Author's Note: Many of the victors have been on a journey since their arenas and we catch up with some of them.

….

Knowledge

Gem had always known that knowledge was power. She did not want to sound like Beetee or Halley, but she knew that just as well as they did. She was not a scientist or a technician, she just knew about people. Gem understood what made people tick, their likes and dislikes, their pressure points, and how to manipulate, undermine, and make people fear her and get what she wanted. It was how she had played the game of being a victor for decades.

Many of the other victors feared her. She used her skillset against her peers for years, holding information she had gathered against them until Maria decided she had had enough of her friend's behaviour and gave Gem a dressing down she would never forget. The two had an implicit trust between them from that moment. Gem stopped to think about who her behaviour was suiting and what she wanted to be and slowly brought about change, rehabilitating herself and her image.

It was not an instant conversion to Maria's cause, but it certainly opened Gem's eyes to what was happening around her. Now, she was proud to be a quiet but influential rebel.

It took her a long time to say what she was out loud. Rebellion did not feel like something District One should do, never mind as one of her home's richest inhabitants. But it became something else Gem was good at because she understood people and what they needed. She understood District One too and knew how best to help the rebel cause.

Now, she was trying to impart her knowledge to her successors. Gloss and Cashmere were further along in their journey and had learnt from Finnick more than anyone else how to engage in rebellion. Aria remained close to Ten's victors and Poppy, Halley and Cecelia who would guide her in the right direction. Instead, Gem focused her efforts on Topaz, knowing that she needed a greater push than the siblings or Aria who had fallen into their roles naturally.

Topaz was nine years into her journey and was just reaching the stage where Gem was thinking that she might be able to mention the word 'rebellion' in her victor's presence without peacekeepers descending on the Village to arrest her. It had been a slow journey.

Topaz had tried to find a justification for so many things and reconciled what was happening to her as a victor with the Capitol's supposed love and carried on. She enjoys many of the trappings of victory and lives an expensive, luxurious lifestyle, more so than perhaps any other victor.

But one afternoon, Gem was outside in her garden, doing her daily exercises and stretches, something she credited towards her long life so far, when Topaz burst in and interrupted her peace.

"There are rebels in the district! People are actively working to destroy the Capitol!"

Gem almost fell over from laughing.

"It has taken you this long to figure that out?"

Topaz was startled by Gem's reaction, "Well, I knew there was something," she stuttered. "Something happening in the shadows, but this?"

"Is planned, organised and well-financed," Gem finished for her.

"Exactly! Wait! How did you know? How long have you known?"

"Long enough, Topaz. But how do you feel about this? What do you want?" Gem asked, knowing that even this would be baby steps with her victor.

"The last few years, I have wanted things to change. Only I never knew how and thought I was in a dream world."

"Now you find that people are doing the job for you."

"I suppose so. What am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want. Although, not reporting to the peacekeepers would be a start."

"I would never! Do you think so little of me, Gem?"

"No, Topaz. I only know what you would have been like a decade ago had you found this out."

"I have changed. You know that more than anyone else. You have helped me too."

"Then I am pleased my work has helped you. What do you want to do, Topaz?"

"I need to think."

"That is fine. I would in your position. Let me say, Topaz, there is room for you if you would like. You might be surprised by who else you find."

….

Orion had found his place. It surprised him, but he realised life was truly comfortable in the Victors' Village. Of course, he was financially comfortable, he and his family would never want for anything material again. But now there was some distance from the arena, he felt more like himself, albeit a new version of the old Orion.

The post-Hunger Games Orion was literate for a start. He could not engage in scientific material on the same level as his peers, but he was not interested in the same topics. Only now he was more widely read, familiar with the ideas that had constructed their rebellion and what had occupied Pluto's mind for decades.

Halley tried to involve him in various scientific pursuits. Still, nothing seemed to fit him in the way that chemistry and explosives suited Halley or how engineering became an all-encompassing purpose for Beetee and Wiress. Instead, he stumbled across what worked for him after one of Halley's experiments got out of hand and blasted through her and Beetee's shared garden wall.

By default, Orion found himself rebuilding the wall with his father and although the work was basic, he figured he was naturally adept at construction and building. It was also something he enjoyed, even if he did not fully understand why. It gave him something new to focus on, a definitive skill with a clear outcome in mind. Orion found he had a new purpose until the wall was completed to Beetee and Halley's satisfaction.

