Raffaele Laurent Bessette

Raffaele Bessette
Member of the Dagger Society
Aliases	The Messenger
Age	18+
Gender	Male
Species	Human (Malfetto)
Hair	Black w/ Blue streaks
Eyes	Green (left) Gold (right)
Family	Unnamed Mother 5 Unnamed Brothers
Allies	The Dagger Society
Enemies	The Inquisition Axis
Status	Alive

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb In the shape of an "L" on her forehead

Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn't make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold

It's a cool place and they say it gets colder You're bundled up now, wait till you get older But the meteor men beg to differ Judging by the hole in the satellite picture The ice we skate is getting pretty thin The water's getting warm so you might as well swim My world's on fire, how about yours? That's the way I like it and I never get bored

Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid All that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold

Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show, on get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars

Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas? I need to get myself away from this place I said yep what a concept I could use a little fuel myself And we could all use a little change

Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn't make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go (go!) You'll never shine if you don't glow

Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold

And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold

Powers and Abilities

Raffaele can see and sense all the energy in the world and very slightly alter them. The threads are what connect everything to everything else. He learned about energy through “Trial and Error,” and with each new Young Elite he meets, he learns, experiments, and records. As Raffaele once said, "It all began with energy". It forms the land, air, sea, and all living things. It is what breathes life into everything. It is what gives them their powers. Raffaele can see threads of energy in shades of blues and greens, reds and golds. To Raffaele the world is made of countless threads of energy that connect all things. These threads give the world both its color and its life. Most people don’t have enough energy to manipulate their connections to the world. But Raffaele's body and that of the other Elites are linked to the world in a way they were never meant to be linked. This link allows them to pull on threads in specific ways to do specific things. Lucent, for example, can pull on the threads to control wind. Enzo pulls on threads of heat from others and himself, and from heat sources like the sun. Although for Raffaele, even though he can see and sense every thread in the world, he can only tug faintly on them. He uses this ability to sense threads of energy from other Elites from a great distances and when the power in question is potent enough, it can be intoxicating and if close enough, overwhelming. The threads of energy connect not only physical things, but also emotions, thoughts, and feelings—fear, hate, love, joy, sorrow. He has the ability to pull on all those threads. By reaching out with his own energy, Raffaele can calm and sooth others or make them fall in love with him, giving the way he looks and the fact he can literally pull on their heartstrings makes him irresistible. The feeling is described as a sudden tug at the heart, as if the sight of him had set butterflies loose in the chest.

Trivia

• Marie Lu's original name for him was Tye.
  • Tye coincidentally makes up the initials of "The Young Elites".
• Raffaele was the series' former protagonist. He became a secondary character, however, when Lu believed that he was too bland and uninspired for the role. Adelina Amouteru is now the series' protagonist.
• Author Marie Lu said in a Q&A that Raffaele was the character that came most naturally to her when writing.
• He uses different gems and stones to gain insight into how Adelina's powers work, and it's likely he does this for all new possible members of the Dagger Society.
• He thought that Enzo should not allow Adelina to join the Dagger Society, and just kill her instead, because of something evil and sinister is inside her.

Trivia

• Artwork by Tumblr user Deanpinterester