Amanda Marin

Amanda "Mandy" Marin is a fictional character in the Dreams to Reality continuity that has appeared as a minor character in all three incarnations of the series. In the web series and novel series, she is involved in a love triangle with Sean Russell and Hillary Pamton, and is the younger sister of Angela Marin. In the novel series, she will develop an inferiority complex to her older sister, who is an over-achiever and leaves Amanda feeling left behind. In the novellas and web series, the character is always called "Mandy," while in the novel series, she will primarily be known by her full name of Amanda, and only be called "Mandy" when it is being spoken as dialogue.

In the web series (2000-2004)
One day in late spring at school, Mandy met up with her friends Jack Brock, Dustin Finley, and Jarrid Harlen in the hallway at school in between classes, where Jarrid was feeling depressed about not having a date to the upcoming school dance. Mandy was sympathetic to Jarrid, knowing that he was hurting, but Jarrid told her it wasn't her fault that his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Halloway, did what she did. Jack asked Jarrid if he was sure that Melinda Flint didn't lie, because Michael Bennett, who knows Nicole better than anybody, had said that Nicole swore to him that she didn't have sex with Josh Poncek. Jarrid wanted to believe Nicole, but added that Nicole had plenty of opportunities to tell him about her date with Josh and she didn't, so he had little reason not to believe Melinda's claim that she saw the two of them having sex. Mandy pointed out to him that just because Melinda says she saw that happen doesn't mean that she's telling the truth, but Jarrid responded that it also didn't mean that Nicole was telling the truth, either. Dustin asked Jarrid what he planned to do about it, and Jarrid said he was going to get on with his life, and that if he and Nicole were meant to be together, they would be, and she is with Josh now, anyway. Nicole arrived at this point and tells Jarrid that the only reason why she's with Josh is because he dumped her. Jarrid told Nicole that if she really wanted to be with him, she wouldn't have gone on a date with Josh in the first place, and Nicole insists that she didn't have sex with Josh. Mandy tried to play devil's advocate, but Nicole would only tell Mandy to back off, which would lead to Jack ushering Mandy and Dustin away from the scene to allow Jarrid and Nicole to talk in private. (DtRW #1)

After her next class, Mandy again met up with Jack and Jarrid, and the three were supposed to meet up with Dustin at his locker, but on their way, they happened upon a stairway, where Danielle Grayson was kneeling beside an unconscious Nicole, who had fallen down the flight of stairs. Mandy watched as Jarrid became visibly worried about Nicole's well-being as he rushed over to help as Danielle, and later Josh as well, tried to revive Nicole. Soon, Lisa Walker would arrive on the scene and exclaim, "Oh, she couldn't have--could she?" Jack asked Lisa what she meant by this, and Lisa revealed that Nicole and Melinda had gotten into a fight during their science class, and that before Mrs. Jackson kicked them both out of the room, Melinda had threatened Nicole that she would pay for starting a fight with her. Jarrid and Josh both asked Lisa if she was sure that Melinda had something to do with Nicole's fall down the stairs, and Lisa admitted she wasn't positive, and that Nicole's fall very well might have been an accident, but pointed out that Melinda left the classroom after Nicole did, and even if Melinda was ahead of Nicole on the stairs, surely she would have heard Nicole fall down the stairs and would have checked on her. Mandy pointed out that this would be the perfect place for Melinda to try to finish Nicole off after they were trying to kill each other right before they came up the stairs, and added that if Melinda had nothing to do with this, she should have helped Nicole when she fell, and instead is nowhere to be seen now. Jack figured they wouldn't be able to find out what happened until Nicole wakes up, but when Lisa glumly agreed, "Yeah, if she wakes up," Jarrid became very upset and insisted that Nicole would wake up and be fine. Brandon Danber came down the stairs at this point and announced that he had news, and Mandy informed him that Nicole was just taken out to an ambulance on a stretcher. Jack noticed that a second ambulance was outside the school and wondered why, and Brandon said that was part of his news, but revealed that he had also spoken to Melinda in the office, and that Nicole's fall down the stairs was deliberately orchestrated by Melinda. Jarrid couldn't believe Melinda could do such a thing, but Brandon said that Melinda has gone over the deep end, but that Mrs. Manning was currently trying to "bring her down a couple of pegs." Brandon then revealed that Mark Shane had been knocked unconscious as well, outside on the baseball field during physical education class, when Brandon accidentally hit a line drive right back at Mark after he pitched the ball, striking Mark in the chest, knocking him backward, and making his head hit off the ground. Jack asked Brandon if Mark would be okay, and Brandon said that while he feels awful for putting Mark in the hospital, he should be fine, and that when Mark came home, he'd stop beating himself up. Lisa briefly gave Brandon a hug before Brandon left the group, and Jack reminded Mandy and Jarrid that they were supposed to meet Dustin at his locker. Jack figured that Dustin probably thought they had disappeared, and they headed to their next class, which was in the school's library with Dustin. (DtRW #1)

