Hi all: Thank you for all of the reviews so far. I am technologically impaired and just now figured out how to access them, so my apologies for not responding to any of them (hides head in shame) Welcome to District 6. I'm going to try to give this story some adrenaline and get to the games before Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) in November, but I'm not too terribly optimistic that's going to happen, so I'll have to find a way to balance this story and my attempt into the world of novels.

Thanks to LokithisisMadness and Addicted-To-My-Reflection for Tavia and Jayanti respectively.

That said, enjoy and I still don't own the Hunger Games or their universe. Thanks to Suzanne Collins for allowing me to play in it.

A Spark of Life: District Six

Mentor: Ava Ermingard – Victor of 2nd Annual Hunger Games at 16 current age 32 (husband Steponus Ermingard (not a Victor))

Mentor: Joran Duff – Victor of 12th Annual Hunger Games at 15 current age 21

Escort: Birmina Lanzo

The delicate pink dress that Steponus had picked out for her made Ava feel terribly out of place, as though she should be at a christening instead of a reaping. She hadn't been able to decide what to wear, so he picked the outfit he thought made her look youngest; her husband had a flare for the ironic. She only wished he could be standing beside her right now, instead of Joran, holding her hand so she wouldn't stop fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

The children before her seemed as though they got younger every year. As she looked out at the rows and rows of them, she couldn't help but wonder what horror went through their parents' minds as they stood on the sidelines, wondering if their child's name would be called, if this year was the year their hearts were ripped from their chests.

"You look different this year," Birmina commented in a whisper as the Capitol anthem played. "I can't quite place it. Maybe it's your hair." Ava smiled briefly, giving the escort the acknowledgement she needed. Birmina was the newest of their threesome and she was still getting the feel for their dynamic, so Ava did her best to be patient with her. Their previous escort, Aldard, had had a sense of formality and knew when to speak and when to be silent, a skill Birmina had yet to master.

The stage fell into an awkward lull as the film finished. Most escorts wouldn't skip a beat and would let the adrenaline of the patriotic theme lunge them into the calling of the names, but Birmina was missing her cue.

"Birmi!" Joran hissed at her so loudly Ava was sure the first rows of tributes had heard him. Flustered, Birmina made her way to the microphone to announce the girls.

"Ooh!" Birmina exclaimed as her hand touched the bowl. Her hair stood on end as though she had been shocked by the bowl, an impossibility since the bowl was glass. She giggled and smoothed out her long hair so that its golden ends were finally straight before she continued. Ava could hear Joran impatiently tapping his foot as she proceeded.

"Brutus is going to butcher her," he muttered under his breath and Ava once again prayed he wasn't as loud as he seemed.

"For the girls, Tavia Peri. Where are you dear?" Birmina said the entire phrase in one breath, apparently having realized that she was delaying the show; no doubt she'd heard Joran. Ava's eyes scanned the crowd as the 18 year old section parted. There was no movement until from the sidelines an older girl, undoubtedly Tavia's sister, called her name again. They were too far away to hear it, but Ava was certain the older girl was telling her that she had to go. The younger looked a bit confused and re-arranged her striking long hair for one second before smiling and walking forward through the masses. She towered most of the other girls, standing at around 5'10" and matched Joran in height as she stood beside him on the stage. She was a beauty; no doubt some boy would be bidding her farewell today, hoping she would return.

"And now for the boys," Birmina called out, slightly more assured of herself. "Jayanti Haeok." Once again there was a stillness that encompassed the 16 year old male section and a pregnant pause as the boy who most have been Jayanti stared straight forward. Although he didn't move, Ava didn't see the terror she expected on his face, just a blank look. "Come on forward, don't be shy," Birmina urged.

"Goodness," Joran muttered impatiently. Ava knew all he wanted was to be in the midst of the games so he could feel as though he was actually doing something, but his anxiousness made her want to smack him across the face.

All of a sudden, the frail boy did move; he began quickly jogging towards the stage, still not in terror or anticipation, he simply seemed as though he needed to make it there, another step in the journey, another deed he must perform. He stood beside his district partner who loomed over him. Quite the pair they were, both thin, neither one an immediate pick for a victory or a loss and, most notably for Ava, neither of them seemed nearly as petrified as they should be. Ava couldn't help but wonder if either of them still had any spark of life in them as they disappeared into their respective rooms.

Jayanti Haeok Age 16.

"I want to come back," Jayanti said to himself, pacing his room as he waited for the Peacekeepers to escort him to the train. His visitors had come and gone and neither had offered him any comfort.

