Joanna Garcia

**Joanna Garcia**, nicknamed *The Serenader*, is a guest for Season 1 of Escape the Night (Act 2). She escaped the night.

## Profile

Joanna is 24 years of age and five foot ten inches in height. She is seen with long, lush and soft curls flowing freely, preferring to display her natural hair in all its beauty. As for her outfit, she wears a magenta corset with black lace details and a jewel, and also dons white lace gloves and a black choker with a white rose, a matching one imbedded in her hair. Furthermore, she sports matching black heels with black pantyhose and is known to always keep her purse close by.

## Backstory

Not much is currently known about Joanna other than the fact that she was born and raised in New Orleans, works at a gentleman's club with an insufferable environment, and has a mother she cherishes deeply. Supposedly, she also got into some trouble as a young girl and was interested in fashion and make-up art, but perhaps that was another story she spun to seem more alluring. While playing a game of two lies and a truth during the train ride to Willow Ridge with other guests, she revealed that she had a fling with a woman named Xiomara, her favorite animal is a Lioness, and her middle name is Mariana.

## Role

### Season 1

#### Into the Woods

Joanna stepped out of the train carriage and took in the scenery of the abandoned town, her ever-so-curious mind already peaked with interest. There, she reintroduced herself to Maxwell Smythe and the other guests she had not gotten a chance to speak with in the prologue, those being Ross Smythe, Naomi Hollister, and Nastasia Delacroix (who quite frankly she was disgusted by), though she hadn't fully met with Reggie Stevens yet. Maxwell led the group of guests to the sawmill-turned-diner for a rather sloppy dinner: a plate of messy hamburgers that were already falling apart, but not before giving Joanna a map of Willow Ridge at her request. While the others ate the meal with their hands, Joanna took it upon herself to cut the burger into small pieces with her fork and knife, as one of the first things she was taught in her place of work was etiquette- no one liked a sloppy girl. When Maxwell conversed with the other guests and was too busy to notice, Joanna recalled her deal with Nathan and the two snuck out of the party, heading to the stone circle marking on the map that intrigued her.

What awaited her and Nathan at the circle though was nothing like they were expecting: a small group of hooded figures all revolving in a circular position, chanting and repeating the word 'Croatoan'. Having an uneasy feeling about the whole thing, Joanna advised to Nathan that they should take the chance to sneak away. The troublemaker, however, was feeling bold, even when a green mist began to envelop the two and strange rotting creatures emerged from the water, a splitting image of Joanna and Nathan, only their eyes were cold and lifeless. By the time they even registered the full extent of the danger they were in, they were quickly surrounded and captured by them and their vision went black.

Not too long after, Joanna and Nathan regained consciousness, now bound by ropes. The two were just about ready to give up and accept their fate until spotting a rock hanging from a nearby branch, the serenader coming up with the idea to force it down by shoving their weight into it and shaking the tree as a result. Whatever creatures that had captured them were preoccupied for the moment, which gave the two guests the ample time they needed to set their plan in motion. Together, the two slammed their backs and shoulders against the rough bark, hissing and fighting through the pain. With their combined forces, the rock fell down, Joanna freeing herself and Nathan subsequently. All the two needed to do now was sneak away. While doing so, Nathan stumbled upon a golden locket, and inside it, a picture of a loving family: A father, mother, two children, and a newborn baby. Unfortunately, this was also the time that the creatures had noticed the escape of the serenader and the troublemaker, and they quickly gave chase to them. Joanna and Nathan were able to outrun them and then met with Lynne following their successful escape, who safely led them back to the others. When the guests regrouped, Lynne explained the gravity of their current situation. In order to survive, the guests had to find and retrieve the Soteria's stones, a journey in which not every guest may survive and live to see the dawn. Joanna nodded profoundly and made a vow to herself: She would fight like hell to survive, and wouldn't break the promise she made to her mother. If that meant making sacrifices... then so be it.

#### Seeds of Wrath

Joanna and the rest of the guests moved forward on their quest to retrieve the stones that would bring them back home and ultimately save their lives. Following the compass that Buck had in his hand, they were led to 'Mama Louise's Orchard', an orchard clearly abandoned and overgrown, full of small rabbit holes here and there. Soon enough, Naomi stumbled on a backpack with a note attached from a paranormal investigator, who claimed they'd discovered a pathway to the magical Fae realm through the rabbit holes but would be unable to fit; however, he was working on a concoction to shrink himself - he just needed daisies, roses, and bluebells. Jasmine, Scarlett, and Joanna herself searched through a flower patch where the Burlesque dancer was lucky enough to find one of the ingredients needed, and the claiming of the rest soon followed. When all the guests gathered around the cauldron Xalvadora had found earlier, they brewed the supposed shrinking potion, and Joanna took it upon herself to be the first of the guests to drink. The world altered all around, and soon enough, she was the size of an ant among the rest of the giants. Giggling, the Serenader enjoyed the chance at a fun, new experience, and immediately slid down a rabbit hole, cheering the entire way down.

