Helen Anne Deville

67

Female

Heterosexual

Helen has always been a very helpful and friendly woman, who was always seen as a mother figure to her students and friends alike. She is a very steady and independent person, working hard for everything she was given and never begging for much in return. In her older age, she has become a little bit short fused and more stubborn and angry about things that she doesn't really understand. When she is on her medication, the woman she once was shines through a bit.

• Doing crossword puzzles
• Light gardening
• Writing letters to old friends

+ Canning Fruits
+ Reading
+ Sunshine
+ Cleanliness
+ Privacy

- Loud noises
- Doctors
- Medications
- Cooking
- Technology

Has slight sundowning dementia

Howard and Helen had a love that was strong, steady, and true. The two were young high school sweethearts, and had to be married just as soon as Howard found the money to slip a ring on Helen's finger. Together they found the home that soon became Rising Sun. It was in a disheveled state when they first bought it but together with lots of elbow grease and patience the two made it shine. Year after year they had many students, numbers in the 50's the two worked as a team to make the youth of the time into upstanding citizens.

Raising everyone's children brought thoughts of having their own children. Time after time they tried but they did not conceive. Thinking that they might have something wrong, they took to a specialist. Both were healthy and young enough to have a child, the problem was all in their head. Trying once more, Helen finally became pregnant with her one and only son; Jack. Jack had been a tough pregnancy on Helen, she constantly felt ill, and was rushed to the hospital early with a premature child. As they raised the child up to show both the parents; the face that they saw caused them both to gasp in horror. Their child had been very disfigured.

Tensions in the marriage became high as Jack grew, he was for the most part a quiet boy but often became mischievous when not given enough attention. During this time Rising Sun classes dwindled down to small numbers of less than 20 children to a year. The drop in attendance caused money to be tight, but Helen fought for the school, she wanted to give a life to children that she could not give her own.

Howard's death was hard on Helen. Emotionally and physically she became weak, and her age was not helping her. Classes became smaller and smaller, and she knew that she would have to retire soon. Not wanting to leave the home she helped build from the ground up, she refused to go to a nursing home and brought in an old student as a caretaker. Though a bit snippy with them sometime she cares for them and enjoys their company in the lonely over sized house.

With her health deteriorating daily, Helen wanted to spend a nice weekend with her last class she taught. With lots of preparation and help from her caretaker, the two put together a very well sized feast, a clean home, and found each and every one of the students to invite.

Soon they would all be together, and reminisce about the past and dream about the future.

Danielle Lambert

Late Twenties

Female

Bisexual

Logical Loser

Danielle just wants to do good. Her timid nature is just a product from her being scared to disappoint. However, she still is very curious and loves to just know stuff, about people or trivia. Her constant paranoia extends beyond being afraid of what goes bump in the night, what people think of her scare her more than any killer could. Danielle is also very reclusive, deciding that if she was just quite and passive, there would be no chance she could screw up . She was the typical quite, smart kid at the back of the class, just with the exception that she showers. Furthermore, with her lips constantly kept shut, a lot of her emotions go bottled up with no way to let them out. She can be very, very patient, but when pushed too far, she isn't afraid to lash out and attack, both verbally and physically.
When mad, Danielle is easily irritable. Snapping and lashing out at anyone who dares anger her in this state. An overflow of bottled up emotions explode, affecting everyone within ear shot of her. Keeping so many emotions at bay is bound to explode if never expressed. But after the dust has settled, and Danielle has cooled down, her pessimistic and mean side seems to completely vanish as she becomes very apologetic afterwards. But not always, she usually holds a massive and silent grudge against the person who agitated her, and ready to lash out again the second they even think about pestering her again. Though, she always feels disappointed in herself for lashing out.
However, Danielle does have a "nice" side. She is incredibly sympathetic, and able to help people cope, heal and move on. All the hardships she went through helps her understand others a little more. Danielle is also a very smart girl, able to plan, learn, and think faster and better than others, taking bits and pieces from her school life to incorporate into her real life. Paying attention in AP English made her a cunning linguist, allowing her to talk herself out of confrontations. And also with a bucket-load of puns, despite her shy and quite nature, she always loves a bit of humour and laughs. Years of projects, and science has helped her develop a critical mind, that is if she's calm. A panic can make anyone act spastic. And so and so forth. Her skills are complemented, but yet, no matter what, she never feels good enough. Danielle does try to stay positive whenever she can, she's almost an optimist. And if she isn't feeling all too chipper about a situation, she still does try to lighten the load on others.

