Character Analysis
Scatty is the coolest sidekick. Seriously, we wish we had her on Shmoop's team. She's got awesome martial arts moves, her very own dojo, and—oh yeah—she's a vampire, too. Her full name is Scathach, also known as The Warrior Maid, The Shadow, The Daemon Slayer, and The King Maker. With names like that, she's bound to be awesome.
2000-Year-Old Teen
You'd think someone who has been around for a couple millennia might be looking a little rough. Maybe some wrinkles and gray hair? Not our Scatty. Despite the fact that she's 2000 years old (yep, you read that right), she looks frankly the same age as the twins themselves: "The twins were shocked to discover that they were looking at a girl not much older than themselves. Her skin was pale, dappled with freckles, and her round face was dominated by grass green eyes. Her red hair was so vibrant that Sophie wondered if she had died it that color" (7.51). With hair like that, she's got a punk-rock streak that won't be denied, and we can't help but wonder if Josh isn't crushing a bit when he says, "I think she's cool" (8.34).
In any case, it's clear this girl stands out in a crowd. She's different in more ways than one, and that's why we love her.
Vegetarian Vampire
Seriously, the more we learn about her, the more she strikes us as unique. For one thing, Scatty is a vampire, but she doesn't drink blood. Why not? Well, she's a vegetarian. That's not something you hear everyday.
She's also part of a unique race, too—the Clan Vampires. As Scatty herself says, "we had little or no emotion. We lacked the capacity to feel fear, to experience love, to enjoy the sensations of happiness and delight. The finest warriors are not only those who do not know fear, but those who are without anger" (33.99). Her status as a Clan Vampire allows her to steal Sophie's feelings in Chapter 33. Sure, that sounds bad (no wonder Josh gets so upset), but it's actually quite helpful, because Sophie's not exactly grateful for her feelings at the moment.
But it's her argument about warriors that draws our attention here. For most of us, the idea of not feeling anything sounds, well, scary. But Scatty argues that feeling nothing at all makes her a better warrior. Do you agree?
Open-Minded Companion
This lady runs a dojo, so she's probably a pretty great teacher. But she helps the twins with more than board kicks and karate chops. Scatty teaches the twins open-mindedness, and at this point in their lives, this seems like a very valuable lesson.
She tells Sophie and Josh to not make fun of creatures they know nothing about, and along with Nicholas Flamel she shows them that different people excel at different things. Their abilities, she tells them, are neither better, nor worse, just different: "so you see, you are experienced in certain skills […] whereas we have other, somewhat older, but equally useful skills" (10.16).
So you wouldn't expect that Scatty herself has to battle with keeping an open mind. But battle she does. First, there's the grudge she has against Hekate for trying to kill her (centuries ago), and Scatty is not exactly thrilled to visit her grandma, whom she hasn't talked to in ages. But she manages, with a little coaxing, to rise above these differences for the most part.
Still, Scatty is a bit of a loner. Although she's part of an extensive clan, she rides solo. Maybe that makes her an even better sidekick. After all, having no outside ties means she's able to dedicate her whole being to the task of protecting the twins and Flamel. Maybe she was on to something. Maybe that does make her the best warrior of all.