Author's Note: We can't let District Two have all the fun so an entirely different district now, just about the polar opposite.

….

The Seventy-Seventh Annual Hunger Games: Marshall Harvester, District Eleven (17)

"Do you understand what I'm asking you to do, Mr Harvester?"

"I think so, Sir. You want to know what Chaff and Seeder are doing."

"Yes. Who they meet, where they go, what they're hiding in their houses and around the Victors' Village. You must have been aware of the tensions in Eleven, must you not, young man?"

"It's been calmer for a couple of years, Sir. But yes, we all knew that things had become difficult. Do you believe Chaff and Seeder had something to do with that?"

"Victors can be very influential people, Mr Harvester. I suspect you will find that out. I want to know how far that influence stretches."

"Am I supposed to contact someone if I find anything of interest, Sir?"

"You can report back to me on your Victory Tour when you are back in the Capitol. I want us to meet face to face, Mr Harvester. If you suspect an immediate threat to the security of Eleven, I expect you to involve the peacekeepers, who will deal with such a threat appropriately. Do you understand, Mr Harvester?"

"I do, Sir."

"Good. Now, I expect your mentor will be anxious to have you back. You should find him before he becomes too nervous, although, I imagine he is waiting outside."

Marshall took this as an excuse to leave the President's company and find Chaff. He let out a breath he barely knew he was holding before trying to think of something to tell Chaff and Seeder about his meeting. He could hardly explain that he had been tasked with spying on them.

But whilst he was thinking of an explanation, he found Chaff waiting for him.

"You don't need to tell me, boy. I know he's creepy. Makes everyone feel weird when they meet him for the first time."

Marshall exhaled again as his mentor had removed the need for him to come up with something. He was not one for words and ultimately, he knew that was how he left the arena. Marshall played his own game and did not consider any alliances. He killed the boy from One at the Cornucopia and then spent days hiding from the volunteers, knowing he had a target on his back. During that time, he killed the two poor kids who stumbled upon his hiding places. But in the desert arena, hiding places were sparse and he was constantly on the move. He was not about to share resources with anyone. Nor was he going to befriend anyone, only to betray them. So, when the inevitable happened, Marshall did the job and came out alive.

Only now, betrayal was what he had been asked to do. He had only known Seeder and Chaff properly for a matter of days. But in that time, they had become invaluable to him. They had shown him nothing but understanding, kindness and patience and guided him through the frantic first few days of victory.

Except it did not feel like a victory. He had merely survived, and Chaff told him that feeling never fades. Very few victors felt like they were winners. Bad luck had landed so many of them in the arena, and it was their ability to do what some thought unthinkable which left them alive and trying to pick up the pieces.

Marshall did not know who he was anymore. Chaff and Seeder were nothing but understanding and frank with him about their own troubles too. Chaff knew his alcoholism was well-known, but Seeder revealed her earlier struggles with disordered eating and how she still has to focus on healthy habits every day. He did not think he would turn to either of those, but he did not know what he would turn to for an outlet. He felt angry, unstable, guilty and confused. Now, the President had played mental games with him on a level he knew he could not match.

His family would be in danger if he did not come through. President Snow had alluded to an awareness of the trouble his brother-in-law had found himself in during the uprisings in the district. For his survival, he had been forced to betray a friend and Snow was now asking the same of him.

….

Chaff and Seeder's care and understanding towards Marshall continued when they arrived home. His family moved in with him, but Marshall found a distance between them that was not there before. His father and brother-in-law looked at him strangely for a while until they realised he was not about to attack them all at any given moment. Chaff was too close to him to allow that to happen. He quickly realised when his victor was showing signs of irritation and promptly removed him from the situation.

Seeder was always around to listen to him too and Marshall realised that he genuinely liked them both and spending time in their company. They knew what they were doing with him, and he felt most at ease when it was the three of them. The two older victors had a well-established dynamic and Marshall was trying to find his place in their group whilst knowing it would be a while before he had the same closeness they had. Marshall realised that he would never get that if they knew he was going to have to betray them.

But his family had been threatened and whilst Chaff and Seeder would be disappointed, he knew they would understand, to some extent. They would do anything for each other, and Marshall's closest bonds were still with his family.

His mother doted on him and was always keen to tell him how proud she was. He could not bear to see her hurt because of his failings. His niece and nephew were delighted to be living in the Victors Village and their life chances had improved vastly because Marshall came home. He could not see that stripped from them.

Yet Chaff and Seeder had taken to them all too. They welcomed more company after years of quiet and Seeder invited them all over for dinner three times each week. She had been unfailingly generous with her time, allowing them all into her home and opening up her life.

