APPLICATION : mandalus
→ PLAYER INFORMATION;
Name: Angie
Personal Journal: --
Contact: pm to this journal.
Timezone: PST
Current Characters: --
→ CHARACTER INFORMATION;
Character Name: Alex Forbes
Character Journal: faultlesscon
Canon: Like Minds
Canon Point: End-film, after Sally Rowe hears all - approx. 1:30:00
Canon Building: --
Appearance: image
Hazel eyes, light complexion, freckles. Alex is tall for his age, standing about at about 180 centimeters, or 5 feet and eleven inches. His hair is a shade bordering on the edge of chestnut, short and messy. With a slim build, he appears sleep-deprived as a result of the recent happenings in his life, but it mild. Despite this appearance, he is more than capable of defending and asserting himself, proving that several times throughout the film. He holds a strong English accent, and isn't ashamed of it. While he seems to fit certain definitions of an awkward teenager, Alex hides more than that behind an innocent face.
Clothing wise, this one leans more on the casual side. From the point he is taken from, Alex dons only a white collared short-sleeve shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of sneakers.
History: >Alex's relationship with his parents is strained. His mother died when he was young, and because of it his father has striven to do what he believes it best for his son. Unfortunately for him, Alex wants none of it. Instead he grows up to be an individual that he wants to be. He does as he pleases, whether it is sneaking out late with his friends, or openly talking to disprove lessons that a teacher is attempting to deliver to the rest of the class. In the beginning of the film, Alex is shown with his closest friend Josh, and Josh's roommate Raj, who tags along but not to extremes. The trio are on a train and for a moment Alex sticks his head out of the booth, enjoying the rush of air against his face and screaming out to emphasize it. The three of them steal something from the car and return to school that same night.
Life changes dramatically the day he sees the face and hears the name of 'Nigel Colbie'.
It's lunch time when Josh points out the new kid - he asks who he is. Alex held no interest until Josh spoke up: "A shame you'll have to share your room." Agitated about the statement, Alex lies to excuse himself from the lunch room in order to head back to his room. Once there, he finds an extra bed and suitcase. Without concern for privacy, he sifts through the belongings, comes upon oddities that hint at his new roommate's taxidermist interests, but it does not last for long: "Do you mind?" Nigel stares at him from the doorway. Caught in the act, Alex backs off, but not without a warning as Colbie goes to sort through his items.
"Don't get too comfortable."
Life goes on and Alex keeps his distance from Nigel as best as he can. He learns that Nigel had transferred from another school due to 'family issues' or something of the sort. The headmaster had accepted to take him into their school, as a sort of 'challenge' for Alex. He wants nothing to do with his new roommate but no matter what he does, there's something wrong. There's a foreign feeling prodding at the back of his head, as if his thoughts aren't his own, aren't private and kept away from others. During a sermon he finds himself unwilling to sing along with the other students; Nigel glances back to him and he averts his eyes to the front, slightly shaken.
At a school meeting, Alex and Josh are singled out by the headmaster for talking. As a result, they are both assigned to helping with this year's play. Later on in the day, Alex's streak continues and he trades barbs with the teacher during class due to the mention of Thomas Beckett, former Archbishop of Canterbury, which breaks off into religious retorts and rebuttals. Needless to say, tensions rise and Reverend Donaldson sends Alex out of his classroom. Returning to his room, there is a mild confrontation with his father but it results in the headmaster's discovery Nigel's taxidermist hobbies when the door is opened. Uninterested in his dad's shock, Alex finds on the desk notebooks that belong to Nigel. He sifts through them and discovers drawings, notes on animals that the other has dissected. Once more, he is confronted by Nigel who makes the contact brief, taking only one of the notebooks on the desk
Alex takes another, and confers his findings with Josh and Raj. Only convinced of Nigel's unusual character, once again Josh is the voice that provokes Alex into action. Within the notebook are notes that Nigel has taken upon the three of them. Infuriated, he decides that "this little shit needs to be taught a lesson." Raj backs off, his instinct warning him not to mess with Nigel. He leaves and Josh is ever faithful, agreeing to help.
In the middle of the night, Alex temporarily disables Nigel through the use of chloroform. With the aid of his close friend, the two of them manage to carry Nigel from school grounds to the same train they frequent. The beginning of the film is referenced back to once more and Alex attempts to intimidate Nigel by shoving his head out of the train car, feeling the rush and expose to danger. Things go horribly wrong however. Josh's preference towards explosives screw things up and Nigel fights back at that exact same time. Through a chain of events, Josh falls back out of the car, slammed to the ground by a sign marker that the train rushes by. Josh is killed instantly, and the funeral is tough on his friend. Nigel is relocated to another room and once more, Forbes' room is a single. "It was strange, I almost missed him." They both keep their distance from one another, but that's not enough for Alex. That feeling of having his thoughts intruded on persists again, and he soon comes to the realization that avoiding Nigel is not a solution, so he tries to occupy himself by other means.
"If I am guilty of anything, it's for letting Nigel get too close."
