Anaheim

## Jessie Keighley-Bright

Jessie Keighley-Bright, known in Cascadia as Anaheim, is a Vancouver Island Interloper residing on Father & Son lake with her five daughters. She is one of the first people to navigate the Ranger Trail with her former partner Amaranth.

## Background

Jessie was born to Avery and Penelope Keighley, the middle child of two brothers, Avery II and Caleb. By the age of 12, she'd manage to outgrow her older brother by a foot.

Jessie was a notable troublemaker in school, despite having above average marks. She would often skip classes to hang out around town. Her grades managed to evade trouble at home, "So long as she's learning *something*...".

By the age of 14 she met Derrik Bright, both becoming smitten with one another. Her parents, however, did not approve of Derrik being a dropout and demanded again and again for them to break up. They would fake breaking up several times while being together in secret. This came to a head when Jessie was 16 and became pregnant with Derrik's child. On account of this, Jessie's parents refused her an abortion, and threatened to kick her out of the house until Derrik was completely and totally out of her life. Instead, she doubled down and ran away from home with Derrik.

## On the run

Jessie and Derrik would attend to her abortion at a clinic in Salem, Oregon. While she initially only wanted to run away to get the abortion, she found that being away from a simple life at home to a life on the run was more exhilarating and stimulating, and a lot more rewarding.

While they were not on the run from the law, Jessie's parents would put up a bounty for her return to them, but this only propagated through California and not the rest of the states.

Jessie and Derrik would travel across the country from 1999 until 2001, where they witnessed the September 11th Attacks in person. There, they decided that life was too short to not have roots somewhere, and began plans to settle down. They married in 2004 and started working odd jobs throughout the country, living out of hotels. Without an actual diploma from either of them, job selection was limited. They both felt as though civilization did not cater to the free, even in the Land of the Free, and vowed to become an Interloper, when its concept was barely in its infancy.

Jessie would take up the name of Anaheim, in reflection of fond memories of her hometown. Her husband would take up the name Potbelly. Potbelly would use the last of their money to purchase land on Father & Son Lake, remote from the rest of society.

## Settling Down

Anaheim gave birth to Heledewis in 2014, Adalgard in 2015, Glynis and Gigi in 2018, and Raelene in 2019 (They possessed different names at birth until they were old enough to choose one of their own). Their lodge, built by Anaheim and Potbelly, served as a destination for through-hikers in Nanaimo. Those who believed in Cascadia often left them with supplies and trafficked munitions.

## The Collapse

*Main Article: The Great Decline*

After The Great Rumble and the subsequent Decline of civilization, Jessie's life would have a surprising upward turn. Though their lodge was destroyed by the quake, a newcomer who called herself Amaranth would help them rebuild. She proved instrumental due to her background in construction and architecture.

## The First Rangers

Anaheim and Amaranth would take up the mantle of being guns for hire around Vancouver Island, then eventually the rest of northern Cascadia, between 2021 and 2026. They would find like-minded and like-experienced Cascadians and form a brigade known as The Cascadian Rangers.

Anaheim and Amaranth, known on Vancouver Island as "A&A", were popular during the pre-Zalim Interloper years. Between hunting dangerous game and dispatching looter gangs, they civilized Vancouver Island far more than the rest of Cascadia, especially Southern Cascadia. Understanding early on that the Interlopers wouldn't be able to survive long without the distribution of some modern materials like medical supplies, radios, and other equipment and gear, A&A along with several other rangers founded The Ranger Trail, which is a smuggling trail that spans from Klamath, CA to Dinglishna Hill, AK, with branches that snake to Kootenai in Idaho.

### Falling out with Amaranth

In 2026, Potbelly became extremely inebriated one early fall and said things which offended Anaheim, ranging from "Wanting to be back in the real world" and "wanting one son instead of five daughters". In a fit of anger, Anaheim threw him out, where Potbelly took refuge in Amaranth's cabin for a week. By the time Anaheim forgave him, Potbelly was long gone, never to be seen again. She asked Amaranth what happened to him, who claimed that "he left to go do something". The lack of detail rubbed Anaheim the wrong way, and she accused Amaranth, her best friend, that she slept with Potbelly. Amaranth vehemently refused the accusation and was offended that Anaheim would believe such a thing, demanding an apology for a baseless accusation.

Anaheim said that she never wanted to see Amaranth again until she admitted to it, which sat fine with her. A week after this happened, Amaranth moved to Bedwell Lake. This started a 12 year long rivalry between the two Rangers, which only started to wane during the Vancouver Island Incident.

## Personality

Anaheim is a stubborn, determined, and adaptable individual, determined to provide freedom, stability and protection for her loved ones, especially her daughters. She will face conflicts head-on, but her impulsive nature leads her to make choices with long lasting consequences. Her trust issues stemming from her relationship with her parents also makes her have a hard time forgiving others. She struggles to back down from her beliefs and admitting when she is in the wrong, often resulting in burnt bridges with various people.