Mark Lafayette- District Five male
Life handed me a nineteen deck. So I threw the cards in Life's face and dealt myself some better ones.
On the surface, civics class was a joke. We were all learning the canned lessons the Capitol wanted us to learn, and no one was brave enough to say otherwise. I wasn't dumb enough to make waves either, but I participated the heck out of the debates.
"Okay, just… you win! A tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit," Surge conceded.
"Darn right," I said. Of course I didn't think a tomato was a vegetable. That was just the side I was assigned to argue. Professor Wattson said he wouldn't want to argue with me that the sky wasn't orange. I hoped someday he would try. He was a brilliant guy, but I still wanted to give it a shot.
After class, I could feel the eyes of the other students. I wasn't the center of the universe or anything, but I could sense a bunch of them whispering in admiration and another clump sending dirty looks my way. I was somewhat of a divisive figure. The average students either ignored me or assumed I was smart. The preps and the wannabe valedictorians resented me hardcore for being competition. I didn't care either way. What I did, I did for me.
When school was done, I headed home. Which was a short distance, since I lived at the school. Specifically, I lived with Professor Wattson, since I was sort of his apprentice as well as his student. I didn't exactly have parents. They weren't dead, but they didn't want me. Oh well, their loss. The orphanages and foster homes I drifted through didn't really want me either, since I had a tendency to sort of never shut up. Professor Wattson was the only one with the patience to deal with me. I suspected he thought I was just "gifted". I was smart, all right, but I hoped he didn't mind that I didn't want to be a teacher. I had a lot more life to live, and one job wouldn't be enough for me.
The school basement had a few tiny apartments for faculty, and Professor Wattson converted an unused broom closet to add space for me. I had a bed, a lamp and a desk, but that was plenty. I hardly spent any time there. There was a whole world outside, just waiting for me to arrive.
Dina Emmer- District Five female
My father and brother Isaac were a bit ahead of me on the mountain. I liked to stay slow and set the pace. There was no need to rush. It was a lovely day, and I could see more rocks if I kept it slow.
Since Isaac was ahead of me, he saw the rock first. Most people would have seen nothing but an unassuming chunk of gray stone, but everyone in my family knew what it was. My father was a geologist, and he taught us everything there was to know about minerals and the earth underneath us. It provided us a stable living, and it provided me with a passion.
"Hey, check it out!" Isaac said, pointing at the stone. He scooped it up.
"Ooh, a geode!" I said, and I ran ahead to catch up with him. "Let me smash it!"
"No! I found it," Isaac said.
"Come on. Please?" I wheedled.
"Find your own geode," Isaac said.
"But it's almost dark. We have to turn around soon," I said.
"Find one on the way down, then," Isaac said.
"I never find them," I said poutily. "You're way better at it."
"That's true," Isaac said. His arm, drawn back to throw, started to lower. I looked hopefully at the geode and put on my brightest face.
"All right," Isaac said reluctantly. He passed me the geode, shaking his head slightly at himself as he did. I let out a faint cry of excitement and threw the rock full force at a slab of limestone. It broke open, sending shards of rock into the air and revealing the white crystals lining its interior. I gathered them up and handed them back to Isaac.
"Here. They're yours. Thanks for letting me smash it," I said. Isaac tucked the pieces into his pocket and we started back down the hill.
It wasn't even a very pretty geode. It just gave me a funny feeling to know Isaac would let me have it even though he wanted it. I liked being able to convince people to do things, especially if they didn't want to. It scared me a little sometimes how much I liked it. I loved my brother, but in my heart, I knew I loved myself more.
I still need a Six, Nine, and Twelve male! I've been trying to vet submissions but I'm impatient, so send anything in and I'll take it.
Mark: Benjamin Pavard
Dina: She has long, dark brown curly hair in a low ponytail with an olive skin tone. She has brown eyes and is about 5'7, so about an average height. She is of average weight, nearly slightly overweight.
Hey random mean reviewer dude: Couple things.
1: Caleb is most definitely not what you said, since he is married to a woman (or maybe they're still engaged?)
2: This isn't even Caleb's story. You are not having a good day, are you?