This list includes all characters that debuted properly in the sequel. For the characters who debuted in the first book, see here.
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Parents
The parents of the main cast. Most of them are approachable and love each other and their kids. Others, not so much... Daniel and Lizzie Fisher
Daniel and Lizzie Fisher
Lizzie: "I can't believe she's been gone for a year...It feels just like yesterday we got the news..."
Daniel: "I know, sweetie...It still doesn't feel real..."
Daniel: "I know, sweetie...It still doesn't feel real..."
Jordan's parents. They are sweet and kind, in contrast to their daughter's more tough and tomboyish self. They're both heartbroken to discover that their daughter turned into a murderer and committed suicide but after a year, that might change...
- Agent Mulder: The two don't seem to object to the possibility that their daughter is talking to them from beyond the grave. Perhaps justified because they would be looking for any way to be reunited with her.
- Bearer of Bad News: They become this to Dianna when they inform her of what the kids found out about Mara's Dark Secret: She cuts herself and likely has an eating disorder. Dianna can't convey anything but a simple Stunned Silence.
- Birds of a Feather: They get along very well and are alike.
- Feminine Mother, Tomboyish Daughter: Lizzie is pretty nice, soft and calm. The polar opposite of Jordan.
- Friend to All Children: Both of them.
- Good Parents: They're very loving towards their only daughter. They also rightfully scold her when needed.
- Hand on Womb: Lizzie is revealed to be pregnant in "Do It Yourself".
- Happily Married: They stick with each other no matter what. Nothing could ever strain their marriage.
- Hopeless with Tech: Daniel implies that Lizzie is this when he says she struggles with using the map app on the phone.
- Housewife: Lizzie.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With their daughter's friends.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: Neither Daniel nor Lizzie are hotheaded like Jordan. In the sequel, she starts to become more like them.
- Nice Guy / Nice Girl: Both of them are very kind.
- Open-Minded Parent: Once they find out about it, both of them are accepting of Jordan's bisexuality and the fact that she has to live as a ghost now.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Due to the events of the first book, they lose their only daughter to suicide.
- Parents as People: Naturally, they get more focus on their actual lives.
- Secret-Keeper: They were the first ones to know about Jordan coming back as a ghost as well as Eliza being smarter than she appears to be.
- Unseen No More: They were only briefly mentioned in the first book by Jordan.
- Workaholic: The intro mentions Daniel became this as a defense mechanism for his daughter's death.
- Your Makeup Is Running: This happens with Lizzie when everyone goes to visit Jordan's grave.
Dianna Nakamura
Dianna Nakamura
Mara's working mother. She struggles with her family everyday with her anxious daughter, deadbeat husband and delinquent son.
- Anger Born of Worry: Her whole relationship with her son Xavier is basically built on this trope.
- Awful Wedded Life: Just look at her husband below.
- Beneath the Mask: Oh, how hard she must be trying to seem at least sane when she goes to her job...
- Beware the Nice Ones: She's not afraid to call Jack out whenever she deems it necessary.
- The Dog Bites Back: After learning about Mara's Self-Harm and her eating disorder that was all thanks to Jack, she resolves to divorce him and even kicks him out of the house.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the first book.
- Feminine Mother, Tomboyish Daughter: Not as apparent as the case with Jordan and her mother but still qualifies.
- Friend to All Children: In contrast to her husband.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Played for Drama. She's the only breadwinner of the house while Jack is lazy and abusive.
- Good Is Not Soft: She's a nice woman indeed, but can be harsh when needed. Especially where her husband is concerned.
- Good Parents: She's very loving towards Mara.
- Heroic B So D: Undergoes this when Mara disappears and even worse later when we find out why.
- Intergenerational Friendship: She's probably the closest parent to the kids aside from Norman and Daniel and Lizzie.
- It's All My Fault: She blames herself for not seeing Mara's various struggles once they're revealed. It's true that Mara went out of her way to hide them from everyone but naturally, Dianna would feel this way, being her mother.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: She's a Nice Girl like both her daughters.
- Mama Bear: She would do anything for Mara.
- Nice Girl: It's easy to see where Mara gets it.
- No Accounting for Taste: It's still a mystery how and why Dianna is still married to Jack.
- Parental Obliviousness: An example where the parent feels guilty about said obliviousness. Understandable since it's her daughter's Dark Secret she was oblivious to.
- Parents as People: Naturally.
- Parent with New Paramour: If Kata is indeed not Jack's daughter, going by the latter's own words, then Dianna would be this for Kata.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Jack's Red.
- Shipper on Deck: Needless to say, she approves of Mike's relationship with her daughter. She also seems to be happy about Kata's engagement to Amanda.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: The complete polar opposite of Xavier.
Jack Nakamura
Jack Nakamura
The only parent who's a full-on Jerkass. There's nothing pleasant about him, to say the least.
- Abusive Dad: The only one to be this out of everyone else.
- Abusive Spouse: And how.
- Adults Are Useless: While most adults avert this here, Jack plays it straight.
- Archnemesis Dad: He's very antagonistic and is Mara's father.
- The Dreaded: To his own family, and anyone else aware of him.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the first book.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Played for Drama. Dianna's the only breadwinner of the house while Jack is lazy and abusive.