Halley had realised the same as Orion and conveniently blasted through the adjacent wall to give her victor something else to do. She also brought him books on the theory and practice of construction so he could eventually turn his mind to the larger projects she had in mind.

It was one of Halley's largest projects where Orion found himself as the Capitol started to look to the Ninetieth Hunger Games. As he became a trusted fixture in the Victors' Village, he was introduced to the depths of their rebellion and the lengths they had gone to after the Seventy-Fourth Games.

Knowing his mentor as he now did, it was no surprise to Orion that Halley had created a bunker under the noses of the Capitol, using Plutarch Heavensbee and his scientific works as a disguise. The bunker and its continued endurance had never been used as Halley intended, but it continued to be a source of amusement for her. The victors had created and stored everything they would need to survive and lead a rebellion underground with the Capitol watching as they did so.

Orion was doing the same as the Capitol looked on. He had slowly been completing various maintenance and repair tasks that Halley had not been able to prioritise and was now embroiled in his mentor's latest audacious plan. The bunker needed an extension, and Orion was going to build it.

He found himself at Halley's proposed secondary blast site for her newest experiments beyond the confines of the Victors' Village, heading in the direction of their Mayor's house. Orion knew by now that Three's leaders were committed rebels and would join forces with the victors in underground leadership. As their number and capacities grew, more space was needed, and Halley obtained permission via Heavensbee to open more ground.

So, Orion started to lead on construction of the bunker's extension in the open, with the Capitol none the wiser. He realised why Halley found her projects so satisfying and saw the funny side of the Capitol allowing Three's victors to build the engine that would turn the districts against them.

He knew that once progress had been made with the bunker, the victors would begin their next collective project to boost the Village's defences and fortify the physical structures they knew they would need. Orion would play a part in their projects and plans for the first time. Then he would build what he and his fellow victors would need. He was part and parcel of their group and had finally started to feel at ease with his position.

All the victors knew he was also the most capable fighter of the four. Beetee and Wiress had designed a range of weapons specifically for him that could be continually moulded to his use. He enjoyed trying those out and providing feedback to the older victors for their further development.

It was also an opportunity to get to know them on a level he only knew Halley. Orion discovered that they moved as one, a single machine, working together on various projects, instinctively knowing what the other was doing and moving entirely in step with each other. They had a form of wordless communication that meant that they sometimes forgot Orion was with them. Clearly, they needed each other, and Orion was happy that they had found the comfort they needed.

Wiress was Beetee's victor, but they had become equals. Halley was Wiress' victor and they had developed a sisterhood that both Orion and Beetee knew not to get involved in. He felt he was still at the start of his relationship with Halley as his mentor. She very much led, and he was happy to follow. But, he supposed, that was how each of their relationships had begun and Orion was looking forward to the future and how his life would continue to evolve.

….

Life in District Five continued to be quiet, at least on the surface. For Soleil, she begrudgingly adjusted to the harsh reality of work on the projects, for almost everyone but her. It was one of the only areas of her life where she was protected. Outside of her use to the Capitol, she was in danger, and she knew they were keeping a watch on Five's Victors' Village.

Their daily life was mundane. There was very little for the Capitol to see. Soleil covered her tracks when she left the Village alone or ventured to places her neighbours did not. She did not want to attract the peacekeepers' attention. Porter knew what her victor was doing and had slowly adjusted to having a fledgling rebel alongside her.

It was not what she would have chosen for her victor, but Porter knew Soleil would not change her mind now. Her fighting spark had been ignited by witnessing the hardships and brutality of working and living on one of Panem's power projects. She had seen a gradual increase in peacekeeper presence and aggression at home and understood that the Capitol deliberately made insufficient provision for the districts.

Soleil knew that Porter had confided in Luna about her fears for her, but Luna was resigned to it. Like Porter, she had grown tired of seeing the same thing over and over and pretending she did not or intentionally remaining blind to it all. But whilst they would never become active members of a rebel cell, they would not betray her. That was the reason they had never told Hal anything of Soleil's whereabouts when she left the Village, although Soleil imagined that he very rarely asked. The two spoke little and tolerated each other's presence but their relationship had not developed beyond that.

She was correct in her initial estimation of Chloe from District Four after she had taken those first photographs after her survival. Chloe was interested and keenly took Soleil's photos off her hands to hide them in Four. It was an insight into Five, the power projects and the district's people that the rebel victors had been lacking.

