Author's Note: We're starting to get closer to the reaping now, the weather is getting warmer, spring has broken in Panem and the net is starting to close around the victors.

….

Restricted

They were trapped. Peacekeepers had arrived as spring broke and told the three of them that they were confined to their sector in Eleven. No more visits out. Apparently, with uprisings and skirmishes in the district, it was simply not possible to guarantee the victors' safety.

In truth, they all knew that the peacekeepers wanted to curtail their activities. But other arrangements had already been put in place almost immediately after the Quell announcement. Chaff was not going to take a risk by travelling far and condemning Orchard to the arena. Seeder did not know what would happen if the worst were to happen to her. What if another female victor was forced to wear the Eleven uniform? Who would she condemn?

It was a sign that the net was closing in around them. They did not know how much they would be able to do now they were confined. Both Seeder and Chaff were convinced they were being followed and were having to be more cautious in going about their day-to-day activities.

They all continued to work within their businesses. As controllers of one of the factories near Eleven's centre they were given some free rein, so it became the convenient location to carry out all business, legitimate or otherwise. Their businesses were their official victors' talents and they worked to showcase Eleven's produce but, in taking inspiration from District Four, their enterprise was a rebel front.

They provided jobs within their businesses. Good, safe jobs by District Eleven standards. But as their employees grew in knowledge and the victors knew they could trust them, they were engaged in other operations too. They became the administrators and leaders of Eleven's rebellion.

But the victors always had to look over their shoulders. They knew that undue pressure could be applied to their employees and had to work hard to avoid it. Spot checks were now being carried out in their workplace and their own offices were not immune. Peacekeeper barracks were being assaulted and the weapons had to come from somewhere. The victors were known to have wide networks and so suspicion naturally followed them.

Messages, therefore, needed to be passed quickly but with an increasing amount of care. Seeder had always been thorough in her checks, always concerned about never being caught and so she took charge of their communications. Orchard kept their maps, plans and other resources well-hidden and Chaff was in charge of making sure those weapons never reached peacekeeper hands. Eleven's law enforcement was right to suspect the victors, but they could never find the offending items and never make the connections to lead them to the rebel plots they were at the heart of.

Chaff was the man in charge of the attacks and raids on the barracks. He attended most of them too, much to his delight and Seeder's anxiety. But that was no longer possible as they fell under increased watch. He would need to adjust the organisation of his people so they could carry on. They needed to continue exploiting peacekeeper weaknesses, stealing their weapons and learning how to overcome their defences. Chaff would need to watch from the sidelines when he would rather be at the heart of the action. He would need to remain out of sight in case the peacekeepers did finally realise he was the man in charge of the assaults on their accommodations.

Eleven's victors were not going to take chances. As far as they were concerned, one of the peacekeepers' problems was that they weren't smart enough to make the connections, but it was not worth the risk. Intelligence was clearly not a requirement to be a peacekeeper in District Eleven. The newest recruits were overly eager, had been taught to see rebellion everywhere and resorted to violence with ease. Seeder had previously tried to diffuse tensions and resolve matters before peacekeeper involvement, but now, tensions were so high and peacekeeper presence increased, she often could not prevent their arrival.

Now the further reaches beyond Eleven's centre were out of their grasp. They would not know what was happening in whole swathes of the district until any urgent messages reached them. Violence was escalating, production was halting and rebellion increasing and what control they did have was slipping.

In preparation for his departure, Chaff was transferring military leadership to one of Seeder's business managers, Lily Aswathi, youngest sister of their deceased victor Anara. Together they were attempting to maintain some semblance of order and discipline. They were delighted that their people had been emboldened. But they had to time their fight with that of the other districts. They could not risk being outnumbered, and more peacekeepers were arriving every week.

It would be Lily would who undertake much of the travel on behalf of the victors, seemingly for business purposes for Seeder who would carefully time deliveries and supply runs to ensure Lily could move without question. Lily would also take over leading the assaults on the peacekeepers' barracks and ultimately, leading the fight from Eleven's central battalion. A rebel since her earliest years, dedicated to the cause, who had grown up under the influence of the victors. She was trusted, competent and willing to take the necessary risks.

Her partner, Orchid, was to take over from Seeder in all other aspects. She would have wider oversight of their plans, responsible for organisation, supply lines and overall strategy. She was now nominated to take over once the peacekeepers and Capitol-installed puppets had been removed. Orchid was well-known amongst the rebel networks in Eleven that she commanded enough respect to lead in the interim. She was also a popular front for Seeder's business in the district's centre that she would not be an unfamiliar face forced on the people.

Chaff and Seeder had been in the habit of using decoys to assist in carrying out much of their business whenever particular caution was needed. But now they were under such careful watch, they were not going to bring people who had the misfortune to resemble them under even greater scrutiny.

They had used their lookalikes during the Victory Tour's arrival in Eleven. Seeder hid in the crowds and watched as the disaster unfolded on stage, whilst the lady she was using as her double did her shopping in the market. Seeder always paid her for her time, paid for her shopping and ensured her family were fed, but now, she was not going to put a mother and grandmother of several children in danger when it could be avoided.

In Chaff's case, a man of roughly his age had been mistaken for him by a group of peacekeepers and so they decided to use it to their advantage. 'Chaff' could be seen going about his business in Eleven's centre whilst also being on a trip further afield. Eleven was so large, providing him with an alibi when there was trouble across the district was a convenient advantage. None of the peacekeepers had realised that Chaff and his apparent lookalike were missing different hands. But the mistaken identity had happened often enough, Chaff figured he ought to use it to his advantage.

