History Characters / AlexStern

** He's also annoyed that she doesn't fit the requirements for Lethe candidates. Despite the fact that he's academically strong, he also doesn't fit two of the requirements. One requirement is no prior interest in the arcane. Another is no history of mental illness. Yet Darlington gets an offer for Lethe by risking death in order to see the arcane. Like Alex, in a way, he also was an exception, due to his gift at the arcane.
* JumpedAtTheCall: When Sandow offered to Darlington to join Lethe, he was thrilled at the opportunity to use magic and help people with it.
* LonelyRichKid: Darlington's childhood was very lonely. His narration has some pretty striking imagery of him and his cold grandfather in their big rotting mansion. Probably part of the reason Darlington is so attached to his house is because he lacks attachments to family.
* MarriedToTheJob: Lethe is his passion and focus.
* MentorArchetype: To Alex.
** MentorInSourArmor: Initially, as Alex was assigned to him, as opposed to him having a say in picking his successor.

* ParentalNeglect: Both of Darlington's parents are too self-centered to be involved in his life.

* RedOniBlueOni: Blue to Alex's red.
* RenaissanceMan: Darlington is an expert in magic, extremely polite, speaks an absurd amount of languages, and plays five instruments.
* TheResenter: Darlington is initially very jealous of Alex's powers.
* TooCleverByHalf: While he's usually practical and prepared, Darlington's downfall has shades of this. [[spoiler:Darlington notices all the nexuses are where [[PoweredByAForsakenChild women died.]] The first thing Darlington does is tell Sandow, and only tells Sandow, wanting to show how smart he is. It's very important info that Societies would pay a lot of money for. He naively doesn't realize 1) what [[EvilMentor kind]] of man Sandow is and 2) if Sandow decides to use that info, Darlington is the only one who could implicate him in the crime. Thus, if Sandow decides to use that info, he'll have to eliminate Darlington first.]]
** Darlington is jaded in regards to the societies, and is very aware of how people can act with too much power. However, he views Lethe with very rose-colored glasses, [[spoiler:and it likely didn't occur to him that not everyone in Lethe is as honorable as he is.]]

A research assistant, grad student, and the Oculus for Lethe.

* AloofAlly: She's not super warm or involved initially when Alex is Dante and Darlington is gone.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: While it was to protect Alex, her [[spoiler:murdering Blake]] lands her firmly in this category.
* FireForgedFriends: She and Alex are initially kind of cold to each other at the beginning. However, the danger they go through solving Tara's murder changes this.
* MissionControl: Her role of Oculus to the other members of Lethe. At least until [[spoiler:Darlington disappears]].
* NiceGirl: Underneath the awkwardness, Pamela is consistently kind and helpful to Alex.
* NoSocialSkills: Pamela is extremely uncomfortable with strangers, and struggles to hold conversations.
* SupremeChef: Dawes' meals are praised by every member of Lethe and usually wind up being the only good Alex can find in the world as she struggles with her classes and her duties as Dante [[spoiler:after Darlington disappears]].

The deuteragonist of the series; parts of the story are told from his point of view. He is a senior at Yale and Alex's mentor at Lethe. He has gone missing by the time the story kicks off and is only seen in flashbacks.

* TheAce: The 'Gentleman of Lethe', Darlington could definitely be considered an expert in magic and the occult. So much so that [[spoiler:he brewed elixirs before even joining Lethe.]] Additionally, he's top-performing at Yale, and very well-respected.
* AncestralName: His full name is Daniel Tabor Arlington V. Unsurprisingly, Darlington doesn't seem to be a huge fan of going by his neglectful father's name, Daniel, and he's never referred to as Daniel in the books. As a kid, he goes by Danny. In college, he's goes by Darlington in college, likely in part to express individuality from his father and grandfather.
* BadassInDistress: Darlington is generally TheAce in flashbacks. However, by the Winter timeline, he's trapped in a portal, and the team is waiting for the New Moon to rescue him. [[spoiler:In reality, he's in hell, and has turned into a demon.]]
* BadassBookworm: In a world where gaining arcane knowledge gives you access to magic, Darlington uses this to the best of his ability. He's quite adept at magic.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: It's clear Darlington's resentment of Alex is jealousy, and that [[IJustWantToBeSpecial he wishes that he was magical]], rather than being [[BadassNormal a normal person]]. It's revealed in his backstory that Darlington's [[FatalFlaw Achilles Heel]] is that he'd do anything for magic to be real, even risking death to do so. [[spoiler:It's revealed by the end of the first book that he was turned into a [[TragicMonster demon]] and sent to Hell.]]
* {{Bookworm}}: In a world where knowledge can give you magic, this is what makes him TheAce. But given his many references to literature, it's clear that he doesn't just read books on magic.
* BrokenAce: Darlington is very well-respected, well-liked, and about expert at magic and the occult. He's also pretty messed up due to his parents' neglect and his grandfather's abuse.
* CallToAdventure: Sandow came to his hospital bed, offering him to join Lethe. Darlington saw it as his entrance into the [[{{Masquerade}} world of magic]].
* CulturedBadass
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:Revealed to have been turned into a demon when Sandow tried to kill him.]]

