Adelaide Walker

[MrMissMrs Random†]

Name: Adelaide Walker
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Grade: 11
School: Cochise High School
Hobbies and Interests: Track and field, Tennis, Learning new languages, Watching foreign film, Baking.

Appearance: At around 5'9'' and weighing 142 pounds, Adelaide has a firm build for a girl. Her arms and legs are toned, and she has broad shoulders from swinging a tennis racket for most of her life. She makes an effort to keep correct posture, with her shoulders back and spine straight. She is biracial, with Japanese and French heritage. She takes after her Japanese side in skin pigment and facial structure, but her height and build comes from the French side. Adelaide has a long neck and a heart-shaped face. Her lips are full, usually having a darker shade of pink gloss or lipstick added to make them appear fuller. Adelaide has round ears, a straight nose, and brown eyes. She has long, dark brown hair that is usually kept in a high ponytail or a single braid. When undone, her hair reaches in between her shoulder blades. She takes care to wash and condition her hair every day to keep it healthy, but she rarely has it down because it can get in the way. There is a small, dark brown mole under the corner of her left eye. Her skin has a light brown-colored tan from prolonged sun exposure, with tan lines along her back and legs. When at school most of her clothes are middle to lower thigh skirts and shorts, button down shirts, and collared dresses that hide her tan lines. If it is after practice or at home, she is more likely to dress more casual in work out shorts, tank tops, and sweatshirts.

On the day of her abduction Adelaide is wearing a red button-down flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, the front unbuttoned with a white tank top underneath. She is also wearing light blue denim shorts, a brown belt with a silver colored buckle, white running shoes, and an Adidas watch with a red leather strap.

Biography: Adelaide was born on March 3rd, 1998 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the only child of Saki Murano, a divorce attorney, and Chase Walker, then a chef at a Las Vegas resort. Saki is a third generation Japanese American, while Chase is the child of French immigrants. They met while Saki was still a law student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and married after she completed her degree before moving to Las Vegas for both of them to find work. Soon after Adelaide was born, Chase's culinary career took off when he won a cooking contest on Food Network. When Adelaide was four Chase opened his first restaurant in Las Vegas.

When Adelaide entered elementary school, both her parents had such busy schedules that they resorted to nannies, who would pick the girl up from school and chauffeur her around to various after school activities. Since Chase had won the contest, he worked extra hours and had to travel to public events to raise money and publicity for his new restaurant. Saki was also getting more clients for work in her office. She has taken a year off from work after Adelaide was born, and was determined to prove herself even more capable of handling cases despite becoming a mother. Among the lessons Adelaide was sent to were ones for violin, tennis, and ballet. There she would stay, less as a push for her to learn these skills, and more as a daycare until one of her parents could get her. Adelaide craved attention from her parents, but when they did have time to spend with her she would misbehave and act out if anything got in the way of that promised time. If one of them had to go and take a call, she would cry until their attention was back on her. It was the only way Adelaide knew she would get attention. Sometimes she would throw tantrums in public if she did not get her way, which would lead to timeouts and taking away toys.

Adelaide did not share with them that she was feeling lonely and instead chose to act out to try and get their focus. She felt that even if she told them how lonely she felt, it would not change because her parents would not give up their careers to be with her. With the increase in work hours, Adelaide felt that her parents were more interested in their own lives than her, and she felt very closed off from them during this time. Soon enough, Saki and Chase were able to make the correlation with Adelaide's tantrums. However, save for a limited amount of days off they could take for vacations, from age six to eight, there was little Adelaide's parents could do, and they tried to look at her tantrums as a phase. When the family was all together they would have game or movie nights at home instead of going out to cut down on Adelaide's public fits.

When she was eight, her grandmother on her father's side, Marie, moved into their household. She had been living on her own in Los Angeles county since her husband died nine years before, but as she was nearing her seventies, Chase wanted her to be close by if she needed anything. Marie had little patience for her granddaughter's outbursts, and set up a strict regimen that gave order to Adelaide's life. Adelaide stopped her temper tantrums, and Marie took full control of making sure she was fed, bathed, and clothed from then on out. Marie also gave Adelaide the affection she had wanted from her absent parents. A few months after she started living in the house, Marie began to teach Adelaide French. It started with children's songs and simple phrases that moved up to books and pop quizzes on whatever the girl was reading. Adelaide saw this as fun even though it included extra work.  She did well in school but did not have much of a drive towards any particular subject until she took up French. Marie found Adelaide a French tutor that with her parents' income they could easily afford.

