Christopher Jay - d11- Peacekeeper -FIN!

Prim, proper, and in uniform. It is part of the image that I am required to maintain in order to stay in the law enforcement business. And is certainly the sort of discipline I approve of. And although I technically make Jade iron my clothing and polish my boots, I'd rather do it all myself. It is important to keep the stark white of my uniform stark white. Important to keep my boots unscathed. Important for me to keep my shades reflective. And, most importantly, it is necessary for my daughter to approve of the whole outfit each day. I really do have to laugh at how she fixes me each day to fit what she thinks I should look like but it is a routine that cannot be broken.

She always scolds me for not shaving, but I insist on keeping my beard and mustache. I haven't ever told her the reason for it, but it is because the person I thought I loved had always liked the scruff I was able to grow during high school. She insisted it made me look like more of a man and made up for my lack of - well, largeness. I have always been quite slim. And now that I am growing older, it is harder and harder to keep muscle on my bones. I can tell already that I will be a frail old man, possibly even have to retire to a wheelchair. My wife always laughs at the thought of pushing me around, insisting she would even if our daughter wasn't there to hold us together anymore. She says as long as I wore the dashing Peacekeeper uniform she would do most anything for me. (I know this is her form of "joking" but sometimes I could swear it is flirting.)

Now, my official statistics. I have an ID to show that I am an actual Peacekeeper. And although it is from a few years ago, it is still valid and fairly close. I have brown hair, which is actually beginning to gray at the edges, and the picture shows it waving in my eyes. But recently I have been letting my daughter trim it short for me. And even though I had been quite frightened of the idea at first, it turns out well every time. My eyes are the faintest of blues according to both my wife and daughter, but my card states that they are grey which is what I agree with. As a child, my family had the money to get my teeth straightened and I must say I love my smile. According to the card I am 5'11" and 188 lbs. - more proof of how outdated it is. I have lost around 10 pounds since then and I swear I am shrinking in height each day. But I am physically active and fit and, even though lots of doctors said it couldn't possibly be done, I am actually able to gain muscle mass. After a long day of work, I like to run for endurance purposes and I make the best food. If I hadn't been a Peacekeeper, I would've been a master chef.

But I have discovered age to be a bitch. And honestly, I welcome that bitch - as long as she brings me safely to retirement.

I like to think of myself as dedicated and loyal. I like to stay true to what I believe in and tend not to be swayed by popular demand. My dad always thought it best to please the public - but I would rather do what is actually right, not what others say is right. I know that other people have an idea of what this is - maybe some even call it bravery. I call it justice and honesty. If I say I'm going to do something, there is no way I am ever backing down, no matter the consequences. Unless it involves my daughter. Any consequence that harms my daughter will cause me to back down instantly. She is my life and without her, I would cease to exist. She is my only weakness and I'm proud to let all my enemies know it too. Because if anyone dares to try and cause her any pain at all, they can bet I will beat their face in before they can anywhere near her. And I know that if I couldn't stop it, it would only destroy Jade. Sure we aren't married for the love of each other, but we are bonded by that girl. Plus, I'm sure that Jade would kill me if my job ended up hurting Anna.

But I hate when others harm the citizens. I may be a Peacekeeper, trained to be able to kill, allowed to carry a gun, and meant to keep everyone working to make their crop quota for the month, but I'm also a father. I have a heart. Most don't think that Peacekeepers have any heart - and I guess I don't blame them. For the first few years I was in District 11, I watched public whippings happen almost everyday. But who was I to say anything? I was the newbie and meant only to take orders, not give them. So I watched silently as various farmers were whipped to pulps -sometimes for no apparent reason. I would have to hold back the part of the public who tried to rush forward and help the poor soul. And I would always whisper, "Sorry." in their ears when I had to push them away with tear filled eyes. Other people may have stood up and stopped it all immediately, but how could I? The government and legal system was what it was and couldn't be changed by one insignificant man. So I let it happen until I was able to maintain a high status around the District. Then I made sure to stop the beatings after they got too far or before they even started.

And although I take large steps to end violence around the district , it is still there. It isn't my fault. I have never been an enthusiast of the Games, but as a Peacekeeper you are required to enforce the rules. And no matter how far I stretch the rules for the families in District 11, there is no way I can stop the Hunger Games. I watch Anna dress nice for every Reaping and cry in her mother's arms before she sets off to stand in line with the other 16 year olds. And I have to stand and wait for two names to be called. I can only hope and pray that I don't ever have to hear Anna's name called. Again. And if no one steps forward, I must fetch them - so that they have the honor of representing their district In a death match against 23 others. And no matter how much it pains me to let it all happen, it is the one thing I cannot change. The Hunger Games are an untouchable part of politics - that part of hell that the citizens live is out of my hands. I can only hope for the day someone decides to change it all for the better.

When I was younger, just a small boy, I grew up in District 2. It is where all great Peacekeepers, such as my father, are produced, and it is where I was first stationed for work after I completed training. It is where my father died while giving the service of justice to his country. He formed and molded me into the man I am today and I can't let him down by being a failure. His legacy is hard to live up to however and I find everyday quite a challenge in order to keep up with him. I haven't yet managed to save 6 men from a mine collapse or anything like that, but at least I am managing to keep the peace - and get a major position in my new home in District 11. I think I can call it my new home too, because that is where my family is now. I was skeptical when I was first assigned to one of the more rebellious Districts in Panem, but I have come to realize that all everyone really wants is respect. I mean, the people work their asses off to create enough food for the whole country only to have their children stripped from their possession. That's why I make sure to use my authority correctly. It isn't fair to whip people who work so hard, who are unable to feed themselves, who have their children Reaped.

