Erica Bridges

**Erica Bridges** is a Class-B psychic and one of the most powerful psychometrists alive today. Headstrong, brave, tenacious, spunky and intelligent, Erica is a natural Hunter.

She is the mother of **Bruce Bridges**, stepdaughter of **Jonathan Bridges**,and the birth daughter of **Claire Bridges** and **Clive Talbot.**

## Characteristics

Erica is a kind, compassionate and vivacious young woman with a knack for getting into trouble. She's a fiercely loyal person with a burning desire to do good; she *cannot* resist or turn away from a case once she finds one.

She possesses a pure spirit, enough to wield the **Spear of Destiny**, and has been described as "among the best of them". However, this is tempered by a darkness. As is present in all psychics, Erica can be vindictive, even cruel, and when pushed to anger, there are fewer more dangerous than she. She's always walking the tightrope between humanity and what she calls the "Clive" in her brain.

When she first developed her powers and started Hunting, she was very naive, acting with an air of invincibility common to most teenagers. With time, she has learned to accept the very real dangers and consequences of fighting against the shadow; she has lost people she loves, seen unimaginable horrors, failed to save some people and has been betrayed and hurt by those she trusted. While her naivety and recklessness has been tempered with experience, she's still Erica; she still finds trouble with little effort and nothing can stop her once she's made up her mind about something.

Erica also struggles with a somewhat volatile temper, especially during the early stages of her adventures. For a time, she struggled to control her emotions, something that would occasionally get the better of her. However, with time and meditation techniques taught to her by **Frederick Abberline**, Erica has gained much better control of her emotions; it's a very rare thing when Erica actually loses her temper at someone.

In a fight, Erica is very dangerous and her powerful psychic abilities are only part of the reason. She's not especially skilled with guns, knives or other weapons, but she has a knack for making plans that make the best of her allies' strengths. She also possesses a vast knowledge of the supernatural; there are few creatures that she cannot identity and kill. Even though the world of the supernatural has brought Erica so much misery and sadness, she loves the life and while she would admit it to many, Erica has felt more alive on the road, fighting against **The Final Church** than she'd felt at any point in the three years prior.

She is a fiercely independent person with a history of problems with authority. If she doesn't respect you, she won't listen to anything you have to say, and that's just a fact. She notably rebels against authority figures and if you tell her to "stay somewhere" to be safe, you can bet that the next time you glance over your shoulder, Erica will be right there, if she's not barreling headfirst into trouble to get there before you. Erica is notoriously stubborn; there's no changing her mind once she's made it up.

Erica is notably sarcastic and has a habit of being very quippy, especially with those she dislikes. She sometimes comes across as overconfident due to her habit of shit-talking the things she hunts, as well, though she does this in part to steady her own nerves. This goading also has the added benefit of hiding her nerves from the monster and also can occasionally provoke her enemy into overreacting without thinking, giving Erica another edge.

Despite all she's experienced, she still believes that there is good in the world, that there is a way to conquer every problem and that even the worst people are worth redemption, although she has also accepted that sometimes there are being who are completely evil and cannot be saved.

### Powers & Abilities

As a psychic, Erica has all of the **standard abilities of her kind**. However, in addition to these general powers and abilities, Erica also possesses the following:

* **Computer Use:** The way Erica uses a computer is like a sort of magic itself. There doesn't seem to be a database she can't hack or a piece of information she can't locate on a computer. To call her a "skilled hacker" would be selling it way too short. Her skill with computers is almost superhuman.
* **Engineering:** Erica is a natural with electronics and anything with a technological component. She's built at least two laptops from scratch, can jail-break a phone in a matter of minutes and dismantle security systems without setting off the alarm, among many other similar tricks and feats.
* **Genius Intellect:** From a young age, Erica has shown herself to be very bright. She possesses a genius-level intellect, something that has proven to be the most powerful and useful tool in her arsenal. Erica is generally able to out-think her foes, devising creative plans to take out an enemy much stronger than herself with sufficient time to plan.
* **Investigation:** Erica's skills of observation and deduction are unparalleled.
* **Multilingual:** In addition to English, Erica is fluent in French.
* **Psychometry:** Erica can examine the psychic resonance and residual emotional energy to examine an object, learn about its history and even track the last one to use it (or someone with a particularly powerful connection to it). She is largely considered to be the most powerful Sniffer alive today and she can use this ability easier than breathing.
* **Self-Defense:** While she's not an extraordinary combatant, Erica has picked up enough experience in the field that she's able to defend herself with a gun or melee weapon if the need calls for it, though she much prefers her psychic abilities.
* **Spirit Sense:** Erica's ability to communicate with spirits is a bit stronger than most psychics and it always has been.
* **Willpower:** Erica possesses a powerful, iron will. There are few forces that can make her do something or succumb to a mental effect that she doesn't want to.

