Elena Anderson

"'Well, at least I don't target poor girls like you perverted sons of bitches!'"Elena is the tritagonist (third protagonist) of A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. She becomes fast friends with Max and Greta over their mutual dream of becoming Broadway performers.

Throughout the novel, she's shown playing Nessarose in Wicked, Jack's Mother in Into the Woods, and Gabrielle in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella.

Appearances
Elena's appearance is somewhat similar to that of her brother's, only with some notable differences. She has wavy light-brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. She has an average height and decent build.

Like Greta, she is a 'girly-girl' and always dresses in very feminine clothing. She almost always wears skirts, ribbons in her hair, and, in general, the color pink.

She has a beauty mark under her left eye.

Personality
Elena is a kind and caring individual, wanting to see everyone smile. She often cracks jokes in order to get positive reactions out of people and will come to the defense of anyone being picked on.

Growing up, her mother focused more on her than Darius. She would help Elena with any problems she was having, most of the time flat-out ignoring Darius. Because of this, Elena took on more of a maternal role towards him.

Aware of his being bullied and lack of friends, Elena tries to include him in her social circle. This, however, usually ends with him being left out, which she is aware of and tries to change, but seems unable to.

After a school trip to see a local high school's production pre-show of Guys and Dolls, she developed a dream to become a Broadway performer. She practices tirelessly, signing up for choir in high school and taking ballet classes.

Due to Darius' bullying, she strongly disapproves of the subject and comes to the assistance of anyone in such a situation. She dislikes the use of violence, believing it only leads to more trouble.

After her mother was raped by her father, she became determined to protect as many abuse victims as possible. This leads to her becoming friends with Willow, due to the latter's past.

Parents
Both Elena and Darius have very poor relationships with their parents. Their father was a mentally abusive drunk while their mother was mostly neglectful (though she paid a bit more attention to Elena). Both become uncomfortable when their parents are brought up in conversation and try to avoid the subject. This leads to them avoiding going home during breaks.

Darius Anderson
Darius loves his sister very much, as she is the only person who has shown him true love his whole life. Due to their parents' neglect, Elena takes on more of a maternal role and practically raises Darius. She tries to include him in any activities she does with her friends, but he ends up being left out by them most of the time.

She is always the one to come to his aid when he is being bullied and hangs out with him any time she can. She even waits a year before attending college so they can go together. She seems to be aware that he may suffer from some mental problem, but is unable to convince their parents to get him checked out.

Once she becomes aware of his obsession with Max, she tries to explain to him about rejection and how you have to respect a person's decision. However, he interprets this as Elena disapproving his love for Max and telling him to leave Max alone. This causes him to go into a blind rage and strangle Elena to death. After he comes to his senses, he is horrified by is actions and suffers a mental breakdown.

Greta Watkins and Mackenzie Fanheart
Elena, Greta, and Max are all very good friends. After meeting at the auditions for CMU and again on the first day of school, they are rarely seen apart. Sharing a mutual dream to become Broadway performers, the three usually practice together and audition for shows together. Out of the three of them, Elena seems to have a better relationship with Greta.

Willow King
At first, the two do not get along well at all. Elena loses her patience easily with Willow and dislikes her treatment of Darius. Because of this, she (like others) tend to avoid Willow. However, after finding out about her abused past, she starts to warm up to Willow more, with the two eventually becoming close friends.

Trivia

 * Actress of choice to play Elena: Laura Marano.
 * Meaning of name 'Elena': "Shining Light"; "Bright One".
 * She is mentioned a few times in The Stalker Case of Max Fanheart, though not by name.
 * She, like Max and Greta, became inspired to become a Broadway performer after seeing a production of a popular musical. In Elena's case, Guys and Dolls.