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.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhrpWnBbRa
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfpOfDMhJC
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm2mWUosha
“Oh, come on.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgBtFfuEoG
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKorrQ52Ji7
“So, did you get a look at the list?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv0TFTcRUC
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEMWZ8iuMH
“And what?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YOS2LZd20
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.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFn3qDc0Ntz
I groan. “Why?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQCctYbMo2
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4UXPAt1dr
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.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yEYtt37XO
“Well, what then?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBG6s6bd05
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDte6oDT1L
“But why would they interfere?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzXUEVfghJ
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zzcP1fmuD
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLfM7fpMrj
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQAxe9jmro
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNrBWtm36p
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.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1ZLW961vD
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeN2SW8145
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFF8u9Lp7fD
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.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUBflAEWcJ
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QR1c5jbWy
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGgnPubVbr
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.”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2ldhf7ufw
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