Author's Note: A heavier chapter here, a real downside to being a victor and having to deal with the demands of the Capitol.

Just a note out of caution for the content of the second section. PM me if you want to know before reading.

….

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District Four's victors knew that the Eightieth Games was going to be a good year for them. Noah was confident in Ossian and Song thought her girl could give him a good fight. Mags was also back in the Capitol. Despite everyone's concern for her health, they knew this was where she wanted to be, so they were taking in every moment of her presence.

But whilst they remained confident, they knew something was terribly wrong as soon as the recap of the Reapings started with District One. They kept quiet for the sake of the children in their company but shared anxious glances and a resolve to discuss the scene once they were alone.

It was always going to be a Reaping they would watch intently. Primrose Everdeen was eighteen after all. It could have been the year that broke District Twelve's victors, but it looked like their concern needed to be directed to another district.

They pretended everything was normal for the children and carried on discussing their chances and their first impressions of the year's crop of tributes until it was time for them to sleep. Then it was a matter of ensuring Diana Treasure went to bed and remained in her compartment before doing the usual checks for listening devices on the train and interrupting what they found hidden.

As soon as they knew they were in the clear, Finnick began, "Something's very wrong. They looked a mess."

"There was no Aria or Gem," Chloe said.

"Given the state Aria was in last year, I dread to think," Song added. "Gem is the only one who would be able to stay behind with her, the others have no choice but to turn up."

"Does that mean we get to experience the joys of Satin's presence?"

"Unfortunately, I think you're right, Finn. But I'm sure there'll be much more pressing issues, given the state of them."

"I'll find out. Chloe, Mags, I'm sure they'll tell me," Finnick said. "I can talk to Cashmere and if she stays quiet, I'm sure I can get word from Gloss."

Mags stopped to rewind the scene in District One and replayed their Reaping a further two more times before letting the recap continue. She started tapping her hands and gesturing towards Chloe and Coral who tried to understand what their senior victor was trying to say.

"Watch again," Coral said. "Look at their hands."

Mags relaxed in her seat, knowing this time her victors would see what she had seen.

"Cashmere's hands are red raw," Chloe said. "Gloss looks like he's been scrubbing at his too. They both look completely shaken."

"Oh no."

"There hasn't been an announcement. There would have been, surely? So that means, if Aria has tried anything, she's still alive."

"Could something have happened to Gem instead?" Rowan started after listening to the others.

"Unless it's something unexpected, I doubt it. Gem is well and it would have been Satin with her if she was unwell, much to Gem's frustration. Aria would never be allowed to miss the Reaping," Chloe said.

"We'll find out soon and we'll do what we can to help," Finnick replied.

….

The second Cashmere was out of sight of the cameras and on her way to get ready for the Parade, she rushed to Finnick and the others from District Four and burst into tears.

She and Gem had left Aria to start getting ready for the Reaping whilst they did the same. It was clear to everyone that the young victor was not well. She had been slowly crumbling for years, unable to cope with the demands of the Capitol. She had continually deteriorated to the point where Gem, Cashmere and Gloss were taking turns to keep watch over her. But on the morning of the Reaping, they were all obliged to look their best.

But Cashmere had noticed that the light in Aria's bathroom had remained switched on for a while, and there was no light coming from her bedroom, so she went to see what was happening. She called for Aria and asked if she needed help but there was no response. Then she heard water running continuously and rushed up the stairs to find water leaking from under the bathroom door. The door was locked so she had to force her way in where she found Aria under the water, eyes shut with blood flowing from her wrists.

Immediately she hauled her victor from under the water and grabbed hold of the towels to try to stem the bleeding. She let the water out from the bath and screamed for Gloss and Gem, opening the window so they would hear her. Cashmere kept hold of Aria who was slowly regaining consciousness, coughing up water, and screamed for her brother and Gem again.

This time she got their attention and Gloss was by her side in moments, helping wrap Aria up and deal with the bleeding. Gem arrived and tried to take control of the situation. Cashmere's screaming and the growing chaos had attracted the attention of the others, so Gem was frantically asking Topaz to raise the alarm and call for help.

