Tatum Collins-- Wanderer--

If you saw Tatum running through the woods, you'd swear she was a tree nymph come to life. Her dark chestnut locks, pin straight, and falling well past her shoulders, some of the longer pieces reached down to her middle back. Its not like you had time to get your hair cut when you didn't even know where your bed was for the night. Most of the time you could find pieces of bark or dust or dirt sticking to it, it doesn't matter what you look like on the go, she'd think. Her eyes, green as the grass on a new spring day, were large and doe like. He nose was pleasent to look at, it wasn't big or small, or anything other than just there and nondescript. Her fingers were long and slender with short square nails, normally filled with dirt under them.

She was thin and spritly just like her mother, being that most their food was that she could forage between stops. Her height topped out at 5 feet 6 inches, just tall enough to help her reach the lower branches in the taller trees she would nap in. The problem with being outside your whole life is your skin starts to suffer, Tatum was no different. Wrinkles had already started to form around her mouth and eyes, the dryness from being exposed to the elements night and day. She was even starting to have bags form under her eyes from lack of sleep and food. For a girl of only 16 she was sure starting to show her age.

Tatum was too free to be held in, which is why she was so glad she was born to a small group of Wanders. She loved the feel of running through the trees, the branches whipping by, leaves falling all around. Her own little snowglobe of excitment in the middle of no where. She was a ball of energy, always on the go. Her daddy called her his Little Hummingbird, because it was as if she only had one speed: fast. Though with being a Wanderer she was learning that sometimes she had to force herself to be calm, descret, quiet. The risk her family took by living outside the district was something she understood, but didn't agree with. Why shouldn't they be able to live where ever they want? Its not like you told the air that it couldn't move.

She was a curious girl, always wanting to know more. Tatum hated that she wasn't in school. School required a permenant life though, and she didn't think she'd ever want to stay in one place for too long. Since she had never really grown up with children her own age, most people would say she was too wise for her age. It wasn't that she was not friendly, in fact When they did meet other families out in the woods she loved to swap stories of life as a wanderer. It was just that since she really only had adults to interact with growing up she more so mimic their behaviour.

With all her free time Tatum has a wild imagination, she loves to think of what the future can hold or if there are other countries out there or even if there are people who live on the moon! Most of all she likes to day dream of meeting a Wanderer boy who understands the life and loves it at much as she does. She would love to have a life just like her parents. The freedom, the space, the ability to do things on their own time.

Gypsy girl. Wanderer Boy. Two nomads together make such a wonderful story, like a modern day Robin Hood and Maid Marion making their way through Sherwood Forest. Its all a fairytail...til baby makes 3. Tatum was a surprise to her young parents, her mother was only 14 years old herself, but she was a blessing in disguise.

Tatums mother was a run away from a community home, 12 years old and sick of the abuse and neglect of living in a home with so many other children. One night she just took off into the land outside of District 11. She had a small butter knife, a bag of food she had stolen from the kitchen, and the clothes on her back. Lived nearly 6 months before she found the small group of wanderers who took her in. There were seven of them at the time. A few months later another boy joined the group, said he'd been kicked out by his dad "too many mouths to feed" was the reason he claimed. Well one thing led to another and there came Tatum.

She was raised by the whole group since her parents were still children themselves. They were like a large family in their own right anyway. She called the older women Nana Shelly and Nana Bracin. There was Papa Joseph and Uncle Saul, she never felt lonely with her group. Her parents told her as a baby she never touched the ground until she started walking because everyone wanted to hold her and look at her curious infant eyes.


As a teenager though she's had lots of experience with the woods, in fact you hardly see her with shoes on. Its not that they don't have good clothes, stealing a bit from each district they sneak into, she actually has a beautiful wardrob, its just not something she really cares to use. Now that she's getting close to being an adult she's facing the toughest choice of her life. Stay and the forest and risk death daily or find a district and try to give up her gypsy ways.

Finished!