Haylee:

She doesn’t know it’s unusual to communicate with animals.
On her eighteenth birthday, Haylee transforms from a puberty-delayed teen to voluptuous beauty.
Almost as soon as Haylee learns to appreciate her new body and social status, she discovers she’s compelled to attack people.
Reece:
Dark, broody, Irish businessman. He came to California to try mining, but returns to the family business, selling goods and supplies.
He questions his sexual orientation when he encounters a male he’s attracted to.
Edward:
Reece’s younger brother. He moved out west to help his brother expand the business. Edward is chatty and friendly.
Josh:
A sexy, persistent teaching assistant in Haylee’s Psychology class at CSU, Berkeley.
His attraction to her increases as she tries to keep him away.
Eugene (Gene):
Haylee’s dad and a walnut farmer. Since his wife died, he focuses all his attention on work.
Emis:
Emis was an elegant soothsayer at the French Court. She lost her husband in the Napoleonic war. She came to California to work as a prostitute and use her special abilities to find a guardian for her about-to-be orphan daughter.
Spencer:
Josh’s athletic, wise-cracking younger brother.
Norah:

Norah is a time-skipper, like Haylee, from a distant future. In her world, it’s OK to speak without filters and she’s never felt dirt before!