i'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh, every day of my life
donna
matthews
name. Donna Christine Matthews race. Psychic (telepath) nicknames. Bellflower; Matthews age. 29 date of birth. July 18 occupation. bartender // hunter marital status. lol no
nationality. American height. 5'8" build. Slim hair. Brown eyes. Blue bloodtype. A+ angelic hometown. New York, NY
Donna tries her best not to let people get too close to her. What most know about her is that she’s quiet, somewhat sarcastic, and has a dry sense of humor. She’s the kind of person who can sit through an entire conversation, only to drop a funny one-liner at the right time. She would like people to think that she’s calm, cool, and collected, and that nothing bothers her. In truth, she puts up a front because it’s a lot easier than the pain of letting someone else into her life. You have to be part of her inner circle in order to get some details about what’s going on in her life, and that takes more time than a lot of people are willing to put into it.
She’s always going to be haunted by the loss of her family, five years ago, all because she’d dated the wrong man. Donna hates the fact that she’d once been so weak as to let anyone, let alone a man, have that much control over her life. And now, she’s let her days become consumed with the idea of getting revenge on her ex for what he did to her and her family. It wasn’t enough that he came after her, but she knows he murdered her parents and her little brother, just to get to her. Just because the justice system hasn’t found him to make him pay for his crimes - yet - doesn’t mean she’s not going to try to beat them to the punch. It’s what led her to joining Conan on his hunts, learning how to fight, and she will not rest until Jeremy is dead and gone.
In the meantime, she’s more than willing to help Conan on other hunts, learning the ropes, as it were, and generally trying to do the right thing. She thinks that, sometimes, the legal system doesn’t work fast enough and she can help speed that along, but she doesn’t like the idea of taking an innocent life. In spite all that’s happened, Donna still has a strong set of morals, due to the angelic blood she’s not aware she has. Her parents didn’t raise her to turn a blind eye to someone else in need, and she’s stuck to that in the years since their passing. She’s stronger than she knows, or will ever give herself credit for.
appearance. }
Donna is taller than the average woman, standing 5’8” in flats, and taller still if she wears heels, which isn’t often. She favors casual wear more than anything else, and her wardrobe is filled with jeans, tees, and sweaters. With her line of work - either bartending or hunting - fancy clothing doesn’t have a place, so her nicer pieces stay in her closet for whenever the occasion calls for it. In Donna’s mind, probably never, but still, a girl can dream. When it comes to jewelry, she’s likewise simplistic; no fancy necklaces or charms here. She is, however, a fan of handmade scarves and hats, most of which she made herself, and she doesn’t mind showing off her work. Donna’s most striking feature are her eyes, bright blue, and they tend to stand out when paired with her dark hair and pale skin.
Underneath her clothes, she does have several scars as a reminder of the life she’s led. The most prominent one is the bullet wound in her left shoulder, from when Jeremy tried to kill her. The other is hidden by her hair, and it’s a thin line along the back of her skull, left over from the head injury that unlocked her telepathy. If you ever see these, and ask her about them, Donna will refuse to talk about it.
history. }
Donna was born the first child of Jennifer and Benjamin Matthews, in New York City. Early on it became obvious that Donna did not inherit her mother's fire elemental abilities, but she did get the drive to succeed and help others from both sides of her family. Her mother worked as an architect, while her father made his living as a blues musician in various nightclubs around the city. Donna's earliest memories are of sitting at the piano with her dad while he played for her, and she loved every single second of it.
From a young age, Donna wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a famous singer. Her parents were overjoyed to see her with a passion, and encouraged it as such. Her afternoons were filled with piano lessons and voice lessons and her favorite moments were when she got to see her dad perform. Yes, it was a lot of work, but Donna never shied away from any of that. She had dreams, and she fully believed that if she put in the time, she would get what she wanted. She could get anything she wanted, as a matter of fact.
Her parents tried for years to have another child, and it wasn’t until Donna was 8 that her little brother Darren was born. And Darren? Oh, he was a little spitfire, literally, taking after their mother’s side of the family. Finally it seemed their little family was complete, and the Matthews couldn’t be happier. Although there was a big age gap between Donna and Darren, she did her best to be there for her little brother, and to help her parents out with him when she could.
