Name: Number Eight

Legal Name: Alexander Campbell (Legally changed from Magnus Campbell in 2008)

Early Media Moniker: The Passenger

Alias (siblings): Eight, Alex or Magnus (depending on whether they choose to acknowledge his name change or not)

Description:

Alex is a lean, average-muscled man looking at least five years younger than his thirty years. He's got a face easily described as pretty, of the kind that would belong well on a Hollywood heartthrob or a boy band singer, with a mop of platinum blonde hair, expressive green eyes and full lips that often seem to barely contain a playful smile at their corners. He doesn't look feminine, but his looks are definitely on the cute end of the masculine spectrum.

Most people tend to feel at ease around Alex. He typically displays a relaxed and pleasant demeanor, and is a friendly and witty conversation partner. He is an attentive listener, too, and even people who are distrustful as they engage in conversation with him tend to relax and open up after a little while.

There's a limit to how far he allows the familiarity to go, however. Those who become his friends or lovers - of whom there have been plenty - discover soon enough that there's a threshold of emotional intimacy he simply won't allow them to pass. The ones who accept being held, gently but firmly, at an emotional arm's length, find him an affectionate but somewhat distant companion. Those who don't typically part ways with him on amicable terms. Alex has few personal enemies.

Only his siblings and the other few members of the Academy's inner circle know him well. The one who knows him best of all is his lover and adoptive brother, Four.

As a Kid:

Magnus was a fairly timid boy during his early childhood, who cried easily and often had trouble sleeping. His fairly frequent seizures often left him fatigued, and he had trouble keeping up with his siblings in their daily activities.

At around age seven or eight, after he got the accidental uses of his power under control with Campbell's help, his confidence and general quality of life improved considerably. He became happier, and though he was always a bit of a day-dreamer, his performance within the various disciplines of training improved dramatically. Timidity and tears gave way to playfulness and a keen wit.

During his early teens, as their heroics career began in earnest, Magnus was a willing and valuable member of the team, enjoying the challenge the jobs offered and often playing an integral role on infiltration missions in particular.

As he grew into his mid-teens, Magnus began to chafe under Campbell's overbearing control over his and his siblings' lives, and began to resist and rebel, in small ways at first, but escalating into greater and greater acts of disobedience.

His conflict with his adoptive father came to a head when the relationship between Magnus and Four was revealed, and the two of them refused to end it. Eight and Campbell were never on good terms after that, and after the Academy was disbanded, they haven't spoken to each other at all.