A/N: A huge shout-out to Bellanator116 for helping me a lot in terms of where I'm going with this. Thank you!

Finnick and I jump to our feet the second after we hear the noise. Haymitch doesn't even bother to stand up. I'm not sure if he's too drunk to even notice, or just used to this from his tributes. We quickly make our way through the apartment. I figure out that the noise is coming from Alyssa's room. I knock on the door, and tiptoe in.

She's curled up on her bed, wrapped in her fuzzy blue blanket. Finnick mouths Annie. Sometimes Annie would do the same thing too. I shake my head, and mouth back that he should wait outside. "Are you okay?" I ask her, unsure of what to do. I've never really been a cryer, and watching people cry makes me extremely uncomfortable. But as Alyssa's mentor, it's my job to suck it up, and just try to help her. I sit down next to her, and put my arm around her.

Alyssa tucks a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. Her eye makeup has smudged all over her cheeks. "It's not worth it." She says matter-of-factly. "I'm going to kill or be killed. But being killed is a better option. If I live, I'll never be able to face my family again, or even look at myself. And I'll have those nightmares, and I might even have to sell myself. But the only person I really care about is my brother, and I can't afford to worry about hurting him."

"What about your parents?" I ask Alyssa. I remember seeing them waiting to say their goodbyes. They look like merchants with their blonde hair and blue-grey eyes.

"I don't care about them. And they don't care about me." She responds coldly. "I just need to keep him safe."

For the first time, I crack a smile. Even if it's ill-placed. She's already thinking like a killer. "I have a feeling you might be able to win this."

"What do you mean?" She sounds confused.

I feel almost bad, I'm going to play off Alyssa's emotions. But I need her to want this. It's the only way to keep her alive. "If your parents don't care about you, they won't care about him. The only way to keep him safe is to take care of him yourself. And you can only do that by going home." I point out. "Like with my sister. If somehow I had gotten reaped, I would have easily killed myself for Peeta. But I knew I had to take care of her, so I won the whole thing."

Alyssa smiles at me. "You're right."

"Your training starts at ten. I'll wake you up in time for you to shower and get some food into you." I tell Alyssa, tucking her in, and turning off the lights. I quietly close the door behind me. "She just needed some motivation." I explain to Finnick. Haymitch has disappeared."Where's Haymitch?"

"With Johanna." Finnick shrugs. "They're very close."

"Closer than you are with Johanna." I point out, trying not to sound confrontational.

"Me and Johanna used to screw around." Finnick sighs. "It was a long time ago. A few years ago. We're both over it. Now we're pretty good friends. I think she's into him now." It doesn't bother me to hear that. I would be dumb to think Finnick hadn't had sex with people he was actually interested in. Besides, Johanna and Finnick are ridiculously close. As close as Gale and I am. Rather, as close as we were. But for some reason, the idea of Haymitch and Johanna seems odd. But then I realize that they both have nobody left.

"Alright." Before I can ask about them, an Avox shows up. It's the same one that was here when I was in the Games. She nods, hands me a small folded piece of paper, turns and walks away. The first thing that I register is that the paper smells like roses. But it's too strong to be regular roses. They're Snow's roses. I want to burn it, but I decide to read it. It's written in a black cursive that's so neat, I almost doubt it was handwritten. The card's message is to-the-point:

Please help instruct archery at the training center tomorrow. You will be rewarded. Don't be late.

"I'm helping out in the training center tomorrow. It sounds fishy." I muse. This is pretty weird. Finnick shrugs. Just go with it, he tells me. I'm so tired I fall asleep on the couch, on top of Finnick. I wake up to the sound of Gale's voice.

"Jeez. I know you two are screwed up, but sex on a couch? Really?" Gale disapproves. I look around. All I was wearing last night was a flimsy cotton nightshirt, and Finnick was just in his shorts, as usual. Plus, the fact that we passed out in each other's arms doesn't help.

"Trust me, if we had done anything, you definitely would have heard it." Finnick quips.

"Someone's cocky." I tease Finnick, playing with his hair.

"I'm very cocky, but you would know that." Finnick purrs. Gale makes a gagging noise. I roll my eyes, and go to get dressed. I put on some simple black pants and red shirt. I go into Alyssa's room to wake her.

Alyssa's curled up in a ball; her long blond hair splayed on her pillow. "It's time to wake up." I tell her. She groans, and sits up. "Do you feel any better?" I ask her.

Alyssa nods. "Yeah. A lot." Effie's hung over from her after-party (which is very strange for her), so I offer to take Gale and Alyssa down to the Training Center. They're wearing the black outfit I wore last year, with a "12" on their sleeve. "Don't ignore the survival skills. And don't be afraid to talk to people."

"Even the Careers?" Gale asks.

