Template:Featured Articles/28-2007
 Meggan, whose origins are unknown, was one of the foundations on which was built a travelling freak-show, which, supplemented by magic tricks and a few other such things, provided the Grgic Clan with income. Eventually, though, poor diet and lack of fresh air and exercise took its toll and she started to get sick and feeble. Intent on making the most profit possible before 'the monster' died, the Grgics took the freakshow and their other acts to a gathering of the Rom clans, billing her as a 'half-demon' for sale. The Szardos clan also attended the festival that year, with Kurt and Amanda both present as a result of Amanda's fleeing the mansion after Manuel's reaction to his father's death. Margali heard of the Grgic 'demon' and, fearful for Amanda's safety, decided to investigate. Her healing powers were quite enough to tell her that this was no demon, but a sick child, and she wanted to help... but she was spotted before she could leave the show. The Grgic Clan could have made a lot of trouble for the Szardos family, and they knew all about Margali's foolish acceptance of monsters into her family. If Meggan disappeared or was taken away by authorities, they would have known who was to blame. They were, however, willing to *sell* Meggan, since she had almost outlived her usefulness... should a buyer appear. Following a family conference, Amanda bought Meggan with the money she earned on a job with Domino. Meggan promptly latched onto her and refused to let go. Determining the school was the best place for a child of Meggan's needs, Amanda returned with her. Formal provision was made for Margali to adopt the child, and Kurt and Amanda, as her siblings, became her guardians at the school. Meggan quickly adapted to life at the school. At the time she was found, she had barely more fifty words of German and Romany combined and had no socialisation, so it was necessary to teach her everything. She proved a fast learner, however, and began settling into her strange new life, with medical tests discovering her to be far older than she appeared - somewhere between thirteen and fifteen. Utterly devoted to her 'Manda, she was not impressed with Manuel, who at the time was still angry and hurt over his girlfriend's departure. Indication that Meggan was some kind of empath as well as a shapeshifter made things more complicated, and there was an incident in the kitchen where the small furry girl bit Manuel. Even after Amanda and Manuel reconciled, Meggan refused to like the Spaniard. She much preferred Amanda's best friend Angelo Espinosa, and adored Kurt, Nathan Dayspring and Moira MacTaggart, who assisted Amanda in raising her. In June 2005, Meggan was targeted by Patches, a black magic dealer and kidnapped by him, to be used for sale. She was retrieved by Pete Wisdom, and the ordeal resulted in a developmental leap, progressing her to full sentences. Amanda began asking for more help with Megga, realising she was unable to carry the responsibility of raising her alone. There was an incident involving her synching herself to electricity that gave Moira a deeper clue as to her actual powers in June 2005. Then there came Amanda's relapse with her magic addiction, and she accidentally used Meggan as a power source when the younger girl synched herself to the magical items in Amanda's study. The incident resulted in Meggan being moved out of Amanda and Marie-Ange's suite and into one with Dani. Meggan took the separation badly and threw several tantrums, as well as becoming more and more withdrawn, unconsciously mimicking Amanda's own behaviour. Following the events of Lost In The Woods and Amanda's decision to leave the school, it was agreed with Kurt that Meggan would be better off returning to Margali, requiring the stability of a close family unit. She joined the caravan in December 2005 and has been relatively happy there since. Meggan is not precisely an empath, although that was the initial assumption. Her powers are actually closer to, say, Synch's... only she doesn't synch herself to powers, but to other beings... or things. When she does it with people, she picks up emotions, instincts, and occasionally a thought or two if it's a very clear, simple, strongly held one... an obsession, or a goal. Animals work the same way, but a little simplified. Plants are more difficult, and she tends mostly to pick up physical attributes from them... bark, a few leaves, turning green, that sort of thing. Inanimate objects are very difficult, and she won't learn those for a long time. Electronics she can attune herself to, but shouldn't... explosions are more or less inevitable, given her patchy control and the energy involved. The easiest of all for her, after people, is the elements... fire, earth, air, and water are easy. Meggan's natural affinity with nature and the elements also gives her a very minor magical aptitude, since she can adapt to attune herself to any form of energy, including the magical. She does not, however, have much power, unless actually latched onto a leyline or some other supplemental source. Her body, until she learns to control her powers better, will automatically reflect whatever's going on in her mind, or whatever it is she's attuning herself to. |
