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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcPqKAbNjT
“Well, good morning, Luce,” she says with a smile.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2bmYGYfTT
“Good morning to you, too,” I reply. “And don’t call me Luce,” I add.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1plbZzHWRr
“Oh, come on.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVnZ7q8kSC
I shake my head with a smile. I set my stuff down and sit beside her.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLsUQGwZbp
“So, did you get a look at the list?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdlzaB1Ul5
She nods. “Yes, I did. And….”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sedGHYrXG
“And what?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7W4uMZSrM
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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWyXH3KKNf
I groan. “Why?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA9sERbtnX
She looks up. “So, what are we going to do?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWyLOuWN8m
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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeG8TpIqdA
“Well, what then?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ478cV2FGJ1
“The guards will probably interfere and then we can fight against them together.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFkdhY9AcT
“But why would they interfere?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDbNjLFrnu
“Because we’re supposed to be fighting each other to prove ourselves not fighting together to join kingdoms,” I explain.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3qSjqZHAu
She sighs and glances away. “I don’t understand why they want us to fight to prove ourselves anyways.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5tIMvybeF
“Well, we are royalty. That might be part of the reason. We’re next to take the thrones.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzPUG5yuEx
“I still don’t understand why we have to do this,” she says.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggc17zbNWj
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.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1Dn2SZkE2
I stop kissing her and she looks at me, face flustered.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhid06tndU
“So, how are your stubs?” I ask.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2KU2VscDE
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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2jOMAbE4g
“Isn’t your sixteenth birthday coming up?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3svgpq9Ty
She nods. “Yes. That’s the date of the arena showdown to prove myself. It’s in about two months.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDfxMZSPTT
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.”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw7VXDZixh
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