major tw: domestic violence, SA
Ella Naomi Desjardin (30) is Catie’s childhood best friend, although the two would subsequently fall out in their early teens as the ghosts became more prominent, culminating in a total breakdown of trust. Life was never pleasant, or even safe, within the Desjardin household: Ella’s father was a very violent man who subjected his wife and three daughters to regular terror whenever he’d explode into a fit of rage - the kind that needed nothing as an incitement - often culminating in him assaulting his wife. On several occasions Ella’s older sister tried to intervene, leading to her getting beaten too, and it would then be her job [as she saw it being the middle child] to rake care of her while comforting her younger sister as well. Due to Mr. Desjardin having a good reputation within the local community - working as the deputy manager of a power plant and being heavily involved in charity drives - it was never thought he was an absolute monster at home, and this created an environment where his children felt unable to tell any other adults in their lives. People respected their father, idolised him even, who was there to listen? Never mind the fact he did a good job as painting himself as a victim - to complete his designs for total control - thanks to being the only man in a household of women; implying to teachers that his daughters cared much more for their mother and that he was unfairly maligned from the family dynamic because of this gender divide.
Catie was one of the few people who had any idea of what Ella went through at home. While she wasn’t completely forthcoming about the reality of things, she did know Ella’s father was an aggressive and domineering man, and in the years before her belief in ghosts consumed her life, this served as a great comfort to her friend. In turn, Catie would confide in Ella about the difficult relationship between her grandmother and her own siblings, with the pair spending a lot of time together thanks to a mutual interest in the supernatural; even making their own ouija board one Halloween.
At fifteen, Ella started seeing an older guy, stemming from the promise he made about providing her an escape from her awful father. They met through her weekend job at a local garage, and - in spite of him being 21, older than her big sister - he seemed much better to Ella than any of the guys she was at school with; primarily because of how he was the paragon of maturity as far as she was concerned. He helped her begin storing up money for when she was legally old enough to move out of her parents house, although he was careful to keep the relationship between them secret [something Ella went along with as she was very used to hiding things from others]. It did make her uncomfortable concealing the truth from her mom and sisters - the people she trusted, loved and relied on emotionally most of all - but her boyfriend promised he could help them too, as long as Ella didn’t reveal they were dating ‘for a while’. For how perfect he seemed to her, the one thing that was upsetting was how he quickly began bringing up sex; insisting it was the best way for them to express their commitment and devotion to one another. At this point, Ella was only sixteen and not at all certain about progressing to that with anyone - even the man she felt she loved - but he pressured and persisted until she gave in; something that wpuld haunt and remain with her for the rest of her life. This would be what destroyed the house of cards that her father had so carefully constructed.
Ella’s older sister found a note she’d written one day while looking to borrow some clothes in her room and it was then that she realised it wasn’t a boy Ella was dating, but a fully grown man. She rang the police immediately - in spite of not consulting her father, who insisted any emergency calls went through him - and upon arriving at the house, the youngest Desjardin broke down when police asked if she knew how old Ella’s boyfriend was. Not about the fact she secretly knew but because she was afraid he’d turn out like their father and start physically attacking her. What would come of this bombshell was several things: Ella’s father and abuser were both arrested; she briefly fell out with her sisters given they’d unveiled the nature of her relationship; and their mom managing to get a restraining order, with the wider community finally coming to see what had been going on under their noses. The one person Ella felt she could talk to during this time was Catie - everything she knew was collapsing and she was terrified one error could unleash her fathers’ wrath back upon the family - but her childhood friend only wanted the ghosts by now [even favourably comparing them to Ella in the moment]. It was devastating, and she refused to call Catie her friend from that point onwards.
A little ironically, Ella now works as a pharmacist, and Ofelia has been in contact with her to enquire about appropriate medication, as well as how to convince Catie to attend a proper psychological assessment. While she isn’t interested in rekindling a friendship [Ella always had quite an aloof manner, retaining a cool politeness in how she interacts with those outside her inner circle], the extent of Catie’s dependency on the ghosts is seriously concerning to her, as after they stopped hanging out she assumed this interest would fade as other aspects of life took over. Ella’s still very close with her own sisters, who she credits to helping her process the abuse she was subjected to, and they frequently visit their mother, who moved to be closer to her older brother. She’s actually been in a relationship with one of Yumiko’s supervisors - a zoologist who specialises in reptilian life - for 6 years, and the couple have a 3-month-old adopted son, which is why the other woman is staying in Canada while her student’s enjoying Borneo; but the little boy is the absolute centre of their world, and what means the most to Ella is seeing those she loves happy and safe.