* ExperiencedProtagonist: Darlington is the Deuteragonist, and is highly skilled at magic by the time the story starts. Although, he isn't quite as jaded as Alex is.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Darlington barely escapes this. He nearly was eaten alive by a Hellbeast, which means his soul would've been consumed as well. He turns into a demon instead.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Alex. Darlington is Northeast OldMoney, a scholar, and an overachiever. Alex is poor from the West Coast, doesn't have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. Darlington uses drugs to see ghosts. Alex abused drugs to stop seeing ghosts. In his youth, Darlington would do anything for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial magic to be real]]. Alex would do anything to avoid [[IJustWantToBeNormal ghosts.]] Both are effective at Dante in their in own way.
* GreenEyedMonster: Part of the initial friction between him and Alex was due to the fact that he was jealous. Darlington had to work very hard to do what Alex does naturally.
* HandsOffParenting: His parents were so focused on their projects that they left child-rearing completely to his grandfather. Darlington's been missing for months and his parents, who are presumably still alive, likely haven't noticed, or else they would've asked where he was. [[spoiler:Sandow probably knew about this when he decided to murder Darlington.]] While Darlington has a some distant friendships, Darlington doesn't really have anyone who loves him, which made his disappearance more tragic.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Somewhat, due to the fact that he resents Alex for being Dante.
** Darlington initially resents Alex, in part, because he didn't get to pick out his own Dante, but was just given Alex by Sandow. However, based on Darlington's backstory (Sandow visited him in the hospital), his Virgil, Michelle, likely didn't pick Darlington either, as it's unlikely she would've known he'd done that. It appears that Sandow picked him.
** He's also annoyed she doesn't fit that requirements for Lethe candidates. Despite the fact that he's academically strong, he also doesn't fit two of the requirements. One requirement is no prior interest in the arcane. Another is no history of mental illness. Yet Darlington gets an offer for Lethe by risking death in order to see the arcane. Like Alex, in a way, he also was an exception, due to his gift at the arcane.

The main character of the novel; the story is primarily through her point of view. A high school dropout, she jumps at the opportunity to attend Yale, offered by the Dean because of her medium abilities.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: The text describes Alex as having olive skin and black hair and eyes. Her mother told her that her DisappearedDad was "brown", but that she doesn't know where exactly from. Mexican or Peruvian were stated possibilities.

* CallToAdventure: Sandow comes to her hospital bed, offering her to join Lethe for a free-ride at Yale. Despite an offer to join a magical organization, Alex treats this as an offer to normalcy, as she can escape her drug-dealing past.
* CantCatchUp: Alex is sharp, quick-thinking, and has clear street smarts as a result of her past. However, despite her wit and attempt to pick all easy classes, "being intelligent" is not the same as "having the skills needed to succeed in college" (writing essays, for example, needs to be taught; Alex doesn't know how). She also happens to be at ''Yale''. As expected, she very quickly ends up on academic probation.
* TheCynic: Given Alex's backstory, she's pretty jaded. This turns out to be a bit of an asset, as she's used to the criminal element and can look past the pretension at Yale.

* FireForgedFriends: Alex and Dawes are initially kind of cold to each other at the beginning. However, the danger they go through solving Tara's murder changes this.

* {{Foil}}: Darlington is Alex's foil. Darlington is Northeast OldMoney, a scholar, and an overachiever. Alex is poor from the West Coast, doesn't have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. Darlington uses drugs to see ghosts. Alex abused drugs to stop seeing ghosts. In his youth, Darlington would do anything for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial magic to be real]]. Alex would do anything to avoid [[IJustWantToBeNormal ghosts.]] Both are effective at Dante in their in own way.
* FriendlessBackground: Besides Hellie, Alex had no friends until Yale.
* HauntedHeroine
* IJustWantToBeNormal: A large reason why Alex goes by a common, mundane nickname as opposed to her given name Galaxy.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Alex's skill.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as Alex's powers are highly sought-after, which is what leads to her invitation to come to Yale. The realistic outcome happens when she does have trouble keeping up with the academic rigor and ends up on academic probation.
* JadeColoredGlasses: While occasionally impressed, Alex has a much more cynical view of Yale that other undergrads. She doesn't get caught up in the self-aggrandizement of Yale, unlike much of the rest of the cast.

