Jesse was always short for his age - until he hit a growth spurt at 14 and caught up to the rest of his peers in about a month. Reasonably fit, he built up most of his strength through carrying tree trunks to his father's workshop to be then sorted and cut down to long pieces of timbre. Broad-shouldered and defined arm muscles, he has his father's distinct short, sandy brown hair and plain eyes to match, skin tanned from the hours spent in the sun helping out his father.

His father isn't swimming in money, as his business only brings in so much, but Jesse is happy enough wearing simple t-shirts and shorts in summer and jeans and a warm jacket in winter, mucking about in worn sneakers that last him for months, sometimes years, on end. His hands are rough and rugged from hours of lifting bark and trees along with handling saws, axes and other equipment. You can often find him trawling along the streets and pathways of District Seven with leaves in his hair and dirt on his hands from a hard day's work, always coming home scruffy and tired.

Normally I'm not that fussed about what I look like, to be honest. I make do with what I've got, and it's a lot nicer than other people in D7, and the other Districts, for that matter. Getting a bit dirty is part of the job - besides, there's always a shower and soap at the end of the day.

If you need help with something, Jesse's the person to go to. Always assisting his father with the family business, Jesse is reliable, responsible and hard-working. Driven to please his father and show how much he appreciates his constant support of Jesse, despite being a single father, and works from the crack of dawn to twilight to show his gratitude when he's not at school, as his father insists he needs to go. He puts his father first above anyone else, as does his father him. In turn, they each balance the other our and make a generally good team.

Just helping out Dad, that's all. He's only got me, so I might as well pitch in. I like being around him, anyway. We're close, me and Dad. It's nice.

Usually cheery, friendly and determined, Jesse finds being around large crowds uncomfortable and awkward, preferring to be with a few people he knows fairly well. Although he doesn't realise it, his smile could charm the grumpiest of people into doing his bidding. If he starts scratching the back of his head in a conversation, you know he's feeling uncomfortable. Like, really uncomfortable. As in 'oh-lord-get-me-out-of-here-now-please' uncomfortable.

I guess I'm just really bad in awkward situations. You know when your limbs tense up and your eyes start darting around the room, and there's a really awkward pause and you want the ground to swallow you up then and there? Yeah, it's like that.

Jesse isn't all smiles and cheer, though. If you get him angry, better watch out. He's stellar with an axe and often releases his anger by storming out to the woods in District 7 and throwing axes at trees or chopping down odd branches - whichever he can get at first. This first happened when his best friend was reaped 2 years ago, and Jesse knew the minute he left the reaping that he'd never return. After he's calmed down, however, he'll skulk about the woods for a bit, eventually returning home and sliding into bed like nothing had even happened. Jesse doesn't do vulnerable emotion. Not in front of others, anyway.

... let's not talk about that.

Jesse doesn't need tesserae, unlike many of the other children in his District, but like everyone else, still gets nervous at reapings. He doesn't like to think about The Hunger Games too much, and only attends mandatory viewings of the games. Too many memories of his best friend keep him from watching. Still, he had decided long ago that if his name was ever was picked out of that dreaded bowl of slips, he'd fight for as long as he could - for his father. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he was picked one year, his face plastered across Panem. Perhaps his mother would recognise him? Try to find him, contact him? Of course, it would probably be too late then - she didn't want him when he was a baby, so why would she care now? The thought of leaving his father behind with nothing but the business terrifies Jesse, determined to win if he ever finds himself in the horrifying arena. Not the money, not the victory, not even for the house; just for his father.

I'm not going to lie and say the Games don't scare me. They do. I'm just more afraid of leaving my Dad with nothing, than dying.

Jesse never knew his mother. According to his father, she'd simply dumped a day-old Jesse on his doorstep one night and took off, fleeing the Capitol. Being an only child, he'd grown very close to his father, always wanting to please him. Not having a mother never really bothered him, so why miss something you never had? Besides, his father was a good man and always put Jesse first. He had everything he needed with his father, and a little bit more, thanks to the successful business income.

Never had a mother, never needed one. Dad's great - I hate it when people think he doesn't do enough. He's done a great job raising me on his own, if I say so myself. You try raising a kid on your own, then you'll see how hard it is.

Growing up, Jesse always toddled around after his father, helping carry twigs and small axes, until they became larger branches and machinery as he grew older. All his life he trained as a lumberman, going to school only when necessary. He is a fast learner, as he argues with his father, picks up things quickly. Besides, he averages in school in all his subjects and wasn't failing anything crucial. Jesse could get quite stubborn at times when it came to school, but in the end he went when his father insisted. He gets along ok with the others his age from his District, often playing with his father's friends children when he was younger, so he's well-known amongst most of the kids his age.

I'm not actually gonna need anything they teach me in school that I don't already know. It's not that hard to cut down trees and I know all the tools of the trade, anyway.

The day his best friend was sent to the Capitol to compete, he plunged into an avoided, zombie-like state. He refused to watch the games only when absolutely necessary. The eerie day when both District 7 tributes had been killed off by two pairs of Careers had been one of the worst days of Jesse's life. He'd run off into the forest as deep as the fence around District 7 would let him, wanting to be rid of any prying eyes and the confinements of his household, every room feeling stuffy and confining. Everyone knew he was grieving, but he didn't let anyone see it, not even his own father. He'd screamed into the trees endless curses to the Capitol and the whole Game-makers system, blaming himself for not stepping up and taking his place. After that, he stayed shut up in his room, refusing to see or speak to anyone for a week. He'd avenge his friend one day, but for now he had to do what he could to support his father.

... I don't talk about that.