>.Jared Strahan || Eight.<

Jared's skin is lightly olive toned, and his hair is an average chocolate brown. His eyes are of a dark blue hue.

At first glance, Jared Strahan's appearance would be entirely average; in other words, nothing to marvel at. In most ways, he is average, and his looks are not particularly deceiving. He does have a fair amount of muscle, though, due to a lifetime of working with his parents in the loom factory lifting heavy machinery.

Jared likes to remain inconspicuous, and he is normally seen with his eyes towards the ground, blending in with the crowd. But those who get to know him, and he really is quite friendly when given the chance, will find the most loyal and trustworthy person you can come upon. He takes great pride in being a good friend to those who are close to him, and considers disloyalty to be the height of dishonor.

Jared Strahan is humorous and witty at times, always having a smart remark in mind but never sarcastic to the point where it would become irritating. He has no trouble being likable and charming when he wants to be, but he is rather quiet most of the time. Those who want to be his friends would have to work a bit to get through to him, but he fiercely defends his loved ones, and it would be worth it...most of the time.

Jared was not born an only child. He had an older brother, Ian, and when he was four, his parents had another son, called Nathan, or Nate for short. The ten year age difference between Ian and Jared was so much, though, that Jared had a hard time bonding with his older brother. When Jared was just ten, Ian moved out of the house to start his own life on the other side of the District, after having a terrible argument with Jared's parents.

So Jared was left as his family's oldest child, and he took that job very seriously, caring for Nate in the way that only a big brother could. Both boys worked in the weaving factory with their parents, and both grew to be strong, although Nate looked burlier than his brother at his age.

When he was sixteen, Jared met Heidi, a fragile, slight golden-haired girl his age who had come to District Eight from District Ten after her parents had been ordered to move by the Capitol. She was extremely smart, but she was quiet and shy. The two became extremely close, and even though they were and still are only seventeen, Jared knew he loved her more than he could ever love anyone. To this day, he still puts Heidi before his own life, and protects her from absolutely everything, but his biggest fear is that one of them will be condemned to death by being chosen for the Reaping and lose each other forever.