Helena Downwright

Helena Downwright appears in The Book of Falling by Rob Pegler.

Helena is a childhood friend of Gabriel Pope, whom she has known since she was born. The pair spent much of their earlly childhood together at Downwright’s Opportunity Shoppe, an emporium of second-hand occult paraphenalia owned by her parents, former adventurers Jack and Alice Downwright. When Helena was six, an unidentified supernatural creature invaded the shop, killing Helena’s parents; Helena herself escaped with the help of ten-year-old Gabriel. She was sent to live with her maternal grandmother Ailis Flynn, while Gabe went to live with his father in Roseburg, and began his training as a hunter.

At the age of fifteen - following the death of her grandmother, and domestic troubles with her aunt - Helena ran away from home, taking a fake ID and her aunt's car with her. She made it as far as the town of Dunville, where she encountered the mage Io and, with his help, overcame an infestation of vampire-like creatures which had taken a sinister interest in her. The experience convinced Helena that she should return home and do some growing up before trying to face the world and its dangers alone.

Three years later, eighteen-year-old Helena visited Gabe in Roseburg, seeking his advice regarding her inheritance of her parents’ estate. Discovering the same sense of familial duty that keeps Gabe fighting his family’s old crusade, Helena resolved to re-open her family’s business.

Helena appears in “Gravity Always Wins”, and also features alongside Io (from The Faceless P.I.) in the novella Borrowed Time.