Jinna & Janna

## About

Jinna and Janna are students at the Inner Library, first introduced at the beginning of Wyld Magic. They are deaf/mute twins, and apparently share a telepathic link with each other. It is revealed later in the book that they are able to communicate with others through mind contact, though they seem unable to initiate this communication with anyone who hasn't learned the skill.

### Appearance

They are both described as small and blonde with brown eyes, and it is mentioned by several characters that they are nearly impossible to tell apart. However, Soris points out that there are a couple of subtle differences in the girls' looks: Jinna has a small freckle on her cheek, and Janna's eyes contain yellowish-gold flecks that are absent from her twin's.

## Backstory

As infants, Jinna and Janna's parents quickly realised there was something odd about their daughters; they never cried aloud, even to signal discomfort or need. As the girls got older, they seemed wholly absorbed in each other, ignoring the world around them to focus on their own bond. What their parents didn't realise was that they were all too aware of everything happening around them, and although their physical voices and hearing never developed, they heard the thoughts of everyone nearby and were, in fact, seeking solace in each other's minds.

From their perspective, the world was a noisy, frightening place, full of people who kept smiles on their faces and fear in their hearts, who shouted out their deepest secrets and darkest thoughts at random. When someone approached, they might be saying something like, 'oh, what a lovely pair of girls!' but Jinna and Janna would only hear them thinking, 'why do they stare like that?' or 'what's wrong with those two, why don't they act like normal children?' As they had no idea how to control their ability, they had no way to filter out those thoughts they didn't want or need to hear, and so they heard it all. Their father's disgust at having 'freaks' for daughters, their mother's fear that they were somehow cursed by devils or demons, both parents' growing exhaustion at having to deal with two children who were unable to communicate in any way they could understand.

They started learning to block out everything except each other, each thinking that only the other was safe to be with, and that everyone else would only hate and fear them. When the twins were seven years old, their mother had another child, a boy, and suddenly her troublesome daughters were forgotten. Their father took them to the temple, and asked the High Priestess to explain that because he and their mother would be so busy with the new baby, they would have to stay at the temple for a while. What he didn't realise was that the girls knew he was leaving them there for good, and was glad to be rid of them, considering only his wife and son as his 'real family'.

Glissia recognised that they had some talent, and gave them keys to the Inner Library, where they spent most of their time and initially withdrew further into their own little world. Unlike their parents however, who had tried to force them to interact with others, Glissia simply let them be. After a few weeks, they realised one of the others at the Library was watching them, and began watching the man back. He didn't seem at all bothered by their lack of speech, simply curious, and eventually the twins tried lowering their mental blocks. They were surprised to find no random jumble of thoughts coming from him, only a single, clear question: *Are you ready to talk, or do you need more time?*

They had never met another who could speak as they did, or understand their own 'head-talking', as they had grown to think of it, so became fascinated with Andar. He seemed equally interested in them, and taught them a great deal about controlling their ability and tuning out the random, unconscious thoughts of others. They began to see him as a mix of older brother and favourite teacher, and tend to rely on him when meeting new people.