Anita

"I will NOT be afraid!"

BASIC INFO:

Name: Anita Leigh

Nickname(s): Shoelace

Gender: Female

Age: Early teens

Species: Human

Height: 4'10''

Setting/timeline: Earth, early 20th century

Occupation: Student

Connections: William (best friend), Spike (friend)

BACKSTORY:

Anita was born in a quiet village in England. She was homeschooled until her early teens. Her father struck up a friendship with the headmaster of a prestigious boarding school, which resulted in Anita being offered a place there. Though nervous, she leapt at the chance to prove that she could do well academically.

A few months into her stay, Anita began to notice oddities around the school. One night, curiosity got the better of her and she began to creep around, convinced that something strange was hiding in the school. To her shock, she found a ghost named William who had been trapped there for several years. They formed an unlikely friendship and have been close ever since.

PERSONALITY:

Positive: Proud / Hardworking / Sensible

Negative: Oversensitive / Haughty / Conforming

Anita is a reserved and careful girl who believes in being productive. She is confident, but not outgoing, and would rather spend her free time reading books than playing games. It takes the right person to enjoy her company and it can be difficult to befriend her, as she tends to instinctively act haughty around strangers.

Anita usually steers clear of trouble and has a disdainful attitude towards those who seek it out for fun. Because of this, she has been labelled a coward and stuck-up by some of her peers. She has grown sensitive to this and will occasionally do something reckless even though it goes against her nature simply to prove them wrong. Harsh words hurt her more than she likes to admit; although she tries to hide it, she truly cares what others think of her. She has a tendency to conform, changing her mannerisms, speech, and clothing style just to fit in with her peers.

Anita has a lot of pride and is quick to defend herself when slighted. However, she avoids serious confrontation, even hesitating to stick up for her own friends if there's a risk of the aggressor turning on her instead.

DESIGN:

Anita has auburn hair that falls roughly to the middle of her back, and is often kept off her face by a headband. Her eyes are greyish-blue. Her favourite outfit consists of a simple beige dress and brown slip-on shoes.

RELATIONSHIPS:

William

Anita met William after he was cursed to 'haunt' her school. She was the first person there who didn't run screaming or pass him off as a hallucination, and they quickly became close friends. As the years pass, Anita develops a more motherly attitude towards him as a result of the fact that she grows older while William stays looking 17 forever. He stays with her for life, following her through several house moves, marriage, and the raising of her family. Though he often disappears for weeks at a time, he always returns to her in the end. Anita dies of natural causes after a long, fulfilling life, and as she dies, William stays by her side to reassure her that death isn't really frightening.

Spike

Becoming friends through William, Anita and Spike get along well enough, but aren't particularly close.

TRIVIA:

- She is one of 'The Gifted' (people who can see ghosts). They are extremely rare and Anita didn't know the ability existed before she met William.

- Is ambidextrous.

- Got the nickname 'Shoelace' after she helped tie a classmate's laces on her first day at school.

- She 'owns' a cat named Mars, a stray who frequents her dormitory for food. He eventually stops showing up, and she doesn't know what happened to him.

- In the future, her youngest child, Peter, inherits her ability to see ghosts. He's the only one of her three children who does.