(Thanks to Wikipedia!)

Mai

The Mai are a fictional race of supernatural beings that Chloe learns she is a member of on her sixteenth birthday.

History

The Mai once acted as defenders of the human race, first as guardians for Egyptian pharaohs. Descendants of the Egyptian cat-goddess Bastet, the part-god, part-human Mai used their cat-like attributes to serve and advise humans. The Mai’s role as protectors lasted until the 16th century B.C.E. when they were defeated by the Ramesses. The daughter of Ramesses III fell in love with a Mai, but the pharaoh banned their nuptuails, so they eloped. When the humans and Mai learned of the union, the Mai boy was apprehended and killed by the Egyptians, causing the divide between the two races to grow deeper. As the Third Intermediate Period began, the Mai were shunned from society and a fictional organization called The Order emerged. The Order, a group of human assassins, began hunting the half-god race until they were nearly extinct. The fight between the Mai and the Order forced the Mai into hiding and is said to have been so violent, it is supposedly the cause of some of the world’s most famous and bloodiest wars.

Present Day

The Mai have now spread out worldwide, with some Mai settlements remaining in Europe (most notably, in Ukraine) and San Francisco, Sao Paulo, and Hong Kong. Folklore predicts a “Uniter,” a Mai born with nine lives, is the only one who will be able to end the Mai-Human war and restore balance between the two races. When Chloe is pushed from Coit Tower and is not killed, her Mai peers Alek and Jasmine conclude she is the Uniter with eight remaining lives.

Characteristics

Because of their cat-like abilities, the Mai were natural protectors of the Egyptians and possess several abilities and gifts, and also several weaknesses. Traits include:

• Enhanced strength, speed, and stamina
• Magnified reflexes and agility (allowing Mai to land on their feet after falling great distances)
• Increased healing and resistance to poison
• Heightened senses including hearing and smell
• Improved night vision
• Retractable claws

Any intimate actions between a Mai and a human is harmful to the human, resulting in the human’s paralysis and/or death within a few hours. Only the Uniter can be resurrected, although each death will get more painfull as time goes on.

Notable Mai

• Chloe King (the Uniter)
• Alek
• Jasmine
• Valentina