The situation is far from ideal, but given the rarity of the power, there simply aren’t many options for Mentors. And the Council seems to have decided—possibly because of what happened with Brant—that forcing Marella to suppress the ability could end up causing larger problems in the long run. A Pyrokinetic’s craving for flame seems to be too strong to ignore—especially without training. So the Council appears to be seeing if there’s a middle ground that allows the ability to be used within specific limits. Only time will tell if there is. Until then, Marella’s lessons take place at the special prison where Fintan is being held for his crimes, and are, of course, closely monitored to ensure that Fintan cannot use the situation as an opportunity to escape or harm anyone. Linh Song also attends most of these lessons, using her hydrokinesis to extinguish any flames. And rumor has it that Marella and Linh do additional training together on their own. There are certain similarities between their abilities, given that they’re both controlling an element, and it appears they may be attempting to combine their powers. It’s difficult to imagine how that might work, but if the events over the last several years have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected—particularly when it comes to any of our powerful youth.
A TRAGIC FAMILY ACCIDENT:
As already briefly noted, Marella’s mother (Caprise) suffered a traumatic brain injury when Marella was three years of age. For reasons still unknown (though some have claimed that fizzleberry wine might have been involved), Caprise fell off a balcony at their home and hit her head. Elwin did all he could to help, but some injuries cannot be completely healed, and Caprise was forever changed by the experience. Her symptoms seem to primarily affect her moods, and certain elixirs do help her manage them. But she’s known to have good days and bad days. And Marella seems to shoulder a heavy amount of the responsibility in caring for her, oftentimes running late for things or looking slightly disheveled. (And of course, there was Marella’s hope of becoming an Empath to better assist, which was already mentioned.) Naturally, Caprise’s situation has lowered the family’s social standing. Most are sympathetic to the Redeks’ plight, but still aren’t sure how to help or what to do, since these kinds of challenges are so rare in the Lost Cities.
A BIT OF A LONER:
It’s hard to tell how much Marella’s family challenges have affected her social decisions, but despite her large personality, Marella has opted to isolate herself—particularly from the other prodigies at school. In fact, until Sophie Foster started attending Foxfire, Marella often ate lunch by herself. She used to claim it was because she found everyone annoying, but it’s also possible that she has a harder time “fitting in” given how different her homelife is. Even after Sophie and Marella became friends, they weren’t as close as Sophie was with some of her other friends, and rumors claim that Marella has at times felt neglected by Sophie’s group, particularly when they started spending an increasing amount of time working with the Black Swan. Sophie was likely trying to spare Marella from the dangers that come with the Black Swan’s assignments (much like she tried to do with everyone she cares about)—and some reports do indicate that Marella is far less eager to risk her life than some of her friends appear to be. But that doesn’t mean that Marella wouldn’t have preferred to be included. The number of dangerous missions she’s agreed to help with—and the fact that she recently swore fealty to the order—definitely proves that she’s both willing and able when asked and needed.
THE “GO-TO” FOR GOSSIP:
Despite her sometimes antisocial ways, Marella has a gift for always knowing about everything, and anyone looking to catch up on the latest gossip (or wanting to find out about a past scandal) tends to go to her. There are often gaps in her knowledge, but what she does know generally seems to be accurate—sometimes so much so that people are left wondering where she got her information. And the truth is, no one knows—except Marella.
A NOTORIOUS FLIRT:
In what also seems to be a strange contrast to her loner ways, Marella definitely has a reputation for flirting. And teasing. And generally being very open about who does and doesn’t catch her interest—as well as who she thinks her friends should or shouldn’t be interested in. Which may seem like a strange