They were among the district's richest so they would be able to get medical help and an ambulance arrived to take Aria to safety whilst Gem refused to leave her side. She directed the senior victors to pull everyone together and to carry on as best they could. But they were all shaken. Cashmere and Gloss were distraught. Augustus was trying to keep Theodore away from the chaos given it was the start of his first Games as a victor. Blood was never a good mix with a relatively young victor, so he had chosen wisely. Topaz was in a state of shock whilst Satin and Luxor turned their attention to keeping up appearances.

They were going to the Capitol as usual, and they would put on a show. Their tributes were not to know what had happened and the girl would only be told that Aria had become ill and would be mentored instead by Gloss.

Except when they arrived it was clear to everyone that this was not business as usual. Cashmere was distraught, Gloss was desperately trying to collect himself so he could properly mentor the girl he had only just started to know and Theodore, as the newest victor found himself lost among the chaos.

Cashmere found herself spending a lot of time on District Four's floor after the tributes had gone to bed, quietly crying in Finnick's room, and continuously scrubbing her hands as Finnick and Song tried to coax her out of the new habit. Gus had thrown himself into mentoring, Luxor was trying to keep Gloss in check so he could carry out his duties and Theodore was forgotten. Topaz was wandering around dazed and was not her usual self and Satin had no time for what she saw to be dramatics when they had a job to do.

….

The other career victors found themselves trying to pick up the slack. Once the children were inside the arena, Augustus was spending more and more time with the sponsors, sometimes taking Theodore with him, other times leaving him with Gloss to learn the Mentors' Centre. But Lyme found herself distinctly unimpressed. She was not going to criticise One for doing things their way, even if Two would never have allowed the winning mentor to mentor again the following year. But she decided that she had to step in.

Even after Augustus' boy had died, he switched his attention to the wider happenings on their floor, leaving Theo unsure what to do. It was after Lyme found her sleep being interrupted by a particularly loud argument on One's floor that she intervened. Topaz, Luxor and Satin were shouting, Augustus was trying to play referee and Theodore had shut himself in his room.

Lyme made her presence known in her usual way with two firm knocks on the door that demanded she be let in. She swooped in, told the others that they could continue their shouting match once she had collected Theo and warned Augustus that she would be having words with him later, once the inevitable had happened and District Four had won.

She collected Theo, apologised to him, and brought him down to the Mentors' Centre where many of their fellow victors were still sitting, even after their tributes had passed. Gloss was staring at his girl on the screen and managed to look guilty as Theo passed him with Lyme's hand on his back.

Two's victor led him to Adan and Peeta who were sitting on the sofas towards the back of the bar, keeping Haymitch and Chaff in their sights.

"I trust you will be here a while, so look after Theodore for me. His mentor has forgotten what he's supposed to be doing and I know you can both play nice."

With that, Lyme checked in on Brutus who was keeping watch over the tributes whilst everyone else was sleeping and made her way to Four's floor after hearing the shouting continue on One.

….

Lyme found District Four's floor busy when she arrived. It appeared the screaming from One's floor was audible in District Three's suite so Beetee, Wiress and Halley were also present.

"I need some sanity," she announced as she took a seat next to Mags and Chloe.

"I know we all mentor together but sometimes I think I'm in a different world to the Ones. They're so lost up their own backsides they can't see what's happening in front of them. I'm not talking about poor Aria here. Cashmere and Gem tried; we all know that. But I've just had to rescue Theo who had locked himself in his room listening to all of that. Augustus is too busy trying to play referee to remember this is an important time for Theodore. So, I've left him with Adan and Peeta downstairs, we can trust them to play nice and be helpful."

"Thank you," Chloe started, "If we'd have thought about it we could have-"

"No, Chloe. You're pulling your weight too. Noah and Song are downstairs keeping an eye on Gloss as well as your own. You're going to win this year and I think you know that. Rowan and Coral are with the sponsors, and I know Finn has spent half the time with Cashmere."

Cashmere's ongoing sobs could still be heard on Four's floor, and everyone was trying to continue around it, but Halley interrupted the conversation and walked towards Finnick's room, "I'll try to help him. He's a bit out of his depth."

"I think we all are," Lyme said to the whole room, "We're on the same page, Two and Four, on this at least. We might not be on everything, but we look after our own as a priority. But this is beyond what any of us have had to deal with."

"We all noticed Aria was struggling," Chloe said.