In school, it wasn’t like Donna was necessarily the most popular of kids, but she did her best to try and get along with everyone. At least, the people who weren’t jerks, anyway. She didn’t tolerate bullies, and often found herself standing up for the underdogs when she could. It was through one such incident that she met the kid who would become her best friend, Nathan. He was quiet, and shy, and easy prey for the bigger kids. Donna didn’t care if it got her suspended, she didn’t like seeing anyone get picked on for being different.
From middle school forward, Donna and Nathan were hardly apart. He came from a family of white witches, and it was reassuring for her to know that, while she didn’t have any special abilities herself, there were others out there who were special like her family, just in different ways. No matter what happened, they promised each other that friends stick together and they’d always be there for each other. Nathan came to every single one of Donna’s performances, and in turn, she was there for him when he told her that he liked guys as well as girls, and how hard it was to tell his family that. She didn’t care as long as Nathan was still Nathan.
Then came the summer when Donna turned 17. While performing with her dad’s band one night, she caught the eye of a young man named Jeremy. He was a few years older than Donna, good looking, charming, the whole nine yards. And he was captivated by this young woman and her voice, wanting to keep her for his very own. It didn’t take much to win Donna over. Her romantic history was more or less nonexistent, and while people had taken interest in her as an artist, she’d yet to have that first love scenario. So when Jeremy paid attention to her, and showed her the time of day? She was head over heels.
For the first year, everything seemed perfect. Donna and Nathan both graduated from high school, and Nathan got accepted as a pre-med student at a college in Washington, DC. Donna was ecstatic for him, knowing that it had always been Nathan’s dream to help people and it was a great way for him to channel his magic into something worthwhile. Meanwhile, Donna enrolled at New York University, hoping to major in music. It was her passion, and the one thing she knew needed to be a part of her life.
Jeremy didn’t seem so convinced. There were a lot of talks about what Donna was going to do with her life, and how the music industry was so hit or miss. And didn’t she want to know what it was like to live on her own, outside of her parents’ house? To that end, Donna agreed, and started looking into how much it would cost to live on campus. Jeremy offered her a better idea, to live with him instead. “It’ll be cheaper,” he told her, “and I’ve got a nice place, and then you’ll be with me all the time.”
Donna had no idea that this was what Jeremy had been gunning for the entire time. With her living under his roof, it was far easier for him to see what she was doing every second of every day, and to control her every action. She was in love, and cheerfully told her parents just that. BJ and Jennifer were concerned - their daughter was only 18 after all - but Jeremy seemed like a nice boy, so they supported Donna’s decision to move in with Jeremy.
And as such, hell began. It started with little things - always needing to know where Donna was, who she was with, when she’d be home. If she didn’t answer his texts or calls right away, it would turn into a fight, where Jeremy would rage and Donna would end up in tears, apologizing. For what, she didn’t know, but she hated seeing Jeremy so upset. They were in love, they were perfect together, so why was he so angry with her all the time? It wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong except trying to reach out to her friends, still live the life she’d had before she moved in with him.
Then, one night, the fight got so bad that Jeremy struck her. All because she’d been trying to plan a group project with some of her musician friends. “You think they care about you?” Jeremy snarled at her. “You think they know you like I do? I don’t like the thought of them looking at you. I don’t like you on stage. Why don’t you do something else, something a little safer for you?”
The only safe thing for Donna would have been to run away, but she didn’t realize that. The next morning Jeremy woke her with breakfast in bed, all smiles and sweetness and apologies. He’d gotten angry, he said, and he didn’t mean it. And foolish Donna believed him. Over the course of her college career, the cycle kept repeating itself. She thought that changing her major might help, so then they wouldn’t fight over her performances anymore. She still had her music collection, and no one could take that away from her, but it broke her to not be able to sing anymore, even around the house. And it only worked for a little while, because there was always something else she did wrong, something else to fight about. Donna ended up graduating from NYU with a degree in literature, with no plans to use it, working at a little coffee shop in the city and with little plans about what to do with the rest of her life.
