Delilah Delomprey, District Four{Finished}

Petite. Pretty. Delicate. They were the three words mainly used to describe Delilah. Standing at 5' 6", with a rather small waist, she could certainly be considered petite. But pretty? Of that, Delilah was not so sure. Her brown hair was rather boring and dull. It hung to her shoulders, or perhaps a bit beyond, and curled slightly at the ends. No matter what she did, she could not get it to stay straight, or even to curl more than it did naturally. No matter how much she brushed it in the mornings, it always seemed to snarl again by the time she was at the breakfast table. Her brown eyes rarely held emotion. Often they had a blank, faraway look in them, as if they were staring at something a million miles away. Her cheeks were often pink, as she blushes spontaneously for no apparent reason.

Delilah has a condition known as Raynaud's phenomenon. Exposure to cold causes her hands to turn a reddish purple color. It doesn't have to be very cold for this to happen, nor does she have to be exposed to the cold for long. Also, if her hands are exposed to extreme heat, they become discolored. She often wears gloves outside to keep her hands from getting discolored. This, however, doesn't always work. Raynaud's also affects her toes, though she doesn't notice quite as much. They turn more purple than red. Her hands and feet never experiance pain due to this condition, however. She has had this condition since she was fourteen, and her mother assures her it is quite common in teenage girls, and that it happened to her, too.

Delilah rarely talks to anyone, even people in her own family. She speaks only when spoken to. Even then, she says as little as possible. She prefers the company of books to the company of people. People in books can't hurt her, not the way real people can. if someone on the street tries to start a conversation with her, she will either stare at them with a startled expression on her face until they leave, or she will ignore them.

Phobias: Many people have one, or even two. Delilah has five. One: Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. She avoids crowds at all costs. Too much risk of being touched. It isn't so bad when someone just brushes her arm. She flinches or winces, but it isn't so bad. But if someone touches her intentionally, it feels like her skin is burning. She becomes paralyzed, and can't move until a minute or two after the person lets go. Sometimes it takes even longer. Phobia number two: Androphobia- Fear of men. She avoids men at all costs. In a larger group of people, it's easier to pretend they aren't there. If she's on a nearly empty street, and there's men coming, she goes out of her way to avoid them. She can't stand being in a room alone with a man. She's better with males if they're young boys. They don't scare her quite so much, but she's still uncomfortable around them.

Philemaphobia or Philematophobia- Fear of kissing. The thought of kissing alone scares Delilah. If she's reading a book and two characters kiss, she skips to the next page. She can't understand what's so great about kissing. The thought of letting someone else's lips touch her own makes her skin crawl. She would never allow someone to get that close to her. But then, if someone tried to kiss her, she'd probably be too afraid to push them away. Her last two phobias seem to go hand in hand: Contreltophobia- Fear of sexual abuse, and Virginitiphobia- Fear of rape. As she roams the streets, she keeps her eyes open for anyone who might want to rape her. If someone starts heading in her general direction, she tries to get out of their way without being obvious. If a man's eyes meet hers on the street, she freezes up, sure he's about to do something to her. Especially when they smile.

On another note, Delilah has exceptional manners. She knows how to keep a polite conversation going, though she rarely uses this knowledge. She always sits up straight, and never slouches. She knows all the rules of etiquette. People are always telling her mother she is very polite, and "a perfect little angel."

If a person took time to have a conversation with Delilah (assuming she'd talk back) they'd see that she is quite insightful and intelligent. She spends a lot of time thinking and coming up with stories or explanations for why people act the way they do. This is probably due to the large amounts of books she reads. Delilah would likely be very loyal to anyone she befriends. She isn't good at making friends, so she wouls consider herself lucky to have one. She'd do whatever she could to make sure she kept them.

Delilah was born to a wealthy family in District Four. Her father owns many fishing boats, through a buisiness which has been in the family for many years. Her father's money was largely inherited as opposed to earned. They live in a large old mansion along the shore.

Delilah is an only child. She always prefered being alone. Her mother worried about her not having any friends. She tried setting up playdates for her daughter, but they were never successful. She learned to leave her daughter alone. Delilah was always very good in school, excelling in English and History. She was raised to be polite and proper, and to be seen rather than heard. Her father always seemed to be throwing important dinners, and she was required to attend. Delilah soon learned that she was there only so her mother could show off what a wonderful daughter she had.

When Delilah was eleven, her father came into her room late at night and woke her up. She asked him what was wrong and why he was there. She had no memory of her father ever coming into her room before that night. He shushed her and told her not to make a sound. That night, he raped her. It was not the last time. Her father's multiple rapes and repeated sexual abuse left emotional and mental scars on Delilah. She spent more time alone than she had before. She stopped going to school. She couldn't stand being there, with all the people, all the boys.

Delilah is sure that her mother knows what's going on behind closed doors at night. Neither of them has ever said a thing about it. Delilah gets the feeling she isn't the only one her father takes advantage of. He must do the same things to her mother, too. And she suspects the maids that were dismissed over the years left only because they were pregnant with her father's child. Delilah could have any number of half-siblings out there that she doesn't know about. Quite honestly, she envies them. They don't have to grow up with her father. They can be perfectly normal.