Character Relationship Map: Pernicious

Characters

• Alex (played by Ciara Hanna) — protagonist

  Alex is one of the three women who travel to rural Thailand to teach children for a month. She notices the strange spirit house, questions the reality of the gold statue, and joins Julia and Rachel in...

• Julia (played by Emily O'Brien) — protagonist

  Julia is one of the three visiting teachers in Thailand and helps Alex and Rachel investigate the unsettling house. She explains that the small dollhouse-like structure is a sacred spirit house, share...

• Rachel (played by Jackie Moore) — supporting

  Rachel is one of the three women staying in the Thai house while teaching children. Despite Alex and Julia’s concerns, she approaches Colin and his friends at the bar, contributing to the events that...

• Vanida (played by Irada Hoyos) — supporting

  Vanida is the young daughter sacrificed during a ritual intended to save Samorn and her unborn son. Her remains were encased in gold, and the resulting amulet was placed in the spirit house to contain...

• Colin (played by Russell Geoffrey Banks) — supporting

  Colin is a man observed watching Alex, Julia, and Rachel at a bar with his friends. Rachel approaches the group despite the others’ suspicions, and the men later disappear after spending the night wit...

• Shane (played by Jared Cohn) — supporting

  Shane helps Alex, Julia, and Rachel interpret the mysterious gold object. He explains that it may be a kumari, an illegal ritual artifact made from a murdered child’s remains, and warns that the child...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Rachel → Colin (Brief Romantic Encounter) — The plot establishes a short-lived intimate encounter without confirming a lasting romance.

  Rachel approaches Colin and his friends at the bar, and the women eventually spend the night with the men.

Story Dynamics

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

• Vanida → Rachel (Conflict Supernatural Antagonist) — Vanida's unresolved vengeance places Rachel in danger.

  The women are told that Vanida's spirit escaped from the artifact and is seeking revenge after the ritual object was released.

• Vanida → Julia (Conflict Supernatural Antagonist) — Vanida represents the central supernatural threat to Julia.

  The released spirit of Vanida is identified as the force behind the supernatural danger confronting the three women.

• Vanida → Alex (Conflict Supernatural Antagonist) — Vanida's curse threatens Alex directly as she tries to escape the house.

  The artifact's release allows Vanida's restless spirit to escape, and the women are warned that she cannot be stopped.

• Shane → Rachel (Narrative Expositor) — Shane acts as an interpreter of Rachel's supernatural threat.

  Shane tells the women that the object may contain the remains of a violently killed child and may have released a vengeful spirit.

• Shane → Julia (Narrative Expositor) — Shane helps Julia understand the danger surrounding the statue.

  Shane explains the ritual artifact's origin, its illegal history, and the possibility that its spirit is seeking revenge.

• Shane → Alex (Narrative Expositor) — Shane provides Alex with the supernatural explanation for the events.

  Shane explains to the group that the artifact may be a kumari and that the child's spirit may be seeking revenge.

• Colin → Julia (Conflict Adversary) — Colin's group becomes a source of danger and violation for Julia.

  After the night with Colin and his friends, Julia discovers that the women's gold jewelry and personal belongings are missing.

• Colin → Alex (Conflict Adversary) — Colin is associated with the threatening group responsible for the theft.

  Colin and his friends watch the women, disappear after the night together, and leave the women to discover that their jewelry and belongings have been...

• Julia → Rachel (Alliance Teammate) — They function as members of the same support group.

  Julia and Rachel travel with Alex, stay in the same house, and face the consequences of the men's disappearance and theft together.

• Alex → Rachel (Alliance Teammate) — Their shared mission creates a practical alliance.

  Alex and Rachel arrive together in rural Thailand and share the house, the break-in, and the investigation of the statue.

• Alex → Julia (Alliance Teammate) — They cooperate as members of the teaching group.

  Alex and Julia travel together with Rachel to Thailand to teach children and jointly respond to the strange events at the house.

Story Analysis

Three women confront a supernatural curse after a stolen gold artifact releases the restless spirit of a sacrificed child.

Plot Progression

1. A House Beyond Comfort — Alex, Julia, and Rachel arrive in rural Thailand to teach children and settle into an unexpectedly unsettling house. The spirit house and other strange details establish an atmosphere of uncertainty.
2. The Night of Missing Memories — At a bar, the women encounter Colin and his friends despite warnings about their behavior. After spending the night with them, the women find the men gone, their belongings stolen, and their memories...
3. The Statue Nobody Saw — The women remember a life-sized gold statue, but the housing director denies that it exists. A warning about a murdered child shifts the mystery from suspected theft toward supernatural danger.
4. The Curse Revealed — Shane describes the kumari artifact and the possibility of a vengeful spirit. When the women try to leave, an elderly craftsman recounts Vanida's sacrifice and the failed ritual.
5. Escape Without Release — The women learn that Vanida's spirit cannot be stopped because the artifact has been released. They leave with an amulet, but the curse remains unresolved.