Larch - District 11

Name: Larch Bowlin
Age: 12
Gender: Male
District/Area: District 11
Appearance:

As a boy from District 11, Larch grew up knowing what it meant to go without. This is largely reflected in his looks. He is not from a wealthy family, so his weight, 70 pounds, is quite low for his height, though short he may be at 4'10". His eyes are somewhat hollow looking and black. His hair, surprisingly long, is naturally a dark brown, but long stretches gone without washing give it the appearance of a shiny black. Larch's skin, normally darker than that of those from other districts, darkens daily from his work in the sun. His body is not fully grown, so his appearance gives off the air of one who is weak. Dirt is stuck permanently under his nails from his work in the fields of District 11 each day.

For the most part, Larch does not truly care much about his outfitting. Unless the weather dips below 65 degrees, he styles comfortable cargo shorts and a plain t-shirt. Due to the requests of his mother, though, he layers up with a jacket over his shirt and longer yet equally comfortable sweat pants rather than his shorts. He has owned no more than three pairs of clothing at any point in his life, but he tries to purchase high enough quality clothing that it will last for a long time. If it were up to him, Larch would work barefoot, but he submits to the protests of his parents and wears old shoes when he works in the fields.

Personality:

Though small, Larch has built up a small amount of muscle working in the fields each day. In addition, he utilizes his small size to his advantage in his running; almost no one in his district could keep up with him in a race. Because of this, it would seem like he would be a fine contender in the Games, and Larch has considered this several times in the year before his eligibility for the reaping. However, he lacks great skill in any other areas. While he could potentially kill with his bare hands, this is not nearly as effective as the skill others have shown with knives and axes. He envies the skill of others, but he does not overlook thankfulness for the skills he possesses.

One of the more solitary figures of District 11, Larch tends to go about his business in the fields alone. Even at his young age, he appears to prefer solitary work rather than association with others. Many people question this preference, finding it hard to believe that this trait is so strong in a 12 year old, but it is true of Larch even with his family. He backs this with a tough attitude toward anyone who confronts him, and people tend to back off from associating with him after that. However, many Peacekeepers currently are watching him based on his "inappropriate behaviour." Of course, no matter how much of a "bad boy" appearance Larch takes on, he would never even remotely consider breaking the law.

Larch's greatest flaw is that he is a coward at heart, regardless of how tough he acts. When Peacekeepers confront him, it is all he can do to keep from running away. This year, he is terrified at the prospect of being reaped into the Hunger Games. Even though he knows there is only a very remote chance of his being chosen, the idea still shocks him enough that he now refuses to think of it. When his mother and father scold him, the only thing keeping him from freezing up in fear is the necessity of maintaining his identity. He knows that he could never break the law or kill if it truly came to it.

History:

Ever since he was born, Larch was never well-fed. With two older brothers, already 5 and 9, who inhaled food and refused to take tesserae, it seemed he went without more often than he had enough. Because of this, Larch was forced to work in the fields alongside his parents and siblings from an early age of 8. No one ever questioned this, for, though it was a young age to begin working, no family would ever be refused the opportunity to work for the District. This, of course, is because food is necessary to life, and food cannot be obtained without an income, or a job. His parents never had another child, thus putting the pressure on Larch's back to take tessarae and be certain that the family managed.

Larch grew up watching particularly gruesome Hunger Games. As it is required viewing, there was nothing his mother could do to block her young, innocent son from the horrors shown on screen, and he suffered greatly for it. Larch grew up hating the Capitol for its cruelty and apparent excitement at watching teenagers kill each other. This in large part led to his solitary nature, which his mother does not question. This also created a large source of fear in an already fearful being in the form of being reaped into the Hunger Games. Larch could never kill another after watching so many deaths, both on screen and in the fields, and if no one volunteered for him at a reaping, Larch is certain he would be the first to die or close to it.

Working in the fields from so early on exposed Larch to the realities of life in Panem. Watching people die from exposure to the sun and particularly hot days without any aid, even from fellow workers, hardened him to the hardships he knew he must face in the future. Deaths became almost natural to him. Hard work became second nature and an obvious necessity. Whenever he felt like giving up, he remembered the hard work his parents and siblings had to take part in each day, and he instantly felt reenergized. Many people comment that Larch is mature beyond his years, and while this may or may not be true, these other people are not mistaken based on what they have observed of this young boy.

Codeword: <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/16h2ibt.png">
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