#bpoint:intro

ABOUT

born in bridgeport, connecticut, to his parents, beverley thompson, a secretary, and cole henry, a general worker, axel grew up in what he thought was a loving home. his mother was attentive and his father always put a meal on the table at the end of the day. but what axel didn’t know was his father was harbouring a secret.

one night when he was nine, his mother took him and they crossed states and settled down in brooklyn, new york. it was there that he lived most of his childhood. he remembered his mother crying at night and anytime that the news came on and she watching it and noticed him she would immediately turn it off. it was weird to him but he didn’t make a big deal out of it, figuring she just didn’t want him to witness any grusome news.

soon after his mother had an emotional breakdown and ended up in the hospital, a week later he was placed into the foster system. at ten he was moved to a place with four other children. they got into trouble by stealing from a corner store, mainly because of one guy who coerced the younger ones - that was his only trouble with the law he’s ever been in. 

he was in two other foster homes, one in colombus ohio and another in buffalo, before aging out at eighteen and being put out to find a place for himself and by himself. he had managed to find a place but it wasn’t too long that he had to leave it as soon as he found out about his father. that was when everybody he ever knew turned their back on him - even his then girlfriend of almost two years. they all learned that his dad was ‘the doorbell murderer’. 

the next thing he knew he was fleeing. he found himself in small towns along the highway, never staying for too long. his head couldn’t wrap around the fact about what his dad was. eventually he found his way to barton point, finding a tiny place in fallen mill. it was perfect for him to start over, even staying for almost three years when he doesn’t stay for more than five months at a time.

he keeps to himself most of the time and works as a dishwasher at eddie’s grill’n’shakes. he also picked up some janitorial gigs as well. he struggles with worries of becoming like his father, he even takes medication for it for anxiety and depression (note: he isn’t like his father.) and he always keeps people at arm’s length but is friendly nonetheless to avoid any suspicions.

he hopes he won’t have to leave barton point but is ready to leave on the dime if anything were to happen. so far this place is starting to feel like home to him and he wants to stay, hoping the people around him wants him to as well.

PERSONALITY

when he was younger he was an inquistive kid, always asking questions like why and how. his teachers pegged him as a genius but when he took the test it turned out he wasn’t. he did well in class otherwise. but his grades started slipping after the first move and especially when his mother was hospitalized. he’s smart but doesn’t like to show it.

he’s also quiet, not wanting any attention on himself. he can strike up conversation though, not wanting to seem too anti-social, and is friendly enough to make some friends. because of his introvertedness, the friends that he does have he hangs out with only a couple times a month - retreating to his place to watch tv or movies or try out a new cooking recipe.

and because he doesn’t like conflict he avoids it as much as possible. he’s also amibitious in a way that it’s only for himself. he finds it hard to forgive too and is deeply emotional. brooding and quiet could be some words to describe him just as much as passionate and intense is.

HOBBIES

he likes to cook alot so you can find him at the store or farmer’s market. because he likes to work with his hands, he’s also very into graffiti. he likes what some of them say and the message it can portray. swimming is also another hobby he likes so the indoor simming pool is one of his favorite places to be. he also edits videos and is only currently editing videos for an upcoming youtuber who gained popularity in the summer. he likes the extra cash that comes from it. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

about

Cleo was born in Rumson, New Jersey to Shelley Eaton - a socialite, artistic director to her own fashion magazine, and heiress to the Eaton family fortune - and to Raphael Somers - a criminal lawyer with fame and fortune of his own. 

To Cleo and to the rest of the world, Shelley and Raphael’s relationship was perfect. It wasn’t just perfect, it was aspirational. Magazines and newspapers had written articles on them, think-pieces analyzing the way they’d looked at each other at a gala, or the way he’d fixed her dress during fashion week. They were the perfect couple. And all Cleo wanted in life was to have a love like theirs; a couple that supports one another through it all, that stands by each other, that really, truly love each other.

It wasn’t until she grew up that she realized things weren’t as perfect as her parents had made them seem; they wore a mask even with their own children, everything was a façade. Raphael was cheating on Shelley with a co-worker and had been for years, and Shelley was drinking. A lot. 

Because Cleo and Stephen’s whole lives had been pretending to be perfect, it was the only thing they knew how to do when things started to fall apart. They slapped a big, brave smile on their faces and went out into the world, keeping everything that burdened them buried deep, deep down in their souls. 

