Amy Candler

Amy Candler is a genetically-engineered, cloned young girl who is the protagonist in each book of the Replica series. Each book tells about how she overcomes each way the Organization tries to kidnap her for their goals to rule the earth. She is the 7th of 13 clones.

Background
Amy and the 12 other clones were the results of a government experiment know as Project Crescent (Leaded by Dr. James Jaleski) in Washington, DC. She was created from genes from anonymous donors which had been genetically altered, and had then grown as a fetus in an embryo in a glass jar (It is later revealed that the doner for the Amy's looks was Eve Denker, the mother of Andy number 5). After her mechanical birth, she and the others were placed in incubators where they were observed and experimented on. The scientists who created her believed that by creating these 13 girls, they would help find a cure for genetic disorders. However, the organization's (the same one that funded the project) actual motive's were to create a superior race of people to take over the planet. When the scientists discover this, not wanting to use the clones for such dark reasons, or to spend their lives in a laboratory prison, they take it among themselves to destroy their project. They decide to secretly give up the clone babies for adoption into normal families, and then blow up the laboratory, destroying all the evidence of the project, and telling the organization that the clones were also destroyed in the explosion. After all the babies are removed from the laboratory, they placed a bomb in the laboratory building where it go off in 12 hours. However, the bomb went off 12 hours early, and Amy number 7, who was the last baby left, was still inside. Nancy Candler, one of Project Crescent's scientists couldn't bear to have her parish in the flames for they had developed a special relationship, went back inside to save her. Though, Nancy was severely injured from going inside, her and the baby Amy made it out. Nancy then decided to keep Amy and raise her as her own daughter. She then moved to L.A., California with Amy, where she attempted to raise Amy without telling her about her past. However, when she's 12 years old, Amy learns the truth on her own about her past.

Personality
Amy is a very kind-hearted, curious, young girl. She appears to be an average, girl, who cares about her grades, and is popular at school. Her favorite color is purple, she is the president of the 7th grade student council, and has lots of friends. Amy is very curious of her past, and proud to be a clone, and happy with her abilities. She's a straight A student, and often makes the honor roll, or wins academic contests. Amy is very independent and enjoys reading and writing. She has a very good relationship with her mother, and rarely gets in trouble with her mom. Unlike most teenagers, Amy is very respectful to her mother, and doesn't rebel a lot of the time, and keeps her negative thoughts to herself a lot, and tries to not lash out at people, though she does occasionally. Though, Amy knows she's physically better than most people her age, she still respects normal people and thinks highly of a lot of them. She cares a lot about her friends, and will do anything in her power to protect them. She's very understanding and sympathetic. She's very strong-willed, and can think of plans to get herself out of situation, and stays strong when she's in trouble. She's very trusting of people, though she knows she has to be cautious because there are people who want to kidnap her. She can also be quick to accuse people of things before she knows for sure if it's them or not. She's also fast to figure out mysteries, and easily saves people. She has even earned the title "Super Hero." Amy is very curious about the other clones, searching for them on the web, and gets very excited when she meets one, sometimes pushing herself into their lives, wanting to bond with them so fast. Some people become jealous of her because she's so good at everything. She dreams to go to college and become an english professor. She also wants to shut down the organization so she can finally feel safe, and reunite with all of the other clones, which she calls her clone sisters.

Appearance
Amy is a rather attractive young girl. That along with her kind personality, causes lots of boys to develop a crush on her. Amy is slightly larger than most girls her age, with a muscular but feminine build. She's physically and mentally more mature than most girls her age, (because of the experiments) and throughout the series is 12-13 years old. Amy has long, average, brown hair. It's long for a while at first, but then she later cuts it short (In the book Ice Cold), but then lets it grow out again. Amy has a round face, with small dark brown eyes, and full lips. She also has a moon-shaped birthmark on her right shoulderblade, (which was intentionally marked on her to show for sure that she is a clone, so that she can be recognized.) She's very tan, and even though her body is stronger than a normal human's she still takes good care of it, such as wearing a swimming cap in a pool with chlorine so as not to damage her hair, and wearing sun screen in the sun all of the time. She briefly has a purple streak in her hair, to help distinguish herself from the other clones. Amy's also very in shape, and doesn't gain weight as easily as normal people, which is another thing people envy her for.

Abilities
Amy was designed to be superior to the average person. She was made to be able to do anything. At conception in a test tube, instead of growing in a mother, she and the other clones grew inside of a container. Amy also had a strange fetal development. A normal infant would be born at 9 months, while Amy was born at 6 months, but was still healthier and stronger than the average baby. Just days after birth, she was able to smile and roll over, and show emotion. At 9 months old, she was already able to walk. As she became older, her accelerated growth began to slow down, until she aged as a normal child. When the clones hit puberty, was when they would become better than normal humans. She was 12 when Amy hit puberty. She had been in gymnastics and had been average and had suddenly been able to do flips in the air, and cartwheels on the balance beam, which she hadn't practiced yet. She can also swim faster and run a lot faster than normal. She's very strong, and can remember things a lot faster than normal, and learn at a faster rate. Amy speaks fluent french, and has a photographic memory. Because she's so much better than the average person, Amy has to hide her abilities and slow herself down to a normal rate so that she won't draw attention to herself. Amy also can't do anything to become famous, because of the organization could fine her more easily. Amy also can't be seen by a normal doctor or dentist, because her DNA (hair, skin, blood, teeth, nails) shows that she isn't normal. The only doctors who have ever examined her are her mother and Dr. Hopkins. Amy has the ability to heal injuries very fast. She first discovers this when she trips and scrapes her leg. When she went to get a band-aid the cut was gone. Amy also develops her birthmark, the number 1 giveaway that she is a clone, making the organization able to find her more easily. Amy is also immuned to disease. She has such a strong immune system that she can't even catch colds, the flu, or the Plague when it was going around. Amy can also withstand severe things normal people can't handle, such as intense heat or cold, traveling through time, and able to jump from high heights without injuring herself.