Throughout it all, she started distancing herself from those she’d once called friends. She kept in touch with Nathan, usually through email, since that was the safest means of contact for her and it was much easier to lie to him about the state of things. She didn’t spend as much time with her family either, and whenever her dad would try to ask her how things were going, or what was wrong, she brushed off his questions. She didn’t want her dad to worry, because she had this under control. BJ didn’t need to know how she was suffering, because Donna did believe that Jeremy did love her, and that was why she stayed.
When Donna was 24, Nathan finally moved back to the city, finishing out his degree and working towards his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital. While Donna was overjoyed to have him back - he was her best friend, after all - she was terrified at putting Nathan and Jeremy in the same room together. Nathan wasn’t a fighter and she knew what might happen if Jeremy got angry, and she didn’t wish to inflict that upon him. Whatever happened, Donna would be able to handle it, or so she told herself.
Only she didn’t count on how persistent Nathan would be. Whenever Donna tried to postpone hanging out - for both of their protection, she told herself - he became more and more insistent, even going so far as to show up on Donna’s doorstep. And the moment she saw Nathan in person? Donna broke. All these thoughts and feelings that built up inside her for seven years poured out of her, and Nathan was there to catch her. His solution was simple: Donna had to leave Jeremy, and the sooner the better.
But it wasn’t that easy. Jeremy had control over nearly every aspect of Donna’s life. Nathan promised he would help with whatever he could, and then insisted that Donna come clean to her parents, too. And that conversation went about as well as Donna could have expected. Jennifer threatened to burn down most of New York City, and BJ and Darren were going to help. All that mattered was that Donna got out of the situation, and somewhere safe.
It took a lot of planning, and a lot of convincing to get Donna to agree to everything. She insisted that he’d find her, that he’d hurt her, and BJ and Nathan both said that it was worth the risk. She also started looking for a new job, and that was how she first met Conan. He owned a small antiques shop near her parents’ home, and he too was a fire elemental, like her mother and brother. Conan was working with Darren on his abilities, and he agreed to take Donna on as a shopkeeper at the store, whenever she could get away.
Though Donna was cautious at first, she warmed up to Conan fairly quickly. He was steady; he didn’t push; and it helped that he was good friends with her father, too. He didn’t need to know all the details of her situation to know she needed help and knowing there was a plan in place to get her freedom gave Donna the strength to go through with it all. The potential consequences were huge, but it was worth it. She couldn’t stay with Jeremy another minute, no matter how much she thought she loved him. This wasn’t love. This was abuse and she had to take care of herself now.
Jeremy had a business trip to California coming up, and Donna knew she could make her move then. Usually he would have insisted that she come with him, “so you don’t get lonely,” he’d tell her, but this was planned last minute and it wasn’t an option. She saw Jeremy off at the airport, and then came straight back to the apartment to pack her things. Her father insisted that she could stay with them as long as she wanted, and they’d get her whatever help she needed to get back on her feet.
It was a coward’s way out, leaving while Jeremy was gone, but she didn’t see any other way. He would have hurt her, or worse, hurt her family or Nathan, and she couldn’t have that. Perhaps if she was already gone it would be better, and he would get the message once and for all. Donna thought she took all the proper precautions: She ditched her cell phone, deleted all of her social media accounts, left her job to work for Conan. She tried not to frequent any place where Jeremy might find her.
And for the first few weeks? It was like Donna could breathe again. She still looked over her shoulder, looking for that familiar face in the shadows, but she never saw anything there. Working with Conan was different, but fun; he talked about himself when she couldn’t do the same, and she found his stories fascinating. For a moment, she let herself believe that she was really free, and that things might be okay someday.
Jeremy didn’t agree. He’d remembered where her parents lived and sought her out there, waiting for her to get back. When BJ told him to get the hell out of his house, and that Jeremy wouldn’t get near his daughter again, things got ugly. Not a single one of them figured Jeremy would have a gun, and that he wasn’t afraid to use it. Donna heard gunshots in the townhouse as she arrived home, Conan having driven her back, and she ran up into the house proper, desperate to see what was going on.
