Laila Ranchford- District 11

Laila is 5' 6" an average height for her age and weighs approximately 108 pounds which is light for her age, but not for someone from District 11. Laila is very skinny because of lack of food for many years. She has very pale skin and straight dark brown hair which she likes to wear pulled back but sometimes she wears it down. Her deep brown eyes are one of the first features noticed about her when someone meets Laila. Another feature Laila has that she really hates, is her big ears that are sort of pointed at the top. When she was little, she used to get a lot of 'elf' comments.

Laila is pretty strong due to all the work she's done over the years on the farm. On a work day, she normally wears overalls and her pink long sleeved shirt with a pair of work boots. On Sundays or on days of the reaping, Laila prefers to wear her nice green shirt with her knee length black skirt. Even though her dad says Laila is the most beautifull girl he knows next to her mother, she is insecure and thinks she is ugly.

Laila has a very quiet and laid back personality. She likes to spend time outdoors, because it is quiet and relaxing there. Laila doesn't like to talk to people very much because she is shy and likes to keep to herself. This may be one of the reasons why she doesn't have very many friends.

Laila is also a perfectionist. She likes to have everything done just right. This may make her appear mean or strict, but she just wants things done perfectly. Sometimes she can get stubborn and get angry at people when things don't happen the way she planned. Laila finds joy in satisfying people with her work and bringing happiness to people.

Laila is very smart and is always coming up with brilliant ideas to solve problems. She was the best in her class back when she went to school. Laila loves to help people out with her creative solutions to everyday problems. It is one of the only times she will talk to people outside of her family. All in all, Laila has a great unique personality that is all her own.

Laila is an only child and she lives with her mother and father in a small hoise near the large farm she works at in District 11. There are times she wishes that she had younger siblings, but then she thinks that no one deserves to have the terrible fate of living in such a terrible place. Her earliest memory is of herself when she was three. Her father was helping the horses plow the fields as Laila would yell, "Giddy-up!" When she was five, Laila began helping out on the farm. She started off doing little jobs like watering the fields, weeding the crops, and harvesting and sorting the wheat to be shipped off to the Capitol. Laila had to drop out of school when she was nine to work full time on the farm.

Laila does a lot of the farm work by herself now because her parents had to take on second jobs at the orchards for more money. Her mom works the morning shift and her dad works in the evening, so her parents don't get much time to spend together. Laila only has time for herself at night and on Sundays. She spends her free time reading books while trying to get away from her crazy world.

Every year at the reaping, instead of worrying about herself, Laila is the one worrying about the other kids. She always hopes its never a 12 year-old that gets picked. Most years she has more entries than the other kids though. Even though they work on the farm, her family has never had enough to eat. She has had to take tessera yearly. Despite the hardships and sadness of her life, Laila tries to make the most of it.