Asher Willis

**Asher "Ash" Thomas Willis** is the main antagonist of the *Cursed Village* series.

## History

Asher was born on March 15, 1998. He does not his real parents and it's hinted near the end of the series he killed his adopted aunt and uncle (whom he had been living with) in a car crash.

Asher befriended a girl name Melody Carter at a playground in their village. They became best friends. He thought of Melody as his sister. One day Melody befriended a girl name Kristen Atkins and she introduced Asher to Kristen. The three of them became inseparable. Asher became friends with a boy name Jake Ryder and Melody was content on Jake only being Asher's friend. One day, Asher started to distance himself from the girls. Despite Jake's help, Asher defriended Melody and Kristen. Afterwards, an incident occurred which led to the Atkins' family death. Melody has despised Asher and Jake every since.

## Personality

Asher is utterly evil, cruel, and cunning, with an insatible lust for power and domination. Asher is very manipulative towards the six friends, as he tries to convince Jake to join him and wants to kill Melody, Kristen, Chase, Josh, and Cara. Asher showed his darker side as a villain for most of the series, so his character was mostly described as 'evil'. Asher is a very vengeful person and possibly psychotic. He believes that he is never at fault and that others are always to blame.

## Appearance

Asher is an African-American boy with dark brown eyes. He has freckles under his left eye and slash marks under his right ear (later revealed were cause by Kristen as an attempt to get away from him). He has exotic tattoos wrapped around his wrist. Melody says he has a terrible dye-job which is later stated to be reddish-brown.

## Relationships

### Love Interests

#### Kristen Atkins

It was hinted that before Kristen was killed, she and Asher had a romantic past when she told Melody that she wouldn't stop seeing Asher, and when she kissed him on the cheek in a flashback in Genie?. That was changed when Asher kidnapped her and tried to rape her. Insteads, he kills her family and traps her soul inside the Snow White mirror. In *Red Rose*, Kristen was noted by Jake that she was crying when she fought with Asher, and she stated that she hadn't known peace since she'd befriend Melody and Asher.

#### Melody Carter

While they were close as friends, Melody states that she did not have a relationship with Asher. Melody felt that Asher had betrayed her by leading on Kristen, and it didn't help that Asher kidnapped, attacked, and murdered Kristen afterwards.

### Friends

#### Jake Ryder

Jake was Asher's best friend from childhood. The two were close and Jake was the one person Asher trusted with his life. After Asher murdered the Atkins' family, he went on the run for two years before coming to live with Jake and his father. The friendship was strained as neither could trust the other anymore though Jake didn't report Asher to the police because he held information on Jake's mother.

### Family

Christie Willis: Christie is the co-captain of the volleyball team. She is Asher's adopted cousin and it has been stated that she does not care for him. In the end of Fairy Godmother?, it has been hinted that Asher killed her parents in a car crash that resulted in her receiving a small case of amnesia.

Christy Willis: Christy is the captain of the girls basketball team. She is the twin of Christie Willis, though Cara does not know who is older. She is described as a girl who eats a lot, but stays extremely skinny. She is Asher's adopted cousin and it has been stated that she does not care for him. In the end of Fairy Godmother?, it has been hinted that Asher killed her parents in a car crash that resulted in her getting brain damage and losing her ability to talk.

Candace Wilis: Not much is said about Candace except that she is Asher's adopted cousin that lives in the city across the country. He also mentions that he stole her grandmother's butterfly necklace that she inherited because Asher was also very close with her,

Carson Willis: Not much is said about Carson except that he is Asher's adopted cousin that lives in the city across the country. He mentions that Carson and Candace have hated each other for years all because he stole their grandmother's butterfly necklace and Carson took the blame. It is unknown how he knows this but it is confirmed in the author's spin off of the series *Candy's Crush*.

Castellan: Not much is said about Castellan except that he is one of Asher's ancestors. He is said to have practiced dark magic and was a follower of the Titaness Hecate. He was killed for being a wizard by the village founders as a result he cursed their most prized possessions. After his death, he is described as being cruel and evil.

Grace: Not much is said about Castellan except that she is one of Asher's ancestors. She is said to have practiced dark magic and was a follower of the Titaness Hecate. She was transformed into a pine tree by her sister Beryl for trying to summon's Castellan spirit in revenge. After her death, she is described as being cruel and evil. Melody imagined her being a mad woman throwing potions around until she popped into a tree. Asher also states that Grace does not like getting blood in her leaves which leaves the readers to believe that her spirit is still alive.

## Etymology

Believe it or not, Asher is actually an early Biblical name showing up in Genesis 30:13. In the bible, Jacob’s wife Leah is past childbearing years, so she takes her servant to Jacob. This servant (Zilpah) gives Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher. Upon the birth of the second, Leah exclaims: “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher. Asher comes from the Hebrew word meaning ‘happy’ and has been a fixture within the Jewish naming practices. Outside of the Jewish community, Asher may be a variation of the surname Ashton from the Old English “æsc” (ash tree) signifying a person who lived near an ash tree. In Norse mythology, the first man created by the gods was formed from an ash tree. The Celts, impressed with its massive size, associated the ash tree with power, expansion and scale. But we prefer the “happier” origin of the name Asher.