Alicia Klare, District Nine [Finished]

<>Appearance<>
Smile for the camera, wave to the crowd.
Never say your thoughts out loud.

Alicia Klare is not the type of person who pays attention to what she looks like. The life she leads does not require beauty. It requires speed. However, she is not completely careless when it comes to getting ready in the morning. She's a teenage girl, and although she doesn't worry about being amazingly beautiful, she does aim to at least look presentable. Unlike an unfortunate amount in the district, Alicia is always clean and tidy. Her appearance would remind one of a young business woman, even if she dresses casual. All her clothes are always neat and free of wrinkles or stains.

Her hair is probably the thing that makes Alicia stand out the most, though. The shade of red is very unique shade, looking very unnatural. The sunlight gives it golden highlights that look absolutely beautiful, and it is always combed and very neat, with almost no strands out of place. Her hair is layered, however, with the shorter strands framing her face, and the longer ones coming pretty close to straight. Her hair comes down to a few inches below her shoulders, and she often wears it down instead of up in a ponytail. She doesn't like the feel of it up, although she knows that it would probably look neater that way.

Alicia's face is round, with a rather large forehead that her hair does nothing to hide. Long days out in the summer sun have made sure that her skin is not as white as paper, but it is a bit pale. She always has a touch of color on her cheeks, so she never has to wear blush. Her expression always seems softened, and there are no freckles on her face, and her only acne is high on her forehead, almost completely hidden by her bright red locks.

Neat, obviously plucked eyebrows rest in almost perfectly straight lines above eyes that look like they can see right though any disguise or facade a person could come up with. They are a stunning shade of cold gray blue, with a dark ring around the irises. They are so anomalously pale that they stand out greatly, and could make anyone feel uncomfortable when she glares. Her nose is just a bit too short, and a little too plump around the nostrils. Her lips are small and thin, a pale pink color. Her smile- sometimes looking kind, sometimes looking false- never shows her teeth, which are slightly crooked.

Alicia's limbs are just a little on the plump side, but long. Her hands seem to be the perfect size, although her fingers are a little too long. Her fingernails are oval shaped, and almost always painted odd colors such as dark, glittering purple or bright scarlet. Her feet are small, with long toes yet short toe nails.

Not surprisingly, Alicia has curves, although she prefers to wear loose clothes that hide them. She moves quickly yet gracefully, and holds her head high, although her shoulders often sag. Standing straight, she is about five feet, eight inches [5'8"].

<>Personality<>
I'll laugh when you're secrets tear you apart.
Did you honestly think I had a heart?

Alicia was always a brilliant writer. When she was younger, the other little kids would sit around her as she told amazing stories, until they became bored and left. Her parents knew she would grow up to become a great author. But, as she grew older, her talents narrowed. Suddenly, it seemed like she just abandoned all creativity. And her parents realize that Alicia wasn't going to grow up and write books, like they had imagined. Alicia would become a reporter.

Curiosity flows through her. She always has to be the first one to check out a new situation. She's never satisfied with "just because" answers. She has to know the logic behind everything before she'll let it go. She'll ignore any danger if it means finding answers, which Alicia can't live without. It's curiosity that turned her into a reported, and curiosity that keeps her one.

The first thing a person would notice when talking to her would be that she is very straight forward. If she thinks a someone is wearing the ugliest clothes she's ever seen, she's not afraid to say so. Many people are surprised at how she doesn't hesitate to say what's on her mind, even if she knows it will hurt someone's feelings. That's not to say that Alicia is an honest girl, because she isn't. She lies all the time to get what she wants. But she only lies when it's for her benefit. Even when she knows telling the truth isn't the best option, if it doesn't really affect her, she'll do it.

Alicia isn't the kind of person someone should trust, although many do. She's a backstabber who will do whatever it takes to get a good story she can tell everyone. Every secret she learns is spilled the next day, and on purpose, too. She knows exactly what she's doing, and how to lie to people in order to get them to tell her what she wants to know. Alicia has a smooth, persuasive voice, and clever tricks she uses to uncover a good secret. Even people who don't want to find themselves telling her. She toys with their emotions, pretending to be sympathetic, and as soon as she finds the truth that is hidden behind false smiles and easy lies, she walks away with her new treasure, ready to share it with the world. When called cruel or heartless, she simply shrugs. "I'm a reporter. I can't afford to have a heart."