- Forced from Their Home: Unlike most examples, this was done by Dianna for a very good reason.
- Greater-Scope Villain: He's singlehandedly responsible for Mara's Self-Harm tendencies and possible eating disorder, all due to his Domestic Abuse and Parental Neglect.
- Hated by All: You don't have to look very far to understand why.
- Hate Sink: Easily the most detestable parent.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: His anger is an unwanted outcome.
- I Have No Daughter!: He says this about Kata due to her being a Lipstick Lesbian.
- Jerkass: Beyond the measure of any doubt. He's abusive, controlling and temperamental.
- Knight of Cerebus: Jack's scenes are played very seriously and things take a dark turn whenever he shows up.
- Lack of Empathy: He chastises Mara for visiting Jordan's grave because that makes her a crybaby that can't move on.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Finally receives this when Dianna kicks him out and resolve to divorce him.
- Lazy Husband: He sits around all day, relying completely on Dianna's paycheck to pay the bills.
- Like Father, Like Son: Only Xavier behaves similarly to him.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: In contrast to his daughters, who are nice girls.
- Love-Obstructing Parents: Part of his Evil Plan is to pull a Relationship Sabotage on Mara and Mike.
- Non-Action Big Bad: While he is physically abusive, he's yet to get in actual physical fight.
- Parental Neglect: It might be an Understatement to say this about him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He's not only abusive but also homophobic.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Dianna's Blue.
- Sadist: His desire to hurt others is as clear as the sun.
- The Sociopath: A very ruthless character who cares for literally no one.
- Teen Hater: Considering that he's antagonizing Mara and her friends.
- Token Evil Teammate: The only evil parent in the whole book.
- Ungrateful Bastard: For all his wife's hard work to put food on the table and pay the bills.
- Viler New Villain: Compared to Rose, Nate and Dexter and even Jordan who were essentially the antagonists in the first book, Jack really takes the cake.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: While the sequel already started on a somber note, his appearance as a Knight of Cerebus is what shifted the tone to more serious, and he's undeniably the vilest antagonist to appear yet.
- Wicked Stepfather: He implies that Kata is not his daughter at one point.
- Would Hit a Girl: His own daughter and wife, tragically.
- Would Hurt a Child: Mara has never known peace in the house because of him.
Hunter Diamonds
Hunter Diamonds
Asher's father. A manly man who's fun to be around.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Just don't touch his son.
- Big Fun: He seems big and is definitely fun.
- Connected All Along: It's revealed that he knew Samuel and Tiffani from high school, and they got in a love triangle with Samuel ultimately winning.
- Friend to All Children: Connects well with Mike.
- Good Is Not Soft: And he will prove it to you like he did to Xavier.
- Good Parents: He loves his son to pieces.
- Gentle Giant: He's quite big and a very nice person.
- Like Father, Like Son: Both he and Asher are nice, not to be pushed around and very fun.
- Love Triangle: He's been in one with Samuel over Tiffani. He did not win and found another.
- Manly Facial Hair: Notably the only adult who has this.
- Nice Guy: He's pretty friendly to most people.
- Papa Wolf: Touching Asher is a big no-no.
- Parents as People: Like everyone else here.
- Real Men Cook: Unlike Norman, Hunter is actually a good cook.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Samuel's Sensitive Guy.
- Stepford Smiler: Hunter is yet to be seen anghsting about his missing wife. He's probably better at hiding it than his son.
- Supreme Chef: Asher seems to really like the meals his father cooks.
- Unseen No More: He's only mentioned in passing in the first book.
- We Used to Be Friends: Revealed to have this history with Samuel.
Norman Miller
Norman Miller
Evelyn widowed father. Despite this, he's very cheerful and nice, much like his daughter.- Birds of a Feather: Clearly had this dynamic with his deceased wife Rose.
- Characterization Marches On: The first book seems to paint him as a fearsome man who is very protective of his daughter and won't hesitate to treat someone ruthlessly should they wrong her, but in here, he's a wholesome nice guy who adores children and doesn't have a single moment that hints at his cruelness. To be fair, most of that comes from Matt overthinking the meeting with him out of fear, and his actual appearance in the first book has his protective nature but without malice towards anyone.
- Dads Can't Cook: He is a Lethal Chef, after all.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the first book.
- Friend to All Children: Appears to love Evelyn's friends as if they were his own.
- Good Parents: Absolutely adores his daughter.
- Lethal Chef: Implied by Evelyn, who mentions that the last time he cooked, it was disastrous.
- Like Parent, Like Child: But now that Evelyn's changing for the worst, it might not be the case anymore.
- The Mourning After: Subtly implied. Apparently he and Evelyn visit Rose's grave a certain time every year, hinting at loyalty on his part. He also does not seem interested in dating nor finding love again, something Evelyn seems to be okay with.
- Nice Guy: Very much so. He's aware of Evelyn's friends and is very fond of them.
- Noodle Incident: He's not allowed to cook due to one of these, apparently.
- Papa Wolf: If you don't believe it, lay a finger on his daughter.
- Parents as People: Like everyone else here.
- Shipper on Deck: He approves of Matt as Evelyn's boyfriend and teases them about it frequently.
