millie holga . d2 [fin]

My mother trained me to be strong and brave. Thing is, I'm not all that good at the "strong" part of all that. I like to think that I'm brave. I'm always willing to try new things, meet new people and go to new places, at least as much as someone confined to one District can. The problem with the strength part is that I'm just not built for it. At least, not physically.

I suppose you could say I'm strong emotionally or mentally, but it doesn't quite feel like what Mom was going for when she told me to be brave and strong. She's always been the toughest person I've known. She's a career trainer for hopefuls in District Two, always churning out the best of the best. Mom has been training me, too, but I just don't quite have the natural abilities I need to make the best of what I'm learning from her when we train.

I'm really small. I'm nimble— agile and quick. I also have a pretty light step, so not only am I hard to catch, but I'm also pretty gentle in the way I walk. It makes me think that, if I ever ended up in the Hunger Games, I could probably just hide from everyone, avoid the traps, and wait it out until I actually needed to fight. That's my eventual strategy, if it ever happens.

I wouldn't say that I'm scared of the Hunger Games exactly. I don't look forward to them, but they aren't intimidating to me. If I were to get chosen at the reaping to go into the Hunger Games someday, I wouldn't be mad, and probably not all too scared. At least not as scared as a lot of other twelve year olds probably would be. I just figure that if I'm chosen, that's fate. If it happens, then it's what the Gods wanted for me, and I'll respect that.

The Gods' decisions are very important to my life. It's what helps guide me through my life. If you don't know who the Gods are, there are three of them.

First, and probably the most well-known and perhaps even most important of the three is Lift, the goddess of life and death. She controls who lives, who dies, when it happens and how it happens. If you're put into a dangerous or difficult situation, it's her testing you. She's the one who puts you through all of life's trials and tribulations, but also rewards you when you need it most if you've satisfied her. I wear her symbol of a doe as a necklace every day as a charm of protection and a symbol of good faith in her.

Second is Elni. He controls the weather and many parts of nature. He decides which creatures are kind to humans and which are dangerous. He chooses which plants are food and which are poison. He shares the control of disease and illness with Lift, in that Lift chooses who it affects and Elni controls all the little details. Those who harm nature or complain too much about the weather are more likely to be punished my Elni, whether that be with more storms and natural disasters, or with a lack of ability to find food for themselves and their loved ones. I truly believe that those who can't feed their family in Panem simply must be disrespecting Elni.

Lastly is Juri. He's the god of fairness, balance and all things just. He keeps the other two in check, and makes sure that things don't get too out of hand with them punishing or rewarding mortals. I personally trust him to make sure that karma comes into play when it needs to.

I grew up in a very religious household. My parents taught my brothers and I that the Gods are some of the most vitally important things in life, and I've learned to listen to that. My younger brother, Winston, also is a quite avid follower of the religion, but my older brother, Yavier, has started to steer away from religion. Which, I suppose does bother me a little, but I'd never push it on him. I'm just a bit worried for him.

Then again, most people in Panem don't believe in the Gods that my family believes in, and I'd never push it on them, either. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.

My brothers and I have always spent a lot of time together. Winston is only two years younger than me, and Yavier is only a year old than me, so being close in age has helped our bonding. We often have similar interests. For example, when Yavier got absolutely obsessed with reading last year, we started our own little book club and all started reading the same books together. When I gained an interest in career training and wanted to try it for myself, my brothers started doing it with me. Mom trained us, of course (and Yavier is a natural).

One of my biggest interests has always been the history of Panem. I've read up on past Games, and found whatever I could about the earliest days of them, along with what started it all. I've read what remaining material I can find about the dark days, although the Capitol has gotten rid of a lot of that information so as to not spark a new revolution, which I would say makes sense.

I've got quite a lot of friends, most of which I've made in school or through career training. My best friends always have my back, and I always have theirs. I'd consider myself to be a pretty empathetic person, always caring about what other people are feeling or what they're going through. I always do my best to understand what's bothering them and where they're coming from. If arguments ever happen, I'm often posed at the mediator, because I'm good at listening to both sides of the story.

The one thing that I fear the most, though, is someone trying to hurt my family. Whether it be physically laying a hand on my brothers, insulting Mom and Dad, or anything like that, I don't like the thought of it. If it were to happen, I'd defend them in a heartbeat, even if I'm not the physically strongest individual. I don't back down easily when it comes to defending those that I care about.


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1,060 words