~Valerie Hojisaksmal~ D6~

Name: Valerie Joan Hojisaksmal
Age: 12
Gender: Female
District/Area: District 6
Appearance:

Let's start at the top and work our way down, shall we? Valerie always has to look her best. It's just not optional. So, she doesn't just brush her naturally crazy hair. No, she brushes it until its nice, silky, and very smooth. If her brown hair doesn't fall to her shoulders in curls, Valerie will refuse to go out in public. Usually she'll put her hair half up so that it stays out of her face, and you can be sure it'll be adorned with at least one bow or ribbon. Her face is slightly round with a pointed chin. Her nose is round, maybe even a little big, but it fits her face well. Her eyes, which Val considers her most boring feature, sit an even distance apart. The wide, round orbs are a dull brown. Her mouth is small and unimpressive, and her face is blemish-free.

She, like her other three sisters, is 4'7". Sure, she's a little short for her age. But Valerie definitely doesn't let this keep her down. She walks around the district proudly, back straight, shoulders back, and nose in the air. She's thin enough for her age, and is reasonably well fed, considering her district is kind of low. Somehow, Mr. Hojisaksmal manages to bring home enough food to keep her healthy at around 73 pounds.mShe gets a reasonable amount of exercise, but tends to stay inside more than running around outside for two reasons. One is that she tends to have weaker ankles than most kids her age. The other? Her skin is pale, and a little sensitive. If she goes out for a long time, you can be pretty sure she'll get burned.

Val is the kind of girl who wears brightly colored clothing. She hates the boring grays and dark blues she sees other kids wear. Thanks to her dad, she has a few skirts and tops to choose from in lighter tones. She tries to keep them as clean as possible, and Valerie takes special care to avoid staining her clothing. She always coordinates the ribbons in her hair to match her clothing, and it's become something of a signature for her. Even if her ribbons are a little ratty or worn, Valerie will wear them. She's always wearing a clean skirt, pretty top, and fine shoes. The girl wouldn't be caught dead barefoot, and often wears an old pair of leather shoes her father got her. Valerie saves her dressier black shoes and purple dress for special occasions. She used to only wear it on her birthday, but since she's twelve this year, it looks like she'll be wearing this for her reaping.

Personality:

You know the girl in the class who seems to have it all? The one with the nicest clothing, the nicest stuff, and even the nicest lunch. That's Valerie for you. She has nicer things than other kids in her district, but she definitely doesn't have the nicest personality. Over the years, Valerie has grown to be a snob... And that's putting things lightly. She knows she has better things than other kids, and for some reason this seems to make her think that she's better than them. This means that she ends up being loud, somewhat obnoxious, and even a little cruel when stating her opinion. She likes to think that she's almost always right. If you disagree with her, you'll never hear the end of it. Val can be mean and harsh when she wants to be. And that's just if you disagree with her once or twice. If she doesn't like you, it gets even worse. She's not afraid to taunt, tease, and call names, even if it does seem a little immature. And the worse part? She acts like a perfect little angle when you bring the adults into things. She's grown good at fooling her father and some other figures into thinking she's just a kind, innocent little girl.

But Valerie Hojisaksmal isn't all bad. In her defense, her dad had a pretty big impact on her, and the way he spoils her isn't exactly helping her behavior. If she lets you close enough to get to know her, Valerie can turn out to be a pretty okay person. Of course, the arrogance is still there. But, behind that, she can be thoughtful and considerate. Maybe not in an obvious way, but she'll buy you a lunch or small clip or something to show her appreciation. If she decides your good enough to be her friend, then Valerie will let you know. She likes having others around her and talking to other kids her age. It's not just because she feels like it gives her power over others although that helps, but because she gets a little lonely sometimes. She tries to be as perfect as she can be, so her dad doesn't kick her out or something. That means she has to stay on top of her schoolwork, keep her spot as the "leader" amongst her little clique at school, keep the other kids in check, and appear as sweet daughter to her father.

