Lucia May

"Trigger Warning: This character deals with some dark subjects that are not suitable for everyone including depression, sexual abuse, and suicidal thoughts/actions. Please read with discretion." This character belongs to  Ellie. Please do not use Lucia for anything without Ellie's explicit permission.

Basic Information

 * Name: Lucia May
 * Nickname(s): Lucy; The Whore of District 10 (See Backstory)
 * Age: 15
 * District: 10
 * Gender: Female
 * Eyes: Hazel/Grey
 * Hair: Lucia keeps her hair short and dark, untainted by the Capital’s products. Even during the Games’ opening ceremonies and “celebrations,” if you could call them that, she requests that her hair stays just as it was in her District.
 * Height: 5’2

Fears

 * Rejection


 * The Dark
 * Yelling (Particularly Dealt by Men)
 * Blood

Strengths

 * Intellect
 * Creativity
 * Keeping Quiet
 * Hiding
 * Plants/Farming
 * Poisons

Weaknesses
''To clarify, the weaknesses included are things that can either slow her down in the Games or cause episodes of distress or "blindness," in a sense, as her moral compass can get foggy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.''
 * Strength
 * Agility/Speed
 * Gore
 * Others' Affection
 * Abusive Tendencies
 * Others' Opinions Regarding Her

Weapons
Lucia tends to stay away from the killing of livestock and other things that could possibly help her advance in the Games due to her disgust with blood, but she is very good with farming, so anything that could help her with plants or the cultivation of the earth could help her succeed in staying alive for prolonged periods of time if starvation is a major threat. She is also rather trained with the distribution of poison due to being taught how to use pesticides to keep bugs or scavengers away from certain crops, so if she gets her hands on a pesticide or poison that can kill a human if used correctly, she can climb up in the Games rather easily. She relies more on her intellect and creativity than physical prowess, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t a threat.

Personality
Lucia has always been a bit of a social recluse. It takes time for her to open up to others and gain their trust but, once she begins to confide in them, she's never going to stop. The girl is quiet but only in volume. She's a natural storyteller and loves having an audience.

Although she's very insecure and doubtful that others perceive her as "nice" or "likable," she still attempts to get to know people and gain their friendship for no other reason than longing the company of others. She's very lonely and has always dreamed of having close people in her life, although she doesn't seem to have anyone who stays around for long. It's hard to tell whether this is because she pushes people away when she starts feeling insecure and believes they don't like being around her or if people just genuinely don't like her.

She's a hopeless romantic, mainly because of the fact that she dreams of people being close to her. In stories and in books, it seems that the protagonist's life turns around the second that they fall in love. So, Lucia has always fantasized about the thought of someone coming into her life and brightening up the darkest corners of her personality. But this is a rather dangerous mindset to be in, as she could easily fall into an abusive relationship and not want to get out simply because she believes that it'll all be fine in the end.

Although she's a hopeless romantic, she's opposed to all thoughts of sexual advances. This is mainly due to her history with sexual abuse and the rumors that circulated following. The rumors caused a great deal of people to stay away from the "whore from District 10," although none of the advances were Lucia's fault.

Lucia has her ups and her downs. When she's happy, she's on top of the world. Finding her in this state is like finding a diamond lying on the side of the road. You'll just receive smiles and laughter. But, when she's in a more depressive mindset, she grows even more quiet and loses herself in her thoughts. She typically slips into this state at night and her anxiety creeps in. She mainly worries about how others think about her and begins to doubt if anyone would even care if she died. She also blames herself for her family's problems. Throughout the years, she's harmed herself and even attempted suicide when her thoughts grew dark enough. This may be another reason why people seem to leave - she seeks the help of others, then pushes them away when she believes that she's only being a burden.

She's constantly trying to improve herself to fit others' standards, but she hates change, so that kind of makes her a walking contradiction. She's become better in some aspects, but she's still at the same point in her life that she began at. Maybe it would be better if she just tried to focus on her positive traits as opposed to changing bother her negative and positive ones... Well, it doesn't matter. She's stubborn and probably won't change her mind.

