A/N: Hey guys! We've made it to chapter three! And as promised, this chapter will have a lot of Finnick Odair goodness, not to mention Cato some and Katniss action :) The next chapter will probably be the last before the Games begin, so if you have any comments or suggestions don't hesitate to tell me.

I also want to thank you all for reading and putting this story in your Favorites and Alerts, especially to those who reviewed! I can't tell you how much your feedback means to me. For those who've read but haven't reviewed yet, by all means, go click that button and let me know what you think!

"Finnick Odair." I say, putting my drink down and extending my hand. I may be 'as charming as a dead slug' like Haymitch said, but I do have my manners.

He doesn't shake my hand, though. Instead he brings it to his lips and places a kiss on it. "May I have this dance, Miss Everdeen?"

"Of course."

His smile grew even wider, if possible. If I were a normal girl, my heart would've stopped beating at the sight of it. Don't get me wrong, he's attractive and all, possibly one of the most attractive men I'll ever meet in my life. It's just that he's too.. fickle? Desirable? Easy come and easy go? Everybody wants him, and I feel like I don't want to be a part of his eternal fan club or something.

He leads me to the dance floor, his hand still grasping mine. On the corner of my eye, it seems like everybody stopped what they're doing to turn and look at us. Finnick rests his right hand on my hip, pulling me close. Too close for comfort.

Neither of us says a word, just now did I notice the melodious sound of an orchestra playing in one of the bigger balconies upstairs.

"You know, everybody's staring." I want to slap myself. That had to be my stupidest attempt at breaking an awkward silence.

Finnick doesn't seem to notice, though. "Then let them." He whispers, his breath tickling my ear. "Never before have they seen a woman as exquisite as you are."

I almost blushed at that. Almost. "I doubt that."

He pulls back a little to look at me. "I'm telling nothing but the truth, love. Word of advice, use that to your advantage in the Games."

He said the last part without a trace of playfulness, the alluring twinkle in his eyes gone. In a flash, I get a glimpse of the Finnick who killed his way out of the Games. Deadly, dangerous, yet still downright dazzling.

"Excuse me?"

"What I'm saying is you should use this—" He twirls me around then catches me back again, "—to your advantage in the Games. You're the Girl on Fire. Strong, fierce and feisty. Pretty, even. Use it not only to get your sponsors, but also to intimidate your opponents. See that boy over there?"

He sways me a bit to my left and I get a good view of the boy from District Two—Cato, if I heard it right in his interviews—charming and winking his way right into Blondie's good graces. "He's going to use his charm, good looks and deadly skills to get the upper hand. Don't let it get to you. They already see you as a threat, so act like one."

"So what you're saying is I should use my.. fierce womanly charms to win this thing?" Gawd. That sounds incredibly laughable coming out of my mouth.

"Tried and tested, darling."

"Why are you helping me? You're mentoring for your district this year, right?" Shouldn't he be telling this to his tributes?

"Yes, I am. But it would break my heart to let such a fine young woman walk right into that arena without my advice. Especially when she can make good use of it." He says, his signature seductive purr back in his tone.

"If I ever get out of this alive, Finnick, I'm gonna have to take you out to dinner." I tell him teasingly. All the alcohol in my system must be doing its job well.

Finnick gives me a sensuous smile. "It would be my honor."

The song's about to draw to a close, so I decided it's the perfect time to take a page out of the almighty Finnick's book and act on his advice. "See you at the Victors' Ball, then." I give him my best flirtatious smirk.

"Definitely." He grinned in approval, my dress engulfing me in fire again as he twirls me one last time.

That's when I see Cato strutting his way towards me.

"Mr. Finnick Odair. Pleasure to meet you. Mind if I cut in?" says Cato, throwing in his most believable Golden Boy smile.

"Of course not." Finnick replies, releasing me. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Girl on Fire." He adds, kissing me on the cheek as a departing gesture.

Now I really did blush. Cato narrows his eyes for a moment, then back again to his usual annoying smirk. His expression changed so fast I might have imagined it.

"Shall we dance?" he says, his eyes finding mine. "Come on, I don't bite."

I almost scoff at that. "Sure you don't." I say, taking his outstretched hand.

I have to admit it, he's a good dancer. His feet are precise, moving left and right and guiding me around the dance floor like he's been doing this all his life. Do the Career Districts teach their tributes how to dance, too?

He pushes me a bit, letting go of my hip then using our intertwined hands to twirl me halfway and pull me flush against him. My back was to him, my arms crossed in front of me.

"You look stunning tonight, Twelve. Better than I expected. Even Finnick Odair was left entranced." He says, swaying me gently. He's so close that I can feel his breath in my hair. Not just uncomfortably close like Finnick was, with Cato I feel like I'm caught in a trap.

He's going to use his charm, good looks and deadly skills to get the upper hand. I hear Finnick's voice in my head. Don't let it get to you.

So I don't. I wriggle one of my hands against his grasp, spinning as I extricate myself from him. My hand finds his shoulder, pulling him closer to me.

"Watching me again, Cato?" Wow. I don't know where the hell that came from. Finnick did a fantastic job giving me a crash course in Flirting 101. "That would have to be the fifth time I caught you staring at me."

"I'm afraid to say I am." He admits in an unconvincing attempt at innocence, "Although, how did you know I was watching you? By the looks you were giving me, you seemed to enjoy staring at me too."

"Maybe I did, but I'm sure your Blondie little princess thinks otherwise." I nod to where Blondie is, sipping a very red fruity little drink beside her district partner. If looks could kill, I'd be very dead right now.