They finally got divorced when Cleo was 16. Raphael moved to New York, Stephen started college at NYU, and Cleo and her mom moved to Barton Point. Cleo suspected Shelley had picked the most obscure little town she could find as to not have to face her rich socialite friends as a divorcée. 

Things were rough for Cleo in Barton Point. Dealing with her mother’s alcoholism wasn’t an easy task for her at 17. She refused to get professional help, refused to admit she had a problem, and Cleo found herself having to carry the burden for her. It ruptured their already rocky mother-daughter relationship. 

And because all Cleo knew was to portray nothing short of perfection, she had to continue to pretend everything was fine– that her entire life wasn’t crumbling around her. In her mind, if she pretended enough, not only would the rest of the world not notice, but maybe she wouldn’t either. Maybe things would magically fix themselves.

Even though she swore she would never allow herself to fall in love and then possibly go through all the heartbreak and pain her mom went through, Cleo met someone in Barton Point who made her question every promise she’d made to herself. Sean Keller. They fell in love and were together for almost two years. They had the most beautiful, loving relationship, but Cleo’s fear of commitment and communication issues caught up with them and they eventually broke up. 

The year following her breakup with Sean was one of the most difficult things she has ever gone through. She was down for a really long time, and, to her dismay, she started to become more and more like her mom; drinking too much, being irresponsible, refusing to get help. It wasn’t until her best friend, Savannah, staged an intervention for her that Cleo started going to therapy and actually taking care of herself. She called up Shelley to tell her she was worried about Cleo, and then got a few of their closest friends together to tell Cleo how much they cared about her and wanted her to get better. If it wasn’t because of that, Cleo could’ve really ended up like her mom.

During a trip to Aspen with Raphael, Shelley, Stephen and his boyfriend Ollie, Cleo found out her mom had been cheating on her dad since before Stephen and Cleo were born, that she’d been with someone else just the night before their wedding. Not just that, but that she’d questioned if Stephen and Cleo were even Raphael’s in the first place. A DNA test later confirmed that they were, but the thought was still horrifying and life-shattering to Cleo. Everything she had blamed her dad for for years had actually been her mom.

After returning to Barton Point with the news that her mom was moving back to New Jersey and selling their house, Cleo decided to make some adjustments in her life. She canceled her credit cards, returned all of her parents’ money to them, and once the house was sold, she moved to an apartment on her own. She wanted to become a better, more grown up version of herself, and she knew she couldn’t do it still tied down to her family’s money. She hasn’t talked to her mom since.

Even though it was hard, Cleo finally felt like she was getting getting her life together.

She also realized she might be in love with her very best friend River McGrath. She was in denial for a very long time, and she cried about it for months, but when she finally told him how she felt, she found out he felt the same way and they started dating. For real this time.

Cleo knows she still has a lot of work to do on herself, and she still has a lot to figure out, but she’s happy with the person she’s become. 

personality

Cleo is loud, cheerful, extroverted. She is unapologetically herself. She has gotten a lot better at talking about her feelings (even though she still finds it slightly terrifying). She’s still a little cynical, very obsessive and spoiled, but she’s actively working on it.

possible connections

Friends. She has been living at Barton Point for a couple of years now, so she should have a few.

Some frenemies too. Cleo can be a lot, so it’s possible she’s ruffled a few feathers, rubbed people the wrong way.

Ex-flings. Post-Sean and pre-Riv Cleo dated and slept around a lot. She had a lot of fun.

People from yoga, pilates, her art classes or pottery. 

Marissa, as long as she’s remembered, has been known as “the crazy conspiracy theorist’s daughter.” Despite her cheerful demeanor, things weren’t full of sunshine and rainbows for the Cox family. Her family began to struggle financially after her father was fired from his job at the Greensville Gazette, and the struggle only became worse after her mother injured her back and became dependent on opiates. Desperation and poor choices lead to her mother’s arrest and eight-year prison sentence, but this wasn’t the worst part. Marissa was lied to by her father, who convinced her that her mom was abducted by aliens to complete a special mission. 

