I am SO SORRY! I can't say it enough. I am so upset with myself for leaving you guys hanging like that for so long, I mean all of you people who reviewed and favorite and added my story to alerts! I let you guys down so bad I apologize a hundred million times. To be honest I just lost track of time. I mean, I just didn't really think so much time had passed, but here I am eight months later FINALLY with an update. I have gone through (and am still going through) a Harry Potter obsession. Yeah, it's like the height of nerdiness, but I love it. Anyways, I won't hold you guys up any longer (SORRY!) and I will let you read. Thanks so much for sticking by me.

Tacita Desdemona

I stared out at the setting sun. It was purple and orange and pink and red. I couldn't tell whether it was the real sunset, or just a mimic. I wiped my hands off on my pants. They, and the rest of my skin, were caked in dirt, sweat, and blood. The blood was mine. During the bloodbath I had been running from the Cornucopia when my left shoulder was grazed by a flying arrow. It really was a pity considering I am left handed.

I smiled to myself. It was the end of Day 3 in the Arena and I was still alive. Daddy must be proud of me for coming so far along.

I closed my eyes and continued my work. I was digging a ditch at the foot of an old tree. I had already begun to think of the situation as a game of hiding. I was good at hiding, so I was good at the game. I liked hiding too, so I must also like the game, yes?

I had noticed the tree was hollow when I leaned my back against it some time ago. The resulting echo told me all I needed to know. So I began to dig. I was tearing up my fingernails and slicing my cuticles to ribbons, not to mention scraping my hands painfully with each action I took against the hard packed ground.

I tore roots from the ground and tossed them aside. The task wrought hell on my injured arm, but I was dubious to believe anyone would sponsor me with an injury kit.

The sun had nearly disappeared behind the horizon now, and long daunting shadows were leaping from their masters. I loathed this time of day, though I would never admit it. That small window of time when neither the moon nor the sun shines. The split second when everything is plunged into complete and total darkness.

I do not consider myself afraid of the dark, not at all, and I know it's ridiculous to be frightened of such a short moment. In fact, most people don't even believe me when I say there is such a time of night. Or not-day. That's what I call it: Not-Day. Because it is not day and not night.

I shivered and sped up my digging, determined to finish.

I worked for what feels like hours, but judging by the non-existent travel of the moon (for it had appeared by now), it had only been several minutes.

I sat back to admire my work a few moments later. I had succeeded in creating a ditch just deep enough for me to be able to slide under the tree and into its hollow center.

I hoped I was being shown on the television now. I wanted Daddy to see me and see how clever I was, to think up a plan like this. No one would look inside a tree for me.

I lowered myself into the hole and slid myself forward until I was waist deep. Then I reached back and began to pat the dirt I had dug up into the space around me.

Once I was satisfied with my work, I continued to wriggle into my new hiding place. It was kind of exciting. I mean, I had never hidden anywhere so interesting. It was fun. Because I liked the game, of course.

I twisted as best I could and hissed through my teeth in pain as I stretched the wound on my shoulder. Almost an hour later, I had achieved my goal. I was inside the tree.

I was mostly dark, with a thin stream of light coming from the part of the base that I was unable to cover. I was both relieved and disappointed about this.

The tree itself was a little too small to be entirely comfortable. I was squashed against three side and the fourth about half a foot away from most of my body. I did my best to sleep, despite being in an awkward, half-sitting-half-standing position. My wounded arm itched but my movement was too limited to relieve myself of the sensation. I watched the hypnotizing journey of little insects on the wall across me until I finally slept.

End of Day 3

I can't be certain what time I woke up, due to the lack of light. I could see sunlight through the little crack by my feet though, so I knew I had at least slept through the night.

I felt strangely drowsy and my limbs were heavy. I dismissed it as discomfort from my sleeping position.

As I planned, I began shuffling my feet awkwardly, beginning to kick the dirt away. As I shuffled, more and more light appeared to me.

I was nearly free. I slowly started to slide my back down the inside of the tree.

"Gah!" I gasped. My hair was caught. No wait, not my hair. My ribbon. I slid back up, trying to work it free, but it didn't give. My arms were to tightly bound to reach up to untie it myself, so I painstakingly continued to shift up and down the wall struggled to free myself.

My left arm tickled again. Actually it was much worse now. It almost hurt. I looked over and let out a strangled cry.

Sitting right on top of my almost closed wound was a giant scorpion. I sobbed in tearless fright, trying instinctively to shake it off, but it was hopeless. I yanked my head downward, willing to rip my hair out of my scalp if it would free me, but even that was fruitless.

"…the one who led us all to those freaking flowers. If someone should have died back there it's you!"

Someone was out there. I opened my mouth to cry out for help before clamping it shut again. The chances the scorpion on my arm was poisonous was high, but considering my low training score, the possibility of them killing me over taking me as an alliance was even higher. I whimpered to myself. I was shocked and horrified to find that it was much more of a raspy whine.

"…Set up here? It's as good a place as any, right?"

My heart sank. No, if they set up here, I wouldn't be able to escape for at least another day. The scorpion scuttled slightly, as though to remind me of its presence. I felt wet tears of hopelessness on my cheeks.

Hiding here was not a good idea. I don't think I like hiding very much anymore. That means I must not like the game very much either.

I listened to the other participants' conversation without absorbing anything. I tried to think brightly. Someone must be very happy that I am hiding. Whether it is Daddy, who I hope is proud of my plan, or the other tributes, who probably won't have to compete against me much longer, for my veins were now surely filled with lead rather the blood. I could no longer move enough to attempt to free my hair or shake free the insect.

"Hey, look at this!" someone yelled.

I felt a sudden shift in weight by my tree.

"Wow, look at these guys!" a voice cried.

"Keep it down!" another hissed.

"What are they?"

"Some sort of scorpions, looks like." There are more.

"I've read about these. I don't remember the name, but a lot of people call them Blood Beetles. They're attracted to blood, see."

"Well, none of us are bleeding. They'll stay out of our way and we'll stay out of theirs."

Blood Beetles. They were attracted to my injured shoulder. I whimpered fearfully.

"I heard something! Prince, come over here!"

I held my breath, terror washing over me. I felt a breeze graze over my right ankle, and slowly I looked down horror-struck.

My foot was showing.

I had not moved it since attempting to kick away the dirt. I struggled to gather enough strength to hide it, but I could do little more than drag it back a couple centimeters.

"It's a foot! Do you think there's a body in there?"

"But we haven't heard any cannons for a whole day."

"Maybe the Gamemakers haven't found it yet,"

I'm not dead! I wanted to scream. I couldn't make a sound though. The heavy weight had spread to my face and my eyes lids were impossibly heavy.

There was a long silence.

"We'll have to help them out then. Cut it down."

I fought to move my visible foot even a little, trying to give some sign that I was alive, but it was hopeless.

"Cut it down? But-"

"If it wasn't dead when it got in there, it's dead now. You see the Beetles, whoever's in there must have been bleeding pretty bad to attract this many and once they inject their poison into the open wound the victim is paralyzed and then killed within hours. Now do it."

So I was only still alive because my wound was mostly healed by the time it injected me. It wasn't able to do it directly into my bloodstream.

I smiled bitterly. I certainly didn't like hiding anymore. But I did still like making people happy. So maybe, then, this wasn't so bad, because I was absolutely certain that many people would be pleased about my unfortunate fate. The other children would be very happy.

I was glad.

Tacita Desdemona

Age 15

District 5

Who Was Found