FULL NAME:Gilda Gleson
July 14th, 1970 | 15 | Female | Asexual | White
HYPERHUMAN ABILITIES:Sound/Air Wave Manipulation: She can take advantage of the endless stream of sounds and images floating in the atmosphere. This ability has several potential uses, like tricking people into hearing something that isn't there, but it is mainly useful in manipulating what is seen and heard on televisions and radios. While she cannot simply project anything she wants onto them anytime she wants, her emotions can interrupt them, and replace them with something else. Depending on the amount of energy and emotion, it can be anything from cutting out the local radio stations to nothing but static when she is very angry to projecting blurry images of her dreams on top of television channels when she is having nightmares. This last bit has happened once before, becoming a sort of campfire tale to the local teens who have no idea it was her...though they exaggerated the horror factor quite a bit.
With little experience using this, it can take a great toll on her whenever it happens, leaving her feeling weak and sick to her stomach. She is unaware of her potential, or even that she is responsible for certain events, only knowing that sometimes electronics act up around her. Trying to purposefully control and direct her ability would require a great amount of concentration, enough to make anyone observing believe she has gone catatonic.
RELATIONSHIP TO VANESSA:For Vanessa, Gilda was a pity case. She noticed Gilda either ate alone at lunch or would slink away to the library, and decided it was her duty to try and drag her into making friends. That didn't go over so well, leading only to greater heights of embarrassment, but she did appreciate the attempt and came to share lunch with Vanessa every once in awhile. When both were free to do so. They didn't really have a ton in common-- Vanessa wasn't into reading fantasy novels and Gilda wasn't into athletics or attending parties --but they were friendly enough that her death hit differently. Perhaps rather selfishly, she must deal with a sense of 'being alone once again.'
PERSONALITY:A loner, but not quite by choice, most of her social decisions are driven by that inexplicable fear that causes butterflies to bloom in your stomach and sweat to slick your palms-- social anxiety. She avoids talking as much as possible, never raising her hand in class, never raising her voice in the halls. When she is unfortunate enough to be backed into a corner, it becomes clear she couldn't raise her voice if she wanted to: it is too quiet, and she has a tendency to stutter or trail off when panicked.
A decent student that could be a great student, a lot of the time her head is elsewhere...lost in the clouds. Voraciously consuming fantasy novels and television series has left her with a lot of obscure knowledge but nobody to share it with.
BACKSTORY:Gilda was born into a right mess of a family. Her parents lost custody at age three, brought up on drug and assault charges, and she was left to the care of her far more sane grandmother. They have come to call the local trailer park "theirs" in the sense that not only does her grandmother own it, but in how they care about its presentation and livability. Ever since she was little, she'd work with her to plant trees and flowers around the trailers, pick up trash, and check up on the residents.
As a teen, her responsibilities increased tenfold. Grandma growing old, Gilda has learned to cook, clean, and even care for medical needs like medication management. She certainly has her share of fears about the situation, but shoulders them bravely as she can.
She has a history of being bullied in middle school that has driven her social anxiety to extremes. The perfect target: dreamy, only child, loner, it was only a matter of time. High school has proven to not be as nearly dog-eat-dog, but her fears haven't left. To avoid even the smallest chances of being picked on, she eats alone, walks alone, hides behind library shelves and the pages of novels. At home, she likes to unload in front of the television with a microwave meal after taking care of her responsibilities.