Author's Note: A different kind of victor for this latest district as Panem starts to heat up once more.
….
The Ninety-First Annual Hunger Games: Olive Harrington, District Eleven (18)
Olive sat alone, as she so often did now that she had time to spare each day. She cut a lonely figure in District Eleven's Victors' Village and that suited her best. In fact, it suited them all. She was a victor they did not want. She did not want to be a victor at all and hated that she found herself in this predicament.
She thought about how this had happened and why her name had to be picked. Of course, she knew why. But she hadn't done anything wrong. Her family in Eleven hadn't done anything wrong. But her name was Harrington and one of their Capitol relatives had got into bed with the rebels and now her life was ruined. He had been executed but somehow that was not enough.
Her family were in line with the Mayor and the most upstanding of District Eleven's society but they suddenly found themselves outcasts, their position in jeopardy. Her victory and their new house in the Victors' Village saved them but there was still the slight against her name. Everyone knew why she had ended up in that arena.
She was not the only one either. A Cardew girl had been reaped in District One but of course, there was a volunteer to take her place. Nobody would have volunteered for her in Eleven. Olive watched as the poorest, those she looked down on, jeered when her name was called, and she stood on that stage.
They would not have wanted her to come home either. Just as she doubted her fellow victors did. Marshall was her mentor and offered to spend time with her, as his duty as a mentor required of him. But Olive refused his approaches. She did not want to be associated with him or to become an object of his pity when she was in almost every other respect, his social superior.
She wanted to shout from the rooftop of her new home what her three neighbours were. They were rebels and it was blindingly obvious. Yet somehow, they had faced no consequences. Chaff had warned her in no uncertain terms that there would be consequences for her if she dared cause any trouble for them. Marshall's mother poisoned her food when she dared criticise her son and Olive was ill for days. She had got the message.
Apparently, Marshall had done for her what he did not need to. He did the best by his tribute, regardless of her identity and helped her come home. Chaff had made clear that if she were his tribute he would have sat back and offered no assistance. Seeder had kept quiet, and Olive did not know where she stood. Marshall told her that Seeder had offered him her quiet support. Children from Eleven did not go without support under her watch when they had a chance to come home.
But they had all taunted her, even Seeder, although her attempts were more subtle. Olive's arena had been an orchard, a dream for a child from Chaff's background but a humbling moment for her. Chaff had asked her how it felt, to finally get a glimpse into their former lives. When she showed no signs of sympathy, he told her not to darken his doorstep again.
Marshall had apologised for that, but it was clear his sympathy was limited. The three of them had been raised in Eleven's orchards and fields and had toiled under the sun and the watch of the peacekeepers, risking victimisation every day. But it was nothing short of what they deserved from Olive and her family's perspective. They were descended from the lowest levels of District Eleven whilst her origins lie with the Harrington family in the Capitol, and it was their disgrace which had reduced them to the level they were now at.
Superiority was their natural state and Olive's victor status had helped them regain that. But they were still short of their deserved position at the highest echelons of Eleven's society now she resided with rebels. Her family had an ownership stake in some of the orchards, they controlled the lives of the likes of Seeder, Chaff and Marshall and now their daughter was ranked on the same pedestal as them. That in itself was a source of shame.
Despite her attitude, Marshall did try to reason with her. She was his victor, and they would have to put on a united front during the Victory Tour. Chaff had been openly mocking Marshall for his misfortune at having to spend over two weeks with Olive and the Capitols, but Marshall had chided his mentor, saying that he was quite looking forward to the opportunity.
Olive did not know what his plan was. He was never going to convert her to his cause. He only wanted to destroy everything that she had thought she had known about her life and ruin the stability the Capitol and the Mayors provided in the districts. His cause could bring her family complete ruin and she was not about to entertain that.
She supposed she would have to follow Marshall's direction on the Tour. He had been a victor for more than a decade and knew everyone they were going to meet. All he said he would ask of her was that she stuck to the cards she had to read and did not speak out of turn. Her family had been in trouble after all, and she could not be seen to agitate or inflame her own family's predicament. Whether she liked it or not, she was a rebel in the Capitol's eyes and would have to toe the line. He had done the same, even Chaff had on his Tour and there would be repercussions for her family if anything went wrong.
Olive figured they had a mutual interest in the Tour going well and that it would harm her if she put a foot wrong. Marshall would be breathing down her neck too, so she would never get a moment to cause trouble for him, he had made that clear. The other victors would know who she was, and Marshall suggested she try to make some connections.