This lifestyle continued until Adelaide was eleven and just about to enter middle school, when Marie had an accident. She missed a step down the stairs and broke her hip while Adelaide was at ballet practice. Though a serious injury for the 73-year old, it was not life threatening. It was around this time that Chase and Saki were more comfortable in their jobs, and wanted to take time off away from work. Their long work hours in Adelaide's childhood had paid off, and both wanted to move somewhere away from the hectic lifestyle they associated with Las Vegas. Marie's accident was also another factor. After her hip scare, Marie confronted Adelaide's parents about the lack of attention they were paying their daughter, and how bad it could have been if Marie was not conscious after her fall. Marie was the only one who would have known where Adelaide was at the time, and nobody else would have picked her up. All three came to the conclusion it was time for them to downsize.

All four of them moved to a renovated one story house in Kingman the summer before Adelaide entered middle school. They chose Kingman because of a good house deal, since they kept their first home is Las Vegas and were not renting it out, and for the homier atmosphere. Chase only had to go to the restaurant during peak days or events, so he could stay at home through much of the week. Saki's schedule was busier, but unless she has a large case or a meeting with one of her clients, she was able to work from home. Kingman was a fairly different environment than Adelaide had grown accustomed to, but she did not feel especially isolated during the move. She did not have any super close friends at school, with her multiple school activities and high grades, some of her fellow students were intimidated or ignored her. Adelaide also liked hanging out with Marie in her free time, declining most offers to play outside of school. Moving was also a way for her to grow closer to her parents. In that one case, she is happy they moved, though she has an ambivalent attitude towards Kingman as a whole.

She began middle school, and continued to keep her grades up. She stopped practicing violin and ballet, but continued to pursue tennis. Despite all the outlets Saki and Chase offered their child, tennis was the only thing from her childhood that stuck with Adelaide. It was more active than the other hobbies her parents had given to her, and provided a good release for her energy. Before middle school she would switch between doubles or singles, but she prefers singles and would go on to join the high school sports club. She also continued to study French, now through online tutoring. By the time she entered high school, Adelaide already had French 4 equivalency, so she began to take Spanish as a way to add to her languages. Adelaide wants to continue learning different languages and has thought about careers that could tie into her skills. She has also started to look into learning Japanese, as she wants to connect more with her mother's side of the family, despite Saki herself knowing very little of the language and traditions, and teaching Adelaide even less. The only traditions they did have was Adelaide's parents and relatives on her mother's side giving her Otoshidama, or money for New Years, though this stopped once she entered high school. Marie has been her teacher for family traditions, so Adelaide has a stronger grasp on European and American holidays. In preparation for learning the language, Adelaide has started reading books on Japanese culture and translated novels in her free time. Saki has also expressed some interest in learning about her own heritage and has talked about her taking the class with Adelaide. She is more busy than Chase, but has made an effort to spend more time with Adelaide, which the girl is secretly happy about.

Learning languages has also opened another hobby of hers; watching foreign films. It was originally a way to aid her with pronunciation, but Adelaide has grown fond of watching lesser known cinema. She has resorted to watching most of them online or ordering hard copies from Amazon due to the limited amount of foreign film theaters available in Kingman, much to her annoyance. She enjoys the films because they are more subdued than the usual Hollywood fare, both in acting and tone. She prefers French movies at this point because she can get a better grasp of nuances in the language that subtitles would leave out, but has also enjoyed Spanish movies that have gotten world acclaim, like Pan's Labyrinth. She enjoys the movie more if there is some historical context, as it helps her learn more about the culture while being entertained.

The move also brought Adelaide and her father much closer together than before. Though he does have to go on tour or make a show appearance once in a while, Chase is able to run his restaurants, now a chain of three, mostly from home. He is working on a cookbook, and Adelaide helps him with his work sometimes. In his free time, Chase is also teaching Adelaide how to bake, since she preferred to learn it instead of the more elaborate cooking dishes her father was known for. If Adelaide feels especially proud of something she has created she will bring her treats to sports practice. Saki's work load is also less. She has a home office where she can connect with potential clients by phone or video chats, and only really needs to go to Las Vegas on court days.

