Eileen Nightbird [/\] District 11

My name is Eileen Onna Nightbird. I don’t know where it comes from, but it sounds kinda like “I lean on a night bird,” doesn’t it? Did you know the name Eileen means bird? I didn’t know until my teacher told me. I think she meant it as a joke, but I still find it strange. She once told me it was relative to my last name, since it had bird and all. I’m also six, nearly seven! I can’t wait to turn seven, but I also don’t want to get old and wrinkly. I’m a girl, but what else would I be? A boy?! Boys are gross, except Othal and Daddy. I live in District 11, and it’s really pretty in some places, like the orchards. I love how we grow things around here, because that makes it smell good too, if you know where to go.

My family isn’t very large. There’s my brother Othal, who I like to think of as my best friend, my Mommy, Daddy, and cousin Caitlyn who lives in District 10. Did you know District 10 had lots of animals? I bet you already did, didn’t you, since you’re smart, right? Maybe not, I guess. Well, my cousin and her family got over there during the rebellion. Sometimes I wonder if there was another one, would we meet again? I don’t have many friends, that’s why I stick to Othal so much. Well, maybe Nimi, but she hasn’t talked to me since kindergarten.

My hair is gold blonde and reaches my shoulders, and I like to think it’s pretty. It’s curly as can be, and I often wish it were wavy, or straight, anything but tangly old curly. Of course, blonde is slightly unique in District 11. Still there, but not common. It is so very hard to brush! My hair so very easily tangled, you know. It’s very smooth and soft when it’s brushed. I guess I’d rather have soft curly hair than rough, straight hair. My eyebrows are blonde too, of course. They aren’t very thick though, thin and short actually. My eyelashes are very long. That is another thing I really like about myself. Mommy once told me I was very lucky to look the way I do.

I have grayish green eyes that look like a lake. Little puddles of green dot the grey surface, giving my eyes an interesting mystery. I have humongous round eyes, like that of a bird’s. Sure, all young children have large eyes, but mine seem so humongous compared to everyone else in my class, I hate them! I have very sharp vision though, and comfort myself by saying it’s due to my eye size. I can see things from very far away, and pick out the smallest details in someone’s appearance.

I have a small nose, which makes my eyes look ever so much larger. The tip is nicely rounded, blending into my nostrils like a blanket. Though I make it sound like its pretty, it honestly isn’t. Not one of the major things you’d notice, more like the type of thing I notice after staring at someone for a few minutes. My nostrils themselves are perfect little circles, almost like a pig, but not quite the same. In between they are split by an average sized septum. Right below is my philtrum, just as average as anything. My bridge dips down, almost disappearing into my face before it comes back up and into my forehead.
I have dark pink lips, and they are a normal thickness. My upper lip raising in two parts, the bottom lip plain and curved. My face is usually straight, though a frown is still common. Of course I smile, I have Othal, though rare other things excite me. My teeth are quite yellow. They are definitely the worst feature of my face, thus I don’t like showing my teeth. I have three missing teeth. One in the front, one right under it, and one halfway frown back on the side. I knocked the front one out running into the front door.

Overall, I’ve got a normal forehead and chin, I suppose. I’ve still got a bit of “fluffy” type cheeks. There are a few very light freckles speckling my face, though they aren’t very noticeable if you aren’t close and studying my face. I’ve got a bit of a roundish head, you might say, and it’s small. My neck is short and thin. When I turn my head you can see the muscles moving and stretching. I have a freckle or two on it, slightly darker than those on my face.

My shoulders are rather bony and narrow. I look quite frail, in general, so don’t take it as too much of a surprise. My forearms don’t show much muscle. Yes, I’m in reality weak as well, so I have nothing to complain about there, despite it not looking very attractive. My elbows are just as bony as the rest of me, and dry as well, not very pointy though. My lower arms? I shouldn’t compare myself too much, I guess, but you can see the bones very clearly. My wrists are very mini. I’ve got bony hands that seem to have a bit of extra skin, and long fingers with a pinky bent partially sideways from breaking it. My thumb looks almost set apart from my hand, and the side has a bluish tint. My fingernails are short but dirty and ragged. I bite them, which I know is a terrible habit.

