Carmen von Meyer ;; District 3 [fin]

~ carmen e. von meyer ~

only seventeen, walks the streets so mean
eating soft ice cream, district three queen

she's still shining like lightning

Every aspect of Carmen just seems so welcoming. From her sunshine blonde hair to her bright blue eyes that seem to sparkle even more as she flashes a smile. Though for the most part her smiles are mere smirks as she is constantly self conscious of her crooked, yellowed teeth. It was one of the many prices to pay for the lifestyle she found herself drawn to. Her face almost seems fragile, like a china doll, one of the traits she apparently got from her mother. It's apparent that her father's face is stern and round, very much unlike the von Meyer sisters.

Carmen's bone structure is fairly narrow, her shoulders not nearly as broad as young Lolita's. The seventeen year old is pretty self conscious of her Adam's Apple, and gets incredibly bashful when other people watch her drink. It's part of Carmen's job description to look promiscuous, which she struggles to do with her naturally small breasts. Most nights she resorts to stuffing her bra in order to reel in a few extra customers. One of Carmen's biggest concerns is her weight, and she frequently diets and exercises to make sure she maintains what she believes to be a healthy weight.

Carmen isn't the tallest girl her age, standing at 5'6" and weighing in at 118 pounds, slightly less than the average weight of a girl her size. Her arms and legs are rather weak, though they do pack a bit of muscle from the exercising. Having shorter legs doesn't make her the fastest sprinter out there, but she still made it a habit to go running each day before it was time to go to school. One of Carmen's vices is her love of chocolate, a delicacy quite rare to her district and very high in price and fat. In a way, she's glad that it's so expensive, so that she can continue practicing her "healthy" diet.

Underneath her clothing, which is as fashionable as she could pull off living in District 3, are cuts and bruises as a result of the inevitable abuse caused by her nightly endeavors. While most of the money she owns go towards her addiction and repaying her father, she puts aside some of her income to pay for cosmetics and different accessories to compliment her appearance. Carmen loves to look pretty, more so to feel pretty. She can't count the insults spit at her from pigs who need dominance, and while she tries her best to be strong about it all, many times the words affect her and her outlook on herself.

her mind's like a diamond

Just by reputation, Carmen's been misconceived by many as a total bitch who cares for nobody but herself. Even Carmen admits that she can definitely come across that way at times, most likely due to her commitment to doing what she wants to do. Nobody can argue that Carmen's perseverance is one of the strongest that they know, especially when it comes to protecting herself, her family, or her friends. She puts up with the perverted minds of the men in her line of work and nobody has heard a complaint coming out of her mouth after heading straight from school to the convenience store a block from home. She knows she has to work, or she'll go through terrible withdrawal and her father won't get the medication he needs and Lolita would be doomed to a life of failure all because her older sister never tried. Carmen has a lot on her shoulders, and not many people know what she truly has to deal with.

Carmen's not as bright and bubbly as some other girls stereotyped with blonde hair, and has a very calm and collected nature. She truly wants the best for everyone and hates seeing her friends fail, but she's not afraid to put others down if the situation is of great value. She won't follow laws simply because they're laws, though she won't disobey the laws simply because they're laws either. She'll do what she has to do, no matter the consequences. Carmen is very charismatic, and can do public speaking without even batting an eye. She doesn't see the big worry about getting up in front of people. If she messes up, oh well, life will still go on.

That's not to say that she is incredibly confident, however. Carmen has a habit of acting tougher than she really is, and this has led to many confrontations and physical fights with other girls her age. She's obsessed with the image of being the popular girl that can handle herself on the streets, and she frequently exaggerates her own skills and personality traits to maintain this stereotype she has been associated with. She also maintains a rough exterior to protect the ones she loves, though as soon as she begins to converse with those that she trusts her wall seems to crumble down. Those who truly know the great Carmen von Meyer can see a girl riddled with insecurities and obsessive and addictive quirks that she has yet to figure out how to free herself from.

don't want to see all the things I've seen

Carmen Elisabeth von Meyer once had it all, though she was much too young to realize it. Her father, Erik von Meyer, was a very successful software engineer that generated anything from property organizing softwares to educational video games for the Capitol and its children. Carmen's mother, Brea Halloway, was a housewife that wasn't actually married to the father of her daughter. Erik refused to pop the question due to the troubles his parents had. When his father died of a mysterious illness, his mother was swarmed with troubles involving debt and other legal issues. He didn't want his love to have to go through that if anything ever happened to him. And while they understood, Carmen and Brea both dreamed of the day she would wear a wedding dress.

Unfortunately, those dreams fell to ashes as Carmen's young sister Eleanor entered the world and Brea passed shortly after. Erik was devastated but forced himself to recover in order to care for his young daughters. Carmen was only three years old and while she tried her best to help out with the baby, there wasn't much the toddler could do. But as they continued to grow, Carmen grew closer and closer to Eleanor whom she had given the nickname "Lolita". While the younger girl preferred to be called Ellie, she felt a sort of comfort when her older sister called her by the former. Carmen taught Lolita everything she needed to know about her makeup, dresses, and eventually, boys.

The family was getting by well with Erik's software money, the death of Brea not impacting their economic status at all. But it seemed for the von Meyer girls, nothing would ever be right. When Carmen was fourteen, her father was diagnosed with the same disease his father died from. Carmen and Lolita were all each other had during the frequent hospital visits. The money they had dried up quickly with the medical bills and Erik's inability to work, and by age 15 Carmen knew it was up to her to support her younger sister and father's medication expenses. Every night, Carmen would leave Eleanor to care for their father as she worked the job she dreaded the most; a prostitute, dancer of the night, goddess of the street. Carmen was popular among the men due to her young age and beautiful looks, and Erik never questioned where the money came from. He was blessed to have it, after all.

One night, Carmen and the other women of her ring were out when one of the girls egged Carmen on to try drugs they had brought. Carmen refused so much, but they wouldn't budge. As quick as it happened, as quick as her addiction begun. She spiraled down into a rut where she needed her fix more than she needed food and water. Her family was barely scraping by with the money she was making on the streets, so she knew she would have to work harder and get another job, one that didn't involve pleasuring old men. She found just that at a shop just a few blocks from her house. Despite the grumpiness of the owner, Carmen found herself one of the best friends she's ever had, Nox. Along with Xia, Lolita, and her boyfriend, he is one of the only ones who Carmen can truly trust. Carmen loves Callum Matheson more than she could ever say, and feels incredibly guilty for doing her work behind his back, though she perseveres with thoughts of her sister. But Carmen knows that she can't keep her dirty little secret for long.

~Odair~