Jonathan Drake [District 12] [Finished]

Jonathan Drake stands at 5'7" and weighs 110 pounds. His body is thin because of the sparse food that his family is able to afford or produce, though he is not completely lacking in muscle since he often carries wood for his family. His light skin shows the dirt from the day's work. Because of his skin's lightness, small bruises and cuts, also from the day's work, appear as splashes of crimson and purple on a dirty white canvas. His brown hair is cut short to avoid sweating more than is necessary as he works outside.

Most striking are his eyes if anyone should look close enough. Though they are the dull gray common to most of the Seam and District 12 there are small flecks of green throughout creating the illusion of emeralds among coal. Beneath his eyes, though, thin creases already form from the stress and work that his young body has already been subjected to. His jaw is angled, and though his Iips are full, it is rare that he smiles anymore.

Though Jon has become somewhat quiet, reserved, and suspicious in the last few years of his life, he has not always been this way, and there are still moments of when he seems his old self. Just as he used to be, he is still kind and generous, but he has also become hostile at times as he tries to deal with the deaths that have taken place around him. Before the deaths of his mother and brother, Jon was always playing jokes, having fun, and trying to give whatever he could find to those he loved. Even as a toddler, if Jon could find a flower or neat rock, he would try to give it to his brother or his mom. Though he still retains an instinctive generosity, not many people get to see this initially as he has become both reserved and even hostile toward some people. Only those whom he truly loves get to see glimpses of the old Jon.

Though his memories of his mother are few, he remembers two things distinctly: her kindness and her singing. One time when he was young before his mother passed, Jon remembers his mom carrying his through town down the broken cobbled stones back toward the Seam when they passed an emaciated looking woman and her son. Being moved for them, Jon’s mother invited them to come eat dinner at their house that night. Though Jon’s family was not wealthy and would have to sacrifice to feed these two tonight, Jon’s mother didn’t even think twice. Even today, though Jon has become very reserved and quiet, he often silently places his own lunch roll in one of his less-fortunate class mate’s lunch sacks though he himself does not usually have much to begin with. On the rare occasion he comes by a stray coin or extra money, he attempts to secretly give it to one of the town’s poor sitting by the road.

Because of how quickly Jon was forced to grow up, he has become very serious. This has been interpreted by many of his classmates as disinterest and removal from them. Though Jon cannot enjoy the same frivolity with his friends that he once did, it is not because he wants to seem disinterested or removed. Rather, he is scared that if he should show how he truly feels that it would only leave him more vulnerable to be hurt again. He knows that if he lets anyone too close, they too could die. This is why he has become so suspicious when anyone tries to get close to him.

When Jon is able to be himself, though, around those he loves he is quirky, still enjoys playing jokes, and is loyal. His faults are that in recent years, after the deaths of his brother and mother, he can become hostile at times both verbally and physically when he thinks that someone is either insulting him or pressing too far about how he feels. He often misinterprets simple conversations because of how suspicious he is of other people's intentions with him, and he often reacts rashly because of it.

He does, though, have a few select friends (more of acquaintances) who get to see his old (and perhaps more real) personality on occasion. A few weeks ago, after school, all of the school children lingered at the meadow to play an old game common to District 12. Feeling more adventurous than usual, he chose to join in. After pulling sticks, he was chosen as one of the two team captains. Of course, his choices were the kids who were less likely to be picked. His kindness and protective instincts were shining through. Minutes into the game, Jon was elated. He hadn’t been this happy in weeks. The sun was shining but not too hot, there was a light breeze, and something unexpected happened: Jon was laughing. Though nothing was funny, he was laughing from the joy that had come so unexpectedly. Though it may not seem like much, very few people had heard his deep, genuine laugh which had faded into silence years ago along with his singing. Both of these reminded Jon too much of his mother whom he barely knew. The game continued for some time, but when his team lost (Jon was not too unhappy about this as the game had been fun all the same) some of the members of the other team began to taunt one of the smaller boys on Jon’s team who then began to cry. Enraged, Jon lost it and ran at the other team. He began to throw his fists and landed a punch squarely across the jaw of one of the taller boys who fell to the ground. This small victory was short-lived however as the other boys quickly threw Jon—who is both short and light—to the ground beating him until finally one of the older boys stopped them and everyone left. Physically and emotionally spent, Jon laid there crying but quickly drew himself together as he realized that though he had been hurt, it was worth defending the other boy. As he walked home a bit bloody and bruised, Jon felt a feeling he had not felt in years—pride—and knew that even if he couldn’t do much he would always do all he could for those in need.

Jon was born in District 12 to James and April Drake. His brother, Bobby (Robert), was born 6 years before him and would have been 18 this year. As a child, Jon remembers the happiest moments of his life being in his home with his family. His father worked in the mines, his mother worked as a seamstress, and his brother attended school. Though the family never had the most money or food, living on the edge of the Seam, there was always laughter when the family came together over dinner. As he progressed through his toddler years and into childhood, Jon—under the direction of his older brother—became very playful and loved playing harmless tricks. He was always so generous, though, desiring to give whatever he had to his brother or his mom, no matter how innocuous the gifts may have been.

