Ronny Olemander D5 M

Name: Ronny Olemander

Age: 16

Gender: M

District: 5


“Shrimp, midget, babyface…” Ronny Olemander had heard it all. He had always been shy, even as a youngster. His family wasn’t too badly off, what with his father getting a promotion at the oil rig when Ronny was but a toddler. He’d never had to worry about the next meal on his plate or whether he’d have to wear rags. His paternal grandparents weren’t around anymore but his maternal ones were alive and well. They used to breed all sorts of animals, from peacocks to pigmy monkeys, but now they had only a few animals left. That was enough for Ronny though. He used to love going to visit them and riding Bolt, his favorite horse. Bolt was gone now, of course, but whenever Ronny was feeling nostalgic, his horse would come alive in his memories once more.


Ronny spent more time with his family than with kids his age, never really looking to make friends, but when he was young, that was his choice. He wasn’t antisocial; he just felt he had everything he needed. That choice would come back to haunt him. Right around the time he became eligible for the reaping, all of his peers started to grow, starting to gain height and sharper angles on their face. The guys started looking more muscular, the girls curvier. Not Ronny. Year after year, the difference between him and the others became more and more pronounced. It wasn’t long before other kids picked up on it. With their new looks, so too came a new attitude. They got pleasure from watching Ronny’s discomfort as they picked apart his ego. A group of four boys went to particular lengths to make his life hell. Jaden Ryders was their leader, and not surprisingly, the tallest of the bunch. He would torment Ronny, taking his things and placing them where he couldn’t reach them, verbally and physically abusing him with the help of his group.


Perhaps if Ronny had known this was coming, he would have made more friends. As it was, he was left utterly alone. His only solace came in the form of his family. They loved him even with his appearance. They accepted that, no matter how much time passed, he would always look like his twelve-year old self. Over the years, they knew, his round face would not angle and his height would not move beyond 5’2”. They were not aware, of course, of the trouble Ronny went through every day. He hid it from them, as any typical young boy would. “Smile for your family,” he would tell himself every time he approached the household door. He was their only child, after all. He couldn’t trouble them, especially when his dad had enough to worry about at his job. So Ronny pretended everything was OK, and never showed signs he was troubled by his height, not that it wasn’t hard, especially when his mom looked into his bright blue eyes and cooed her favorite line about him always being her little boy as she tussled his unruly brown hair. She meant no harm, he knew, but it still stung a little each time.


Ronnie didn’t spend long figuring out how to deal with his trouble at school. He was smart enough to know he couldn’t fight, but he was light enough that he could master flight. He learned to run, telling his parents it was because he wanted to be healthy, while it was really just so he could run away from his troubles. But that wasn’t enough. He knew that if he ran for long enough, the taller boys with their longer limbs could catch him, so Ronny started observing his surroundings, looking for ways to hide. Soon he developed a keen eye for hideaways and tools that could be used to shield his presence. And so the 12, then 13, then 14, then 15 and 16 year old developed his abilities, his abilities to run and hide in fear from those bigger and stronger than him…


Four years it’s been, and nothing has changed. Jaden and his friends yearn for the opportunity to attack Ronny, and Ronny has no option but to flee their wrath. He has long since given up on hoping that someone else will help him. Maybe such people exist, he thinks, who would come to the aid of a helpless guy like me, but none of them live here.


As he darts into a narrow alleyway and presses up against the shadows, he watches Jaden’s group run past, and breathes a sigh of relief, which develops into a hacking cough. Oh no, the timing couldn’t be worse. He holds his breath, expecting to have to run off at any moment, but nobody returns. Phew, another close encounter avoided. He waits a few minutes to make sure they won’t come back, then sprints home, muttering under his breath, “Smile for your family.”