Estella Moen

Background
The life of Estella Moen has always been rather easy compared to most of those in District 6. Her father, a shift leader at the processing facility for much of the plants produced in the district, was always in such a high status that the family was rather respected, and on top of that the Moen patriarch was always in good standing with the government and the local peacekeeping force. An only child after the death of her younger brother Martin in infancy of whooping cough, she ended up being quite spoiled and doted on by two parents stuck in mourning for the son they had so desperately wanted. Instead of stretching their resources thin, the family stayed stuck at three permanently, along with a live-in grandmother that raised Estella once her mother returned to work when the young child was six months old.

With no siblings to compete with, Estella grew up as one of the wealthiest children in District 6. Among her nursery school classmates, Estella was popular and well-liked, and not only because her family was particularly lucky compared to others. She was kind and helpful; she might have never been strong, gifted (or cursed) with a naturally slim, lanky body, but she had a heart at least. In a world of pain and suffering, she at least pretended to be oblivious to all that for her own sanity, even from a young age. If she focused on others, it only made things worse for her. Instead, she pretended that life was good for everyone. It made things simpler for her.

Surprisingly, the Moen family has always been considered lucky. Out of Estella’s eleven cousins, none have ever come remotely close to being selected at the Reaping for the Hunger Games. None of her aunts or uncles or their relatives, either. The closest Estella’s life ever came to the games was when she was twelve and her childhood playmate Yancey Fawkes was reaped, only to be the first child to die. While many other kids her age were forced into the fields or processing facilities to provide for their families, Estella was able to further her education in the sewing trade. Eventually, she apprenticed to a local uniform-maker and spent many of her days creating sleeves or sewing on buttons for the work shirts of farmers across the district. The work wasn’t well paying but her family continued to support her. Being spoiled, her family made sure that she was well cared for. There was no reason for the Moen family to ever raise the ire of the peacekeepers. To the public eye, they are a very well-to-do family, out of the political eye with no reason to ever raise a ruckus. They have enough to provide for themselves and their family and have no other reason to do anything illegal.

To this day, Estella has entered in every reaping without any tesserae and has always come out unscathed. In the eyes of her family, there is no reason to think that she will be reaped since she is quickly approaching the end of her childhood. Only two more reapings and she will be free to marry; her mother, the ever-knowing family matchmaker it seems, already has her eye on a few other relatively well-off families and their sons (namely the sons of other managers and shift leaders like Estella’s father), knowing that a perfect match will make sure the Moen family stays cared for. The limit of Estella’s training for the games, if she were to be chosen (the family laughs at the idea that any Moen child would be reaped), would be in using scissors to cut fabric or maybe defending herself against drunken men. She is not physically strong and not even especially beautiful. Her chances in the arena would not be high if she were to be chosen, but at this point in her life, Estella has been taught by her family that the Hunger Games are the least of her worries. Instead, she has spent her youth preparing for marriage and a family one day. What good are fighting skills when it comes to creating a family anyway?

Personality
Estella is not quite a stereotypical spoiled brat, but it is obvious that she has the tendencies that come along with someone that has not experienced the same hard life of the vast majority of those in her District. Her life growing up was not about getting food on the table or going without for others. She has never had to experience the harsh lives that many people around her have simply because her family has been lucky. Instead of being forced to hunt, fish, and gather plants to eat for dinner, she has simply had to make sure to stay on the good side of her parents, who in return dote on her and give her whatever she wants. In exchange, she is a perfect daughter, obedient and respectful, always using sir and ma’am and treating her elders with respect.

Where her physical strength lacks, she makes up for in heart, spirit, and kindness. She might not be able to easily stand up for herself, but at least she can easily make friends and comfort people in their darker moments. On top of that, she has benefitted from her parents emphasizing “marriageable skills”, such as cooking, cleaning (which she hates nevertheless), and being sweet and innocent. Most people overlook her as being a threat; she might not be able to fight well, but she does know how to defend herself in other ways, from her charm and confidence to her height, which gives her ample room to kick an attacker where it counts. Though she has never told anyone other than her mother or maybe her close friends, she has broken the nose of a drunk man while walking home from her work late one night. If the peacekeepers found out that she had broken the nose of a man important in the scheme of growing the cash crops of her district, she would be in a load of trouble.

Around others, her mother and grandmother’s insistence on etiquette has a dramatic effect on her. She is quiet unless spoken to, utterly polite, and exudes an inner beauty. When it comes to being able to protect herself, she has always relied on her ability to convince others of her worth and the reasons why she should be saved instead of harmed. In her 17 years, it has worked out well so far, but who knows how long she will be able to get away with it forever.