The sight was horrifying. Jeremy had shot not just BJ, but Jennifer and Darren too, and he was waiting for Donna. She couldn’t even bring herself to scream at the sight, launching herself at him and tried to get the gun away from him, to stop him, to do anything. It wasn’t enough that he’d hurt her, he hurt her family. If she’d known he was going to go that far, she would have gladly gone back with him, just to keep them safe. The two of them struggled, and the gun went off again, hitting Donna in the shoulder. The shock of being shot caused her to stumble, and she fell down the stairs to the landing below, cracking her head open as she did so.
Conan brought Donna home that night, and when he heard the second round of gunshots, he rushed in after her. Jeremy made his way out of the fire escape, and Conan was left with two choices, chase down Jeremy or try to save what lives he could. Conan called 911, and stayed with Donna until the paramedics arrived.
The next thing she remembers is waking up in the hospital, a few days later. Though she’d lost a lot of blood, the fact that Conan got there when he did was the only reason why she was still alive. The protection charms in her jewelry helped, too, though not as much as any of them could have hoped. And when she asked about her family, Conan was the one who had to tell her that they hadn’t made it. Likely they were already gone by the time Donna got there and in that moment, she was inconsolable. Her freedom cost her family’s lives. Donna could never be that selfish and she was beside herself.
Nathan stayed with her as much as he could, and Conan did the same. And then of course, the police needed to know what the hell happened, and Donna could only give them bits and pieces. A warrant was put out for Jeremy’s arrest, but when they arrived at his apartment, they found the place abandoned, all of Jeremy’s things gone. It was literally like he disappeared into thin air, and thought the police assured her they were still working on the case, with their main suspect missing, it wasn’t long before the trail went cold. And that was a horrible feeling, knowing that Donna was powerless to avenge her family’s deaths.
When Donna was released from the hospital, she had little interest in going back to her family’s townhouse. She inherited the home, which was all well and good, but she didn’t want to stay there by herself, which led to her sleeping over Nathan’s or Conan’s, whoever happened to be home. The doctors had warned her that she would likely experience headaches on and off, but nothing prepared her for the fact that, sometimes, she heard voices as well. It took her a while to realize she was answering Nathan’s or Conan’s thoughts when they hadn’t said anything, and that this was a new ability of sorts. Donna wasn’t the first telepath Conan had ever met and he told her as much. Whatever her new abilities were, they’d learn how to control them as such, easier said than done when Donna could never predict when her powers would work and when they wouldn’t.
It was on one of those nights, when Donna was staying over, that Conan revealed his secret to her. On top of being a fire elemental, he was a hunter as well, offering his services to those families in need of some extra firepower. Most of his hunts involved vampires of some sort, and nothing had prepared Donna to learn that those were real, but elementals and witches and psychics were real, why couldn’t vampires be, too? Sometimes the justice system didn’t work fast enough, and the antique shop was a cover story for the most part. Conan told her this in the hopes that she’d help him with his mission because then they could go after Jeremy themselves.
He didn’t need to ask Donna twice. As much as she didn’t like the idea of taking an innocent life - a sign of the angelic blood she wasn’t aware she had - she knew this was the only way she could ever see Jeremy brought to proper justice. Her family would not be at peace until she’d put a bullet between Jeremy’s eyes. When she told Nathan of her plan, he reminded her that this wasn’t going to bring her family back, that violence didn’t solve violence. Still, though he didn’t agree with it, Nathan knew why Donna had to do this. He became the white mage of their new little team, and Donna was just happy to have his support. He even went as far as to build protection charms into her jewelry, so what necklaces and bracelets she does wear always have an extra meaning to them.
Conan took her out to the gun range and started teaching her all he knew about weapons and fighting styles. A year after her family’s murders, she killed her first mark at Conan’s side. There was a rush to it, knowing that she was helping another family sleep well that night, and that in turn helped settle something within her, too. She still wanted the life she should have had back, knowing that the music was still there within her, but this would keep her going for now. And throughout the process of hunting, and learning more about Conan, Donna found herself opening up to him. He was more than a friend, than a partner, but she could never bring herself to tell him that. It was enough to know that he had her back, and she his. In the meantime, she kept up her job as a shop clerk at Conan’s antique store, and tried to get on with her life as best she could, all while looking out for any sign of where Jeremy might have gone.