Rose Miller
Rose Miller
Evelyn's deceased mother and Norman's wife.- Birds of a Feather: Both she and Norman are kindhearted and loving.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best
- Good Parents: Just from her family's words, you can tell she's this.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Both in kindness and cooking skills. The first one might change soon...
- The Lost Lenore: To Norman, though he seems to be able to move on and enjoy life.
- Missing Mom
- Nice Girl: Her husband and daughter speak of her with nothing but sweet words.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. She shares her name with Rose Simmons from the first book.
- Posthumous Character: She's long dead before the events of the series.
- Supreme Chef: Implied by her family. This is something that she shares with Evelyn, according to Norman.
Tiffani Anderson
Tiffani Anderson
Matthew's mother. Both of her husband and son dread making her angry, but ultimately love her to pieces.- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Has black hair and and the demeanor of an Ice Queen.
- Connected All Along: It's revealed that she and Samuel knew Hunter from high school, and they got in a love triangle with Samuel ultimately winning.
- Deadpan Snarker: Her first scene imply she's this. Not hard to see where Matt got it from.
- The Dreaded: Played for Laughs whenever a character (usually her husband or son) acts terrified of her.
- Dude Magnet: Both Samuel and Hunter had crushes on her back in high school.
- Embarrassing Nickname: She doesn't like it when Samuel calls her Tiffy.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Played for Laughs. Tiffani is serious (similarly to her son) to contrast with Samuel's carefree nature.
- Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: The Grumpy to Samuel's Gleeful.
- Good Parents: She deeply cares about her only son.
- Happily Married: With Samuel, in an odd way.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Sophie.
- High-School Sweethearts: She's known Samuel since then.
- Housewife
- Ice Queen: She's clearly the one who passed it on to Matt.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's fierce and occasionally snarky, but she cares deeply for her family.
- Like Parent, Like Child: Matt takes more after her than Samuel.
- Love Triangle: Both Samuel and Hunter wanted her in high school. She chooses Samuel.
- Parents as People: Like everyone else here.
- Perpetual Frowner: It is suggested that she rarely smiles. Tiffani only does it when Samuel kisses her forehead, and it's a small one.
- Platonic Life-Partners: With Mark.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Samuel's Blue.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: With Samuel.
- Shipper on Deck: She teases Matthew about Evelyn when she sees her calling him.
- Unseen No More: She, along with her husband, are only briefly mentioned by Matt in the first book.
- What Does She See in Him?: Matt briefly mentions to Asher that he wonders about this as much as he does the other way around.
Samuel Anderson
Samuel Anderson
Matthew's dad, who's more laidback than his wife and son.- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Matt only sees him like this once when he and Asher meet for the first time.
- Berserk Button: Trying to make moves on Tiffani is where he draws the line.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He looked ready to maul Hunter when he tried complimenting his wife.
- Connected All Along: It's revealed that he and Tiffani knew Hunter from high school, and they got in a love triangle with Samuel ultimately winning.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Don't you ever look at his wife funny.
- Deadpan Snarker: He doesn't have it in him like his wife or son, but he does get in a good line in an otherwise serious chapter. The context is that Samuel and Hunter recognized each other as they have a We Used to Be Friends history caused by a Love Triangle between them over Tiffani. When they're asked if they're gonna behave, Hunter assures everyone and turns to Samuel asking him for reassurance too. The latter's response?Samuel: One of us, at least.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: It's evident Samuel has this effect when around his wife.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Samuel is not foolish and is more like a laidback, fun-loving father while his wife (and by extention, his son) is more fierce and serious.
- Foreshadowing: His first meeting with Asher seems to go well until the end, where he seemed somewhat shocked from something. When his history with Asher's dad is revealed, Matt guesses that his father must've gotten surprised when he heard him call Asher by his last name as a joke.
- Earlier, he also looked nervous when Matt jokingly suggested that Samuel didn't have competition while vying for Tiffani. Turns out he did, that competition being Hunter.
- Friend to All Children: He seemed eager to meet Asher and seems to be fond of Mike.
- The Gadfly: Sometimes shows this side to his wife when she's acting soft in private.
- Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: The Gleeful to Tiffani's Grumpy.
- Good Parents: He looks out for his son, gets along with him and likes to joke around with him, too.
- Happily Married: Much to the surprise of some characters, he's this with Tiffani.
- The Heart: He often acts as the peacekeeper in the family.
- Henpecked Husband: Downplayed and Played for Laughs. Tiffani is not actually domineering towards Samuel and loves him very much but she often acts like The Dreaded to her whole family, and they are somewhat scared of her.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Mark.
- High-School Sweethearts: He's known Tiffani since then.
- Jerkass to One: He's a wholesome sweet guy all the time...except to Hunter.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: See Wacky Parent, Serious Child below.
- Love Triangle: He and Hunter had been in one over Tiffani. He was the victor.
- Morality Pet: He is this to his wife due to his ability to coo and tease her with ease. Not to mention that Tiffani is calmed down instantly by his presence.
- Nice Guy: Compared to his son and wife.
- Not So Above It All: In his family, Samuel is normally the only one who doesn't engage in banter and acts as the peacemaker whenever Tiffani and Matthew are in disagreement, painting him as the Only Sane Man. However, it turns out he's still holding a grudge against his former friend Hunter because he once fancied Tiffani like him.