"Even the Careers. It wouldn't hurt to be on their good side. Just don't get too attached. There's only one winner." I point out.

The moment I get into the Training Center, I begin to scope out the competition. All of the tributes are at various boys from 1,2, 6, and 8 look pretty athletic. Something about the one from 2 bothers me. I'm not quite sure what. The girls from 1, 2, 7, and Dahlia seem to know what they're doing as well. I look over at Dahlia, and give her a small smile. I don't have time to say anything because Atala begins a short speech about today is the last day, and it's very important to try and visit as many stations as possible. The individual sessions are later. Tomorrow I get to spend the whole day with Gale and Alyssa, prepping them for their interviews. She introduces me, even though everyone knows who I am.

"My specialty is using a bow and arrow, so I'm going to demonstrate. There's usually a bow in the Cornucopia." I say matter-of-factly. I want to seem as neutral and impartial as possible. The trainer who works with archery gives me a silver bow with arrows that look similar to the ones I used in my games. I aim, and shoot at the first target. I hit it right where it's heart would be. I hit the next four targets with perfect aim. When I turn around, I realize how quiet the room is. Everyone is staring at me. Some faces show awe, others show jealously. Gale looks proud.

"Thank you, Katniss." Atala dismisses me. "We have a previous victor from District One coming as well, to demonstrate throwing knives. But I'm not quite sure where she is." Just as she says that, Cashmere comes rushing in. She looks disheveled. I want to ask what happened to her, but it's not the right time for that. In here, there are no allies. I can't talk to Dahlia, or Cashmere because they're not from my district.

She quickly puts her wavy, blonde hair into a ponytail. "I'm sorry, I was held up." She pouts. I notice a few of the boys gawking at her. She nods in my direction. It would be inappropriate to talk to me. "So, throwing knives. You can almost always find them in the arena. They're pretty lethal too." Cashmere takes all of them. She picks them up, and throws them two at a time, hitting some in the head, some in the heart. I thought Clove was good, but Cashmere makes her look like a beginner. I would be terrified to be in the arena against her.

After Cashmere is done, we both have to leave. We're not allowed to stay for the training session. We make polite small talk while waiting for the elevator. Before she gets off at the 1st floor of the apartments, she turns to me, "Congrats about you and Finnick. Just... be careful." I'm left to wonder what her words mean.

When I get back to my floor, Haymitch and Effie are eating a late breakfast. They don't see me come in. Or if they do, they don't bother to greet me. I go into my room to change into regular clothing, but I'm stopped by the overwhelming smell of roses. On my nightstand, there's another small card. It says:

Miss Everdeen, it would be wise to keep your buisness arrangements confidential.

Crap. I forgot that the rooms could be wired, so that Snow could hear me. He knows I told Gale and Alyssa. And someone's going to pay for my mistake. I have a very good feeling District 12 will not have a winner.

"Haymitch, do you have any liquor?" I ask, wanting to know if he'll share. I know for a fact that there's no way I'll be able to handle these next few days sober.

"Katniss!" Effie scolds me. "Do you really think that drinking alcohol will solve anything?" She sounds so patronizing, it makes me want to roll my eyes.

"Yes, Effie. I think it will." I realize how disrespectful I sound, but I don't really care. Effie huffs, and adjusts her purple wig.

"You can have some when you get back, Sweetheart." Haymitch answers. "You have some sponsors to meet with."

"How many?" I dread the answer. Haymitch doesn't look up from his toast.

"Five." He mumbles. "Pass the orange juice?"

"Well that's fantastic." I say sarcastically. And I thought three-in-a-row was bad. This must be because of my stunt with telling Gale and Alyssa the truth. Silly me, to think that telling the truth would actually help. A smaller part of my mind reminds me that at least, Gale will die knowing the truth. We have some type of closure. And that alone makes me feel a little better.

"Don't be upset, Katniss! This is great opportunity! Meeting with possible Sponsors could be life-saving for Gale or Alyssa. And besides, getting to know the most powerful and wealthy citizens in Panem couldn't hurt." Effie's optimism sickens me. If only she knew. It may be life saving, but not in the way she'd imagine.

"Don't worry Effie!" I try to reassure her. "I'm just worried that I'll slip up and my manners won't be up-to-par." She seems pleased with my response. "Do you know where Cinna is?" Effie points down the hallway. I thank her, and tentatively knock on his door. Cinna's sitting at a table, furiously sketching.

He stands up, and hugs me when he sees me. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Cinna asks me.

"If you're not too busy," I don't really know how to ask him this, so I try to be blunt. "could you help me? I need to make my makeup look sexy." I blush.

"Of course." Cinna smiles warmly at me. I wonder if he knows what I do. He's smart enough to have figured it out.