There is also a creative side left in Alicia, although it shows itself in the oddest ways. She loves to do her nails differently, and order foods that other people would never have combined. She writes papers for school in unusual ways. She admires the works of the designers in the Capitol. She loves when things stand out. Once in a while, she can be caught drawing some incredible creature that looks like a Capitol mutation, only more beautiful and majestic. Whenever she catches someone looking over her shoulder, though, the notebook slams shut, and the drawing is never completed.

Alicia has always had a soft spot for little kids. She loves to play with them, and tease them, and ruffle their hair. She'll often play pretend with them, and gives whatever money she can spare to the orphanage. People are surprised at this seemingly hard hearted girl's weakness for children, yet, when asked to babysit, she refuses. The kids love her, though, no matter what older siblings say. They sing to her and make her pictures and call her beautiful. Yet, whenever the kids aren't looking, if someone looked really closely, they could see a hint of heartbreak in Alicia's ice blue eyes.

The teenager is always very polite, with a small smile and sincere nod. She's an angel around adults, especially her parents. They're oblivious to everything she does, and no one tries to tell them. No one wants to. They seem so proud of their little girl.

And in some ways, they should be. Alicia may not be a criminal or a hunter, but she certainly possesses the bravery of one. Even when all spirits were seemingly crushed by the switch of industry, Alicia kept on glowing, for although there was less to report, she still had a lot to live for. Her every movement seemed to just radiate power and joy and excitement.

She's brave, too. This isn't to say Alicia lacks fear. No, she feels plenty of fear. But she's brave enough to go into a situation that she's terrified of, even when she knows it's dangerous. If bravery meant not being afraid, people would be going around calling the Peacekeepers brave, which they most certainly were not. Very few understand this concept, and the constant dance between fear and bravery that prances on inside Alicia.

Alicia doesn't have any friends. She's convinced that she can't get close to people, or they'll end up tearing her apart. That was the first thing she learned when she started learning secrets. Relationships, especially friendship, was what caused all the hurt, angry feelings that she twisted around and used for her own reasons. Alicia knows that to others, she is emotionless. She is careless. She doesn't need friends. And so she stands tall and proud and as cold as ice, gossiping with others, but never really having any real friends.

The girl does have a heart, as much as she tries to bury it. After she discovered her love of the truth, she knew that she had to stop feeling. But, deep down, Alicia does have emotions. Perhaps not guilt, but she does feel joy, and sorrow, and love. Actually, she has a secret wish. Alicia wants to be loved. Not real romance love, but she wants someone to care about her, like a friend. Someone who could help her when she's hurting. She knows it's a dream that would never come true, but still, she wishes. There's always hope to push her along when things get tough.

<>History<>
A dream, a monster, a game of pretend.
A broken past that never ends.

Alicia's parents were overjoyed when they found out they were having a little girl. The preparation was unbelievable. They bought her clothes and toys, and friends gave them gifts. They even made a wooden sign to go above her crib that said her name in big, colorful letters. Alicia's parents had always wanted a child, and they were finally getting one. They had high expectations for her. She was, after all, their first child.

On January Eleventh, Alicia was born, just two days before her due date. She was a very healthy baby, although very large. The doctors said her parents were very lucky to have such a lovely young girl. And her parents knew it, too. They were overwhelmed with joy. Finally, a healthy baby girl. There wasn't a single couple in the district who was prouder than they were. They had big plans for their little girl. Big plans.

Alicia's love of stories was revealed at an early age. As soon as she could talk, she was begging for her parents to read to her. She never fell asleep, like other little girls were supposed to do. She held the covers close to her nose and listened with wide eyes as her parents described far away lands and magic. Finally, her parents made it a rule that if she wanted a story, she would have to fall asleep. And so Alicia would pretend to fall asleep until her parents stopped reading, and then her eyes would burst open and she'd yank on their sleeve, asking for just a bit more to listen to.