Cato, however, found this amusing. "Jealous, are we Katniss?" He smirks at me, my name forming in his lips in a husky whisper. This is the first time we referred to each other by our first names, not that we've talked before. But somehow he makes it sound like he knows me personally. Very personally.

If you know what I mean.

"Maybe. Maybe not." I tell him, shrugging as if it doesn't matter.

"What do you say we form an alliance?" That pulled me up short. Think Katniss, think. I have to talk to Haymitch about this. And Peeta. So I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"I'll think about it. When I've made up my mind, you'll be the first one to know." I say a little breathlessly. I finally spot Peeta by the bar, eyebrows raised at me.

"All right." He smiles sweetly at me. Too sweet to be real, actually. "I hope you make the right choice."

"I will." I say while slowly extricating myself from him, avoiding yet another staring contest and making my way to my district partner.

"I leave you for ten minutes and suddenly you're wrapped around Cato." Peeta teases me, handing me a glass of champagne. I actually don't want any more alcohol, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"He said he wants me in on the alliance." I say as casually as possible, like how I would say The sky is blue or I'm going to buy some soap.

I expected him to be mad and shout obscenities at me for even considering it, but Peeta just shrugged. "With that stunt you pulled on his district partner and your eleven in training, why wouldn't he want you on his team? You're the biggest threat there is, and he'd want to keep you under his watch to make sure you're not making a move against them."

He's right. Friends close, enemies closer. The Career's smarter than I gave him credit for. "I'd have to talk to Haymitch about this." I say, taking a sip of my drink. I thought I wouldn't like anything that involves alcohol, but this bubbly drink surprisingly tastes good.

"Yeah, assuming he's not passed out drunk in a corner somewhere." He says with a warm, honest smile.

I can't help but return it. Somehow I really like Peeta, the way he always tries to put a positive spin on things. He's.. full of light. It pains me to think that at least one of us will die in a matter of days.

"Come on, give the old man break." We both whip our heads in time to see Haymitch himself behind the bar, looking for another bottle of alcohol to gorge on. "I see you've been making some friends, sweetheart. Maybe you should replace your everyday tea with champagne so you don't scowl at everyone all the time."

Normally I would've said something wonderfully scathing, but since I need his help right now I just roll my eyes. "As you already probably heard, the Careers gave me an invitation to join them. Should I accept it?"

Now it's Haymitch's turn to roll his eyes, his glass clanking with the lip of the bottle as he pours himself some Scotch. "What other choice do you have? You turn them down, they'll hunt you like bandit. Your best shot at winning is by sticking with them. As for breaking off, you'll know it when it comes. And I'll be there to guide you."

My jaw almost dropped. "Wait, did you just say that I actually have a chance at winning this thing?" All this time, Haymitch and I are butting heads with each other, and now he's telling me I got enough odds stacked in my favor?

"Everybody has a shot at winning, sweetheart. You just have a better chance than they do. Don't flatter yourself."

Something tells me that's the closest Haymitch will ever come to complimenting me, so I just nod and snatch his glass away from his grasp. The liquid burned my throat, my eyes almost watering from the sensation. Smirking at Haymitch, I hop down my bar stool and lead Peeta to the dance floor.

It's almost midnight when I decided to look for Cato. Seeing that he isn't anywhere in the ground floor, I make my way upstairs with Peeta right on my heels. He insisted on coming even when I told him there's no need to look after me, since this is a crowded party and Cato would have to be insane if he tries anything. I guess Haymitch's order grew on us. We're by each other's side at all times without even realizing it anymore.

"Woah. She's here." Peeta says as we reach the top of the center stairs.

I turn to look at where Peeta's gawking at, and I see Andromeda Snow sitting alone in the bar, chatting with the bartender.

I push my currently frozen district partner up the right staircase, all the way to the last step. We were almost at the bar when he turns to me, "Can we slow down for a second? Please?"

"Last time I checked I was the one pushing you up that damn stairs and just so you know, you're not the lightest person in Panem. So move."

"Just.. wait a second okay? I need to.. compose myself." He says.

This is the first time I see Peeta at a loss for words. He's always been good with them, it's a shock to see him unsure of how to present himself.

I say it as it dawns on me. "You like her don't you?"

Gawd, my bluntness jumps at me in the most inappropriate moments. Peeta's eyes widen, then a blush suddenly creeps to his face. That's all the answer I need.

"Go. Talk to her. I can deal with Cato." I say, pushing him one last time.

He takes a deep breath before looking back at me. "Well.. wish me luck."

"Good luck. I could use some too, you know." I say.

He smiles in response before taking off and approaching the beautiful girl by the bar.

It only took Peeta a minute to hit it off with Andromeda. His natural, good-natured charm took over, making effortless conversation flow between them.

I would've forgotten what I was here for if I didn't see the boy from District One swaggering towards my direction, holding two liquor bottles in one hand. I instinctively hide myself behind a smooth marble pillar, my eyes following him till he stops in front of a lounge a few balconies away.

Sure enough, the other Careers are with him, sitting around a fireplace in plush green couches. The boy from District One settles himself on a loveseat between two young Capitol women while the tributes from District Four are busy downing a bottle of who knows what. I inch a little closer, careful not to let them notice my presence. The last thing I need is to have their judgmental, prying eyes on me. When I'm only one balcony away, Cato immediately sees me, locking his eyes with mine. He's sitting across the boy from District One with his arm around Blondie, who looks like she's enjoying the contact far too much. Not breaking his gaze, I nod my head to the veranda across the room.

A/N: Soooo.. how about that review? :)