Cinna sits me down at a table, and pulls out a black box. There's hundreds of makeup pieces, in every color imaginable. His hands fly across my face, as if he's painting a picture. And the canvas is my face. My pal, blotchy skin and messy hair is transformed into a tanned, bright eyed, dark-lipped girl with soft, shiny hair. Cinna says my eyeliner is cat-like, but I'm glad I don't look like Buttercup. My lips are cherry red, and my hair falls down my back in loose curls. I look beautiful, but not like me. "It's perfect. Thank you so much." I thank Cinna.

I want to hug him, but he refuses, saying it'll mess up my hair. He smiles at me, and I slip on a knee length red skirt that hugs my body and has a slit that goes to my thigh. I don't put on a shirt, but put on a leather jacket, and zip it up to my neck. I slip into heels, and check myself once over before stepping outside. Haymitch chokes on his drink when he sees me. "Well, shit. See you for dinner."

I have to walk through the lobby to get to the car that's picking me up. Unfortunately, the tributes are on break in the lobby. I try to ignore the wolf-whistles. But the boy from District 2 catches my eye. I realize what bothers me about him. He looks like Cato. "Hey Katniss," He says in my ear. I realize that he's standing right behind me. "You better be careful when it comes to your cousin. I need to avenge my brother, don't I?"

I turn around and grip the collar of his shirt. He's grinning cockily, and I'm contemplating backhanding him. "You lay a finger on Gale before you need to and I swear I'll make your life hell if you get out of there alive." I tell him, using my most threatening voice.

He seems almost intimidated. "Whatever you say, gorgeous." I bite my lip and turn around to throw him a smile and wink before I walk out. The look on his face is priceless. I am in the Capitol. I am not me. I am a proud victor. I can flirt with everyone. I am the female Finnick Odair. Breathe, and get this over with. I've become well-acquainted with my driver. He's been the same man each time. The Games aren't mandatory viewing in the Capitol, so a handful of the lower-class here doesn't even know who I am. Which is a nice change. The driver, who's name is Reynaldo didn't know I was a victor until I told him. He doesn't bother to watch TV. He looks fairly plain by Capitol standards. The only thing that gives away that he's from here is his purple mustache and eyelashes. Reynaldo is a short man in his thirties with dark hair and eyes.

After my last 'sponsor', I hop into the back of the car, and see a black bag sitting on the seat next to me. It's about the size of three pillows stacked on top of each other. "Some man- I think he said his name was Finnick- dropped that bag off for you." He tells me nonchalantly. I look inside the bag, and see a change of clothes- a white blouse to put under my jacket, some tight pants, and a pair of boots. I slide on my pants under my skirt so that way I don't really have to change. Johanna showed me how to do that so I could change in public. I switch my shoes, put away my skirt and heels in the bag, and close the tinted windows so I can put on my shirt. I notice that Reynaldo doesn't look in the rearview mirror. When we get to the Training Center, I thank him, as always, and talking the bag with me, I make my way to the elevator. I'm happy not to run into anyone. Before I can stop myself, I push the button that will bring me to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor is absolutely the same as the twelfth, but the views aren't as good. I see Mags, and she hugs me. She mumbles something resembling a greeting. She had a stroke a few years back, and because of that, her speech is garbled. I say hello, and she pours me a glass of tea like the one she's drinking. We chat for a little. Before I can ask where Finnick is, he comes out of the elevator, with disheveled hair and a wrinkled shirt. I pull him into my arms. "I missed you so much." I tell him.

Finnick nods, and gives me a small kiss. He hugs Mags and says hello, before sitting me down on the couch next to him.

"How bad was it?" I ask him.

"I've been through worse." He answers. "I should ask you that question." I look at my reflection on mirrored walls. There's bruises beginning to form all over my neck, shoulders and arms.

"It was terrible." I tell him honestly. "Then again, it's not going to be good."

Mags points to the clock on the wall. Finnick sighs. "You better get upstairs. Gale and your girl's training scores'll be announced soon." I kiss him goodbye, and head upstairs. I honestly forgot about the individual training. Way to go, Katniss. You're an A+ Mentor.

Everyones upstairs. The chatter seems to be polite, but enthusiastic. Haymitch greets me. "There she is. How are you, sweetheart? I was worried that you forgot about us."

I ignore his question, and sit down on the couch. "How was your sessions?"

Gale shrugs. "I used the arrow a bit, set some snares and tied knots."

"Awesome. Alyssa?"

She grins at me. Her thick hair is in a tight ponytail, and there's a little bit of sweat on here forehead. "I threw knives, spears, and used the swords. I think I did well."

"Thats fantastic. Both of you should get pretty good scores. We'll talk strategies for the games and the interview tomorrow."