Being so young, of course I have a flat chest! I never worry about it, it really doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t sound pleasant though, when I think about it. I could count my ribs if you asked me to. Mommy said that isn’t a good thing. I’m very scrawny, too. I’m always asking Othal and Daddy if they’ve got anything to eat. My hips are small too, of course, and I’ve got a tiny butt. (OOC: there, I said it. Don’t get me wrong.)

Moving downwards, my thighs are thin like the rest of me. They’ve got a bit of muscle, so they aren’t too wee. I’ve got a few scrapes from running around, but nothing truly identifying. My knees, on the other hand, are very knobby. Like mountains, they are! My lower legs are, without a doubt in the world, equal. I seem to have barely any muscle, so it’s obvious I’m not a very fast runner, despite how much I love doing it.

My ankles are small though bony. They seem to blend roughly into my foot, which is, for the most part, smooth on top except for a few veins popping out on occasion. I have flat feet, and my heel seems a bit (only the smallest amount) behind my leg. My toes are long and boney. My toe nails, are long as well, though very dirty. Go ahead and call it ugly, I know already. On occasion I will peel the tip of the toenail off from boredom.

Overall, I’m 3’4” and 32 pounds. Small yes, but my family has a history of being short. Being underweight is so common in District 11, it isn’t really anything to talk about, I guess.

My ‘prime motivator’ is to satisfy other people. I want to make them happy, content, or anything that doesn't include angry or annoyed. I hate it when people yell, or talk too loud. You'd think I have sensitive ears after hearing that, but no, I just really don't like loud noises. Whether it is cheering, a cart crashing, or fights, I will cover my ears and demand you keep quiet and leave me in peace. I prefer nice, quiet rooms, and my stuffed giraffe, who I’ve ironically named Giraffe. Pretty cheesy name, some people at my school told me, and it’s my second closest friend besides Othal. I can tell it anything. I take Giraffe with me everywhere I go, no matter what. If I suddenly realize he isn’t with me, I’ll stop what I’m doing and start crying. I might even scream if he’s taken away, like my teacher tried to do once. Sometimes, if someone presses it too hard he can’t understand me, I'll also cry very hard. You might say I cry a lot, but only if I think I have a reason to, thank you very much.

I really want to understand the world more. I get very curious as to why people are so mean sometimes. In general I’m a very curious person, and always want to know why, even if sometimes all I get is a grunt. Sometimes my teacher gets onto me for not having an opinion. I say whatever the person next to me says, or, better yet, whatever Othal says. I accept everyone's opinion, and don’t usually fight over a subject.

I am very easy to manipulate. I’ll do anything you ask of me, as long as you have a good reason. You don't even have to have a real good reason, just tell me it would make you happy. I’m frightened very easily anyways, if you threaten me it’ll work easily. Along with that, you can tell I’m pretty gullible. Trust me, if you told me you wrote the word gullible on the ceiling, I would look up and start searching for it, even if you started laughing at me for doing it.

I am a little paranoid that someone is going to come along and steal Othal from being my best friend. I am scared of what could happen if the person wasn't nice. I am scared of most things in life, and that has proved a disadvantage for me many times in the past. Fear can occasionally engulf me like flames, and no one can calm me, though it happens rarely. I have no friends. That's right, not a single one. Why? You wonder, well, I am very shy. I am only very friendly around my family, and the girl that lived next door, Nimi, but the girl stopped talking to me for some reason. Shy, yes. Loner, not really.