She may be single, but she has something better than a S.O.! A cat she loves, that loves her back. She also has a tendency to day dream, mostly about her being the centre of positive attention, and being showered with praise, and thus zones out pretty fast.

"But I don't want to go!", she blurted out in a mumble of tears and sniffles, garnering sympathy from the passer by in front of the Rising Sun Elementary School.
Danielle Lambert, one of they many other students wailing outside the school on their first day, with the exception she wasn't as loud, "Everyone will hate me!"

"Oh don't be silly, Danielle," her mother cooed, holding her child closer to her bosom as her husband loomed impatiently from the side, "You're a perfect little girl, you'll be everyone's favourite."

Danielle wasn't convinced, fears of failure, and alienation riddled her mind, casting terrified glances at the smiling Mrs. Deville outside, "You promise?"

"Yes, of course," she hugged Danielle tighter as she saw Him walking past, "Just be safe, alright? Find good friends, and be good." Letting go of her child who glumly trudged along to her classroom, Danielle's proud mother waved her good bye.

Danielle went on to be a prodigy, her hand shooting up to answer every question, but never speaking another word. She's insist on sitting in the back with "it" (as her mother called him), but "it" was too harsh, Danielle would reflexively cringe away when someone used that harsh word. She believed no one deserves that, maybe behind that scary face, there was a kind, gentle beast. Her favourite movies were "The Hunch Back of Notre Dame" and "Beauty and the Beast."

Danielle tried to talk, to both Jack (as she learned "it"'s name was) and others. But her lips were always shut, not by her own accord, she just couldn't talk. Though other students thought she was weird, Danielle by far the favourite student of all her teachers. Quite, polite, and would also tell on others if you just ask, but some found her quite and soft voice infuriating, causing her to fall deeper into a self conscious silence she'd always struggle with.

But sometimes, she'd mumble a few words to her only friend. Jack.
Jack never responded, always keeping his deformed head down, as he pelted with insults and raspberries. He was like a punching bag to the other kids, at least he kept the attention off Danielle, but Danielle just couldn't handle him. She swore that she wouldn't just dislike someone out of whim, that she wouldn't let his manner or appearance bother her. She was going to his Belle, and him her Beast. She always had a grand imagination, frequently slipping into day dreams of what she could accomplish if she tried. They rarely came true. This being no exception. Danielle slowly detached herself from Jack, never speaking a word to him again. Her mother seemed glad.

Skipping forward past school, graduation, college, awkward years of figuring herself out. Danielle always was bright, winning every award and still not making friends. She was too busy for that, she'd often tell herself. Like this, landing a job was easy. Every interviewer was blown away by her CV, she'd frequently get calls offering high-end jobs. She'd always decline, she finally had her dream job. Writing, and a science degree for when things start going south.

Fortunately, she never had a need for her degree. Danielle was an accomplished writer, not a billionaire, but she had a following. Her glum, and realistically gritty tales were loved by all who knew of her, and it helped her to stop from slipping into depression. Life was great. By her low standards anyway.

But she frequently wondered what happened to her other friends, no classmates. Did they miss her? Did they still know who she was? Did they even know her? She'd love to just see them again, that letter in the mail was a God sent. Despite never talking to them, from what she over heard, they were nice people. Wouldn't hurt to meet up. Or would it? Danielle would frequently stare at that letter in either delight or fear, never making up her mind about which. Dare she leave her cozy, up town room and go back there? Mrs. Deville would be there at least, she was kind to Danielle and did try to help her out of her shell. She decided she would go, but only to thank her teacher and then return safely to her home. She hoped.