Caesar Flickerman is on the TV now. He talks about the games, and then he's on to the scores. The tributes from 1 and the girl from 2 all get 8s, the boy from 2, Cato's brother, gets an eleven. Dahlia gets an 8. Both of Johanna's tributes get sixes. I don't pay attention to the others. Gale gets a nine, and Alyssa gets an eleven as well.

Effie's ecstatic. Portia proposes a toast, and Cinna calls me "District Twelve's good-luck-charm."

For the first time, dinner is actually bearable. A warm pumpkin soup is served, as well as a pig. With an apple in it's mouth. When I see it, Haymitch and I burst out laughing. Everyone must think we're insane. "Whats so funny?" Gale asks me.

"Well, during Katniss' training session there was a pig, with an apple in it's-" Haymitch can't finish, he's laughing too hard. "What did you say again?"

"Thanks for your consideration." I smile.

Effie clucks her tongue. "Katniss, that stunt was a display of terrible manners. It reflected badly on all of us."

"I'm surprised they didn't take it out on you." Portia adds.

"No they did. The fireballs?" I disagree. I still have a burn scar on my leg to prove it.

"So, how was the meeting with the sponsors today?" Effie asks. "Tell us everything!"

Haymitch and I exchange a glance. "Well, it was strenuous, talking all day. But Gale and Alyssa's fantastic training scores will definitely help prove my point- you two both have potential. Both of you could win this." I say, not really lying. "We should celebrate! Do you know what be fantastic? Chocolate-covered strawberries!" I say, remembering how much Effie loved them last year.

"That would be lovely. And maybe some red wine too?" Effie suggests.

"Why are we celebrating. We're probably gonna die." Gale deadpans.

"That kind of attitude is going to get you nowhere. I know what we should do." I stand up, and walk towards the bar. I pour three drinks, and hand them to Gale and Haymitch. "Alyssa, you don't want." I tell her.

"This is what Cray drinks." Gale tells me. "Why do you want alcohol?"

"Trust me. You need to loosen up a bit." I sound authoritative.

"Why can't I have?" Alyssa asks. She sounds almost left out.

"Because you're fifteen years old." Haymitch says. "When you win, you can have all the liquor you can stomach." Trust him, you'll need it.

After everyone's gone to their rooms, I go to Haymitch's. Him and Gale are sitting on his bed, and laughing about something. There's a few empty bottles scattered around the room, so it's fair to assume that they're at least a little bit drunk. They haven't even noticed I'm in the room. Gale's talking about some girl he had sex with a few months ago. A pang of jealousy hits me hard in the stomach. I don't like Gale in a romantic way. I don't think I ever have. Besides, in the eyes of the Capitol, he's my cousin. But still, I feel a little bit jealous of her, and I'm not sure why.

"Good night you two. Get some sleep, Gale." I tell them, effectively interrupting Gale. Haymitch grumbles something, and falls over onto his pillow. I shake my head.

I miss Finnick. But I can't spend the night with him right now. I have to wait until Gale and Alyssa in the arena with Dahlia, and we'll need each other more than ever. I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep while they're still fighting. I just hope the arena has some type of forest, so Gale might be able to hunt. I know that Alyssa will do just fine wherever the arena is.

I want to sleep with him. Not in the way everyone assumes we do, I just want to sleep next to him. We've only ever had sex once. And that didn't really count. It was after my games, when I found out that things won't go back to normal. I can't sleep without his strong, muscular arms around me. I've never been dependent on anyone for anything, but I need him. He's the only one who understands everything I've been through. And I don't get nightmares when he's sleeping next to me. I feel horrible for Finnick. He's had to deal with this much longer than I have.

*Flashback*

"Finnick," I lay my head on his lap. He runs his hand through my hair. "How does this whole thing work. Do they pay you upfront, or what?"

He shakes his head. I can tell he's having trouble figuring out what to say. Finnick pushes his bronze hair out of his eyes, and sighs. "Well, not exactly. President Snow personally handles all of the money and arranges everything. Around the time of the games, we go to the highest bidders. The extremely rich citizens or the friends of the President can have us anytime, year round, if they pay. It's ridiculously expensive."

"Do we get to keep the money?" I ask. The victors get a large sum of money when they move in to the Victor's Village, but it's not enough to live off of.

"Not really." Finnick explains, "But the money goes into an account that we can use on our tributes in the Games." He sees the expression on my face and back-pedals a little. "But we can get tipped, or ask for things."

"What do they give you? Jewelry, clothing, love letters?" I say, sarcastically.

"My lovers pay me in secrets. You should try it, really. When they're done, just ask them to tell you a secret. They love it." He purrs. I'm glad I decided to talk to him, he knows what he's doing.

*Flashback Ended*

A/N: Well, thats it for this chapter. Did you like it? On other notes, we have our Finnick! Sam Claflin (I'm not sure how you spell it) has been casted. Thoughts?

Reviews = Love.