Maya Ashe

Maya Keylynn Ashe is the weather girl for Channel 18 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father is the station’s chief meteorologist, and they are often on the air in the same daily report. On TV, she seems to be a charming and energetic, yet well-mannered person, as she reads over weather forecasts for Missouri and Illinois and throughout the Midwest. Maya effortlessly moves across screens throughout St. Louis with her bright blonde hair, orange-brown eyes, intense red dress, and pearl necklace with the letters of her name, as she points at cities on the map and discusses the temperatures and other conditions. She is a popular figure in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois because of her trademark outfit and relatable personality on the air, and the fact that she follows in her father’s footsteps and works with him on the job. Occasionally, people recognize her on the streets of St. Louis.

But her life off the air has been completely taken over by her flying squirrel, Pawlina. Maya found her as an abandoned pup under a tree in the park. Now, she has a whole room for Pawlina in her house. The squirrel climbs all over the Ashe family and their furniture. She glides throughout the small rooms of their house. She eats more fruits than even Maya herself. Maya gives Pawlina frequent Dodge Viper rides, but never takes her to work. Flying squirrels as pets are illegal in a lot of states, but they are a-ok in Missouri. Though Maya has had to restructure her lifestyle around her pet, she is loyal to her and in turn, she lets nothing stand between them.

Maya grew up in a very stable household with loving parents. She is an only child but has some cousins close to her. When Maya was little, her father would bring home old weather maps and scripts for tornado warnings. This captivated Maya, inspiring her to follow in her father’s footsteps. Originally, Maya was from Colorado, but her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri because the city’s Channel 18 was the only station they could find in the whole United States that didn’t require its weather presenters to have a degree. Making matters better, her dad was already a fully accredited meteorologist who had worked at several TV stations before.

Aside from the rigors of her life, Maya plays Among Us, Minecraft, or Final Fantasy XV on her custom built squirrel-proof gaming PC each night before bed. She also owns an old used Dodge Viper. Maya is trying to pay off her quite expensive car. She then wants to start saving up enough money to move to a country with universal healthcare, mandatory maternity leave, and a stable abortion rights situation. Ideally, it would also be one where she could legally keep her squirrel. Maya is laser focused on her goal of getting out of America, even more so after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.