CALLE, Madelyn Belle

[Madelyn Belle Calle]

MADELYN BELLE CALLE

FULL NAME: Madelyn Belle Calle (Freeman).
NICKNAMES: Mads, but only to very close friends/family; hates the nickname Maddie.
AGE: 27.
GENDER: Female.
SEXUALITY: Straight.
STATUS: Single.
GROUP: Citizen.
GRADE: N/A.
MAJOR: N/A.
JOB OCCUPATION: Wedding Coordinator & Editor for Brides Magazine.

HAIR: Very dark brown and thick, hanging well below her shoulders. She usually likes to let it do its natural curl, but can sometimes be found with it straight.
EYES: Golden Brown.
SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: None.
TATTOOS: “Until my last day, until my last breath” written in script on the insole of her left foot. A heartbeat monitor over her heart with the initials “L.C.” inscribed beneath it. A tiny sketch of her simple bridal bouquet on the inside of her left wrist, which she usually hides beneath a watch or bracelet (most recent).
PIERCINGS: Her ears, once.
PLAY-BY: Adelaide Kane!

LIKES: White Lilies, Strong Coffee, Wearing Black, Simple Furniture & House Décor, Getting Pedicures, Leftover Chinese Food, Expensive Perfume, Waking Up Early, Cooking, Being Extremely Organized, Her Infamous Clipboard, Psychology, Spoiling Her Dogs, Slow Dancing, Classical Music, Folding Laundry, Costume Dramas, Peppermint, Playing Piano, Designer Shoes, Complex Hair Styles.
DISLIKES: Parties, Weak Drinks, Getting Her Haircut, Sleeping by Herself, Hospital Rooms, Driving Herself Anywhere, White Chocolate, Foam in Her Latte, Silver Jewelry, Romance Novels, Valentine’s Day.
FEARS: She fears falling in love again because of how devastated she was from her previous romance. She also fears sleeping and living alone, which is why she has a small heard of dogs.
SECRETS: She hates Christmas because the anniversary of her husband’s death is Christmas Eve and she hasn’t celebrated the holiday since his passing.
PERSONALITY:
Madelyn is jokingly called the Ice Queen by her mother-in-law, and for good reason. She comes off cold and aloof most of the time because she fears creating connections with people again after the death of her husband. It shook her to the core and she still hasn’t recovered from his passing, leaving her with a scarred heart that doesn’t quite know how to feel things yet, especially love. The way she shows her affection is through her dogs, whom she considers her children now, and she is very motherly towards them.
With people she’s comfortable with, however, Madelyn is very witty and can be sarcastic in the right settings. She tends to stay on the quiet side, and has since childhood, but she isn’t afraid to speak up about things she’s passionate about. She is also creative, which can be seen through her beautifully planned weddings and writing pieces. Her head loves to imagine scenery and stories coming to life, a trait that makes her extremely good at her job.
After serving in the military, Madelyn is strong in more than one way. She has seen horrors that have scarred the darkest parts of her mind, and she’s also learned to live without the husband she’d been promised forever with. It contributes to her seemingly cold-hearted nature, but beneath it all, she has a guarded warm heart that is just waiting to be exposed to the light once again.

