Kyra Elek, District 3

Ara's defining characteristic is her bright auburn hair. People in her district always know her running by because of the flash of red. When she was born her mother was so surprised at the color (that her grandmother had, but it had skipped a generation) that she named her Kyra (literally "like Ra," the fabled sun god from ancient mythology). She has murky blue eyes and pointed nose. Her facial structure is fairly angular, with a wide forehead and high cheekbones. She is 5'8" and 122 pounds, with an athletic build and can lift 75% of her body weight. She spends most mornings and evenings working out with her father, and prefers physical labor rather than mental.

She has peach-colored skin and her hair is wavy, going down to her chest. She usually wears it down or in a messy side braid. Her expression is usually placid, with her lips pursed and her eyes cold--but when shaken the latter can be very expressive. She's fond of beige tank tops, cargo pants, and leather.

Socially, Ara is inept. She's not ugly, on the contrary, but she doesn't wear "cute" clothes like a pretty girl might. She has a grudge against most "pretty" girls because of their daintiness and refusal to get their hands dirty. She's proud of the fact that her father put a good work ethic in her, and hates it when her aunt tuts over her noncommittal attitude towards boys and clothes. She's confident but gets awkward when dealing with something she knows nothing about.

Ara is tough as nails, at least, that's what she'd like people to believe. When she was little she got into a lot of fights with the other girls, because they teased her about her clothes and lack of social skills. She responded mainly in biting and hitting. Her mother was ashamed of this, and scolded her about how it made all the other mothers think she was bad. Ara's father, George, took this to mean it was time to help Ara focus her anger and resentment. He took her out to train one school night and it turned into one of the happiest moments of her life. She worked hard it felt amazing, but she exhausted herself so much that she couldn't get out of bed for three days.

Because of the teasing from annoying girls as a child and the love of athletics, Ara found herself fitting in more with the guys. But having a girl around wasn't the first thing on prepubescents' mind, so she had to fight to hang out with them at all. Eventually she deemed it not worth the trouble, and found herself with the lonely, albeit more likable, "outcasts." She also has an odd love of spiders, and keeps several as pets. Obviously, this didn't help with the social skills.

It was then her hatred of society spurred, and why she is not friendly in the least. When she is shown kindness, she is not quick to reciprocate it and looks somewhat reminiscent of a dragon being given a hug. She finds kinship with her father and his friends, working men, and enjoys the ease and comfortableness of the conversation between them. Ara has two brothers, one younger and one older. She's very maternal with them, since their mother is out of the picture, and takes care of them. She's always busy doing something, be it training, working a part time job, running to school late again, or buying last minute food for dinner.

As a child, Ara was loud, assertive, and outspoken. Yet, as this caused more and more trouble for her with the other kids, she learned to keep her thoughts to herself. She became a lot more reserved after her mother died, and decided that there were a lot more important things than what people complain and talk about all day. Ara enjoy appreciating small things, quiet talk after a long day of work, and people who don't cause trouble.

As a teen, Ara's teachers called her an old soul. She seemed to be in the wrong generation, and acted a lot like a 60 year old male worker. But the main difference between Ara and these men is that she is not laid back. She is always in a hurry, since she took on the maternal role when her mom wasn't there anymore and she got old enough to cook. She's studious, but hate school. She works hard, and feels that's her place in the world. Her happiness comes from her family and the satisfaction she gets from a job well done.

Now at seventeen years old Ara's main concerns are her older brother's depression, her younger brother's safety from bullies, and her father's wellbeing. She doesn't mind being busy, especially since it gives her less time to spend wondering what to do with herself. She hates free time during daylight hours, because it seems wasteful and she doesn't know how to socialize. She feels the resentment from the people around her, but doesn't mind as long as she doesn't have to deal with them. She doesn't like them either.

The family name, Elek, comes from the greek word "Elektron"--fitting because of where they live. Kyra means "like Ra", the sun god (because of her hair). Her middle name comes from the family tradition of having the middle name after an animal that resounds with your soul. In Ara's case, spiders.