| Kaitlin Greenbriar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth | 12 December 1973 (21 years old) |
| Gender | Female |
| Nickname | {{{nickname}}} |
| Voice | {{{voice}}} |
Kaitlin "Katie" Greenbriar is the playable character of "Gone Home". She is the oldest daughter of the Greenbriar family and the older sister of Samantha Greenbriar. The game opens with a voicemail left by her as she returns to their new mansion in Arbor Hill, Oregon after spending a year studying abroad.
Biography
The tag on Katie's travel bag.
Kaitlin Greenbriar spent her sophomore year of college abroad in numerous different places in Europe, including Amsterdam. Upon her return home on June 7, 1995, 1:15 A.M., she finds her family's new house, willed to them by their late Great Uncle, to be completely empty. Her sister, Sam, left her a note on the door, telling her that she was unable to see Katie's return and told her not to attempt to find her, promising that they would meet again someday. Upon searching throughout the house, Katie gradually learns, through various notes and letters as well as a journal that Sam wrote to Katie in her absence, that over the course of the past year, Sam had begun her Junior year of high school attending a new school and was often known as "that Psycho House girl" by many of the students. Among them, was Lonnie Desoto, a senior joining the military after graduation on June 6. Over the course of the year, Sam and Lonnie grow close, eventually developing a romantic relationship.
However, this also leads to much troublesome behavior on Sam's behalf, including incidents at school and secretly attending concerts in the city. When her parents confront her about her behavior, Sam eventually tells them about her relationship with Lonnie. Her parents respond with denial, not accepting that Sam is gay and simply dismissing it as a "phase" she was going through. Sam is left distraught by both this and the fact that Lonnie was going to be shipped out to Basic Training in the Army that coming June.
The couple decide to make their final days together the best they'd ever have. On their last night together, spent in Sam's darkroom in the Attic, they look over the pictures they had taken during their time together over the past year, and both eventually begin crying, knowing that they were in the past. The following morning, Sam awakens to find herself alone in her house; she discovered two messages on the answering machine from a very upset Lonnie. Sam only barely managed to answer the phone when Lonnie called a third time: Lonnie couldn't go through with joining the Army if it meant being away from Sam, and subsequently gets off of the bus in Salem and asks Sam if she would be willing to come pick her up and just drive until they find a place just for them. Sam agreed.
After reading through the journal, Katie reads the final letter written to her. In it, Sam tells her that she was so sorry that she wouldn't be able to tell Katie all of her experiences in person, and hopes that her sister won't be sad or mad and that she would understand. She concludes the letter telling Katie how much she loves her and promising her that they would see each other again someday.
Relationships
Sam
It is clear from the way Sam addresses Katie in her journal entries that the sisters are very close. As is evident in Sam's first entry, Katie is the only person to whom Sam is comfortable speaking her mind. She likely did so for much of her childhood, since she had few female friends, to the extent that Katie was possibly already aware of Sam's homosexuality before she learned of Lonnie. In her first year at the new house, Sam continues to talk to her sister indirectly through her journal, which is a significant source of comfort for her.
Sam tells Katie everything about her relationship with Lonnie, sparing only the most intimate details―which Katie has no interest in knowing anyway. She also entails her struggles in coming out to their parents and Lonnie's eventual departure. When Lonnie asks Sam to come find her and begin a new life together, Sam regrets that she was unable to see Katie's return, but leaves one final journal entry telling her how much she loves Katie and promises that they'll see each other again.
Terrence and Janice
Katie loves her entire family and regularly sent them postcards throughout her year abroad. There are indications of the more personal nature of her relationship with her parents through Sam's journals and other notes around the house. Katie and Sam share the knowledge that their parents are somewhat close-minded about many things, including homosexuality. Also, Terrence's struggles in his writing apparently distracted him from his family. These factors may be the reason why Sam is only comfortable speaking with Katie.
One note left by Sam hints that Katie might have had more freedom as a teenager (and adult) than Sam did, though this may be a result of Sam's recent behavior at school. Another note left by either Terrence or Janice reads, "Sam, stop leaving every damn light in the house on! You're as bad as your sister!" This suggests that both sisters have, at times in their teenage years, had a strained relationship with one or both of their parents.