Joy Eversnow

Joy Eversnow is an expat born after the Transfer, mere years before the Declaration. Raised by a family of practicing Christians, she and her parents were among the first Christians targeted by the Primacy for execution. Living deep within the cities, Joy's family was assaulted viciously by the Primacy's most fierce units, and the young girl was forced to watch her parents be mercilessly cut down for their faith. Joy was nearly killed in the attack, but the timely arrival of Phoebe Adrakis and Matthias Augustine saved her life. The Anglers quickly extracted her from the cities and gave her refuge in Adelphi Shelter, treating Joy's physical injuries and offering her as much support for her mental trauma as they could.

Witnessing such horrors forced Joy to withdraw for a period of time, but she gradually began to reconnect with herself with Phoebe's gentle guidance. As she struggled to process the grief of losing her family, Phoebe offered to continue her education, and to teach her some basic medical skills if Joy wished, simply to give her a goal to focus on and something more than traumatic memories to occupy her time. Joy eagerly agreed, and she began pouring her energy into learning any new skill around the Shelter she could, making several friends with her fellow expats along the way, despite being the Shelter's youngest resident by far.

Meeting so many new people helped Joy to cope with her grief, and she took notice of a new expat, Asa Colt, when he arrived soon after herself. Asa was reserved and guarded, but he always treated her with kindness. Most noticeably, Asa treated Joy as an equal, discussing difficult concepts with her just as he would with a fellow adult. While Asa used discretion when speaking about the harsher realities of war, Joy recognized his sincerity and appreciated that he did not look down on her for her age. The man's honesty and commitment to protecting Joy and the other Adelphi quickly endeared her, and Joy soon began to trust Asa as much as she trusted Phoebe and Matthias, her rescuers. While she still found it difficult to speak about her parents, she gradually began to approach the subject in her talks with Asa, appreciating his patience and listening ear.

Joy's life was further brightened with the arrival of a cantankerous cat who seemingly made his way to the Shelter on his own and quickly began controlling the local rodent population. Naming the cat Sandman for the sandy color of his fur, Joy forged a fast bond with the Shelter's first nonhuman occupant, often sharing her food and pillows with Sandman and quickly winning his loyalty. While Sandman's bold and domineering personality often brought him into feline "arguments" with many of the Adelphi, he remained affectionate toward Joy, often comforting her with his gentle presence whenever she was troubled by the memories of her parents' deaths, or when she worried over the safety of the Anglers out in the field. But as Phoebe continued to nurture Joy's intelligence and faith, and Asa and Matthias continued to watch over her safety with unmatched vigilance, Joy finally settled into her new life, adopting the Adelphi as her new family and placing her trust first in God, and second in her friends and protectors.