They soon fell near a gigantic river of sap, bordering the fae castle like a moat. The realm was devoid of color and life, with the trees disintegrating into dust when Xalvadora touched them. Before long, they heard desperate shouting from nearby. While most guests hid, Joanna decided to greet the shouting woman: Elva, a young fae and the Queen of them all. It was then where Joanna and the others noticed the first of the stones imbedded in the queen's crown, the girl inquiring on how they could about retrieving it from her. Elva explained that she was once the Princess, but the Unseelie Court, dark fae intent on realm domination, overtook the castle. They were intent on destroying the tree of life, the thing that gave the fae realm power and life. Her father had died fighting them and now, it was her duty to protect the tree before the last leaf fell and drive the Unseelie from her home. Since the guests were mortal, they could enter the now-corrupted sap river. She tasked the guests with finding the secret entrance to the castle within it and disabling the barrier that prevented them from entering. Once they had done that, Elva's people would eliminate the Unseelie, while they would receive the stone as payment. Elva also claimed her father had a book on the Others, in his grand library, which caught Jasmine's attention.

After a tiring swim through the thick sap, Joanna entered the castle courtyard, hidden behind a load of barrels. There, she saw the Unseelie farming the tree with their spears, cutting off branches and draining it of sap. To disable the barrier, two towers - one glowing, one floating - needed to be disabled. Jasmine suggested that she and a few others go to the late King's library to reclaim his book, no longer wanting to play catch-up to the Others. Joanna excitedly agreed to go with her friend, while Buck decided to tag along. Together, the three were off to the destroyed library, burnt to a crisp. Books were scattered everywhere, shelves toppled over, and ash stained the bottom of the guests' shoes. The trio soon found an instruction: Find the red book to unlock the King's private collection. Buck eventually found said book amongst a pile of singed rubble, the spine of it reading: To Those That Try, The Table Talks. They soon saw the table in question; however, it only had two chairs. Before they could get to it, they were cut off by an Unseelie, clad in armor blackened by ash. Realizing one would need to distract the guard while the others ran to the table, Joanna didn't let them make a decision and ran to do it herself. She let out a flurry of teases and caught the guard's attention, while Jasmine and Buck ran to the table. The girl did good work of avoiding being caught once more, something she promised not to let herself be again. Eventually, with no choice left but to attack, she whipped out her dagger and stabbed into the crack in the Unseelie's armor, the fae dissolving into dust before her. She then regrouped with her two friends who retrieved the book, and the three left to gather in the courtyard.

Back at the courtyard, Elva's soldiers emerged victorious. Before they could celebrate, the last leaf fell. Distraught, Elva panicked and thought about how she had failed her father but remembered his words: "do what it takes". In her eyes, the guests had failed to save the tree, so they hadn't fulfilled their end of the deal. As they were mortals, one could be sacrificed to revive the tree. She forced the panicked guests to vote on two challengers. The voting was dramatic, with Dexter angrily cursing the guests and Joanna volunteering in denial over what was happening, before Buck and Dexter were drawn, which she was disappointed by, but wished Buck luck nonetheless. Jasmine then pulled Joanna aside though and lectured her on her nonchalant offer, recounting the dangers they've all faced so far and why she should take this more seriously. The girl laughed it off, truly believing that this must be some type of prank, but she knew deep down it was not. Eventually, Buck and Dexter emerged from their challenge and presented their seeds to Elva, who then declared Dexter the loser, and in turn, the sacrifice. With one last chant of her father's words, she threw the seeds in his mouth and the guests could only watch in horror as roots appeared from his body and his skin turned to bark. Soon, he became the new tree of life, with only his sorrowful face left in the bark. Elva gave the stone to Buck and Joanna walked back, bothered by the realization that they were actually in great danger finally hitting her.

In the orchard afterwards, they struggled to comprehend what had happened. Eventually, a box appeared before Buck. It was a Pandora's Box, containing either a disadvantage or an advantage, which could be opened or given to another guest. Joanna encouraged him to open it, which Buck ultimately did. The box glowed a pleasant green, which signaled that it gave him an advantage: for the next three episodes, his vote was doubled, a power Joanna was intrigued by. With this, he could essentially use it to target a single person out heavily. Her thought was cut short though after noticing the smoke rise in the distance, per Scarlett's warning. The compass then pointed in its direction, which asserted that their next stone lied at their destination. Nodding, Joanna was filled with the determination of escaping the night and returned to the clock tower to prepare with the rest.

## Relationships

### Buck Channing

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna found herself intrigued by Buck. A man with a mask and an obvious story to tell, what wasn't there to be interested in? She approached Buck and snagged a bite of his dessert playfully, where the two exchanged a series of questions with each other and the man offered some of his home-made hot chocolate. Taking sips of the scorching yet pleasant, Joanna listened to Buck as he explained the reasons for his mask: Supposedly an added factor to have his listeners immersed in a story he'd tell. Although reluctant to show it, Buck did leave Joanna with a glance under the mask, a reveal of his scarred brown eye. Furthermore, Joanna revealed to him the truth to her profession and that her family was from the Dominican Republic. The serenader believed there was much more to his story that was yet to reveal, but she walked away from him, satisfied for now.