Lucia is intelligent and creative. She loves anything and everything that has to do with the arts, although she hasn't had time to work on any talents due to the work she has to do in her District. She has potential, though, and a rather pretty singing voice. She's always excelled in academics and found certain subjects that others find difficult, like math, rather simple if you just look at them differently. She's always searching for the easier - but still effective - way to do things and is a very good problem solver.

In the long run, Lucia May is just a girl growing up and trying to find herself in a crowd of people.

Family

 * Terra May (Mother)
 * Reginald May (Stepfather)
 * Graham May (Deceased Father)

Backstory
"Trigger Warning: Once more, please do note that t his character deals with some dark subjects that are not suitable for everyone including depression, sexual abuse, and suicidal thoughts/actions.  Please read with discretion.""Lucy," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. An arm was slung over the young girl, barely even seven years old, and his beard scraped against her cheek. Lucy could feel his skin touching hers, hot and damp. He was breathing so slowly that Lucia almost believed he had stopped a few times.

If only.

There was a phantom beside her and she couldn't even move away. Couldn't even open her eyes for fear of it all being revealed as more than just a dream. More than a nightmare she could push away and ignore for the rest of her life. There was no man crumpling the sheets and forcing her to be someone she wasn't. There was no man taking advantage of a girl who could barely define the word "abuse," let alone acknowledge that she was a victim of it. There was no man.

If only she believed that.

He ran his fingers through her short dark hair, mumbling her name in his sleep. It sounded so twisted coming from his mouth. The mouth that had once said her mother's name at that little ceremony, followed by an, "I do." He'd seemed so harmless then in the button up shirt and slacks he'd forced himself into that morning before leaving her mother with a kiss on the cheek and going to prepare the wedding. He'd seemed so kind when he patted young Lucy on the head, giving her a little kiss on the cheek and going to the altar.

She never would have recognized the lust in his eyes. The way he lingered for just a second after he pressed his lips against her skin. It seemed harmless, but for good reason.

He knew he would have more time.

"''Lucy." ''

He was the man who had taught her to sow seeds. He was the man who said prayers at the dinner table. He was the man who kissed her goodnight and went to sleep beside her mother. He was the man who came and tore things to shreds like he tore apart the boundary that separate normality and nightmares. He was a nightmare. One that walked and breathed and watched Lucy walk away for just a breath too long.

The man who stole something from Lucy she would never be able to get back.

Just as he started to stir and Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she imagined him starting over - beginning another round of cat and mouse where the cat always came out the victor - a light flickered on in the kitchen and her mother's voice floated into the room. "Reggie? Reggie, are you alright? I woke up and... Well, you weren't there." She couldn't see him. Not while he was tucked away in Lucy's room, folded over the girl like a blanket.

His nose twitched and his eyes opened. Lucy opened her mouth to call to her mother. To try and get help. But a large hand clasped over it and growled, "Don't you dare speak up, you little-"

Lucy shut her mouth before he could finish the sentence. She didn't need more nightmare fuel.

The man peeled himself away from her, his skin sweaty and slick. Lucy was surprised that they could be separate; his body had clung to hers like tape it was so sticky. She felt electric, like she could feel every hair on her body and every vein that ran through her system, but not in a good way. Definitely not in a good way.

He slipped into his nightclothes that were laying on the floor, trying not to make a sound. His eyes fell back on Lucy and he hissed, "You don't say nothin' about this, you little whore. You don't speak of this. Not to your mommy. Not to your friends. Not even to your daddy, although the dead don't talk back. Kapeesh?"

He didn't wait for her to respond. He just leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. She could feel his breath. She could hear his saliva swishing in his mouth. "Tomorrow, you'd better be less reluctant," he whispered. "Be a good little girl."

