zero prank {seven} fin

Salutations, my friend! My name is Zero Leonard Prank. Ah yes, of course you've heard of the Pranks before. Everyone has heard of us. That's to be expected, considering we have...oh let me see...twenty or so people living under one roof? No, you didn't hear me incorrectly. It can feel a little overcrowded at times, and I grow tired of their constant, nonsensical chatter. They're all rather stupid, I think. Children with odd habits and far too many pets and tongues that won't stop moving. I've told them a thousand times, I despise waking up to a mouse sitting on my pillow, but the girls refuse to get rid of them, Lane especially.

When my family gets overly exhausting, I like to grab my coat and head out into the streets. There's a lovely old chess club down the road I enjoy visiting. Of course, those who work have no time for chess, and most children don't enjoy the game, so it's generally just me and a handful of seniors. It's my favorite place to spend time, really. I suppose the conversations are a little slow and often repetitive, and of course they aren't half as good at strategy as I am, but personally, I believe it's an excellent use of my time. I've loved chess ever since I was a child. Perhaps you think I'm still a child, but I certainly don't feel like one.

I started dressing like the older men at the club a few years back. They all wore tweed coats and bow ties and kept shiny pocket watches somewhere on their person. Obviously, I couldn't afford a pocket watch, but Mother helped me out with the jacket. She bought some material from the market and patched one together for me. I earned myself a little bit of extra money by running messages back and forth for the lumberjacks, and eventually accumulated enough to buy myself a bow tie. I always loved bow ties. I've never had the motivation to save up for a second, so I stick with the one I have, a shiny white ribbon that I think makes me look respectable.

People say I look like my family. That's true, I suppose, although I'm bound to look like at least one of them when there's twenty of us to choose from. Most of us have brown hair, toothy grins, and fairly long noses. I say I'd fit that description, at least for the most part. My eyes are grey, which is different from the general trend of dark brown. I've got bushy eyebrows, small ears, and wavy hair that turns a dark shade of blond in the summer time. I prefer to keep it neat, smoothed back and swept to the side. I always tell myself that appearance is the first thing people notice about anyone they look at. Personality only comes in once you decide I look interesting enough to talk to.

I've always had a fear of the dark. I never sleep on the bed, because it's farthest from the window. Instead I take the spot right under the shaft of moonlight, and when there is no moon, I light a candle and curl up in the corner with it. The only thing I dislike about it is that there are often spiderwebs in the corner, and when Lane's mice escape, they gravitate towards that area of the house. I dislike spiders, snakes, mice, bugs, really anything that's small and ugly-looking. It just makes my stomach feel ill. 'm always worried that we'll end up adopting another one of our orphaned cousins, and then the house will be too crowded, and everyone will cram me into the wall until I can't breath. I'm scared of getting lost and finding out what lies in the dark where I can't see it. I have despised being left alone ever since I was little. I get claustrophobic in small spaces and I hate crowds. I could go on, but you'd probably get bored.

At the chess club, they're always playing the best classical music on this old record player in the corner. It's a dusty thing that tends to break down a lot, but when it's working, it sounds wonderful. I've grown to love the sound of the orchestra and I've always wanted to see one myself. Of course, we don't have time for that here in Seven. Everyone is too busy chopping down trees and bundling up firewood for the whole of Panem. I can't exactly say I'm looking forward to growing up. I don't want to be a lumberjack. I'd rather be a violinist, or a teacher, or a professional chess player. Mother tells me I could work at the school here, but it would be such a drag. I don't think I could stand working with the little brains of children all day long, trying to get the lessons through their thick heads. It would just take far too much effort.

There's one man at the chess club who's always going on and on about the stars and the moon and the positions of the planets. He could talk about it forever, and I'm quite certain I could listen forever. It all fascinates me. He likes to bring star charts to the club every now and then, and the two of us will spend hours pouring over them and adding notes and finding patterns. He told me he used to be the captain of a ship once, but he always smiles when he says that, and of course, no one in Seven could possibly be a captain. I know he's lying, but I don't point it out. I let him have his fun and think I'm still a child. After all, what's the harm in it?

I suppose I've never exactly been close with my family. There's just so many of them, I'm not sure how I could keep up a relationship with every single one of them. Besides, most of them are so normal and boring, they don't interest me. I've got a twin, a girl my parents named Drôle. It's a bit of an odd name, but then again, so is mine, along with pretty much every other one in our family. She's alright. Still just as boring as the others though. But they're family, I suppose, and what is it people say about family? We're meant to stick together? Yes, I think it's something like that.

Word Count: 1071