Then the supernatural world came to light, in May of 2014. Learning that all these different supernatural beings were out there wasn’t as big a shock to Donna now, seeing as she’d been working as a hunter for five years at that point. Still, she questions why it was all brought to light now, and how safe the world is now. She’s pretty sure it’s better to keep your head down and not let anyone know what you are. She’s not about to brag about being a telepath any time soon, and she still doesn’t have any better control over her abilities than she did when she first realized what she was.
In the winter of 2014, Donna and Conan got a lead on Jeremy’s whereabouts, that he might be staying somewhere in the area around Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Together the pair relocated to nearby Hunter's Gulley, getting a townhouse to share. Conan opened a new antiques store in town and Donna got a job bartending at Joe's, a blues bar in town. It’s a dive bar, the clientele leaves a lot to be desired, but the beer and the music are good and it’s paying her share of the bills and it gives her something to do when she’s not hunting.
The duo have picked up more of their fair of hunts since moving, though Donna is still homesick for the city, even with it only being a three hour drive away. Right now she’s in the process of talking Nathan into making the move to Pennsylvania too, because she needs her best friend around to help keep her sane. And Nathan needs to be with her when she finally goes after Jeremy and gets her revenge. That’s happening as soon as she can track him down once and for all.
skills. }
Strengths. Music. Even though Donna doesn't sing in public anymore, it's still one of her biggest passions. She always has her iPod and headphones on her, and she'll discuss it with anyone, any time. Just don't ask her to perform and you're golden.
Weaknesses. Jeremy. There is no one Donna hates more in this world than Jeremy fucking Landow. He took everything from her - her confidence, her innocence, and most importantly, her family. There's not enough pain in the world to explain what Donna is going to do to him once she finds him, and she believes he's earned every single moment of it.
Only one left. She is the last of her family, and she knows it. Not having her parents and brother around kills her, and she knows there's nothing that can ever bring them back. Donna doesn't want to even go into the possibility of ghosts, because that would only hurt her even more. She's determined to get her revenge, not only for herself, but for her family too.
Telepath. As if killing her family wasn’t enough, Jeremy’s attack also unlocked Donna’s telepathic abilities. If it were on 24/7, that would be one thing. If she could control it, that would be awesome too. But it comes and goes, she has no idea if she’ll hear something she’s not supposed to or not, and most of time, it works when she absolutely does not want it to - like when she’s in the middle of a battle. She’s working on dealing with it, but she’ll never be okay with it.
Migraines. It's a side effect of the telepathy. The headaches often come without warning, usually when she's trying to use her powers instead of ignoring them, or if she's in a situation where she can't get away from all of the voices. Though Donna will take meds for it, usually the only cure is a dark, quiet room and enough time to make it go away.
Conan and Nathan. They’re her boys, the only people who stood by her when her family was murdered and she lost everything. Nathan gave her the courage to stand up to Jeremy, to get her freedom back. Conan gave her a purpose, a reason to keep on going. If you fuck with them, she will fuck with you. End of story.
Men. Unless you’re Conan or Nathan, changes are Donna doesn’t want a whole lot to do with you. She doesn’t want to be alone with you, and for the love of all things holy, don’t try to hit on her. Jeremy did enough emotional damage without the whole murder part, thank you very much. Any relationship she has now will forever bring back memories of what Jeremy did to her.
City girl. Donna is most at home in a big city. To this day, she's never learned to drive, and prefers to walk everywhere if she can. If she needs to go anywhere that requires a car, that's what Conan is for. In a smaller town, it's going to be a lot harder for Donna to find her footing.
Special Skills.
Although her drive to perform is currently nonexistent, Donna is still a talented singer and pianist. Has an impressive and eclectic music collection. Also an avid knitter and crocheter, mostly because it helps her stay calm in those moments when she needs it most.
player+ooc. }
name. Amie email. see contact list aim. rissaqjennings cdj. wingsyouburn time zone. EST pb. Cobie Smulders