Marissa was raised to believe in aliens and cryptids, and to distrust the government. Growing up, she often spent her days trying to convince others that her and her father’s theories were true. Most brushed her off politely, because it was nearly impossible to be rude to her sweet, innocent face, but the few that managed were incredibly cruel. By the time she reached her late teens, she began to keep the majority of her theories to herself. It was easier that way. It wasn’t until her last year of high school that Marissa began to really make friends, and she was able to find people who loved and accepted her for who she was, aliens and all. Her senior year was a whirlwind for several reasons. Not only did she gain valuable friendships, but she also met a spoiled rich girl from New York City who turned out to be the love of her life. Even though they came from two completely different worlds, Savannah Martinez and Marissa Cox soon became inseparable. It was also during this year that she discovered the truth about her mom and began to notice a decline in her dad’s health. Despite all of this, she managed to graduate and begin her journey through college. 

After five years in college, going through several different majors and reevaluating her beliefs regarding politics, Marissa created a plan for herself. She graduated college in 2020, with a double major in special education (with a focus in American Sign Language) and history and a minor in political science, and married her best friend a month later. After graduating, Marissa got a job at a school for the deaf as a leave replacement; once the teacher who was on maternity leave returned, she started working in the school as a substitute teacher. However, once the school year was over, she decided she didn’t want to stay at that school and started applying elsewhere. She decided to take a leap of faith and apply outside of her homestate of North Carolina, which is how she ended up with a job offer at Barton Point High School teaching ASL as a second language. Before leaving, she tied up all of her loose ends and made sure her father-- who, after many years of refusing to seek help, got a diagnosis for his dementia-- got the proper care he needed in an assisted living home. 

ABOUT

essy was born in west sussex, england, to harry chambers, an englishma and an accountant now motel manager, and isla fontes, an immigrant from brazil and ex nurse now cashier at wilton’s.  growing up she was loved in all the ways a child was supposed to be. she was read bedtime stories and taught how to swim and they came to see her in many plays. she could count on them and they loved her unconditionally. her three older brothers included.

during her childhood she had never really made any friends, she was too hyper active and wasn’t interested in many things that the popular kids were into so she got bullied a lot. the friend that she did had moved schools and they never talked again. since then essy has learned that friends come and go but to always make the most of the time spent.

then, when she was eleven, her parents divorced. it took a hard toll on her because knowing that if they couldn’t make it through it made her doubt in love. she grew a hard shell because of it. being between two places, even her brothers chose sides - she couldn’t though. she loved them both too much to.

then she met evan davies. he was in the same friend group as hers but they never really met until one rainy day in London, he caught up with her and they shared an umbrella. they talked and soon enough he fell head over heels for her. it took her awhile to reciprocate the feeling but with patience and understanding he soon won over heart.

a year later they were married at sixteen. it was also when her family decided to move to the states. evan came with since they newlyweds couldn’t be apart and couldn’t keep their hands off eachother. essy really found the one half of her soul and it was like she won the jackpot with him. she never wanted it to end.

her mother soon found a boyfriend and her father disapproved but there was nothing he could do about it except move out and find a place of his own. two of essy’s brothers followed and it was just one of her brothers, evan, and her, with her mother and boyfriend. he wasn’t a good guy and they tried telling her that but they didn’t listen. 

she got a job at muse and tried to act like everything was okay at home. it became rocky with evan later for a few months because he wanted her to move in with him some place and she wanted to stay with her mother and brother. the next school year her brother went off to college and it was just her and her mother. evan had bought them a place and was waiting for her. they were still together and she slept over at his, sometimes he slept over at hers. 

it took awhile but two years later her mother dumped her boyfriend but had developed a drinking habit. she drank before but it was becoming too much. and essy tried to help her but she refused which caused a rift between them. it didn’t help that a few months later after a few tests were done, that her mother was in early stages of dementia. essy had found her one night wandering, and thinking it was just because she was drunk which wasn’t the case, and found it odd. then it happened again and she knew she had to do something.

evan was supportive, right to the very end. he died in his sleep and that haunts her in her wake everyday. she didn’t know if she could ever truly love again, not like she did evan. it was pure right from the very start. finding something like that was rare and she was sure it would only happen once in her life.

it was a hard two years after his death, especially after becoming friends with benefits with a guy named, beau miller. he had been in their friend group for four years before then and had always secretly vied for her love. he was a ‘bad guy’. but whenever things took a turn for the worse she always ended up in his bed and in his arms. 

the next four years their relationship became the type that was off and on again. they were moths to flames that never knew when to quit. between the break ups she dated but it never lasted more than two months before she was back with beau. whether she liked it or not he was a part of her life.

