Thursday’s Tale: Kaelin

I’m going to do a series of character sketches. Some background, personality, and maybe a mini excerpt. There are six major characters of Trinity Coven. Three witches and three warlocks. Each have at least a couple viewpoint scenes, though the majority are weighted toward Kaelin, with Anton a strong second.

 

Kaelin being the MAIN Character, I’m going to introduce her first. Born at Niagara Falls (see diary), and now living in the Canadian city of the same name, Kaelin Fontaine lives alone in a secluded house. She is albino. Ridiculed as a child, her parents protected her. She was homeschooled, never traveled. Her parents were wealthy, both through inheritance and fame.

Her condition leaves her skin and eyes sensitive to the sun. She has glasses that darken in sunlight, and tends to wear scarves and hats when outside.

She has a younger sister, who is married and has two kids. Six months ago, Kaelin’s parents were shot by a carjacker while they were visiting Washington DC.

Kaelin has always been different. Besides the unusual circumstances surrounding her birth, and her albinism, she has had fish leap out of water to land at her feet, her nocturnal dragon eels come out during the day to greet her. She is drawn to water. Unbeknownst to her, that is where her magic lies. It merely waits to be awoken.

Kaelin learns her parents left her their house in Castle Combe, and her sister has convinced her to visit the house for herself. The following excerpt takes place just after she learns her sister leaked the news to the town gossip. She is sitting in her car.

 

She dug out her new cell phone, which Tali had insisted she buy for the trip, and rang up her sister.

"Miley showed me the article in the paper. And told me all about your web journal thing. How could you?"

"You never said to keep it secret. Besides, you'll be in London for the summer, who cares what they're saying here? You're already packed, and your itinerary is planned. Just go."

Kae actually hung up on her sister. If Tali asked, she'd say it was an accident. These cell phones were new to her. She dropped the phone on the passenger seat and rested her head on the steering wheel. Maybe she should turn around, go home. No need to endure an airport, fly millions of miles away, and meet some stranger she'd only spoken to once. She could stay home with her fish. No one would know she wasn't in England.

No one except Tali. Kae straightened. Even her own sister would agree to the recluse bit. She couldn't shut herself away forever. This was her chance to get away from the publicity. Maybe in Europe her coloring would be exotic rather than strange. And if Mum and Dad hadn't told her about the house, maybe there were other things they had sheltered her from. There was a whole world out there. Waiting. This was her chance. Surely she had a calling, more than recluse and volunteer at an animal shelter.