Chapter I

Mortal Life

Appearance: 5ft 5in in height, large and sparkling happy green eyes, auburn hair with natural curls. Usually seen in black Doc Marten shoes, blue jeans, baby tees, jean jacket, and two signiture items - a green packpack and a quartz crystal point worn from a silver necklace.

Zoë Evelyn McCalley was born to Emmett and Rachael McCalley on April 30, 1980 in West Bloomfield, an affluent suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Her mother was born of a well-to-do family. Her father was born to more humble beginnings, but had made his way to the top by becoming the head of a major American corporation. Perhaps this is why he never took it for granted, pushing relentlessly in his endeavors for success. In fact, her father was so consumed with his work that Zoë couldn't remember seeing him very much after she got to be about five years old.

Her parents obviously had a strained relationship. They had no more children, leaving Zoë as their first and only. Rachael eventually left and they divorced when Zoë was ten.

It was about this time the nightmares started to come. Horrible but vague recurring visions of a woman that she would later, as she came of age, recognize as herself. Paralyzing fear, blinding light, and fire everywhere. It would consume her body in flames as she was helpless to do nothing but scream...and burn to death... It got to the point she was taken to therapists and even dream clinics. They could come to no conclusions as the dreams continued to plague her, left to believe that she was inwardly and deeply upset by the divorce and her parents' lack of attention.

Despite this (or maybe because of it), Zoë was always a warm, friendly, and compassionate girl, even if she could be a bit quirky and shy at times (though her shyness frequently gives way to her curious nature). The dreams were not the only examples of her precognitive talent - she also occasionally had visions while awake. She began to realize as she grew older the way she could tell what others felt and how she could practically finish their sentences wasn't normal, either. She was empathic.

Zoë's parents had always put her in the best private schools. High school was no exception. In smaller places like this, the downside is that everyone knows everyone else...or thinks they do... When she was 15 she started exploring her abilities, reading everything she could get her hands on regarding all forms of ESP. She even started delving into ancient religions, such as Druidism, Wicca, and other outlets of white magick. This, coupled with her abilities showing every so often, started rumors throughout the school. Kids can be so cruel sometimes. The ones who didn't tease her just thought she was creepy.

Zoë was 17 when she graduated high school and convinced her father to let her delay going off to college to spend several months with her mother in England. She knew no one at first, but things were definitely better in London since no one knew her past. Friendships did eventually come though, one of her first being with an Irishman named Mark Cuchulainn. Mark revealed to Zoë that he discovered he was a werecat (the actual term being Bastet, but Mark didn't know any of this about himself yet). Others were Ledger De Main (who she would also later discover was a Bastet) and, someone who would become her best friend, the Ananasi Gilead ap Gywlm. After a rather nasty confrontation with a werewolf, it was Ledger and Gilead who explained to her more in depth about the supernatural, that it really did exist, and that included vampires.

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