Mattieās eyes scanned the books on the wall slowly, fingers running along the old wooden shelves lightly. Many of the books were not of interest to them, but there was a few treasures amongst the rest. Rare books, old books, things that made their little literature major heart sing.Ā āOh, I forgot how many first editions they had here,ā they said, mostly to themself. Reaching up, they pulled out a well worn book from the shelf. Focused as they were on the book, they turned without even noticing someone else in the room, and walked almost straight into them.Ā āOh, sh--. Iām so sorry.ā
jeanine mason & nonbinary. ā¢ MATHILDE DE ARMAS, age 28, graduated Gilchrist University in 2013 as a LITERATURE major. SHE/THEY was born in BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA & has been living in PHILADELPHIA, USA working as a LIBRARIAN. MATTIE is known to be LOYAL, INTELLIGENT, CAUTIOUS & UNTRUSTING and that might be because she is a VIRGO.
tw: deathĀ
(FULL BIO TO COME)
Mathilde was born in Ballarat, Victoria, a rural city in Australia. Her mother was a recent immigrant from Cuba, seeking a new start.
They were an only child, and a very quiet child around most people. Her mother was the one she was most talkative around.
When she was fourteen, however, she lost her mother in a car crash. The pair were driving to Melbourne to see an exhibit that Mattie wanted to see when a truck lost control in the rain and hit their car.
After that, Mattie went into foster care. She had no family in the country to take her.Ā
After the crash, Mattieās quietness only increased.
They grew close to one of their foster sisters, finally finding someone they trusted entirely. This sister helped them grow more sure of themself and when Mattie began to question their sexuality and their gender, it was this sister they turned to.
This family was happy to see how much Mattie was getting better, and about to adopt her.
But before they could, the foster sister got sick. Really sick. The family couldnāt afford to keep Mattie any more.
Mattie moved to another family, but they stayed in contact with their ex-foster sister.
Halfway through Mattieās final year of school, the illness got worse and deteriorated until their foster sister was gone.Ā
It was then that Mattie decided to leave the city, leave the country, for university. They had to get away from their past.
So off to Gilchrist University, on a scholarship.
Mattie isnāt quite sure how they ended up part of the Gravediggers Society in their freshman year. But the year they were initiated, someone died in the process.
Mattie liked the Gravediggers, like having a family again, though she knew that she must seem rather quiet to a lot of them.
But in her second year, she met Silas. They were roommates, and Mattie isnāt sure exactly what drew her to him, but for the first time since she lost her foster sister she felt like she had someone she could trust without question.
Mattie really grew into themself at Gilchrist, becoming more talkative and confident in her voice.Ā
Afterward Gilchrist, Mattie stayed in Ireland for a year, but when Silas was moving back to Philadelphia, they went with him gladly, finding a job as a librarian and continuing their literature research.
Mattie isnāt sure what to think about coming back to Gilchrist, death haunted them there like it did in Australia, but they were curious and came back with Silas.
SUGGESTED CONNECTIONS:
EX-CLASSMATES: anyone who studied literature or in other classes with Mattie
ENEMIES: maybe thereās a reason, maybe not, but Mattie and this person did notĀ get along
EX-GIRLFRIEND(S): Mattie is a nb lesbian, but university was the first time they really got to explore this and have any serious relationships
HOOK UP: Something less serious than a proper relationship, just a casual hook up or friends with benefits situation
Silas held a freshly poured glass of white wine, the brim pressed to his lips as he sat on a sofa in the den. He didnāt feel as shocked as he should, like he was prepared for the news even though he had no idea it was coming.Ā āIāve seen a few weeping. Itās a bit ā I mean, one would guess this is the first loss theyād ever experienced.āĀ Ā
Mattie didnāt like death. But death seemed to follow them, haunt them almost, in a way that they rarely voiced. Tried not to think about even. It was hard not to, lost in their thoughts as they sat next to Silas in the den.Ā āHmm? Oh, yeah. Well, the younger ones especially it might be.ā Mattieās freshman year, the year sheād been initiated into the Gravediggers, another freshman had died. And then in 2012. But that was nearly a decade ago. Not everyone would remember. Taking Silasās glass from him, Mattie took a sip before handing it back.Ā āBesides, some people are sensitive to this kind of thing, even if itās not their first.ā
