Rosalina O'Connell

**Rosalina O'Connell**

By Elizabeth Helen

### Aliases

Crazy George's daughter (Locals)Lucas's Girl (Locals)Babe (Lucas) Pumpkin (Lucas)Gummy Bear (Lucas)Rosie

## Appearance

#### Orca Cove

She is described to be beautiful, like an old movie star by the locals in her town. When living in Orca Cove she has long, messy chestnut hair and brown eyes. Mascara that smudges around her eyes. She often looks tired and has bags under her eyes. is first seen wearing black leggings, oversized scarf, white shirt.

Rosalina has a scar on her left arm of the name of her ex-boyfriend, Lucas Poussin. She keeps it hidden with long sleeves.

## Personality

Rosalina has always dreamt of adventure and leaving her little town of Orca Cove. She uses books as a means to escape when in reality she is unable to because the money she earns is used for her basic living expenses and the cost of her dad's obsession with finding her mom. She is a bookworm and enjoys the rain because it allows her a cozy environment to read. She is a hard worker and spends her time working opening and closing the bookstore she works at everyday.

She says she likes her job because she is surrounded by books. She feels like she is considered a circus act for the townspeople because of her dad and gets embarrassed when it's brought up. In the beginning, she is non-confrontational and passive, often swallowing her anger. When she is feeling nervous or vulnerable she will tug on her sleeve to cover her scars. She doesn't cook for herself so she is often eating microwavable meals. She is very selfless, often making choices that only benefit others and is a detriment to herself. She is a little awkward when talking to people. She feels like she is often an outcast and looked down upon.

## Biography

### Early Life

Rosalina has grown up in the Pacific Northwest in a town called Orca Cove and works for her boss Richard as a book store clerk at the Seagull's Gullet Book Emporium. She used to have plenty of friends but they had since moved on (promotions, big cities, adventuring). In the beginning of the book, Bonded by Thorns, she had graduated from high school 8 years ago (so she is about 25/26 years old). She doesn't cook for herself so she is often eating microwavable meals. Since graduating high school, she has been working in the bookstore, Seagull's Gull, owned by her boss Richard to earn income for herself and her dad.

Her home was about to be foreclosed but then Rosalina offered her college fund to pay it off when her dad was too depressed because he couldn't follow a lead to got to the Scotland Highlands. If she could have afforded to leave for college, she would have studied English Literature and possibly gotten her master's degree and leave Orca Cove. There was a little library at the house that house where she would leave her favorite books. The night Lucas left for college he carved a .

She is known in the town not only as Crazy George's daughter but also Luca's girl when he had saved her from drowning in the frozen lake.

### Bonded by Thorns

The story begins with Rosalina working in the bookstore in her hometown of Orca Cove. She is reading since it is a slow work day and tourist season in Orca Cove is over. She is visited by locals Josie and Tiffany and is questioned why she is always working. Tiffany mention that they saw Rosalina's dad drive into town and Rosalina says that he just came from Petra, Jordan. They talk to her like they are digging for more gossip about her dad who searches for faeries. She also overhears them gossiping about her and her dad, who they say has ruined her life. Rosalina begins crying and wants to storm out and scream at them but she doesn't and feels guilty she doesn't stand up for herself. Richard later arrives to do inventory and he yells at her for ordering romance books and she wants to stand up for herself but she talks herself out of it. She is scared of losing her job because she will lose income for her and her dad. She gives in and leaves for the night with two of the books, pay taken out of her check.

She starts walking and is dreading the mess at home her father left. Rosalina takes the long way home and passes by the Poussin Hunting Lodge, where she says she has not been in for awhile because there are too many memories there. She makes her way to the end of the street to an ugly broken house that has been on sale for years and dreams of buying it one day to make it into a library. She especially wanted it because it was next to her mom's favorite willow tree. She goes to restock the little library at the house and she is shocked to see it's destroyed. She runs around trying to save the books from the puddles on the ground and sees graffiti on the house "the faeries did it." A truck approaches her with their brights on and Lucas Poussin gets out, her ex-boyfriend. She is at a loss for words. He pulls her for a hug and she says she can't help missing him because he is familiar to her. They catch up on why he's there and drives away.

She is at the Poussin Hunting Lodge with basically the whole Town. She assumes Lucas invited everyone for what looked like a party. Rosalina feels embarrassed because she was wasn't wearing fancy clothes like everyone else. She is feeling tense because of all the people and even more of Lucas's family from out of town. She spots Lucas and goes to meet him on the upper level of the lodge. He pulls her into a hug again. He calls her innocent and that she would have never been able to adjust to city life. He says that he will get her a job there at the lodge but she refuses saying she can see people at the bookstore. He pulls up her left sleeve to reveal the scar he had left on her with his name. She became angry because he had forgotten that he had carved that into her. He interrupts their argument by kissing her and she relents and struggles to cover her scar. He then says they should enjoy their party and Rosalina questions what he means by saying "their" party. She has a pit in her stomach that something bad is about to happen. Lucas jumps on the table and talks to the crowd. He says he is taking over the lodge from his parents and everyone cheers. He jumps off the table and lands in front of Rosie and kneels. He is proposing and the light almost blinds Rosalina. She is shocked and cannot speak. A part of her sees this as a way to belong and help run the lodge but also sees part of her scar and understands the risks. The door bursts open of the lodge and it is the butcher's son. The son shows Rosalina's dad's jacket that was in the middle of the woods. She grabs the jacket and yells for the butcher's son to lead her to where he found it.

