Laurel Jordan, District 8

The first thing anyone notices about Laurel is her large hazel eyes, framed by impossibly long eyelashes. She has very pale skin and blushes easily. Her hair is long and thick; a sort of pale honey-brown. No one has ever called her pretty, discouraged as they are by her heavy frame: her curves are too pronounced to be called sultry. "Chubby" is the term most of her peers have chosen. Despite her weight, Laurel has a certain grace about her when she isn't too embarrassed.
Laurel is usually well dressed despite her low income. She has a talent for making the most worn-out rags into clothing that is presentable at least, and sometimes even breathtaking. She rarely wears flounces or ribbon, but prefers simpler, more economical clothing. She often alters men's vests and waistcoats to fit her shape and wears them over leggings or tights. She wears no jewelry apart from a string of pearls that her mother gave her as a small child.

Laurel is usually soft-spoken, but she can be driven to speak up when her morality is tested. She is sensitive to teasing. After hard times in her life, she holds a seed of anger deep in her heart. She never takes her temper out on customers, but on bad days her ward, Amber, bears the brunt of Laurel's anger. With her angry outbursts come a sense of contrition. She makes heartfelt apologies after any such outburst.
After losing her first love, Laurel is wary of giving her heart to anyone else. She is afraid of losing anyone else she loves. The fact that most boys are put off by her figure doesn't help the matter. Laurel is very protective of Amber, the last person that she has let herself love. Her greatest fear is losing Amber the way she lost Jeff and her parents.
On the bright side, Laurel is able to make friends easily. This tendency began to show after she became comfortable with her appearance. She is wary of getting too close, but she has many loose friends to gossip and do schoolwork with. She is a passable student and has an ear for languages. Her friends and customers always leave her shop with a smile and comment on her cheerful disposition.

Laurel is the illegitimate daughter of a Capitol social climber. Her mother, Jenna Lee, was taking a vacation in district eight and became infatuated with Earl Jordan, a dressmaker who had fallen on hard times. Their affair lasted long enough to produce Laurel, but after she was born Jenna left district eight. She said she was bored and wanted a more exciting life in the capitol. Earl was sent a wedding notice when Laurel was three. It was heavy with an unspoken request that he would never try to contact Jenna, so he never did. Neither Laurel nor her father has heard from her since, and Laurel has only a string of pearls to remember her mother by.
Laurel grew up in the dress shop. Earl made just enough money catering to the upper class that he could make ends meet, but his hair turned grey early and his vision grew ever weaker as he overworked himself. He had been devastated by the loss of her mother, and he found purpose in trying to give his daughter the best life he could. Laurel grew up fairly happy and was only a little troubled when other children asked about her mother. She never lost her baby fat and took endless teasing about it at school. On the most desolate afternoons, she would sit in the shop, the taunts of her playmates still ringing in her ears, and practice needlework until she felt better, one hand on the strand of pearls that reminded her of her mother's love.
As time went on and the taunts continued, her skill at dressmaking grew. When she was eleven she arrived at school wearing a dress of her own creation. The girls were amazed to see the fine stitching and the way it flattered her stout frame. She began to get commissions from her classmates, and her father's business began to pick up as the parents of her schoolmates heard who was responsible for their daughters' new clothes. Earl glowed with pride in his daughter's achievements.
At age thirteen, Laurel met a new neighbor. Jeff, with his bright eyes and effervescent smile, was poor and worked in a textile factory. Laurel was immediately smitten and felt overjoyed when he took an interest in her. After a few afternoon talks in front of the shop, Laurel knew she had found the love of her life. Jeff smiled at her like no one else ever had, and he always complimented her personally, not just the quality of her work. When Earl had a heart attack and Laurel had to work the shop alone, Jeff was always beside her. Then, three years later, came the night when Jeff and his parents were arrested. Peacekeepers carried them away one night, leaving Jeff's six-year-old sister Amber behind. Laurel took Amber in and after grieving together for six months Amber is helping with the shop. Laurel is still looking for answers about why her love was taken away, and her need for the truth is becoming more and more urgent.