Shale // D12

Shale has a dancer's build. She's skinny with strong legs. Though her skinniness isn't the healthy kind - it's from lack of food as much as exercise and dancing. She's short as well, probably for the same reason. Shale looks like she must have been born in the seam. She keeps her wavy black hair long. It has a tendency to get tangled. She also has the olive skin and grey eyes of the seam.

Shale has the marks from growing up on the home - bruises on her wrists and face from being grabbed and hit when she displeases those in charge. But she never used to carry herself like many of the other kids in the community home. Her eyes were light with happiness. But lately, with the news about her sister, that's changed. She's started to look more sad - but not hopeless and defeated. Instead, there's a spark of determination in her eyes.

These days, Shale is primarily a worried but determined person. When Shale sets her mind to something, there is no talking her out of it. She can be incredibly stubborn. Which is, perhaps, the only thing that kept Shale from descending into the hopelessness that most kids in the community home feel. There are times when the old Shale appears. When she takes joy in the little things, like the first flowers of spring, or the delight of dancing, or she runs around playing tag like a child half her age.

Shale loves deeply. She's a genuinely kind person who is nice to just about everyone and considers everyone friends. If she's able to help someone, she will. But those who she considers family, Galena and her closest friends, those people she would do anything for. She prioritizes those she loves over everyone else.

Shale's greatest joy is dancing. She could dance for hours on end. She knows it's useless (unless, perhaps, you live in the capitol) but she loves it anyways. There's not really formal dancing types in District 12 so it's not like Shale knows ballet or anything specific like that. She just enjoys moving to music. It helps that she's good at holding music in her head. Once she's heard a song once, she can hear it in her head whenever she choses. Her memory isn't nearly so good for other things, but for music it performs miracles. Shale is often found dancing when no-one else hears a sound, moving to music in her head.

Shale never knew who her parents were. She wouldn't even know who her sister was if they hadn't shown up together on the doorstep of the community home, infants swaddled in thin blankets. Of course, it also helps that they're identical. Galena is Shale's only family, and the two are as close as can be. They were practically inseparable growing up. There was a time when they were little when they refused to speak to anyone but eachother.

Living in the community home was hard. They didn't have enough food and they weren't treated well by those in charge. Or, sometimes, by the other kids. But somehow, maybe because she had Galena, Shale never let herself get as defeated as the others. Even in such a horrible world, Shale was able to find joy and happiness and the good things that still existed. Shale liked to dance and play and it didn't seem like there was a force on earth that could stop her from being cheery.

All this recently changed. For a few months now, Galena has been sick. They kept expecting it to pass, but it hasn't. Growing worried, Shale convinced her sister to go to the apothecary. The girls begged the apothecary for help though they had nothing to pay her. She conceded to look Galena over but ultimately said that she needed a proper doctor. Something that they definitely couldn't afford.

For a time, Shale felt utterly hopeless. Until the reaping came around and Shale realized how she could help her sister. If she won the games, she would have plenty of money and pull to get Galena the help that she needs. All Galena has to do is last a year. Shale hates the idea of participating in the games. She doesn't like the idea of fighting or dying, and definitely not of killing other people. But Galena is the only family Shale has, and she loves her with her whole heart. Shale would do anything for her.

So in the last few days Shale has started doing something all but unheard of in District 12 - training for the games. Of course, there's no-one to actually teach Shale. Though she's considered trying to approach the victors of the district to ask for help. But she's going to do what she can on her own first. She recruited the help of her best friend, a boy who happened to be talented at such things, to steal a couple of sharp knives from the kitchen. She's been practicing throwing it in her room whenever the others aren't there. She practices lifting heavy things. She goes for long runs.

Galena and Flint (Shale's friend) are the only two who know what she's doing. Galena hates it and has tried to talk Shale out of her plan, but to no avail.