Jae Bright // [District 2/FIN]

Jae had it all when she was born. The apartment in the city center of District One. The snazziest gadgets and toys. A private education. A nanny on call, but not hovering, because her parents genuinely cared to be involved when they weren't brokering the latest jewelry trend. It wasn't their fault, probably, and Jae's certainly not willing to blame them. Because there's no winners when it comes to the blame game, right, and her life is pretty fabulous?

She went to her first party, the kind with no adults present, during the summer before she turned thirteen. Everyone else went and it wasn't a lemming situation, just a sort of, go to class, learn to write an essay, then get drunk on bitter selzer and maybe kiss someone.

It took Jae many years to realize she could actually dictate when and where such parties happen.

By the time she turned eighteen - maybe, it could have been seventeen, but she wasn't exactly clear on the progression of time any more - her parents couldn't handle her benders any more. They'd made every excuse for her, allowed her to dry out in luxury detox centers, transferred schools, bought her way into the next prestigious institution. None of it cured her demons. So, they fled. They vacationed in the Capitol and left their lavish estate to Jae's parties.

She keeps meaning to thank them, but then someone sabers a bottle of champagne and by the morning she can't remember... anything, really?