## Relationships (as they appear)

### Minor Characters

#### Josie and Tiffany

Middle aged, click-y, wives of fisherman living in Orca Cove. They are first introduced in the beginning of Bonded by Thorns. They are described as wine loving and typical locals. They pity her because they know of her situation. Rosalina is embarrassed. They make fun of her and they often gossip about her dad during workout classes, coffeeshops with other locals. They blame her dad for holding her back. Says she is undeniable beautiful and that she looks like an old movie star.

- Josie - hair done short strands curling under ears.

#### Richard

Rosalina's boss of the Seagull's Gull, a bookstore he owns, she works at in Orca Cove. She pens and closes. Never pays overtime. Rosalina says that Richard probably keeps her around because she still brings in customers who want to oggle and dig for gossip.

- Taken over bookstore from his parents but doesn't care for it (Rosalina has been). Richard often reprimands her for her silly marketing ideas for the bookstore.

- wears a dirty plaid jacket

- was friends with her dad and employs her because of their friendship

- Doesnt trust her to do inventroy- doesnt like it when she orders romance books. Have told her many times they dont sell. They say people in town dont like change and they dont like authors they dont know. He calls her foolish. Rosalina thinks that he look mean and angry and looks like a mole.

- Rosalina believes that dealing with her is the worst part of his day.

### Papa (George or Crazy George)

Rosalina's Papa, George, often runs off to search for his wife and Rosie's mom who he says was taken by faeries. He is mostly absent traveling the world while Rosalina is forced to stay home so she can work to pay for their living expenses and pay off his travels.

George is not discrete about his reasons for leaving which gained him the reputation as the faerie or pixie hunter and the village crazy person. Rosalina sometimes shows she is ashamed or embarrassed of her father's actions and is has felt like an outcast from it. His travels have put their family in terrible debt that Rosalina has tried paying off with her bookstore salary and has used her college fund to contribute as well. He often will come home, make a mess doing additional research, and leave again for her to come and clean it back up. Although, she does feel isolated from it, she says it's one step close to him finding what he needs- whether that be resolution from grief and acceptance.

*"..that Papa isn't mad. That every trip he takes, every loans he gets to fund an excursion, that he gets closer to what he needs."*

He carries around tents and top of the line gear on his travels. She worries often about him and that each time he might not come back. When he asks if Rosalina wants anything from his travels she will always think, she wants him home safety and to not to leave her alone again, but she would only ask for a rose (cheap and easy to get). It is the only promises that he keeps, bringing back the real thing, a rose trinket, or rose jewelry.

### Lucas Poussin

By the locals in Orca Cove, he is described to be the best thing to happen to Rosalina. When they were young, he had saved her from drowning in a frozen lake and they began dating when they were 15 years old. Due to this, the town calls her Luca's Girl and she doesn't mind as much because it's better than Crazy George's Daughter. Rosalina is jealous of her peers like Lucas who were able to leave Orca Cove and go to college and even get his Master's degree. Before he had left for college eight years ago, he had broken up with Rosalina but had stayed in Orca Cove until a year before the events of Bonded by Thorns to live in the city and work at an accounting firm. During his college years, he would come home for Christmas time and see her.

When he broke up with her, Rosalina was upset because he was leaving her alone and he had already been distant with her - missing dates, forgetting their planned phone calls, etc. The night that he left for college (8yo ago) he paced back and forth and said "what the fuck do you want from me" while she was crying. He pulled out a hunting knife and said that she will remember who saved her life. Then he carved his name into her left arm; which she covers now with long sleeves everyday. The blood on the wood that came from that night is still there.

He shows up and Rosalina crumbles around him. She is always at a loss for words and is very passive. Even when they were broken up, he would come home to take her out for drinks, they would have sex, and he would still be sexting other girls from his university. She likes him because he is familiar to her, he looks great, and whenever he stares at her she feels like she is special. She generally feels pathetic around him. Lucas likes that she is innocent and says that she would never make it in the city. He says the city girls are too skinny and he likes something to grab and would grab her.

*"He shows up once a year and completely immobilizes me....It's like I regressed being back in high school, hanging on to every word."*

One time he came home from college and took her to dinner and ordered a salad for her because he said *"she packed on the freshman 15 and you aren't even in college."*

*“His name is Lucas. We’ve been on and off since I was fifteen, but I think it’s serious now. Super serious.” I take a deep breath. “Or at least it could have been, if I hadn’t been imprisoned by the fae.”*

### Mom

Had gone missing. Would often hang around the house next to the willow tree that was her moms favorite tree.

Taken by faeries