During that class, Mandy, Jack, and Jarrid filled Dustin in about what happened to Nicole (and presumably Mark, as well), and Dustin asked if Nicole is okay. Jack told him that Nicole was still unconscious when she was being taken to the ambulance. When Dustin asked what happened to Melinda, Mandy explained to him that Brandon saw her in the office, and speculated that Melinda would be getting suspended for the rest of the school year, and perhaps even part of the following school year or even expelled. (DtRW #1)

At the end of the school day, David Richards met up with Mandy at her locker, and they asked each other how their day was. Mandy sarcastically told David that it had been a wonderful day, first, with Nicole being pushed down the stairs, and then Mark's accident. David had not yet heard about these events, taking particular interest in Nicole's accident, asking Mandy what had happened. Mandy explained that Nicole and Melinda had a fight during their seventh-period class, and that Mrs. Jackson had sent them to the principal's office, and that Melinda and Nicole then got into a fight at the top of the stairs, and Melinda deliberately pushed Nicole down the stairs, knocking Nicole unconscious, and then Nicole was taken to the hospital. David asked if Josh knew about this, and Mandy went on to explain that Melinda had told Brandon Danber what she had done, and he told Josh, Danielle, and Ashley earlier. David was concerned about this and told her to come with him to stop Josh from doing something that he would regret later. (DtRW #2)

Mandy and David soon came upon Josh holding Melinda over the top of a secluded stairway in the school, preparing to push her down the stairs in retaliation for her pushing Nicole down the stairs earlier. Mandy worked her way in between Josh and Melinda, allowing Melinda to move to safety away from the stairs. Josh demanded to know what Mandy thought she was doing, and Mandy told him that he could have killed Melinda. Josh thought that Melinda deserved everything she gets. Melinda pleaded with Josh not to say that, and Mandy told her to shut up. A furious Josh asked Melinda why he shouldn't say that, because Nicole may die because of what Melinda did. He demanded to know why Melinda shouldn't be the next one to take a tumble. Mandy tried to calm Josh down, imploring him to think about what he's doing and telling him that if he were to push Melinda down the stairs, he would be no better than she is. David agreed with Mandy and told Josh to stop this. Melinda was less convinced that her life might be in danger and let out a sarcastic, "Oh, please." Mandy then turned on Melinda, demanding that she say what she has to say. Melinda didn't believe that Josh was actually going to throw her down the stairs, but Josh yelled at her that he was going to, calling Melinda a "stupid whore." At that point, David pulled Josh away from the scene to calm him down, leaving Mandy with Melinda. Mandy asked Melinda if t was worth it to ruin everyone's lives by telling Jarrid "that ridiculous lie" about Nicole sleeping with Josh, accusing her of being so desperate to get Josh back that she's pushing people down flights of stairs. Mandy hoped that it was worth it to Melinda. Melinda told Mandy that she [Mandy] didn't know what she was talking about, and told her to "stay the hell out of it." Mandy tried again, saying that she knows that Melinda has had a few months watching Nicole and Josh get closer, but Melinda angrily cut her off, telling her to shut up and that Mandy doesn't even know her or what she's talking about. Mandy assured Melinda that she wasn't judging her or what she's done. Mandy admits that Melinda telling Jarrid that Josh and Nicole had sex was pretty bad, but she's gotten over it. Mandy then pointed out that Melinda has been fixed on trying to get Josh back when it was her own fault that Josh dumped her in the first place because of what she had told Jarrid. This prompted Melinda to slap Mandy in the face and ordered her to leave her alone and to stay away from her or else she would be the next one "taking a tumble down the stairs." Melinda turned and ran down the stairs away from Mandy, who rubbed her cheek and muttered, "Bitch," under her breath. (DtRW #2)

