Maruca Chebota (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

**Maruca Chebota** (pronounced Mah-roo-kah Chee-bot-uh) is Wylie Zoran Endal's cousin. She is a Psionipath and was first mentioned in the first book as Biana's ex-best friend. Maruca appears on the recently released *Stellarlune* cover.

## Appearance

Maruca has rich brown skin, long black dreadlocks with a small blue streak in the middle, and turquoise eyes. In *Legacy*, she wears her dreadlocks in a complicated twist on top of her head and paints her lips fuschia. Sophie thinks that she looks a bit like her cousin Wylie, and also that she's gorgeous.

## Personality

### Brave

Maruca is brave and determined (or, in Fitz's words, pushy). In *Lodestar*, after finding out that Wylie was injured, she didn't rest until Mr. Forkle brought her to see him, threatening to go to the Council if he didn't. In *Legacy*, after watching what happened during the Celestial Festival at the end of *Flashback*, Maruca is determined to join the Black Swan (even after Wylie's multiple protests). Sophie doesn't want to let her in because it's dangerous and because Wylie asked her not to, but Maruca convinces her after revealing she's a Psionipath and convincing her that she knows the dangers and wants to take them on.

### Blunt

She is also shown to be quite candid and a bit oblivious to people's feelings. She tells Sophie that she has a very weird life, and insists that Sophie has influence over the Black Swan because "You're their suncatcher—or their boobrie—or whatever weird bird they call you." Sophie also mentions that Maruca made the time leading up to Prentice's healing more stressful by asking incessant questions during lunch. Maruca also says that she admires how unapologetically honest Marella is.

Maruca was also shown to be immature and snotty in *Keeper of the Lost Cities*. After Biana became friends with Sophie, Maruca (who Sophie described as a "member of the I-Hate-Sophie-Foster-Club") spread Biana's secrets to get back at her. Biana told her that she couldn't trust her after that, and the two of them didn't talk for months afterwards. As of *Legacy*, however, this may be changing.

**VENGEFUL**

In *Keeper of the Lost Cities*, Maruca reveals Biana's secret (about Alden forcing Biana to be Sophie's friend) to Stina. Maruca spilled Biana's secrets and was acting very hostile towards Sophie.

**DETERMINED**

Maruca blackmails the Black Swan into letting her see Wylie in *Lodestar*. In *Legacy*, she is determined to join the Black Swan with her new ability being a game-changer to the defense play.

**INDEPENDENT**

Maruca has been protected by Wylie for a long time. After she manifested she wanted to go out and join the Black Swan to help them win against the Neverseen. She even went to Havenfield, to convince Sophie to let her be in the Black Swan. This was against Wylie's wishes, therefore she is independent and wants to be recognized as powerful, not as someone who needs to be protected. Her independence is also shown when she dyed part of her hair blue without permission.

## Abilities/Skills

* **Psionipath**

Maruca is the second Psionipath in the series, the first being a Neverseen member named Ruy. Her ability is the main reason that she is able to join the Black Swan, despite the dangers and her cousin Wylie's multiple objections. As of *Legacy*, however, she is still very new with her ability, which Sophie demonstrates by breaking her concentration by telling her that the fight between the Black Swan and the Neverseen isn't a game, but war. When Sophie does that, Maruca's force field fizzled out. She insists, however, that she'll improve with her Foxfire classes.

## Relationships

### Wylie Zoran Endal

* **(Second Cousin)**

Maruca cares a lot about her second Cousin Wylie, as shown in *Lodestar* when she blackmailed the Black Swan into seeing him. Maruca and Wylie both care about each other very much, as shown many times throughout the books.

Wylie reaches out to Sophie in *Legacy*, asking her to interfere and prevent Maruca from joining the Black Swan out of concern for her safety. In response, Maruca says that she doesn't need him telling her what or what not to do.

### Stina Destry Heks

* **(Friend/Possible Love Interest)**

After Maruca's falling out with Biana, in the first book, Stina and Maruca become friends.

### Tam Dai Song

* **(Co-workers/Possible Love Interest)**

Neither have talked much to each other, although Maruca does support the idea to try and reach out to Tam. They were both also at the fight in Loamnore.

### Marella Adene Redek

* **(Friend/Possible Love Interest)**

Both Maruca and Marella were there to comfort Linh when they tried to reach out to Tam at Havenfield, and they are very good friends, as shown in Book 8: *Legacy*.

### Linh Hai Song

* **(Good friend/Possible Love Interest)**

Linh and Maruca are shown to be friends as Maruca supported Linh when she was crying at Havenfield after they tried to talk to Tam.

### Biana Amberly Vacker

* **(Friend/Possible Love Interest)**

Maruca was Biana's best friend until Biana became friends with Sophie. She told Stina the reason Biana became friends with Sophie, which temporarily ended their friendship after Stina told Sophie that reason. In *Lodestar*, Maruca seems to want her friendship with Biana back but doesn't make a move to change that, and Biana said that if she truly wants to be friends with her again, she had to accept her friendship with Sophie. As of *Legacy*, they work together and are allies.

### Lesedi Chebota

* **(Mother)**

Lesedi is the mother of Maruca. Not much is known about her.

## References

Information sourced from the Keeper of the Lost Cities Wiki