mayor josephine davenport || district six || fin

There was hardly a part of Josephine's life that translated anywhere near to something resembling easy. Her childhood was spent amongst the unlucky of Six, amongst those who lacked the knowledge or the wealth to attend the prestigious schools and the universities spread out across the district and integrate successfully into society. Her mother and father both numbered amongst those, and there were more times than not when one or the other would forego dinner for her sake.

When she grew out of childhood and blossomed into a young woman, not much changed. For a while, it looked like her fortunes would change through hard work alone - her brilliance got her a scholarship into a smaller school willing to take a chance on her, and from there she quickly established herself in the academic field, specializing in medicine. But even that break was short-lived, for she found herself smitten for the charms of a handsome young co-worker as she reached her mid-twenties. One thing led to another, and dreams of a future where she might live comfortably and happily were dashed on the doorstep after the reveal of a pregnancy, far before any plans of children had been discussed. Few were willing to accommodate the wishes of a single mother after that - not the child's father, not the company she worked, not even her parents - though through no fault of their own, as they had long since passed on. Once again finding herself at the bottom of the chain, she set the next twenty years of her life climbing back out again - working odd jobs outside of her preferred profession but enough to keep ends meet, while her darling boy grew up with as much comfort as she could provide her.

And once again, a routine was established. Her own life willingly put on hold for the sake of her son, a sweet boy she named Charlie, Josephine climbed out of her hole through spite and sheer force of will. She didn't need a man or an apathetic corporation to bail her out - not that she would have let them to begin with - and through spite and sheer force of will, she made it work. Her dear Charlie not only survived, but he thrived as well - and when he made waves to follow in the same path as her own in the medical field, she was only too happy to support him.

But like with everything else, Josephine's life was never easy for long. Charlie had survived seven years of reapings and gotten his dream job at a prestigious hospital, and all had seemed to go well - he was supporting himself, was a kind, gentle soul, and Jo could finally relax just a little bit after holding two lives together with her bare hands.

And then terrorists attacked, and for the second time her life and dreams crumbled to ash before her very eyes.

Josephine was lucky enough to survive the explosions that wracked the district. Charlie was not.

Enough was enough, she decided. Simply living in the world was not enough for her - she had to make a difference, help those in need, prevent more stories from turning out like her own had.

Her chance came in the aftermath of the Eighty Fifth Hunger Games, when the annual mayoral election came to pass. Who cared if Six had been under the thumb of a mayor who let things get this bad in the first place? A lot of people did, as it would turn out - and she would represent the public face of those people personally. In the best case scenario, she would fix what had gone wrong with the district as a whole.

And the worst? Well, that wouldn't matter. She'd lost her career, her life, and her son. What more did she have to lose?

So she ran, as an outside candidate, the lone challenger against an entrenched incumbent many thought invincible. But public opinion and the will of the people won out over corruption and cheap tricks, and, in perhaps the most stunning upset in a series of surprises, she and her campaign proved victorious.

Josephine Davenport wouldn't become another name that faded away into the pages of history as an unsuccessful voice speaking out against tyranny and corruption, but rather the voice of an entire grassroots movement, the face of those that had been beaten down again and again and again into the dirt only to stand up and declare that no, they would not tolerate this any longer. She was the figurehead of an entire district's anger and resentment, a figurehead of those who wished to achieve true, everlasting change.

So Josephine the opposition became Josephine the mayor, and the true work began. In truth, she'd approached her first few days with apprehension, the words of Teddy Ursa mixing with ominous whispers surrounding her now-predecessor, of shady dealings and a trade that may have once been laced with good intentions but was now solely laced with cocaine, amongst other things.

The truth, of course, lay somewhere in the middle. But the fact remained, in the span of ten years of increasing complacency, Calliope Bloom had left a mess that would take literal years to clean up. And take literal years it did - between investigating and tying up the loose ends of Bloom and trying to give the district its first taste of actual competent governing in half a generation, there was precious little that Josephine could do in progressing her agenda in the meantime.

But at last, there's a breakthrough. Her team has found what they believe to be the last of Bloom's old holdouts, for real this time. Routine has settled itself into something comfortable instead of stressful, and at last, she can take a breath of air.

So, as she stands outside her office, gazing steadily at the golden descent of the sun, she thinks back to the past. She's no stranger to challenges. Poverty, the life and death of her son, standing bravely and unflinchingly against a pinnacle of rot and ruin, then uprooting that very corruption while doing what she can to help a twelfth of the nation's population. And now, two years into her term, she just might finally be able to fulfill a promise.

She's learned that the hard way, that persistence will ultimately win out above all else. But, she's decided, it's better than never learning it at all.