Later on, Mandy met up with Travis Sirlon, Josh, and David at Portage General Memorial Hospital, her right cheek still red from where Melinda had slapped her. Josh asked her what happened to her face, and Mandy explained that Melinda thought it would be nice to slap her and then threaten her with a tumble down the stairs. David asked her where Melinda was, but Mandy neither knew nor cared. At this point, Rachel McCarey, Michael, Jarrid, Jack, and Dustin approached the group. Jack asked Travis what he was doing there, as he had been absent that day and he wouldn't have known about Nicole and Mark's accidents. Travis explianed that Josh had called and told him about it and that his mother had came to pick him up, and brought him here. Michael then asked Josh how his confrontation with Melinda went. Josh asked him how he knew that he had confronted Melinda, and Michael said simply that he had figured Josh would. Josh said that he had figured right and confessed to nearly pushing Melinda down the stairs, and that he was sick of defending himself, claiming to only had been trying to scare Melinda, and he had succeeded. Michael changed the subject, and told the group that Jarrid, Rachel, Jack, and Dustin "about pissed their pants when this note here, attached to an arrow, was shot at them, landing in the side of Jarrid's mother's brand new Pontiac Grand Am." He gave the note to Josh to read, who wanted to know who shot the note at them. Jarrid didn't know, and asked if Nicole was really dead. Josh assured him that he had just seen Nicole a couple of minutes before and that she had regained consciousness. Michael asked him when he saw Nicole exactly, and Josh said that it had just been a couple of minutes before, at about 2:55. Jack said that they had gotten the note right after school, and that whoever shot it at them had to have been lying. Rachel wasn't so sure, saying that whoever shot the note at them had to have been at the school at the time, and suggested that whoever shot it at them thought that this would scare them to death, giving him or her time to come to the hospital and kill Nicole, and get out of there before anyone came to check on her. Jack told Rachel that she had seen too many horror movies, and said that when they start seeing Jason Voorhies or Freddy Kreuger skulking around Eagle Creek, then they start worrying, and wrote the note off as a stupid prank. Michael wasn't so sure, saying that whoever shot the arrow at them obviously has no qualms about hurting someone, as they could have hit one of them and probably wanted to hit one of them anyway, or else the shooter is a sharpshooter. Josh agreed with Michael and suggested that there may be a full-fledged psychopath running around Eagle Creek who may want to hurt one of them. Mandy suggested that they should call the police, but Travis agreed with Jack that this was just some stupid, sick joke. Travis tried to assure everyone that no one was going to kill Nicole or Jarrid, and unless they see Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette in Eagle Creek, they shouldn't worry about this. Josh then changed his mind, saying they should wait to see if this was an isolated incident. However, at this point, Mandy and the others heard Nicole screaming from her hospital room nearby, prompting Josh and Michael to rush off to check on Nicole. (DtRW #2)

Soon, Mandy, Jarrid, Jack, Dustin, David, and Rachel moved into a hospital waiting room and watched an episode of The Jerry Springer Show on the television in the room. Danielle would meet the group in the waiting room and ask for an update on Mark and Nicole. David told her that they hadn't heard anything about Mark yet, but that Nicole had regained consciousness. Rachel then led Danielle away to speak with her privately. After a couple of minutes, Danielle loudly proclaimed that she coudldn't believe Michael had asked Rachel to the dance, which worried David. Danielle would soon loudly say she needed to talk to David, then approached David and asked to speak with him. Despite David's protests, Danielle would grab David's arm and drag him away from the group, to their amusement. After a brief, animated discussion with David, Danielle would leave the room in tears, leaving David to return to his seat with Mandy and the others. Dustin asked David what that was about, but David told him not to worry about it. Jack wouldn't let David off the hook that easily, saying that Danielle had just come in there and about dragged him out of there like she was his mother, and asked what was going on. Before David could answer, however, Rocky Fronset entered the room, asking for an update on Mark and Nicole. Dustin informed him that Nicole had regained consciousness, and Rachel told him that there may be a psychopath running around trying to kill people. Rocky asked her what she was talking about, and Jarrid explained that he got an arrow and a note from "a deranged Cupid" in the side of his mother's car that told him that Nicole was dead and that he would be next if he got in the way. Rocky was confused, because Dustin told him that Nicole had regained consciousness, and Jack explained that Nicole wasn't really dead, and that they were hoping that it was just some sick joke, but they didn't know for sure. Jarrid then had an idea about who might have done this, and excused himself to make a phone call. When he returned to the group, Rachel asked him who he called. Jarrid explained that he had called Melinda, thinking that it might have been her, but it wasn't. Jack asked what was wrong, and Jarrid explained to them that when he was grilling Melinda, she told him something pretty strange, and  told them about a mysterious answering machine message she received from a person claiming to be her father, who wanted to get rid of Nicole. (DtRW #2)

Background & Trivia

 * The character of Amanda, or "Mandy," has always been a minor character since her inception during the novella stage of the series, but in the novel series, she is expected to play a very minimal role. She will likely still appear and may perhaps have a hand in a storyline or two, but she is not expected to play a large role in the novel series at all, despite her steady amount of appearances throughout the web series.
 * Mandy was originally supposed to enter into a romantic relationship with Jarrid Harlen, but she would eventually be rewritten into a relationship with Sean Russell during the web series.