Remy Harkness (District 8)

Her father tells her that she's pretty, but beauty has no place in District 8. They're here to make the clothes, not model them. She, like all seven of her brothers and sisters, looks just like their mother- blue eyes and long dark hair, with her height coming from her father's side. She's pale, like most of the citizens of D8. You never get much sun laboring in a factory for 12 hours a day.

She's got a tiny face, with a pointed chin and lips that are perpetually in a pout, no matter what she's feeling. Her hair is dark brown and, to her dismay, never behaves. It falls in waves to her shoulders and more or less does what it pleases. Her teeth are a bit crooked, which she hates. She dresses in clothes that her older sister sews from the scraps of clothing she and her siblings steal and bring her. They don't have much money and it shows in Remy's soft posture and constantly downcast eyes.

Growing up among so many siblings, she learned the survival skills necessary to growing up in such a large family. She knows when to keep her head down (always) and when to trust people (never). Her mother calls her "L'Oiseau" (it's in a language called French, whatever that is. Her mother must be the only one in the world who remembers it). It means Bird, which is an apt description of Remy's awkward limbs and constantly skittishness. A natural paranoia and many pranks played on her as a schoolgirl has not served her well. She keeps most at arms length and, surprisingly enough, is a master manipulator. Her perceived innocence makes people want to help her and she uses this to her advantage when she needs it. Sometimes she worries that it's turning her into a bad person.

If you ask anyone in District 8 about Remy Harkness, they will tell you two things- She can run and she cook like nobody's business. Remy's fast, there's no denying that. Her long legs and narrow frame suit her well for it. And as the third of seven children, her cooking skills were born out of necessity. Food is slightly more abundant in D8 than in the poorer districts, but not by much. When faced with a cupboard containing only a bag of noodles, chicken seasoning and a canned jar of peaches and nine hungry mouths to feed, you have to be able to think on your feet. Remy taught her younger siblings to gather, to supplement their meager food supply and then taught herself to make meals out of just about anything.

Like everyone, Remy has a light side and a dark side. On the light side, she's kind to the vulnerable, probably because she remembers what it was like to be them. When she likes someone enough to not use them, she's loyal to the core. She's thrifty and is able to think on her feet. And, though she's the last person you'd expect, she has a terrifically raunchy sense of humor.

On the dark side, she's afraid to speak her mind. She's sinfully manipulative and has no qualms about taking people in and throwing them out like a used rag when she gets what she wants. She's never quick to trust, even the people that she should.

Remy was born to Daniel and Cassandra Harkness. She's the third child (out of 7) and second daughter (out of 3). She was born in District 8, the district of textiles. In school, She excelled at mathematics and showed an aptitude for logic problems. She dropped out of school at 16 to work in the factories and pull her own weight in the family. She first worked in a trouser factory, but when the Overseer saw her efficiency with button sewing (her small hands helped with it), recommended her to work for one of the private studios that embroider and embellish clothing for a specific Capitol resident. She now works in the private studio of Meriweather Hensbury, mainly sewing and embriodering ball gowns. Ms. Hensbury is a notorious socialite and trust fund baby who enjoys "slumming it" every year around Christmastime by granting those who work in her family's various private practices throughout the districts a small bonus. This meager bonus has proved invaluable to Remy, as it is helps immensly in keeping her family afloat.

Socially, school was rough for her, as were the years following it. Her nerves and general abrasiveness made it hard for her to make friends. She found three or four good ones and latched onto them. Her curious disregard for lack of approval from others made her a leader among her group of friends, oddly enough. She was only really close with one- Edna Dartmay.

When she was sixteen, something strange happened. She fell in love. His name is Mika Flock and they adore each other. If Remy has a reason to live, it's him. He tells her the day they turn eighteen, they're going to get married. Remy never wanted to live her parents' life, though. Get married young, have a lot of kids, spend her life sewing and embroidering and cooking for nine and watching her kids work their fingers to the bone to make garmets for the rich and fabulous. She can't stand the thought of it. But it's easier to lie and say that she can, to lie and say that life with Mika in District 8 is exactly what she wants. But it's not and she can never deny that. Who knows where her restlessness is going to take her?