Real name: Sonia Teresa de Acevedo
Occupation: Countess
Identity: Known as a public figure in prominent social circles
of the U.S. and as Spanish royalty, but her mutant status is a carefully
guarded secret
Legal status: Dual citizenship in Spain and the U.S. with no
criminal record in either, although wanted for questioning in Spain for
evasion of the government
Other aliases: None
Place of birth: De Acevedo Estate in the South of Spain
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: Countess Sofia de Acevedo (Mother, deceased)
Group affiliation: None
Base of operations: Hilton New York, New York City, New York,
United States
First appearance: March, 2002
History:
Born in the south of Spain, Sonia Teresa de Acevedo was the daughter to the Countess Sofia de Acevedo. To this day, she is unsure of who her father is, for her mother never revealed the secret before her death. Raised in her mothers castle, she never once left the castle grounds before the age of fifteen, and only then to the adjoining lands. Teresas childhood was traumatic to say the least.
The Countess was well known for her hospitality, and it was a wonder she could keep track of all the men who came in and out of her castle. Upon finding out she was pregnant, she closed herself off from the world when she could no longer hide her bulging figure. Claiming that she was ill, the Countess suffered through her pregnancy alone in the castle, never once stepping foot out of her chambers. When the long awaited day came, the female servants attended to her, and after eighteen long hours of labor, the Countess gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Teresas mother, the Countess, was a powerful telepath, capable of bending others to her will with almost no resistance whatsoever. Rumors among peasants and servants (none of hers of course, they were kept carefully in check through the Countess telepath) said that the Countess was a witch, and that she used magic to seduce men to her bed then killed them for their fortunes. The rumors were a bit farfetched, as a man never disappeared from a visit to the Countess castle, and she could never take their fortunes without marrying, which the Countess never dared do. But the rumors did hold some truth - a truth that Teresa soon discovered. The Countess was a cruel and heartless woman, caring only about herself in all aspects. She treated her daughter worse than the very servants of the castle, constantly invading her mind and abusing the childs fragile young innocence. To say that the Countess was out of her mind was an understatement, and yet none could prove it. She appeared, to those outside, to be the very pinnacle of calmness and tranquility, elegance and grace. However, one person alone knew what the Countess was truly capable of. Teresa, watching her mother carefully and watching the servants, soon came to realize that they were oblivious to their mistress true nature. Only Teresa could see through her mothers masquerade. It was for this reason that Teresa had to suffer.
Teresa was a willful child, never bending to her mothers will. And so, one day when the girl was three, she felt a presence in her mind that should not belong there. Not understanding what was going on, she panicked. The last thing she remembered was a flood consuming her mind, and then everything went black. When she woke up, she was in bed, and couldnt remember getting there. However, she always felt like there was something in her mind that didnt belong there, something lurking just beyond where she couldnt grasp at it. Then, the nightmares began. They started as simple nightmares, but she had never gotten them every night, and never had they been so vivid. They stayed with her night and day, for when she was awake they were all she could think about. They slowly got worse and worse, till one fateful night when Teresa woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. The image she had just seen in her mind was that of her mother, but twisted in such a way that she had no doubt in her mind her mother was Satans whore on Earth. The nightmares ended, but only because the Countess found worse ways to torture her young daughter. Invading her mind constantly, the girl was soon taken for mad when she would cut herself, strangle herself, and attempt to drown herself. No one knew of Teresas existence, for the Countess had kept it a carefully guarded secret.
It was at the age of thirteen that Teresa underwent yet another change. She suddenly became very sickly, fainting often. There were days when it was a miracle if the girl would stay conscious for an hour, and the Countess grew very worried. This was not in any way concern for her daughter - the Countess was worried because the fainting spells came over Teresa whenever she tried to gain access to the girls mind. However, she attributed it to natural weakening of the girl, and decided that this sickly child must die soon. And so, the Countess let her daughter be. Though she would intrude on her daughters mind occasionally, she no longer did it as often as she used to do. The reason for this was a practical one - she no longer had time to waste on the girl. The castle lands were not as fertile as they once had been, and crops had been bad. She was badly in need of money, and was considering what she thought she never would have to consider: marriage. However, marriage to her was not what it would be to one other. To her, it was simply the chore of finding the richest and most gullible man nearby to wed, then to live with for some time to make it seem real. Then, as she had done so many years ago to inherit the castle, she would poison his mind and his drink, and the Countess would be a widow once more, and wealthier for it.
