Brooks

"You make your future, Zane"

- Brooks

Brooks is a character that features in the novel The Storm Runner. Her true form is that of a giant hawk.

History
Brooks was born as part-nawal, a shapeshifter. However, due to her mixed status, she was denied training to learn how to change shape. At one point her mother died and her father remarried.

Her sister, Quinn, was forced into an arranged marriage with Bird and, under the tale of going out to buy a wedding dress, seeks help from Ixtab. She agrees to call off the marriage if Quinn agrees to escort souls for a few month. However, the goddess sees how powerful of a shapeshifter Quinn is and calls of the deal, keeping Quinn for herself. During an arranged meeting, Brooks makes a deal with Ixtab to bring her Ah-Puch. Ixtab agrees, but if she fails Brooks must serve her.

The Storm Runner
Brooks is on a mission to prevent Ah-Puch, the god of death, from escaping his imprisonment, it leads her right to Zane Obispo, the one destined to free him on the solar eclipse as Pacific foreshadowed in the Prophecy of Fire. She first talks to him outside the office of Father Baumgarter. She later shows up at his house asking to speak. Due to Zane’s mother coming home and Hondo’s friends over she decides to come the following day. When Zane arrives home she tells him he is in danger and they agree to go to his backyard. However Rosie becomes aggressive and charges at Brooks. She turns into a hawk and perches in a nearby tree until Rosie calms down. She reverts to human form soon after. She tells Zane to come with her to the volcano and he follows. She reveals that she is a Nawal, a Mayan shapeshifter, and that Zane is the subject of a prophecy. She tells him of how Ah-Puch, the god of death and destruction, was imprisoned in an artifact after fighting the other gods. She also tells him he is destined to free the god of death. She reassures him that she only needs him to find the artifact. They hear a noise and soon find a Demon Runner. It stacks them after her flashlight dies. She scratches at its eyes when Rosie bites its neck. After Zane kills the Demon Runner and Rosie dies, she leads Zane out of the volcano and vanishes soon after, but not before realizing he is supernatural.

When Zane and his mother are attacked by an Alux, she arrives and rips the demon of his mother. She snaps its neck and returns to the Obispos. Zane’s mother offers her to stay with them and she accepts. They talk after dinner about what might have sent the alux after him and become determined not to let him out.

The next day she follows Zane to the volcano and helps him get demon runner venom out of his body. She says that it is not Rosie but the call. She tells him about her life and why she wants to stop Ah-Puch to prove herself to other nawals. They find a hidden chamber with a pool on the floor and demon runners on the ceiling. They wake up and Zane grabs her hand and, despite her not knowing how to swim, plunges into the water. Just as they reach the end of the underwater cave, a demon runner grabs her and drags her under the water. Zane frees and tries to revive her to no avail. Ah-Puch promises to save Brooks if he is set free. She lays unconscious as Zane made a deal with Ah-Puch. She ends up in Zane’s bedroom and, after hearing each other’s thoughts, she realizes that Zane‘s father is a Mayan god. She later learns, much to her shock, that Zane made a deal with Ah-Puch and is now bound to serve him. Hondo tells them a giant chicken is pecking at the front door and they follow it to Ms. Cab’s house. She catches Hondo when he faints. After Mr. Ortiz shows up they realize the chicken is Ms. Cab. She is wary of Brooks and after she looks at the map, she decides to go with Zane and Hondo to find the portal. She reads the getaway map and finds a portal in Venice Beach, California. They realize Ah-Puch is after the hero twins. She says not to as they are arrogant but Zane and Hondo think this is the best option. She reluctantly agrees and says their Birthday is the following day and she has an invitation.

She tells Hondo to take I-10 to Tucson. She is woken up by Zane later that night and realizes Honda missed the turn. They stop at a fast food restaurant in Yuma and as they finish they see demons enter the restaurant. They head for the truck and see that the demons are themselves and demand her. She is taken captive by her double with five more coming to mimic her and her captor. She snaps at Zane and he and Honda take care of the demons. When they hit the road, she says she lost her powers. Zane asks her to explain but she refuses and goes to bed. The next morning they make it to San Diego. Zane tries to wake her with little success. They head out soon after and reach Venice Beach. She pulls Zane away from a tarot card reader who knows about the prophecy of fire and takes him and Hondo to see her friend Jazz. They arrive at his shop and he is happy to see her. When she says she wants to meet with the hero twins he is shocked. After they save him from low blood sugar she scolds him for not keeping up with it. She gets nervous when he questions Zane about his species. After Zane passes out they take him upstairs to Jazz’s apartment. She knows he spirit jumped and asks him why. Before he could respond Jazz gives Zane hot chocolate that can only be consumed by the supernatural and he calls him out for being one. She quickly says Zane is a magician and he believes this. Jazz gives them formal wear to hide their physical flows, much to her displeasure. He also gives them his fastest scooter and they head to the twins. They zoom to the Beverly Hills Hotel and narrowly escape the police. She brings them to the third floor. Zane asks her why she hates the twins and she says they tricked her while playing one of their games, something they must do to get the information they need to stop Ah-Puch.