The time spent with Marshall meant they had spent less time away from the Village, so Marshall had little to report on, even two months after he arrived home. He did not know entirely what he was looking for either. If they were rebels, they would not reveal it in front of him, or his family or leave contraband openly in their houses and if they were not, there would be nothing to report.

All Marshall knew was that they were a constant in his life. One of them would be on hand in the Village in case he had some kind of breakdown or outburst and most days he did not have the energy to follow them if they went shopping or for a walk.

But he was going to have to do something. He could not tell the President nothing after all. He was convinced Chaff and Seeder were rebel leaders and he would not believe Marshall if he gave him nothing. That would mean he had failed, and his family might be in danger. So, when Chaff went to visit his factory to check in with his colleagues, Marshall took his chances, knowing that Seeder would likely be reading, gardening or going through the paperwork for her own business.

Chaff's house was always unlocked so Marshall was able to walk through the back door and straight into the kitchen. He did not know where to begin so started opening drawers and cupboards but was not surprised to not find anything of interest. He turned his attention to Chaff's study, knowing that was where he was most likely to find something relevant. There were logbooks and tables which looked like accounts and figures for his business, but Marshall had no understanding of those. He had left school several years ago.

A selection of photographs caught his attention, however. There were images of the Mayor's house in the district's centre and the checkpoint between two of Eleven's zones that the victors were allowed to cross. He also found a selection of wider images, depicting various properties across the district and after a few moments of studying them, Marshall figured out that each image contained a peacekeeper's barracks. He stared intently at the images, trying to put them to memory before hurriedly leaving everything where he found it and leaving Chaff's home, nervous that his mentor might be arriving back shortly.

As soon as Marshall got back to his own home, he felt guilty. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Chaff had been nothing but brilliant with him and had made clear that his well-being and recovery were his priority beyond anything else. Marshall felt as if he were throwing his kindness and generosity back at him.

But he needed something to tell President Snow. So later in the week whilst everyone was at Seeder's and distracted by finishing their meal, Marshall went to look upstairs. He knew this was risky and that he had to be quick, but Seeder was at home most often and both she and Chaff were currently busy entertaining his niece and nephew.

Marshall quickly turned his attention to one of her spare rooms where he knew Seeder had a desk. Once again, he found lots of meaningless papers until he landed on what he believed to be a series of coordinates. He did not know where they would lead but memorised the first set to see if he could follow the pattern.

He was interrupted by Chaff calling for him. So, Marshall quickly replaced everything and ran into the bathroom, announcing to Chaff he would be back shortly. He just needed a minute to himself. That was not a lie either as Marshall felt awful. This was Seeder, a woman who had opened her home to him and his family and welcomed them all into their new life. She had stayed with him during difficult nights and always seemed to know when he needed to talk to her. He hated the thought that he might be responsible for getting her into trouble.

….

After Marshall and his family had left, Chaff stayed with Seeder to discuss their victor. They had moved outside so they could speak freely, knowing their houses remained bugged.

"He was in your spare room earlier, the one with your desk. I could hear the drawers opening and closing. Boy needs to be quieter if he's going to keep this up."

"He won't have found anything interesting. Just a fake set of coordinates. The first lot will lead him to the square. It's all he will have had time to memorise. That's if he knows what they are."

Chaff laughed, "Thank goodness we're two steps ahead."

"He was at yours the other day too. About twenty minutes or so."

"I know. The doormat had been moved slightly and the pens and paper I left in the study were put back in a slightly different place. I imagine he found my set of photos. They're interesting locations but he won't get any information from them. There are lots of peacekeeper barracks in Eleven, surprise, surprise," he rolled his eyes.

"I hate it, Seeder," Chaff continued. "They're trying to take my boy from me. Thirty-two years I waited for my own victor and they're trying to ruin it. Turn my victor against me and trip us up. I can't even have my victor without them breathing down my neck. And I can tell it's upsetting him too. He was looking a bit odd after he came downstairs and was looking all guilty and sad the other night when he came to mine."

"We won't string him along much longer. He'll snap if we do, and we don't want that. It will be no good for him and won't help either of you on the Tour."

"I never thought I'd say this but thank goodness Heavensbee's still around and we were able to find out what Snow said to the boy."

"Mags did say he would come through for us."

"I still don't trust him completely, but he's done well."

"You might have to send him some of your new wine as a thank you," Seeder laughed.

"I'm not sure about that. Makes it seem like we're friends."

….