Hayden Walters

32

Male

Heterosexual

Shy Stalker

Hayden is a rather complex person. He's very outspoke, very opinionated, and always stands for what he, and only he, believes. Sometimes it is not the greatest thing, getting him into some trouble. To go along with that, he's also fairly stubborn and needs to do things himself. Unless it doesn't effect him, he needs to be the one who does it. He thinks that if it is done that way, he's the only one he can blame, getting himself out of the trouble of being angry at people for no real reason. He's very aware of the fact that sometimes he gets angry easily and has been trying to get a grasp on that. He's been known to get a little crazy sometimes.

Besides those few quirks, he's a pretty nice guy. He's one of the most loyal, trustworthy people you'll meet. With his past of being bullied, he learned a lot about how important those two qualities are. He also gives credit where credit is due. If somebody does him, or anybody, a kindness, he's usually the first one to thank them or be particularily nice to them. But that also goes for the opposite end of the spectrum. If somebody does something harmful, he's not afraid to say something about it.

Hayden is an up and rising photographer. While he's not a real common name thrown around, he has continued to rise in the ranks. He is most known for the eeriness of his pictures. He takes candid pictures, typically of accidents, deaths, and has even weaseled his way into some crime scenes. Why or how he wasn't stopped is beyond public knowledge. He also has a growing interest in *insert wife's name here, when she's created*. He has an undying belief that she is simply made for his camera and his alone. He feels that he is the only one who could capture 'what she is meant for'. He's never shared specifically what it is that he finds particularily interesting.

+Taking Pictures (But is without a camera at the event)
+Nature
+Horror Films
+Silence

-Continuous Loud Noise
-Snow
-Bright Sun
-*Insert Husband's Name Here*

He tends to stare at people often, but not to be creepy. Everybody still thinks he's creepy in that sense, but he just looks at them as if taking a mental picture. He really means it as more of a compliment.

When Hayden was still in high school, he was quiet, shy, and a little odd. He didn't really talk to people, in fact, he hardly even had friends. He was seen every now and then with a small group of people, but he seemed to leave shortly after convorsation started. For that reason, he was picked on and bullied a lot. They made fun of him for not speaking, he even refused to retaliate. He just took it and continued on. While it hurt him, he learned exactly who he did not want to be.

Only a year after high school, he got into a very horrific car accident. In the middle of a snow storm, a man slid down a steep hill that ended in a stop sign. He couldn't stop fast enough, slamming right into the side of Hayden's car. The man wound up flying out the windshield. The worst part was, though, that the window had shattered upon impact with Hayden's car. Since it was so cold, it was frozen, and the abrupt stop when hitting into another car, the majority of the glass broke. But the man flew through the already broken glass, his stomach getting caught on a piece of glass that happened to stay intact.

While Hayden only suffered some scratches and bruises, he learned that the man had died. When he was shown the pictures of the accident, he was oddly intrigued. Not by the death, but by what that picture had captured. It was an image of what was only a few minutes after the intense moment, when things had calmed down enough for them to check it out. That's when he got into photography. He knew that by taking candid pictures, he could very well be taking the last picture of a person. Ever.

15 years after graduation, he got a letter inviting him to his class reunion. He didn't feel like going, he never knew many people anyway. But one name stood out. He recognized the name, but he couldn't remember why. He took out an old yearbook and found the woman who it belonged to. She might've been the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. He thought he was instantly in love. What he'd do for a partner like that, especially one so photo ready. She would be perfect to take pictures of.

For that reason only, he decided to go. Little did he know, she was getting married soon.