As a result of him being placed on set design for the play, Alex finds himself at rehearsals with the lack of a best friend. There, he finds himself smitten with Susan Mueller, a fellow classmate at the school and also one of the lead roles in the play. During one of the rehearsals, Nigel finds him but he pays no mind to the other at his back. Nigel leaves, Alex watches the rest of the practice, eyes only for Susan. Some odd number of days after that idle passing, Alex discovers a package on his bed. Unwrapping it, he discovers a severed human hand; he rushes to the bathroom to vomit and when he returns, the limb is gone. He believes it to be Josh's hand, but he can't say for sure.
With stress building up on him, Alex finds it unusually difficult to study one night. Nigel comes to his room and he is quick to rebuke him: "Looks like you need a hand." Almost provoked by the words, Alex appears ready to chase him out until Nigel concedes defeat, sets a stack of papers on his desk. They concern the topic that Alex is waging war against, but he doesn't understand. How does Nigel know that he's struggling with this particular essay, this specific subject? Regardless, Alex copies the notes and scores a near perfect on the assignment. In return, he feels like he is giving up something by accepting the other's help.
That was just about how it went.
One night, Nigel comes to his room and wakes him up, forces him to come along with him. Leading him to his home, Alex follows only because he feels that he owes the other for his help with his essay. This is the downward spiral unfortunately, and he begins to see Nigel as a friend of some sort from this point.
Following after, Alex is led to the space beneath the other's house, he is shown a room filled to the brim with textbooks, jars of animal heads and parts being preserved. "You're the first." Taking a seat at a desk, Alex merely settles himself in the opening to the room, half-interested and half-skeptical of Nigel's enthusiasm. He talks about the order that their parents are both a part of, something similar to what the Knights Templar had been, but with much less passion, much less caring. It's merely an organization of old men who keep status in mind, and Alex can agree with that part at least. Nigel offers Alex a book, directs him to look up the definition for the word Jack. He goes on to talk about the spade as well, directing Alex and himself as those specific words, respectively. From that point, Nigel refers to Alex as 'Jack'. He goes on to talk about how it is their time, how they have been brought together for a reason - for eternity. Alex treads lightly and leaves the subject at that.
A few days after, Alex continues to hold Nigel at arm's length. While working with props for the play, Susan walks by and Alex takes this as the chance to be bold. Like a boy, he throws compliments to build her (about her acting) put before he throws in the question. He asks if she wants to hang out with him, and they make plans to see a film later that night. Right after she leaves however, Nigel appears, apparently having heard that whole conversation. Politely, Alex tells him to back off (fuck off). Kept for the whole duration of dinner, Alex arrives late to the cinema, torn that his plans are ruined. He arrives home to find a book on his bed, undoubtedly from Nigel. Not in the mood to be jerked around with these tales of 'eternity' and the Knights Templar, he throws the text to the floor and goes to bed.
The next morning, Alex wakes up to a chill. Moving to close the window, he finds a knife on top of his desk. Attached to it is a playing card, the Jack of Spades, but it is stuck to the knife by what appears to be blood. Disturbed, Alex hides the items in his desk. He confronts Nigel about it, but Nigel feigns innocence, only asking about book from the other night, the one bound in red with minimalist design. Alex storms off, disgusted.
During an emergency meeting, Alex discovers that Susan has been killed - her body had turned up near the school. Realization sinking past the surface, Alex goes to look for Nigel before the police gather and question all who had seen Susan last. The knife from his desk is gone, and Nigel is nowhere to be found. He returns to the meeting room for questioning. Suspicion falls over Alex as Officer McKenzie confronts him, saying Susan invited him to the cinema. "She kind of fancied you. ... Looks like you both missed the film." Not having known the first thought (that she liked him), 'Jack' is provoked once more: he seeks out Nigel and asks whether or not it was he who was to blame.
The confrontation ends with Alex leaving, unable to deny the claims that Nigel makes and with no straight answer from the other. He tells him to get out of his head, that he can't take this constant invasion, the interference of Nigel in his life. The other rebukes the claim, says that before they met, they were incapable of achieving their true potentials, and that now it was too late for anything to be taken back. It was like Nigel was bringing up what he was going to think before the thought had come to mind, and he would rather turn the blind eye than admit that.
Months later, the play is put on. Despite the lack of Susan in it, the school manages to find a replacement and continue, at the persistence due in part to Susan's own parents. Before it begins, as Alex is setting up props, he is introduced to the people who have raised and birthed Nigel: his parents. He tries to brush off the comment made upon first impression: "This is my best friend Jack." The play goes on and later that night, Alex finds himself troubled, unable to sleep because of the prodding at the back of his head. Begrudgingly, he drags himself to his desk, finally begins to read the book that Nigel had left him.
"The more I read, the deeper I sank into the pages. . . . I had woken up." The book leads to startling revelations, discoveries that Alex would've much rather preferred not to know. Both he and Nigel were direct descendants of the Templar bloodline, and through their union as the Jack and Spade, they were both capable of great power. He keeps quiet after that, to himself. That was impossible though, not when he knew that Nigel was under his skin, the influence held over his thoughts getting stronger and stronger.
