Mara Berens

TLC 02/7 Four years ago Mara Berens, Leira's grandmother, had been transferring through a portal from one dimension to the other, and had accidentally fallen through the passage, into the world in-between. She had always been trying to see in any passersby had been Leira, and on the night that Leira and Correk went to hear music, Mara has certain that it was her passing on the street below. Mara also saw that she was accompanied by Correk, a Light Elf, and was dismayed about it, as Mara felt that no good would come of any association Leira might have with the Oricerans, and wanted to warn her. But there was no way to do so from where she was. Mara was rescued from the in between (TLC 03/20), came to live with Leira, Correk and Yumfuck, and Eireka. Moved in with Eireka, in own apartment, later.

TSoNM 01/3 Mara Berens, Headmistress of the School of Necessary Magic, mind-wipes Izzie, for her protection, and so that she might attend the School as an "unknown". Mara had been Headmistress of the School for nineteen years. She was part Light Elf and part witch, with a touch of human heritage. She had a sense of humor, but definitely kept the kids under control. She was an interesting woman, outspoken and strict in a way Alison would imagine a grandmother to be. She liked order, not as a personal preference but to keep the school running smoothly. Anxiety bubbled through the headmistress’ energy, but there was something more. There were threads of dark magic intertwined throughout. Although dark magic wasn’t something to be feared in small doses—it balanced things— hers almost fought the light. Alison had heard the rumors about Ms. Berens; that her daughter was a powerful elf, and that she herself had spent over a decade trapped in the World In Between. That wasn’t a place she ever wanted to visit, since it was the void between life and death. The living who slipped through the cracks were side by side with the dead who had been unresolved in life. They were able to watch everyone in the world lives, but they couldn’t interact.

TSONM 02/8 Izzie was a Jasper Elf. Jasper elves were few and far between on Earth or Oriceran. They were so strong that their magic had been known to completely overwhelm them, even engulf them. That was what had happened to so many of them. They were feared by the magical community—not because of darkness, but because they were pure light. They were some of the most powerful beings in existence, and when it came to pure magic, pure light could be just as dangerous as pure dark. The light and the dark attracted each other, and the light always tried to extinguish the dark, even if it meant taking the host’s life. There were people out there who wanted Izzie. Who craved the ability to control someone that powerful, someone young enough to be easily twisted and molded. Izzie was that magical being. Mara didn’t know what she had to do, but she knew that it had to happen soon. The Jasper Elf in the girl was searching for answers, and it wouldn’t stop until the truth had been revealed.