And then he was gone, a shadow in the night. She could hear the excuses in her mind: "Just tuckin' the little critter in. She had a nightmare. That's all."

Yeah, Lucy thought. A nightmare.

You.

♧♤♧

She could still feel his fingers crawling over her skin when she stood in the her room, eight years after he'd violated the girl. Still feel the warmth against her skin and the adrenaline that had coursed through her veins. The adrenaline. Oh, god, didn't that just make it worse? Making her heart pump faster and every second seem like a minute. Making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

And with her stepfather.

No one found out, of course. Not from Lucy, anyways. She didn't share the story about the man in her room who touched her and whispered her name like it was a spell that would make all his problems disappear.

"Lucy."

But whispers still spread. The vile man who she could still feel the skin of rubbing against her chest when she closed her eyes had bragged to the men at the shop that he'd gotten in with a girl. She could imagine her stepfather, walking in with money in his pocket and a toothy grin that had once sucked on her neck. Laughing with other men about the girl he'd caught - young and feisty. He'd stolen her innocence. He'd stolen her ability to lay in bed with the lights off for fear of the shadows melting into his features. He'd stolen her ability to walk in public with people whispering about the "Whore of District 10."

Yeah. They'd even given her a nickname.

The way he'd spoken about it, she'd made a move on him and he'd only succumbed to her advances. She was the one seeking out his affection. She was the one who wanted to drag her stepfather to his knees. Make him whisper her name.

"Lucy."

And she looked down at the rope, used for cattle, and picked it up. Her vision was blurred and her thoughts were broken by his voice. So prominent. Would he still come into her room if she didn't do it? Pin her down and treat her like she was one of the pigs in the barn? Nothing but an animal. An object. Lucy.

The coarse material cut into her hands. She didn't show people the way she'd clawed at her skin with her nails, trying to get every last breath of him ''off of her. ''His scent was still deep in the cracks of her skin. His fingers still dug into her flesh every time she stopped to catch a breath. If she dug deep enough, she'd be free from the whispers, she had once believed. If she scratched hard enough, the ghost of his touch would leave.

But it never did. It never would.

And so she cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks as she held the rope in her hands and started to tie. A noose to kill herself. An end to the taunting and the looks she got as she walked down the street. They believed him instead of her. She was nothing but a marionette, pretty, but not worth anything more than a nickname and controlled by a man who held her up.

She tied it to the rafters in her small house, standing atop her bed, then fitted it around her neck. All Lucy would have to do is jump. Then... Freedom.

Oh, it sounded lovely.

But she'd leave her mother with him and die nothing but the Whore of District 10. A girl escaping embarrassment. God, it sounded so weak in her mind. They would judge and judge. No one would show up to her funeral, she knew. No one would even care.

She found herself frozen, unable to step forward. Unable to fall.

"Why won't you move?" she whispered through tears. "Why won't you do something, Lucy?" Talking to herself. Trying to convince herself to jump off the bed.

And she closed her eyes, still crying, and convinced herself it was nothing but a nightmare. Like she'd thought once: He was the man who had taught her to sow seeds. He was the man who said prayers at the dinner table. He was the man who kissed her goodnight and went to sleep beside her mother. He was the man who came and tore things to shreds like he tore apart the boundary that separate normality and nightmares. He was a nightmare. One that walked and breathed and watched Lucy walk away for just a breath too long.

He wasn't the person who was going to kill her. He could take her dignity and her youth, but he couldn't take her life.

♧♤♧

Her mother found her, standing on her bed with a rope around her neck. And the woman helped her down, gathered her in her arms, and let Lucy cry.

Lucy could smell him on her.

♧♤♧

The night before the Reaping, he was there. She had grown since she was seven, slowly becoming a young woman. Beautiful. It was no secret that Lucy was pretty. But it was a subtle beauty; one that would remain hidden in the crowds.

But there was no crowd in her room. Only a bed.