When Jon was barely 3, and his older brother was therefore 9, his mother contracted pneumonia during a harsh winter, and though the healer tried everything, she passed away. The entire family was devastated. Jon's father was at such a loss for what to do, but he knew he had to provide for his sons, so he continued to work in the mines. Though he continued to provide for his two sons, James became distant from them because they reminded him too much of his wife. Because of this, though Jon and Bobby had always been close, they grew even closer as Bobby began to comfort and lead Jon as their father pulled away.

Though Jon barely knew his mother because of his young age, he still has a few memories of her, and among them the two most prominent themes he remembers were her kindness and singing. April Drake could sing so beautifully that it seems a shame that she was born into District 12 where her talents would never fully be seen. There was an old nursery rhyme from District 12 that his mother would sing to him every night before he would sleep, but through the years, Jon has forgotten what the lyrics were though he seems to remember the tune. When he strains to remember, he thinks the lyrics spoke of a meadow and a willow, but beyond that he cannot remember much. He had never asked his father or his brother to recount the lyrics—which surely they would know—because in a weird way that may not make sense to everyone else, he sees the memory of his mother singing this song to him as a treasure uniquely his. He wants to keep the memory his own and subconsciously feels that if his father or brother know the song, the song becomes less his and his mom’s. So, he is content to simply hum the tune when nobody is around to hear. He never sings around anyone. A few weeks ago in school, he was issued detention because when asked in music class to sing with everyone, he simply remained silent. No matter how the teacher coaxed, he would not open his mouth to utter a single note.

Many nights, Jon would wake from his sleep choking as he sobbed when he would dream of his mother, but it was never his father who was beside his bed. it was always Bobby. Bobby would always comfort Jon and hold him until he could fall asleep again. Though the death of his mother scarred him deeply, Jon held onto hope because his brother was always there for him. One night in particular that Jon remembers from when he was six, a few months before Bobby left for the games, he was sleeping in his bed across the bedroom that he and Bobby shared. In a particularly disturbing dream, his mother would emerge in an evanescent image humming an unidentifiable yet eerie tune. Whenever Jon would run up to her though, she would disappear in a cloud of smoke to be replaced by Jon’s father who simply stood staring, unmoving, and without a sound. This occurred over and over, and in the dream Jon could hear himself screaming. The entire dream world began to feel constricted as if it were being squeezed until Jon realized that it was his body being held. He woke up, still screaming, only to realize that Bobby had awoken, rushed to the bed, and was now cradling Jon. He was speaking softly yet firmly, trying to console Jon and tell him that everything was okay. Bobby continued to cradle Jon, speaking in the same soft yet firm voice to reassure Jon, but even as Jon held tightly to his strong brother, he could feel tears falling on his head. Bobby had been so concerned for Jon and couldn’t bear to see him hurting. Bobby held Jon until Jon finally fell asleep again, and in the morning when Jon awoke, he found Bobby sleeping on the hard floor beside Jon’s bed instead of in his own across the room so that he could be there to comfort Jon if Jon awoke in terror again.

When Jon was only six, though, Bobby was drawn as the tribute for District 12 for the Hunger Games at the age of 12. When Bobby began to walk to the stage, Jon ran out of the crowd screaming trying to pull him back. He fought so hard to get past the peace keepers that they eventually had to hit him in the head to subdue him. He was knocked out so long that he did not even get to say goodbye to his brother. Though Bobby intended to fight hard if he could return home to take care of Jon, he was killed on the second day in a fight with a Career. After the death of Bobby, Jon's father withdrew further and besides providing food, basically stopped talking to Jon. James could not deal with the loss of his wife and his eldest son within one year, so he shut out his only other son. In response, Jon tried to become like Bobby. He tried to work extra hard for his dad to no avail. So, he had to grow up quickly: no more games, no more jokes. The only thing that matters to Jon anymore is making sure his father does not die also. Though they may not be close anymore, Jon realizes that his father is all he has. So, after school each day, Jon comes home, prepares whatever food his father has been able to procure and sets about the house chores such as cleaning, collecting wood, etc.

Though Jon’s nightmares have increased in intensity and frequency after the heath of his brother, his father has never come to his room. This may be because though James does not express it through screaming or words, he is living his own nightmare. The death of his wife and eldest son have trapped James in a nightmare so repulsive that he cannot even fend for his only remaining son. A few days ago, when Jon was having a particularly bad nightmare about his mother again, he woke up and screamed for Bobby. For a moment, he expected Bobby to come but then realized that Bobby would never come to his rescue again. Bobby is gone. He could feel the sobs welling up in his throat and the flood being meagerly held back behind his eyelids, but he couldn’t stand the thought of crying anymore. So, he pushed his emotions aside for the moment, left the house in the early morning and began to gather wood for the fire. Returning, he started the fire and began to prepare food for his dad to take with him to work. Having done all of this, and with nothing else to do to distract his mind, he simply picked up one of his school books and began to read.