Characters and Relationships: Chapter 10

Characters:

• Cassandra
• Main character
• 1st person point of view
• Daughter of Nep and Rosalie
• Adult (30s)
• Female
• Single
• Two twin male children
• Diviner and teacher
• Niles
• Childhood friend of Cassandra
• Ex-fiancé if Cassandra
• Married to Melanie
• Father of Adrienne
• Police chief
• God-father of Jonah and Morgan
• Christopher
• Cassandra's brother
• Son of Nep and Rosalie
• Dead
• Nep
• Father of Cassandra and Christopher
• Diviner
• Alzheimer's disease
• Rosalie
• Mother of Cassandra and Christopher
• Not the best relationship with Cassandra
• Very religious (Christian)
• Jonah
• Cassandra's son
• Twin of Morgan
• Morgan
• Cassandra's son
• Twin of Jonah 
• Melanie
• Niles' wife
• Mother of Adrienne
• Adrienne
• Daughter of Melanie and Niles
• Laura
• Found in the woods
• Had been abused/raped in a hunter's cabin
• Was discovered thanks to one of Cassandra's divining jobs
• Cassandra feels like she has a connection with her
• Hanged Girl
• Cassandra saw her in the woods while divining
• Had disappeared when she retuned with Niles
• Haunts Cassandra constantly

Cassandra and Niles have a long and complicated relationship. They were childhood friends and sweethearts. They eventually got engaged and then split up due to different sexual desires. Although, they went through a tough time, they remain close. Cassandra asked Niles to be the god-father of her twin boys, which he accepted despite the fact that it could upset Melanie. "Niles [risks] hurting his reputation by continuing to associate with his crazy childhood friend, [Cassandra]... Niles, though, didn't treat [her] as crazy. He treated [her] with respect, cutting through the nonsense in the news reports and telling [her] the truth..." (89). It's clear that Niles doesn't necessarily believe all of the "forevisions" (85) that Cassandra goes through, but it is clear that he's a caring friend that is willing to listen to her claims and accommodate for them. They mean a lot to each other.

Cassandra and Nep also have a unique relationship. Being her father, Nep has been the one to step in as Cassandra's main male figure once Christopher died. She looks up to him and see him as an inspiration, even though he admits to being a divining "fraud" (34). After dropping this bomb on Cassandra, he tells her that "[she's] the real deal... sometimes women have powers that men don't... [she has] a gift" (35). This is one of the last meaningful conversations Cassandra and Nep have before Nep's Alzheimer's disease takes over.

It seems that all of Cassandra's positive relationships are with males. She has no female individuals to confide in. I'm curious to see if this plays a role in any future events in the novel.