#openlocal

LEXIA MCFEE || PARIS BERELC || OPEN

16 year old student from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

At only sixteen, Lexia feels like she's experienced a lot of the world, already. After all, her father's job had them moving somewhere new every year. So, there was never really a need to settle in anywhere, or to make friends. She just had fun, learned about her new home, and then said goodbye much too soon. While not ideal for a child, it's something that Lexia never minded much. She loved being with her parents, and she loved getting to see the world. Besides, having been homeschooled to maintain consistency, Lexia's had plenty of time to follow her own interests. Whatever caught her eye, she pursued, gladly going wherever it leads her. It was a fun-filled life, footloose and fancy free. Leading that sort of life left Lexia with only a few constants--which made it that much harder on her when her parents divorced. She was completely blindsided by the split--and the subsequent relocation to Aspen Hollow, to live with her maternal grandparents. So, it was at was at age thirteen that the wild Lexia was finally tamed, chained down in a tiny town that she would live in for what felt like the rest of her mortal days.

But, just because she had to be in Aspen Hollow didn't mean she would enjoy it. Lexia began acting out, making trouble in her home when she never had before. She got good at sneaking out and at keeping secrets, at showing her emotions without a word and at keeping them hidden. It was the lying that came easiest to her, though--and what she excelled at. It didn't matter what she was doing or where she went; whatever anyone asked her, Lexia always answered with a lie. Now it comes so naturally to her, and the lie escapes her lips before she can stop it. And, if she doesn't get it under control--soon--Lexia McFee is going to find out what happens to girls who cry wolf.

CONNECTIONS

Art Zucker: A local cop who tries to keep Lexia out of trouble, and who she tries to ignore. Whenever she gets caught for being out past curfew or for doing something 'questionable', it's always Art who picks her up.

Darrell Coeman: Darrell is a mentor of sorts for Lexia, and has quickly become a stand-in for the father she rarely sees. Like Art, he tries to keep her busy and out of trouble, which Lexia doesn't respond well to. She tells him often how much she doesn't need him and that she can take care of herself, but she has him as her first emergency contact.

MALINDA MILLHOUSE || AMANDA SEYFRIED || OPEN

28 year old teacher from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

Malinda Millhouse is an upstanding citizen, setting an example for the rest of Aspen Hollow. She's kind to everyone, donates her time and money to noble causes, and inspires the next generation every day she goes to work as their teacher. But, to a lot of people in Aspen Hollow, it still isn't enough. Malinda is the way she is because she's never had the option not to be--not when she has the rest of the Millhouse family to make up for. Ever since Aspen Hollow was founded, the Millhouse family has "terrorized" the townspeople. Drunkards, thieves, vandals, troublemakers. Malinda's family ran the whole gambit. Her father seemed to be the lone exception, leaving the town to pursue a degree in finance and relocating to Pinedale with his new family. But, with the only jobs close to her parents having been in Aspen Hollow, Malinda chose to come back to the town that judges her purely for her name.

But, there's more to Malinda than first glances would first imply. Ever since coming back to Aspen Hollow and moving into the old family home, Malinda can feel herself slipping--losing little bits of herself. What started as just sleepwalking has steadidly progressed into blackouts, lasting anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and occuring at anytime during the day. Malinda isn't sure what happens during these times, or what she's doing, but she always comes to deep in the woods with things that aren't hers. As her lapses get worse, Malinda is getting more scared--and more withdrawn. She doesn't want to bring her problems to anyone's attentions, because she doesn't want to know what they'll say about her. But, if this keeps up, how long until Malinda isn't Malinda anymore?

CONNECTIONS

Cassie Hernandez: Malinda has had a few conversations with Cassie before, asking vague questions about what's been happening. But, ever since Cassie came back from her camping trip, she and Malinda haven't talked--even though Malinda's only gotten worse.

Zoey Bradford: Zoey is someone Malinda isn't too familiar with, but is apparently very familiar with her. Zoey insists that they're friends, but Malinda doesn't remember anything of the sort.

