51. Water
Annie's Element
The water was a welcoming sight for Annie in the 70th Hunger Games. Up until that point, her best option was to stay hidden to preserve her life. Four days later, when the ground shifted and rumbled beneath her feet, she wondered if the earthquake was planned by the Gamemakers—it wasn't. The Games were disrupted as a dam exploded and water flooded the arena.
The sudden onslaught of water was terrifying for the rest of the living tributes who didn't know how to swim. Water was their end. They drowned as water filled up their lungs, and soon, their dead bodies were seen floating in the arena. The depths of the flood were enormous, but Annie was fully in her element being that she's from District 4. She may as well have been a fish in her past life.
Aside from the freak earthquake that helped the odds be in her favor, Annie wanted to get far away from the Hunger Games as much as possible. She knew she'd never be able to separate herself from the cruel water jokes. She expected it to be this way for the rest of her life. Before she went on her Victory Tour, Annie had an interview with Caesar Flickerman who made a tongue in cheek joke about water: "I bet you've seen enough water to last a lifetime" and "does a cup of water refresh or repulse you, now that the Games are over?"
She remained silent when he asked her those questions, but forced herself to smile and nod when he complimented her superb swimming skills.