Another time, a trouble mind drives Alex to wander by the train tracks when it's dark out; he finds Nigel, and tags along in an almost defeated manner. Unaware of their destination, Alex is disheartened when the other opens a door, slides out a table and reveals Susan's body. He claims that she is Alex's Maraclea, and that he needs to do the deed if he wants to uphold the bloodline. Alex believes him mad, denies that and refuses to make love to Susan's corpse, just because he was her 'only love'. The skull would make them complete, Nigel claimed, give them power. Alex is left alone with the body.
There's a letter on his bed when Alex returns from his studies one night. He reads it and despite the weather being bad, he heads out to the Colbie household upon finishing. There's something calling him there, most likely Nigel's influence. The timing couldn't be worse.
From what Alex can see through the window as he stands in the front of the house, Mr. Colbie has discovered some incriminating photos of his wife, and has come home only to find that she is in bed with their son. He shouts, screams in hysterics as Mrs. Colbie sobs, distraught. Through it all, Nigel is silent and his father, in all his anger, has pulled out a rifle. He waves it back and forth at his wife, enraged, upset, betrayed. When he hears a gunshot, Alex rushes to get inside the house, feeling that maybe he can help in some way. In the fit of rage Mrs. Colbie is shot dead and her husband mourns over her body - during the chaos, Alex comes in, picks up the rifle to avoid any more death. Nigel seems to wake up with his presence, calls for 'Jack' and comes closer. Alex warns him not to get closer, points the rifle at Nigel out of paranoia. In defense of his son, Mr. Colbie attempts to wrestle the firearm away, but Alex's grip is tight. The gun fires again.
Nigel's parents are dead, but the only one that seems shocked is Alex, not their son. Apathetic to his loss, Nigel only cleans the evidence and gets rid of the bodies, with help from Alex. In front of a fire, Nigel's taxidermist skills are once again brought into light as he burns the organs of his guardians. Disgusted, Alex isn't so sure why he's stayed, and then the other brings up having to wait for nine months. Alex turns to look at him, shocked because the relevance of nine months falls back to the tale of Maraclea.
"You're fucked."
The breaking point is when Nigel hints that he has made love to his mother's corpse, still obsessed with the idea of power, eternity. Alex is done with this, he storms off, ignores the claims that Nigel makes. "We will be united!" Followed after by the so-called Spade, the tension and anger between Nigel and Alex erupt into a stand-off with the former brandishing his late father's rifle. He points it at 'Jack' and in return, Alex calls him out, yells at him to do it. He manages to flip the tables on Nigel and gain control of the rifle, pointing it down at the other who is on the floor. "Who's the enemy now?!" The question is posed and an answer is given, but only as Nigel reaches his arms up for the trigger. The gunshot erupts through the area and the rain only falls harder. The two are discovered by a construction crew.
This leads to the present - Alex sits in a room with psychologist Sally Rowe, a woman assigned to his case. She is the one who will make or break the deal on whether he really is guilty of Nigel's death. Sitting there at the table, he keeps quiet, having revealed his story to her. All of the details point to one answer: he did not kill Nigel Colbie. He did leave one detail out however, and that may very well define his character as a result of everything.
When he tells Nigel and Miss Rowe that he did not make love to Susan's body, he is lying. The feeling of union, the idea that his thoughts were no longer his own? From the moment he had made contact with Nigel, that influence had planted itself in the back of his mind, grew and spread like wildfire. The more that he was encouraged by Nigel, the more he resisted and the more he was tempted in return. To push that further, the idea of eternity -immortality-, enticed him. He doesn't tell Sally however, because that's a detail that she doesn't need to know and its in his best interest not to anyway. The crime is whether or not he killed Nigel, not whether he made love to a corpse.
Personality: There is no direct definition for what kind of person Alex is - it depends mostly on who's seeing him. He can be good, he can be bad, but the phrase that would fit him better is 'too smart to be sane'.
Enrolled at a private religious-oriented school where the headmaster is none of than his own father, Alex fits the general stereotype of a cocky rich boy; as a result, generally disliked by adults and authority figures because of his attitude. His sarcasm comes up second to none, but he is not easily provoked, cracking only when sensitive topics are brought up or when under extreme stress, such as when he is taken back to his cell - he lashes out at correctional officers, yells at Sally Rowe that he did not do what he is accused of because he is oppressed beneath false accusations. He openly defies others and seeks confrontation when he desires, backing off only because he receives the reaction he was seeking or simply because he becomes bored. He has this uncanny ability of wanting to get under the skin of others before revealing anything about himself. He wants to see what makes people tick.
Despite what seems to be a rebellious streak, Alex complies with others depending on the situation. Numerous times he cooperates with those who are in charge of him, society, and so on. This is because he does not desire a fight, or because it is in his better interest to not pursue a losing battle, a boring argument, and so on. If one takes his way, then its another for his side and if not, one is either an enemy or just another nameless face. Yet if something involves him directly, he goes out of his way to investigate and either remove the problem, or fix it himself. If things are not right however, he will keep his distance, tread lightly. Self-preservation and his own desires are on the list of his priorities.
