance to her immediate family. Upon reaching the age of five, Cathy cannot understand why her father, Henry Lawson, shuns her. After her sister, Violet, tells her she was an accident that their parents had planned to abort, Cathy becomes withdrawn, fears adults, and considers herself ugly. Throughout childhood, Cathy remains in a state of distress. She secretly wishes to be beautiful like Ruth, her blue-eyed, blonde-haired mother, and receive the same parental love as her sister. As Cathy progresses through elementary and middle school, she isolates herself and develops a dark personality while adopting Edgar Allen Poe, Alice Cooper, and Glenn Danzig as personal influences. Just before starting high school, Cathy decides she wants to be an author and begins writing poetry and short stories. It is not until her freshman year at Harrisonburg High School that Cathy makes her first friend, Jennifer Adams, a virtuoso guitarist. After reluctantly agreeing to be the lead vocalist in Jennifer's all-female rock band, Cathy forms a tight comradery with her bandmates. With them, she finally finds the love and support she needs. Dedicated to each other, the four girls navigate their turbulent teenage years while learning lessons in friendship, loyalty, sex, and love.