- Parents as People: Like everyone else here.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Tiffani's Red.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: With Tiffani.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Sensitive Guy to Hunter's Manly Man.
- Shipper on Deck: For Matt and Evelyn. His words also imply he ships Mike and Mara.
- Shipping Torpedo: Obviously for Tiffani and Hunter and it has been that way since High School.
- Token Good Teammate: The only full-on Nice Guy in his family, as both Matt and Tiffani are jerks with a heart of gold.
- Unseen No More: Like his wife, he's only mentioned in passing in the first book.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: He's pretty carefree, while Matt is more serious and snarky.
- We Used to Be Friends: Revealed to have this history with Hunter.
- What Does He See in Her?: Both Asher and Matt wonder about this at one point.
Mark and Sophie Henderson
Mark and Sophie Henderson
The parents of Mike, Austin, Zach and Henry. They're close friends with Samuel and Tiffani, much like Matt and Mike are.- Berserk Button: For Sophie, it's disobeying her.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Sophie can become strict should it be needed.
- Birds of a Feather: Sophie and Mark have this dynamic.
- Friend to All Children: They get along very well with Mike's friends.
- Good Parents: To all their four children.
- Happily Married: Like most of the parents here.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Samuel mentions that he and Tiffani had known Sophie and Mark for a long time.
- Housewife: Sophie.
- Like Parent, Like Child: It's easy to see how Mike turned out to be so kindhearted.
- Nice Guy / Nice Girl: Just like their eldest and youngest son.
- Parents as People: Like everyone else here.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Samuel with Sophie and Tiffani with Mark.
- Shipper on Deck: They have no qualms about Mike and Mara dating.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Had they not invited Hunter and Matt's family at the same time, we would've never found out that Samuel and Hunter have history.
- Unseen No More: They were just mentioned briefly in the first book.
Catherine Hansen
Catherine Hansen
Eliza's mother. A hospitable woman who seems to like having Asher over.- Ambiguous Situation: How she and her husband got separated, her current feelings about him and how she gets the money to look after Eliza and handle the bills.
- Friend to All Children: She quickly becomes fond of Eliza's new friends.
- Glamorous Single Mother: She seemingly has no qualms about being a single mother for Eliza.
- Housewife: That being said, it's still ambiguous how she pays for the bills.
- Intergenerational Friendship: She seems to think of Eliza's friends as her own, and she's always happy to have them over.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: It's clear Eliza is like her mom in a lot of ways.
- Nice Girl: Eliza takes after her in this aspect.
- Parental Obliviousness: Somewhat justified. Eliza goes out of her way to keep her lab a secret from everyone.
- Shipper on Deck: She calls Asher handsome and teasingly tells her daughter to bring him over more often.
- Supreme Chef: The first time Mike eats over at Eliza's, he remarks that Catherine's food is even better than his mom's.
Other Family Members
Aside from parents, there are some other family members, mostly siblings. Austin, Zach and Henry Henderson
Austin, Zach and Henry Henderson
Mike's younger brothers. While Mike's fondness for Henry is clearer, he still loves them all the same, despite the arguments and pettiness.- Alliterative Name: Henry Henderson.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Mike views Austin and Zach as such.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Henry, evidently.
- Big Brother Worship: In spite of their arguments, they really are fond of Mike.
- Cheerful Child: Henry.
- Deadpan Snarker: Zach seems to have inherited some of his big brother's wit.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Mike views himself as the responsible one, while his siblings are foolish. Downplayed in that they are not foolish, but they are less responsible and more wacky.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Zach and Austin.
- Like Parent, Like Child: Henry falls into this, taking after their mom and dad just like Mike.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: On the other hand, Austin and Zach have a knack for being sassy and cheeky while their parents do not.
- Nice Guy: Henry, much like his oldest brother.
- Shipper on Deck: Austin and Zach often tease Mike about Mara.
- Sibling Rivalry: There's a hint of that in their relationship.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Nice Guy Mike and Henry vs Jerk with a Heart of Gold Austin and Zach.
- Unseen No More: Like their parents, they were only mentioned briefly in the first book.
Xavier Nakamura
Xavier Nakamura
Xavier is Mara's older brother. He's almost never at home and spends his days outside partying and acting wild.
- Abusive Offspring: Acts this way to his own mother, berating her for wanting him to come home more often.
- Anti-Role Model: If you couldn't guess from all these unflattering tropes, you're not supposed to be an unruly party animal like Xavier.
- Big Brother Bully: Considering he's a big Jerkass, one can safely assume he's not a big fan of Mara.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to Mara's and Kata's Abel.
- Chekhov's Gunman: His first appearance where he encounters Asher and Hunter makes his seem like a random, minor character. Then we find out that he's Mara's older brother.
- Childish Older Sibling: He's whiny, entitled and rebellious.
- Delinquent: He and his group of friends are always outside causing mischief, which irks his mom.
- Disappointing Older Sibling: To Mara due to his irresponsibility and erratic behavior.
- The Dragon: He seems eager to take on this role for his dad
- Dumbass Teenage Son: He definitely fits here.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Foolish to Mara's and Kata's Responsible.