"I love you, I love you," his mother had repeated over and over and over, as though her voice were the lulling sound of a train already moving further and further away. Her voice drained by the morphling addiction, Jayanti wasn't sure she knew what was actually happening, wasn't sure she was conscious of the fact that this might be the last time she saw her son. As the Peacekeepers had dragged her away, she had clung to his arm, but even that action had a lifeless feel about it, as though she wasn't holding onto him for his life or hers, but because she could, because there was a part of her in the distance that whispered that she should and for once that voice won out, if only for an instant.

He had to come back for her, he told himself. She needed him to bring her her drugs, to show her care. Wasn't he her hope?

Or was she his? He had always lived in his mother's shadow, desperate for her approval, her love. Maybe if he returned she would finally give him the mother's tenderness he'd craved. How long had it been, before today, that she'd actually said those three words he craved, that any unattended child craved?

He returned to pacing. What was taking the Peacekeepers so long? It seemed as though he had been alone for hours, ever since Kyan left. Kyan, whose fist had been the last physical contact Jayanti would have with anyone in District Six. Kyan, the older brother Jayanti had never had, using the pain to numb Jayanti for what he would feel in the games. Kyan, whose eyes treasured all of the pain that Jayanti went through, who might even relish the pain he would endure in the arena. Jayanti closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it; he wasn't ready.

Tavia Peri Age 18

"I'm not ready," Tavia's mother protested, tears streaming down her face as she held out a hair clip to her daughter. She knew she would want it as her district token, so, in her thoughtfulness, had of course grabbed it before she and her father came to farewell their daughter. Now she stood just by the door, looking as though she herself might flee rather than endure the heartbreak of Tavia's leave-taking.

Her husband, Cadmar, took her hand, anchoring her in the room.

"I wanted us all to be together," he explained. "We're stronger as a family."

They certainly were. Tavia looked around the room and she saw the four people that she cared about in the District: Her hard-working parents who had sacrificed so much so to give her and her sister a good life, her boyfriend, Hadrian, who supportively stood by her and her sister, her precious sister, who was combing her hair into one last side braid. Cerise knelt by her side as she braided Tavia's long dark hair, her grey eyes studying Tavia's features, as though she would paint a picture from memory and sleep beside it every night. Tavia did the same, dreading the nights in the Capitol and the arena without her older sister beside her.

"I'm coming back to you all," Tavia said, after what seemed like an eternity. That only made her mother cry harder and her father took her into his arms. He sighed and sensed that the two of them needed to hasten their goodbye so that Tavia could have time with her sister. He brought his wife to Tavia's side and the two embraced.

"You and your sister mean the world to me," she choked out between sobs. "Stay alive."

"You have the will to fight within you, Tavia," her father said, putting one hand over hers very briefly. "Stay strong and let your spirit guide you." Then her parents were gone.

Hadrian stood a few feet away, seemingly unsure how to react to the entire situation. Just moments before the Reaping they had been bickering, now whatever their spat was about didn't matter at all. She smiled at him, one of her smiles that extended all the way up to her eyes and he smirked back cautiously.

"Don't get too flirty while I'm gone or you'll have a lot to answer for when I get back," Tavia knew it was a shallow comment the instant she said it, but she couldn't resist. She could never hold her tongue when it mattered the most, especially when it mattered with Hadrian. He could be so temperamental.

"And you don't fall for any of the Capitol boys," he retorted. He leaned in and kissed her, a routine that might end today and then followed her parents, leaving the two sisters alone.

Neither of them spoke. Their bond was such that words weren't needed, but were shared in abundance; silences were saved for times like this, for the times like every night as they shared their room and ran out of things to say for the day and then fell asleep to the sound of each other's breathing. Tavia ran her fingers through her sister's red hair a non-verbal expression of gratitude for everything they had shared, for the 18 years they had together. Tavia was convinced Cerise could feel just how much she was going to miss her in the touch of her fingers on her scalp.

"I'm coming back," Tavia said determinedly. Cerise simply nodded. "When have you ever known me to break a promise. I promise Cerise, I'm coming back."

"I'll hold you to it," Cerise said, embracing her sister as the door opened. Then she too was gone and Tavia was left alone.

Ava Ermingard:

Watching District Six begin to disappear into the distance, Ava didn't feel alone. She was in her room on the train, taking a couple of precious moments away from Joran and Birmina to simply be in silence and stillness, but she couldn't seem to find what she sought. It seemed to Ava that the train swayed just a little bit, maybe more than a little. Suddenly her stomach felt as though it was churning and she needed to sit. She clung to the edge of a chair and had a moment of dread. She clutched her bosom and began to understand. Perhaps this was a spark of life.

"You are dull . . . and those sparks of life

That should be in a Roman you do want"