Jessica Hamby

Grew Up… in Shreveport, Louisiana, a city neighboring Bon Temps. Her parents were strict and very religious, and forced Jessica and her younger sister into homeschooling. Her father was abusive and her mother was oblivious of this, which caused Jessica to resent her parents after she was turned into a vampire.

Living… with Bill Compton, her maker. After she was turned, Jessica joined Bill back at the Compton residence, where he taught her the basics of being a vampire. There he provided her with a coffin, taught her how to feed and warned her about the dangers and urges that come with being a “newborn.”

Profession… hostess at Merlotte’s. In order to keep her out of trouble, Sookie and Bill got Jessica a job to keep her busy. This is much to the horror of vampire-fearing waitress Arlene, with whom Jessica often has verbal spats. Though she stumbles through the job on the first day, she ends up being a reasonably stable worker, only occasionally causing trouble around the restaurant. 

Interests…though she’s not supposed to, Jessica loves feeding on humans and, like most vampires, secretly hates Tru Blood, the synthetic blood that allowed vampires to “come out of the coffin.” When she was turned, it was as if the world was opened to Jessica: no more praying, no more listening to purely Christian folk music and no more being locked in the house with her boring family. In addition to trying out all of her new abilities, Jessica loves to go out and party and explore the world she was deprived of for so long. 

Relationship Status… single. She’s mostly fascinated by her new freedom and abilities, so Jessica isn’t really interested in settling down with a boyfriend. But because she’s very beautiful, she’s often hit on at work and when she’s out partying. Though much more rebellious than when she was human, Jessica is still somewhat timid when it comes to the opposite sex. 

Challenge… learning how to control her new nature. Because she is both naïve and rebellious, Jessica often finds herself in serious trouble. She is torn between wanting to control her nature and become a better vampire and giving in to her desires. Unfortunately, she gives in more than she controls herself, often with near-disastrous results. Whether it’s pissing off an older vampire or almost killing a human, Bill always has to step in to protect her from herself.

Personality… after she was turned, Jessica’s personality changed dramatically. Once reserved and timid, she became much more adventurous and rebellious. Surprisingly, she retained some of her faith from her former life, and often prays when she does something wrong. She’s incredibly hard on herself and remorseful if she hurts someone, because she has trouble controlling her new urges. Though very naïve to both the human and the vampire worlds, she can hold her own in a fight and has been downright vicious when it comes to protecting the ones she loves.