Marshall had seen Chaff leave his house and so he decided it was time to continue his searches. He wanted to find something quickly, just something to speak to the President about so he didn't have to continue sneaking around. His guilt and confusion were getting worse and sometimes Marshall saw Chaff giving him questioning looks. Marshall wondered if Chaff had figured out what he had been doing. But he let that thought go as quickly as it came. There was no way he could have. Marshall had been alone with President Snow when he was given the instructions.

He was rifling through the cabinet in the drawing room, one of the rooms he knew Chaff barely used. Nobody passed through this room so it would be an ideal place for storing items his mentor did not want anyone to find.

Inside one of the drawers, there was a box. Marshall had to force it open as it was clear it had not been touched in a while. But once he lifted the lid, he found a series of maps. The first was a map of Eleven. Marshall had seen rudimentary versions in school, so he was able to identify it. But the next, he wasn't sure, until he stopped to look closer. It was a map of Panem. This was something he had not seen before. It was obvious the Capitol did not want people to know of life beyond their districts as this was not something that could be found in any classroom. Intrigued, Marshall stopped to study it. District Eleven was in the southeast of the land mass forming Panem, above it sat District Eight and further north was District Twelve. But you could not easily visit either district, Marshall knew that much.

"Found what you were looking for," Chaff said as Marshall gasped and jumped in fright.

"I was just-" he started.

"I know, boy. I know. Let's go outside."

Marshall was panicking. There was no doubt that Chaff had found out what he had been doing, at least on that night. He had found his young victor looking through his possessions, unable to explain himself. Now, as they walked outside, Marshall had no idea what to say. He thought it might be best to tell the truth, but he did not know if there would be any repercussions in the Capitol if the President were to somehow find out. Nor did he know how Chaff would react. It would cement in his mind that Marshall could not be trusted, and it could drive a wedge between them if there was not already one now.

"Breathe, boy," Chaff said once they were outside and away from the doors to the house.

"Chaff, I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"Boy, I said I know. Look at me, Marshall. I know. Seeder knows. We know Snow put you up to this."

"You're not mad at me?"

Chaff laughed, "Of course not! What else would you do? You're seventeen, fresh from the arena in your first meeting with the President. He tells you to do something, reveals that he knows about previous indiscretions from certain family members and threatens your family again. There's very few of us who wouldn't have done the same."

Marshall visibly relaxed, "I am sorry though. I went through your homes and tried to find something that might get you into trouble. You've both been so good to me and my family."

"We don't mind. We knew you'd do it and tried to help you along."

"What do you mean?"

"The photos, maps, coordinates. We put them there for you to find. You've lived here long enough to know the layout of the houses and decent hiding places. You know our habits. You're smart enough to put the pieces together, boy."

"So, all of that is harmless?"

"Of course. Do you think we'd be silly enough to incriminate ourselves or cause trouble in the district? We have our businesses and employ lots of people, we aren't about to ruin that."

"The President is expecting me to find something. What do I tell him?"

"The President is stupid. There are new people around him, sensible people it seems. But sometimes he just can't help himself. He gets an idea, something that makes him look powerful in his decline and runs with it."

"That's what he's doing with me?"

"Yes. He has been told by now it's stupid to alienate all the victors. We're the only people from the districts who can see each other, remember? Well, other than the peacekeepers. That can make us powerful, dangerous even. It would be silly to anger us all, but he wants power above all else. So, he does what he can to make himself feel big, something like messing with you, whilst everything else around him fades and his advisors scramble for the top job."

"You don't think he'll be around much longer?"

"He's in his eighties. Not unusual in the Capitol but unusual here. There's only so much doctors can do to reverse ageing. You must have noticed his cough too. That's slowly been getting worse."

"So, what do I do when I next see him on the Tour?"

"You remember he's old and stupid and that we have your back. You tell him that Seeder and I have spent lots of time in the Village with you and your family. We go to our factory, check in with our employees most days, go shopping and we all eat dinner together. I drink and Seeder reads and gardens. You found a map of Eleven which intrigued you, but then you remember you saw one in school, and you know that victors can travel further afield, so it makes sense for us to have one. We've given you things to talk about."

"What if he doesn't believe me?"

"We've given you enough to talk about, to prove you've been sneaking around. Other people can verify our movements. The place is crawling with peacekeepers. He can check the records on our houses if he's that bothered. They're bugged. That's why we're speaking outside. Remember that. Anything you don't want them hearing, get outside. I've removed the bugs in the bedrooms in your house though to give you all some privacy. We'll have to check again after the Tour because they'll probably put them back whilst we're away, but Seeder can confirm that."

"You aren't scared of him? Or the Capitol?"

"No. Not much left they can do to me. Besides, Snow is fading. If there is anyone you ought to worry about, we'll tell you. We've got your back, Marshall. You can trust us."