Whisper Dahlman: District 6

Well, I've certainly never been one to have to describe myself. I usually get enough looks as is, what with the staring. But if you couldn't already tell, I've got white hair, purple-blue eyes, and nearly clear skin. Actually, my skin is more pinkish and you can see the veins. Some may call me unhealthy, some may call me a freak of nature. Some think I am from the Capitol.
I wish. Not.

In reality, I'm just an albino. I have to stay out of the sun since my skin is so sensitive, but usually I can get by with some UV-block. My hair is kept short to keep out of the way when I'm working, so it's only about shoulder-length. I usually keep it up in a bun or something, though. Thanks to the way I was born, my eyes don't work properly due to underdeveloped retinal nerves. I can read and see things fine, but it's difficult for me to focus on one thing for too long, or things get blurry and dim. I also usually have to wear sunglasses to keep my eyes from damaging. I'm photo-phobic. My eyes are this pink-purple-blue hue, mainly because of the veins of the retina shining through. Some people say I'm quite beautiful because of that, but I mainly get a lot of dirty looks since I'm often mistaken for a Capitol citizen. My face isn't anything special, either. It's a slightly elongated heart-shape. My body is slim, but I stand at about 5'4, so it isn't that big of a deal.

On the surface, people tend to see me as a serious, reserved person. While that is somewhat true, I'm not always serious. I can be light-hearted and funny when I want to be, I just prefer to stick to my studies. After all, I'm not really able to do much else. Plus, when I'm older and if I haven't been reaped, I'll need all the brains I can get to be able to keep my career steady. Capitol people are always coming through the place I have an internship with, asking for the latest in the medicinal world. While I myself am not allowed to bother with that yet, I am shadowing one of the biochemists. The Capitol people are always wanting to see a new way to modify themselves. I myself might be interested in this, if I could only afford it. I'd give anything to be normal. I hate looking like a Capitol girl. If only my eyes weren't so debilitating, I would be able to actually work in the field. I'm used mostly as a mental calculator, storing information that nobody else wants to have to memorize. I don't mind, or at least I don't ever say anything. I'm quite quiet.

I don't usually make friends all that easily, since it's a pain to deal with others. I'm more of a loner. As smart as I may be, I really am not the person for social interaction. I'm far too formal when it comes to other people, so I rarely have time with others outside of a professional environment. That has caused me problems, as I suppose I can be a bit unwelcoming if anyone comes near me uninvited. The few lucky people that I do enjoy spending time with are the ones that I might actually laugh and let my spirits up with. In all honesty, however, I only prefer spending time with someone if they make a good mental companion. I love in-depth discussions, but I really shouldn't. Some people have such outspoken minds against the Capitol. I fear for their mental stability if I hear them speaking out. I've reported a few people for treason, since they were obviously mad. They can't be that terrible. After all, District 6 has been fine being how it has been. Although I wish they would do something about the buildup of bio-hazard and chemical waste. People keep getting sick... I guess knowledge does come with a price.

Maybe I am a bit too cold. Maybe I should spend more time out in the sun – wait, then I'd burn. I don't know. I don't like to believe that bad things will happen because of the Capitol. They give us a home and let us learn all we want. They only ask that we give something back in return by making them whatever they need, or researching whatever they want us to research. Every year, there is a Reaping, but we deserve that. It's said every year that the Dark Days were the Districts' fault, so it's only fair that we take our punishment. We've got enough to eat, usually, and we have bearable lives. It isn't like we suffer too much, so why should we complain when we have so much to be thankful for already? What little we have is given by the Capitol itself, so we should be thankful. Don't even try for a moment to tell me that it is because of the Capitol that we have such restricted lives. It's all your own fault if you do something stupid and get punished by the Peacekeepers. Death as a punishment is a bit much, but we're always told that the criminal who died had done something terrible to deserve it.
People say I'm blind to the big picture, but there really isn't anything more than this. I refuse to believe that the Capitol is as horrible as they make it out to be.

My parents and I live in a housing unit about typical for District 6. A bedroom, study, kitchen, den, and toilet. It's a bit small, but I see it as average size compared to every other housing unit I've seen. My mother is a physicist and my father is a scientist. They research and develop key components for Capitol products, mainly the appearance-altering ones. We're never allowed to know how to make entire items, only parts of them. My mother says it's because the Capitol doesn't want us to know how to make potentially dangerous items. I can see the logic in that, we wouldn't want another Dark Days. People get sick enough from the bio-hazard waste left after experiments.

I myself went to school at the local institution. I was sent to train as a biochemist, which explains my internship. I knew people who had been reaped, but not personally. It's always odd to watch someone you know on the television. I'm not worried about being reaped, though. I've only applied for tessarae twice, when my parents were going through a rough patch.

When I grow older and get to the age when most people have children, I most likely am not going to be married or give birth. Since I'm albino, I'd rather not risk my own children turning out that way. After all, it's genetic. It's difficult for me, and I wouldn't want my children going around having the same life. It hampers learning. What good is a life when there's nothing gained from it? I hope I make an important discovery that the Capitol finds worthy of approval, someday. I doubt I will, because of how hard it is for me to focus on a microscope for over a few minutes at a time.
So that's me, I suppose. Me as I am. Don't get too used to knowing so much about me, though.