- Harmless Villain: Compared to his father and Mason, he hasn't been able to do anything too henious.
- Hates Their Parent: His mom. His feelings about his dad are not clear, though Dianna implies that Jack is somewhat closer to him than she is.
- Jerkass: Like you wouldn't believe it.
- Like Father, Like Son: Oh boy howdy.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: With his mom.
- Middle Child Syndrome: To be honest, it seems like him being The Unfavorite is due to his rebellious behavior than being the middle child.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He and Jack make homophobic comments regarding Kata and Amanda.
- Resentful Outnumbered Sibling: He's not at all fond of his sisters and prefers to hang out with his teoublemaking friends.
- Shipping Torpedo: For Mike and Mara, and Kata and Amanda.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: If you couldn't guess from the other tropes here, he's obviously way less nicer than his sisters.
- Teens Are Monsters: Okay, he's not a monster per se, but he is pretty cruel and careless.
- The Unfavorite: Implied. The first book previously mentions that Mara loves her sister Kata, and that most likely means that her mother Dianna loves her too, leaving Xavier as the unfavorite. However, Dianna seems to get worried about him as well, despite her anger at him.
- Unseen No More: He was briefly mentioned in the first book.
- Would Hit a Girl: He bullies Mara verbally and physically.
Kata Nakamura
Kata Nakamura
Kata is Mara's and Xavier's oldest sister. She moved away from her house and lives with her fiancee Amanda. Her relationship with Mara is better than Xavier.
- Aloof Big Sister: Closer than Xavier to being this trope. Kata has already made a life for herself and is engaged and living with her fiancee, but she's on good terms with Mara, at least.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Don't mess with her.
- Big Sister Instinct: Her first appearance has her defend Mara from Xavier.
- Cain and Abel: She and Mara are the Abel to Xavier's Cain.
- Cool Big Sis: Seen this way by Mara.
- Early-Bird Cameo: She appeared briefly in the first book.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Responsible to Xavier's Foolish.
- Good Is Not Soft: Don't mess with her.
- Hates Their Parent: Do we really need to say which one?
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Thankfully, she's a lot nicer than her brother and father.
- Like Parent, Unlike Child: With Jack.
- Lipstick Lesbian: She's engaged to Amanda.
- Nice Girl: Usually.
- Official Couple: With Amanda.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: She and Mara differentiate from Xavier a lot.
Amanda Anderson
Amanda Anderson
Amanda is Kata's fiancee who lives with her in their own house.
- Alliterative Name: Amanda Anderson.
- Lipstick Lesbian: She's engaged to Kata.
- Nice Girl: She seems to be decent.
- Official Couple: With Kata.
- Same Surname Means Related: She shares her last name with Matthew, though it's not stated if they're related or not.
School Characters
Outside of the families, some characters are associated with the school.Students
The other kids who mingle with the main cast. Eliza Hansen
Eliza Hansen
"Oh, that's just my little handy teleporter. It needed some upgrades and modifications. Last time I tried it was not..pleasant. So I'm glad it's working fine now!"
Eliza is a new transfer student. She got put together with Matt, Mike, Mara, Evelyn and Asher and she quickly strikes up a friendship with them.
- Affectionate Nickname: In her case, it's not Eliza as some would assume. It's Liz.
- Agent Mulder: Despite being a Science Heroine, Eliza never once questions the possibility of paranormal activity. Apparently, she was already into it before her dad stopped her.
- All-Loving Heroine: Compared to her friends, Eliza never once shows disdain towards anyone, even the biggest jerkasses in the series and always believes there is good in everyone.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Downplayed. She does have her fair share of suitors and is a brunette and her hair is long, but Eliza is less aloof and more socially awkward than anything.
- Ambiguously Bi: After her talk with Jordan about love and finding out the latter is bisexual, she teases her asking if Jordan thinks she'll develop a crush on her.
- Badass Adorable: Endearingly Dorky and a Gadgeteer Genius. Eliza definitely fills the requirements.
- Badass Bookworm: By far the most intelligent character in the series.
- Badass Pacifist: She's a very capable inventor who's also peaceful and kindhearted.
- Beneath the Mask: Eliza is normally outgoing and levelheaded in serious situations, but she seems to hide deep sadness caused by her Friendless Background and having a Disappeared Dad.
- Big Good: The most capable and skilled out of all heroes.
- Blue Is Heroic: She wears light blue clothes and is one of the good guys.
- Book Smart: Eliza seems to excel in all classes. She was shown to have an A+ on a math test, surpassing all her friends.
- Brainy Brunette: Has dark hair and is the smartest teen in the series by far.
- Break the Cutie: Watching the entity in the abandoned house by herself seemingly scarred her.
- Broken Ace: She excels at school and gadgeteering but she's not free of issues.
- Brutal Honesty: Not in the Awful Truth way, it's mostly Played for Laughs due to her No Social Skills mannerisms.
- Chaste Heroine: She doesn't shut down romance. She genuinely doesn't get it.
- Celibate Eccentric Genius: She was more clueless about romance at first but she has been understanding lately. She's most definitely a bit eccentric and a genius, though.
