Mariposa Sharp -- D10 [CB]

Well...Mother says I'm pretty. I know she wishes I looked more like her and less like Dad, though. I know she sees his face whenever she looks at me. We both share the same angular face and large lips, and though I got brown eyes instead of his blue, my hair is the very same shade as his. People used to comment on my resemblance to him a lot. They don't do it so much now.

I've always tried to see the good in the world, even though it can be very difficult in a poor district like Eleven. I take pleasure in the little luxuries we have here, like sweet fruits and colorful flowers. I run in the warm sun and thank my ancestors for watching over me. My family does not have it easy, but when I dwell on that, I feel a terrible sadness in my chest, so bad that I cannot get out of bed on some days. If I focus on the good -- if I believe everything will be all right -- I can keep going.

I don't want to talk about it. The whole district knows my story: Dad killed himself nine years ago. We lost our generations-old farm. I had to work as a waitress in a brothel because my mother wouldn't let me work in the fields. A month ago, she signed a contract with a back alley marriage broker, giving me away as a wife. I can't miss this chance to escape my poverty -- I can no longer think of myself as a Sharp. I am a wife now. His wife.

I know true love is a long shot...but a part of me can't help but hope that this is Fate's way of giving me a fairy tale ending.