InsaneJournal

name: Cassandra "Cassie" Whaley
age: 27
history: The Whaley family was as normal as any family could be. David and Melissa Whaley both held respectable jobs; David was a science teacher at the local high school and Melissa worked as a paralegal. Capping their picture perfect family was Cassandra, the couples' first and only child. Cassie's early memories from childhood are full of happiness; going to the playground with her mother, her father attempting -- and failing -- to teach her how to ride a bike, family vacations. It wasn't until Cassie turned ten that things took a turn for the worst.

She remembers the day her mother left. Cassie woke up, like any other morning, and headed downstairs, expecting to see her mother slaving away making breakfast. Instead she was greeted by a kitchen full of police officers and her father, head in hands, crying. Apparently, Melissa had gotten up in the middle of the night and had left, without word or taking any of her things. Without any explanation, Cassie and David's world turned upside down.

It was days, possibly even a week, before Cassie began to notice there was something suddenly different about her. Her empathy, when it appeared, hit her hard, largely due to her father. David seemed like nothing more than an empty shell to the outside world. He went through the motions of every day life, but there was no feeling to it. Cassie knew a different story. Being around her father was like being choked to death by pure hurt and rage. Despite being furious with Melissa for leaving, he was equally desperate for her to come home. Cassie knew all this, felt all this, without her father saying a word. She felt as though she were going insane and any attempts to reach out for help were ignored.

Nine years passed. It didn't pass easily. Her ability did not fade with time as she hoped. After much time, many near mental breakdowns, and one or two mental disease diagnoses, Cassie learned how to live with being able to sense the emotions of others. Unfortunately, she didn't have long before the stable life her and her father had grown into was changed once again.

The day Melissa returned was much like the day she left. It was just another day, until a distraught and disheveled Melissa shuffled in the front door. Cassie remembered how confused her mother looked. Her father welcomed her back with open arms -- he didn't care where she had been or what she had done, all that mattered was that she was home. Cassie, on the other hand, was not receptive to her mother's coming home.

Over the past eight years Melissa has done everything that she possibly can to repair her relationship with Cassie. Though Cassie understands that Melissa is earnest, she can't wrap her mind around how her mother could leave and not have any explanation as to what happened. Cassie spends as little time with her parents as possible, which is made easier by her career choice to be a doctor.

appearance: Cassie is a very healthy and average 5'7" in height and 120 lbs in weight. She has always been able to maintain her physique through an active lifestyle -- taking the time everyday to go for a jog -- though these days it is hard for her to find the time. She keeps her chocolate colored hair short, never getting longer than shoulder length.

Cassie is easily someone that you could overlook in a crowd. She devotes as little time as possible to putting on makeup and her clothes -- when they aren't her scrubs -- are usually whatever she can manage to throw on in a hurry. There is a part of Cassie that is happy that her looks don't get her noticed very often; it makes her job easier when she doesn't have to worry about being gawked at or hit on every five minutes.

occupation: First year hospital resident.
Though Cassie has graduated from medical school, she must endure training for a few years as a resident. While she is responsible for patients, all her work is supervised by superiors in the hospital.
skills:
• Has earned a PhD in Medicine. She is well versed in anatomy and medicine, and could probably fix whatever is ailing you (though technically she's not allowed to yet).
• Early in college, she enjoyed participating in the theater program to blow off steam. She would have made quite a good actress if she hadn't decided to be a doctor.
• In high school she ran track and managed to run a 5 minute mile -- an ability she has kept to this day.

personality: Cassie is someone that initially comes off as having no personality. She is very stoic, as far as displaying her emotions are concerned, and tends to take a serious attitude toward things. This is an unfortunate side effect of growing into her ability. It isn't that Cassie can't feel happy or sad; she feels like any normal person. Simply put, she chooses not to let them affect her behavior.

Her empathic ability has shaped a lot of who Cassie is and the way she behaves. There are some things that are simply too hard for her. Being around children is difficult. Their tiny bodies can pack more emotional punch than you'd imagine and the extremes they can reach in the matter of a minute leave Cassie's head swimming. Relationships are also treacherous terrain. It is hard enough to keep your bearings when you are falling for someone. Cassie finds it nearly impossible to differentiate between what she is feeling and what someone else is in the heat of the moment. Her younger years have allowed for many foolish mistakes that, at this point in her life, she would rather not face again. Aside from the romantic, simple friendships tend to be more complicated for Cassie. She has tried telling her friends about her ability, which only led to quite a few uncomfortable situations -- it can be unnerving being around someone who knows exactly what you are feeling. Keeping her secret only makes things worse for Cassie; she feels as though she is violating her friend's trust by not being as honest when they are an open book to her.

Cassie's ability has also caused problems for her that have nothing to do with other people. Though she is comfortable with her empathy, the ability is 24/7. It can be easy to get lost in the emotions of others and the line between what Cassie feels as opposed to the rest of the world is often blurred. Imagine harboring rage and believing it is your own, without an understanding of where it originated. When she was much younger, Cassie was diagnosed with manic depression. She was prescribed medication to cope with disease. Truth be told, "manic depression" was the only way that her father could understand Cassie's ability. The medication, which does nothing to cure her non-existent disease, manages to numb her to her ability -- if only slightly. She knows it's wrong, but sometimes she indulges just a bit every now and again to catch a break.

Despite these setbacks, Cassie does her best to keep a positive attitude. Some days are easier than others. Some days she has to force herself to get out of bed in the morning and be around people. Ultimately, she remains on the glass half full end of the spectrum. Cassie knows for a fact that there are those out in the world that have a life much worse than hers.
likes: being outdoors, summertime, drinking massive amounts of coffee, helping others in any capacity
dislikes: her long work hours, being around her mother, being in large crowds, being around children

type: Kinfolk
ability: Empathy
Cassie's ability allows her to sense the emotions of others. These emotions can impact her differently depending on the intensity with which they are being felt. Sometimes they feel like a soft, subtle push that eases its way into Cassie's mind. Other times it can hit her like a two ton truck that often takes her over; in these instances, it is had for Cassie not to exhibit these emotions herself. Cassie is unaware if she can manipulate the emotions of others. The ability has never presented itself and, though she has entertained the idea, she has never attempted to test it.