Sarah Rees-Tomme -A girl who attended Spence alongside Mary Dowd, and was featured in the diary of Mary Dowd, a diary which was instrumental to introducing Gemma, Felicity, Ann and Pippa into the Realms. She and Mary were the best of friends, and journied together to the Realms alongside Eugenia Spence, one of the elders of the Order. After some time in the Realms, Sarah began going by the alias Cerce
Aftersome time, Sarah's power began to weaken and she feared her power would disappear altogether. She could no longer summon the door of light. This terrified her into going to extreme lengths. She spoke with the dark spirits in the WInterlands, and they told her power would be granted to her with a sacrifice.
Sarah and Mary together brought a young gypsy girl, Carolina, to the third floor wing where they summoned the creature from the Winterlands. Though Mary was terrified, she followed through with the demand set before her and Sarah in order to gain more power. She smothered the girl unknowing that the creature wanted her alive. As a result the creature was not pleased and demanded payment claiming Sarah for the Winterlands.
Eugenia came running to the girls rescue, sacrificing herself in place of Sarah so they would live. She closed the Realms as a fire spread throughout the wing. The girls faked there deaths. Sarah moved on changing her name to Hester Moore.
Miss Hester Asa Moore- A teacher at Spence Academy who was formally Sarah Reese-Toome, presumed to be dead in the fire of the East Wing in 1871. She becomes the villain Circe who remains as the main antagonist of the story. She is thought to be killed by Gemma in the second book, but it is discovered that she is merely trapped in the realms forever in the well of eternity. As a result, Circe now knows almost everything about the realms. She counsels Gemma for the price of some magic. However, she later betrays Gemma and uses the magic to escape from the well. She tries to take the magic for herself, but she is captured in the Winterlands and sacrificed to the Tree of All Souls. When Gemma faces her choice with the Fates, she gives up her place to Miss Moore, who would otherwise would have to continually wander in the mist
A girl who attended Spence alongside Mary Dowd, and was featured in the diary of Mary Dowd, a diary which was instrumental to introducing Gemma, Felicity, Ann and Pippa into the Realms