MOTHER: Violet Freeman (Mannox) & 60.
FATHER: Jack Freeman & 60.
SIBLINGS:
Johnathan Freeman & 38.
Margot Gracefield & 37 & Sister-in-Law.
Daisy Rockefeller (Freeman) & 36.
Zachary Rockefeller & 38 & Brother-in-Law.
Grace Vanderbilt (Freeman) & 34.
Charles Vanderbilt & 39 & Brother-in-Law.
OTHERS: Lawrence Calle & Deceased & Husband of 3 Years. William Calle & 55 & Father-in-Law. Sadie Calle (Weston) & 54 & Mother-in-Law.
PETS: Kennedy & Male & Grey/White Italian Greyhound & 3. Regan & Male & Tan/White Italian Greyhound & 2. Truman & Male & Jack Russel Terrier & 3. Madison & Female & Black/White Chihuahua & 7.
HOMETOWN: Boston, Massachusetts.
HISTORY:
Violet and Jack had been unofficially engaged since they were four years old. With both of them coming from old money in Boston, they were as close to royalty as Americans could get and their parents knew highborn matches were the only options for their children. Together, they attended the best private schools on the Eastern coast and, with hormones raging, easily found themselves attracted to each other. Like any high schoolers with far too much money, they got into their fair share of trouble with lavish parties and expensive clothes, but managed to come out on the other end still together. They married young and Jack found himself caught up in the family publishing business as the pair began building the foundation for the next generation of Freemans. While neither of them had been saints throughout their relationship, they had a mutual understanding of tolerating each other solely for the fact that a divorce would cause far too much drama.
Their marriage was full of difficulties that they strived to hide from the world, but they survived it and created three healthy children to fill their home with heirs to the fortune. Violet had always wanted a large family, much to Jack’s chagrin at times, and he had sworn that three was plenty to keep the nannies busy. It was a long-term fight between the couple, resulting in a significant age gap between Madelyn and her siblings once Violet finally got her way and fell pregnant for the fourth, and last, time.
Madelyn was the baby of the family and, while her older siblings were being strictly polished, she found herself with a little more wiggle room. The same things were required of her, of course, and she was trained in French, piano, and equestrian skills to suit her parents’ need of accomplishments for all their children, but she was left alone more as her mother began focusing on marrying off the older children to good matches. Madelyn got into all kinds of silly things, preferring the dirt of gardening to the polish of tea parties, and was frequently scolded for her “unladylike” behaviors. It didn’t deter her, however, and she continued with her little rebellions.
Madelyn attended the same private school her siblings all had but they were long gone as she entered the doors as a freshman, her last name leaving her a legacy to the popularity dynasty her sisters had left behind. For most of her life, she’d avoided the elaborate parties as she’d been shooed away so the adults could play. As high school rolled around, however, it was her turn to experience the perks of having more money than one person could possibly need.
Madelyn made her entrance into the Boston socialite scene with as much grace as both her sisters had, falling into the rabbit hole of parties, drinks, boys, and expensive shoes. She ran with the popular crowd and smoothly avoided getting into trouble, whether it was with her parents or the school principal. She learned to talk her way out of almost anything, and would’ve made a great lawyer had she tried, but she had something else in mind for her life.
She met Lawrence Calle during her junior year of high school, and the pull between them was undeniable. The school was abuzz with rumors surrounding his sudden arrival and he intrigued Madelyn in a way no one else had. He was definitely not what her parents had in mind for a suitable match, but Madelyn had stopped caring about that a long time ago thanks to the wise words of her older siblings. Lawrence was the black sheep of his own family and, after returning to her school from a stint at a military academy, he was not the most popular option for the heiress. He was rough, incapable of being graceful even if he tried, and was as devoted as he could be to entering the army once he graduated, breaking a long-standing family tradition of attending Yale. He was not good for her by society’s standards, and his presence was slowly the undoing of Miss Freeman.
Madelyn fell hard for him without meaning to. They ended up together mostly by accident but, after a few study dates, it turned into something even more. Their love grew without either of them realizing it until it was too late, and they were both too far gone to go back. By senior year, they were an item and Madelyn found herself learning about an entirely different world than the one she’d existed in her whole life. Lawrence introduced her to cheap burgers and goofy picnic dates, bringing her down to earth from her lofty white horse. Her parents easily hated him as he stole away the princess and made her fall in love with the regular world with no intentions of turning back. They became inseparable and, while Madelyn lost her place in the popular crowd, she replaced the myriad of worthless friends with a love that lit her heart up like the sun.
As graduation rolled around, Lawrence enlisted in the army as he’d always planned to. Madelyn’s family began pressuring her even more to end the relationship, trying to tempt her with prestigious colleges and fancy degrees that she wouldn’t need anyway if she followed the plan her mother wanted. She had never had the intention of following Lawrence, and they’d discussed the plans for their long-distance love in depth, but none of the pathways for her future seemed right. She didn’t want to wait around for him and maybe one day marry him; she didn’t want to go to a stuffy college like her parents wanted. She wanted to do something for herself, for once, and she wanted to make the decision without her mother screeching in her ear.
