Charlotte Baxter

Born a twin to Caroline and Jacob Baxter, a stay-at-home mother and a Marine father, Charlotte learned early on how to entertain and care for herself, as her brother was often more than a handful. Michael would act out and throw a fit any time he didn't get his way. If Char got a new toy, Mikey wanted one, too. The only time he truly behaved was when their father returned from deployment. While brief, those moments of peace gave their mother a few days of sanity.

They were 10 years old when a roadside bomb disrupted the convoy Jacob was part of. Shrapnel destroyed his, earning him a Purple Heart, a total knee replacement, and disability pay. As much as he wanted to jump back in the fray, the Gunnery Sergeant was placed on administrative duty as a recruiter. With their father home more regularly, Michael grew out of his tantrums and Charlotte began taking up hobbies that she hadn't been allowed to, before.

Char graduated high school with top marks, completed two years at a vocational college, and opened a bakery with her best friend. Michael, on the other hand, opted to follow in his father's footsteps and enlist in the Marines. He'd gone through his first tour fairly unscathed and was halfway through his second when their mother's worst fears were realized. Caroline's scream after answering the door still haunts Charlotte's memories.