At times, depending on his situation and whether or not he wants to wage a verbal battle, Alex sometimes falls upon physical means and intimidation in order to deliver the message he desires. A prime example of this is when he confronts the reverend during a lesson and speaks out openly against the teaching he delivers. This enrages the man and Alex complies when he is sent out of the classroom, satisfied with the ire he has ignited in the other. An example of his more violent methods include the use of chloroform on his roommate, Nigel Colbie, and taking him onto a train. From there, Alex Forbes forcibly holds him out to the side of the booth, pushing him through a rush and life-or-death situation as they pass train markers, sign poles, and so on.
Honestly though, he can be a polite person. He reacts in proper manners, treats others the way they treat him, common courtesy and what not. When speaking with those he is fond of or interested in, he appears to be friendly, even normal and not so rude as he can come off as to others. This is rare, however and shown through when he speaks to a classmate, Susan, whom he has a crush on. He compliments her and stumbles through his words. He's also capable of good hearted fun, as shown through his interactions with Josh and Raj.
Above all, his knowledge influences nearly all of his actions. The development he goes through during the course of the film imprint on his mind, it makes him a darker person due solely to Nigel Colbie. He is still the same person he was but capable of more twisted acts, but not to the point of murder. He is disillusioned by tales of religion and fanatic beliefs all for his own benefit. By the end of the film, he hides this result behind an apathetic face, by going as who he was, as if nothing had happened. With all this knowledge and ability, he is still young. This leaves him open for mistakes, for panic to take over. If he cannot solve a situation himself, he does not go to others for help if he has a choice. Stubborn to a fault, curious when it suits him, offensive to others, and so on.
Imported Character History: --
Powers/Abilities: Knowledge is power, and what Alex knows is his best weapon.
The range of information he possesses is extreme, his strength laying in history and the psychology of people though he appears to be well-rounded, as he is regarded for his high marks early on in the film. The details he keeps note of are ridiculous, but its to the point where it is used in subtle manners. When talking to someone, he can bring up a topic and while it seems to hold no correlation with the topic at hand, underlying tones imply that there is a relationship of some sort. He sees the whole picture and breaks it down into parts, but never quite lets on what goes on through his mind completely. As a result of this, he is very much capable of manipulating others to his favor, such as he does with Sally Rowe, a psychologist assigned to his case in order to verify whether or not he did kill Nigel Colbie.
Despite this influx of knowledge he possess, Alex is not a bookworm, not weak. He is very capable of fending for himself. This capacity to fight is proven and exemplified by when he falls into a fight with guards at the facility he is kept in when accused of murder, subdued when he is overcome by numbers and strength. This means he can only fight for so long, but he will - he's not a pacifist. Upon first impressions however, he comes off as an average teenager and he is just that. There is nothing he holds that could be considered unnatural, supernatural, and so on.
→ SAMPLES;
First Person Sample: [The screen flickers on. Alex is laying on his back, motionless. Hands on his stomach, his breathing is even and it doesn't appear to be that he's sleeping, not at all. Slowly his eyes open, but he keeps them to the ceiling.] Apparently it's three in the morning.
I can't sleep. [He props himself on his elbows, gaze still diverted upwards.] Can't close my eyes, can't even look away without getting the feeling that he's here. He probably is, knocking his damn persistence.
That's impossible though. Nigel's dead, I was there. [He lays back down.]
Maybe its guilt. ... Yeah right, I'd be lying if I said that little shit didn't deserve it. [Just as Alex starts to turn onto his side away from the camera, the device falls on its back to get a good view of the ceiling.] I don't quite know what it is, but he's dead.
Third Person Sample: Tick, tick, tick. He paced back and forth in the room, hands kept at his sides until they refused to keep still. At that point, he moved to wring out the ends of his shirt, as if the sweat has accumulated bucketfuls. With nothing coming out after a few twists, he moved to the other side of the wall. Then the other. It went back and forth in a meticulous pattern because in reality he wasn't frantic, not under stress. Alex was merely counting the minutes it took for the people on the other side of the glass to crack and come in. At three minutes he heard the click of a lock, and the doorknob moved.
It opened, and he stopped to face the fall. Ducking malevolence behind a smile, his expression changed as his feet repositioned him to look to the arrival. Apathy overshadowed whatever had been apparent on his face.
"Sit down," came the order. Beneath a breath, Alex could have sworn that he was just called a 'psychotic bastard'.
Instead of singling that out, Alex complied. He did as he was told because he knew the truth, he did not do what they believed him to be guilty of. When the man began to question him, he avoided answers and gave the vaguest of replies. It didn't take long to judge the man's character: short-tempered, prone to violence, mistrusting of him in general. It took even less time to get him to leave the room. When the door shut, Alex pressed tenderly at the spot below his left eye that had been hit - it'd probably bruise later and if it didn't, then it was going to hurt him, regardless. Not that it mattered.
He was going to break them before they could do the same to him. He wasn't guilty, not at all. That was when the door opened again, a woman in the doorway this time; her hair was kept in a bun, her bangs were trim and she held boredom in her features. Alex kept still, uninterested with his arms up on the table.
