Serena Crane - District 1

"What is love? Ah, isn't that just the age old question? Shakespeare spent his life trying to describe it, and Lord Byron trying to feel it. A romantic would tell you it's beautiful; a hopeless romantic, on the other hand, would say it's beautifully depressing. A believer would tell you it's out there; a cynic would have you believe it's nowhere to be seen. A historian would prove that it's real, and a philosopher would give you a million and one thoughts on why it's illogical.

As for me, well, I wouldn't know if it hit me square in the jaw.

So... that brings me back to my first question: What exactly is love? Is it lust wrapped in a pretty little package? Or is it just friendship over-exaggerated. If you have an answer, please tell me. I'd love it if you did."


Name: Serena Crane
Age: 17
Gender: Female
District/Area: District 1

Serena is "darkly beautiful," yet she's got a seeming tough facade. Standing about 5 foot 7, she is thin and lean, with well developed muscles and very distinct bodily curves. Her skin is pale and soft, yet her hands are slightly calloused on the underside from years of practicing with swords. She has a scar on her upper forearm that is a soft pink as it has healed over the years. Her hair is a soft shade of black and lies in large curls down to her middle back.

Serena's eyes are an icy blueish-gray color that resembles water under a thin layer of ice. These eyes are probably her most noticeable feature, as they seem to pierce those who look into them. Her lips are plump and artistic, and are naturally a light rose petal pink color before any enhancements. She has a few noticeable freckles on her upper cheeks, which are lined with prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline. Her nails always seem to be chewed, yet always very clean.

As a child, Serena cried very little. This trait carries itself through today. Though she never cries and avoids socialization, her disposition always makes it look like she is in constant emotional agony and wants to desperately find someone to speak with about it. When she's quiet, her quietness shows itself as shyness, although, that's not the case whatsoever. She will speak when spoken to or when feeling threatened, and when she speaks, she is a firecracker and seemingly arrogant, although, this is a mask of how vulnerable and scared she feels on the inside. Her eyes deceive her soul, as she is less strong on the inside than they let on.

Serena's biggest fear is being forced into volunteering for the Hunger Games or being reaped. Her seemingly tough and bad attitude makes people around her feel as though she wants to be a part of the games, and whenever asked about them, she claims to be an avid supporter of them. In reality, she is terrified of death and the thought of dying someday keeps her well grounded. She seems to be very arrogant, and it is her strongest personality trait. In actuality, she hates herself and wishes she was more like others around her because they are not afraid of anything, or so she things. She is very easily manipulated, although, she'd never let you believe that. She gets very angry, very quickly, and it causes her to be violent, as she feels it's the only thing she can do, since she believes she was raised to be.

Unlike many other of the district's residents, Serena openly states her disdain for District 1. She hates the glitter and glam of the district and wishes she was born to district 2 instead. She is very tomboyish in nature and hates to admit it, but is charmed off her feet by romantic sentiments. Her favorite gesture is when a man does something she deems as “spontaneous,” such as take her swimming spur of the moment. Sometimes, when she likes something or someone, she gets angry at it/them, because she doesn't like to like things, it makes her feel weak. Her main belief is that: "If you like something, it automatically becomes a weakness." She avoids the company of men, because they remind her of this belief and make her hate herself for being "girly."

Margaret (aka Retti) and William, her parents, wanted her to be well prepared if she were to ever be reaped. They look at her as a meal ticket to fame and constantly force her to get career training so that someday she can volunteer and be a celebrity. She is intimidated by them as they remind her that she isn't in control of anything, not even her own life. When she was 12, she got hit with a sword from someone in her career training class and was cut severely, resulting as the scar on her forearm. She hates them for it and wishes everyday that she could kill them for giving her an imperfection. Her parents push her to achieve a lot, but would rather her be well educated in English and in the art of fighting. The English education follows them, as they are both aspiring writers, desperately trying to find fame and wealth, but never getting anywhere.

Serena hates being asked if she is related to Seneca Crane, because she isn't, and the name similarities are only coincidental. She is asked often, and though it is something minor, it irritates her to be asked repeatedly, as she hates repetition. She grew up an only child and only had a few friends in the world. None of them keep in contact anymore since she has become so cold and indifferent to everyone. Most of her friends were career trainees themselves, and her former best friend Lisbeth was one of them. Lisbeth and her got into a major fight a year ago, and stopped talking altogether. Nobody knows the true reason as to why they stopped being friends besides the two of them.

Her childhood was very quiet, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. She lived almost a “perfect” life until she aged into her preteen years, when she was forced into training. After she began training, she tried to run away out of fear and angst, but she didn't get very far because a peacekeeper found her and returned her home; she never tried again. Serena's favorite weapon is a sword because she likes the way it feels to control it, since her parents always called the shots in her life. Her parents desperately tried to force her to choose spears as a weapon of choice, but she fought them every step of the way. They eventually gave up trying to turn her into them, especially when they noticed how good she was at it, and how awful her aim with a spear was. Serena spends a lot of time alone in her room since she doesn't have any friends, but she hopes that maybe there will be someone out there who can help her.