Relationships

 * Tasha Morgan - Tasha is Amy's best friend. They first met when the Candlers moved next door to the Morgans, and Amy and Tasha started kindergarten together. They'd been best friends ever since. Amy admires Tasha a lot and gives her confidence when Tasha needs it. Tasha is also very supportive of Amy when she's in trouble. Shortly after Amy learns about herself, she tells Tasha, and even though she's amazed, she has still promised not to tell Amy's secret and they continue being friends, though Tasha is much more interested and concerned for Amy after this. Sometimes Tasha uses Amy to her advantage such as on picture day when Amy was dressed up, she made Amy climb a tree to save a cat, ruining Amy's clothes. And other times she accuses Amy of trying to be better than her. However, throughout all of that Tasha is a very loyal friend.
 * Eric Morgan - Eric is the overall love interest for Amy. He is the older brother of Tasha, whom Tasha and Amy both used to like to torment together. However, when they become older Amy and Eric begin acting strange around each other, and Amy develops a crush on Eric. Eric returns the feelings, and they start going out. Amy shares her first kiss with Eric, and they begin dating through most of the series. Eric is very protective and loving of Amy, but doesn't like to admit that she's stronger than him. He gets jealous when Amy becomes friends with another boy. They go through a rough patch at summer camp where Amy meets Andy (Another superior clone from a project that took place 2 years before Project Crescent) and kisses him. However, by the end of the summer, Amy assures Eric there is nothing going on between her and Andy. When Eric starts high school he begins acting different and begins spending less time with Amy. And when he does, he treats her like a kid in front of his friends. So Amy breaks up with him for this, but closer to the end of the series, Eric goes back to normal and he and Amy begin dating again.
 * Nancy Candler - Nancy is the adoptive mother of Amy. Nancy is very protective of Amy because she knows the organization wants to take her away, and because Amy is her only family. Her biggest fear for Amy is that someone will find out Amy's secret, and attempt to tell everyone. Though, Nancy is usually respectful of Amy's wishes and listens to what Amy wants, Nancy sometimes goes to drastic measures to try and protect Amy, such as making her move away without telling her why, and trying to distance her from her friends. Sometimes when Nancy fears that someone knows Amy's secret, she lashes out at Amy's friends (who know the truth) and accuses them of telling. Nancy has a very good relationship with her daughter most of the time, and treats Amy more like an adult than a child. Nancy is very proud of Amy, and treats her like a person even when other scientists try to test her and treat her like an object. Nancy does almost anything for Amy. She doesn't allow people to do anything to Amy that involves her DNA, such as getting a hair cut, a manicure, a visit to the dentist, or seeing a doctor.
 * Andy Denker - Andy is one of Amy's closest male friends. This is mainly because he too is one of 12 genetically altered clones. Amy claims she loves him as a brother, but can't help displaying some acts of intimacy towards him, as a hug, a kiss, snuggling or holding each other, or touching each other's hair. The organization planned for The Amys and The Andys to get together and form couples where they will mate and give birth to the next generation of clones. And when they learn this, Amy and Andy wonder if they were designed to have an attraction to each other, because they can't help but feel a natural sense of love when they're near. Andy and Amy often team up when they are against the Organization, and destroyed it together. Near the end though, Amy and Andy stay friends knowing that they are safe, and decide to be only friends. When he goes to college, he begins to date a girl named Alice. When he tells the news to Amy, her expression is genuenlly happy.
 * Christopher Skinner - Chris is the newest and most mysterious friend of Amy's. Amy met him shortly after she started the 8th grade. She became interested in him, because she was amazed by his gorgeous blue eyes. She noticed he was a quiet loner who everyone thought was a hoodlum of some sort. Amy began to befriend him and gain his trust. Amy is one of the ones he cares about the most, because he was abandoned as a child. But when Chris's father returns, Amy helps him discover that he is not his father's son, just a clone replicated from him for spare parts, if any of his father's fail. Amy helps him get away from his father. Chris later befriends Andy, and Chris joins Andy on his quest to discover Andy's past too, though later he and Andy reunite with Amy, Tasha, and Eric. They dated briefly during Amy and Eric's break, but later go back to friends. Tasha develops a crush on him and Amy assures her that she doesn't have any romantic feelings towards him.
 * Jeanine Bryant - Jeanine Bryant was Amy's sworn enemy in middle school. They would compete in everything, grades, clothes, shoes. In the second book, when Amy develops a crush on Eric, so does Jeanine and does everything to get him interested (a.e. Challanges Amy to a swimming match and invites Eric to watch, not only to see her win, but also to see her in her swim costume). However, Amy wins and later tells Eric her secret, as they begin to date. In the book Ice Cold, Jeanine is pushed down the stairs in school and falls into a coma, everyone imediatly assuming it was Amy. Eric and Tasha stay faithfull to Amy, though Tasha reveals to her that she does have a slight suspission Amy might've done it. In the hospital, Jeanine is soon suffocated by a pillow. Unfortunately, Amy is in the hospital that day, causing everyone's suspissions (except Tasha's, who apologized to Amy) to grow larger. Amy, with the help of her friends, finds Jeanine's true murderer.