The week after graduation, she shocked everyone as she walked into the breakfast room late, hair chopped short and wearing the official green uniform of a United States soldier. She had enlisted and was set to leave the week after. Lawrence, who heard the news by phone as he’d already left for boot camp, had been beyond angry. He didn’t want her in danger, but she worked tirelessly to convince him she’d be fine and he eventually came around, claiming he was proud of his little soldier. Her family, on the other hand, had been beyond furious. Jack cut her off completely, Violet was already making funeral preparations, and her siblings couldn’t believe the baby of the family was daring to step so far out of line. But Madelyn wanted this; she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn’t just silver spoons and fancy dresses.
With much determination and hours of training, she did just that. She graduated from boot camp and was stationed down in Florida with Lawrence, embracing army life with a smile. It was so much more her speed, being surrounded by real people who didn’t mind hard work and genuinely wanted the best for each other. The day she arrived on base, Lawrence was waiting for her with open arms and a huge grin on his face. Due to strict regulations and ridiculous government policies, they eloped and got married in order to obtain housing together, using a day of leave to go celebrate at Disney World as a sort of honey moon. They were only 20, but they were ready to face the world together.
Madelyn hadn’t spoken to her parents since leaving for boot camp, and the silence continued through the next three years of her life. They knew of her marriage through Lawrence’s parents, who were extremely supportive of the couple and everything they were accomplishing, but she hadn’t had a single word of communication to her own family until the day she found out she and Lawrence would be leaving for Afghanistan in separate units. She wrote a letter to her father, stating everything the last few years of her life had entailed, and dropped it off with Lawrence’s parents in case anything happened.
She served for a single tour overseas, and they remain some of the hardest months of her entire life. Madelyn rarely talks about what happened, but she saw horrors and nightmares that left her scarred in ways she’d never thought imaginable. Her and Lawrence wrote each other frequently from their separate bases and, while it was comforting to know they were in the same country, that was as close as they ever got in their time apart. She returned home after her tour, resuming her place at the base in Florida as Lawrence continued for another tour. She didn’t mind; this had been his dream long before hers, and she knew his passion for saving the world went deeper than even hers ever could.
A return date for his unit was finally announced, and Madelyn found herself giddy with the idea of having him back again as she eagerly prepared their tiny apartment for the holiday season. It was decked to the nines in Christmas décor and, even though they were set to return shortly into the new year, they had already planned on extending their Christmas out to celebrate together.
On Christmas Eve, Madelyn sat on her couch like usual, watching the news after a long day of drill training. She wasn’t paying much attention until the headline caught her eye and her ears recognized the names of the deceased soldiers being announced. Those were her friends; those were soldiers in Lawrence’s unit. Her heart stopped as, moments later, a knock came on her door. She knew, without a doubt, Lawrence was gone the moment she saw the soldiers standing before her.
Her world shattered before her eyes as she numbly went through the motions of his funeral arrangements and packing his things, the flag on her mantle a constant reminder of the man she had loved with her entire soul. Madelyn felt nothing from the moment the guns fired at his burial; they had shredded her heart and left her cold with each sounding shot.
Shortly after, she was honorably discharged from the military due to mental health reasons. She couldn’t handle life on the base without him; there were too many reminders, even when she tried to bury herself in work. She needed something new, something to help her move on, and there was no chance of her finding that in the military.
Madelyn had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew, without a doubt, that she would not be returning to her parents. They hadn’t even attended the funeral, despite the announcement in the Boston papers, and she had officially washed her hands of them. Before she even had a chance to start searching for easy jobs, Lawrence’s parents “adopted” her and Madelyn found herself living with them in New York.
Lawrence’s mother was the one person who shared the most in her pain, and Madelyn developed a connection with her that she’d never held with her own mother. They had grown especially close over the course of her relationship with her son, and Sadie Calle refused to let her daughter-in-law flounder out in the world. She offered Madelyn a job as her assistant, working for Bride magazine and planning weddings, and the job quickly grew into much more. Madelyn rose through the ranks under her guidance, easily turning into her right-hand instead of merely her assistant.
Madelyn spent a year living with her in-laws before deciding she needed to embrace her adulthood and move into her own apartment. Before she knew it, she had a place in between them and work and she was filling it with mementos, trinkets, and a herd of dogs that helped to ease the gaping hole in her heart. She continued to work at the magazine with her mother-in-law, and has weekly dinners with the parents who adore her like she was their own. While she’s warm with them, she comes off cool to nearly everyone else, guarding her heart and preferring to focus solely on her work as she tries to find her footing in a world without the man who’d promised to be her everything.

YOUR ALIAS: Emma!
RULE WORDS: kidnappedbykim
WHERE YOU FOUND US: I took a wrong turn somewhere in Wonderland.
SAMPLE:

Check Zoe, Greyson, or Loretta!

[kim]