Speaking of her father, we should talk about her family and her relationships with them. Valerie isn't exactly fond of her mother. Well, that's a lie. She looks down on her mom, and almost always scorns her. To Val, the woman is weak. She's the reason why Mr. Hojisaksmal kicked Valerie, her mother, and her sisters out on the streets. As far as Valerie is concerned, she's lucky that he decided she was his favorite and took her back in. She's almost afraid that her dad might kick her out again if she messes up, and then where would she be? She couldn't turn to her sisters. Gigi would probably just pretend to pity her while trying to take Val's spot as favorite. This is why Valerie understands Gigi. The girl wants what she has, and who wouldn't? It's only natural. That's why the other two sisters don't make sense to the twelve year-old. Mist doesn't seem jealous at all, which confuses Val. She should be! Right? And on top of that, the girl is a total hypocrite. She's set on doing the right thing, but then she'll turn around and pull a prank on Valerie. If she got kicked out, Mist definitely wouldn't be any help. And Eve probably wouldn't either. She's just so quiet and distant. She almost seems weak, and that's something Val won't tolerate. Eve is someone to use, not go to for help. No, it's better off for Val to just stay the favorite.

History:

Valerie's history definitely isn't something she likes to brag a whole lot about. She can't remember much of her earliest years, but she can remember enough. She calls it the T.B.D. (the Time Before Dad), and it's safe to say she was a pretty unhappy little kid. Apparently, her father kicked Val, Gigi, Eve, Mist (the quadruplets) and their mom out. From what Valerie knows, she was a miserable little kid with a weak mom and three sisters to deal with. They were some of the lowest people on the district's social scale, and Valerie will do anything to keep from going back to that. So, that was pretty depressing time for Valerie. But, when kindergarten came things started to look up.

Val isn't quite sure when she first got curious about her dad. Maybe it was during that stupid family portrait assignment, or listening to all the other girls talk about their dads... Well, whatever it was, it happened in kindergarten. Valerie wondered about it for weeks, and when she finally asked her mom about it she barely got an answer. All she heard was a mumbled name of Mouk... So, when Valerie overheard some peacekeepers using the same name, she asked around. As soon as Valerie found out where he lived, the girl threw on her best clothes and went to visit her father. At first the visits were few and far between, but soon Valerie started to like her dad more and more. Slowly, he began to give her gifts. Before she knew it, Valerie's sixth birthday had arrived, and her father officially took her in.

Finally, Val was happy. She was better fed, better dressed, and much better off. Still, the girl felt bad for her mother and sisters, who were still on the streets. At first, she'd just sneak food out to her mom, and occasionally buy Gigi lunch, since she was close to her. Then, she began to give her mother small amounts of money, a blanket or two, and whatever else she needed. When her father found out, he was not happy. That was the first time Val saw him take his anger out on one of her sisters, and it scared her. It's one thing to see someone hurt a little girl. It's another to see your own father beat your sister. Val can't remember which it was anymore,and frankly she doesn't want to. All she knows is that she had never been more afraid of her own father. When he sat her down afterwards and explained to her that her mother and sisters were weak, Valerie began to realize that she needed to prove to him that she was different. She needed to show Mouk Hojisaksmal that she was worth his time and that she was stronger than the others.

That was when Valerie's little princess complex began. As far as she was concerned, having better things meant you were better than others. So, Valerie convinced herself she was one of the best girls her age in the district. Maybe even the best. She was determined to prove herself to her father, so she stayed at the top. She tried her best in school, but that wasn't really her strongest point. She began trying to use others to make herself stronger. She'd convince other kids to do what she wanted by promising them lunch or a ribbon for their hair. Soon, Valerie found herself as one of the most popular girls in her grade, and she was dead set on staying there. She's been at the top for a year or two now, but she still isn't pleased with her position. Lately Valerie has been trying to draw Eve, the loneliest quadruplet, into her little clique. Gigi is already part of it, so why not Eve?

Codeword: odair
Comments/Other:

Part of the "Got Quads?" plot.