Name: Finley Underwood
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Species: Instar Diviner - Light
Eye Color: Merlot Red
Family: None
Faceclaim: Dove Cameron 

++: Intelligent, Honest, Brave, Charming
--: Shy, Cautious, Strong-willed

Patrick and Cassandra Underwood were the perfect couple, they were the couple that every other couple strived to be and had the kind of relationship that singles dreamed of having. Their wedding was a grand affair with nearly 400 people in attendance with food courses galore and a total bill that made it the social event of the season. Even after marriage they maintained their lofty position, becoming even more iconic with their vows in place. As expected after a few years the baby rumors and discussions were tossed about as it was the natural progression for such pristine couple. For a while it seemed as if they did much care for having children, that is until Cassandra announced she was pregnant with a baby girl. 

Cassandra was ecstatic. The prospect of being a mother and extending their happy family brought her untold amounts of joy. Patrick on the other hand was stunned into silence for a few months. When asked about his impending fatherhood everything he had to say was in relation to Cassandra herself, he was glad she was happy and hoped she would stay healthy after her “ordeal.” Most people found his lack of interest in the baby odd but chalked it up to fatherhood jitters. Unfortunately the farther along the pregnancy the more deteriorated Patrick’s mental state became as his jealousy toward the unborn child increased day by day. He grew irritated and impatient with his beloved wife as all she could talk or think about was the baby girl that would soon make the perfect pair and company of three. Still he held onto Cassandra’s promises, that when their little girl was born everything would be perfect. 

Finley Underwood came into the world at 11:46 p.m. and by 11:47 Patrick was convinced that his wife had lied. From the moment his screaming, red faced daughter pushed herself from the womb Cassandra hadn’t so much as looked away from her. He stood at her side like a petulant child trying desperately to get her to refocus on what was important, him-them. Oblivious to the dangerous glint that had begun to grow in her husband's eyes, Cassandra basked in the glow of motherhood and in the smiling face of her perfect little girl. 

Once home from the hospital Patrick did everything he could to divert his wife’s attention from the baby, even going so far as to hire a nanny so that she wouldn’t have to bother herself with it. Cassandra did her best to work around Patrick’s insecurities doing her best to try to sooth her husband’s new quirks while also giving her daughter all the love and attention she could provide. Still the situation grew steadily worse and by the time Finley was two Patrick had dissolved into violent fits of rage and resentment. 

At such a tender age little Finley saw her father as a monster, his temper and ire pointed towards her in a way that she didn’t understand. Only her mother kept him in check, protecting her from his furious episodes. Finally Cassandra had had enough, as much as it pained her she was determined to leave Patrick as it was clear that he was no longer the man she had married. Thinking only of protecting her daughter the young woman packed her things and was in the process of walking out the door when Patrick came home early. Neighbors that night would report vast amounts of screaming, sounds of broken glass, and an explosion that shook the entire block. 

Many people beheld the horror of the burning house, the explosion had ripped the structure nearly in 2 as flames and smoke choked the night sky. Though plenty of tears flowed for the dear family who had been killed, most looked on with a graced sort of awe, as while the house burned a tiny little girl sat quietly out on the lawn, having mysteriously appeared there. The authorities couldn’t find a clear explanation as to how Finley had gotten outside, chalking the incident up to sheer luck. After several weeks it was deemed that the little girl had no other family or none that stepped forward as Cassandra’s family history was strangely missing. 

So at the age of 2 Finley Underwood was put into the system, becoming an orphan and a foster child. As a warden of the state she was shuffled around from home to home, never staying in one place for very long. Finley wasn’t ever a problem child, in fact she did everything she could to help out in the homes she was placed in hoping that maybe if she tried hard enough one would stick or someone would adopt her. As she grew in age that hope slowly dimmed, testing even her boundless enthusiasm and optimism. 

At 16 Finley had had enough, tired of the ceaseless parade of homes with caregivers who were either too tired to care or had never cared to begin with. Deciding she would be better off on her own Finley ran away from the system, using all the money she had the teenager bought a backpack, a sleeping bag, a new pair of tennis shoes, and a one way ticket to Europe. 