For Soleil, it felt like she was the first of her district's victors to make the effort. She desperately wanted connections with her peers from across Panem, after all, only three other people were living in District Five as she did, and it had become very lonely. It was obvious why during their time in the Capitol so many of the other victors thrived off each other's company and Soleil wanted to be a part of that.

Fern from District Seven soon became a good friend. They were understanding and patient with each other. Soleil was grateful for Fern's awareness of her background and the difficult position she could be in as the sole active rebel in her Victors' Village. She had tried to support Soleil even though they only spent a matter of weeks alongside each other.

Sitting next to Poppy in the Mentors' Centre, it was impossible not to talk to her, only Hal avoided her through concerted efforts to never be alone in her presence. Soleil could tell how much Six's victor enjoyed having a new face in the adjacent seat and a new conversation partner when their tributes inevitably shared the same fate. Soleil also replied eagerly to Poppy's attempts to gather information about life in Five and did her best to share information with both Poppy and Chloe in their nearby seats when neither Porter nor Hal was around.

It seemed so obvious to her that forging connections with the other victors would be beneficial, and Soleil did not understand why her peers were so reticent. It had not served any of them well. Soleil found she had benefitted immensely from the thoughts and company of others who shared her predicament. She was pleased that her attitude had made an impression on her mentor, at least when it came to escaping her comfort zone in the Mentors' Centre. Porter had made new connections with Cecelia, opened up to their counterparts from Four, and admitted to Soleil that she felt better for it. Soleil had realised that sharing knowledge and learning from each other was not a one-sided activity. Mentors could learn from their victors too.

….

It had taken years, but Fern could finally run through the forest behind the Victors' Village freely and without pain. Her damaged knee had gradually become stronger, thanks to Linden's insistence on following Lyme and Brutus' advice. Fern's parents had to admit that the Capitol regime would have held their daughter back after all.

It had not all been simple. There were times when Fern overestimated her capabilities and found herself restricted to the Village as she recovered and there were instances where her parents still clashed with her mentor. Her brother was a lost cause.

Fern loved her brother, but he had become a thorn in her side and a real danger to the victors. He was by no means a Capitol sympathiser or informant, but he attracted trouble everywhere he went. It had taken a year for him to finally take Linden up on his suggestion of finding a job, but that was short-lived, and so was every job that followed. He was reckless and spent too much of Fern's money to the extent that she had to curtail his allowance. But he got around those limits by stealing from his parents who had no such allowance from their daughter. Fern had given them everything they needed and more to enjoy a comfortable and long retirement.

When Johanna found out about Fern's brother's actions, she was furious, leading to a huge argument. He did not take kindly to being told what to do and did not care for the status of a victor, only the money that his sister could provide.

Fern often thought about her brother and what to do to help or change him, but she had decided that there was little she could do. She had found that running in the forest and the peace of being away from the Village helped her realise that. She may be a victor, but she could not solve everyone's problems, especially when they did not want to help themselves.

So, she lived alongside her brother without giving him any insight into her life. It would be too dangerous to do otherwise. He drank too much and said too much when he was drunk, and nobody thought very much of his choice of friends either.

She went running in the forest, weightlifting in the space behind the Village, wrestled with Johanna and practised relentlessly with axes as far as her brother knew. He did not know what else she got up to in the forest, where she was hiding weapons or how good at carpentry she had become.

Fern found herself skilled in wood carvings and construction by accident. Like most victors, she had become bored and had decided to learn from Sawyer and the notes that Logan, Seven's first victor had left behind.

She started small with basic shapes and ornaments that her parents appreciated before moving on to toys that she started to sell in Seven's market. Then she turned her attention to more useful projects. She was at her busiest making and replacing axe handles and carving bows out of wood she was taking illegally from the forests. She could order it like the others did and as she was supposed to, but Fern begrudged paying for what was on her doorstep.

She had also become Linden's business partner in Seven's winter resort that he had taken over from Leah, Seven's first female victor and trailblazer for all those who came after her. Her mentor had given her half of his controlling share in the business in case something was to happen to him to keep the victors' interest in Seven's holiday business.

Fern had to learn the ropes in business, something she never thought she would have to turn her attention to. But it was something her mentor needed her to do as his leadership role increased and she found herself agreeing to his request without any thought.

