The next morning, I get up, grab my things and head to the middle land clearing. I find Charmeine already there. She looks up as I approach.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfaxMyFQHj
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBXTo2wdDx
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCfDSNIZFS
“Oh, come on.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxhLH8uhPg
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxTNvfEgRb
“So, did you get a look at the list?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K0aqGxE6T
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFqCgRzxVD
“And what?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zuxLKzmWt
She hangs her head in despair and puts her hands on her face. “We’re scheduled to fight each other. And we’re the last ones to fight.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKknHp4MDG
I groan. “Why?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG8KE7VDhx
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB76q6zGzUH
I tap my chin in thought and gasp. “I know exactly what we can do. We can start out fighting each other and make it look like I’m defeating you. Then, we can start fighting together when they let out the animals.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiOS2Mgl3F
“Well, what then?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1g7mmVWmE
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9dqwOVCgn
“But why would they interfere?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsLBTPR1AY
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmj6282K8XJ
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8U3gGGzZy1
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcy33EgCAi
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdsqs5Tj20
I reach over and turn her head to face me. I lean in and lift her chin. I connect our lips in a kiss and I feel her hand go on the back of my neck.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGTdUsgRAE
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0G6XZqw12
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9F4hz9vGea
She sighs. “They’ve gotten a little bigger. And they aren’t fluttering as much. If I’m correct, I only have about one and a half to two feet left before they’ll hide and I’ll have to tell them to come out.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFcuERCmJW
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mS4nidwua
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySh67gA4cj
I sigh. “So we have two months to get this figured out. It seems like a long time, but in truth it’s really not that long. So if we want to figure this out, we need to do so. And quickly.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2umhxMcbE6