When she entered high school, Adelaide came to realize she was not attracted to boys. When people around her began to date, Adelaide did not feel the need to join them. She was fine with this, glad that she would be able to leave Kingman with less attachment left behind, but then she began noticing the girls around her instead. Adelaide tried to run away from her feelings in sophomore year by throwing herself at a boy or two at parties, but it never passed beyond kissing. She did not like it, further realizing she only liked girls. Adelaide has also has stopped expressing other forms of obvious affection that girls around her participated in, such as hugs or other kinds of physical affection. This has her appear as stand offish to many, but Adelaide prefers being seen as cold than anyone discovering her real reasons. Adelaide has had a few crushes, but has not acted on them despite peers around her embracing their sexuality. It makes her frustrated. Adelaide thinks that letting herself openly like girls is something that can be used against her, and that people will think lesser of her for it. She has a boyfriend for cover, though they are in agreement to using each other for different reasons.

Adelaide does not fear any negative backlash from her parents, as both have friends in the community, but Adelaide is more afraid of how her grandmother would react. Now 79, Marie expresses neither positive or negative outward feelings towards the LGBTQ+ community, but if a news story comes on television, Marie will comment on how difficult non-heterosexual people make their lives by being out. Though it does not happen often, this has influenced Adelaide into thinking if she was truthful with Marie, she would be shunned. Marie has also began to talk as Adelaide has gotten older that she hopes she will live long enough to see Adelaide's own kids, which puts even more pressure on the girl. It has also added more to her sense of isolation in Kingman, as now she cannot share everything she wants to with Marie. As she has gotten older she has become more secretive, though Marie and her parents have decided it is simply Adelaide becoming a teenager and as such have not looked into it further. Adelaide is not out at school either, since her father has become a little bit of a local celebrity and does volunteer work. If she began dating girls, word would travel to him and he would immediately talk to Marie, which is something Adelaide wants to avoid at all costs.

Adelaide originally joined track and field in sophomore year because of a crush she had on a club member, but has grown to also enjoy the sport. She likes the quick sprints best, as they remind her of the feeling she has when her arms are swinging her racket, only now the feeling is in her entire body. It, along with tennis, is her favorite activity related specifically to school. For academic subjects, Adelaide enjoys Spanish and history, and is fine with English and mathematics, but dislikes science. Though she gets more As than Bs on her report card, Adelaide does not enjoy lab work and having to rely on others during the group projects that happen more often in Science classes. This has put her in normal college prep for science courses instead of the APs she is used to, which makes her dislike it even more.

Because of her affluent lifestyle compared to many other Kingman residents and her athletics, Adelaide has earned a solid place of popularity among the school, though her cold attitude is a turn off to some people who may think she's a snob. Adelaide does fit part of the description: she enjoys nice and expensive clothes, and has very little knowledge of work in the outside world. She has never had a job, and does not find the need to. Adelaide will naturally gravitate towards people closer to her social status because she has more things in common, but is an active participant in her sports teams and leaves any feelings or arguments off the court or track. She does not find the need to hold grudges often, and does not talk behind people's backs. This kind of honesty has earned her a few friends who understand her, even if they do not always understand her reasons. She has turned to her friends more recently since discovering her sexual orientation, though only one or two know about it. Putting this kind of trust in others outside of her immediate family is a new experience for Adelaide, but it has diminished her feelings of loneliness a considerable amount. Having someone that she can go out to eat or shop with beyond Marie and talk about things that both she and her friend have experienced was a novelty to Adelaide until she moved to Kingman. This has given her more of a connection with the town, but she still prefers Las Vegas or an urban area to live in the future.

Adelaide is the kind of person who needs to be in control, less of other people and more of herself. She does not like how little choice she had earlier in her life with her parents' busy lifestyle and her move away from Las Vegas, and has made an effort to take back as much of it back as she can. Adelaide still sticks to routines that Marie hammered into her when she was young. Part of her understands this could be limiting her from fully enjoying high school, but this self-scheduling makes her feel more comfortable. She is judgmental of other people, but is rarely vindictive about it. She goes to parties, but since sophomore year has stayed clear of any hook ups and does not drink heavily or do drugs. She has a few close friends, but even they are kept at arms-length, and she invites even fewer to her house as she does not want to disturb the environment of solid companionship she has with Marie by introducing her to her friends.

Advantages: She is athletic and though she has no formal training, her muscle and speed could put her at an advantage in hand to hand combat. If she can find a close friend or someone that is unwilling to argue, she will be more likely to stay focused on the situation.
Disadvantages: Adelaide is unlikely to want to join any alliances beyond her friends if she does not have control of the group, making her an unlikely team player. People would not be inclined to help her because of her distant personality. However, if she also has no one, she will be prone to make irrational choices and lash out after a prolonged amount of time alone.