Flora Salvai-Ortiz

[Chase†]

Name: Flora Salvai-Ortiz
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: Southridge High School
Hobbies and Interests: Flora is eclectic, and it shows in just about every aspect of her personality. She loves to sketch, reads novels before she goes to bed, watches all the indie films she can find, and owns a digital camera she carries around with her. In school she's involved with the Yearbook Committee as the main photo editor, and is a strong activist in the Invisible Children movement.

Appearance: Flora has naturally dark hair which she keeps short and spiked in the back, and golden type hazel eyes that are framed by her somewhat thick eyebrows. She has tanned skin from her time spent on the beach near her home, but isn't very fit. Her inherited metabolism keeps her with little meat on her bones. She has a slightly rounded nose and her bottom lip is larger than her top, giving her a small pout when she's resigned. Her sharp pointed chin and high cheekbones give her a more mature look and her height keeps her from standing out. Too bad her voice doesn't.

Biography: Flora was born in Northern California, in a town called Petaluma, to her then 19 year old mother Natalia. The father was 25 year old Marcus Brent, who jetted five days after Flora came home. At first, her mother went to a beauty school in Los Angeles, where Flora stayed at home with her aunt Magdalena and her baby cousin Ofelia. It was a few more years, when her mother was barely making it by in an old barber shop, that Antonio Salvai became her mother's love interest. He was a business man, very wealthy, and lived in a town called Highland Beach. When he proposed, she thought it sudden, but she accepted and they were married and living with him by the time Flora was five.

Under some conditions, including a hyphenated last name for Flora and herself, Natalia requested that her sister-in-law and her family have a home nearby. Flora and Ofelia were the flower girls in the ceremony.

Flora always felt like an old soul, and by middle school she was a good deal more self aware than her peers. She spent a lot of time studying on current events, music, and independent movies. With her step-father's wealth, she was able to enjoy all the things in abundance.

She took in a lot of information about organizations and movements about human rights. Invisible Children is her front runner, but she also tries to participate in food drives, toy drives, Amnesty International, and PETA2. Out of the few people who go on the campaigns with her, she often finds herself talking to someone who is rather disinterested in her efforts; Ofelia. Oft times she would go on at length about the latest injustice, and Ofelia would often counter with, "Then how come you spend money on all this stuff?"

Flora would never admit that her cousin has a point; she puts effort in elaborate charity events, but rarely if ever spends her own resources on the causes she holds dear to her heart.

Her relationship with Ofelia is one of simplicity. They're a constant in each other's lives, and it's been that way since she was born. When they were younger they'd spend time on the beach, switching flip flops or sunglasses, just like they were sisters. Flora would say it was so they'd walk a mile in each other's shoes. But when the two were around each other they never really talked about anything of importance, and therefore never really knew each other. About the only time they would talk was walking to the beach, Ofelia spent most of her time in the waves, and Flora was never really fond of the rolling water.

Friends at school were her fellow activists, but mostly only acquaintances. When she was old enough to drive, she would go to the animal shelters and volunteer, or the soup kitchen. Time spent at home placed a tension on her that she preferred to ignore altogether. It was triggered one day when she came home early, and found a naked man in her parent's bedroom. Needless to say she had been shocked at the realization, but she had come to the wrong conclusion when she ran out the back door to the shore.

She still to this day believes it was her mother's lover. Unable to understand the relationship between her mother and step-father, she never realized that her step-father was homosexual. Natalia found out within a year of the marriage, but the friendly bond the two shared was enough for them to make it work comfortably. It's created a rift between her and her mother, but she feels she must keep the "secret" out of loyalty.

Despite all the time she spends on organizations, Flora spends a lot of money on materialistic things. She goes to the mall to hand out pamphlets, sure, but in the meantime she has bags and bags of manga, anime, and movies. All in all, she likes her comfortable living, and is unwilling to give it up for a greater good.

Advantages: She's a smart girl, reads a lot, and memorizes a lot of trivia. Not to mention her knowledge on current events rival a network news anchor.
Disadvantages: Highly hypocritical, and naïve like her mom.