F19: FOX, AMERICA 'CLARA' [DECEASED]

#1

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Name: America Clara Fox
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Grade: 11th
School: Patriot High
Hobbies and Interests: Grunge Music, Comic Books, Cycling, Running, Soccer.

Appearance: Clara Fox is one of the taller, slimmer girls in her class, standing comfortably at 5’9 without shoes and weighing a slim 140 lbs. She works hard to maintain this build, with lots of exercise, a balanced diet, and the help of a naturally fast metabolism contributing to her lithe figure. Her light brown skin- Clara is one-quarter Hispanic, owing her skintone to her paternal grandfather - is kept mostly free of blemishes, with the exception of some unavoidable freckles on her arms and legs and a small mole on her right shoulder.

Clara has a round face with a defined jawline framed by curly black hair that stretches down to her shoulders. Her forehead is partially covered by her sideswept bangs, which stretch down to just above her most prominent- and most complimented- feature, her wide brown eyes, with naturally curled eyelashes. Her face is bisected by a button nose that sits above her small, thin-lipped mouth.

When her class was selected on Announcement Day, Clara had picked out an ensemble that toed the line between practical and fashionable. She wore a dark blue zip-up hooded jacket over a black t-shirt adorned with the logo of the band Faith No More, denim shorts over black tights, and a pair of orange Chuck Taylor All-Stars sneakers.

Biography: America Clara Fox was born the only daughter of Andres Amate Garcia, the son of a Mexican soldier who had chosen integration rather than death, and Miranda Fox, recently out of college with a master’s degree in American Literature. The couple met whilst serving their first five year term in the military on an established supply base on the fringes of Eastern Russia. The post was considered an easy one, since any tensions in the region had long been extinguished. As rules were kept fairly lax on the base, it came as no surprise to the couple when Clara’s mother was allowed to deliver the baby on base, rather than receiving a medical discharge. As such, the couple’s first and only child was born in Russia, which is where she spent the first three years of her life.

Though ostensibly patriotic, Clara has always despised her birth name. It would come as no surprise to her that her father initially suggested it as a joke. He held a lot of bitterness towards the regime, and it was to his surprise that Miranda agreed. They understood the discrimination their daughter would face due to her ethnicity, and in an attempt to soften the blow, they gave her her mother’s surname. By the time they were both in agreement that naming their daughter America wasn’t a good idea, their daughter was born, and it would have been too much hassle for the two to go through the lengthy paperwork required to change it. For as long as Clara can remember, she’s used her middle name, and her first name has been nothing but a formality for paperwork.

As soon as their compulsary term was up, Clara’s parents set about deciding where to settle down. They ultimately decided that it would be best if their daughter grew up in the motherland. After some deliberation, they moved back to Miranda’s home state of Wisconsin, where Clara has resided for most of her life. Her mother took up working as a middle school American teacher, whilst her father stayed home to look after her. Clara had a fairly uneventful childhood, and started school at the same time as most children.

When she entered school, she quickly found out that despite her parents’ best efforts, she didn’t fit into the norm. The seemingly random bullying from some of her classmates confused Clara, and it only got worse as she grew older. Whilst she tries to take the names in her stride now, she has a certain amount of bitterness against society for declaring that she’s inferior, the very same bitterness her parents sought to avoid. This isn’t to say that she has no friends, however. She has a few friends both in and outside of school, and tries to stay amiable towards everyone.

Clara has been a fan of comic books and graphic novels from a young age. She grew up reading Marvel comics about the X-Men and Captain America, but her favourite books had to be Vertigo graphic novels. Her favourite series was Hellblazer, a series about a Californian exorcist named John Constantine. It was hard to find copies of it, though she didn’t know why, but it was the start of a collection that now spans volumes of trade paperbacks of several different series, ranging from superheroes to the supernatural.

Clara had always been a fan of music, but could never really find a genre that could encompass her feelings. After numerous phases, including jazz, metal and country & western, she found a home in the jaded cynicism of the 90’s grunge movement. The music struck a chord with her discontent towards society, and began to shape her attitudes. She started emulating the band members from information she found in the album booklets and the Internet, emulating them as well as she could for someone who was born two decades too late to appreciate the 90’s.

With lots of free time and a good deal of energy to spare, Clara spends a lot of time trying to keep herself in good shape. Her parents have told her that she could never know when they could call her up for the Program, or for military service, and short of training with weapons- which would be impossible, since guns were strictly controlled- the best she could do to prepare would be to exercise a lot and eat right. She started jogging and cycling, partly because they were easy and partly because there were no set goals; she could just stick her headphones on and start running.

In school, there are very few teachers who have bad things to say about Clara. In subjects that have no political leanings towards them, such as math or sciences, she does adequately, and in subjects with overt political leanings such as History, she has the sense to keep her head down and her mouth shut. She maintains a reasonably large social circle, though she takes care not to intrude into other people's business. When the school encouraged her to take up a sport, she started playing Soccer, and has remained a permanent fixture on the school’s team since. She maintains a steady C/B average, and looks to enter her senior year strong.

Advantages: Clara is in great shape physically, and has the edge on most of her classmates in stamina. Though not outwardly discontent, she has a lot of anger towards the regime, which could drive her to exceed expectations in the game. She is used to managing her diet carefully and should be able to adjust quickly to the rationing the game requires.
Disadvantages: Clara has never been in a fight in her life and physical conditioning is no substitute for experience. Though she tries to take it in her stride, she hasn’t forgotten the harassment her classmates gave her, which could lead to her refusing help from others, or making decisions without thinking of the consequences.

Designated Number: Female Student #19

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Designated Weapon: Colt .45 Revolver
Conclusion: F19 has the potential to prove a positive example of integrating outsiders into the United States, having both the weapon and the physical aspects to handle herself competently in the game. She will, however, need to keep her emotions in check, which history shows minority and mixed-race participants are often unable to do.

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