Now, while the Countess plotted her marriage and the subsequent events that would lead to her tripling her fortune, Teresa took up reading. As a young girl, her favorite hiding place from her mother had been the great library the previous owner had. Her mother never cared much for it, and Teresa could escape to there always. Her tutors met with her there, and when she was alone she read all she could. However, the girl never received the tender care that most do and she soon grew to be very cold and bitter. And so it was that the young Teresa grew to be the same kind of woman that her mother was, slowly but surely. Watching her mother, she soon mastered the same tricks of charm, grace, and most of all deceit. An even greater boon arrived to her on the day of her sixteenth birthday. On this day, she was feeling particularly lazy and didnt feel like reaching for the book at the other side of the room. About to ring the bell for a servant, she was immensely surprised to see the book floating to her. And so it began - for seven long years Teresa practiced her telekinesis, working it on anything and everything, testing her boundaries constantly and pushing further. With her coming of age, she also soon found that she could see things in her mind, where they were, what was around them, merely by thinking of this. She discovered this talent the day she lost her favorite comb and tried desperately to remember where it was. Instead, what she got was a hazy image - with moving people. Imagine her surprise at discovering that not only could she move things merely with a thought, but she could also find things in a similar manner.
Shortly after making this discovery, the young Theresa decided that she would take a vacation the United States of America. However, after only three months within the country she found herself involved with a young heir from Virginia, who was in line to inherit the estate of a wealthy senator. Using her already extensive connections, along with her new lovers, she was able to acquire a dual-citizenship - one in Spain and one in the United States. The process took quite an amount of time, but her adoring admirer was determined to cut most of the red tape out of her way. Using his fathers position to his benefit, he managed to achieve this and she was a U.S. citizen only four years after arriving in the country. However, after six years Teresa became bored with the boy, deciding he was not worthy of her continued attentions. Having made a neat little bundle through means of her talents, she returned to Spain after seven years in the United States, with nothing lost and a United States citizenship gained.
On this day, a young duke came to the castle to call on the Countess. However, the Countess had by now become a ripe forty-six years of age, and could not mask her age as well as she wished she could. But the young duke did not find a Countess of forty-six - he instead stumbled upon a countess of twenty-three. There began Sofias undoing, unraveling, and eventual downfall. For she was now forced to admit that she did, indeed, have a daughter, claiming that her fear the child would not live made her reluctant to reveal her presence and bring hoards of men coming to court her. Jealousy and spite began to build inside the Countess, who now found her daughter, and no longer her, the object of the attention of courters. Thus began a bitter war between the two, the one lashing out mentally and the other lashing out physically. All in all, they were well matched, because Teresas attacks did much more harm, but Sofias attacks left Teresa unconscious for hours at a time. All was masked in secrecy so that even visitors did not know what was going on - a chandelier accidentally falling was usually followed by Teresa fainting away in fright. Those were the usual occurrences of the castle.
It did not take long for one of the two to slip up. Teresa, by now tired of her mothers meddling decided it was time for the title to move on - to her. One night, after Sofia had gone to bed believing Teresa to have left that day on business, Teresa stepped into the doorway of her mothers room and took a good long look at her. Lifting her hand, she moved the candle her mother always slept with over next to the window. Putting the candle dreadfully near the drapes, she then proceeded to force the window open. Walking away, she met a maid on the way to her mothers room. Turning the maid around, she said only to her It is alright, I moved the candle so the light wouldnt disturb mother and I opened the window so she wouldnt get too hot. And with that, she went to her room, collected her belongings and climbed into her coach. Telling the driver to head into town, she took one last look at her castle and turned her head.
Several days later, news came to the young Countess that a great blaze had started in her castle. Hurrying back immediately, she found the entire west tower burned to a char. She was informed that her mother, the late Countess had not made it out of the fire alive. Breaking into tears, she bowed her head - no one saw the twinkle in her eyes. After the burial, Teresa took over the castles affairs, deciding to close off the west tower with all her mothers old chambers instead of rebuilding it. She managed to successfully manage the lands for eight years, but unfortunately a bad stroke of weather and her ineptitude at managing the land properly found her bankrupt. With no way to pay what she owed, she was stripped of her castle, her lands, and her title.
Luckily for our Countess, she had the sense to sell and take as much as she could before her castle was taken from her. When the officials came to account for the castle and all in it, they found that very little was left. The charred furniture in the old west tower and some larger pieces of furniture in the galleries, halls, and bedrooms were all they found. The Countess fled to the United States, using the citizenship she had acquired earlier to do so. And so began her life in the U.S. with what was left to her.
Height: 5'7" Weight: Not for the Crown Jewels of England.
Eyes: brown Hair: black
Unusual physical characteristics: She is strikingly beautiful
for her age (which no one knows since those who find out never last long).
Strength level: Somewhat below average for a woman of her age,
size, and weight due to her upbringing.
Known superhuman powers: Moderate telekinetic abilities and
the ability to see within locations and around objects by focusing
(scrying).
Other abilities: Has a rich background and is extremelty cultured in the
arts, as well as being fluent in several languages. She also uses her charm
and grace to the utmost, and can recall anything she's seen perfectly.
Weapons and paraphernalia: Credit cards galore are her only
armamament, but money talks when other things won't get the job done.
Other notes: Evil? Nah, she's not evil. She's too messed up
in the head to be evil. Neurotic, self-absorbed, emotionless priss? Oh
yeah!