Brooks forgets her tickets but manages to get them all in. She explains that the twins will accept things such as talent and dreams as payment. One of the twins comes over and says hello. The twin, Jordan, reveals that he is forcing her sister to marry him. He takes them to see Bird and the two skirt around the subject. After Zane gets them to agree to a game, she insists all three of them plan against the twins, they agree. After losing a coin toss they head to the court. Along the way she notices Hindo is looking sickly and she is shocked to learn he ate their food, which is poisonous to humans and tells him the symptoms. She says that his enchanted clothing will keep him alive. She explains the rules and soon calls for a timeout. Moments later Ah-Puch and Muwan arrive. When they leave with the twins she helps Zane with Hondo, the pair struggle until Jazz arrives and helps them. She and the others jump onto an aircraft manned by Flanco. She enjoys the ride until Jazz tells her to jump. She clings onto Zane until they reach Jazz’s boat. Despite the twins capture, she is glad of it. She is surprised when Jazz tells them he put cameras in their clothes but relaxes when he tells her and Zane they do not have audio.

After Jazz goes below deck, she tells Zane her story, how she agreed to bring Ixtab Ah-Puch in exchange for her sister’s freedom. She apologizes to Zane and blushes after he compliments her freckles. She falls asleep soon after. When she wakes up Zane informs her that K’ukumatz came to him to say he will shave a few hours off their trip. Brooks becomes exited then upset because Zane did not wake her for the creator god’s arrival and failed to get his autograph.

Jazz wakes her up and tells her and Zane to give him something of theirs to open the gate to the Old World. She gives him one of her boots. The gateway opens but the walls start to close in around them. Jazz pulls her to the raft but she refuses to leave without Zane. He hands her his jaguar jade, but she drops it. She and the others jump back on the boat and bandage up Zane’s injured hand and she nearly cries. When they hit land and Jazz realizes Zane released Ah-Puch, she tells the giant he did it to save her. They then set out to find the lighting striker to train Zane. The group makes their way to an old meeting ground of the five most important Mayan gods and goddesses. They make camp soon after.

Brooks returns in the boat to find the jade and succeeds. When she returns finds Zane with her sister. When Ah-Puch arrives he covers the sisters in hands of smoke. They are freed when Ixtab arrives. Soon Jazz, Hondo, and the Sparkstriker’s orphan soldiers arrive and they take on both sets of demons. She regains her shapeshifting when Ixtab is knocked out by her sister. When the other gods arrive she and Quinn help Jazz and Hondo get away from them before the fight.

After Zane defeated Ah-Puch, Brooks and the others return to Jazz’s shop, which he closes down to start his own technology company. She later meets up with Zane and is greeted by the godborn and Rosie, now a Hellhound. Zane tells her he is going to free his father and she tells him to wait. He also tells Brooks she will have to learn to swim, much to her horror. As Zane and Rosie play in the water, she flies off.

Appearance
Brooks appears as a teenager with tan skin and brown hair, and a few freckles on her nose. She had amber eyes that changed to chocolate brown when she was scared. She wears combat boots, a hoodie with a hawk on it, and black leggings or jeans.

With the enchantment on, Brooks was wearing a white one-shouldered dress with gold sandals laced up to the shins. She had her hair out of her face, held back by perfectly done braids.

Personality
Brooks is a fierce and determined warrior, and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Abilities

 * Shapeshifting: As a nawal, Brooks is capable of changing into any animal she wants, however she can only turn into a hawk.

Family
 Not much is known about Brooks’ relationship with her deceased mother.
 * -| Mother =

Not much is known about Brooks’ relationship with her father accept that she considers him dead to her.
 * -| Father =

The only family member she does not hate, Brooks greatly loves her sister and was willing to do anything for her, going so far as to form a deal with Ixtab. 
 * -| Quinn =

Friends
 At first, Brooks was only using Zane to find Ah-Puch to and save her sister, but during their quest to stop Ah-puch, the two grew close and formed a friendship.
 * -| Zane Obispo =

Brooks sees Hondo as a close ally and trusts him. When he was poisoned at the hero twin’s party, she became concerned for his well being.
 * -| Hondo Obispo =

Brooks is close with Jazz, he cares for her well being and happiness and she makes sure he keeps his diabetes in check. 
 * -| Jazz =

Trivia

 * Brooks cannot swim.
 * She smells like rain.
 * Her favorite color is black.