Poppy Greenslade | District Six | FIN

Poppy Greenslade
Thirty-Four | Female | District Six

My hazel eyes are often outlined with black eyeliner that I am fortunate enough to be able to afford. The brown hair on my head rests below my shoulders, and appears a bit lighter-colored in sunlight. My face is a bit of an oval shape, and I have a slightly pointed chin. I have a small nose and thin brows that rest upon my somewhat tanned face. The white teeth I have are revealed from behind my light pink lips when I smile, and I've been told I have a smile that seems to be full of hope.

I'm about 5'9" tall, and of an average weight. I like to dress to impress, wearing nice clothing that is of good quality fabric. Fortunately, my income allows me to afford it, even if I don't have as much income since my husband left. My cheekbones are rather defined, and I rarely have blemishes on my face. The long limbs that I have are quite noticeable, too. My feet aren't very big, and are slightly different sizes from one another.

It's not common to find freckles on my skin, even though I do spend quite a bit of time in the sun. I'd say that I'm muscular for a woman, and I'm proud of that. I have a lot of strength in me, especially in my legs. I have stretch marks on my stomach from my past pregnancies in life. They don't bother me too much, though, as they're there for a reason- I was able to bring my children into the world. I think the one part about my appearance that does bother me, though, is the dry skin that I often have, usually on my hands. Regardless, I hold myself rather confidently.

I have changed a lot since Harrison left. I've become much more aggressive and my use of foul language has certainly increased. Sometime I make jokes so that I don't have to think about what happened. A lot of people tell me that I'm rather funny, so I guess that's a plus. Ever since my husband became an Avox, however, my jokes have been more of a cover. Without him around, and without having a reassurance that he's actually sane, I feel like a shell with nothing in it- empty inside. I don't think I'll ever feel love for someone else. I've never been good at love, and neither was Harrison. That may have been why we connected so well. We both just kind of decided to wing it, and it turned into a family.

I'm a very protective mother. If anything were to ever happen to my children, I'd probably go on a rampage, to be completely honest. I'm not afraid to kick a man who hurts my children right in the place where the sun doesn't shine. Not only am I rather protective, I am probably a bit too sensitive. I get upset rather easily. When I get upset, though, it's not normally a crying sort of upset. It normally turns into rage. I have major anger issues that I have trouble controlling, meaning that I have a tendency to argue with those I don't agree with for one reason or another.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not always aggressive, even if I seem that way without my husband around. I actually have a rather relaxed side to me. When I get the chance to read or do other things that calm me down, such as going for a walk, I feel a lot better and am a lot more polite. I know how to be respectful to those who are respectful to me in return. Often, I even get told that I'm a better person than my husband was. Then again, when your husband is a killer, it's not too hard to be a better person than him.

I may be someone who gets particularly angry sometimes, but I would never attack a person, unless it was self-defense. Before I lost Harrison to his criminal ways, I was the romantic type. I don't know if that will ever surface again with another man, but I don't know if I want it too. I'd be too worried that things would turn out the same way again. At this point in my life, all I want to worry about are myself and my children.

I wanted to leave the District after Harrison left us, but I knew I couldn't do that to my children. I couldn't just pick up and leave. There was no way all of my children would be able to efficiently care for themselves if I left them in District Six, and there was a very slim chance that I would be able to care for all three of them effectively in the woods beyond the District boundary. My children are the only thing that made me stay. They didn't even know that I was thinking about running off, either.

A few years ago, Harrison Greenslade, my husband, did something more terrible than I could have ever imagined him doing. I didn't know he had it in him. He killed a man, and didn't seem to regret it at all. He claimed to be protecting me, but I'll never know if that's true. Seeing him dragged away by Peacekeepers with blood on him was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. The Peacekeepers turned him into an Avox by cutting out his tongue, and he was sent to the Capitol to be a slave. It was a fate that I never would have imagined for him, and it all happened so fast. I don't know if I still love him anymore, after all that happened, but I know at least part of my cares about what happens to him.

I don't think I'll ever remarry, after all that happened. I'd be too nervous that something like that would happen again. He might not have meant to, but he abandoned the three kids and I. He left us to fend for ourselves without his help or income, and that meant that things would be a lot more difficult in our lives. So many people in the District now know me as 'the wife of that guy', 'the wife of the guy that killed his neighbor' or really anything to that effect. People don't tell me directly, but I have a feeling that the reason they often avoid me is because they're afraid I'll be like Harrison. I'm nothing like him. I don't want blood on my hands. I don't want to be a slave in the Capitol for the rest of my life. I don't want a bad name for myself. That may be what he wanted, or at least what he got, but I'll never let that happen to me. I'll never be like my husband, that murderous man.

When I was young, before I met Harrison, I was the daughter that wanted to do whatever she could to impress her parents. I was a good student, and I worked at a nearby shop to help my family have some extra money so that we didn't need tesserae. I was lucky enough to never be picked in the reaping, and the same could be said for those I was friends with. As someone who didn't have a lot of friends, though, it was a bit easier to avoid the people I cared about being picked for the death match. My friends and I often just went for walks or played outside, chasing each other around. I'd say I had a rather nice childhood, as my parents always cared greatly for me and treated me well.

My family is of an average size, consisting of my parents, my brother and I. My brother is older than me by a couple years, and we've always gotten along rather well. Now, however, my brother is no longer around. He passed away a few years back, unfortunately. My parents are both still around, but I don't think they'll be hanging on for much longer, as my mother is disabled and my father has recently fallen ill. Regardless, I really appreciate having them in my life.

Harrison and I met when we were in our early twenties. We fell in love and started dating, which went rather well. Eventually, we got married, and had been for about seven years by the time that Harrison 'left'. Before the incident, he seemed like such a nice man. He always cared about me, and was a hard worker. He was intelligent, always knowing what he was doing. I guess I'll never know what changed to make him a killer who didn't feel bad about it. I'm actually kind of glad he left. I don't want to live with a killer. I would rather put a campfire out with my face.