[b]Name[/b]: Stella Patten 

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Brown hair, hazel eyes, 5’3’’ 

[b]Age[/b]: 23 

Companions: Her older brother, Derek, 30; blonde hair, green eyes, 5'10''

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[b]Belongings[/b]: Rucksack with extra socks and some clothing, blanket, a first aid kit with iodine, sewing needle and thread, disposable lighter, tweezers, soap, and gauze; can opener, folding knife, 3 cans of ranch beans, 2 packets of ramen noodles, several small boxes of raisins; 2 water bottles, homemade charcoal filter, and a Bible and a Red Cross manual; machete 

[b]Derek’s Belongings[/b]: Rucksack with extra clothes, sleeping bag and blanket, utility knife, 2 cans of tuna fish, 2 packets of cream of wheat; 2 water bottles, homemade charcoal filter, straight razor, 2 packs of Marlboro Reds, zippo lighter, map; single bit axe

[b]Background[/b]: Stella was an accident all her life. Her parents had not wanted another child after Derek and had taken preventive measures but something failed and thus Stella was made. Another mouth to feed in the barren hills of the Appalachians, the Pattens were forced to move and join up with others, gravitating towards a commune of people determined to try and make a go of surviving without resorting to barbarism. There were those that could not stand the hunger and succumbed to suicide or cannibalism, those that did were exiled or executed, depending on circumstances.  While their parents worked in the compound, Derek was forced to play baby sitter. Though he could be impatient and mean he always watched out of her and taught her to defend herself. When she was 10 and he was 17, their mother disappeared and their father committed suicide shortly after. It was a shock and the conditions of the compound deteriorated with more people slipping away and the cannibal gangs growing more bold. Her brother was determined to stay and make their home there until his girlfriend was taken while he was out scavenging and he could no longer be in the place. Stella went with him when he decided to explore behind the familiar hills. 

Stella convinced him to go towards the sea, that things would be better on the coast and it would be warmer. At that point, Derek did not care either way but if she was going to go, he would follow and keep her safe. They are inseparable even if they can be insufferable towards each other, they always have each other’s back. Derek has some skill in metal working and engine repair, taught to him at the compound. He made the machete his younger sister carries and Stella can read and write, something he struggles with. She’s read books she finds during the scavenging, trying to keep as many as she can before her brother forced her to leave them behind because of the useless weight. Though she lacks formal training, Stella has read about medicine and first aid, and also other non practical things like religion and art which her brother finds useless. 

Derek can be a bully, stubborn and willful but he always looks out for Stella who more thoughtful and sociable. They bicker and argue but are always united against the dangers of the world. She would not last long without her big brother's guardianship and he would have fallen to dispair without his sister's kindness. 

They have made their way to Norfolk, keeping to backroads and travelling overland when they must. Derek had an old tattered map he dug out from rusted out truck cab and with Stella’s help, they have navigated their way near the once bustling port on the marshy coast of Virginia.