Editing August Casso (section)

=== Single Monmother of Red Headed Stepchild (1999-2002) ===
August grew up in rural western Illinois, their memories beginning around the age of 2 years old. Initially living alone with their single mother in an apartment in Monmouth, Illinois - August would primarily socialize with other children through Lutheran Daycare, Sunday School at the Church (ran by his Great Grandmother Shirley), Daycare at Carl Sandburg College where his mother attended, and various interactions from around the apartment complex. They would be babysat by their neighbor across the hall, a heavyset older woman (now deceased). During this period they would have three pets: a turtle named Stinky and two goldfish named Scooby and Shaggy. August would watch the former murder the pair one day, and then be informed the turtle died during the families move in with his future step father. 

August would meet his step father the day they moved in with him, much to August's chagrin. While initially upset at the abrupt upheaval of their life; that anger would be replaced primarily with fear as with this also came the introduction of physical harm as a form of punishment and with haphazard implementation. The house, now demolished, was located at Rural Route 1 Box 85 in Maquon, Illinois along the highway by itself atop a hill. It would be a home his step father had occupied a significant portion of his adult and child life himself, however the love it instilled in country living for him did not translate to August - who would grow up resenting rural residency.

Being left home alone initially around the age of 4, August would be intimidated to stay indoors by his mother who would say he would trip and fall down the hill in their front yard, barreling into the highway and being subsequently hit by a car if he were to venture outside without either parent present. He would also be instructed not to answer the telephone; one instance in doing so resulting in a minutes long fake conversation with themself and their mother, pretending to be one of her associates, only to reveal her trickery and that they would be paying for their error upon her arrival home. The interior of their first house was largely what they would have to experience in these years - technically 3 levels, though the basement level was only accessible via cellar door on the side of the house. The ground floor would have two entry points - a backdoor (used as a main entry), which opened into a large foyer that functioned as their living room. The middle of the abode was a kitchen with a pantry/laundry parrel to the far wall, a curtain functioning as the door to it. Opting to go instead along the opposite side of the kitchen's wall/windowed counter would lead to a staircase, which would go up to the attic level where August's room would be. The area initially had no barrier around it, leading a misstep to open air and plumeting down to the aforementioned living room area or foyer. Going through the kitchen or under the stairs would lead to the 'dining room' space, often a cluttered table with furniture all around making 4 narrow walkways around it to actually navigate the space. On the wall closest to the kitchen entry, an immediate right would put one in the bathroom, while further forward on the right was the computer room/den. Going just straight from the kitchen would lead to the often inaccessible front porch space, which was the other entry point for the home though rarely unlocked at all. Opposite the den on the other wall was a double wide two door entry to August's parent's room, which itself had a spare room for storage to the immediate left of it.