alphonse kilbourne. d2m. fin.

People cannot choose where they come from, and therefore they have every right to complain about it. Al wishes his life wasn't defined by the District he was born in - a place where you were expected to send your children to a training academy if you had money. And if you didn't have money, you were desperate to save up and starve yourself to send your children there anyway.

Al was in a different category. His separated parents definitely had the money and the will, but he refused to go. "Even if you pay for it, I won't show up."

Fuck conformity.

Al was that edgy kid who didn't want to be like everybody else, but it wasn't an identity crisis that held him back. He had different natural talents, and those were better suited for different dreams. Dreams that involved using brain instead of brawn. His mother had noticed it at a young age - Alphonse was a genius, perhaps one of the smartest kids she had ever met. While she was impressed, she still wanted him to become District Two's idea of a man. Knock the awkwardness right out of him in the academy!

She was furious when he drawled, "No thanks."

He didn't think of himself as the 'awkward nerd.' He was not a loner by any means, nor did he struggle to speak to others. Yes, he puzzled them with his conversation topics - often spewing random facts nobody asked for - but he had never been bullied for it. If anything, some people were intimidated by how much he knew. Some people just wanted to copy his homework. That was fine too. He didn't care about using his talents to get what he wanted. He learned that people often cared a lot more about words than actions.

In the graceful words of his mother, he was a 'manipulative little shit.'

It wasn't his fault he knew how to play the system. She threatened him with a thousand punishments if he didn't attend the academy, and Al always knew how to get out of it. His father was one method; the man lived a thirty minute walk away, and he didn't care whether Al became a career or not. He was the supportive parent who used his extra money to purchase books for Al's collection. He would always read them within the week.

Al didn't understand the hype. Why should he have to physically drain himself to impress people? He knew the exact statistical probability that he would be reaped given the population of reapable kids in the district. It changed every year, of course, but that didn't stop him from figuring it out. Mother claimed he needed the training 'just in case.' Wrong. She wanted him to be impressive for the sake of others' praise. Al had figured that out a long time ago. She wasn't very good at hiding it.

That was something they never had in common; his mother was so expressive. So angry and huffy when she didn't get her way. Al always took the analytical approach - he might squint his eyes at a problem and try to solve it calmly instead. It was difficult to make him angry. Only blatant stupidity truly aggravated him, and sometimes that wasn't the other person's fault.

His father warned him not to water the seed of arrogance. Al trusted him, so he took that advice to heart. Although he had a certain advantage over others, he didn't think of himself as superior. He tried to share his knowledge rather than keep it all to himself. Learning was an important part of life, and one should never stop. Even a man working in the coal mines should never stop learning - even if he was destined to be a miner for the rest of his life.

Another reputation of Two he wanted to avoid. Miners and careers, was that all they had to offer?

He didn't want any of that. Talents wasted on mindless activities.

He would rather be in a place like Six, studying medicine and chemistry. There were more like-minded people there. Maybe he wouldn't have as much money or as nice of a house, but he didn't care about that. Materialism only applied to his book collection. A stimulated mind was more important to him than money. He understood the value of it, of course, but life isn't only about wealth and status. Al found all of that stuff boring.

He tried to relate to them, he really did. Gossip of the wealthy was all about putting others down, judging every tiny flaw they could find. Careers discussed their training exercises as well as the Games. Al didn't know much about their exercises nor was he an avid watcher of the Games. Just because violence existed didn't mean he wanted to be a part of it.

He gave up eventually. Those people didn't have anything in common with him - even his own mother. He inherited her stubbornness, perhaps, but that was all. Everything else came from his father. His bluntness, his resting bitch face, his curiosity, his patience, and his tender touch. The only thing that truly belonged to Alphonse was his mind.

Nobody would take that away from him. Not for anything.