I am a very forgiving person. You could cut off my hand, and I'd only be angry at you for a few days. If you came to me and told me you were sorry, immediately I would leave the matter alone and trust you again. That's how trusting I am, and it can be a true harm to me. I don’t really quite understand what everyone means all the time, whether it be about me, the Games, or anything else. I am of course, very scared of the Games. Why are all those people hurting each other? Why would anyone send them there? So many questions! Hardly any ever get answered. I don’t want Othal to have to get taken away from me. It would devastate me a great deal. Luckily, I don’t have to go yet. I’ve been told I’m modest, whatever that word means.

I am very industrious though. As you look at me now, you mightn't think that from my small, weak body, but I am very good at getting a job done quickly. I am the opposite of lazy. That is a good thing for me. I have grown accustomed to telling the truth. If I were to lie, I’d start shaking and my head would hurt. Being honest is easy, just say what you mean and you’re good. It's good to be truthful, right? It is, but sometimes it’s like having the plague. Always telling the truth leads to trouble for me. I can lie, of course, and I do occasionally, but until my conscience is clear I feel bad. Sometimes I write it down on a piece of paper and put it down somewhere nobody looks, which feels like I’m tricking my brain into thinking I told the truth.

I am a born listener, simple as that. I prefer to hear what other people have to say rather than tell everyone everything. I believe it's much easier to do it that way than to trouble myself with telling everyone what to do and whatnot. I prefer to be a follower, and look up to my brother and daddy like they are kings.

I am not at all very easily distracted. I am an extremely focused girl and won't leave what I’m doing until it's done. I have a habit of apologizing without a need, and some people say it gets a bit annoying after a while. My dad wants me to learn when to say it and when not to, so I’m not being a wimp my whole life. I stutter when I’m scared, and due to the fact I’m scared so easily, you can guess I might stutter often. Though I’m scared easily, it doesn’t mean I’m scared all the time, for the record. I also seem to look like I’m about to break down when I make a bad first impression on someone. Making friends means a lot to me, though it’s difficult.

I make up imaginary friends all the time, you know! If they counted as friends, I’d be the most popular person my age in District 11. Too bad that doesn’t count though. You know who my favorite one of them is? Her name is Tenrettie, and I play game with her and Giraffe all the time. The difference between those two, are my imaginary friends seem to be unable to leave my house for some reason. Plus, I’ve had Giraffe for longer.

I have a few interesting habits you ought to know about. First of all, I don't sleep in a bed. Not even the bare floor, sometimes. I tend to sleep in odd places. Under the bed, on the doormat, curled in a kitchen chair, in a cupboard, you name it. I certainly fit in most of these places. Ask me if it's uncomfortable and I'll shake her head no, and then continue what I was doing. I find it more comfortable than a bed, so why bother with me? If I like sleeping on a windowsill, well for goodness sakes let me! Saves bed space, doesn’t it? I also tend to repeat others. "Eileen, go answer the door" you might say. "Answer the door," I'll repeat, and go do it. It helps me understand what you are asking in a way, and it doesn't do anyone any harm. It might get a bit annoying sometimes - but still. Come on, can't be too bad to have someone repeating everything you tell them to do. Well, maybe.

I’m very tolerant, with not much of a temper to speak of. Most of the time I can get away with a frown and sigh, unless someone’s around my Othal. My entire personality sheds when this happens. Like this one girl, Amity, who says they’re good friends. I will act sweet to her when Othal is there, but once he leaves I have to let her know he’s mine – not her’s. He has to spend time with me, and my greatest fear is that if he makes any good friends he won’t have the time to spend time with me, which isn’t going to work. I need my Othal.

I am very observant, and when outside will ask random questions to people after I have watched them for a while. After that I’ll just walk away. I’m not much of a very stand-out type of person, more like a girl in a passing crowd. If I were to speak to you, the first thing you'd notice is I don't talk about myself much. I talk more about things around me. Unless I’m around Mommy or Othal. Not really Daddy, for some reason. Mommy is sick though, which scares me.