None of them understood it. That was fine.
Name: Angie
Personal Journal: --
Contact: pm to this journal.
Timezone: PST
Current Characters: --
→ CHARACTER INFORMATION;
Character Name: Alex Forbes
Character Journal: faultlesscon
Canon: Like Minds
Canon Point: End-film, after Sally Rowe hears all - approx. 1:30:00
Canon Building: --
Appearance: image
Hazel eyes, light complexion, freckles. Alex is tall for his age, standing about at about 180 centimeters, or 5 feet and eleven inches. His hair is a shade bordering on the edge of chestnut, short and messy. With a slim build, he appears sleep-deprived as a result of the recent happenings in his life, but it mild. Despite this appearance, he is more than capable of defending and asserting himself, proving that several times throughout the film. He holds a strong English accent, and isn't ashamed of it. While he seems to fit certain definitions of an awkward teenager, Alex hides more than that behind an innocent face.
Clothing wise, this one leans more on the casual side. From the point he is taken from, Alex dons only a white collared short-sleeve shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of sneakers.
History: >Alex's relationship with his parents is strained. His mother died when he was young, and because of it his father has striven to do what he believes it best for his son. Unfortunately for him, Alex wants none of it. Instead he grows up to be an individual that he wants to be. He does as he pleases, whether it is sneaking out late with his friends, or openly talking to disprove lessons that a teacher is attempting to deliver to the rest of the class. In the beginning of the film, Alex is shown with his closest friend Josh, and Josh's roommate Raj, who tags along but not to extremes. The trio are on a train and for a moment Alex sticks his head out of the booth, enjoying the rush of air against his face and screaming out to emphasize it. The three of them steal something from the car and return to school that same night.
Life changes dramatically the day he sees the face and hears the name of 'Nigel Colbie'.
It's lunch time when Josh points out the new kid - he asks who he is. Alex held no interest until Josh spoke up: "A shame you'll have to share your room." Agitated about the statement, Alex lies to excuse himself from the lunch room in order to head back to his room. Once there, he finds an extra bed and suitcase. Without concern for privacy, he sifts through the belongings, comes upon oddities that hint at his new roommate's taxidermist interests, but it does not last for long: "Do you mind?" Nigel stares at him from the doorway. Caught in the act, Alex backs off, but not without a warning as Colbie goes to sort through his items.
"Don't get too comfortable."
Life goes on and Alex keeps his distance from Nigel as best as he can. He learns that Nigel had transferred from another school due to 'family issues' or something of the sort. The headmaster had accepted to take him into their school, as a sort of 'challenge' for Alex. He wants nothing to do with his new roommate but no matter what he does, there's something wrong. There's a foreign feeling prodding at the back of his head, as if his thoughts aren't his own, aren't private and kept away from others. During a sermon he finds himself unwilling to sing along with the other students; Nigel glances back to him and he averts his eyes to the front, slightly shaken.
At a school meeting, Alex and Josh are singled out by the headmaster for talking. As a result, they are both assigned to helping with this year's play. Later on in the day, Alex's streak continues and he trades barbs with the teacher during class due to the mention of Thomas Beckett, former Archbishop of Canterbury, which breaks off into religious retorts and rebuttals. Needless to say, tensions rise and Reverend Donaldson sends Alex out of his classroom. Returning to his room, there is a mild confrontation with his father but it results in the headmaster's discovery Nigel's taxidermist hobbies when the door is opened. Uninterested in his dad's shock, Alex finds on the desk notebooks that belong to Nigel. He sifts through them and discovers drawings, notes on animals that the other has dissected. Once more, he is confronted by Nigel who makes the contact brief, taking only one of the notebooks on the desk
Alex takes another, and confers his findings with Josh and Raj. Only convinced of Nigel's unusual character, once again Josh is the voice that provokes Alex into action. Within the notebook are notes that Nigel has taken upon the three of them. Infuriated, he decides that "this little shit needs to be taught a lesson." Raj backs off, his instinct warning him not to mess with Nigel. He leaves and Josh is ever faithful, agreeing to help.
In the middle of the night, Alex temporarily disables Nigel through the use of chloroform. With the aid of his close friend, the two of them manage to carry Nigel from school grounds to the same train they frequent. The beginning of the film is referenced back to once more and Alex attempts to intimidate Nigel by shoving his head out of the train car, feeling the rush and expose to danger. Things go horribly wrong however. Josh's preference towards explosives screw things up and Nigel fights back at that exact same time. Through a chain of events, Josh falls back out of the car, slammed to the ground by a sign marker that the train rushes by. Josh is killed instantly, and the funeral is tough on his friend. Nigel is relocated to another room and once more, Forbes' room is a single. "It was strange, I almost missed him." They both keep their distance from one another, but that's not enough for Alex. That feeling of having his thoughts intruded on persists again, and he soon comes to the realization that avoiding Nigel is not a solution, so he tries to occupy himself by other means.
"If I am guilty of anything, it's for letting Nigel get too close."
