Character Building?

Backstory (throwing ideas that are not solid):

Sheila grew up in an orphanage. Her parents died when she was around 5 years old. She doesn't remember much of them, but she has a vague memory of what they look like. Of course, she has a picture of them, but that doesn't mean she has the memories. Despite her parents deaths, she grew up happy. The caretakers at the orphanage were kind and loving to all the children. There were tough times and rough patches, but all in all, she was happy, cared for, and loved. She did not have the best schooling. The caretakers taught them, and they did not have advanced schooling. She knows basic math, english, and the history of Falor and Cottonwood. She knows how to read and write. It's not common for commoners, especially orphans. So, she had great schooling for her class. Sheila's powers emerged when she was young. Sheila awakened her magic at the age of 6. When her powers emerged, she became confused because she heard many voices that no one else heard. The caretakers worried that she was losing herself. While Sheila was telling one of the caretakers, Mary, what she heard, Mary was taken aback. Sheila's looks had changed. She had green hair and no longer had her pointy ears. Mary then realized the voices Sheila had heard were part of her powers. Mary and Sheila had taken the day off to try to figure out what magic Sheila had. Mary deduced that Sheila can hear living beings, like animals and plants. She also concluded that Sheila can communicate with them! A power like this is not very special, as many have it, and it is quite common with elves, as well as having a human form. But Mary suspected Sheila had a hidden power that lay dormant. Mary knows who Sheila's parents were and what magic they had, as well as their ancestry. This was because they all grew up together. Although Mary knew all this, she followed Sheila's parents' wishes to not tell her. Sheila had grown and was developing her magic well. She can now control when and what she hears regarding her magic. As well as change between her human forms on command without any side effects. When she turned 16, Mary came to her room. Of course, she gave her birthday wishes. But she also gave Sheila a small box. In the box were a letter from her parents, some photos, a map with some spots marked, a crest 'badge', and some other things. In the letter were a lot of things, like who her parents were, what happened to them, and many other things. The information Sheila got from the contents was that her parents were both grand-mages. They had been fighting in a battle and did not make it out. They had retired before the battle. But there was a war. The soldiers of Falor could not finish it without the help of some retired mages. This included Catrina and Fredrick. They had said they would not fight because they had a child to take care of. If they did not fight, the king threatened to arrest them for treason. So they left their daughter with a close friend, Mary, for her to take care of until they returned. Mary told Sheila that, after they had been gone for 3 months, a letter was sent to her saying they had died in the battle. Mary hadn't even thought they would not return. They were so strong. Sheila stayed silent, then spoke up after a few moments. "If you knew, why didn't you tell me? Even if it was their wish, that doesn't mean they can make you not tell... You had plenty of  chances."Mary then sighed, "Yes, I could have, but I could not bring myself to go against their wishes. I know you may be mad at me or need to take some time, but know that I am here for you. I care about you and love you, Sheila." Sheila looked up at Mary, then stood up and walked towards her. Sheila stopped in front of her and then reached her arms out, pulling Mary in for a hug. "Thank you, Mary. I am alright. If I am being honest, I am glad you did not tell me before. Thank you." After that, Mary left, and Sheila lay in bed, staring at the letter. She looked at the box and reached for it, bringing it into her lap as she now sat up. She was rummaging through, looking at everything, when she saw an envelope. It was from Falor's general. This was the letter saying they had passed. She opened the envelope and read the letter. Then she saw something that stood out. There were numbers at the top, written in. The numbers were a set (##,##). "Are these coordinates?" Sheila grabbed the marked map and looked at the possible numbers. Someone marked the spot. The map had the coordinates from the letter. Why? How would the general, or whoever typed this, know these coordinates would be on the map? Could one of my parents tell them? That's the only reasonable explanation. Sheila looked back at the map, closer, and it was a spot marked in the forest. Sheila tried to figure out where the orphanage was, but she did not know the coordinates, so she went to look for Mary. "Let me see the map. I should know where we are. We are near a church. We need to find the name of the church and go there," Mary said. She looked at the map and found the church. "Ah, there it is!" St. Cotton's. We are south of it, so we are around this area." Mary said as she circled the spot on the map. "So how far are we from this spot?" Sheila asked, pointing to the red dot. "Well, let's see, the scale here is one inch to three miles, so these points are 1-2–5, 15 miles apart." Mary stated. Sheila sighed. "What's wrong, Sprout? Were you wanting to go here?" Mary asked. Sheila replied, "Yeah, I did want to, but that's a far walk, so I don't know if I will be able to. And there are the chores, and I have to help with the younger kids. I thought I would go because it was from them. I wanted to see what was there. But I can't leave behind my responsibilities here." Mary asked Sheila a question: "Do you want to go there?" Sheila looked down and said, "I don't know. Of course, I want to go, but there are also so many reasons not to." Mary interrupted her thought, "Don't think about us. All I want to know is if you had the opportunity to go, would you?" "I do," Sheila said, looking up at Mary. I want to know what's out there and why there are these marked spots. And I know I can't stay here forever either, but it's hard to leave. "You're right; you can't stay here forever. If I were to make it possible for you to go, would you feel safe? Are you positive about going? You know that you are always welcome to stay here if you come back. You are of age where you can live on your own now, so I won't stop you, but keep in mind we are here if you need." As Mary said this, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pouch; it was full of coins. Mary took Sheila's hand and put the bag in it. "You can leave; it is your choice, but I know I will miss having you around, Sprout," Mary said. Sheila looked down at the bag. She was nervous, but she had her mind set. She looked back up to Mary and gave her a big hug. "Thank you!" Mary laughed. "Of course, Sprout, I can't keep you here forever." She let go of Sheila and then stepped back and wiped her face. "Alright, I will get you some things to take with you. Now go gather up your stuff. I hear you can take this bag." Mary said as she was handing Sheila a big backpack. Sheila grabbed the bag, and a small smile grew on her lips. "Now there are some things already in it. There is a sewing kit, some fire starters, rope, a small knife, and a tent. After you get your things, I will give you some food and water for your trip. But I know it's not a trip. I can see you are ready to leave." Sheila also knew this, but it still scared her. She would be alone. But she would be able to see what it was her parents wanted her to see. "Yeah, but I am still scared. But I want to go." Mary smiled and then sent her off to go get ready, and she headed to the kitchen to get her rations. Sheila gathered some clothes and her essentials, and then looked at the box on the bed. She grabbed the box, made sure everything was inside (other than the map), and put it in the bag. She took the knife out of the bag and had it in her pocket of her coat, and then went to the kitchen, where Mary was all ready. Mary walked over to Sheila with the rations; she opened the back of Sheila's bag and put the food and water in. "Alright, are you ready, Sprout?" Mary asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Yeah, I am." "Alright, remember what you learned here. You know many important skills; they will help. Alright, now give me one last hug." Sheila trotted over and hugged Mary, savoring the moment. Mary let go and then said her goodbyes, and then Sheila was off on her own. -End-