laverna beck. d12. fin.

Laverna is similar in a lot of ways in appearance to the other residents of district 12. She's usually covered in dirt and grime. Even if she attempts to use water to wash it off, there's only so much you can do without good soap, shampoo, conditioner, and so on. Sometimes her family has access to those luxuries, but they save those for the reaping. Just in case. Any extra they use whenever someone in the household gets sick, after all the family's entire focus revolves around staying alive. No matter what, just staying alive.

Her curly hair is usually a tangled and matted mess. She tries to fix it, but again it's difficult to do so. Before reapings her and her mother spend hours trying to make it look as nice as possible - usually they might have to even cut pieces out. That's just what happens when you can't properly take care of such thick, curly hair. Her hair is supposed to be a blonde, but that means it's difficult to keep looking "clean". Dirt, dust, and even food (sauces, soups, etc) get stuck in her hair and again are difficult to clean out with water though she tries her best.

She's also pigeon toed. This means that her feet point inward. This is somewhat of a physical flaw and it effects how she walks. If she tries running she's more clumsy and more likely to fall, but she's quick. A lot of pigeon-toed people are fast runners, though they can have a hard time with balance. Speaking of her features, she's essentially skin and bone. When she was born her brother had only recently turned two years old and her parents were struggling to feed just him.

Her parents were starving and for women not having enough calories can limit breast milk production. This made it very hard to make sure both kids were well fed. Due to this she had development delays physically. Most girls around her age are at least 5'2. She stands at 4'10. Weight wise she's also below average. Weighing about 75 pounds puts her at just about 5 pounds under the "ideal weight" for her height. This puts her at a large disadvantage strength-wise. She is extremely weak physically and the most weight she could probably lift is about 15 pounds (the weight of a bowling ball) for short time periods and 10 pounds for longer time periods (a microwave). Most people can carry about one-fourth of their weight for long time periods, but she can only care about a 1/8 of her weight for that time.

She also, understandably, has dental hygiene problems. Living in district 12 the family sees people lose teeth due to poor hygiene it seems daily. They try to keep up on it, but it can be difficult to find toothpaste (though they always make sure to clean their mouth as best they can with water and a toothbrush). Luckily she hasn't lost a tooth yet, but she frequently gets cavities and can be in a lot of pain due to this. Almost every part of her seems to be effected by the poverty of her district. Even her blue eyes seem to have fear in them rather than childish joy or any other emotion a fourteen year old should be feeling.

Laverna was born just over two years after her older brother, Hermes. Her parents tried their best to be able to afford to feed and take care of both their children, but things were hard in the earliest part of her childhood. Her entire life her parents have always told her to do whatever it takes to keep living. Her parents have seen too many people give up hope within the districts. She has a hard time not losing hope. They're residents of the Seam, the poorest of the poor. She doesn't see there being a point to life if that life is filled with starvation and struggle, all for nothing.

Growing up she was practically raised by her older brother once he was old enough to be able to start taking care of them without help from the parents. Once he was old enough her parents had to resume working constantly to be able to afford to keep what little they have. As such, they get along extremely well. She looks up to her brother and he's one of the few reasons she still has hope. When she sees his determination she can't help but to feel like he might truly be able to make things better than them one day.

When she was about six years old she noticed that after he put her down for a nap he snuck away from the house. After following him out one day she found out he was sneaking out to steal and he started teaching her to steal. She's good at stealing - her focus being pickpocketing - but she doesn't often do it unless she feels she has to. She's been extremely wary about it ever since she watched her brother get publicly beat and lashed for stealing from the wrong person.

Her favourite part about the Hunger Games has always been looking at the creativity of the designers when it comes to the clothes. The clothes are so different than what she sees within the district. Often times there are bright colours and unique designs. Those entrance her due to their novelty for her. She has a lot of trouble watching the actual games however. It's too hard for her to watch people in pain and killing each other. She feels like deep down if she was reaped she might be able to fight so she could see her family again, but she isn't sure if she'd ever forgive herself.