As a result of him being placed on set design for the play, Alex finds himself at rehearsals with the lack of a best friend. There, he finds himself smitten with Susan Mueller, a fellow classmate at the school and also one of the lead roles in the play. During one of the rehearsals, Nigel finds him but he pays no mind to the other at his back. Nigel leaves, Alex watches the rest of the practice, eyes only for Susan. Some odd number of days after that idle passing, Alex discovers a package on his bed. Unwrapping it, he discovers a severed human hand; he rushes to the bathroom to vomit and when he returns, the limb is gone. He believes it to be Josh's hand, but he can't say for sure.
With stress building up on him, Alex finds it unusually difficult to study one night. Nigel comes to his room and he is quick to rebuke him: "Looks like you need a hand." Almost provoked by the words, Alex appears ready to chase him out until Nigel concedes defeat, sets a stack of papers on his desk. They concern the topic that Alex is waging war against, but he doesn't understand. How does Nigel know that he's struggling with this particular essay, this specific subject? Regardless, Alex copies the notes and scores a near perfect on the assignment. In return, he feels like he is giving up something by accepting the other's help.
That was just about how it went.
One night, Nigel comes to his room and wakes him up, forces him to come along with him. Leading him to his home, Alex follows only because he feels that he owes the other for his help with his essay. This is the downward spiral unfortunately, and he begins to see Nigel as a friend of some sort from this point.
Following after, Alex is led to the space beneath the other's house, he is shown a room filled to the brim with textbooks, jars of animal heads and parts being preserved. "You're the first." Taking a seat at a desk, Alex merely settles himself in the opening to the room, half-interested and half-skeptical of Nigel's enthusiasm. He talks about the order that their parents are both a part of, something similar to what the Knights Templar had been, but with much less passion, much less caring. It's merely an organization of old men who keep status in mind, and Alex can agree with that part at least. Nigel offers Alex a book, directs him to look up the definition for the word Jack. He goes on to talk about the spade as well, directing Alex and himself as those specific words, respectively. From that point, Nigel refers to Alex as 'Jack'. He goes on to talk about how it is their time, how they have been brought together for a reason - for eternity. Alex treads lightly and leaves the subject at that.
A few days after, Alex continues to hold Nigel at arm's length. While working with props for the play, Susan walks by and Alex takes this as the chance to be bold. Like a boy, he throws compliments to build her (about her acting) put before he throws in the question. He asks if she wants to hang out with him, and they make plans to see a film later that night. Right after she leaves however, Nigel appears, apparently having heard that whole conversation. Politely, Alex tells him to back off (fuck off). Kept for the whole duration of dinner, Alex arrives late to the cinema, torn that his plans are ruined. He arrives home to find a book on his bed, undoubtedly from Nigel. Not in the mood to be jerked around with these tales of 'eternity' and the Knights Templar, he throws the text to the floor and goes to bed.
The next morning, Alex wakes up to a chill. Moving to close the window, he finds a knife on top of his desk. Attached to it is a playing card, the Jack of Spades, but it is stuck to the knife by what appears to be blood. Disturbed, Alex hides the items in his desk. He confronts Nigel about it, but Nigel feigns innocence, only asking about book from the other night, the one bound in red with minimalist design. Alex storms off, disgusted.
During an emergency meeting, Alex discovers that Susan has been killed - her body had turned up near the school. Realization sinking past the surface, Alex goes to look for Nigel before the police gather and question all who had seen Susan last. The knife from his desk is gone, and Nigel is nowhere to be found. He returns to the meeting room for questioning. Suspicion falls over Alex as Officer McKenzie confronts him, saying Susan invited him to the cinema. "She kind of fancied you. ... Looks like you both missed the film." Not having known the first thought (that she liked him), 'Jack' is provoked once more: he seeks out Nigel and asks whether or not it was he who was to blame.
The confrontation ends with Alex leaving, unable to deny the claims that Nigel makes and with no straight answer from the other. He tells him to get out of his head, that he can't take this constant invasion, the interference of Nigel in his life. The other rebukes the claim, says that before they met, they were incapable of achieving their true potentials, and that now it was too late for anything to be taken back. It was like Nigel was bringing up what he was going to think before the thought had come to mind, and he would rather turn the blind eye than admit that.
Months later, the play is put on. Despite the lack of Susan in it, the school manages to find a replacement and continue, at the persistence due in part to Susan's own parents. Before it begins, as Alex is setting up props, he is introduced to the people who have raised and birthed Nigel: his parents. He tries to brush off the comment made upon first impression: "This is my best friend Jack." The play goes on and later that night, Alex finds himself troubled, unable to sleep because of the prodding at the back of his head. Begrudgingly, he drags himself to his desk, finally begins to read the book that Nigel had left him.
"The more I read, the deeper I sank into the pages. . . . I had woken up." The book leads to startling revelations, discoveries that Alex would've much rather preferred not to know. Both he and Nigel were direct descendants of the Templar bloodline, and through their union as the Jack and Spade, they were both capable of great power. He keeps quiet after that, to himself. That was impossible though, not when he knew that Nigel was under his skin, the influence held over his thoughts getting stronger and stronger.