During the night...

### Davian Rhoades

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna was wary of Davian at first, though found him and her to be somewhat kindred spirits. They connected over their similar professions and just how lousy clients could be, the two exchanging amusing stories of their most impressionable ones. While at first, she may have been indifferent, she currently feels comfortable around Davian and trusts him.

During the night, Joanna was away from the main group at the start, though thanked Davian after he revealed he took her back that Joanna left behind.

### Dexter Milner

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna immediately felt something was off about Dexter. She spent years around men like him, she knew how to spot them from a mile away. Continuously, and rather foolish of her to do this, she tried to provoke Dexter at different points in the train ride, teasing him and insulting him in a plethora of ways, even going so far as to stage an accidental drink spill on his suit. One thing's for sure, they would not get along, no matter what.

During the night...

### Endou Chiaki

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna had barely interacted with Endou, though her first impression was that Endou was a rebellious lass and seemed like a good enough person. When a group of the guests got together to play Two Lies and a Truth as they approached the end of the ride, Joanna correctly guessed Endou's statement that punk was her first and only style, which made sense to her.

During the night...

### Jasmine Winters

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna and Jasmine (along with Davian) connected immediately, due to the three's similar line of work. The two women began by complimenting one another's appearance, admiring what the other has done to freshen themselves up. They continued to bond by sharing similar work experiences in their field, the younger revealing that her place of work cares very little for their employees and more for their clients and their money. Later on, Joanna paced around Jasmine's both, attempting (and failing) to phone her mother. When the burlesque dancer asked Joanna to confide in her, the serenader disclosed part of her and her mother's relationship. It was at that point when Joanna let slip of part of why she was in this job in the profession– she felt the need to take care of and protect her mother. It was also the first Joanna had ever been vulnerable with someone like that, so she found Jasmine to be a refreshing breath of fresh air. She understood Joanna somewhat, and felt like she could expose the fragile parts of her slowly but surely. When a group of the guests got together to play Two Lies and a Truth as they approached the end of the ride, Joanna correctly guessed Jasmine's statement that she could do a dragonfly pose with ease.

During the night...

### Nastasia Delacroix

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna had not interacted with Nastasia.

During the night...

### Nathan Pierce

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna found Nathan to be a fun and cunning fellow, especially given that the latter had slyly stolen the girl's ring (though returned it back to her) for fun. When Nathan approached her, Joanna's head lit up like a lightbulb with a mischievous idea. Thinking Nathan would be on board with having a little fun, she entertained his initial thought of sneaking away, offering to distract Maxwell while given the chance. When a group of the guests got together to play Two Lies and a Truth as they approached the end of the ride, Joanna correctly guessed Nathan's statement that he dyed his hair in almost every color so far.

During the night, Joanna and Nathan snuck away from the party at the beginning, coming across a stone circle. There, they stumbled on a terrifying scene, with hooded figures and unnatural creatures. The two were captured, though with each other's help, were able to escape and regroup with the others.

### Naomi Hollister

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna had not interacted with Naomi.

During the night, Joanna and Naomi had small exchanges, though all of them were positive.

### Reggie Stevens

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna had not interacted with Reggie.

During the night...

### Ross Smythe

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna had not interacted with Ross.

During the night...

### Scarlett Wilde

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna interrupted Scarlett's reading introduced herself to the supernatural hunter, an odd profession, but an interesting one for sure. During their conversation, Joanna revealed to Scarlett that her father wasn't in the picture, but that's not something she minded at all. In some ways, she preferred it. She loved her mother dearly, and her mother alone was enough. In exchange for this, Joanna requested Scarlett to tell her a random fact no one would be able to guess at first glance, which the hunter answered with her hatred of stuffed animals. The two exchanged laughs at the revelation and Joanna then excused herself. She had a good feeling about Scarlett, though.

During the night...

### Xalvadora Marchesi

During the train ride to Willow Ridge, Joanna thought Xalvadora to be more than meet's the eye, like she was hiding something. When Joanna initiated a conversation with Xalvadora, she teased at first, calling her stuck-up and doubting her facade. The enforcer revealed about herself that Maxwell's invitation was one of the first times she allowed herself to cut back and let loose, which Joanna promised to help Xalvadora fulfill. She also learned of a rebellious side to the enforcer, a crime she committed at the early age of thirteen. Xalvadora herself though inquired about Joanna's interests and a small detail about her backstory. She lied, of course, as her true answer didn't fit the 'Joanna' persona that her boss and her clients demanded of her. It's almost begun to stick at this point, and this caused Joanna to take some time to reflect, as she felt she was losing herself. She excused herself soon after, but was looking forward to speaking to Xalvadora the coming night.

During the night...

## Voting History

 Caught in the Rye | Ineligible
 Put a Spell on You | Ineligible
 It Lies Beneath | Ineligible