As her life in the Village and as a victor expanded, Fern realised how her worldview had changed. She knew so much more about District Seven, Panem and how the country barely functioned. She was being increasingly brought into rebel plans and began leading a life distinct from her family. So much so that when she assessed her priorities and considered where her loyalties were, Fern realised that Linden and her friendship with Johanna were top of the list, her parents following behind. She loved her family and was grateful for her parents' enduring support, but there were things they would never understand. As Fern discovered more about the complexities and dangers of her life, there was less she could involve them in, and she realised that was how her life would have to be.

It felt wrong to acknowledge that there were people and loyalties beyond her family but being a victor changed everything. She could never go back to the life she led before the arena.

….

The streets of District Ten were crowded. Charo and Adan led the mourners with Rosa standing behind them, hidden behind her parents and next to two of Maria's closest friends and assistants.

Maria's coffin had started its procession in her childhood village before passing her home in the Victors' Village, picking up Rosa and heading to the district's centre for the memorial service. Ten's oldest victor had planned her funeral and true to style had shunned the Capitol's expectations for her. She had the service she wanted, with the people she wanted and a party at her home before Charo and Adan had to clear her possessions and leave her home without a trace of her presence.

She had to relent on the site of her final resting place in the victors' section of the cemetery. However, Maria decided she did not mind too much as she could be alongside Diego once more and she had ensured that Abraham was not present. He had to be buried there on the Capitol's instructions, but Maria gave the family her blessing to remove his body in the middle of the night and take him to his family's resting place. It was an insult to have him lying alongside Diego after he had destroyed his and his family's lives.

But Maria had planned everything else down to the outfit she was to be buried in. She wore traditional clothing from District Ten paired with jewellery from District One which Gem had given her years previously. She had told her friend in One that she was going to die and that they would not be able to meet for the Ninetieth Games. Gem had sent her friend a heartfelt letter in response, expressing her sorrow that she would not be able to say goodbye in person after decades of friendship.

Charo and Adan wrote to Gem to inform her of Maria's passing and the date of her funeral. They knew that Gem would spend the day of her dear friend's funeral watching the television for images of the service and the mourners and they knew she would be proud. Maria stayed true to her roots and District Ten came out in force for her. Despite the limited number of people Maria wanted at the service and celebration, the streets were lined with those whose lives Maria had touched.

The Capitol would be furious, but Charo and Adan did not care, so long as it did not affect their daughter. They walked behind Maria's coffin the entire route and were the lead pallbearers, carrying their friend and mother figure into the service held in her honour.

They could be at peace with the fact that Maria left everything in order. Her health had deteriorated quickly after Aquaria's Victory Tour left District Ten but luckily, Maria was prepared. She had been reorganising her finances and affairs for years, so they were not caught out, unlike the earliest victors.

Maria had been withdrawing funds from her accounts in the Capitol until there was just enough to keep them open and pay the banks' fees. She did not care about losing those small sums as the Capitol tried to claw back everything within their reach from deceased victors. Everything else was tied up in District Ten where the Capitol could not touch it.

She had been the largest investor in Charo and Adan's business which was thriving and expanding. She left a large sum of money to Charo and Adan with the aim of them using it to bribe whoever was needed to keep Rosa's name out of the reaping if it came to that. Her remaining funds were already held in an account by her victors, earmarked for their daughter to support her during her lifetime.

Ten's rebels had had money, time and effort from Maria during her lifetime so much so that she decided that what she had would be left to her family. She was under no illusions that some of the funds would reach rebel hands via Charo and Adan and their business, but she gave them the money knowing they would use it as they pleased. She trusted them and knew that she was leaving them in the best position she could.

She had put her all into looking out for them, supporting their relationship and loving their daughter and her role as Abuela Maria. Charo and Adan had ensured that she was buried with photographs of her time spent with them all so that memories of their Rosa could accompany her on her next journey.

They had to tell their heartbroken daughter that Maria had died and that it was just the three of them living in the Victors' Village. Rosa had told them that it would seem lonely now that there was nobody else to visit and they knew that their girl would miss her grandmother.

But they knew this would happen at some point and instead chose to be happy that Maria had spent so many years with them and managed to see Rosa start to grow up. Between the three of them, they had managed to raise a confident, bright young girl who loved interacting with other people and being out and about in District Ten.

In many ways, Rosa was the final part of Maria's legacy. Maria had given so much to District Ten and then as she aged and the hope of rebellion slipped away, she helped Charo and Adan as they brought the little girl into their lives. The three of them hoped that Rosa would see everything they had worked on. She was the final light of Maria's life and her victors hoped that her light could be seen in the District Ten that Maria had always dreamed of.