The wave was coming from my left and soon enough it would be everywhere. I picked myself off from the ground and forced my legs to remember how to run but it was pointless. I was floundering around like a fish out of water and it regretfully it wouldn't stay that way. I was consumed by the powerful wave that tossed me around like ragdoll. With many strong kicks I flew upwards and emerged to the surface. The water was even colder than my dreams and it seemed like it was reaching into my lungs and stealing my breath away. I was panting so much and trying to remain calm. The burning saltiness of the water stung my eyes as I tried to rub them clean. I didn't see the large wave.

Once again I was flailing in the water, and with every attempt I tried to swim back to the surface, I was beaten by another wave, forcing me farther away from the surface.

This is it. I am going to die.

I couldn't hold my breath any longer; the world grew fuzzier and darker as I sank lower and lower. It was a lot more peaceful than my nightmares. Everything was quiet. Drowning wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

"Daddy, what if I drown?" I asked nervously, knotting my fingers together and standing by the oceans edge. I shied away every time the water tickled my toes. I was five years old and still didn't know how to swim, a practical sin in District Four.

My father chuckled. "You'll be fine, Annie."

"But, what if there is a shark?"

"I'm scarier than anything you can find in this ocean." That was a lie, he was so sweet and of course he said it to make me feel better. "Just run in. I'll help you."

I nodded, took a deep breath and sprinted into his arms.

I saw everything. Birthdays, anniversaries, school days, I saw my reaping day, the train journey and the parade. Mags has her arms wrapped around me and Finnick's lips were clinging to mine; I remembered it.

"You have to win."

Okay Finnick. One last time. For everyone else.

I willed my eyes to open and saw the light above. I knew that I had one chance for air and that was it. I had to win, for my parents, my District, for everything. With my last ounce of energy, I kicked down hard at the water and sucked in the biggest breath that my lungs could take when I burst through to the surface. I sputtered and coughed and panted but kept my legs moving to help me stay afloat; though that proved to be a challenge. The waves just would not stop coming and I had to keep on swimming. The only relief I had was when small currents would slowly drag me along until I get drawn into the crest of a wave again and again. It got to the point when I feared any sort of movement in the water. Even the water itself.

I had no idea how long I was swimming for, but I knew it was around three hours. It was cannon after cannon until I realised that there was only two left. The light had left the sky and for the first time since I was four, I was afraid of it. My breaths got shallower as I accidentally inhaled more water and my limbs shook with every move that I made. I had four rules for survival:

Eyes open.

I was so tired I would catch myself unwillingly shutting my eyes.

Head up. Head up.

Most of the time I found it a struggle to stay on the surface for more than a mere minute.

Live in the present.

Sometimes the flashback would come back and each time I had to submerge myself for them to go away, which kind of went against my first and second rule.

Swim.

I just had to keep moving, and swimming and-

My thoughts were cut off by the sudden pull of the water under my legs. I tried to swim away but this was a lot stronger than any other current I faced before and I felt too weak to fight against it. It felt I was kicking through air and was getting me absolutely nowhere. With a heavy sigh I let go, hoping for me for the other person to die first.

What I thought was a current was much worse than that. It started to twist slowly and it wasn't until when it started spinning faster when I realised that I was in a whirlpool.

With newfound fearful adrenaline in my body I thrusted and scraped at the water to set me free from my awful fate. There were no whirlpools in District Four, so I had no idea what to do with one. My pulse raced at an unimaginable level as my legs slowly began to fail on me, I pleaded for them to work but I was too distracted by a nails clawing their way up my body.

A found a pair of disastrously familiar green eyes glaring at me. Maeve started clawing at me to pull me deeper and I unwillingly complied. The spinning water was so disorientating that I could barely see her pale hands wrap around my delicate throat, making it twice as easy for her to drown me. Her feral glare never left mine as she was tightening her grip. I began to see black and wide spots consume my vision as my arms went limp at my sides.

She had me. I tried. I really tried.

That was the moment when my hand brushed the knife in my belt.

I swiped the knife and impaled it into the side of her throat, her shoulder and I gouged her left eye out. She fought against me and tried to take hold my knife but her gripped loosened with every stab. I thought of Rio and Speck and pushed all my anger and energy into that moment. Maeve's screams were drowned out I felt so much of everything and nothing at all.

Her hands finally loosened as the water turned cloudy red. I pushed down on her head as a tool to bring me to the surface. When I broke through, I heard the last cannon fire.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the Seventieth Huger Games, Annie Cresta! I give you – the tribute of District Four." Claudius Templesmith announced.

It's done. It's over.

I released a sigh of relief and floated on the surface of the red sea, trying to get my breathing back under control. I couldn't tell if I was crying or if it was just the water. A hovercraft emerged from above like an angel. A ladder was released from it and I grabbed hold as it brought me up to safety.

Someone was there to help me hold onto the ladder and I was laid on the floor. Frantic doctors fussing over my body as my eyes slowly began to shut. I was so exhausted that I couldn't help it.

I won.

"Speck! No. I'm so sorry." I begged to the reflection in the pool of water that I was standing in. A bloody scream erupted from her lips as her reflection painfully contorted itself into Rio, carrying his head again.

"Rio! I'm sorry." I cried and blocked my eyes from the reflections.

I screamed and screamed.

My eyes flew open and I was shocked by my surroundings, forgetting that I was no longer huddled in my cave or consumed by waves of blood. I lay in a sterile white room on a firm bed, I noticed that I had some restraints removed from my body. A drip was pierced into my arm and a bottle of water and a glass lay by my bed. I licked my dry lips with anticipation and reached for the clean water. My body ached so much but I didn't care. The unsalted water was heaven and I finished the entire bottle in a a few goes. I stood up and rested my palm against the wall to help me balance. I didn't feel entirely well but it was the closest I had felt to peace since my name was plucked from the Reaping Bowl.

I flinched when I heard the door open. Before I turned around to see who entered I grabbed the bottleneck and smashed it against the side of the table and pointed it towards the intruder. I was shocked and I thought I was going to faint.

He stood still on the threshold, raising his shaky hands in surrender, his own eyes glistening with tears.

"Annie," he whispered.

"F-Finnick," I stuttered and glanced downwards. Broken glass stung my hands and feet and ruby red blood seeped through the cuts. My find fled to the memory of Rio, Pyronn, Speck and Maeve. So much blood. I had killed three.

I dropped the bottle and pressed my bloody hands to my ears, falling against the wall. I released a primal concoction of sobbing and screaming. In an instant Finnick had collected mmein his arms and sat us down on the bed, I relaxed into him. Finnick kept me from jumping as an Avox boy walked in.

"Get out!" Finnick yelled. The Avox gulped, left the tray of food on the floor by the door and rushed out. I was relentless to stop myself from shaking. Finnick just sat there and allowed me to cry into him, knowing what I had been through.

"What have they done to you?" He murmured as he stroked my hair.

They broke me beyond repair.