Malikah Atiyeh

Artwork by Autumn Angel

**Malikah Atiyeh** is a young orphan living within Disaos. She initially grew up in Edior alongside her brother, though was transported to Disaos once she reached the age of 10.

## Appearance

Malikah stands at only 4'10" (or 147.3 cm) and has fair skin. She has short red hair that tends to be kept rather messy, and a single red eye; her other eye is covered up with white bandaging that's wrapped around her head, with much of it being hidden by her hair. She wears black pants and a long red sweater with two horizontal white stripes going across the abdomen and arms; this sweater is much too long for her, and as such it extends well beyond her waist, her hands hidden within the long sleeves. Her feet are covered by brown boots, both of which have bandaging wrapped around the ankles. A black scarf is wrapped around her neck, with the excess dangling behind her.

## Personality

As a child, Malikah was quite spunky and excitable. She always wanted to play with her twin brother, often pouting when he was unable to join her. She was very snuggly, often hugging Malik out of joy and a desire for warmth. While energetic, she was still obedient with her parents; she was rather afraid of upsetting them despite the fact that they never so much as threatened her.

In modern times, much of Malikah's cheerful nature has died down. She has a constant need to be warm, often stealing sweaters from wherever possible and piling them up around herself. She's completely unphased by the sight of blood or gore, even considering it a welcome sight depending on the circumstances. Her views of Malik have completely changed, going from great love and friendship to a strong, violent grudge. She now looks to her adoptive mother for the same comforts she once received from her brother. She's far less playful than she used to be, preferring to simply remain in her place in her sweater pile. In the instances where she *is* happy, rather than showing her typical excitement that one would expect from her during her childhood, she instead simply smiles a lot, getting noticeably cuddlier and much more relaxed.

## Biography

### Early childhood

Malikah and Malik were born to a pair of lower-class parents in the more rural parts of Edior. Their birthdays were always celebrated together, with the two of them even getting each other gifts starting from their 7th birthday. They were raised to fear Disaosites, often being told that they're "freaks with no place on this world". The two had quickly grown very close to each other, remaining that way right up until their 10th birthday.

Like all children, when Malikah and Malik turned 10, they were sent to a Judge to receive their alignments. Both were confident that they'd both be assigned to Order, as they had grown up in Edior their entire lives. Malik received his alignment first, being marked as Order. After some excited chatter, it was Malikah's turn. However, Malikah was assigned Chaos, to the surprise of Malik, the Atiyeh parents, and especially Malikah herself. Almost immediately, her brother began insulting her, wishing he had never been her brother and then shunning her. Malikah - who was already devastated due to being torn away from her brother - was completely heartbroken. She hardly had any time to recover before she was forced onto a transport bus to be taken to Disaos.

### Disaos

Malikah did not fare well once she was delivered to Disaos' adoption center. Her immense depression brought about by her brother's actions made her an easy target for many of the other, far more aggressive children within the facility. At one point, one of these children wound up in a frenzied rage, attacking Malikah so viciously that her eye was torn out.

Malikah was never adopted; as soon as she reached the age of 14, she was evicted from the adoption center, forced into a life on the streets. Initially, she had started searching for a home or a job, though found nothing suitable for her. All available housing was either expensive or seemed incredibly dangerous, and she most certainly would have been killed if she were to take up any of the available job openings. Thus, Malikah remained on the streets. She started to collect sweaters - whether finding them on the street or stealing them - and piled them all up in a desperate effort to have any amount of shelter at all. She had a difficult time finding food for herself as well; she eventually resorted to cannibalism to ensure she wouldn't starve to death. This was risky, of course; she had to pick her targets carefully, lest she be killed herself.

Life out on the streets was extremely difficult. Many people passing by weren't terribly kind to the young Disaosite, with some even attempting to kidnap her. She had to constantly relocate to find as close to a suitable location as she could. Even with her pile of sweaters, she was left extremely vulnerable to the elements, particularly rain and snow, both of which often forced her to either locate an alternative shelter or bunker down as deep as she could into the pile. She frequently ran a serious hypothermia risk as a result.

On the eve of her 16th birthday, Malikah had gazed up into the night sky. Spotting a shooting star, she quickly made a wish, though soon after believed herself to be hopeless, being so desperate as to try and rely on wishes to get out of her terrible situation. However, on the evening of her birthday, an older woman happened to pass by, spotting Malikah and quickly offering to take her in to somewhere much safer. Malikah hesitantly obliged, on the condition that she was allowed to bring the sweaters.

Malikah and Shayla's relationship started out somewhat distant, with Malikah simply treating Shayla like a generous host allowing her to stay within her home. However, their bond grew stronger over time, and Shayla eventually made the decision to formally adopt Malikah as her own, though allowed the girl to retain her last name. For the first time since she was in Edior, Malikah truly felt safe and loved. It was a feeling she never thought she'd get back, and now that she had it again, she vowed to herself that she wouldn't allow anything to pull her away from Shayla like she had been from Malik.

Malikah eventually received a kitten from Shayla as a gift, as Shayla was unable to simply remain home with the girl at all times. Malikah grew fond of the animal rather quickly, naming it Muffin due to its small size and soft, warm nature.

## Trivia

* Malikah is the second shortest human in Disaos, only beaten by Tatyana Pierce.
	+ She is also the third shortest person in Disaos overall, with Tatyana and Iota both being shorter.