But she soon found herself out of her depth. She could talk to her escort, her prep team and the others from the Capitol about their shared interests. She had always loved clothes and make-up and wanted to learn more about Capitol style and adding elements of Capitol couture to the blandness of district outfits. She adored being dressed up and was delighted when she was told she could take her Victory Tour outfits home, but that was where the similarities ended.
The escort and prep team were nice to her because she was their victor. Her success was their success and she had elevated their status. But even they knew about her family's fall from grace, and they mentioned it to her face almost every day.
She found herself in a world she did not recognise. Peeta was good to her in Twelve and everyone was nice in Ten and Nine but then things started to go downhill, and Olive felt uneasy. Eight was like Eleven. The Capitol struggled against district violence and Olive found herself at dinner with Calico Paylor. A woman with the Harrington name at the same table as a Paylor was a situation neither of them wanted to be in and they shared an instinctive mutual hatred.
She overheard Cecelia and Marshall discussing how the night was never going to go well. Cecelia joked that they would have fun in Seven.
Olive did not share the same sense of fun as Cecelia. Seven's victors were rude to her. They were friendly to Marshall and expressed their sympathies for him in her presence after their Mayor had retired with the company of her escort and stylist. The victors were alone, and the tables had turned.
Johanna was brutal and Blight had to calm her down. Liev cut a sullen figure and Sawyer actually sneered at her. Linden pretended she was not there, and she had to listen to Fern, Johanna and Blight talking about her family's fall from grace and making fun of her.
It calmed down again in Districts Five and Six. They all spoke to her and even though Cameron was blunt and Hal drunk, she found she could talk to them and have a pleasant evening.
But it seemed there were places in Panem where the rebels might actually be in charge. She knew something felt different as soon as she stepped off the train in District Four. There was an ease around the district that had not existed anywhere else, and she saw the peacekeepers mingling with Four citizens and there seemed to be nothing unusual about it.
Her head was spinning, and the prospect was horrifying. This was a place where the Capitol had lost control, and they did not even know it. But it should not be possible. The Capitol was the provider and the source of their security and stability and District Four had managed to subvert that. She would not have a place here and the idea that her family could not land on top felt wrong.
She was shown around the district by Finnick, Ossian and Aquaria and it started to make more sense. This was their district. District Four belonged to its victors and their victors belonged to them. Everyone knew them, everyone liked them. They seemed to play a part in nearly everyone's lives and Olive couldn't quite figure out how this had happened.
Olive saw through District Three's victors immediately. They spoke in a language she did not understand, in a way they knew she would find intimidating. Their world of science and engineering was not one she inhabited, and she was out of her depth. Their awkward, quiet, geeky façade was just that. Instead, they were confident, charismatic and powerful, nothing like what they had convinced the Capitol they were. They were dangerous, they were in control and their message to her was clear. They would win. She would lose and the Harringtons' fall from grace would be complete.
District Two aligned with her expectations. They were what she thought the Capitol wanted of its victors. They were strong and embodied their status. In Two, it was a status they deserved. She told Marshall this and he told her she was being incredibly naïve. She assumed he was lying to her and went to bed.
In both District One and the Capitol, Olive realised nobody quite knew what to make of her. Status was of the utmost importance to them, and she did not sit anywhere with ease. She was a victor, but from a fallen, disgraced family, bearing a rebel's name. Everyone knew of her family's fall. It was not the typical story of an Eleven victor, dragged from the slums of the district into riches. She was already rich, and in pride of place in District Eleven until her family was ostracised. Then she rose again, only to be associated with those the Capitol were rightly wary of.
Nevertheless, she tried to enjoy her time in the Capitol. This is what she deserved. This was the land her distant family had claimed and now she was their sole representative, their one socially acceptable person, for a year at least. It was a party in her honour and a small part of her found joy in the Harrington family name being celebrated despite what it now came to be associated with. It was her doing. Her family's saving grace was that she had made her way out of the situation they had put her in.
Marshall told her that he admired how she handled her time in the Capitol. She did not want to take any compliments from him, but she knew he was right and accepted his words. She made the best of the situation, kept her head held high and enjoyed herself as best she could.
But the shine wore off as soon as she returned to Eleven. Attacks on peacekeeper barracks had taken place in her absence and she returned to her home under guard. She found Chaff waiting for her along with her family who looked particularly nervous.
She had told them to be alert to Chaff's behaviour whilst she was gone and to get information about him and Seeder where possible. But now she was worried about what may have happened.
A very angry Chaff followed her into her house without being asked. Seeder was already standing at the window, looking out into the garden, waiting impatiently and Olive realised that Marshall had also joined them.
She found out that there had been mass break-ins to peacekeeper barracks with items stolen and living quarters damaged. A wave of arrests as the Capitol's suspicions entered the districts had created anger, resulting in these attacks in retaliation, inevitably leading to more arrests and violence sweeping across the district.
