Doris Polkerson

Doris Polkerson is one of the most academically challenged members of Niamh's class at Teras High School; she consistently struggles in all her classes, despite extensive extra credit work and tutoring. Nevertheless, she remains generally optimistic and cheerful, and is quick to compliment those who do better.

Both of Doris's eyes are on the left side of her head, a feature that has prompted class bully Theretta Belwin to give her the nickname "Flounder" (though there's really little flounderlike about her besides her homolateral eye position). This means Doris is completely blind on her right-hand side, which perhaps wouldn't be as much of a problem as it is if Doris herself didn't seem to forget about her blind side, and frequently make sudden lurches or turns to the right without making any attempt to see what might be there first, with occasionally disastrous results.