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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYLjN2Dafk
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9an8InaE4R
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlKkq4DMfJ
“Oh, come on.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIUQOMNMWy
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkruBiKcQHf
“So, did you get a look at the list?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKXfpZkXAY
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bYvRMr5e3
“And what?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQML2w0K1Zy
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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAHORjT02Y
I groan. “Why?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfxjXguRGN
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRUkcbNzqP
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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLheQ2RBz4a
“Well, what then?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmn24Y0TEWU
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxYGyhQGZo
“But why would they interfere?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlembALZR8r
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kmIzfMXYh
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82QmAPIYj5
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjf4FdjUkq
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQ11RbSzma
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.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bz2n9IJFW
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFtrPYaxcv
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0vZ7qRAxF
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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfilmkh80V
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92opawmunI
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHBwor6Tre
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.”43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUYu8S3isy
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