Background

Childhood: Elena was born of very simple stock, into a simple life. Born into a family of shepherds and farmers in rural West Union, Ohio on the 10th of March, 1974 to one Arthur and Katheryn Finch. The Middle Child of the Finch Family - and their only daughter, she was most often than not expected to help her mother around the house and most importantly, set an example for her littlest brother - as well as take care of him when her mother could not. Her mother was a bright woman, always with a song on her mind and on her lips, warm and kind and Elena's role model when it came to being polite. She was always closest to her mother, even when she would be stern and ran ragged by her brothers. Her father never did have the spine to be as strict as her mother, he was a goofand good with animals, though a deeply stubborn and prideful man all of his own. Truthfully, everyone in the family helped around the farm - they were a bit aways away from West Union proper and though there were farmhands around, for some seasons - her father could not afford to pay them, so she and her brothers opted in to help instead - starting young and especially so as they grew older. More often than not, she mostly lived around the farm - seldom seeing folk outside of her family. It's only about when she is able to go to school that she really found a quick connection to others - mostly on account of everyone knowing everyone else in the town, for the most part. Elena was lucky. She was not an outcast, even if she was not terribly exceptional in school either, mostly overlooked and getting on with her life and friends and letting her bullies just sort of do their thing. By the time that she had graduated, there were more arguments between her elder brother and her father, eventually her brother packed his things and left without a warning. Just one day, he was gone. And it shattered her mother's heart. Something seldomly brought up. Now it was Elena's responsibility as the eldest to not only take care of her brother's duties - but as her parents aged, helping taking care of them as well. [TW: Cancer, Death] Pre-Outbreak: By 1998 - the Finch Family Farm has been built up and life was quiet. Elena's Father had always been a big smoker, so hearing him cough was nothing out of the ordinary - but it had become worse. Bad enough to hospitalize the man. Her brother wasn't even home from school, yet - she had to go and drive out to pick him up and explain what had happend to him while her mother dissolved in the hospital. It was Lung Cancer - or so the doctors explained to him. Something between his habitual smoking and long work with pesticides and other agricultural chemicals and his pride, that prevented him from mentioning something earlier. Though they did try treatments, there is not much that was able to be done - they did not have the time, nor the money. So Arthur Finch was brought home to live and be cared for at the home that he had created. And eventually, he would pass. Buried on the property After that, the Finch Home was darker. Most of the day-to-day responsibilities fell to Elena, caring for her mother and her brother who was finishing school just barely. Her mother wasn't sick- she did not have cough or a fever, but still she wilted slowly. Her songs had stopped and left their home silent- and she would sit in the living room, staring at the chair Arthur would have sat in for hours. It was dour - and hellish few months. And then one day, in the Winter of '98, their house had become even quieter. The Doctors said it was heart failure, possibly a stroke- but Elena knew a different truth: it was grief. Burying her mother as well, the Finch Home had shriveled down to two. Unsustainable for the two, not only did her brother help around the Ranch. He promised that as soon as he graduated, he would find a job and help paying the bills that were now stacking up. [TW: End] Outbreak: Graduation never did come. As news spread of the Outbreak, as Fields of Daisies erupted and details of what was going on spread piece by peace, she was almost relieved to be in a very rural- and.. slight ways away from other places. With the discovery of the aggressive people affected by pollen - she forced her brother to stay home. Where they would stay for months on their own, fortifying the Ranch-.. but eventually, something nagged at her. Something that told her to collect people from nearby, lost- and injured and allow them to stay. It was not fair for her to enjoy safety- and not others. In turn, she was protected by those so she did not have to deal with 'Blossoms' - never wanting to look at them if necessary. Until later, when news had spread of the Farm as a Haven. Of course, Elena had no idea when she let another batch armed men in that they would put her at gunpoint. And rob her of her thigns- nor that they would shoot peope sticking up for themselves and her. It left her so shellshocked and angry and scared. Post Outbreak: From then on, she was more wary of strangers - atleast a healthy amount. When Madison and it's members helped found the Coalition and started securing roadways and territory, Elena was delighted. She was very happy. By that time, the Farm was a source of food in the region and had been approached by Coalition Forces-- a deal was struck, one that normally she would have made but having to protect her own was scary. So she- allowed the Coalition to take over the Farm, in exchange to moving her and her brother to Madison in 2003, where they lived a lot more peacefully. Her brother would eventually enlist into the Coalition and as time went on, her confidence built enough for her to move out of Madison and do good in her life again, she would make the journey from Madison as Soldiers move out and are deployed somewhere past the Knox Gap, clothing and helping feed them on the way until she had to split to be able to actually make it into Knox, using routes Providence protects.