In the chaos, Olive's brother had attempted to break into Chaff's house, believing him responsible for the attacks and subsequent violence. But what she, nor the rest of her family knew, was that Chaff, Seeder and Marshall had all placed alarms on their houses. Half of their zone in Eleven had been made aware of an attempted break-in, the noise was so loud.
Seeder had remained at home so immediately knew what had happened and it was not long before Chaff returned, alerted by the noise. Olive's brother had been suitably chastised, and she was sure she could see the marks of healing bruises on his face, leaving no uncertainties about how Chaff thought to deal with the situation.
Chaff knew she knew too and before she had time to react, Marshall's arms were around her, holding her back as she struggled to hit out at Chaff. After years of living alongside his mentor, Marshall had read his cues and knew what would happen before she did. Olive realised that Marshall probably had a better read on her mannerisms than she had thought too, and she resolved to put her guard back up around him. He knew what she was trying to do and immobilised her, turning her away from Chaff to prevent a fight. But at the same time, he had made it clear within moments of being back home whose side he would always be on.
She would always be the lone victor in District Eleven. Whatever moments of common ground she had shared with Marshall would always be secondary to his connection and loyalty to Chaff and Seeder. The crux of the matter was that they were rebels, and she was not. She never would be either. They would remain on opposing sides.
There was no reasoning to be done. Chaff knew her brother would have acted on her instructions and tried to take advantage of Marshall's absence and the violence in the district. He was enraged and Olive could see from how Seeder barely made eye contact that she was unhappy too.
But they had reached a stalemate. After the shouting started, all parties realised it would come to nothing. Olive and her family knew their neighbours were rebels. The other three victors knew her family were loyalists. Olive knew Chaff was linked to the attacks on the peacekeepers and he knew that she knew.
Olive once thought that would give her the upper hand. But on the Victory Tour, she had seen how powerful and united the rebels were. She also knew that any attempts to cause trouble for the three victors would not end well for her or her family.
Once they were left alone, Olive reported back on her findings to her family who were equally as shocked as she once was. Reporting any of the other victors would not be straightforward. They could not be sure that whoever they told was also not a rebel as they had no real idea how embedded they were into Eleven's governance.
Seeder, Chaff and Marshall were not operating alone. Any report would be blamed on Olive and her family whether they were responsible or not and there would surely be repercussions. Olive wanted to protect her family now that their position had been somewhat restored. But her faith in her ability to do so had been shaken. The Capitol's position was not secure, and they were sleepwalking into disaster. It was so clear to her that she did not understand how those in charge had no idea.
Her three fellow victors protected each other. Nobody else would protect her or her family. They were vulnerable in the Village and that was made clear when her house was broken into. Nothing was stolen, but that did not matter. It showed Olive just how isolated she was and how precarious her family's safety was. Her house did not have an enormously loud alarm to ward off burglars. It was not a Capitol installation and one had not been installed on her behalf by her peers. Nobody was hurt either, but their security had been violated and her neighbours did not care.
Chaff claimed not to be responsible, but Olive knew his associates were and likely under his orders. Any time she crossed him, there would be a tit-for-tat response and Chaff was determined to be the winner. Conversations stopped when she was nearby, so Olive knew that Seeder and Marshall were aware but from what she overheard, it seemed that her mentor was not pleased with his.
Marshall thought Chaff had gone too far. They had to live alongside each other and regardless of loyalty, Olive was his victor and to him, it mattered, even a little. Chaff deemed it a proportionate response to the attempted break-in at his house and reminded Marshall that he was his victor and therefore his safety mattered to him.
Olive found it amusing that Chaff deemed her a threat to Marshall. They had the measure of each other, and she was delighted that she was a threat. So far, Chaff had responded to the threat, but Olive was constantly going to look for opportunities to undermine him and threaten his position.
She was not about to walk away or cede control completely. She may be outnumbered but she was not going to stop trying to preserve her family's position and her status in Eleven. The Harringtons were once a proud family, and she would restore that family pride. She had saved their position once and was determined to do it again. Only this time, she knew it would be a harder battle, involving forces much bigger than her that she did not understand the scale of.
The Capitol had won before. The Mayor retained control of Eleven and her landowning peers effectively controlled the lives of the majority of the district. In Eleven at least, she felt like the balance of power was in her favour. That had to count for something.
If the rebels were going to plan a resurgence, the power would be on her side to counter it. She could take advantage of that and pose the threat that Chaff anticipated she would and bring their plans crashing down. She would protect her family and enjoy every moment of it.