| Jade Redfern | |
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Jade Redfern is a lamia vampire, the youngest child of the Redfern siblings, and one of the major characters of the novel Daughters of Darkness. She is Ash Redfern's youngest sister, and with Rowan and Kestrel, she escaped the lamia enclave they had once been a part of and came to Oregon, seeking a new life with their great-aunt Opal Burdock.
Physical Appearance[]
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Ash Redfern with his sisters: Jade, Rowan and Kestrel (1996 cover)
Jade is depicted as having long, platinum blond hair (most likely a trait inherited from the Harmans) and bright green eyes, the latter of which is likely where her name derives from. She is also shown to be slight and somewhat childlike in appearance. Like her sisters (and most lamia), Jade is very beautiful, often decribed as being "inhumanly" beautiful, with "fine features". After feeding, her eyes are noted as being "emerald", and "she seems to float rather than walk". When she shows her fangs, her eyes go silvery-green in colour.
Personality[]
In personality, Jade resembles a young girl, and it is stated that although people believe she looks "serene", she almost always feels "either madly excited or madly anxious and confused". She displays innocence around humans, as she was quick to nearly reveal her Night World origins to Mark Carter. However, she is highly protective of her family and those she loves, although she is fearful of her brother Ash. Strange for a vampire, Jade has a genuine fondness for pets, particularly kittens, although her own, Tiggy, doesn't appear to like her much.
History[]
Jade was born on the lamia enclave on the east coast of the United States, the youngest of four children. Growing up, Jade was very close to her older sisters, Rowan and Kestrel, but distrusted her brother Ash. Jade disliked life in the enclave, as she and her sisters had to always do what the men in their families said and were expected to be docile, obedient and marry husbands chosen for them by their father. Jade developed a fondness for animals and had three pet kittens whilst living in the enclave, including one named Tiggy. Jade could apparently be quite rebellious and defiant. Shortly after turning sixteen, Jade's eldest sister Rowan contacted their great aunt, Opal Burdock, and arranged to run away from the enclave and go live with Opal in Briar Creek, Oregon. Jade wanted to take her kittens with her, but her sisters said she could only take one. Jade constructed a make-shift cat carrier for Tiggy, but secretly hid her other kittens inside her suitcase.
Daughters of Darkness[]
Jade and her sisters are forced to catch a lift from two local boys outside of Briar Creek when Aunt Opal fails to turn up. The boys try to force them into sexual activity, but Jade and her sisters are easily able to overpower them and drink their blood. They eventually reach Aunt Opal's home, where Jade is excited to find the house is made entirely of wood, which was never used at the enclave due to its toxic nature to vampires. Jade is devastated when she discovers the two kittens she stowed away in her case died during the trip and insists on burying them. Jade goes down to the basement to get a shovel and stumbles across Aunt Opal's body, she having been staked and left in the basement shortly before the girls' arrival. Jade agrees with Kestrel that Opal was deliberately staked and is understandably frightened. Jade is worried a vampire hunter was responsible, though she always believed them to be a myth. Jade helps her sisters move and bury Opal's body (unaware her new neighbour, Mary-Lynette Carter, is watching from a nearby hill and becomes suspicious).
Jade is enjoying her newfound freedom and listening to the radio. She begins dancing and singing to a commercial, not realising what it really is due to her sheltered upbringing. Mary-Lynette's brother Mark happens upon whilst she is dancing on the porch and the pair have an instant attraction to one another. Jade senses something in the bushes beyond and warns Mark to stay behind her, in case she has to fight, bewildering the boy, though he remains enamoured with her. Jade and her sisters later move Opal's body to the woods (unaware the Carter siblings are following them) and also take the opportunity to hunt a deer for blood. Mark comes out of his hiding place to confront the sisters. When Kestrel suggests killing the Carters to protect themselves, Jade leaps to their defence, insisting they can't kill Mark as she believes they're soulmates. Her older sisters agree to a blood-tie ceremony instead. Jade is worried about Tiggy after one of Opal's goats is found staked and suspects Ash was responsible. After he insists he didn't kill Opal but that he's here to take them home, Jade refuses. Jade helps to try and figure out who really killed Opal. Jade also wonders if she and Mark really are soulmates after all, after hearing Mary-Lynette and Ash's description of the soulmate bond, but still loves him regardless.
After the true culprit, Jeremy Lovett, is apprehended, Jade is happy to be allowed to stay in Briar Creek with Mark. She takes Mark with her to watch her hunt and later notes, amused, that Mark "threw up". She appears unconcerned by the notion that Mark has no plans to become a vampire anytime soon, loving him just the way he is.
Etymology[]
- The stone jade is a green stone, of which two main varieties exist: jadeite (light green) and nephrite (dark green). Jade is considered, especially in eastern cultures, to be an extremely auspicious stone, and was used in the past for love, luck, longevity and healing (especially healing of kidney diseases).
Trivia[]
- Jade is said to have just turned sixteen in Daughters of Darkness, implying that she was born during summer around the month of August, as there were only about three weeks left before summer vacation was over.
- Similar to a habit that Gillian Lennox used to have, Jade would use her hair as a veil to hide behind.
- Coincidentally, both Jade and Gillian are described as having white-blond hair. Additionally, both girls are around the same age and are cross-kin through their families.
- Jade's white-blond hair may be a trait inherited from the Harman Family.
- Fittingly, when Rowan explains the history of the Redferns and the Harmans to the Carter siblings, Jade mentions the fact that her father used to blame her and her sisters' disobedience and matrilineal tendencies on their witch genes inherited from the Harmans.
- When she and her sisters are explaining about the different kinds of vampire to the Carter siblings, Jade refers to lamia as "the best kind of vampires", which may imply that she is a little bit prejudiced towards made vampires. However, there is no other indication of this given in the novel. Also, considering that Jade grew up around made vampires such as Quinn, it would be hardly surprising that she might have a somewhat lower opinion of made vampires. She could also have simply been referring to the fact that lamia are biologically superior in that they can breed and choose when to stop aging.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ Harman and Redfern Family Tree
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