Wili Wachendon

Wili is a young black boy who is a genius, at least partly owing to the fact that his uncle forces him to keep his mind active. His parents abandon him as a child, initially planning to leave him for the wolves because they realize that he has a disease that typically causes a slow, agonizing death among children of Wili's age. Wili's uncle convinces them to leave the boy with him and he raises Wili, prompting Wili to use his mind when he is unable to walk and working with Wili until he gains some of his strength and is able to walk. Wili is kidnapped from the kind uncle and becomes a slave of the gangs that rule an area of southern California. He eventually escapes and wins a great deal of money in an arcade, which brings him to the attention of Paul Naismith...