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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQL5E1DlS0R
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDQ1iIh1Sk
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LEllyd8jJ
“Oh, come on.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCsZi70uSS
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH6gF1YLa2
“So, did you get a look at the list?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZ2idsi2Jc
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa8y6fj3G6
“And what?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvmzMwkWfR
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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpPU4NBmUQ
I groan. “Why?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWwqjrDzAi
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYioHQZ0uyE
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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9791AW9tO
“Well, what then?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZmsX3eo5p
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLhvB2mM7U
“But why would they interfere?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgMbmyMKym
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNRL7tw3vZ
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡem00mlZ1NZ
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNujFgyk6tG
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XB3Ry3w4H
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.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxPPhPfQso
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDP32Rmzht
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG2xWDXiS8
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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlqEwne8Qj
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxzfwZWkyR
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFjxdCaDRC
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.”33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mA8X4oolf