For the next year Finley backpacked around Europe, drifting from place to place while sleeping in hostels with other people her age. Occasionally she’d find the odd job in order to make some money, always making enough to get the things she needed. Everything else seemed to happen by chance, her kind and helpful attitude often reciprocated by those she extended it to. Somewhere in Paris she helped an elderly lady gather her bags of groceries that had been dropped in the street and in return earned herself a hot meal and a soft bed for a few nights. In Amsterdam she came across a little boy who had been separated from his parents and after helping the family reunite Finley found herself with a pocket full of cash and a clean hotel room for the night. 

Little acts of kindness got her everywhere, even earned her enough in one instance to buy a camera which sparked her love of photography. Before the year was up Finley had traveled all over Europe, taken hundreds of pictures, and had the time of her life. At 17 Finley had no plans to leave, in fact she had been hoping to earn enough to afford a small apartment and apply for school somewhere. Unfortunately the best laid plans are often the most spoiled, which was the case for the teenager. 

Late one evening Finley was headed to a hostel for the night when a shadowy figure overtook her, knocking her unconscious. When she came to she was alone on a private jet with her backpack nestled beside her, flying over an unnamed ocean. Despite her attempts to glean information from the staff she was kept in the dark, ignored until they finally landed at the airport. There she was escorted by two men into a vehicle that drove deep into a big city. She had been young when she had first left the city, but despite the years her eyes and mind still recognized the high rises and the architecture. Not to mention the city had been on the news about a year and half back when some comet had come blazing directly over the city causing mass blackouts and slight hysteria. She’d been brought back to Evermore, Colorado. 

Angry, confused, and scared Finley was taken to a hotel room and locked inside with the 2 men who had collected her guarding the door. The 17 year old tried to find a way to escape, testing the windows even heading into the bathroom that might contain a vent she could fit through. Wandering back into the bedroom she discovered a clean, crisp envelop sitting in the middle of the bed with her name written on it. At first she had resolutely ignored it but curiosity got the better of her drawing her to the many paged letter that was nestled inside. 

Hours later, after reading over the precious words nearly 3 times, Finley lifted her tear filled eyes to a new world. The letter was from her mother, written just days before Cassandra had planned on whisking her away from her abusive and crazed father. Her mother had written it as a contingency plan and sent it to a trusted friend who was to give it to Finley before her 18th birthday. Scrawled in neat writing was the heritage that Finley had always craved, detailing the specifics of the race of supernatural beings that she was apart of. Cassandra had been a Fae, an entity who could call upon light magic in the form of spells and chants, a counterpart of the Necromancers who dealt in dark magic. 

As she read on her mind flash images that she hadn’t even known she’d retained, realizing why she alone had survived the explosion. Patrick had set a trap, fully expecting Cassandra’s flight from him and had acted to head her off. In his twisted mind if he couldn’t have her no one would, so he’d rigged an explosion that was meant to wipe them all out. Cassandra’s last act before death had been a spell, teleporting her daughter to safety just before the explosion had been triggered. It saddened her, that she would never get the chance to meet her brave mother, never see that spark of defiance that had led a woman to leaving everything she held dear behind. 

It was several days later, all her questions still unanswered when a chance to escape came. One of her guards was sound asleep, the other gone to get food when a cleaner entered the hotel room despite the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging on the door handle. Finley didn’t even hesitate before running out the door and running to the elevator much to the surprise of the cleaning lady. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she watched the lights of the elevator floors blink one by one, fear, curiosity, and panic drove her. As the elevator doors opened, the young woman dashed out into the lobby and out the front doors onto the streets of Evermore and continued running. 

It didn’t take her long to find the Instar Diviner faction that was located in the city and it wasn’t a moment too soon. On the eve of her 18th birthday was her choosing. The Ambassador sat with her, telling her what would happen and what it would mean for her. Telling her that the faction would be there to help her through it all if that was what she wished. Finally it happened and she was chosen by the Fae and became a full Instar Diviner. Finley was confused, so overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past several days and still frightened. Why had those men taken her and brought her here? What did it mean? She thanks the Ambassador but knew she needed time to herself to think.

So Finley left Evermore and headed out in a search for herself. She did her research before leaving and ensured she made arrangements with other Diviner factions to come and stay and learn. So she travelled. Years passed and finally the young woman knew that she wanted to return to Evermore, that the city had and would always be her home. Upon her return, she discovered much had changed. There was a new, young Ambassador and much turmoil but she was fine with that. This was where she wanted to build her life.