PIPER FOSS || MICHELLE HENDLEY || OPEN

25 year old sales associate from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

If you ever have a question about Aspen Hollow, Piper Foss is the woman to ask. She knows more about the town than people whose families have lived here for generations, despite only recently having moved to town. She can recite fact upon fact upon fact regarding Aspen Hollow, and often does without provocation. Most people assume it's because she loves the town that much, and Piper would agree with them--even if it isn't particularly true. It doesn't matter to her what people think about her wealth of knowledge. She just wants to garner as little attention as possible. She'll hold conversations, explaining which tool is best for what or chat about the weather, but beyond that and her trivia, Piper just keeps to herself and avoids talking too much. She's personable, but without ever revealing too much of herself.

If it seems like she has a lot of practice, it's because she does. Piper grew up always knowing who she was, but getting trouble from other people who didn't quite agree. Very quickly, she learned the best ways to avoid drawing attention to herself, and made it through childhood with as few problems as she could manage. Then, when she could, she got as far away from home as she could. She needed to be as far away as possible when she reinvented herself--and, Aspen Hollow just seemed to be where she ended up. All for the better, though, because Aspen Hollow is the last place the real Piper Foss would ever show up--and the real Piper showing up is the last thing this Piper needs.

CONNECTIONS

Frankie Ahlers: A young lady from around town that has taken an interest in Piper. Piper tries to be polite, fielding questions whenever Frankie confronts her. But, she mostly just wants Frankie to stop being so nosy.

Walter DuPond: Piper does her best to avoid Walter altogether. If they run into each other due to medical reasons, he might discover she's not Piper Foss. If they run into each other in town, she'll have to explain why she never goes to the hospital.

FRANKIE AHLERS || KACEY ROHL || OPEN

24 year old gas station attendant from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

All Frankie Ahlers ever talked about was how excited she was to get out of Aspen Hollow. She wanted to see the world, to get a stamp from every country she could visit twice over. She put it off for college, at her parents' request, but dropped out after her junior year. Instead of getting a degree, she took a job as a flight attendant and set out for her adventure. Anytime a neighbor asked the Ahlers where their daughter was, the answer was always different. Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, Greenland, South Africa, Mexico. On and on the list went. When they were asked when Frankie would be back, they just shrugged. As far as they were aware, their daughter was never coming back. She was out living her life, and Aspen Hollow would just have to learn to live without her. Imagine their surprise, then, when Frankie turned up out of the blue one day with a girl on her arm. She introduced the woman as her girlfriend, explaining that they'd met on one of Frankie's flights and had hit it off spectacularly. They'd been talking for months when they decided it was time to get serious and meet each other's parents--the Ahlers were first.

And then, just like that, the woman was gone--and so was Frankie, in a way. With the overnight dissolution of her relationship, Frankie cut herself off from everyone. She quit her job, moved into the basement of her home, and didn't speak to anyone for weeks. It was only at her parents' insistence that she eventually began working as the overnight clerk at the gas station, a job that she hasn't taken too well. Frankie is just a shadow of the vivacious woman she was before, talking rarely and smiling never. She's not over her girlfriend's abandonment, it seems, and she's doing more than moping. Frankie is suffering, hurting--and looking for comfort, any way she can get it.

CONNECTIONS

Ray Jacobs: Frankie often hears to Ray's nonsense, since she's one of the few people who will hear him out. She doesn't pay any heed to his warnings, but she's rather interested in his house.

Piper Foss: Frankie is vaguely familiar with Piper, and appreciates the way she lives her life. She wants to get to know her better, to try and learn the appeal of living in isolation from someone who, more or less, does.