She woke up to his hands on her, forcing her to remain still. She tried to scream. She tried to call for her mother. But he was bigger and stronger and all she could do was sob and beg for him to stop. "Lucy," he hissed like he had done so many times before. "Why do you fight me when we know that you've given up? When we both know that you've given up?"

His toothy grin glowed in the moonlight. She shut her eyes and started to sob.

A marionette puppet.

And it was like reliving it all again. The adrenaline in her veins. The bruises that covered her back once became alive and raw, aching at every touch. She bit her lip so hard she bled, but the man didn't seem to care. He was a man who saw her as nothing more than livestock. Just another animal who belonged in the pasture.

But she bit down on his arm when he shifted, drawing blood. The man stifled a cry of pain, shooting her a look of confusion. Her breaths were jagged and scared. Both of her blue eyes were wide with shock and fear. But she looked so much more alive than she ever had before.

She'd fought back.

And it was then that Lucy realized that he was human, not a shadow. Not a nightmare. Not some monster that just took what he wanted and left. He could be battered and broken just like she had been for eight years. And, as a grin slowly overtook her features, the girl straightened up, pulled back her fist, and slammed him in the jaw.

He made a grunt of surprise, but not pain. No, she was far too small to do him any real damage. The man grabbed her arm nimbly, then did the same with her other. He pulled her arms above her head and looked her in the eyes, something evil glinting in them.

The smile vanished from her lips and a stone sunk in her stomach. Of course that wouldn't've worked. He was twice her size.

"Did you really think that would work, princess?"

♧♤♧

She didn't fight back that night. But, the next day, when she heard her name called at the Reaping, she was thankful no one volunteered.

Lucy would rather die in the Hunger Games than at the hand of Reginald May.

Strategies
Training Strategy: Lucia will mainly attempt to try and learn new skills. She'll focus less on gaining allies and more on her own abilities, although she will avoid showing off her actual talents. Those she can already control enough. She'll tend to try and improve her strength the most and/or attempt to work on her agility. If someone approaches her about a possible alliance, though, she will consider it. That person has to be trustworthy, though, and preferably female, as she is not exactly comfortable around the idea of a man being there as she sleeps. She isn't necessarily against teaming up with a guy, though. Just... Not as enthusiastic about it.

Private Training Strategy: This is where Lucia will show off the abilities she does have. Here, she'll show off her skills with creating and utilizing poisons, if there are any. If not, she'll try and continue to build her strength and improve her speed. Her score doesn't matter to her as much as it does to some. In the long run, it's how you act in the arena that determines your fate.

Interview Angle: Here, Lucia will show off her more theatrical side. Although she's quiet, she will try and make other people like her. She'll mainly try and win them over by trying to seem appealing, mainly physically, as she knows that she isn't unattractive, and she'll maybe even throw in bits and pieces of information about her past. She won't bring up much about her abuse, though, as that could make people want to dig deeper and uncover the lies that have been told about Lucia in her District. Lucia would prefer that the entire country didn't think of her as the Whore of District 10.

Bloodbath Strategy: Lucia will either try and grab something close to her or just ''run. ''She recognizes that one step out of line can and most likely will end her life, so she'll try and be smart about things. If there is a backpack nearby, she will attempt to grab it, but that's basically as big of a risk as she will take. Lucia isn't stupid and knows that there will be other tributes much bigger - and stronger - than her who want to see her bleed.

Games Strategy: If she doesn't already have some form of poison on her, she will try and utilize her surroundings to make some. Lucia will also try and store up on food and water. She'll camp out near a water source, but not directly beside it, and will mainly stay in any trees that there are. There, she'll attempt to create "grenades," of sorts, by putting any poisonous fluids she has in a handmade container or cloth and throwing them at any tributes that walk by. She'll scavenge for weapons on their corpses. Lucia is not as much of a hunter as she is a gatherer. But, if someone walks into her trap, she's not afraid to attack.