- Clueless Dude Magnet: As a result of her Oblivious to Love tendencies. She has Matthew, Asher and Mason crushing on her.
- The Comically Serious: She's not joyless but her lack of reactions is often the source of comedy in many situations.
- Crazy-Prepared: It's a requirement to be a good inventor. The first example is her telling Jordan that her anti-ghost uniform has a button that turns it invisible in case of emergencies.
- Dirty Business: She and Mike truly had good intentions planting a microphone on Mara, but it's still a morally gray action and a breach of privacy and Eliza is more regretful about it than he is.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father is only occasionally mentioned.
- Ditzy Genius: While she's a Teen Genius and excels at school, her social skills aren't really on the same level.
- Endearingly Dorky: Expect anything less from a socially awkward Teen Genius?
- Even the Girls Want Her: Mara jaw drops at the sight of her, and couldn't keep her eyes off of her throughout her first day with them.
- Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: While Eliza is all for seeing the best in people, she's understandably not a fan of the likes of Mason and Jack.
- First-Name Basis: A notable habit of hers is almost always calling her friends by their actual names, instead of their Affectionate Nickname.
- Friendless Background: Like Mara, the core group are the first people she ever got to call friends.
- The Gadfly: Once she picks up on it, she became fond of teasing Jordan on occasion.
- Gadgeteer Genius: She's able to construct any kind of invention for any needed situation.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: While she's more midway between Girly Girl and Tomboy, this is the best trope to describe her. She's a Nice Girl with a blue color theme to emphasize her gentleness but she's also interested in science and has no problem investigating a Haunted House by herself.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Eliza is rather pure and the idea of evil shocks her. This is seen when she and Mike spy on Mara and happen to listn to her dad abusing her physically and emotionally. While Mike is angry and furious, Eliza is taken back and can barely form words.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: When Mason assumes she and Asher are dating, Eliza honestly respond with this.
- Her Name Really Is "Barkeep": Most would assume Eliza is an Affectionate Nickname short for Elizabeth. Not in the case of this girl, it isn't.
- Hidden Depths: And what depths she has. She's a freaking Teen Genius and Gadgeteer Genius. You wouldn't be able to tell from your first meeting with her.
- Horrible Judge of Character: She does this after meeting Mason, describing him as a Nice Guy.
- Humble Heroine: She's by far the most capable teen in the whole series, yet she seems to have low self-esteem and doesn't think there's anything special about her.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: Not romantically. Her lack of a father figure and friends seems to be the reason behind this.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Subtle, but she seems very happy to find the core group and get to call them her friends.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Eliza is simply pure. She's an All-Loving Heroine who doesn't have ill-will towards anybody and often goes out of her way to help those who need it.
- Innocently Insensitive: Can come off this way with some of her comments, such as reminding Jordan of her murders last year while trying to give her a compliment.
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: It's clear that honing her smarts took up most of her life and she had been isolated from her peers as a result.
- The Kirk: She's the smartest one in the group but she's not as stoic as Matt, thus making her this trope.
- Literal-Minded: See main page.
- Locked Out of the Loop: The main characters decide keep her in the dark for a bit about what Matt meant with his "I just hope becoming six won't turn out tragic for us...again..." but eventually they are forced to tell her by circumstances.
- Loner-Turned-Friend: Much like Mara.
- Master of the Mixed Message: It's really debatable whether she likes Matt, Asher, both or neither and just doesn't realized it. She's had Ship Tease with them but insists they're Just Friends.
- Meaningful Name: Eliza means "joyful", fitting with her outgoing and kind personality.
- Mirror Character: Shares a lot with Mara: Both are brunettes, both were lonely and never had friends and both are very nice despite that fact.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Unlike Mike, she doesn't try to justify their breach of Mara's privacy to help her with her Dark Secret. Eliza doesn't fret about it, but she clearly regrets it after seeing Mara's reaction.
- Named After Somebody Famous: After Alexander Hamilton's wife, Elizabeth Schuyler.
- Nervous Wreck: She'll act this way occasionally when she's anxious about something.
- New Transfer Student: How she was introduced.
- Nice Girl: So damn much.
- No Social Skills: Has shades of this. She doesn't know what a crush or a boyfriend is, and has trouble understanding romance and realizing the implications that someone might like her.
- Not So Above It All: She actually learns to tease Jordan a bit over her interest in girls.
- Oblivious to Love: Well, she might not as oblivious anymore after her talk with Jordan about dating.
- Only Sane Woman: Her lack of social skills and occasional hints that she's not as joyful as she seems, Eliza is written as a teenage girl many times smarter for her age and can get pretty serious when needed.
- Plucky Girl: She's very brave and optimistic and determined.
- Prone to Tears: Eliza has shed tears on quite a few occasions since her introduction.
- Safety in Indifference: At one point, she talks to Jordan about how messy romance is, and the implication is, Eliza became celibate even after coming to understand romance because of this trope.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Most of the jokes within the group (usually Matt's) go over her head.
- Second Love: To Matt, after Evelyn.
- Science Heroine: A smart and brilliant inventor.
- Sixth Ranger: She actually becomes the seventh member of the core group after Jordan comes back, replacing Rose after her death in the first book.
