Character Profile

Full Name: Megan Rae Thornton Sex: Female Age: 23 Ethnicity: White (Caucasian), of Scottish and English descent Language: English only Hometown: Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada Occupation: Shift supervisor at the local grocery store; picks up occasional hours at her uncle's small landscaping business during summer

Appearance

• Skin color: Fair, some acne scarring on cheeks
• Eyes: Hazel-green
• Hair: Shoulder-length, wavy, light brown; usually tied back in a messy ponytail for work
• Face: Round face, average features, slight overbite, rarely wears makeup except on nights out

Outfit

Oversized hoodie over a plain t-shirt, leggings or jeans depending on the day, worn-out white sneakers. In winter, a puffy jacket she's had since high school and a knitted scarf from her grandmother.

Personality

Positive traits: Dependable, good sense of humor, practical, good with kids, doesn't hold grudges Negative traits: Procrastinates, avoids confrontation to a fault, self-conscious about not having left town, drinks more than she admits

Additional Attributes

Favorite food: Poutine from the gas station, though she's embarrassed to admit it

Political views: Conservative. Comes more from family influence and gut feeling than deep political engagement. Supports the oil and gas industry because it employs half the people she knows. Distrusts Trudeau and the Liberal government. Doesn't follow politics closely but gets annoyed when she feels urban politicians don't understand rural life. Voted in the last federal election but couldn't name her local MP without checking.

Morals: Tries to be a decent person, believes in treating people fairly, doesn't think too deeply about moral frameworks. Knows what she considers right and wrong mostly from how she was raised.

Spirituality: Not particularly spiritual; occasionally thinks there might be "something out there" but doesn't dwell on it

Religion: Non-practicing. Went to church as a kid because her grandmother insisted, stopped going regularly around age 16. Would identify as "Christian-ish" if asked but couldn't tell you the last time she opened a Bible.

Quirks:

• Bites her nails when stressed
• Has a playlist she's been adding to since grade 10 and never removes anything
• Always checks her horoscope even though she thinks it's stupid
• Collects mugs from places she visits, which so far is mostly just places in Alberta

Likes: True crime podcasts, reality TV, bonfires, dogs (doesn't own one), thrift shopping, naps, cheap beer, social media scrolling

Dislikes: Early mornings, people who are overly intense about anything, small talk with customers, winter driving, her high school ex-boyfriend

Phobia: Vomiting (emetophobia)

Additional notes: Megan still lives with her parents because rent on her own would eat up most of her paycheck. She talks about moving to Grande Prairie or Edmonton "someday" but hasn't taken any concrete steps. She has a complicated relationship with her hometown—complains about it constantly but gets defensive if anyone from outside criticizes it. She dated the same guy from ages 17 to 21; the breakup was amicable but she still feels weird when she runs into him at the bar. She's not sure what she wants to do with her life and is starting to feel the pressure of that question. She drinks most weekends with the same group of friends she's had since high school, which is both comforting and mildly depressing to her.