Innocent Bystander: The Extras

Author's Note #4: Character Profile - Carter Norton

Carter only shows up for the prologue, a few scenes in the extras and literally nowhere else, so I've decided to give y'all more context as to who he is and what he does with his life. Enjoy.

Carter Elija Norton was born on March 18th, 1998 to Frank and Joanne Norton, who later had his two little sisters, Leah and Elizabeth (Lizzy). His parents were pretty well off financially, but they preferred to live a simple lifestyle, which is why Carter and his sisters never ended up in the private school system. They were also family friends with the McBride family, who were also pretty well to do. Thus, Carter spent a great deal of time around Josh and Sydney as a child. Though he'd always looked up to Sydney, he and Josh couldn't stand each other.

In his childhood, Carter spent the majority of his time reading books. From the moment he learned what words looked like on paper, he read more and more until he found himself at a much higher reading level than his peers. At the tender age of seven years old, he found one of Joanne's old psychology textbooks from university. It was slightly difficult to read at first, but once he got familiar with different words and what they meant, he quickly developed a passion for learning how the brain works.

Carter never quite liked sports as a child, however, Frank signed him up for junior lacrosse after Dave did the same thing with Josh. There, Carter befriended the likes of Nolan Holloway, Gabe Valet, Brian Franklin, and Aaron Carmichael. He also befriended Joey Greene, and they would stay friends until a social hierarchy was established in middle school. Though it was nothing compared to reading about psychology, Carter found enough enjoyment in playing lacrosse to continue doing it.

Middle school, to put it simply, was rough for Carter. Joey changed for the worse at the beginning of the seventh grade after Josh and his friend, Brett Foley, took him under their wing. Though it sucked, Carter never faulted Joey. Joining the bad guys was the only way a guy like him was going to survive middle school, after all. Though many of his peers, Gabe and Nolan in particular (the latter being by association), got mildly popular around that time as well, Carter was bullied relentlessly. The popular crowd (except for Gabe and Nolan) thought of him as a nerd because he actually enjoyed going to school and learning. They called him every name under the sun, shoved him into lockers, you name it, Carter suffered through it. Josh knowing what Carter was like when he was younger due to his connections didn't help matters at all. However, the bullying came to a halt at the end of the school year, when Brett thought it would be a fun idea to throw an apple at Carter like it was a dodgeball. The apple missed him by inches, but Nolan, being Carter's friend, wasn't about to let it go so easily. He marched up to Brett and punched him in the face so hard he wound up with a broken nose. This drew a line in the sand and ended most of the harassment for Carter. Once Brian and Aaron got to middle school, Carter made it a point to ensure they didn't have to go through the same thing he did (which wasn't that hard, since Joey never really bothered anyone once Josh and Brett left for high school).

The one good thing about middle school for Carter was meeting his best friend, Nick Boyle. Nick had transferred into the school from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Carter took a liking to him right off the bat, as Nick always stood up for him when he needed it most, not caring what could happen to him. Sure, Nick wanted to fit in, but he drew a line at harming those he cared about.

In hopes of attending Harvard University after high school, Carter strived for top marks in all his classes. He also joined the student council and the school lacrosse team and volunteered around town whenever he could. His passion for his academics rubbed off on his friends, who earned significantly higher grades with his help and influence. The bullying continued to cease, however, Josh in particular loved making snide remarks under his breath.

As mentioned in Author's Note One, he joined Monroe's hunter army in sophomore year because Monroe promised him volunteer hours, as well as a good reference for his resume and university application. It was against Carter's nature to harm anyone, human or not, so the hunter life was difficult for him to get used to. He always avoided places where law enforcement would be (he didn't go to the police station the night Nolan got arrested, using a "giant headache" as an excuse), as getting arrested would mean forfeiting his spot at Harvard.

After Brian's death, Carter did the right thing and defected himself from the hunters. Though he did his best to keep a level head after losing his friend, he developed an anxiety disorder due to his immense fear of Monroe coming back for vengeance, combined with the academic pressure he put on himself. This caused him to have panic attacks during difficult tests and exams. As a result, he started going to therapy and received academic accommodations in order to ease his mind a little. His family and friends did everything they could to support him through his struggles.

Thankfully for Carter, none of this stopped him from getting into Harvard. In his senior year, he became the head of the student council, found volunteer hours wherever he could, and became an advocate for supernatural rights and mental health. This, along with grades and dedication got him accepted into the university. He ended up becoming the school valedictorian and winning a ton of scholarships as well.

When he was twenty years old, he got a call from his mother, explaining to him that Leah had been turned into a banshee. It was at that moment that Carter knew he'd made the right choice when it came to defecting himself from Monroe's hunting organization.

Carter should be twenty-eight in the sequel, pursuing a career as a University Psychology professor.