Another time, a trouble mind drives Alex to wander by the train tracks when it's dark out; he finds Nigel, and tags along in an almost defeated manner. Unaware of their destination, Alex is disheartened when the other opens a door, slides out a table and reveals Susan's body. He claims that she is Alex's Maraclea, and that he needs to do the deed if he wants to uphold the bloodline. Alex believes him mad, denies that and refuses to make love to Susan's corpse, just because he was her 'only love'. The skull would make them complete, Nigel claimed, give them power. Alex is left alone with the body.
There's a letter on his bed when Alex returns from his studies one night. He reads it and despite the weather being bad, he heads out to the Colbie household upon finishing. There's something calling him there, most likely Nigel's influence. The timing couldn't be worse.
From what Alex can see through the window as he stands in the front of the house, Mr. Colbie has discovered some incriminating photos of his wife, and has come home only to find that she is in bed with their son. He shouts, screams in hysterics as Mrs. Colbie sobs, distraught. Through it all, Nigel is silent and his father, in all his anger, has pulled out a rifle. He waves it back and forth at his wife, enraged, upset, betrayed. When he hears a gunshot, Alex rushes to get inside the house, feeling that maybe he can help in some way. In the fit of rage Mrs. Colbie is shot dead and her husband mourns over her body - during the chaos, Alex comes in, picks up the rifle to avoid any more death. Nigel seems to wake up with his presence, calls for 'Jack' and comes closer. Alex warns him not to get closer, points the rifle at Nigel out of paranoia. In defense of his son, Mr. Colbie attempts to wrestle the firearm away, but Alex's grip is tight. The gun fires again.
Nigel's parents are dead, but the only one that seems shocked is Alex, not their son. Apathetic to his loss, Nigel only cleans the evidence and gets rid of the bodies, with help from Alex. In front of a fire, Nigel's taxidermist skills are once again brought into light as he burns the organs of his guardians. Disgusted, Alex isn't so sure why he's stayed, and then the other brings up having to wait for nine months. Alex turns to look at him, shocked because the relevance of nine months falls back to the tale of Maraclea.
"You're fucked."
The breaking point is when Nigel hints that he has made love to his mother's corpse, still obsessed with the idea of power, eternity. Alex is done with this, he storms off, ignores the claims that Nigel makes. "We will be united!" Followed after by the so-called Spade, the tension and anger between Nigel and Alex erupt into a stand-off with the former brandishing his late father's rifle. He points it at 'Jack' and in return, Alex calls him out, yells at him to do it. He manages to flip the tables on Nigel and gain control of the rifle, pointing it down at the other who is on the floor. "Who's the enemy now?!" The question is posed and an answer is given, but only as Nigel reaches his arms up for the trigger. The gunshot erupts through the area and the rain only falls harder. The two are discovered by a construction crew.
This leads to the present - Alex sits in a room with psychologist Sally Rowe, a woman assigned to his case. She is the one who will make or break the deal on whether he really is guilty of Nigel's death. Sitting there at the table, he keeps quiet, having revealed his story to her. All of the details point to one answer: he did not kill Nigel Colbie. He did leave one detail out however, and that may very well define his character as a result of everything.
When he tells Nigel and Miss Rowe that he did not make love to Susan's body, he is lying. The feeling of union, the idea that his thoughts were no longer his own? From the moment he had made contact with Nigel, that influence had planted itself in the back of his mind, grew and spread like wildfire. The more that he was encouraged by Nigel, the more he resisted and the more he was tempted in return. To push that further, the idea of eternity -immortality-, enticed him. He doesn't tell Sally however, because that's a detail that she doesn't need to know and its in his best interest not to anyway. The crime is whether or not he killed Nigel, not whether he made love to a corpse.
Personality: There is no direct definition for what kind of person Alex is - it depends mostly on who's seeing him. He can be good, he can be bad, but the phrase that would fit him better is 'too smart to be sane'.
Enrolled at a private religious-oriented school where the headmaster is none of than his own father, Alex fits the general stereotype of a cocky rich boy; as a result, generally disliked by adults and authority figures because of his attitude. His sarcasm comes up second to none, but he is not easily provoked, cracking only when sensitive topics are brought up or when under extreme stress, such as when he is taken back to his cell - he lashes out at correctional officers, yells at Sally Rowe that he did not do what he is accused of because he is oppressed beneath false accusations. He openly defies others and seeks confrontation when he desires, backing off only because he receives the reaction he was seeking or simply because he becomes bored. He has this uncanny ability of wanting to get under the skin of others before revealing anything about himself. He wants to see what makes people tick.
Despite what seems to be a rebellious streak, Alex complies with others depending on the situation. Numerous times he cooperates with those who are in charge of him, society, and so on. This is because he does not desire a fight, or because it is in his better interest to not pursue a losing battle, a boring argument, and so on. If one takes his way, then its another for his side and if not, one is either an enemy or just another nameless face. Yet if something involves him directly, he goes out of his way to investigate and either remove the problem, or fix it himself. If things are not right however, he will keep his distance, tread lightly. Self-preservation and his own desires are on the list of his priorities.
