Alyx Byrns bio
Alyx Byrns was born on August 16, 2004, to parents Paul and Miranda.
Paul was founder and CEO of the enormously successful computer software company Byrns Tech Enterprises, and Miranda worked as a nurse's assistant Yalobusha General Hospital.
The couple met in 1997 at the hospital while Miranda was on duty and Paul was visiting a friend. Miranda was 27 years old and had led an uneventful life. Paul was a 21-year-old college junior who could party hard while maintaining a high GPA.
Paul introduced Miranda to the college party scene, and Miranda embraced the lifestyle with gusto. Paul graduated with honors in 1998, and the couple married in 2001.
Alyx was their only child. Neither Paul nor Miranda wanted children, and the pregnancy was an unwelcome surprise but one they ultimately accepted.
Miranda suffered postpartum depression, which was exacerbated by her alcohol dependency. In January 2005, Paul hired a live-in nanny to care for the baby when, on two occasions, he arrived home from work to find Miranda unconscious and Alyx crying in her crib.
Miranda's addiction issues escalated to the extreme, and in 2006, Paul filed for divorce and petitioned for full custody. The Byrnses' divorce was final in 2007, and Paul was granted sole custody of Alyx.
In 2008, Paul met and married Barbara Jones, a local television personality. Both Alyx's father and stepmother adored Alyx, but due to career demands, neither parent had sufficient time to spend with her.
Paul and Barbara showed their affection for Alyx by continually surprising her with purchases of big-ticket items, sleep-away camps, and lavish vacations chaperoned by her live-in nanny.
At 12 years old, Alyx insisted that she was "a grown-up" and no longer needed her nanny. Paul and Barbara agreed, believing that Alyx was mature and responsible. Without this constant companion, Alyx felt lonely and depressed.
Beginning then and continuing throughout her high school years, Alyx hosted large parties at her house whenever Paul and Barbara were out of town. The parties made her extremely popular, which she interpreted as genuine affection.
Fearing that she could become an addict like her mother, Alyx strictly abstained from alcohol and drugs. However, Alyx's addiction issues manifested in the form of sex, and as the years went on, her parties became increasingly debauched.
Alyx was mischievous and smart. She enjoyed playing jokes on people and spent long hours planning and setting them up, but her pranks were not always entirely harmless.
She subscribed to the philosophy that revenge is best served cold, and if Alyx perceived a slight, she would set in motion a plan for a prank and patiently wait for the precise moment to execute that prank perfectly.
Alyx was an average student at Yoknapatawpha High School, maintaining a low B average. Teachers noted that Alyx seemed more interested in socializing than studying.
Alyx's one true friend was Katie Henderson. Alyx was seven when they met, and the two bonded so deeply that most people considered them "attached at the hip."