her mother hasn’t been getting worse but she could be better. now with another boyfriend, essy is wary of him considering how her mother’s last relationship was and so she keeps arms length away and always has a quip or two when within earshot of the guy. 

living in the house in the claremont neighborhood that evan had bought her, essy has a third earning from renting the place out during the summer. now moving back in it for the fall, she continues working at RHVC and the hospital. she spends her time at work most of the time but when she’s off she spends it with friends or with beau. she is looking to try to expand her friend group, and maybe start up an etsy for her crochet animals and blankets. she is also looking for an opportunity to become a clothes designer.

PERSONALITY

essy is very adaptable. she goes with the flow with others emotions and actions. because of her life anything that happens to her she doesn’t let it get her down, she may complain about it but never lets it fester. she’s not one to hold onto things (except for evan), so grudges and being unforgiving are not things in her vocabulary.

being empathetic - to the point she suffers mood swings from - also happens to make her a very emotional person. she can cry at sad videos but then get angry at an unfair videos the next moment. she has a caring soul but doesn’t want anybody to know. putting up a front that she can take care of herself.

a loyal person she strives on building relationships with others and try to be there whenever they need her. she is also stubborn when she thinks that she’s right. it can take awhile but she can be proved wrong and owns up to her mistakes.  she’s also a little bit pessimistic - more so after evan and because of beau - and it can make her spiral sometimes. she’s trying to find ways to help herself when it happens.

HOBBIES

while she was in highschool essy was rather fond of people who design and made clothes. she wasn’t any good at it but she did manage to pick up crocheting, and she became very good at it. the same can be said for embroidery. she had wanted to do something with it for her future but then van passed away and she met beau and now she just does them for fun but there’s a tiny thought in the back of her mind - what if.

metal detecting is another hobby she likes to do on her spare time. she finds herself down by the water at night then brings her finds home, cleans them, sells them and/or returns them to their owner by putting up fliers or on lost and find sites on facebook. she’s even building a coin collection.

because she has a photographic memory, she likes doing puzzles in her spare time, and reading books. she is also really big on karaoke and trivia nights, which is where she thrives and loves the thrill of winning everytime.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

about

Two things to know about Levi Campbell’s parents is that they had only known each other for three months when aspiring singer Jennifer Wade fell pregnant with Callum Campbell’s son, and that Jennifer Wade never wanted to be a mother.

Despite knowing her heart lied in her career and dreams to be a singer, Jennifer tried to stick it out with Callum. Her entire life she’d only seen women who were mothers; she’d been surrounded by them, so even though she knew she didn’t want motherhood for herself, she figured it was probably meant to be and it would work itself out eventually. Maybe she would fall into a rhythm and it would feel right. 

One year she lived with Callum and their son Levi, and one year she felt suffocated by the throes of motherhood. So one day, when Callum was out with Levi, Jennifer packed her things and left. She didn’t leave a note, didn’t say goodbye, she just left.

It took a long time for Callum to get back on his feet after Jennifer left. Their relationship was rocky at best, but he really did love her. Still, he couldn’t say he was surprised that she had left; he knew Jennifer had different dreams - dreams that didn’t involve them - and she couldn’t pursue them if she stayed.

They eventually moved to Barton Point to live with Callum’s parents. Callum always told Levi growing up that it was because he wanted to be closer to family, but as he would later find out, it was because they were broke and couldn’t afford rent on their apartment. And so started Levi’s journey in Barton Point.

Levi was a happy kid growing up. His dad tried his best to hide his financial troubles from him, and while Levi knew they weren’t rich like some of his other classmates, he didn’t know just how bad things really were. He was in sixth grade when he found out. He found some bills his dad hadn’t paid, overheard hushed conversations around the house… and even though it had nothing to do with him, Levi felt a sense of responsibility to make things easier for his dad.

The moment he could, he got his first job working at Eddie’s in the kitchen. This was his first encounter with cooking. He’d done it with his dad on occasion; they’d grilled together, cooked here and there, but it was at Eddie’s that he really fell in love with it. Because he was only 14, his working hours were very limited, but he made the most of his time there.

With high school came another set of responsibilities, though, and a lot of pressure that he didn’t need. Callum hadn’t gone to college and regretted it deeply, so his dream was for Levi to get a full ride at MIT or NYU - one of the big ones - so he wouldn’t have to struggle like he had.