There was another picture in that book, though. The kid's face was oddly messed up, deformed. Hayden would've loved to take pictures if he was into photography back then. But all at once, he remembered what he'd done. He was having a bad day, and the kid, Jack, began to just talk to him. He blew up, simply wanting silence and peace, and one thing grew into another and he verbally beat the shit out of him. Now he felt bad, but he though nothing of it. He continued on, getting ready for the reunion.

Rowan Lienbach

31

Female

Hetrosexual

Accidental Athlete

Rowan always has been considered an intense individual. She is extremely competitive, nothing is considered fun for her unless she wins. People don't seem to enjoy the constant feeling of competition but it is what drives Rowan every day. She needs to be better than her competition, and when defeats a rival she makes sure to humiliate them. Let's just say she has never won a sportsmanship award. The impression most people have is a rude, egotistical muscle headed athlete and they are not too far off.

Underneath Rowans competitive personality there is a little girl that is scared to be a looser. In reality, Rowan is only good at sports, swimming especially, she lacks in personal skills and intelligence compared to almost anyone. Men find her competitive side to be repulsing, so, in turn, she never has had a steady relationship and is not very good with men especially. She is very self-conscious about every little thing, her only way to interact with people is to be sort of a jerk, but in reality, she is afraid someone will figure out that she is a failure in more ways than one.

-Swimming
-Running
-Lifting Weights
-Watching Sports
-Gambling

She lacks social skills and is the opposite of studious but she definitely does not lack common sense.

Rowan moved to America from Sweden at a very young age, only her and her father moved here. Her father was an amazing runner back in Sweden and won many competitions, they moved to America for unknown reasons. Her father is the one that gave her inspiration to win, he would take her running with him but he would force her to keep his pace or would leave her behind. Soon she realized that no one was going to help her out except for herself.

On the first day of school, she was ready to be the best student she could be. It only took one month to realize that she was having a lot of difficulties keeping up with the rest of the class. It seemed most of the kids around her were like some kind of super geniuses, but in reality Rowan had a slight form of Autism. It was just enough to make it extremely difficult to learn and interact with her fellow classmates. She started to become angry whenever she didn't understand something and eventually gave up completely on school work.

She would have stopped going to school if it wasn't for gym class. It was where she realized that she was the best in the class. Everything they did she was always the victor. Though she had to struggle through class most of the day, that one hour of physical activity was pure bliss. Once a year when the weather was nice they would go to the outdoor pool. Rowan would swim laps around the other kids, she learned how to swim twice as fast as everyone else and mastered it even faster. This was the point that she realized how much she truly loved to win.

It was not long before she started to swim professionally when someone has times like hers, it does not matter what her grade point average is. Rowan rose through the competition and could not be stopped, she trained day and night never stopping, and even when her father passed away she was at a competition the day of his funeral. It was not until the accident that she finally stopped her hot streak.

Rowan was hit by a drunk driver, or at least that was what she was told, the truth is that it was a hit and run. Rowan was leaving practice and as she was crossing the street a car swerved and ran into her and kept going, leaving her with a fractured spine and bloodied. She was informed that she would never walk again after the accident, but Rowan knew she was useless unless she was swimming. Rowan worked non-stop day in and day out to be able to walk again, it took her 5 months to be able to walk again. Her doctor finally contacted her, he was amazed at her improvement but he still would not give her the ok to be able to compete again. He demanded that she take one more months rest with no intense activities for her back to fully heal, then he would give her the go to go back to swimming. Lucky for Rowan that was the same time she got an invitation to the reunion of her old school.

Rowan would have normally tossed a letter like this in the trash, but she was bored out of her mind sitting at home watching videos of old races. She thought a trip down memory lane would be enjoyable if not to just rub in the faces of her old classmates her success. Also to see the pool and gym that started it all would give her motivation once she could start competing​ again. This should be a fun trip or at least a time killer until she can get on with her life.