And of course because of what I promised my mother before she passed away. She told me I needed to learn the importance of love. "You need to be a real father, Chris." I didn't understand, even at the age of 23. I remember trying to interpret her words and only getting as far as she wanted to make sure I had kids. And I still never understood her words until I had my own child. When I was a kid, all I ever got from dad was letters. He might be home for a week or two, but then he was out on some other assignment the Capitol threw at him. And even though he was my idol and was with me all the time when he was home and loved me with all his heart and let it show, he was never home. The only real memory I have of actually being with him was the one time he took me fishing. It is good memory, but the only real one. Otherwise some of the other ones aren't so great. Like when I had to watch him drag my best friend, Anna Wokawski, away from the throng of other 16 year old girls onto the platform after she had been announced as the female tribute for District 2. Or when he announced that my sister's death had been a suicide and nothing more when clearly it had been something much more complicated. I hated him for those things at the time, but realized it was all for the best to keep things simple and do as he was told. And of course, I knew that he was helping everyone by keeping the peace. But still - it hurts to think about those memories.

And that is why I do not mull over those memories, and instead on who he was and how much he accomplished. He always said he was born a Peacekeeper - strong, brave, and worthy of leadership. And like every other small boy, I wanted to be exactly like my dad. And then I got older and older and grew to love him even more, appreciating how much he did for the family. And then I was a Peacekeeper and grew to realize our family was not how it was supposed to be. I was the man of the house growing up, not my dad. I always watched my little sisters while my mom worked and was the one hugging them when they cried or some boy hurt their feelings. I'm not even sure they knew my father - whenever they had a problem, they ran to me. They had a great big brother - at least that is what I thought until Jasmine ended up dead in the streets one day. I hadn't been keeping close enough attention I guess and from then on I made sure that I always knew what Jacqueline was up to. She didn't like it much, but I had to - there was no way I was going to lose both of my sisters. Plus my best friend. To this day, I still miss her. She was the only one that truly understood me completely and fully. And I think I loved her. I can't be totally sure though, due to the fact that she was 16 the last time I saw her. Sometimes I watch the recap of the Games just to see her again. Is it weird for a 41 year old man to stare at a 16 year old girl?

But she isn't the only 16 year old girl I find wonderful and beautiful beyond belief. And although she isn't my daughter, I call her that. The whole situation started when I was about 25 and had just been moved to work in District 11. I expected to know no one in the area and hated with every once of sweat and blood the people of District 11 had. Instead, I got a letter - more of a notification actually. It said I needed to start paying child support. As anyone can imagine, I was totally awestruck. And even more so when I had never been within 50 feet of the woman whom I was supposed to pay the money. So, naturally, I was furious. I was moved to District 11 specifically for this reason and was congratulated on my new daughter even before I knew the child was a baby girl. And of course the mother had to be someone Jacqueline absolutely hated and I didn't ever hear the end of her rants for betraying her and choosing her as a mother. Her name was Jade Emerald Green. (The name alone scares you away.) And I set off to her house at the very end of my shift that day, set on being angry and demanding some reasonable explanation for putting my name on the birth certificate. She wasn't surprised to see me, nor was she intimidated by my size, and instead of looking for sympathy, she gave me the facts. She flung the door open, child cradled in her arms, got on her tiptoes in order to get as close to my face as possible and put it plainly. She said she named her Anna, and if my rich ass couldn't pay child support then she was going to die. And all it took was one look at the small child in her arms for me to hand her the money I owed her and leave.

And it was easy for me to not be attached. I told everyone that yes, she was my daughter, but her mother and I didn't want anything to do with each other. They all seemed to understand, as if that were common in the area or something. And now my mother had the grandchild she had asked for - it took me another 4 years to realize that isn't what she had asked of me. "You need to be a real father, Chris." The words rang in my ears for a full night until I finally understood them. The very next day I walked to Jade's house to get all the answers. The girl had never met me yet except for that first day saw her when she was only about 2 months old - and she was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. And she was mine. Jade told me that she didn't know the real father as she had been prostituting for the span of time before she found she was pregnant. She said she put my name on the birth certificate because she knew I was a Peacekeeper who had money - and because she knew Jacqueline hated her. Even with that childish excuse, I asked for her to marry me. She laughed at first, but then saw that I was serious and thought I was totally insane, but accepted my offer either way. Sh said maybe a father was just what her little girl was missing and then introduced her daughter - my daughter - to her new father with a smile. I bought a brand new house and made sure to make a great wedding happen and then got done to loving my baby girl - my new Anna. I was home to see her everyday, and was even rewarded days off on her birthday.

I was rewarded with watching her grow and grow, and even after Jade and I told her that I wasn't her real dad, she still loved me like I was. I was so grateful and so in love with my daughter that there was no way I was ever leaving District 11 for work. And I never did. My father made it sound like it was complicated to stay in one spot. But all I had to do was explain that my family was in District 11 an d I couldn't leave and the head peacekeeper seemed to understand. It made me wonder if my dad really even asked to stay with us or if he didn't really want to be around us ... It also made me realize that I was winning the battle of a better legacy than him. I may not be the great Peacekeeper he was, but I am definitely the dedicated father that he never even attempted to be. At least I am pleasing one parent of mine - the one I should've been proud of all along. And although Jade and I did not marry for love, we make what looks like a happy couple. And I am happy. I have a beautiful 16 year old daughter, a gorgeous house, amazing job, and a woman that can at least tolerate me. That life is something I can deal with.