Character sketches, #2a

1. What is your full name? Lillian Hayes Dupont

2. Where and when were you born? I was born seventeen years ago in White Plains, New York.

3. Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.) My mother, Jessica (maiden name Hayes), is a stay-at-home mom. My father, Benoit (goes by Ben), is a university professor (French literature; works at NYU). My parents are both kind, supportive people. They don't have a an especially intimate or loving relationship, but they get along. My father reads a lot, of course, and doesn't watch TV. He spends a lot of time in his office at the university. My mother is more conventional -- she likes TV, drinks coffee with her friends, takes me shopping.

4. Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like? I have no siblings.

Lily and Ambrose are half-siblings.

5. Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people. I still live in the house I grew up in. I'm about to start my senior year of high school. However, I'm spending the summer at my great aunt's house in France. She's sick in bed. I'm using the summer to practice my French and my college audition piece (I play the cello).

15. How would you describe your childhood in general? Nothing too unusual. I was sometimes lonely as an only child, but I always had a best friend or two to play with. My family didn't eat dinner together every night, but we probably did about half the time. My parents came to my cello recitals and everything. They did push me to keep playing when I wanted to quit in junior high, but I started liking it again around sophomore year. There's been some drama between me and my mom but for the most part, my parents give me enough independence that we don't fight that much.

16. What is your earliest memory? My father reading to me in French.

18. Did you enjoy school? Not really. I like playing in the orchestra, but I'm looking forward to focusing on music -- I don't love to read as much as my dad, and I'm not very good at math and science.

26. When and with whom was your first kiss? When I was thirteen, with a boy named Bradley who has since moved away.

27. Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity? Yes, I am a virgin. None of my friends are that popular with guys -- I don't think we give off a very welcoming vibe.

31. What do you consider your greatest achievement? This past year, I received great marks in the hardest competition I've ever entered.

32. What is your greatest regret? A few years ago, I had a falling out with my former best friend that was very nasty. I wish I'd handled it better, and I'm still ashamed of how I behaved.

35. When was the time you were the most frightened? When I found out my father has cancer (he's okay now).

41. What is your greatest fear? That I'll mess up my auditions and not get in anywhere

44. What are your views on sex? I'm not against premarital sex, I just haven't done it myself. I'm looking forward to having sex when I actually find a decent guy to do it with. I hope that will happen -- I haven't had much luck so far.

46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do? I have no patience for intolerance or hatred of any kind.

47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love? True love, not soulmates.

48. What do you believe makes a successful life? Success in a variety of areas -- career, family, social life

52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)? My family and friends.

55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why? My father, because he has achieved success in the way I've defined it for myself.

58. Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened. Yes, I fell in love with our substitute orchestra teacher in 10th grade. Nothing happened, except that I turned red every time he said something nice to me. I haven't had a real boyfriend. I've gone to dances with boys before, and I dated one for a few weeks, but nothing serious happened.

59. What do you look for in a potential lover? I would need a good person, someone who was kind and tolerant, and had half a brain. They would have to have at least some appreciation for music. I would have to be attracted to them too, although they wouldn't have to be extremely handsome.

61. Have you started your own family? If so, describe them. If not, do you want to? Why or why not? I do want to start a family some day, but I am investing more in myself and my career right now. I'm not sure if I could stay at home the way my mother has, but I do picture myself getting married and having children either way.

62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help? Ask my parents or my friends. I think that one or the other would be able to help me no matter what the situation was.

63. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why? I do trust my parents to make decisions in my best interests, although sometimes I want them to let me make my own mistakes. I am glad they made me stick with the cello, though.

66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict? With strangers, avoid conflict. With family and friends, argue.

67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations? Not really.

68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not? No, it makes me self-conscious and nervous. I prefer getting to know people in smaller groups.

69. Do you care what others think of you? I would be lying if I said no. Especially with the cello, I need the approval of others to have success in my career. But I also want my family and friends' approval in my decisions, big and small. I can live with them not approving of me all the time, but I want them to like me for who I am.

81. How do you deal with stress? Music music music . . . or bitching about it with my friends.

83. What are your pet peeves? Rudeness, flakiness.

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted? Well, my routine is about to change because I'm going on a trip. But during the school year, I'll get up, get ready, eat breakfast in the car (one of my friends drives me, I don't have my own car), go to school (eating lunch with friends), go to my lesson (or practice, depending on the day), go home, eat dinner, and then do homework (maybe interrupting my homework to talk on the phone with a friend, surf the internet, download some new music, or whatever). The weekends vary a lot more, but usually I practice in the mornings so that I can have my afternoons and evenings free.

85. What is your greatest strength as a person? I think I'm good at understanding things from other people's point of view

86. What is your greatest weakness? I would like to have more confidence in myself around guys.

87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I hate my hair.

90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at. I'm good at playing the cello, giving advice, and baking. I'm bad at sports, telling stories, and calculus.

93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime? I would love to go to Juilliard.

94. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Hopefully going into a great graduate program and dating someone I really love.

96. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left. Play the cello for the last time, go swimming in the ocean, lose my virginity.

100. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character? (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice...)

Keep playing the cello, ask a cute guy on a date, and don't go visit your aunt this summer.