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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKG12y5HX1
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOBagacZ5h
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUt2AGu8z6W
“Oh, come on.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqdl66iKiA
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrBvl1jJrp
“So, did you get a look at the list?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcU8r6Jl9M
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUR8BOTlbIo
“And what?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKihLSB8p2F
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.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DwHdXlLyF
I groan. “Why?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2SxLQlsSN
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKPJC0qtlZ
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.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLquuetuiPQ
“Well, what then?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZWYVxiZRO
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBnRTBZydL
“But why would they interfere?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnfREi0em1
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTYYea9nU4
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VPDnC3649
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqj9O3AuQh
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZOBM2EVIr
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfbiGszJcW
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kuZSlkgwh
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVL9kjiepG8
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.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6EwrUMk35
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0k1q66G2S
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ4VAbLelz
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.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwycE8SgSN
