Cherry Vincent

[Mimi]

Name: Vincent, Cece 'Cherry' Rebecca
Gender: Female
Age: Eighteen [18]
Grade: Senior [12th]
School: Aurora High School
Hobbies and Interests: Mechanics, alcohol, theft, partying, shop class

Appearance: Appearing slight of frame, Cherry stands at 5'4" and weighs no more than 102lbs, with very little tone or definition; a side-effect of her poor diet and lack of exercise. Despite her petite stature, Cherry is almost immediately recognizable in crowd, in part due to the deep, fire engine red she's dyed her shoulder blade length hair (one of the few things she allows herself to splurge on, having started dying it when she was fifteen after getting her first job) and the constant shade of crimson clothing draping her body, making her almost glow in a crowd of neutrality. Though a little rough around the edges, she is distinctly pretty, possessing an ovular face punctuated with large, doll-like deep brown eyes and small upturned lips, flanked by a single dimple. She is of mixed heritage, namely Italian and Hispanic, and shows it through her tanned complexion. Her appearance seems that of someone much younger than herself, almost in direct contrast to her rowdy personality, she appears youthful and innocent, her face hiding the responsibilities and worries that ravage her. She's free of piercings, but has '98118', Rainier Valley's zip code, tattooed in small script on the back of her neck.

Cherry dresses cheaply and comfortably, typically shopping at thrift stores or budge chains, not really all too concerned about the fashion aspects of clothing; though she's fond of the color red and finds herself wearing it more than most colors. Layers are a big part of her overall look, but more so due to her tendency to get cold easily, rather than because of appearance. She rarely wears jewelry or other accessories in general that don't serve a purpose, aside from a ruby ring her mother gave her that she's extraordinarily protective of. At the time of her abduction, Cherry was sporting a slim-fitting bright red zip-up jacket above a thin, scoop-necked long sleeved dark gray shirt. Below that she wore a pair of black jean shorts and sheer black tights with floral embellishments, as well as a beat-up pair of red doc martens and her beloved ring.

Biography: Cece 'Cherry' Vincent has lived in Seattle her entire life, in the same rundown apartment complex in the heart of Rainier Valley. Born on August 3rd, 1993 to Alisha and Terry Vincent, Cherry's conception could best be described as an accident. Married far too young and unprepared for the responsibility of a child, the Vincent's struggled from the get-go, neither having even thought about furthering their education or pursuing a career. Despite the financial troubles and her parents occasional bickering, Cherry's early life was uneventful, aside from establishing friendships that would follow her later in life.

What Cherry thought to be occasional bickering, however, was far more than that. Hour long word-wars that would culminate into one of the two disappearing from the house for hours on end before eventually coming back home reeking of alcohol and pretending as if nothing had happened. As she got older, Cherry began to see more and more of the arguments until it had become the norm around the household, getting to the point where she wouldn't even bat an eye at the heated confrontations happening just outside her door. Eventually and unsurprisingly, the constant fighting came to a head and Terry was gone when Cherry, only ten at the time, returned home for school, not even a letter of explanation or goodbye from Terry. As much as she hates to admit it, Cherry had always known it'd be a matter of time before her parents split, but it hit her hard and from that point on she was convinced love was a sham. For awhile, Terry would send the occasional birthday card or Christmas present before it stopping completely, only making a scorned Cherry even more bitter toward her father.

In the aftermath, the Vincent's financial situation reached rock bottom; Alisha's income as a sales clerk combined with welfare barely managing to keep the small family's head above water, a problem heavily impacted by Alisha's now heavy drinking. Alisha's addiction to alcohol had always been a problem, but Terry had managed to keep it under control for the most part, but his leaving and Alisha's subsequent depression caused her to look toward alcohol for consolation, a trait Cherry unfortunately picked up in the future. Every once in awhile, Alisha would go through phases of wanting to get sober and would stay that way for a few weeks before eventually succumbing to the addiction once again. Unfortunately, her dependency on liquor led to her firing, leaving the family in an even tighter spot than before and forcing Cherry, now fifteen, to get a job to help out in spots that welfare wouldn't.

Growing up, Cherry never had trouble making friends with children around the neighborhood, especially the little boys who admired the small girl's pretty face and feisty attitude. One little boy in particular, Eli Sheridan, a boy one year her junior and resident in her complex, became her partner in crime during her early years. It was a rare occasion to find them separated, the two often referred to as twins by other tenants. Eli was the first to coin the nickname 'Cherry', in reference to her favorite candy flavor and the only flavor she'd accept. As they got older, and subsequently tarnished by their families tragedies, they drifted apart. Eli became more focused on providing for his family, whilst Cherry did what Cherry calls 'surviving'; stealing what she needed to live and spending what little money she had to fund her mother's addiction and her own partying ways. Despite their opposing mindsets, they still see one another frequently, Cherry even dropping off hand-me-downs for his sisters and birthday presents every year.

As she grew up and began 'surviving', Cherry fell into a similar group of girls that she'd known since childhood; Leah Chapel and Eliza Patton. Sharing a mindset, surviving, the girls often found themselves at odds with higher society, whom looked down on them as delinquents, often called the Girls of Rainier Valley or the Rainier Valley Girls by their peers. They're the girls drunkenly stumbling through the streets laughing at all hours of the night and the girls shop owners look at with nothing but distrust. But in a way, Cherry considers them the only family she's ever really had, her mother more or less confined to the couch in a drunken stupor. Monica Bowman, while not a resident of Rainier Valley, managed to squirm her way into their group sometime in the past year or two, and while initially distrustful of her, they've begrudgingly accepted her as their personal stick-in-the-mud chauffeur.

Cherry has always held a soft spot in her heart her mechanics, the one thing she holds on to from the time with Terry; who had great ambitions to be a mechanic in the future. Every once in awhile, he'd take a small Cherry outside to his beater of a car and explain to her how it function, what the parts did, and instill the love into her. When she grew up, she joined shop class and found that she had a natural knack for understanding cars, joking that it's no wonder she relates most to something cold and mechanic. She'd spend hours at the local library when Eliza and Leah couldn't hang out researching about cars and mechanics and absorbing the information like a sponge. While far from perfect, she knows the basics and then some and has acquired quite the reputation around school as a discount fix-it. Typically, it's the wealthier kids whom come to her and while she's generally bitter toward them for having so much handed to them, she's quick to accept their money.

Cherry has several different sides that she shows to people; whether it be the Cherry who understands the struggles of people and can relate, or the hostile, bitter Cherry whom believes she deserves more; she is always a Cherry whom retains a sliver of optimism, believing if you do your best to survive, the world will surely give you something in return.

Advantages: Cherry has a wide knowledge of mechanics and has a good understanding of the way machinery functions, which she may be able to use to her advantage on the island. While hostile towards those she doesn't trust, she's equally loyal and fiercely protective of those she does and may incite the same emotion from those close to her. She's rather clever, with a knack for solving problems and getting out of tricky situations. She's used to having to defend herself, so the idea won't be a foreign one.
Disadvantages: She's woefully out of shape, probably unable to do a single pushup if she tried, as well as being petite and easy to over-power. She has no knowledge about weapons, aside from how to use mace. Her reputation as a delinquent may precede her and make it difficult for people to trust her, a fact only refuted by her hostile personality towards those she distrusts. She uses alcohol as a crutch, fending off most emotions with it in order to make her happier and may find herself in a sticky situation if she's deprived of it.