Giorgio Versace is Bay City High's wannabe fashion icon.

Giorgio, however, doesn't follow the trends of the fashionable but creates his own. He is good at it, and he was voted the best-dressed Junior in the previous year's student yearbook.

Of course, best dressed is open to interpretation, but his friends love what he wears, and for Giorgio, that counts.

Giorgio is hip-to-hip with weightlifter Vladimir Varlamov, or as they say, in each other's pockets. They have been friends since before junior high and don't see any reason for their distinctly different lifestyles to change that.

Giorgio is also tight with Garik Shayk's group of friends. They accept him as he is, and together, they have the best of times.

Giorgio lives with his grandfather, Pyotr, and mother, Vanka. Both are walking fashion houses in their own rights, so Giorgio comes by it naturally.

We are introduced to Giorgio in Book 1 of The Human-Hybrid Project, Shattered by Glass, but we don't actually see him until Book 5, Taking the Tower, when Garik observes his friend in a video taken at a party in one of the upscale Stamford Suites apartments.

Akilah al-Haber is the older sister of Hayat al-Haber, one of Garik Shayk's good friends.

We never meet Akilah, but the role she plays in the story is vital. Akilah used to skate, and she was quite good. Her board was equally good.

Akilah lost interest when other things became more important to her, to her younger brother Hayat's good fortune. He inherited her unicorn-and-fairy-dust longboard with its pink wheels, and that was the magical moment when he began to ride with his Bay City idols at the Connel Street Skate Park. A friendship was formed with Garik, Muhammed, and Ibn, and they have been a close knit team ever since.

We learn of Akilah in Book 1 of The Human-Hybrid Project, Shattered by Glass. Her skateboard returns but it is the last we hear of Akilah.

Alexi Botkin is in detention when the story series opens.

Alexi is part of Garik Shayk's "posse" of friends. He attends Bay City High School and lives with his older sister, Sherilyn. She is a good influence on her younger brother, but without parents in the picture, being a good influence isn't enough. Alexi's time is his own, and he doesn't always make the best decisions when it comes to his "extracurricular" activities.

We never learn why Alexi is in detention, but Alexi's uncle has an apartment on Sycamore, and from the roof, you can view the goings-on across the Corona Mall during event nights. When Jantzen Hefferly gives a show on the mall, Alexi volunteers the door code to get into the building. Although his uncle is out of town and Alexi is in detention, his friends from Bay City High can visit the roof and see the show from there.

Alexi reappears, now out of detention, in Book 5, The Glass Siege, but we first learn of Alexi Botkin in Book 1 of The Human-Hybrid Project, Shattered by Glass.

Regina Kournikova is a lithe, blonde cheerleader at Bay City High.

Of course, that's just during the school year. In summer, she's casual jeans, pizza, and nothing to do, meaning she is always on the lookout for someone with plans so she can tag along.

Regina is lost without direction, and her mother loves to give her that. One thing her mother keeps Regina involved in is running. It keeps her daughter in shape for any upcoming cheerleading tryouts. You are how people see you, and if you can't be a cheerleader, what's the point in attending high school?

Of course, Garik doesn't believe that, but he's heard Regina's mother say it. Still, Regina is in several of Garik's classes, and he finds her good company. Their freshman year, they were assigned a joint science project, and Regina was surprisingly capable. Gark was certain he would have failed without Regina's participation, and their shared success created a lasting friendship between the two.

We first learn of Regina Kournikova in Book 1 of The Human-Hybrid Project, Shattered by Glass, but Garik's memory of her brings her name back into the story several times.

Shrimper is eight years old and lives in Garik Shayk's apartment building, City View Apartments.

Shrimper looks up to Garik in a worshipful way. After all, the older boy rides a Street Strider, the jet-assist bike that's the coolest thing in Old Town. 

Shrimper has skin hard to see in shadows or in the dark, making the boy the perfect go-to gofer for the wannabe gang of preteens that tries to run the yard around City View.

Shrimper's two "co-gangsters" are Winter and Firestarter. 

We first meet Shrimper in Book 1 of The Human-Hybrid Project, Shattered by Glass.

  1. Winter
  2. Firestarter
  3. Mrs. Waggoner
  4. Kevin Lee