"But we only spend a couple of weeks a year with her. Gem was trying to find the right people to help her. She had left Aria with Charo and Adan for a while and they're good with her but what with the baby and the new expectations, that was derailed."

"Halley, Poppy and Cecelia have tried too."

"They could be a good influence on her if she were in the right mind frame."

"But we're here now. If she manages to make it back, we'll have to start over again."

"She'll have no choice but to come back. I bet they'll force her next year. District One has to put on a show. She'll be the face of triumph over adversity or something stupid," Lyme spat.

"Protect her," Mags said.

"We'll need to. We obviously can't just leave that to Gem and Cashmere, it will be too much for them along with everything else. I don't think we can trust the others to pull their weight either."

"There's too much going on in One."

"Report back," Lyme said. "Noah or Song will be on the Tour so get them to send a message. I know One is in the wrong place in the order to do that but they'll figure something out. They'll get a glimpse of the dynamic at least."

"It will be interesting. Who turns up, not least because I can't imagine Gloss' wife not wanting to be involved in the action."

"Ermine, isn't it? She sounds awful. Gloss' face was a picture when they showed the victory party she had thrown from his house on camera last year. Brutus overheard him talking about how much more money he was having to withdraw from his account here too."

"She sounds lovely," Chloe laughed. "He should have put more thought into it rather than opting for the first woman who would say yes to get the job done."

"I don't see her complying with the other expectations either. She's about as much the mothering type as I am."

"Which leaves poor Cashmere with that job."

"And I think we know where that will end up," Lyme sighed.

Chloe looked at Mags before continuing to speak, "Gem has chosen well, it seems. Cashmere looked quite content, happy even with the Goldsmith son, well before all of this."

"You'll have to see what happens in the winter. This will be a test for both of them."

Their conversation was interrupted by Coral returning from the sponsors and being followed through the door by Topaz who was still in tears.

Between sobs she managed to choke out that she needed to speak to Mags, that she needed her help. Chloe and Coral helped Mags stand and walk to her room before confirming to Topaz that any conversation with Mags would need to happen with them present. But Topaz didn't seem too concerned, saying that they would be able to help too.

Not wanting to be privy to the conversation, Lyme stood up and announced her exit, "Hopefully that means the shouting has stopped and I can get back to sleep. Nuts, Volts, you don't need to hear this either," she said, gesturing to Beetee and Wiress who had remained sitting quietly throughout the entire conversation.

Once Coral had shown their guests out, she returned to Mags and Chloe who were by now holding a distraught Topaz between them.

"It's all my fault," One's victor cried.

"It's not," Mags replied.

"I have seen Aria slipping for a while. I should have stepped in. I let Cashmere and Gloss flounder and Gem pick up the pieces."

"You'll have to talk to them about that," Coral said. "We don't know what's been going on in One. But we do know that what's happened to poor Aria isn't on you."

"Yours have the same expectations. And none of them have ended up in this mess. You're strong together and we are screaming at each other."

"Well, we're not happy about it," Chloe said. "But we support them all through it and have found ways to cope."

"I just pretended it was all okay. I forced myself to enjoy it even and passed that idea onto the others. I tried it with Luxor, and he bought it entirely, went even further with it than I did and now he's mad at me."

"He's not blaming you, is he?"

"No. He doesn't think any of this is on me. But he does not see why we have a problem. This is not just an Aria thing, and he is totally, wilfully blind to it all."

"We know that," Mags sighed.

"You all knew?"

"We knew what you were doing Topaz, we figured it was your way of coping. You were the first it happened to and that must be an awful burden. You had no idea how to respond so tried to cope and bottle it all away the best you could. If tricking yourself into enjoying it worked, we weren't going to intervene."

"We were still trying to figure it out too, when it happened to Rowan two years later."

"Everything I've done has led to this. Aria has nearly died. Gloss and Cashmere are floundering, and Augustus is too into impressing Luxor to remember his victor."

"That's on Gus, not you. Noah is in the Mentors' Centre; he'll have his eye on Gloss and Theo."

"Gem trusted Luxor and me with the Academy and everyone has fallen apart. We have let her down."

"Topaz, the Academy has brought home five victors during your time in charge."

"But it's about more than that. You've always known that, and it has taken this for me to realise. What do I do?"

"Talk," Mags answered.

"Tell Gem about how you're feeling. It might be some tough love, but you'll come away from it with a clearer mind," Coral said.