Now, they needed to change tactics. Looking enough like Chaff when Eleven was on the brink was going to be problematic enough for the man so Chaff was not going to force him into public appearances. Instead, Chaff gave him jobs that he could carry out from home, so he did not have to spend his days followed by peacekeepers.

Chaff knew that the three victors in Eleven would be uncovered as rebels at some point. He just had to hope they would not be unmasked before the Quell. They were not going to be able to hide their involvement much longer. He resented his freedom being taken from him in his final weeks in his home. He enjoyed the travelling he was able to do and the extended working hours on travel days gave him a purpose to keep the drink at bay. But now, he was under pressure, under watch and effectively under a death sentence. But he could not throw caution to the wind. He needed to keep focus. They could not be uncovered before the Games.

He was going to have to follow the rules for the first time in decades and knew that Orchard and Seeder were keeping a close watch on him. He was not going to let them down, not when they had spent so long working on rebel efforts before he was even reaped. Chaff would stay in the Village, in Eleven's centre and carry out his restricted duties until it was time to leave. He wanted to hope he would return but knew it was unlikely. Seeder and Orchard had made peace with their realities but making peace with a terrible situation was not in Chaff's nature. If he was going to fall outside of Eleven, he would make sure he fell in another worthy fight.

….

In Five, their decision to step back from working life was taken on their own terms. Full of resentment and despondence, Hal left completely as spring came, choosing to spend his remaining days doing whatever he decided.

He left the Village early to go for a run or a swim in the waters of the small patch of coastline Five's citizens were allowed to access. He kept himself to himself, deliberately choosing the early hours to train in solitude. Upon his departure from work, he took whatever he could find that could be used as a weapon, makeshift or otherwise and placed an order for kitchen knives and various sharp implements from the Capitol.

He had decided to train but on his own and on his own terms. Luna and Porter could do as they pleased but he was going to prepare and spend his final weeks at home in his own way. In terms of the arena, he would think more about it. He wasn't sure if he wanted an alliance. Luna and Porter were older, not natural fighters the first time around and Hal knew his strategy would differ from theirs.

They would run away from the Cornucopia, whereas Hal saw no point. Facing twenty-three other victors without weapons would be foolish. It would also give him a chance to go for the Twelves. The girl would go for it this year, straight for the weapons, not like last year when he could tell she was undecided on her approach. She would have grown up by now, victors have to grow up fast. Hal knew what he wanted to do. This was all her fault. Luna and Porter did not want to be dragged into his mission and he would respect them enough to not involve them if they wanted no part.

So, he would prepare his strategy and attempt training to boost his long-lost skills. But he was no career. He was entering middle age and had never fully trained with weapons. There was only so much he could do.

But he was not going to spend all day in futile attempts with weaponry. He was not going to remain confined to the Village either. He had money to spend and lots of it. Wines and beers were coming in from the Capitol and he was trying to spend what he could in District Five. He had nobody to give an inheritance to and the Capitol would simply take back what would be left sitting in his account. The survivor of Luna and Porter would not need anything to help them financially so there was nothing tying him to saving money.

Luna and Porter were taking a more gradual approach to reducing their working lives. As spring came, they both reduced their hours and started working on a part-time basis in preparation for withdrawing completely before the summer started. They were preparing to leave their roles and their lives would change dramatically.

Porter had always relied on being busy, so the switch to part-time work was stressful. She felt restricted in who she was talking to and did not like the reduction in the number of tasks she had to complete each day. She began planning out itineraries for her non-working days, so she felt as if she was doing something worthwhile and took Luna on excursions with her.

Luna was adjusting more easily. She had no intention of ever returning to work if she survived the Games, unlike Porter who had suggested that her departure was only temporary, should she return home alive. But Luna did not need the constant activity, she often liked the quiet and the time to relax and do very little.

She was still connected to her family and old friends and wanted to spend time with them before what she saw as her inevitable reaping. The arena was getting closer, she could feel it, as if she were back in the jungle of forty years ago. Her nightmares had returned, and she was not sleeping well. The world she had built for herself was going to collapse and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

Luna would continue to go running with Porter, to go on her trips out to spend quality time with her closest friend since she felt as if she was going to be leaving Porter on her own in a matter of months. Then there was Hal to think of. Her victor. But someone she could never fully contain or provide the comfort he required. He was his angry self and there was no sign of it fizzling out. Neither she nor Porter knew what to do by this point and they were not sure what they were going to do when it came to the arena.

She wanted to spend time with him. She liked him and felt responsible for him. Luna wanted to try to find some contentment in their remaining days. She wanted to enjoy what she felt would be her final birthday, to see her family and friends and to do the things she enjoyed in case she couldn't do them again. She couldn't avoid the nightmares but was desperate to avoid the intrusive thoughts during the day.

But she dared not think about the future, about the reality of another arena, or what awaited the survivor of her and Porter and what she would do if it were her. Porter would be dead, and she would be without her closest friend. Hal would be dead too and she would be the sole surviving victor in Five. Every new tribute would be her responsibility. Representing District Five would be her responsibility. Porter would deal with the burden better.

Yet that was not a reason for Luna to want to give up. Wherever she ended up following the reaping, she would do all she could. Life had dealt her an unfair hand and it would continue doing so. But it was Panem and she would play her part, it wasn't as if she had a choice.