Alicia's imagination bloomed at the age of five, when she had just started going to school. During free time, she told all the stories she knew, and when she ran out, suddenly, she made up more. At first, they weren't original. Simply copies of stories she had already told, but with different names and a different setting. But slowly, they evolved from that, until they became totally her own. The others in her class were fascinated, and Alicia quickly became popular. People wanted to hear more about a world away from their own, for even at that young age they recognized the poverty and crime in their own district. Later they would find out that they would never escape, but at that moment, they just wanted to find another place for their minds to go.

When Alicia turned seven, her parents announced that her mother was having another baby. A baby boy. Alicia was overjoyed. She began to make him little gifts for when he arrived. She even made a little calendar to count down the days. They decided to name him John. A common name, but Alicia loved it all the same.

However, the baby died at birth. Alicia was crushed. She didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the day, and was very quiet for a long time afterwords. Her parents often heard her crying in her room. They say that time heals all wounds, and perhaps it healed Alicia's, too. She began to gain back her happiness. But she was never truly the same.

Alicia was a brilliant writer, and her parents recognized that. They taught her to read and write before the school did, and bought her dictionaries and thesauruses. Alicia became amazing. Her heart poured out onto the page, and people who read her work were amazed. How could a girl at the age of ten write better than they could? It was something beautiful, and truly pure. Something no one in the district had really seen before. Hunting had always been a skill that was mastered in the district. There were many who possessed true talent. But this was something that was art. Something on paper, something that District Nine had never really offered to the world yet. A writer. A true, beautiful, inspirational writer. Perhaps the place they lived in would not only have criminals and poor families to offer. Perhaps they finally had someone who had a true talent that was innocent.

But true innocence is rare, and, unfortunately, short lived.

Alicia became interested in writing true stories about real people. She wanted to be a reporter. But she quickly learned people were bored with true stories, unless they were very revealing. Alicia didn't want people to think her writing was boring. All her life, people had praised her work. And she loved that. She lived for that. So, instead of transforming her work, Alicia transformed herself. And she became a monster.

She wasn't afraid of secrets. She loved them. And she used them. She twisted them and bended them and made them into something beautiful. She lied to people in order to get her way. She became tricky and clever, and difficult to resist. Her friends no longer wished to be around her, not liking the change. And Alicia became mad at them. So she took their secrets and spilled them to everyone, not caring about the look of hurt on their faces. The only thing that mattered was that she was hurting and they weren't and that had to change.

The first time someone ever hit her was when she turned fifteen. She had just told everyone that although he was dating someone, he had a crush on a different girl. It wasn't a major secret. Alicia told secrets like that every day. But he wasn't happy. So, after school, on her way home, he caught up with her. And he slapped her.

Alicia was stunned. She had never in her life been hit before. Her parents didn't believe in that kind of thing. They had, from day one, told her that hitting was wrong. She ran home and into her bedroom, holding cold fingers up to the stinging red mark on her cheek, and hoping it would wear away before anyone questioned it. He didn't hit her hard enough to leave a bruise. But it still hurt. She pondered the event for a while, finally landing on the conclusion that she wasn't careful enough that time. She began thinking of ways to get out of situations like that. And finally, Alicia Klare had the perfect plan. She took her revenge, and when he approached her again, threatening her, she moved slowly and cleverly toward a nearby adult. The boy was suspended.

Alicia still has her dream of becoming a writer, although it's become twisted and tainted. All traces of innocence are gone. Perhaps a trace of mystery still remains though, for although she reveals many secrets, none of those are her own. The people wonder who Alicia Klare really is as they spot her playing with children and laughing. Is she really the cold, heartless reported that everyone knows? Or is there someone else hiding behind her ice blue eyes?

Her Thoughts: 92A4B6

Her Voice: 648BB1

Her Life: C2D4E6


Codeword: Odair