PHILLIP BREWER || EKA DARVILLE || OPEN

27 year old bartender from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

Phillip Brewer, despite being born and raised in Aspen Hollow, is somewhat of a mystery to the rest of the town. While most everyone knows each other's business, Phillip is notorious for being particularly closed off. Beyond the basic information, no one knows much about him. He lives alone near the mountains, his house being the only one on the long road it takes to get there. He works at Laclede's and is good at holding polite yet meaningless conversations. But, that's it. Everything else is a mystery. He stays home when he's not at work, very rarely venturing out into the town. He frequents the public library, taking back stacks of books at a time. What he does with them, no one's sure--beyond the obvious, at least. Maybe he is just that voracious of a reader? With the amount of time he spends away from everyone else, it'd make sense for him to be able to go through an armful of books in a few days. Still, there's just something about Phillip Brewer that makes the rest of the townsfolk uneasy.

And, if he's being quite honest, there's something about the townsfolk that makes Phillip uneasy. While he can't place a finger quite on what makes him uncomfortable in his home, he has learned to associate it with the tourists. The people that are different from the rest of the folks in Aspen Hollow. For Phillip Brewer, the people who are different from the rest of Aspen Hollow are the root of every problem that this town has ever faced. This is why, unbeknownst to the rest of the town, he's taken it upon himself to wipe Aspen Hollow off of the map. When he's not working, Phillip does his best to erase any mention of the tiny Wyoming town from the internet. City website, listings, Google searches--anything. Or course, once something's on the internet, it's there forever; but, that doesn't stop him from trying. And, if that doesn't work, Phillip might just have to take a more direct route to getting tourists out of Aspen Hollow.

CONNECTIONS

Max Holden: A local waitress, Phillip sees her often when either she comes to his job or he goes to hers They've have a few conversations here and there, but they barely know each other.

Drew Michaels: His dealer. Phillip has been known to dabble in drugs, and all of them come from Drew. Beyond that, he avoids the boy like the plague.

AUSTIN PARK || ANDRE KIM || OPEN

18 year old student from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

Others in the town would mistake Austin as a cold, aloof young man. In reality, Austin simply saves all of his warm, caring energy to use on his friends alone. Jackson, K.P., and Ellie were always there for him--and he for them. Ever since childhood, the four of them would do anything for the other. Maybe it was because there weren't too many options in a town as small as Aspen Hollow, or maybe it was their made up detective agency that kept them on their toes, but Austin and his friendswere nearly inseperable; you would very rarely find one without the others nearby. But then, Jackson disappeared--and with him, their friendship. Ever since Jackson's been gone, Austin has barely seen Ellie or K.P. A lot of the blame can rest on him, preparing to leave for college far away, but he knows the two of them are avoiding him, too. No one knows what to say or how to acknowledge the elephant in the room, so they just don't.

But, Austin has more on his mind than just his impending departure from Aspen Hollow--he has what he believes to be knowledge of Jackson's ultimate fate. The night his friend went missing, Austin had snuck out of his house to just wander around town. He'd been hoping to calm his mind and deal with his insomnia, not witness a crime. But, his walk led him into the woods and down many twisting paths and, most strangely, towards a light. It wasn't often that there were lights so deep in the woods, but Austin thought that maybe it was someone he knew, hunting under cover of the darkness. But, what he saw instead was a ring of people in golden cloaks, heavy lanterns and candles placed in a weird pattern, and the limp body of Jackson Byron carefully laid out in the middle. Of course, Austin left before he saw anything happen, lest he get caught, too, but the image has haunted him ever since. There's something bad going on in Aspen Hollow, and he wants to get out as fast as he can. But, he can't leave his friends behind--especially not Ellie, who's hellbent on staying put. So, he has to make a choice--come forward and risk his own neck, or leave Ellie to maybe suffer the same fate as their best friend?

CONNECTIONS

Ellie Ferguson: Ellie is one of Austin's closest friends, but they've recently been distant. Austin wants to protect her, but he doesn't know how to do that when she's insisting on not only staying in Aspen Hollow, but on keeping him there, as well.  

