Character Relationship Map: The Initiation

Characters

• Kelly Fairchild (played by Daphne Zuniga) — supporting

  The protagonist and college student who investigates her recurring nightmares about a man being burned alive. She participates in a sorority initiation, survives multiple encounters with the killer, a...

• Peter (played by James Read) — supporting

  Kelly's psychology seminar graduate assistant who investigates her nightmares. He uncovers connections to Jason Randall and Frances, travels to the department store, and is fatally stabbed by the kill...

• Marcia (played by Marilyn Kagan) — supporting

  One of the main pledges in Kelly's sorority. She participates in the initiation ritual, survives an encounter with the killer alongside Kelly, and is ultimately dragged into an elevator shaft by the m...

• Jason Randall (played by Robert Dowdell) — supporting

  Kelly's biological father and a former store manager who was burned in an altercation with Dwight. He escapes from a psychiatric hospital, pursues Kelly to the roof, and is knocked off by a pipe durin...

• Chad (played by Christopher Bradley) — minor
• Alison (played by Hunter Tylo) — supporting

  One of Kelly's roommates and a sorority pledge. She discovers the bodies of the night watchman and Chad, hides at a security desk, and is ultimately stabbed to death by the killer.

• Megan (played by Frances Peterson) — supporting

  The head sorority sister who facilitates the initiation by allowing pledges to sneak into the store. She is killed by the murderer using a bow and arrow while attempting to scare the pledges.

• Beth (played by Paula Knowles) — supporting

  A sorority pledge who participates in the preparation for the initiation but quits the ritual shortly before the group enters the department store.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kelly Fairchild → Megan (Power Initiation Authority) — Megan controls the initiation ritual involving Kelly.

  Megan is the head sorority sister who facilitates the initiation that Kelly and the other pledges undertake.

• Kelly Fairchild → Jason Randall (Family Biological Father) — Jason's identity connects Kelly's nightmare to her concealed family history.

  The newspaper research leads Peter to suspect that Jason is Kelly's biological father.

• Kelly Fairchild → Peter (Professional Psychology Mentor) — Peter supervises Kelly's academic investigation into her nightmare.

  Peter is the graduate assistant in Kelly's psychology seminar and agrees to conduct a sleep study concerning her recurring nightmare.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jason Randall → Peter (Narrative Investigative Subject) — Jason is the central subject of Peter's investigation.

  Peter investigates newspaper clippings that identify Jason as the burned man from Kelly's dream and later finds him at the store.

• Megan → Chad (Alliance Initiation Collaborators) — Chad participates in Megan's arranged scare.

  Megan allows Chad, Ralph, and Andy to break into the store to scare the pledges.

• Alison → Chad (Social Temporary Companions) — They temporarily move through the store together before Chad's death.

  Alison and Chad wander around the store together, although Chad is later found dead in a bathroom stall.

• Marcia → Alison (Alliance Pledge Teammates) — They share the initiation mission and the escalating danger.

  Marcia and Alison enter the department store with Kelly as members of the same pledge group.

• Kelly Fairchild → Beth (Social Sorority Companion) — Beth belongs to Kelly's pledge group but withdraws before the main ordeal.

  Beth joins Kelly, Marcia, and Alison as one of the four main pledges before quitting the initiation.

• Kelly Fairchild → Alison (Social Roommate And Teammate) — Their roommate relationship becomes a practical survival partnership.

  Alison is identified as Kelly's roommate and sorority pledge, and Kelly directs Alison to hide at the security desk.

• Kelly Fairchild → Marcia (Alliance Teammate) — Marcia is Kelly's closest surviving companion during the store ordeal.

  Kelly and Marcia participate in the sorority initiation together, reunite after being separated, and seek safety together in a freight elevator.

Story Analysis

A college student's recurring nightmare leads to a deadly department-store initiation and the revelation of a concealed family identity.

Plot Progression

1. The Nightmare Takes Shape — Kelly seeks an explanation for her recurring vision of a burning man. Peter supports a sleep-study project, but the investigation is blocked before the sorority initiation begins.
2. Locked Inside Danger — Kelly and the pledges enter the department store for their initiation. A staged scare becomes a series of murders, and the survivors discover that the building is locked.
3. Buried History Surfaces — Peter finds newspaper evidence linking Kelly's nightmare to Jason Randall and a past fire. Inside the store, the survivors discover bodies while the killer continues attacking them.
4. The Store Becomes A Trap — Marcia loses Ralph and is dragged into the elevator shaft. Kelly confronts Jason on the roof, then returns to a final revelation involving the killer's identity.
5. The Twin Revealed — Peter is stabbed after mistaking the killer for Kelly. Kelly confronts her disturbed twin, who is shot before completing the murder, leaving Kelly shocked by the truth.