"Look after Aria," Chloe added. "She needs to know you all care and that she can still feel connected to you all. She'll need you."

"I have done so much wrong by her."

"She's alive," Mags said.

"She's strong. When the time comes, you'll be able to have an honest conversation with her. Look after her, put things right with her and figure out your way forward with the Academy."

"Luxor won't agree, and it is his Academy too."

"He can't stop you from sorting your relationship with Aria. If he wants to continue down that track, then you'll have to let him. Just keep him away from Aria if he won't help her. The Academy, you're going to have to have a frank conversation with him."

"Things need to change," Topaz said. "Do you tell them the truth?"

"The ones who get to the end of the programme, yes. And we don't tell them it's a duty or something they should enjoy or make up lies about the Capitol's love for them. We give them a way out if they want. Most don't take it. They think they'll figure it out later. Which is what Aria did, I imagine, so even telling them the truth isn't the magic you're looking for. They have to make some decisions for themselves, and we have to be there to deal with the consequences."

"We are so bad at consequences. I need to put things right with Cashmere and Gloss too. They've been suffering and I have played it down. Now they have lost control of their lives."

"You couldn't have stopped them from being sold or this new marriage thing. But you can support them, listen to them and help them through. After all, you have to put up with Ermine too."

"Don't," Topaz said, managed to laugh somewhat. "She is dreadful. She looks at herself in the mirror more than I look at myself. She has spent more of Gloss' money in six months than I've spent in a year, and I buy a lot of nice things for myself."

Four's victors all laughed in response. "You'll have to help him set some limits with her. We all know Luxor won't."

"I need to step up."

"You do. Gem won't be around forever. Gloss needs help, you need to reconnect with Cashmere and take care of Aria."

"That will be the easy part."

"It will be. But remember, The Academy is good for the district. You just need to focus on how the kids turn out at the end. Theodore seems a good one."

"We need to take better care of him. Gus is doing his bit most of the time and Theo likes being back training."

"Make sure Augustus gets his priorities in order. Gloss seems keen to be around Theo too and I wouldn't stop that, it might be good for them both."

Topaz sighed, "I need to do some thinking. About how we handle this before I start another argument with Luxor."

"Think about it and talk to Gem," Chloe said.

"I will do when we get back. No more arguments now. I need to clear my head. Can I stay on your floor tonight? I'll just use one of the sofas. I can't be around Luxor or Satin."

….

Once Topaz had gone to sleep and Mags had decided to join Noah in the Mentors' Centre, Chloe and Coral were left to talk on their own.

"She'll get there," Chloe said.

"What, Topaz? Eventually."

"She's just so…"

"District One," Coral said.

"I think that's the only way to describe it."

"Notice how so much of it was about her."

"District One," Chloe echoed.

"But Gem isn't like that."

"She used to be," Chloe said. "Always out for herself. Before she realised. And Maria put her in her place."

"Topaz needs a good influence."

"I'll get Song to talk to her."

"Thinking about this further, what do we do going forward? You're our leader after all," Coral laughed.

Chloe laughed in return, "What, using this mess?"

"It's an opportunity."

"I'm not going to capitalise on someone's suffering like that, Coral."

"You need to be more ruthless."

"No. They could make rash decisions. There's no way we could trust Topaz after one messy conversation. It's too premature."

"Her worldview is collapsing around her."

"And we help her rebuild it to our advantage."

"So, you're not saying no?"

"I'm saying we do it differently. I'm not going to use her like that. She's District One, she wouldn't take too kindly to it. She could be dangerous."

"You've always been more cautious, Chlo."

"But I'm not saying no. We're not all that different, Coral."

"I know. But maybe that's the reason you're in charge and not me."

"Because I think first?"

"I'm not reckless!"

"I know, Coral. I never said you were. But I want to know that we can cover a risk first if we're going to take it. You'd take more gambles than I would."

"Probably," Coral conceded.

"Anyway, the plan is, for now at least, to help them help Aria. Work on Gloss and Cashmere, they can be convinced. Talk to Gem when we can about that, make sure we're in step."

"And Topaz?"

"Make sure she wins the argument over Luxor. Get her to understand more so she thinks more like we do. Then we consider moving."

"Thinking years ahead, Chloe."

"I am in charge, Coral."