(age.) twenty five (species.) witch (abilities.) electrokensis and empathy (occupation.) singer (residency.) arrived march 2019 (mirror.) emeraude toubia
â Â a pavement of the past
There wasnât anything decidedly special about the Karam family. Farez Karam owned a bookstore in New York City and his wife, Alma, stayed home with their daughter Cleopatra. They were able to make ends meet but werenât able to scrape by with much more. Nonetheless, the family was as happy as a middle class family can be in New York City. Things changed, though, when Farez and Alma discovered that their little Cleo could sing. She could reallysing. At five years old she stunned their church group to the point that they took donations for voice lessons so that she could sing the hymns. At that point, instead of seeing their daughter as a child, her parents began to look at her as a cash cow. They took her to pageants. They took her to competitions. They encouraged her to sing, but not for her.
Though Cleo didnât often win her competitions, her name did start creating buzz through the New York industry. Her parents were approached by agents, but the numbers were always too low. Their daughter was going to be a star, not someone theyâd put in the backseat. Then, Disney arrived. At twelve, they offered Cleoâs parents the opportunity of a lifetime. If they gave away Cleo, their wildest dreams would come true. So, they did. They signed a contract that not only put Cleo in a television series but also guaranteed her a world tour conditioned on the success of the first season.
And the first season was a success. And the second season. And the third. Cleo became a household name all over the world. Her music touched fans from the United States to Japan to France to India. But there was one problem - it wasnât her music. Within the contract, Disney hid requirements that she only perform songs they chose for her, songs they wrote for her. She had no creative liberty. While that hadnât bothered her much at first, she started to realize she was capable of more than they were letting her do. Whenever she complained to her parents, though, they reminded her that Disney was why they had a nice home and beautiful clothes. Without Disney where would they be? In their small New York apartment? Is that where she wanted to be? Reluctantly, Cleo realized they were right.
Cleo also began to realize that her capabilities ran deeper than music as well. Though her parents had occasionally noticed a flickering of lights when Cleo was upset or the television turning on when she was bored, they hadnât thought anything of it. No one had, except Cleo. As she grew, her powers did as well, and she found herself more and more able to manipulate the electric energy around her. Unfortunately, she still sometimes lost control.
In a particularly heated discussion with her executives, she caused the lights on the floor to all turn out, leaving them all in the dark. At that point the majority of the people in the room began to panic, except one. When the lights came back on, the Disney executive in charge of handling her career calmly asked everyone to leave the room except for Cleo. The man was a witch himself, heâd explained, and he talked to her about her powers, told her how he envisioned they could use them. He promised Cleo that if she manipulated her electrokenisis during her shows, he could make it so she could perform her own music. And Cleo trusted him.
But she should not have. Though the shows were gaining momentum once she added her magic, she started to worry that people would discover she wasnât like anyone else. The executive promised her that heâd protect her, and she wanted to perform her own music so badly that she went with it. At their next contractual discussion, things seemed like they were going well. The parties agreed that Cleo could put three of her own songs on her upcoming album if Disney could choose her album artwork and the overall aesthetic for the album. She gleefully agreed, excited that the world would hear her music.
The world didnât hear her music though, as Disney buried it under the music videos they wanted to release. They started taking her from the squeaky clean pop star theyâd built to a sexualized diva. Her clothes were getting tighter and her lyrics were dirtier. Though she tried to protest, no one listened. No one cared. So she went with it. She became the girl they wanted her to be, and she did it well. Cleo fell in with a crowd of models and socialite, drinking to excess and snorting lines of cocaine to keep herself going.
Soon, it all caught up with her. During a relatively routine performance, she fell and lost control of her electrokinesis which started a fire in the overhead lights. Most guests ended up unscathed, but a couple crew members suffered burns and maintained serious hospital visits. The executive, once supportive, turned on her, telling her she had to admit to the world that she was an addict and that she needed help. Her admission was followed by an explanation that her fall tugged a wire that caused a spark in the overhead lighting. People bought it, which was positive, but Cleo was shipped to rehab, which was not.
In many ways, rehab was likely the best course of action for Cleo. She needed the break to clear her head, but when she got out, Disney closed her out. Why would they want a contract with a witch? The people she thought supported her turned their backs on her. Even her parents who were upset about the money they lost in the liability suits from the crewmembers. Cleo had nowhere to turn.
So, she turned to Hollow Grove. It was a place for people like her, supernaturals who had nowhere else to turn. Cleo figured sheâd start her life over, do things her way this time. With no one to tell her who to be or what to do, she hoped to find out who the real Cleo was.
â Â the nature of the beast
Cleo is a headstrong woman who has been burned one too many times. She thinks she can get through this life by her own free will, but she often forgets how much help she really needs to navigate the challenges that she faces. In fact, she requires a great deal of assistance, but still manages to find it in the wrong places. Though sheâs gotten screwed over more times than she can count, she continues to put her trust into the wrong people, hoping that they are her ticket back to the big time.
Being an artist, Cleoâs creativity knows no bounds. She can draw on the emotions of others to write a song that speaks to people. When it comes to her own feelings, they come to her so deeply that she feels her only release is to write them down on paper. The girl has faced a lot of struggles, and she is still struggling, which leaves her vulnerable. More than anything, Cleo wants to feel like she is in control, but she just doesnât know how to get there.
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