K.P. Mendoza: K.P. is Austin's other close friend, having spent most of their lives together. He respects her and looks up to her as a leader, but they've had a falling out since Jackson disappeared. He doesn't want K.P. getting mixed up in anything dangerous, but he feels like if he tells her what he saw, she'll lead the charge.

CASSIE HERNANDEZ || GINA RODRIGUEZ || OPEN

29 year old nurse from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

Anyone who knows Cassie Hernandez would be quick to tell you how selfless and loving she is. She's the warmest, gentlest person to ever walk the face of the planet. Cassie Hernandez is a saint. She spends her days chatting with patients, brightening their days so that they almost forget that they're stuck in a hospital in boring, old Aspen Hollow. She brings flowers for everyone without, feeds wild animals, gives strays shelter, and always has a smile for everyone. That's Cassie Hernandez: a woman full of life and so much love to share. But, that's not the Cassie that came back from her week long camping trip. The new Cassie is nothing like her old self. The light is gone from her eyes, and it seems like she's terrified of something--or someone. Cassie is always looking over her shoulder, always looking for an excuse to leave a room. She won't explain what's going on, but she never stays long. The once social woman can't stand to be around others, and always looks panicked or scared. Cassie acts like she's a loud noise away from going over the edge, and no one knows what forced her to that point.

Whatever it is that Cassie knows, she refuses to talk. Besides, that might not even be the biggest of her worries. Recently, Cassie has started suffering from hallucinations--or, at least, what she thinks are hallucinations. She's started to see things that aren't really there, and never feels like she's alone. Even when she has her back to a wall, she can feel the eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. And, whether it's real or not, Cassie feels like she's in danger. Between the unknown trauma that's changed her and the maybe/maybe not hallucinations, Cassie can feel her grip on reality weakening--and that's a dangerous place for her to be in Aspen Hollow.

CONNECTIONS

Alex Brunner: Alex and Cassie went to school together, and were friends until they both left Aspen Hollow. Now, their relationship consists of Alex insisting Cassie answer him about whether or not she's seen his mother and Cassie making excuses to leave.

David Morgan III:While Cassie feels like maybe she knows that Chief Morgan means well, she doesn't know how to handle his constant hovering. His questions about her wellbeing and smothering actions put her on the defensive, and she's worried that she'll do something that they both regret.

DREW MICHAELS || GEORGE MACKAY || OPEN

24 year old college student from Aspen Hollow, WY

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Michaels is infamous in Aspen Hollow. If ever there's a problem, the 24 year old is likely behind it. He gets in to trouble left and right, and doesn't seem to care. He laughs off any reprimands and is off making mischief not even minutes later. By now, most people have grown tired of his schtick--it gets old when he's been like that his whole life. But, Drew doesn't seem to mind that much either. He doesn't aspire to much, as far as anyone knows. He justs skates through life without a single care. That's why he's been in community college for the last six years, or why he just chose to sleep on the Beckett's couch instead of change his behavior when his parents kicked him out. All that matters to Drew is that he's living life to its fullest, and that everyone else will suffer for it.

But, it's not just himself that Drew drags down. While Aspen Hollow is small, it does have a serious drug problem among the younger residents--and Drew is to blame. At least, that's what the police think. But, no one has ever come forward to explicitly name him and, whenever they think they've got him, the evidence goes missing or the sting is a bust. So, without fail, Drew gets off scottfree every time. While not innocent, Drew certainly does seem to be untouchable. But, if he continues to carry on the way he does, he might suddenly find himself having to reckon with a lot of built up karma.

CONNECTIONS

Alex Brunner: Alex is one of Drew's clients, though he sticks to the light stuff. Their relationship is strictly professional, but that doesn't mean that Alex is safe from Drew's antics.

Beck Beckett: Drew's best friend and current lifeline. After his parents kicked him out and left town, Drew has been living on the Beckett's couch. For some reason, the elder Becketts don't seem to mind him, even if he is a negative influence on their children.