Jorey Furnace | District 12 | FIN

Being dragged up in likely the worst District in Panem, is hard for any kid, especially when you’ve nothing to live for. Coming home to the same things, living the same scheduled life; with no possibility of ever getting out of it. Even after all the hard work, all the long hours spent breaking his back there is nothing gracious in return; nothing to help change the scheduled life he leads. For the only way to stop this timetabled existence is to destroy the time table itself. Stop everything, screw it all up and throw it away. Then conjure up his own plan, his own blueprint on life.

For having worked down the pits for a short period, even in the small time he was down them, remnants of soot still remain in the cracks of his palms. He regularly uses them to prove he actually worked a time in his life. Remains of calluses also live on these palms, chiseled by the long hours of clasping a pick-axe, his old tool. However his face is now swept of any of these months below earth, baby faced, clean and not even a single mole dotted on it. Although centering his face, the windows to his life. Haunted umber eyes, circled with sorrow, transmitting the truth about his existence.

Lacking work helps with the low consumption of nutrients. It’s hard to fill up a plate when you have no gold to buy the thing filling it. Even with his mother’s income, it is hard to scrape together a meal. This reflects on his body, thin arms and legs, ribs pulsating through his chest. His height doesn’t help hide his skeletal body, six foot towering sack of bones. Having nothing to hide his starved figure, he must cope with rags or clothing sprung together by his mother. Old torn shirts, remnants of stains dotted all over them.

Surroundings don’t just affect the appearance but the mind too. Brought up in a rough part of Panem, there are usually only two things a kid will do; cope or rebel. Cope with all the mess around them, forget about it all get on with life. Rebel against it, try to make a change or completely get out of the situation. There is no in-between, for Jorey anyway. From the start he tried to cope, he got on with what he was meant to do but he wanted to make a change. It was a change of nature that helped Jorey become something different.

Keeping his mouth shut, he used to obey every instruction thrown at him. He agreed to work the long hours, he agreed to push himself when he knew he would exceed his limit but he had too, and there was nothing else he could do. Jorey used to be very submissive but something ticked in his brain to stand down from this trait. He wasn’t having an enjoyable life, he felt like an object on a conveyor belt, once he was off the line; he’d be forgotten. Until he decided he wanted to be remembered, in any possible way he could conjure up.

Even beneath the planned out life, there is a boy who wants to just have fun. Appearing now and then is Jorey’s comical trait, he is known for his witty comments but it takes a lot to bring that personality up. He can only do it in the right situation, which is rarely found. Jorey feels as though he is trapped, he can’t shine like he wishes too, he is more than just a pit man; he hates the darkness. Having a fear of the dark is no good, when you’ve to be underground all day; it took a while for Jorey to succumb to his phobia. Although he still had the shakes when he went down the lift and occasionally had to look around his shoulder but he doesn’t have to fear it anymore, he is no longer down in the pits of hell.

He is out, he is back on top, on top of the world. Throwing away all of his worries and focusing on himself. Some say he is selfish for what he did, he is reckless, stupid. Jorey just throws all the hate away, he’d rather be hated than controlled. Jacking off work, slacking off all day, he is living the dream. Although regret lingers inside of him, his family is struggling, when he does nothing. But he hates the work here, there is nothing that gets his adrenaline steaming on but he must do something to support his family, yet remain happy. He is just stuck in one big dilemma, family or self-happiness.

Since the beginning, Jorey had the typical father-son bond with his dad; they were really in-separable. As a child he was always his father’s shadow, never leaving his side. Despite being followed a year later by another brother, Jorey was the one who usually got the most attention from his father. Whenever he went to work down the pits, he was a like a giddy puppy whenever his father came home, jumping up at him; wanting a welcoming hug. Jorey had some slight wars against his younger brother, fighting over who was the favourite child; Jorey was the one who tended to win.

Throughout his childhood, he spent a lot of time bonding with his father, they used to roam the District; Jorey always sat on his shoulders. Usually they spent a time at the fence, just watching the forest for any activity. They used to conjure up stories on what could possibly be out there and Jorey’s father promised that they would one day find out. Jorey was always fascinated by the stories his father told, many had truth but some were obviously made up. Stories on his father’s rebellious past, stories about a peaceful land far away, waiting with open hands to let them in. Jorey dreamed about this land for a long time, hoping it to be true.

The year of Jorey’s tenth birthday, his mother gave birth to twin girls and soon all the attention turned onto them. Jorey began to feel left out and his brother used to make fun out of him for it. ”See, that is how I felt.” Many occasions Jorey tried to fight for his father’s love but he always seemed too busy with the twins. Those stories of the far away land, Jorey thought he should just got there, at least he’d be noticed there. So when he was eleven, he snuck out of the house, heading to the District perimeter fence. Sitting on the ground for hours, he couldn’t dare get across it, worrying he may end up alone. As soon as the sun awoke that night, his father found him, worried he may have gotten hurt. The whole morning, the pair sat by the fence, talking. ”Son, you’re a big boy now and the twins need a lot of care. I do love you, just you’re capable of taking care of yourself now.” Jorey’s father reassured him, luring him to come back home again. ”One day, you’ll have to be the man of the house and take care of the younger ones.”

And that day came sooner than expected. As soon as Jorey came of age, he followed his father down into the pits, he hated it. He knew he had to do it though, so that he could help provide for the family. All the long hours, stuck in the darkness and claustrophobic environment, it was Jorey’s nightmare. He never knew he had such fears as he had always been out in the open, he just had to man up and get over it.

Running late one morning, which was a usual pattern for Jorey. Coming into work, it was hectic, men running around panicking. ”A shaft has collapsed” Panic ran through his veins as he frantically tried to find where his father was. Days had passed before they were able to get into the shaft although they were too late. Six bodies were salvaged, including Jorey's fathers; that was when everything broke down.

Quickly, the family began to detach. Frequent quarrels erupted on a regular basis, especially between Jorey and his brother. Deciding to pack it all in, Jorey wanted to leave, leave the District and become a wanderer. Eventually, when he built up the courage, Jorey quit his job and fled to the fence. For hours, he stood motionless, his conscious battling it out inside of him. It was his father's words which influenced him not to do it, he was now the man of the house, he had to take care of them. Returning home, he apologised to his mother and his brother but still never wants to go back to the mines. He hated it there, he hated the hours and it caused the death of his father.

Stuck doing nothing, Jorey is torn between professions. His mother sells homemade bakes, his brother still down the pits and his sisters aren't at an age to work yet. Regularly being begged to work by his mother, Jorey is stuck in limbo. He spends most of his days hanging around the District, many citizens commenting on his lack of work. It is just nothing interests him, he wants to be happy. If he wants to be working twelve hours a day, he wants to be able to enjoy it.