- Shipper on Deck: For both Mikara and Mattlyn.
- Ship Tease: She's had her moments with Matt and Asher.
- Shrinking Violet: Not as big as Mara on this one but she is described as shy and demure on her first day at school.
- The Smart Girl: Starts to share this role with Matt.
- Socially Awkward Hero: She finds facing a mysterious and potentially dangerous entity easier to deal with than social situations.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: It's something of a Running Gag with her. She always unintentionally scare her friends by suddenly popping into the conversation. It could be due to her No Social Skills tendencies.
- Stepford Smiler: As mentioned above, Eliza is not 100% the cheerful girl she comes across as and evidently has emotional baggage from her past.
- Teen Genius: Given she has her own lab and still attending high school.
- True Blue Femininity: Her introduction mentions she's wearing light blue clothes and shoes.
- Unfazed Everyman: Compared to everyone else, she acts as if an unknown and potentially dangerous ghost is a regular problem.
- Weak, but Skilled: She makes up for her lack of combat skills with knowledge and gadgets.
- Weirdness Magnet: Her involvement in the plot adds paranormal elements to the story.
Mason West
Mason West
Mason first becomes acquainted with Eliza and Asher, quickly taking an interest in the former, but he leaves a bad impression on Asher.
- Abhorrent Admirer: For Mara and to a lesser extent, Eliza due to her being Oblivious to Love.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: Both of them were only briefly mentioned and discussed once.
- Amicable Exes: Averted with Jordan.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Jordan reveals herself to call him out on his manipulations of Mara, Mason gives her a short but powerful retort:
- At Least I Admit It: He doesn't outright say it but it is implied by his Armor-Piercing Response above where he chastises Jordan for criticizing him for taking advantage of girls when she herself has killed for a girl. He could be alluding to the fact that he's not afraid to act slimy in public, whereas Jordan hid until the very end.
- Blackmail: He pulls this on Mara, threatening to expose Jordan's and Eliza secret.
- Card-Carrying Villain: He doesn't even bother hiding how malicious and sadistic he is.
- Casanova Wannabe: If Eliza wasn't so Oblivious to Love, she would've blown him off, no doubt. Mara is more aware and actively pushes him away.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced as a harmless but slimy boy towards girls. Later revealed to be one of Jordan's past flings, with whom she had a horrible relationship with.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Formerly with Jordan.
- Connected All Along: He's one of Jordan's previous boyfriends with whom she had a horrible relationship with.
- Dirty Coward: It's implied that he's not much of a fighter so when the gang starts threatening him with physical violence, he only spares them a second before leaving the scene.
- Dogged Nice Guy: He's less civil to Asher, being more focused on the innocent Eliza. He also does this for Mara.
- Domestic Abuser: Revealed to have been physically and emotionally abusive towards Jordan during their relationship.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While it's probable that he only threw Jordan's murder spree last year back at her when she criticized him just to be in the right, he really doesn't seem capable of sinking that low.
- Evil Feels Good: He doesn't just enjoy the suffering of others. Any act of evil seems to fill him with gratification and pleasure.
- Faux Affably Evil: He tends to speak in a friendly manner but that only serves to underscore how evil he is.
- Forceful Kiss: He does one on Mara at one point.
- Forgotten Friend, New Foe: To Jordan.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Downplayed. He wasn't the only horrible boyfriend Jordan's been with, that being the reason she started preferring girls, namely Evelyn...which ended with her becoming a murderer.
- Green and Mean: His hair is green and he's definitely a mean one.
- Has a Type: Implied by his You're Not My Type statement to Evelyn (see below). Though we never actually find out what his type is, he might have a thing for brunettes, something that both Mara and Eliza share. He also implies that he likes girls who threaten him.
- Hated by All: And for good reason, too.
- Hate Sink: Not unlike Mara's father. He's unsympathetic, cocky and not at all above being dirty to get what he wants.
- The Heavy: It's crazy to think someone like Mason would fill this role when there are antagonists viler and more dangerous but he does have more screentime and his actions do drive the plot the most. Heck, he even had some influence over the plot of the first book and he didn't appear in it.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: A big pervert, especially towards Mara.
- Implausible Hair Color: He has green hair.
- Jerkass: It doesn't take long to come out.
- Karma Houdini: Mason's the only antagonist to not receive his comeuppance so far.
- Lack of Empathy: Big time. Mason carries out his plans with no regard to those around him.
- Manipulative Bastard: He's a pretty decent talker and manipulator, as seen in his interactions with Mara. He also pulls something of a Xanatos Speed Chess.
- Non-Action Big Bad: He's most definitely The Heavy, yet he has no fighting skills that we know of. He'd much rather rely on emotional manipulation.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: His actions lead to one of the biggest events in the book: Jordan is revealed as a ghost, and Eliza is exposed for having a secret lab.
- Sadist: Clearly enjoys being the puppeteer of others' suffering.
- Slimeball: He's a cocky Casanova Wannabe and acts very inappropriately for his age. Jordan also had a horrible relationship with him at one point.
- Smug Snake: Count how many times he says something in a condescending manner.
- The Sociopath: He fills all requirements from smugness to seeing no difference between people and chess pawns.
- Stalker with a Crush: How else would he have the vital info needed to hurt the heroes?
