Epiphany Bones

 Epiphany was born into the cult, like her sister. Her childhood was full of services with the father and spending time with her mother. As she grew older, she took on the job of caring for the animals around the place. Pets and livestock alike, she spent more and more of her time with them as she got older. They were much better company than the rest of the cult. Like her sister, she never saw any of the money. It all went to her family, much to her chagrin. But oh well. The animals were the most important part, so she didn't mind that much.

But it all changed when Zazuka left, when Epiphany was 10 years old. Her mother's actions came to light quickly, and her family was treated badly because of it. To save the father further embarrassment, Epiphany was married off as soon as she turned 13. Her husband was not a good man (who would be, marrying a 13-year-old?) She never talks about what happened, but during the course of her marriage was when her schizophrenia developed. Perhaps it was a culmination of the stress of losing her sister, living in a cult, and being married to a disgusting older man. Maybe it was just genetics. Whatever the case, she soon would not stop talking about all sorts of animals, especially ones she only saw in books. Her hallucinations apparently manifested as animals, and some would talk to her while others didn't. Occasionally, she would mention seeing a man, but she would never expand upon what he did.

As her hallucinations and delusions became more pronounced, around age 16, the cult decided it best to isolate her and "pray the delusions away." Obviously, this did not work. While in isolation, one of her hallucinations showed her how to get out. That is, showed her how to use a bobby pin to pick the lock on the door. It wasn't hard. She got out, ran to her husband's house, stole some cash, and fled. Thank god he'd shown her where he kept some rainy day money.

Being on the run was hard. Epiphany had few survival skills, so she took to running as far as she could during the day. Her stamina grew better day by day, but she was still in danger. While California, where the cult was based, has better weather than other states, she was a young woman by herself. Therefore, one night (early night, late evening) when she was standing beside a highway with her thumb out, a car pulled up. It was an old model, though she didn't know the maker. The window rolled down, and in the front seat sat a man. He introduced himself as Daniel Jones, a man down on his luck but looking for the next chance for fame. He seemed trustworthy, so Epiphany got in. He took her as far as Vegas, intending to make a name for himself there. Surviving in a city is a lot easier than in nature.

She stayed in Vegas for a while, working jobs where she could. Waitressing, mostly, since casinos were desperate for employees and willing to overlook her lack of experience and bad manners. The jobs wore her down, as she was always shy, but she persisted as long as she could. She didn't see Daniel for a long time. It wasn't until he stumbled into the latest diner she had been working at, when she was 23, that she saw him again. He recognized her as the girl he'd given a ride to all those years ago, and they hit it off. One thing led to another, and he embraced her.

The two spent a long time together, as he showed her the ropes, but their personalities clashed. Daniel was after stardom, but all Epiphany wanted was to be with her animals and learn how to live her unlife peacefully. While he taught her a great deal, including how to use Malkavian disciplines, they eventually parted ways.

Which is when she left Vegas and traveled across the country. She spent a little time in New York, existing on the fringes of kindred society, but ultimately left. She then settled in Baltimore, where she's been for the past couple years. The rest is history.