Now Levi found early on in his education that school wasn’t his thing, but he was always very good at sports. Soccer, specifically. He dreamed of being a pro-soccer player, and his dreams weren’t far off; he was the best in his team, maybe the best in town, hell, even the state. The Barton Point Nighthawks hadn’t won in decades until Levi joined the team. He’d been playing since he was 5, and he loved it.

Levi quit his job at Eddie’s so he could focus entirely on his soccer career. He showed real promise, according to everyone, could even make it into the national team eventually.

And Levi was a real team player, unless it interfered with his plans. When a recruiter from Duke University went to Barton Point High to watch him, and only him, Levi was so focused on playing a good game to impress him, that he refused to pass the ball to his teammates. He was playing the game almost entirely by himself, and even though he was good, their team was losing badly. Then Levi tripped over the ball, or maybe another player’s leg - he wasn’t sure - but it was a move that earned him a trip to the ER. He had torn his ACL, and after a complicated surgery, he was told he wouldn’t be able to play again, at least not the rest of the season and then without the risk of injury. And so he lost his one shot at going to a good college and making his dad proud. He knew his grades wouldn’t get him there, and even if they did, he would never be able to afford it. He became really angry after this, feeling like he had failed his dad, had made things harder for him again. Not only had he ruined his one chance at getting out of Barton Point, but now they had hospital bills they couldn’t afford to pay.

Not being able to do sports allowed Levi to focus on other things. His cooking, for example. His relationship with his father was strained, mostly because Levi had distanced himself out of fear that he’d let him down, but they bonded in the kitchen. Levi then got a job at Toppings, another one at Garden Boulevard, subbed at Eddie’s when he was needed… and so his love for cooking began. Really began.

Being very persistent and dedicated, he followed head chefs around asking questions, learning from them, he took cooking lessons in and out of town, and worked at every restaurant he could just to really hone his skills. He’d found he really enjoyed cooking, and not just that, but he was good at it. Made good money too. 

While Levi was in high school, his dad met and married a woman named Misty, a preschool music teacher. They had a son soon after; a boy named Henry that Levi is fiercely protective over. Now he wants to make sure Henry doesn’t have to worry about college, saving 10% of his earnings every month in a trust fund to give him when he’s older.

And Jennifer Wade made it big. His dad doesn’t know, but she got in touch with him recently – said she’d been thinking about her life a lot lately, the choices she made along the way, and she was curious to see who her son had grown up to be. They talked on the phone for a while, and she offered Levi to pay for culinary school, to help with some expenses, but he felt it would be a great betrayal to his dad to accept anything from her, so he turned it down. She still texts him every once in a while, but Levi keeps her at a distance; she’s a stranger to him after all. Just the woman who gave birth to him.

personality

Despite being very friendly and outgoing, Levi was kind of an asshole growing up. Not intentionally, he just had his group of friends from soccer and that was it; he never really branched out or tried to befriend other people because he didn’t care to know any more people. Not in an asshole-y way, though! He wasn’t a bully or anything like that either, just…closed off. This changed after high school, though, with a lot of his friends moving away for college, he had to get out there and make more friends. He’s still very much in his own world at times, mostly because he’s very focused on his own things and plans, but he’s very good at making friends, it’s something that comes easily to him. He’s a good listener, deeply loyal to those he cares about, and he’s very passionate about the things he likes. He can be a jerk at times, and he struggles at accepting people’s help or advice, but he tries.

possible connections

Background: 

Dakota was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina to a young couple who couldn’t wait to have children. They loved and doted on their baby girl who was the light of their life. When Dakota was one years old, her parents were killed in a car crash, leading to Dakota being put up for adoption. 

After spending a year at St. Mary’s Adoption Center, Dakota was adopted by two loving men, Oliver and Thomas Carter. The Carters already had two children when they brought Dakota home, Faith a girl her age and Isaac, a boy three years older. The moved her to their home in Barton Point, Maine.

Growing up, Dakota was the more outspoken tomboy out of her siblings. You can always catch her at the skatepark or rolling around in the dirt with her older brother. In high school she joined the school soccer team and instantly fell in love. She ate, dreamed and lived for soccer. 

Now that she’s in college, she plays for the team but hopes to become a sports manager in the future.