### Weaknesses

In addition to the **standard weaknesses of her kind**, Erica also has the following flaws and weaknesses:

* **Arrogance:** After her many successes and victories, Erica has shown to be somewhat arrogant. To a point, she always has been in regards to her abilities.
* **Dark Side:** Erica certainly has her dark moments where she gives in her the darker impulses that sometimes haunt psychics.
* **Ilithid Fever:** After absorbing half the contents of a Mind Flayer's brain, Erica's psyche has been tainted by this psychic disease called "Ilithid Fever". It gives her hallucinations and mood swings, and with time, will cause her to go completely, utterly and irrepairably mad.
* **Ophidophobia:** Erica possesses a deep and powerful fear of snakes.
* **PTSD:** After her time on the run from Clive and after all she experienced--most notably Sam's death--Erica suffers from PTSD. She suffers from nightmares on a nearly nightly basis and certain triggers can make her uneasy or even send her into a panic.

## History

### Before she was Born

Erica was born the daughter of Clive Talbot and Claire van Dyke (later Claire Bridges). While her Mother was pregnant, her Father discovered that he had an inoperable brain tumor, giving him six months to live. In order to live long enough to meet his daughter and enjoy his marriage to Claire, he traveled the world; seeking immortality. He found it and transformed himself into a powerful **Lich**; locking his soul in a locket he'd carried with him all his life. He was killed by Jonathan when he started wreaking havoc and destruction in a suburban neighborhood. All of this before Erica was even born. She would not discover that Clive was her biological father until she was seventeen years old.

### Early Life

Erica was born in Portland, Oregon on October 31, 1997. Jonathan was the first person to hold her. She was present in 1999 when Claire and Jonathan married, though of course, she doesn't remember any of that. As a young child, she showed immense psychic potential from a young age; causing her mobile to spin around at 250 rpm being a notable incident. These episodes calmed down as she grew up, but her parents always kept a watchful eye on her psychic ability.

Growing up the daughter of a psychic detective, she became aware of the psychic world and spirits at an early age. In fact, her earliest memory consists of her Father teaching her how to hide her toothbrush and hairbrush (in order to prevent other psychics from tracking her). She had a largely normal childhood, if not a slightly sheltered one due to how protective her parents were and she grew very close to her mom and dad.

Erica was rarely seen playing with other kids; preferring to keep to herself and read her books. Her only friend was Carrie, who always understood her friend's oddities. Due to this lack of social interaction, Erica often had a hard time talking to people and was very shy.

When she was five years old, she was approached by **Alberto Bianchi**, who had the intention of killing her. However, she offered to let him play with the toy truck she was playing with and the vampire found himself unable to go through with it. Unbeknownst to her, Alberto would return every year for the next ten years with the intention of killing her, though of course he never went through with it.

### Mom Leaves

She was extremely close to her Mother and was devastated by her disappearance. The two had a fight a few days before her Mother left, over whether or not Erica could go with Carrie to a movie. As Erica always had a propensity towards being a hot head, she fought her Mom on it, thinking her Mom was being unreasonable, and when her Mother held firm, Erica snuck out with Carrie and went to the movie anyway.

This caused her parents to fight about how to handle the situation the next day, the day before Erica's birthday, though Erica expected that it would all blow over by the next day. Instead, on the morning of her 14th birthday, Erica found that Claire had just left, without leaving a note. Initially, both she and her father were terrified that something had happened to her, but after a few days, Erica began to doubt. Was it really a coincidence that she had pissed off her Mom and that she left only two days later?