At times, depending on his situation and whether or not he wants to wage a verbal battle, Alex sometimes falls upon physical means and intimidation in order to deliver the message he desires. A prime example of this is when he confronts the reverend during a lesson and speaks out openly against the teaching he delivers. This enrages the man and Alex complies when he is sent out of the classroom, satisfied with the ire he has ignited in the other. An example of his more violent methods include the use of chloroform on his roommate, Nigel Colbie, and taking him onto a train. From there, Alex Forbes forcibly holds him out to the side of the booth, pushing him through a rush and life-or-death situation as they pass train markers, sign poles, and so on.
Honestly though, he can be a polite person. He reacts in proper manners, treats others the way they treat him, common courtesy and what not. When speaking with those he is fond of or interested in, he appears to be friendly, even normal and not so rude as he can come off as to others. This is rare, however and shown through when he speaks to a classmate, Susan, whom he has a crush on. He compliments her and stumbles through his words. He's also capable of good hearted fun, as shown through his interactions with Josh and Raj.
Above all, his knowledge influences nearly all of his actions. The development he goes through during the course of the film imprint on his mind, it makes him a darker person due solely to Nigel Colbie. He is still the same person he was but capable of more twisted acts, but not to the point of murder. He is disillusioned by tales of religion and fanatic beliefs all for his own benefit. By the end of the film, he hides this result behind an apathetic face, by going as who he was, as if nothing had happened. With all this knowledge and ability, he is still young. This leaves him open for mistakes, for panic to take over. If he cannot solve a situation himself, he does not go to others for help if he has a choice. Stubborn to a fault, curious when it suits him, offensive to others, and so on.
Imported Character History: --
Powers/Abilities: Knowledge is power, and what Alex knows is his best weapon.
The range of information he possesses is extreme, his strength laying in history and the psychology of people though he appears to be well-rounded, as he is regarded for his high marks early on in the film. The details he keeps note of are ridiculous, but its to the point where it is used in subtle manners. When talking to someone, he can bring up a topic and while it seems to hold no correlation with the topic at hand, underlying tones imply that there is a relationship of some sort. He sees the whole picture and breaks it down into parts, but never quite lets on what goes on through his mind completely. As a result of this, he is very much capable of manipulating others to his favor, such as he does with Sally Rowe, a psychologist assigned to his case in order to verify whether or not he did kill Nigel Colbie.
Despite this influx of knowledge he possess, Alex is not a bookworm, not weak. He is very capable of fending for himself. This capacity to fight is proven and exemplified by when he falls into a fight with guards at the facility he is kept in when accused of murder, subdued when he is overcome by numbers and strength. This means he can only fight for so long, but he will - he's not a pacifist. Upon first impressions however, he comes off as an average teenager and he is just that. There is nothing he holds that could be considered unnatural, supernatural, and so on.
→ SAMPLES;
First Person Sample: [The screen flickers on. Alex is laying on his back, motionless. Hands on his stomach, his breathing is even and it doesn't appear to be that he's sleeping, not at all. Slowly his eyes open, but he keeps them to the ceiling.] Apparently it's three in the morning.
I can't sleep. [He props himself on his elbows, gaze still diverted upwards.] Can't close my eyes, can't even look away without getting the feeling that he's here. He probably is, knocking his damn persistence.
That's impossible though. Nigel's dead, I was there. [He lays back down.]
Maybe its guilt. ... Yeah right, I'd be lying if I said that little shit didn't deserve it. [Just as Alex starts to turn onto his side away from the camera, the device falls on its back to get a good view of the ceiling.] I don't quite know what it is, but he's dead.
Third Person Sample: Tick, tick, tick. He paced back and forth in the room, hands kept at his sides until they refused to keep still. At that point, he moved to wring out the ends of his shirt, as if the sweat has accumulated bucketfuls. With nothing coming out after a few twists, he moved to the other side of the wall. Then the other. It went back and forth in a meticulous pattern because in reality he wasn't frantic, not under stress. Alex was merely counting the minutes it took for the people on the other side of the glass to crack and come in. At three minutes he heard the click of a lock, and the doorknob moved.
It opened, and he stopped to face the fall. Ducking malevolence behind a smile, his expression changed as his feet repositioned him to look to the arrival. Apathy overshadowed whatever had been apparent on his face.
"Sit down," came the order. Beneath a breath, Alex could have sworn that he was just called a 'psychotic bastard'.
Instead of singling that out, Alex complied. He did as he was told because he knew the truth, he did not do what they believed him to be guilty of. When the man began to question him, he avoided answers and gave the vaguest of replies. It didn't take long to judge the man's character: short-tempered, prone to violence, mistrusting of him in general. It took even less time to get him to leave the room. When the door shut, Alex pressed tenderly at the spot below his left eye that had been hit - it'd probably bruise later and if it didn't, then it was going to hurt him, regardless. Not that it mattered.
He was going to break them before they could do the same to him. He wasn't guilty, not at all. That was when the door opened again, a woman in the doorway this time; her hair was kept in a bun, her bangs were trim and she held boredom in her features. Alex kept still, uninterested with his arms up on the table.
None of them understood it. That was fine.