- Technicolor Eyes: One purple and one green.
- Teens Are Monsters: The biggest example in the sequel, if not the whole series.
- Viler New Villain: Shared with Jack. You can imagine Dexter, Nate and Rose being disgusted with this guy because he's actually evil and dangerous.
- Villain Has a Point: The one time he said something valid was when he delivered his Armor-Piercing Response (see above) to Jordan. Lampshaded by Matt when he muttered a yikes upon hearing it.
- Villainous Crush: On Mara and Eliza.
- Villain Reveals the Secret: The one he blackmailed Mara with, as stated above.
- Walking Spoiler: Due to his heavy involvment in Jordan's backstory.
- Wham Line: He delivers one that sends the core group into Stunned Silence:Mason: And before I go, say hi to Jordi for me.
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: He hides how malicious he truly is by pretending to be harmless.
- Would Hit a Girl: Jordan reveals that he was physically and verbally abusive to her in their relationship.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: While he didn't manage to get Mara nor Eliza to date him, he seemed pretty satisfied with exposing Jordan to the whole school, which he managed to do indirectly (and unknowingly) just by manipulating Mara.
- You're Not My Type: Says this to Evelyn to clarify why he only hits on Mara and Eliza.
Staff
The adults that supervise the students at school. Kelsey Santos
Kelsey Santos
The female teacher of the protagonists' class. A well-meaning person, always looking to connect with her students and help them, and might and or might not have a thing for her colleague, Mr. Winston.- Adults Are Useless: Averted.
- Beneath the Mask: Occasionally reveals her insecurities as a teacher and wonders if she's being the best she can be.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She seemingly gets dropped from the story.
- Cool Teacher: The protagonists note that she's the preferred teacher in the school.
- Friend to All Children: She's very fond of her students and always looks out for them.
- Good Is Not Soft: She's always willing to be there for her students, and she's also ready to punish anyone who bothers them.
- Intergenerational Friendship: What she tries to form with her students.
- Mama Bear: She acts this way towards the core group on occasion.
- Nice Girl: The protagonists deem her the nicest in the school when describing her to Eliza.
- Office Romance: It's hinted she has a thing for her colleague Mr Winston, getting concerned that they might not be able to become more than co-workers because of their jobs.
- Ship Tease: With Winston.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only girl in the school staff.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She's the reason Samuel and Hunter ended up meeting and recognizing each other.
- Strictly Professional Relationship: With Winston, despite the hint that she might want something more.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Downplayed with Mr. Winston. They have Ship Tease and follow a Strictly Professional Relationship, implied to be put on them by the principal.
Gordon Winston
Gordon Winston
The male teacher of the protagonists' class. He's more strict than Ms. Santos but ultimately wants the best for his students just like her.- Adults Are Useless: Averted.
- Beneath the Mask: He can actually be carefree outside school.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He seemingly gets dropped from the story.
- The Comically Serious: He's very stern and serious and put in comedic situations sometimes.
- Good Is Not Nice: He's a grump and a Stern Teacher but he has a Hidden Heart of Gold.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's respectful towards Eliza when she transfers and polite when talking to other adults in his working place. It's implied he has a hidden soft spot for his students.
- Office Romance: He might or might not have caught on the fact that Ms. Santos has a thing for him, and he seemed concerned about the principal hearing about it.
- Papa Wolf: He starts to exhibit this once Mason gets involved in the plot.
- Perpetual Frowner: He doesn't seem to smile often.
- Ship Tease: With Santos.
- Stern Teacher: No doubt about it, but it's also partly because he cares about the education of students.
- The Stoic: He's pretty reserved and serious-minded.
- Strictly Professional Relationship: He and Ms Santos, despite the hint that they might want more.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Downplayed with Ms. Santos. They have Ship Tease but they seemingly cannot get together due to them being colleagues.
Max Franklin
Max Franklin
The principal of the school. Calm and collected, he's generally a good principal and fair with anyone who gets sent to his office.- Adults Are Useless: Averted.
- Being Personal Isn't Professional: Implied to be his mindset for the teachers.
- Benevolent Boss: He's very respectful to the teachers.
- Beware the Nice Ones: As he is there to help anyone who needs it, he's also there to punish anyone who does bad things.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears from the narrative without a mention.
- The Comically Serious: On occasion.
- Dean Bitterman: Averted.
- Friend to All Children: Considering he assigned Evelyn to show Eliza around on her first day, he seems to care about the students.
- Good Is Not Soft: We don't get to hear what kind of punishment he chose for Mason once he's told about him but there is an implication that it will not be easy and bearable.
- Nice Guy: Compared to Winston, he's not uptight and is actually friendly.
- Papa Wolf: It can be argued he feels this way towards the students.
- Putting the "Pal" in Principal: He's fairly pleasant in manner and appearance.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: From what we see of him, he seems to be running the school smoothly and no one seems to have anything against him.
- Small Role, Big Impact: If it weren't for him assigning Evelyn to show Eliza around, the protagonists would've never got involved with her and found out she's a Gadgeteer Genius, thus preventing all major events in the sequel from happening.
- The Stoic: While he is friendly, he remains very calm anytime he's seen.
