Madeline Stokes

Madeline Stokes, often referred to as Sweets by numerous people, is the main character of the Witch Apple Red franchise.
At a young age she ran away from an abusive, poverty stricken home. It was during these years spent alone and wandering that she awakened her magical abilities.
At the age of 13, Stokes met a Georgia-based witch named Elizabeth Wayne. Wayne realised the young girls magical connections and took her into her home. She became both a teacher and a mother-like figure to the girl.
At twenty years of age Stokes successfully performed an incredibly difficult and dangerous ritual known as the Red Covering of the Flesh. This ritual, when successful, allows the bearer to gain instant access to any written spells and to utilize the products of the spells instantly. This is considerably quicker and easier than the traditional ways of casting spells.
From the ages of 20 to 28 Stokes travelled the world, all the while refining her powers and craft.
== Moving to Harren ==
At the age of 29, Madeline decided to settle in the town of Harran, ?. She moved there with her friend and employee Marcus and opened a confectionary store called Witch Apple Red, selling not just a variety of candies and sweets, but also cakes, beverages, etc. At first her business did not see many customers, largely due to the local's wariness of new citizens. In Sweets' case there was no real warning or build up to her appearance. She was suddenly a part of the town. 
She meets several locals:
* Ralph, owner of Ralph's Diner. Intrigued by the new arrival Madeline and openly states that he will not make his mind up immediately about her, unlike some locals.
* Hannah Worthing, waitress at Ralph's Diner. Homeless mother of three kids Paige(16), Amy (10) & Dylan (5)
* Daniel Summers, Mayor of Harran. Has an idea of how Harren citizens should be and distrusts Stokes as she does not fit into his image. Hypocritical, but this is unknown to most of locals
* Paul Banks, firefighter. One of the multiple young men who take an interest in Stokes
Paige enters WAR and attempts to steal some sweets for her little brothers birthday. Stokes catches her but instead of kicking her out she sits her down and has a talk with her. Paige explains why she was stealing.
Following a medical emergency with Amy Worthing, Madeline invites Hannah and her family to stay with her. She feeds them, clothes them, shelters them, and treats them with warmth and tenderness. They become some of her first real allies/friends within the town.
Her store is burnt down by people paid to do so by Mayor Summers. She reveals in a discussion with Paul that the store was a hobby business and that without it she will still be financially stable.
In time the flow of customers into WAR increases and it isn't long before Witch Apple Red is the most popular store of it's kind in the town, with impressive profits.