Second Life Kids- Little Black Girl

By Mistee Jaxxon

"Maya was a healing point for me honestly."

The first few days of her SL experience, MayaBallinger Vella was disgusted by the interactions she had with most of the adults on SL. She decided that she didn't want to be a part of that so she deleted her first account and re-emerged as an SL kid.

Maya is now a 7-year-old in SL and chooses to physically progress stage by stage through the human course of development, changing the shape of her avatar as she feels she is maturing.

"I love being able to choose how and when I mature," Maya says. "You plan everything in this game and I plan by how I feel. So when it's time to move on or past [a stage in life], I do. Someday I will be an old lady in SL," Maya giggles.

Today Maya is enjoying her life as a vibrant 7-year-old. Every Sunday she attends church at the River of Life Center and spends time with her church family.

While she doesn't have parents, at one point she did, but the tale that surrounds that adventure is a sad one indeed.

The 30-year-old woman from Pennysylvania came to SL over a year ago and quickly decided that she wanted to be an SL Kid. Before she deleted her first account she met her future parents PapiChulo vella and Jiji Ballinger.

When she re-appeared as Maya in a cute little dress and an angelic smile, both PapiChulo and Jiji embraced her as their own. Their family life went along well until Maya noticed how controlling and abusive her father was to her mother. She and her mother were forced to leave him and lived in several apartments that were unsafe and placed them in abusive environments.

Eventually, Maya and her mother Jiji bought their own land, to later have it stolen from them by Maya's aunt.

The drama associated with family led to Maya declaring her independence.

"As Maya I do not have to be commited to anyone," she says. "I protect myself behind Maya as not to be hurt in relationships.That is why I made Maya. I had been hurt badly in relationships in RL and some online. So Maya was a healing point for me honestly."

As Maya became more confident in SL, it has made her become more confident in RL and she was able to create another adult av to test out adult interactions once again. She now uses the adult av more often than she uses the child av, but each role has a permanent part of her SL existence.

As luck would have it, her adult av has found real life love through SL. Her adult av is now married to her former SL mother, who also created a new av in order to marry her.

Their relationship has exploded beyond the SL screen into real life. The couple enjoys co-managing their SL business, Little Jewels, a children's clothing store.

"The best thing about being an adult av is being married to Sun and having my own family," Maya Shares.