* TheLostLenore: Hellie to Alex
* MagneticMedium: Ghosts threatening Alex was the cause of most of her trauma.

* RedOniBlueOni: Red to Darlington's blue.
* SketchySuccessor: Alex fears she'll be viewed as this to Darlington. She's right.
* StarvingArtist: Part of Alex's cover story for Lethe. She supposedly got into Yale because she's a great artist. Lethe provided her a portfolio of art she made. At Yale, she uses Lethe magic to make images in her head real, so she can get by in art class. However, her story is she's not good enough at art to survive on it, thus, her struggling through other subjects to find something else.
* StrangerInAStrangeSchool: Alex initially in the magical secret societies of Yale. She eventually proves she belongs.
* SurvivorsGuilt: Twofold. She has some guilt over Hellie's death. She also feels guilty for [[spoiler:Darlington being lost]].
* TraumaCongaLine: Alex's backstory. [[spoiler:As a child, she lived with with a strange and absent mother, experienced food insecurity, all while she could see quite frankly terrifying ghosts no one else could see. CPS is called on her. She was sexually assaulted, then bullied because of it. She escapes the bullying and ghosts by using drugs and joining up with a drug dealer, who grooms and abuses her. She finally finds a friend and confidante, Hellie, only for Hellie to overdose.]]

* YouCanSeeThatRight: Interesting inversion. Alex when she was young abused drugs because it would stop her from seeing ghosts, rather than the opposite.

* CharacterTitle: The series title is named after her.

* TheChessmaster: Influential at Yale, and kicks off the plot. [[spoiler:He came up with complex plots to cover what his crimes (murdering Tara). However, it’s a bit of a subversion, as alot of his plans fail.]]

** [[spoiler:He sent Alex and Darlington to the hellmouth, so he could murder Darlington without getting caught. Then, he pretended to be working to ‘save’ Darlington, knowing that Darlington was actually gone. Accept he misjudged Darlington, because Darlington turned into a demon to live.]]

* TheChessmaster: Influential at Yale,
and kicks off the plot. [[spoiler:He came up with complex plots to cover what his crimes (murdering Tara). However, it’s a bit of a subversion, as alot of his plans fail.]]

* AncestralName: His full name is Daniel Tabor Arlington V. Unsurprisingly, Darlington doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of going by his neglectful father’s name, Daniel, and he’s never referred to as this in the books. As a kid, he was referred to as Danny. He only goes by Darlington in college, likely in part to express individuality from his father and grandfather.

** [[Spoiler:He sent Alex and Darlington to the hellmouth, so he could murder Darlington without getting caught. Then, he pretended to be working to ‘save’ Darlington, knowing that Darlington was actually gone. Accept he misjudged Darlington, because Darlington turned into a demon to live.]]

and kicks off the plot. [[Spoiler:He comes up with complex plots to cover what he’s done (murdering Tara). However, it’s a bit of a subversion, as alot of his plans fail.]]

* [[spoiler:BigBad: is revealed to be this.]]

* Hypocrite: Somewhat, due to the fact that he resents Alex for being Dante.

* {{Foil}}: Darlington is Alex’s foil. Darlington is Northeast OldMoney, a scholar, and an overachiever. Alex is poor from the West Coast, doesn’t have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. In his youth, Darlington would do anything for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial magic to be real]]. Alex would do anything to avoid [[IJustWantToBeNormal ghosts.]] Both are effective at Dante in their in own way.

* {{Foil}}: To Alex. Darlington is Northeast OldMoney, a scholar, and an overachiever. Alex is poor from the West Coast, doesn’t have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. In his youth, Darlington would do anything for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial magic to be real]]. Alex would do anything to avoid [[IJustWantToBeNormal ghosts.]] Both are effective at Dante in their in own way.

* Foil: Darlington is her foil. Darlington is Northeast OldMoney, a scholar, and an overachiever. Alex is poor from the West Coast, doesn’t have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. In his youth, Darlington would do anything for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial magic to be real]]. Alex would do anything to avoid [[IJustWantToBeNormal ghosts.]] Both are effective at Dante in their in own way.