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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D4nD94pxt
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5qdyEkcV1
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFutGmXG2E
“Oh, come on.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnZgvzaXtf
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF1vW1NEdS
“So, did you get a look at the list?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2Pv693xbi
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJESTsKOqx
“And what?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLntHzG9PP
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.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLgtyaeYuK
I groan. “Why?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd6FEKwga2
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCd2mTvzPt
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.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRckafLvNhv
“Well, what then?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrSBZe2FHk
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDEnuixOPB
“But why would they interfere?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV99jGTuM96
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH2O4spft0
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJAjAEkR4f
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oAp1L6Snv
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2HarZkZ9Q
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.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvEAjXuZwH
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEBqoyMJla
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM9vpWHoac
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.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W1yj6H7Z1
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJAyYXLtf9
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACZkXNwE4j
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.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYAGbkJ4MH
