Hallea Bennett

Appearance
Hale has thick, wavy black hair and narrow gold eyes, though after being given the power of the Black Angel, her irises turned black. When she is accessing the power, the whites of her eyes turn black as well. She was rich, caramel skin, an oval face, high cheekbones, and full lips. She has a powerful, lithe figure and stands at 5'10". She is thought to be beautiful by many.

Personality
Hale closed up after leaving Henrik. She typically shoes away from feelings, both her own and others', not wanting to truly let anyone in. She is extremely satirical. She is able to separate herself from her emotions, making her seem detached at times. She hates killing but does it because she has to, not only to keep her crew safe, but also because she knows that it is her job. She is calculating and can be obstinate. She is not one to give into hope. She is afraid of drowning, making her vulnerable at time, but she doesn't let people see. She is unafraid of telling people what she thinks and is easily frustrated, but these feelings are often fleeting, never long to hold a grudge. She doesn't like being touched. She thinks back fondly of Henrik, but when they meet again, she is cold and distant, wishing he would have come after her.

Biography
Hale was born at the beginning of the Fourth Month and is the result of a one night stand between King Silas Bennett of Sajoria and Miria of Tevurg. She was born within the walls of Ocean Hall. Her given name is Aurora Bennett. Growing up, she was very close to her older half brother Peter, who is only three weeks older. When she turned 12, she went to Malone with her mother to negotiate a trade agreement with Jason Malone where she met Cole. They often argued. On the return voyage, her ship got caught in a storm in the Emerald Ocean and she was the only survivor. She was found floating on a piece of the ship by Henrik, a pirate. She lost all of her memories. While she was unconscious, Malum claimed her soul to be a Black Angel, changing her eyes from gold to black. Since she no longer had her distinct gold eyes, she was thought to just be another girl from the Barrens caught by a slaver. Everyone believed that Aurora Bennett had died. Henrik adopted her and called her Hallea- after his deceased sister- Storm- because of when he found her. Elijah, a younger crew member, began teaching her to fight with knives and daggers. They had a soul ceremony for her and she received a completely black stone. She began hearing warped noises, which she later found out are whispers from the other Black Angels, from the past, trying to guide her to the Wings and to people who needed to be taken for Malum. She was drawn to people who committed horrible crimes, but she didn’t realize this until after being at the House. She thought she had a hearing disability. Henrik became a father figure and Elijah like her brother. She became very close with the other crew members. They taught her how to survive and how to control her fears. Because she was raised by only men, as far as she could remember, she never cared about what was expected of women. She developed a hatred for Rowan Flynn from Henrik’s own feelings. Henrik also instilled in her a distrust of rebels, telling her to stay away because they only lead to trouble like him. After being on the ship for five years, they were attacked by a Renaulti ship. She was taken by some soldiers during the fight, and as they were about to rape her, her eyes turned completely black, releasing the power of the Black Angel. She took back the ship and killed almost all of the Renaulti soldiers. One escaped and word got out about the new Black Angel. Aram, hearing the news, tracked her down. During this time, she began having trouble controlling when she went into that state. The only one who could consistently bring her back was Elijah. Aram convinced her to join him, offering her answers in exchange for her services, as well as threatening the crew. She reluctantly agreed, needing to know what was happening to her and not wanting her family to be hurt. She left the ship and joined the Shadows, but she hated Aram for making her leave, despite his offer of help. Aram took her in as his heir and agreed to keep the crew, including Henrik and Elijah, under his protection. She hasn’t seen any of them since, except for Elijah. Henrik gave her one of his obsidian daggers as a parting gift. She befriended Kalim, who was the only one she talked to, aside from Ari occasionally. She did not like Val at first, not trusting her because of her position as the Whisperer and thinking she was spying on her for Aram. After three months of being a Shadow, while on a mission with Val, Hale snuck off to make contact with Elijah. She told Elijah to stop looking for her because she was where she needed to be, but she always secretly hoped that they would come back and free her someday. Val caught her and they ended up having to fight off their original marks. When they returned for their debriefing, Val didn’t tell Aram about Elijah and Hale finally warmed up to her and they became inseparable, each other’s closest confidant. Throughout the next year and a half, Hale gets overwhelmed more and more often, tapping into the power of the Black Angel. She starts to understand her powers, realizing with Aram’s help that the voices that she hears are leading her to the Wings. She works to distinguish exactly what they are saying to find them, hoping she will find peace, but also hoping she will be able to free herself from Aram. He used her as his secret weapon, having her kill his enemies and those he thinks deserved it. She kept a tally of each life she took for him on her forearms, covering them with her golden armbands. The only Avari sister she likes is Ari, though she dislikes her timidness. She has been with the Shadows for 16 months.