Cover model Tori Mattison is no stranger to water. She spent her childhood growing up on a sailboat and being a “dock rat” in Kemah. Photo by Stuart Villanueva

Meet our October cover model

Name: Tori Mattison

Age: 25

Occupation: Criminal defense paralegal

Where did you grow up?

I was a Clear Creek Wildcat, Class of 2009. I spent my childhood growing up on a sailboat and being the dock rat. I don’t know if there is a better life than a pirate’s life for a child.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Oh yes, very much so.

Have you ever encountered one?

I’ve had a few paranormal experiences since I was a child. When I was a younger girl, maybe 8 or 10, my sister and I shared a room. She slept under the window and my bed was on the opposite side of the room.

I remember looking over to her side of the room to check the time on the digital alarm clock next to her bed, and I kept seeing a shadow go in front of the alarm clock as if my sister were walking from her bed to her closet.

After seeing it several times, I sat up and said, “Sis, stop walking around and go to sleep,” to which she mumbled in the most sister-ish voice, “I’m not, shut up.” After continuing to watch this, I swear the sheets on my bed started to be pulled off. Needless to say, I jumped into my sister’s bed and stayed there the rest of the night.

What do you like most about living on the Texas coast?

Aside from just the way the air and salt feel on your skin, it’s so amazing to know that I can just drive down to Galveston to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Life slows down when you get close to the water, so how could you not love it?