Valentina "Val" Flores

30

Female

Bi-Sexual

Caring Caretaker

Val is a woman with powerful emotions. When she feels something, she feels it strongly. If she likes you she'll do almost anything for you. Woe to anyone she hates because a storm is on the horizon. Luckily, since she's nurturing by nature, she's far more likely to be kind than cruel to most people she meets. Though, none of these things will get in the way of her unwavering loyalty to Mrs. Deville.

-watching Spanish soap operas

-singing (mostly older songs from the 40's and 50's that her grandmother would sing)

-reading terrible romance novels

-crying during sappy movies

Ask me if you have any questions

Valencia moved to the States right before entering Mrs. Deville's class. Her English was terrible so she had a hard time making friends. Her family didn't have much money so she wore a lot of her older brother's hand-me-downs which didn't help in the whole 'socializing' aspect of kindergarten. Her mother left her family half-way through the school year which was the main catalyst to Val becoming close to her teacher. Mrs. Deville practically became a surrogate mother to her. The woman helped her with her english and even bought her a dress for kindergarten graduation. It was her nurturing that made Val want to be a nurse.

Val remained in touch off and on with Mrs. Deville, and when she found out she needed a nurse, she was quick to offer her services. She cares deeply for the older woman and would do anything for her, including keeping Jack secret.

As for Jack, she cares about him almost as much as Mrs. Deville. She brings him his food every day, making sure to make his favorites. She even bakes him a cake on his birthday. Every night before bed, Val sits on the other side of the basement door and reads him a story and sings him to sleep. With her father and brother having been deported back to Colombia, this dysfunctional family is all she has left. She's prepared to protect it at all costs.

Casey Fowler

31

Female

Heterosexual

Broke Bride

What Casey lacks with her absent-minded and naïve nature she makes up in cheerfulness and sweetness. It's rare to see her with a soft smile playing upon her lips.
She's a little over the place and loses things all the time. All sorts of things. Including her place. She claims that if losing things was a job she would be CEO by now.

Growing up with very little Casey learnt rather early on the value of the heart over material items and not judging from the outside, both morals she takes seriously. She's a bit od a hopeless romantic and, when her heart is set on something, she'll go to the end of the world to achieve it. She is easily hurt despite the occasional bullying she received in school, perhaps that's why her fiance can't break things off with her.

Casey's father, Michael, was deep in debt before she was born. Young and struggling to pay back student loans and much of the likes he rarely got by, at this point he was also an alcoholic. Casey was the result of a drunken one-night stand with a woman he had a couple of connections to. Upon finding out she had fallen pregnant she quickly got in contact with him.

Finding a real reason to live Michael cleaned up the mess that was his life. He stopped drinking, found a job that gave him a small income, small was better than none, and although that debt continued to grow on him he was able to slowly pay it back. As for Casey's mother and him, they started dating. That all ended at Casey's birth.

Almost instantly after recovering from the long birth Casey's mum walked out on them and left town, leaving Michael to raise a baby on his own.

Growing up the pair barely scrapped through. Money was tight and the pair spent more than a couple days homeless, however, they got by. They had each other. Despite the lack of money Michael did quite a good job raising the young girl. Come time for her to go to school, however, Michael had trouble. Even schools that accepted students for nothing expected books upon books and stationery to a significant sum. That was when be met Mrs Deville who invited Casey into Rising Sun with open arms, leaving her father with a very small list of required supplies and handling the rest alone.

Casey got on relatively well with the other students. Occasionally her financial situation would lead to teasing, especially come Christmas time or birthdays where, unlike most other students, she would give her fellow student handmade presents over brought ones. There was one guy though who never teased her for it, defended her on the occasion even. Over time Casey fell for him and fell hard until she mustered up the courage to ask him out.

As time went Michael got his finances under control and the pair were no longer just scraping through. Given, they were not living an upper class life but they were earning enough to actually live and have everything they need.

Inspired by Helen, Casey went on to do a course in teaching and eventually graduated to go into a job teaching English at the local state high school. All the while her love grew for her boyfriend, still the same guy as school, and eventually she asked him to marry her.