Her family, including Granny Blake, moved to Staten Island, New York while Wanda was a young girl.
After several years, jobs hadn't worked out, and her dad felt it was time to return to South Carolina.
Granny, her eyesight failing, didn't want to return to the South and the memories of her dead husband.
Wanda, in her mid-teens, didn't want to go back either. South Carolina was a pretty place, but nothing
compared to New York City. There was no point in arguing with her. Through tears, they agreed that
Wanda would stay with the older woman.

Years later, Wanda was accepted to the law school at Columbia University. From there, she became an
  intern for the local congressman. Then, at a fundraising dinner, she found herself riveted by the gaze of
a nice-looking Presidential guard, Al Simmons. He'd recently become a major celebrity by risking his
life to save the president.

The young Lieutenant Colonel became a fixture on the scene as quickly as Wanda would let him. Granny
couldn't have been happier to have the poised, good-natured man coming by. Short a year of getting her
degree, Wanda left school to marry him. Granny, while wishing Wanda had finished her studies, could
not dispute her choice in men.

After several months of marriage, Wanda was given what amounted to a briefing from her new husband.
He'd been promoted in some classified way, he told her, and would occasionally be gone on national
security missions he would not be allowed to discuss. Otherwise, he'd have a desk job and they wouldn't
even need to leave the neighborhood. This last point, and the accompanying pay-raise, were welcome
news.

About eighteen months into this, she could tell he needed to talk. He wouldn't be specific, but the gist of
it seemed to be that his new job involved political assassination. She tried to console him. He stopped the
conversation as he caught himself mentioning Botswana. A few days into his mission, she was notified of
his death in the line of duty. A few days further on, civil war broke out in Botswana as the result of an
assassination.

It was months before the shock subsided. Granny was by her side continually, as was one other... Al's old
friend, his best man, Terry Fitzgerald. He was easier-going than Al, more at peace with the world. After
a time, they were married, and he gave her their child, Cyan. Wanda has never mentioned to Terry what
she knows about Al's secret missions. To ease her own conscience, she has devoted time to childrens'
  charities.

On several occasions, she has been in contact with a ghastly creature that calls itself a Hellspawn. It has
made some disturbing comments, implying that it has some connection to her. To date, she remains
unaware that this mysterious hell-creature is her late husband.