As it turned out, it *was* a huge coincidence; Clive just happened to show up on her 14th birthday, demanding that Claire leave with him to "make things better". Obviously, Erica didn't know that and she would blame herself for her mother abandoning them until she learned the truth.

After her mother left, Erica became much closer with her dad and was even hired on as his part-time secretary. She continued to excel at academics and flounder socially, just living life one day at a time.

Until the day **Mr. Dean's** room caught on fire.

### Sins of the Past (Mental - Season 1)

Erica discovered she has psychic abilities around the same time **a new student** came to her and confessed he had burned the room--though he believed he'd been possessed. This simple conversation became the catalyst that propelled Erica into the life of a Hunter. She would be haunted by her genetic father Clive Talbot until she was forced to run, trying to find a way to stop Clive and fighting monsters and saving people along the way.

See the **Episode Guide** for more information.

### Victorian Nightmare (Mental - Season 2)

After a confrontation with crazed witch **Takeshi**, Erica, Sam and **Elijah** found themselves propelled back to England, circa 1881. Trapped in the past, Erica would make new allies and new enemies as she struggled to find a way to return to the future to stop Clive.

See the **Episode Guide** for more information.

### The War Against Clive (Mental - Season 3)

Finally back in the 21st century, Erica and her friends must once again hit the road in an effort to stop Clive's evil once and for all. Along the way, they'll make allies where they least expect them, lose those closest to them and sacrifice everything in order to save reality from Clive and **the monster** pulling his strings.

Erica also makes a shocking discovery: she's pregnant. As if saving the world weren't already complicated.

See the **Episode Guide** for more information.

See the **Episode Guide** for more information.

## Major Relationships

Growing up, Erica was a private child with little desire to play with children her age; she much preferred reading by herself. She only had one real friend, **Carrie**, who understood Erica and how to interact with her. As she grew older and started high school at **St. Veronica's**, Erica found herself a social pariah, due in large part to **Holly** and her Queen Bee antics.

While this has caused Erica to become a largely self-reliant person and, on the surface, she's very confident and witty. However, she is a deeply insecure person who is terrified of losing the small group of friends and family she has gained over the **War against Clive**. She is both desperate for the love and acceptance of her friends and terrified of losing them, so she keeps them at bay.

For those who are counted among her friends, a group jokingly referred to as "Erica's Army", Erica is loving, tender, sweet and even somewhat charming. She's extremely playful and very affectionate with her friends and will take any chance she can to spend time with them, especially considering that she knows any Hunt could be their last. To this end, Erica can be overprotective, infuriatingly so sometimes.

## Equipment

* **Crystal Pistol:** Given to her by her grandfather, this weapon is able to fire concentrated blasts of psychic energy. It is powered by Erica's own will.
* **Hunter's Knife:** This knife, given to her by a friend of **Leon's**, is capable of killing almost any supernatural creature. It is her most trusted weapon and has not left her side since she received it.
* **Ioun Stone:** Given to her by Holly Corrigan for her birthday, this crystal has a psionic resonance and possesses the ability to store latent psychic energy, enabling Erica to call on that stored energy in the event she finds her willpower spent. This stone also has an extra enchantment; if she were to sustain injuries that would kill her, the Stone would manage to keep her alive. The stone can only do this once.
* **Journal:** Erica has been writing down her experiences and supernatural knowledge in this journal for some time now.
* **Ring of Protection:** This magical ring was given to her by her grandmother and has the ability to protect her from physical harm.
* **Six-Demon Bag:** This bag was given to Erica by **Dave** and contains six colored stones blessed a voodoo priest, each of which has a different magical property.

## Trivia

* Erica's favorite animals are owls.
* Erica's favorite band is Pink Floyd. Also a huge fan of Madonna, David Bowie, The Who and The Velvet Underground. Cannot stand Nirvana.
* Erica is a descendant of both Van Helsing and Frederick Abberline.
* Erica's favorite food is Chinese, specifically Kung Pao Chicken.
* Favorite book series is Lord of the Rings, which Jonathan read to her when she was a kid. Her favorite character is Gimli.