second star on the right

Could I survive a night out in the woods? 

W E N D Y   S P A L D I N G;

twenty-six years old museum curator at clovers circle museum of art  portrayed by rooney mara a taken character

CHARACTER TRAITS: 

+ brave, considerate, child-like - dictatorial, harsh, dramatic

BIOGRAPHY:

To put it in the simplest of terms, Wendy Spalding was what you would call a radical. Ever since she was a little child, she had the greatest imagination possible and while some thought she would put this skill toward the arts, it slowly began crafting into more serious matters. It was evident ever since she was put into a school that she was a leader. Wendy was never afraid of taking charge or bossing someone around, ready to put her ideas and actions out there to be seen and to be heard. She had such a strong disposition, even from such an early age, that everyone was sure she was going to become the first female President or gather some important position in the political world. Despite the seriousness of her nature, though, Wendy had the ability to change so much and so frequently, it was always a surprise when somebody would see her the next day. One day she’d be sporting a pair of glasses and reading a book, and the next she’d be decked out in black, head-banging her way along to the sounds of Metallica. That was one of the many things people liked about Wendy—she was so random and ever-changing, that she could at least brighten up one person’s day. Why did she change so often, though? This question tended to be on a lot of people’s minds, questioning why such a level-headed girl, who was obviously destined or great things, could be so…childish. The answer was simple—at least to Wendy. She had one goal ever since she was a little girl: to never grow up. She saw the way grown-ups were—they were loud, boring, and tended to fight quite often. Not many of them smiled and she couldn’t remember the last time any of them had fun without complaining about something else going on. In all honesty, it was rather unappealing and Wendy promised herself that she would stay away from it as long as she possibly could. It was one of the many reasons people thought she was younger than she actually was. After a while, though, things in her home started to get tense. More often than not, Wendy would get into fights with her father, arguing about when she was going to start acting her age and when she was going to grow up. But Wendy didn’t want to. If she grew up, she was sure that she would lose all of her happiness and dreams and nothing would be the same. Growing up meant leaving behind a part of her that she just wasn’t ready to let go of yet.

However, Wendy’s mind changed almost immediately after her first year of high school. After being forced to take an art class because she didn’t have enough fine art credits, Wendy fell in love with the art form, disappointing her parents greatly when she told them she didn’t want to go into politics, but instead she wanted to go into something more liberal. After all, that’s who she was. A radically liberal girl. It was through art that Wendy realized she could grow up but still hold onto the part of her that she loved so dearly, staying true to her wishes and dreams and all the things in between. With art, she could grow up into a beautiful adult while still retaining the child at heart that she was throughout her entire life. Soon, Wendy was even looking forward to growing up. She had explored so many things as a child, but as an adult she could explore many more—see different sights of the world, experience new things that weren’t foreign to her, and listen to many different things that normally wouldn’t have been in her iTunes. So while Wendy didn’t grow up to be the politician or President or lawyer like her parents were hoping for her to be, she still managed to grow up into something she loved. Something she was passionate about. Although, this passion tended to remain a secret, what with Wendy refusing to show anybody her sketchbooks or canvases that she had tucked away somewhere, the brunette girl still managed to prove herself worthy to the art world through other forms. She wrote reviews in magazines, analyzed different works, and even found an interest in depicting when an art piece was created, how much it was worth, and the history that lay behind the sculpting or brush strokes. She was in love and she couldn’t help but wonder what had had her so afraid of this all her life. While Wendy mostly held herself as an adult now, the level-headed leader once more returning, every now and then Wendy’s original, quirky, young self would shine through, leaving her boring old business suit in the closet and donning on some extravagant or weird, like a princess gown or eighties work-out gear. The girl hadn’t grown up fully just yet and she definitely wasn’t planning on doing it anytime soon either. There was still so much that had to be discovered. 

CONNECTIONS:

ALAN HURST;  Wendy is Alan’s saving grace—his guardian angel. At least, that’s how she views herself to him. After helping through an incredibly rough night when she was sixteen years old, ultimately saving him from his death from a bunch of money-hungry drug dealers, it was clear as day that the two of them would have a strong connection. Since that night, Wendy has been nothing more than a sister and Alan has been nothing less than a brother—and that’s how they’d always remain. Wendy had grown up an only child and after gaining Alan as her honorary brother, she didn’t think she could be happier. He was the perfect person to put all her thoughts towards, especially when she needed to boss someone around because she knew for sure that he would listen to her. Most of the time, anyway. After that night, Wendy knew that she had his life in the palm of her hands. One slip-up from him and she could ruin him, and to be quite honest she felt powerful having that kind of hold on him. Not that she’d genuinely do anything rude to him, but sometimes she did have the fun of playing pranks on him. Scaring him and what not. It was a good relationship that she wouldn’t want to lose for the world. 

ROBIN COHEN;  Remember those crushes girls would have in high school? The ones that were toward those completely unattainable guys, whether they be famous or simply out of their league within the realms of high school? Yes, well, that was exactly how Wendy felt toward Robin, only she had much better control over what she was able to show and what she wasn’t able to show. Every time he was around, Wendy would fear getting tongue tied and nervous which was why she simply decided that being indifferent and ignoring him would be better off for her. After all, why should she even try? She knew that she had no chance with him—even though they were out of high school and she was older than him—and it was better to accept that than to simply put herself through misery. Even though plenty of people throughout the town would tell her that Robin liked her as well, she couldn’t believe it. Why should she? He had never shown any liking to her at all and he could have any girl he wanted… Right? Sometimes, Wendy needed to learn to not let her stubbornness and ideals blind her.