When you're from New York, no one ever has an idea of where you're going or where you'll end up. Everyone often expects the average New Yorker to spend their entire lives in the city - unable to find any reason good enough to move away. Or maybe they just don't have enough faith that you'll be any better than the Big Apple. My Colombian father, raised and molded by the military when he met my Lebanese mother who was an immigrant, and also trying to pursue her love for dance in America. They married out of wedlock when they found out that they'd be having their first child, my oldest sibling. It didn't stop there. My mom popped out one baby after another until they had their fourth and last child - me.

Even in a strict household, I'll admit that I had some leeway as the youngest child. I definitely got away with more than I should and I was kind of the "princess" of the household. The frilly pink dresses and manners didn't last very long. To this day I regret acting the way I did as I grew into my teen years, but I can't change what's done now. I started drinking and skipping school during my early teens, that kind of stuff. My parents got fed up quickly and weren't having it. They planned on sending me to a boarding school/boot camp for the next four years or until I got my act together, whatever came first. I was young and stupid and saw it as a challenge instead of as my parents' cry for help. Little did I know, that flight to New Mexico would be their last. The plane went down after experiencing an unknown set-back and when I thought it would be the end for all of us, I somehow managed to survive the crash. 

I was only thirteen on the day of the crash and it was then that my abilities manifested. Apparently, my telekinetic abilities managed to soften the blow and keep me in one piece. I suffered from severe head trauma and was fortunate to get out with a few broken bones and fractures. I didn't wake up and had fallen into a coma for that lasted for about six months. I missed my parents funeral during the time, as well as my uncle becoming our legal guardian.  This meant that I and my siblings would have to relocate to his home in Montana. I missed the move too but would eventually find Montana as my new home whether I liked it or not. Despite being my dad's younger brother, my uncle Dixson was a loving man, and far more easy-going. He helped me through some of the hardest moments of my life as I had to now live my life as a mutant who suffered from anxiety, PTSD, and self-guilt. Even with me fresh out of the hospital, it didn't stop us from getting a visit from these "recruiters". They claimed to be from the Bellefonte Academy, which was a school for the gifted. You could only imagine how it went from there.

My years at the Bellefonte Academy were certainly different than your years at an average boarding school. It was a learning experience from the first day I walked through those buildings up until I received my diploma. I grew close to people I never thought I would. I became more open about my sexuality and who I felt as a person. Those years reminded me that I was much more than your lost cause. Years of training, becoming school security, bad hair dyes, rocky relationships and eventually finding a career in the Criminal Justice field, kind of leaves a mark on you.

I was even engaged once upon a time. I planned on marrying my high school sweetheart. It seemed like the perfect plan, really. I would stay with the Kalispell Police Department and she would go for her dreams, we'd get married, have kids, and have an entire life ahead of us. It was the perfect plan, but not all plans see it through.

I know that I've had my fair share of mistakes. I know that I can be temperamental, quick to act, stubborn, and I often wear my emotions on my sleeves but even I know when there's no winning something impossible. In 2014, most of the world found out about mutants and we were no longer a kept secret. Things only got ugly from there because, within the next few years, we were hunted like animals and caged. The KPD basically sold me out to the government and I didn't even get the luxury of being grouped with the others. Being categorized as RED because of my abilities, I was kept in maximum security until they needed a test subject to run experiments on me. Every day I knew for sure that it would be my last, and when it wasn't - I wanted it to end.

It was unlikely for them to give any mutant who was marked as red or orange a chance to live. So when I was faced with the ultimatum to become a Guardian while giving them everything I knew about mutants and my time in Bellefonte or threatened with losing my fiance forever... I chose the best option for me. Not the one that I wanted to do but I needed. My choice ended up burning many bridges and severing relationships that I may never get back again, but it's what had to be done.

I'm always willing to do what others won't.

TACTILE TELEKINESIS

With telekinesis as her base ability, she is able to use manipulate the telekinetic energy to move objects and people within her mental capabilities. With her past training, she has been able to lift only twice her weight. Around the time when mutants became "exposed", many mutants including Vera were faced with impossible situations. She adapted and learned how to condense and form the telekinetic energy into an invisible field. As a Guardian, she began using it more as an added layer of protection, which can be seen more like a coating around her body, adding to her physical prowess.


LIMITATIONS

• She can only manipulate as one form at a time, whether it's to move an object, or use as a protective field - she can only focus on doing one at a time.

• 250lbs is her limit, anything more will cause strain. Applying the telekinetic energy to either move or shield herself can go for about five to ten minutes before it becomes straining. 
  
  
• Her emotions are known to trigger her abilities against her will (ie. anger or excitement). Depending on her emotions, they can also weaken or make it difficult to keep a steady focus (ie. sadness or doubt). This can also cause her abilities to backlash.
  
  
• Immense amounts of repetitive physical force can and will break through her telekinetic field.
  
  
• An active force stronger than her own can break through her ability, cause backlash, or even cancel it out.
  
  
• Vera must be able to see the object she wants to move while being in a close range from it.

SIDE-EFFECTS

• Headaches and migraines can occur when straining her limits or when using her abilities one too many times in a 24 hour period.
  
• Dizziness and nose bleeds are also side-effects that occur when pushing herself past her limits.
  
• When receiving a backlash from her abilities backfiring, she can become disoriented and confused
• Exerting more energy than she can clock or pushing herself past her limits can cause her to black out/fall unconscious.