Library of Characters: Elisabeth

Howdy! I’m Elisabeth Joy; author, daydreamer, and mortal soul. I do believe my villain, Jet Sullivan, graced Lu’s blog in the last collection. Today, though, I bring forth not everyone’s favorite character. 😎

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Introduce your side character to me—who is she? What story is she from?

Aurora Harris is her name, and anything crazy is her game. She’s from my WIP Trouble Lurks.

What is her personality?

Is crazy a personality? 😜 Not really? Well, Aurora is a mystery to most. She acts like a proud, confident girl, and she will pretend to know what she’s doing… but really, she’s super insecure. Kind of.

What gave/gives you inspiration for her?

Believe it or not, I tried to work my brother and myself into my WIP… didn’t work. The twins–Aurora and “Genius” Thomas, ended up very much themselves, leaving only a hint of their original purpose–a joke.

Actually, with the amount of practical jokes the twins play, it’s honestly not surprising.

Was she supposed to be in the story, or was she a sudden I-have-no-idea-how-you-got-here addition?

Hmm…. the first draft of my WIP was a total winging it thing, so… yes and no. 😇She was suppose to just… be in one scene, I think, but… yeah, she didn’t like that very much. 😆

What is her role in the story?

Aurora becomes the best friend of Tirana, my MC. Aurora is everything that Tirana is not; brash, headstrong, super stubborn… and always willing to do what she thinks is right.

Aurora is how I manage to get goody-two-shoes Tirana in trouble. 😂Aurora’s a sort of foil, but a fun one, indeed.

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I’m expecting Grizzled Fox, but instead, a brown-haired girl around my age walks in, a bounce in her step. She scans the room, gives me a nod, then heads over to the food counter.

I push myself up and walk over to her. “Hey. I’m Tirana.”

She swipes a package and shoots me a friendly smile. “Agent Celestial Flicker, at your service. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, in that case, I’m Questionable Storm.”

She nods, tossing the package from one hand to another. “I know.”

I blink. How…?

Her laugh sounds like wind chimes on a summer day. “It’s my business to know everything that goes on. Where’d Agent Grizzled Fox go? He’s supposed to be with you.”

“Uh… he left and told me to stay here.”

She purses her lips. “Great. I’ll stay with you until he gets back, then.”

Glad for the company, I lead her over to my table and introduced her to Secret. She seems intrigued when I tell her that he’s a gluten-sniffing dog.

Then she rips open her food and pours what looks to be cereal directly into her mouth.

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What is her past and how has it shaped the character she is now?

She was raised in the ISA; grew up at Headquarters. Her parents are agents (her mother’s an Apex Agent, which is the second-highest rank, and her dad’s… just a common agent).

Aurora is one of a scarce few characters that doesn’t have a traumatic past. In no way was her childhood “normal,” but it wasn’t traumatic. 😂

What is her greatest struggle or fear?

Being wrong. She despises being wrong.

Is she a vice or virtue to the protagonist?

Hm… both. A vice, because Tirana follows her not-always-great lead, and a virtue for the same reason.

Does she like her name, or would she trade anything in the world for a new one?

Honestly, I don’t think she’s thought much about her name. I think she likes it well enough; she certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to trade anything in the world for a new one.

Biting my lip, I turn back to Secret and sigh, moving to a wall and sinking to the hard floor, the cold concrete seeping through my cotton t-shirt.

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I rest my head on my knees, sighing, fighting the urge to somehow vanish into the shadows. Secret leans against me, and I scratch his back, his fur cloud-soft under my fingers. “Think she’ll be back?” I whisper. “Yeah. I hope so, too.”

Aunt Patience’s words from that morning that she disappeared come to mind. A lifetime ago. “Trust is something earned, sweetie.”

Has Aurora earned my trust? I nibble my lip and eye the opening she vanished into. If I’m completely honest… she hasn’t. “Not completely,” I admit to Secret. She’s crazy. A fun kind of crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

Where is Aunt Patience now? If I close my eyes, I can imagine her puttering around in her kitchen, cracking eggs into a sizzling pan of bacon, making her mouth-watering “bacon ‘n eggs.” Then the scene before my eyes turns dark, a blurry vision of a dank holding cell, three cold walls and one full of thick bars.

I blink, opening my eyes to the basement-like room. Helpless. That’s what I am. I can’t even save my family. I bet Aurora would try.

I bet Aurora wouldn’t just go with everyone else and leave it to someone else to rescue them. Isn’t that what she said? That we were going to be “heroes”? Clenching my jaw, I huff a snort, my hands tightening on my arms.

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Character Appearance: 

Hair? Brown.

Eyes? Brown.

Height? Normal. 😆I don’t know.

Favorite color and least favorite food? Color? Anything that blends in well. Food? She loves curry and Thai food… but hates seafood.

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Okay… time to change the topic. But before I can think of something, a devious smirk steals over Aurora’s face. “You know Simon Lee. What’s his sole purpose in life?”

I blink. “That was random. Uh… I guess to save the world? Or whatever he does?”

Aurora shakes her head. “According to the author…” She pulls a phone out of her pocket. “Should be somewhere around here… Aha! P.D. says—and I quote—that Simon’s purpose in life is ‘to be a perfect little angel.’”

“You talk to P.D.?” I ask, my mouth falling open. “But she’s like… famous!”

“And very possibly Possible Delirium,” Aurora agrees. “Although Mac likes Police Department better. Pass the Donuts was also thrown in there.”

I stare at her for a moment before I get it. “Okay, then. What’s her real name?”

Aurora mines zipping her lips, and I sigh. “Come on! And Lee so isn’t an angel.”

“You’ll have to discuss that with P.D.”

I huff. “Maybe I will.” It might be worth it to prove Aurora wrong.

“She’ll probably just give you a winky face. Or zipped lips. And she’d probably laugh at you,” Aurora continues.

I give her a long look. “Have you been stalking her?”

Aurora bursts out laughing. “Sure, I’m probably a better agent than her, but she does know of my existence.”

“And that’s supposed to assure me that you’re not crazy?”

“Nope.” She grins. “Thanks.”

I face-palm myself, and she sniggers when I rub my forehead.

“Think that hurts? You should try banging your head against a wall.” She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms. “Dare you to.”

“What? No!” I shake my head with a laugh. “I’m not stupid.”

“Double dog dare.”

“One Secret isn’t gonna make me; neither is two.” I ruffle his head. “If you’re so intent on giving someone brain damage, do it yourself.”

“That a dare?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

She jumps up, heads to the nearest wall, and bangs her head against it.

I’m laughing so hard I can barely talk. “You’re crazy! Do we need an ambulance now?”

She comes back to the table, rubbing her forehead. “Man. That was a very, very bad idea. I am never going to do that again.”