#h.e.

The Central Characters

Melissa Adams, the protagonist. She’s a sweetheart, but she’s not the brightest. What she lacks in traditional intelligence, however, she more than makes up in emotional intelligence. She has a knack for reading people, understanding what they’re feeling just from looking at them. She also has a four-month gap in her memory. She’s not concerned about it, even though she maybe should be. 

Virgil Argyris, the golden boy. He’s quiet and keeps to himself, but everyone at school is obsessed with him because he’s the first Argyris in living memory to attend a public school. He left the Argyris Orphanage in middle school to live with one of the adults who used to live in the orphanage, Ace, and he refuses to talk about it. Generally calm and considerate, the only person who is able to rile him up is Eden, and the only person who has been able to put him in a playful mood is Melissa.

Eden, the ex-Argyris. She doesn’t consider herself to be a part of the family even though she grew up in the orphanage. She’s been travelling for the past few years, but decides to return to Silverwood for unknown reasons. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that she and Virgil seem to hate each others’ guts and are nearly always at each others’ throats.

(Worth noting that her role may change drastically in the second draft - but since I’m already halfway through the first draft with this version of her, I’m just gonna keep her as is for now!!)

Other Important Characters

Asa Argyris, Virgil and Eden’s ‘uncle’ who left the Argyris Orphanage to live in his own house in the woods, which is an incredibly rare but not-unheard-of thing. He didn’t offer Melissa a place in his home out of the goodness of his heart, though - he’s playing his own game

Jared Adams, Melissa’s cousin who seems to know far more about that Argyris family and their world then he should.

Holly Song and Fern Beaumont, Melissa’s two best friends at school, the latter of which dabbles in witchcraft.

And our antagonist, Marceline Argyris, the shadowy matriarch who runs the orphanage and will stop at nothing to keep her family by her side - even if that means hurting them to prevent them from leaving.

[“I see.” The man lowered himself into a crouch, presumably so that he didn’t have to lean down quite so much to look her in the eye. Because of the porch railing, she could only see half of his face through the gaps. “And what is it that brings you to our particular neck of the woods? Silverwood is hardly a place for youngsters like you to wander alone.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” She recited reflexively. “Really, the forest is fine, so long as you treat it right.” 

“Is that so?”

“W-well, yeah. Isn’t… don’t you know that? You live out here too, after all…”

“I wasn’t aware it was common knowledge, that’s all. People are so quick to judge that which they don’t understand. And with that judgment usually comes things like fear… and violence.”

The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise, and she resisted the urge to step back. There was something about this man that unnerved her, and only being able to see half of his face only worsened that feeling. It was a distant, vague feeling, but unmistakable. Like coming face-to-face with a childhood nightmare.

Ridiculous, of course. Her childhood nightmare certainly hadn’t featured this sleepy-eyed man still in his (red, silk) pajamas.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the man letting out a loud oof and falling on his backside, rubbing the side of his head resentfully.

“Whoops,” A voice said unapologetically - a new voice, delicate and soft like the finest part of a feather, or a cat’s silken fur.

It belonged to a boy her own age standing at the top of the steps, pulling a backpack onto his shoulders, and it didn’t take her long to put the pieces together. He must have accidentally - or not so accidentally, judging by his tone - hit the man with his backpack as he swung it up.

“How many dictionaries do you have in there this time?” The man demanded.

“Three.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”