Ceres Lane

Ceres' base sprite

Ceres is a member of the Gifted Few with the gift of strength. She is forced to participate in the Game of the Gifted at Espera's Keep alongside her fellow students.

## Appearance

Ceres is tall and toned with dark skin, brown eyes, and dark hair which she ties into two afro puffs. She wears a white button up blouse under a black blazer jacket and a red plaid pencil skirt. Her shoes are light tan suede lace ups, with knee-length socks.

## Personality

Ceres initially seems like the strong, emotional rock of the group. Intelligent, sympathetic, and fast thinking, she is naturally looked up to as a leader figure. She is dedicated first and foremost to keeping the others as safe as possible, and trying to prevent any major incidents.

However, she is far more introverted than people might first think. While she is more than happy to help people when necessary, she quickly feels burdened by the responsibility of everyone else's problems. With a gift like strength, people have often expected her to act a certain way, something she is very rarely comfortable with.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing, particularly during a storm. She spends most of her time in her father's old office, which she has turned into her personal reading room.

## History

### Early Life

Ceres' mother was absent for most of her life, leaving to pursue a career as a translator overseas. As a result, Ceres grew up with her father and her grandmother, though she saw her mother occasionally during birthdays or Christmases.

Her gift manifested fairly young, something she was initially very excited about. She had always been fascinated by magic, and so she enjoyed showing off her strength to anyone who would watch. As she grew older, however, she became more aware of the expectations people placed on her as a result of her gift, which dampened her enthusiasm for magic as a whole.

For most of her life, Ceres' father worked as a computer engineer, specialising in artificial intelligence, later completing a PhD and taking a teaching position at the local university. He would spend many late nights at work, leaving Ceres alone with her grandma. This, however, did not bother Ceres and she and her grandma were always incredibly close.

### The Prequels

Ceres is having dinner with her grandmother and discussing the summons letter that arrived some time ago. Ceres is initially reluctant to talk about it, since she doesn't like the idea that her future decisions might be beyond her control. Her grandmother tries to reassure her that her experiences with the Gifted Few will be positive, though this isn't entirely enough to ease Ceres' mind. Eventually, the two agree to drop the subject and spend the evening watching TV together.

### Game of the Gifted

#### Prologue

Ceres first meets Kahia Rothwell in the Keep's Great Hall. Initially the interaction is somewhat hostile, but Ceres is able to diffuse the tension. After discussing the wall, Ceres shows Kahia a mysterious metal door hidden behind a tapestry. While they discuss what might be behind it, Emmerich Tennyson makes a move on Kahia and Ceres makes her way to a table where Cassius Gage is sitting. When Kahia returns, there is a somewhat awkward interaction before they begin discussing more theories about the Keep with Solomon Garrick. Before they can finish, they are interrupted by an announcement summoning all the students to the Great Hall.