The Girl Between The Worlds

Role in Story

Since Alastair was a young boy, his family have been “nomads,” but they are the nomads of the future: Time traveling refugees with technology to cross any dimension. He and his sister are forced to adapt to a new version of reality when a rogue mage attacks the Alliance their family joined.

Description

Alastair is very tall and lanky, with animated gestures. His brown hair is often disheveled, but he is clean. He has a tattoo on his wrist, representing the Alliance. You’ll usually find him with a huge grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

Personality

Alastair is a nice guy, with a bit of witticism. The Nomadic side of him is curious and analytical. He’s a bit of a rebel when it comes to authority and chooses not to conform in small ways, like refusing to wear the Alliance uniforms: He prefers a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a blazer. However, ultimately he wants to help the Alliance and others who may be in danger.

Alastair feels the need to protect and save everyone, he is even plagued by a recurring dream where everyone he knows and loves is trapped in a burning house and he cannot save them, but ironically he is often the one who needs saving.

Habits/Mannerisms

He pushes his hand through his hair, especially when he’s nervous, upset or thinking, which is a habit he picked up when he had longer hair. He also is very good at raising one eyebrow.

Best Gadget

How could we choose just one? Alastair is a nomad who also happens to be a cyborg, so he’s got all the fun tech. He carries a chrono-dial that allows him to travel through space and time. He also has a robotic arm, a translation chip, and ocular implants. In his satchel, he keeps a digital tablet containing his entire library of books; movies; games; the entire history of mankind; and dates, times, and locations. It is friction powered (it basically charges when he moves) and has an extremely long charge.

Personal Mantra

Before traveling, Alastair likes to utter the French phrase “L’appel du vide” for good luck. It directly translates to “Call of the void,” but the French use it in reference to an urge to do wild or reckless things, which is very fitting for Alastair’s adventurous lifestyle.

What Harlan loves about this character:

Originally, Alastair was not a part of the plans for this book at all, it was only going to be Marin and Roan. However, something was missing, and the creation of Alastair gave that extra element of technology that was necessary to make it that much more interesting. Alastair represents the romance in adventure: He’s whimsical and charming, and exactly who we want to come whisk us away to another time or place.