Jenna Nielson [META]

Power Index: Can shrink and grow; shrinking is easier than growing for her, growing large is easier when she’s angry.  Mild empathic link with Jesse due to being twins.

Family: Duncan Nielson [father] | Delaney Nielson [mother] | Nikki Nielson [step-mother] | Jesse Nielson [brother; twin], Camila Nielson [step-sister]

Background:  The first major changes in Jenna's life happened when she and Jesse were both nine.  It was shortly after Jesse had gotten out of the hospital after having a ruptured appendix that their dad got a raise and was able to make more money.  Just as quickly as things began to look up, they came crashing down when Jenna woke up one morning to find her mom distraught on the phone.  She didn’t understand what was going on until later when her dad didn’t come home…until five years later when he got out of prison for being involved in a gang responsible for stealing merchandise from warehouses over the past few months.  After her father was arrested, Jenna didn’t know how to process all of what was going on with the fallout and retreated in on herself.  She found that it was better to hide her emotions so it wouldn’t cause her mother or brother to become upset and try to “fix things” with her.

The second big thing that happened was her powers showing up.  The shock and trauma seemed to act as a trigger, not only for her, but for Jesse as well, since the two revealed to each other their burgeoning abilities around the same time.  Jenna’s powers seemed to echo her sentiments about all that was happening, wanting to shrink away and hide, which she was learning how to do as she began to practice it more.  She wasn’t interested in joining any superhero teams or doing vigilante work since she already had her hands full with school life and home life, and on top of that, erratic powers.  She and Jesse were fourteen when Duncan was released from prison.  She was overjoyed to have her father back in her life, but Jesse wasn’t quite so enthusiastic, and let their father know it with his hostile attitude.  Jenna could tell that things had fallen apart between her parents, and wasn’t surprised when they got a quick divorce, Delaney leaving since she needed some time to put herself back together.  Jenna attempted to keep the peace between her father and brother as best as she could, but often got shouted over to the point where she’d retreat to her room or the apartment roof to get away from all the tension.

When Jesse dragged her into meeting a Jade’s Hall spokesperson who said he could get them help with honing their powers, she couldn’t say no since she didn’t want her powers to be another thing she had to worry about.  The training was a boon, though she wasn’t too crazy about being put on a team with others and assigned on missions.  Jenna also started dating the popular, rich transfer student, troublemaker Sophomore, Johnny Fenton, after he showed interest in her and genuinely wanted to get to know her better.  They kept their dating a secret until the guilt ate away at Jenna and she had to tell her dad about her new boyfriend.  Duncan was suspicious and had her bring Johnny over so he could meet him; the two didn’t really hit it off at all given that Jesse didn’t like Johnny either, so Johnny returned the suspicions of father and son with a snarky attitude.

With school, Jade’s Hall stuff, and Johnny occupying her mind, Jenna was too busy to notice much else going on around her other than the usual.  She did, however, note that her father seemed to be getting out of his depression that had followed on the heels of the divorce.  He was more present for the twins, and started exercising his authority with Jesse when the boy tried to talk back and challenge him, which in turn caused Jesse to back down.  Despite seeing her father improving both mentally and physically over the next few months, Jenna suspected he wasn’t telling the entire truth about what he was doing for work.  He seemed fine for a while, until he came back from an overnight “work” trip looking shaky and ill.  When she gingerly asked what the matter was, he quickly responded that he’d gotten food poisoning while he was away, it was nothing.  Taking a risk, she shrunk down when she knew he was heading out for work, tagging along with him to see what he was up to.  Jenna was horrified to find out that her dad wasn’t on his way to his security job, but arrived at a suspicious night club used as a front by Greg Sage for his superhuman crime ring.  She could do nothing but watch as Duncan burst into Sage’s office to “tender his resignation” to Sage as Kaos, the new masked supervillain that she and Jesse have fought with the Jade’s Hall team.  Sage, however, was one step ahead of him, revealing he knew the identity not only of Kaos, but of his kids, where they go to school, and where the family lives.  If Duncan threatens to step out of line, then he’ll have his people bump off a twin to make a point.  If he, Sage, is killed, then both of the kids die.  Hands tied, Duncan grudgingly agrees to stay on, taking his next assignment before storming out.

When the coast is clear, Jenna reverts to her regular size and confronts her father in the restroom at Sage’s nightclub front after he went there to get out his frustration.  Jenna is visibly upset since she's seen Kaos in the news and heard about what he's done when not in public brawls with heroes, and never made the connection that this new villain was her father.  Hearing that her father was trying to quit, that these people are keeping tabs on her and Jesse, and seeing her father’s reaction to this bit of news is proof enough that he’s not like the rest of the Enforcers.  Duncan tells her that he's going to figure a way to get out, not to panic, but that things might get worse before they get better. And not to tell her brother.  Jenna promises to keep the secret for a set amount of time; once that time is up, she's going to tell Jesse and the Jade's Hall people. She'd rather see her father locked up than in a morgue.

She adheres to her promise and doesn’t say a word of anything she found out to Jesse, waiting to see what their father will do.  Things come to a head when she and the Jade’s Hall team she’s on are tasked with containing a superhuman threat downtown from a tip sent their way–where she finds her father in his Kaos guise and other Enforcers ready to fight their way out of the trap.  Some of the Titans arrive on the scene as well since it looks like the Jade’s Hall folks bit off more than they can chew, and just as things seem to be getting serious, Kaos turns on his fellow teammates.  Kaos goes out of his way to protect Jenna and Jesse when Enforcers try to level lethal attacks at them, something Jesse only appreciates when Kaos’s mask gets ripped off and he recognizes the new villain as his dad.  When the dust settles and Duncan turns himself in, Jenna has to push her way through the Jade’s Hall team and other agents who arrived on the scene to see her father since he’s among those being arrested.  She’s only half-aware of what’s going on as Duncan negotiates with Arcanus of the Titans to take the twins into The Institute’s custody, and then has only a few minutes to say her goodbyes with Jesse by her side.

When at the Institute, Nikki Connor-Tavares takes the twins under her wing; she helps them to process all that's happened and lets them ask her about her own journey since she's the only other hero they're aware of (at the moment) who started out as a supervillain before reforming.  Jenna bonds with her quickly since she desperately needs a mother figure in her life, and Nikki is easy to talk to and fun to hang out with.  When Duncan is allowed visits at Jade’s Hall, Nikki takes the twins as a chaperone, and Jenna is able to pick up on the sparks happening between the two adults with each visit.  The two seem to hit it off, especially more after Duncan is handed over to The Institute for a sort of "house arrest" situation where he's required to stay on the Institute's grounds for a year.  Nikki becomes Nikki Nielson a year and a half later, making her their new stepmom.

Personality: 

• Naturally anxious and self-conscious
• Only really secure when she’s dancing since she believes it’s what she does best
• Likes musicals and theater; most of what she listens to are musicals
• Pretty good at figuring out what people are thinking/feeling by observing them.  Picked up on body language when she was younger and has honed her skills in that area since.
• Tends to heap blame on herself.  If something bad happens, it must somehow be her fault.
• Prone to wearing her emotions on her sleeve.  Cries easily and got made fun of for that trait when she was younger.
• Eager to see the best in people and dig past the masks they put up
• She does have a fiery side, it’s just that it takes a lot for that to emerge.  She has to be pushed to get really angry to the point where she’d start yelling at someone.
• Resorts to self defense when fighting, and prefers to look out for civilians to protect them than engage hostiles
• Enjoys dressing up, even if she doesn’t get very many chances to do so aside for dance performances and school dances

Goals: Figure out how to better control her powers and gain some confidence along the way.