Jemma O'Keefe

Jemma O'Keefe is a main character in Before I Fall and its sequel Rise Against. She is the personification of the sin Envy, and possesses the ability of telepathy. Her trigger was the death of her parents. She is 17-18 years old in Before I Fall and 21 years old in Rise Against. She is 5'6 and weighs 57kg. She is born on 20th November 1988

Background
Jemma came from a happy family of three, and she lived a fairly well-off life in Ipswich. When she was fourteen years old, a friend of hers invited her to a concert out of state, and Jemma really wanted to go. However it would be her friend's brother driving them, and that wasn't something her parents were comfortable with. They said no, and Jemma argued with them about it, feeling that it was totally unfair. That afternoon her parents were flying out of the country on a business trip. Jemma never made up with them before they flew, she never said goodbye. That evening she got the news that the plane had crashed and her parents were dead.

After the death of her parents, Jemma had no family left. She lived alone, having rejected a number of 'caretakers' and she made do with life like that from the age of fourteen. She has attended Spenser Academy for her entire time at high school, however she has remained largely an unknown at the school. She kept to herself, didn't try to socialize and actively made an effort not to let people near her. As a result, even if people knew her name and face, that was all that they knew. Jemma had no real friends and few people she even associated with.

That changed just before her senior year. Her family used to be friends with the Highlands, and while she stopped socializing with him, Kyle remembered her, and knew she was an unknown. Because of this, he picked her as the one he would use to cover up his new powers. He demonstrated to her what he could do and promised he would bring her parents back to life once he gained the Power. Jemma accepted his offer and started dating him. At first Kyle was fine, but he started to get mean and possessive. He would often hurt her in places people wouldn't see the marks. Jemma stuck it out through summer, and coming back to school she remained with him.

Appearance
Jemma has pale green eyes, the colour of typical jade, set into a pretty heart-shaped face. Her hair is long and naturally blonde, but after her parents passed she kept it dyed brown for a period of time. Jemma is medium height and has a slender build, often described as 'willowy'. She also has a fair complexion.

Personality
Jemma used to be an introvert, but as she starts her senior year at Spenser, she comes back to school with a new fashion sense, her hair back to natural blonde, and an air of self-confidence. Due to her Sin, people began to envy her these things, as well as her 'perfect life'. Jemma underneath it all is really just a different girl altogether. The mark of her parents passing is there and she worries that if she lets someone in she will love and they will slip away. She longs for love, wanting a fairytale but also having a realistic outlook on the world. Jemma isn't used to attention, and not sure how to handle it. Her new lifestyle leaves her a little out of her depth. She's fairly fun-loving, loves to tease and makes jokes when she's in a light-hearted mood.

Ambitions
Jemma's best subject may be Chemistry, but her real passion is for History. She wants to travel the world someday and perhaps become an archaeologist or historian. Her first love is the background of Europe and she would love the chance to live there and explore the continent. She wants to get out after living alone in one town, and wants to experience everything the world has to offer her.

Strengths
Jemma has a good heart and she wants to help people in whatever way she can. She is immensely loyal to her friends and those she loves, and will honour an agreement once she has made it. Jemma has an internal strength that she doesn't realise, she just uses it in different ways to how most people would.

Weaknesses
Jemma is fairly naive, if she wants to believe something she can often fool herself into actually doing it. She has a habit of lying low to play down her bad situations, or just if she wants people to get off her back. This is something that helped keep people away, but annoys those who truly care for her. She will take any opportunity to downplay herself, and to her that's just a natural reflex in a situation.

Habits
She often bites her lip when nervous or buying time before answering something, or even if she wants to outright avoid it. She will also avoid eye contact or fiddle with her hair in a situation she's uncomfortable with.

Linda O'Keefe
Jemma's relationship with her mother was your stereotypical mother-daughter bond. They would talk a lot and she was the one person that Jemma went to about everything. Jemma's mother would often take her out on long drives to random places just to talk. After her death, Jemma often looks back on everything she did with her mother, and has done next to none of the things since.

Hugh O'Keefe
She was close with both her parents, but growing up, Jemma always knew that her dad would be the one she could get anything out of. As an only child she was spoilt by both her parents, but always knew that her dad was the one she could forever depend on to cave in to her requests. Her father would take her for walk and show her all manner of secret places, and telling her that she should always have her own she discovers.

Helen Gordon
Jemma had forgotten her long missing aunt, who was the sister of Linda, gone travelling for many years and left little trace or word. Jemma last saw her aunt when she was three or so and has no memories of her. Helen turns up and hasn't even heard of her sister's death until she arrived back in the US. She immediately tracked down her niece and came to see her. Jemma was overjoyed to have a family again and was starting to feel she could do without her parents. Kyle felt her dependence on him beginning to wane and pushed Helen from the roof garden, making it out as an accidental fall. Helen's death rocked Jemma to the core and she became convinced everyone she loved suffered because of her.

Becca Pryor
When school came back in 2006, Jemma shifted dorms and was given the new girl Becca for a roommate. The two girls initially had a bit of a wary start to their friendship, but they did bond and were in fairly similar situations when it came to guys. Becca quickly becomes Jemma's best friend, and Jemma is very protective of her. In turn, Becca worries about Jemma and how she chooses to handle situations, often giving her advice that stems from her own experience.

Reid Garwin
Reid immediately developed an interest in Jemma after her transformation, but was prevented from really doing anything by her possessive boyfriend. Jemma was attracted to Reid from the events of the first night back, when he and Tyler 'initiated' Becca to Spenser. Reid was among the first people to see what was going on between Jemma and Kyle, and he always tried to tell her that she should let it go. He would be there for her when she needed it and Jemma just kept on falling for him, but was stuck in her relationship with Kyle.

Before Jemma broke up with Kyle, Reid had already established himself as pretty much the guy she went to with her problems. Kyle became increasingly jealous of Jemma spending time with Reid and eventually worked out that the pair had kissed using his powers. After dumping Kyle, Jemma and Reid got together, although Jemma still has a habit of lying to make things not seem so serious and keep some information from Reid.

Kyle Highland
Kyle chose Jemma as the one he'd use to hide anything new and strange about himself. However, he grew increasingly possessive of her, wanting her to spend time and see him alone. Kyle loves to humiliate Jemma publically, his strength often leaving her bruised, and he plays mental mind games and guilt trips with her. Kyle is the one person who Jemma is actually terrified of, and he can still scare her into cooperation at some points.