Chapter 12 Beginning Of The End

• *Ainslee*
• My arms are sore. Every time I move one of them, it hurts. But I am home, sitting on the couch, drinking some warm water and nibbling one of the last pieces of bread.
• I shouldn’t be. My family will need it when I’m gone. Though, my stepfather did remind us all on the way home that anyone who has a family member chosen for the culling receives an extra 100 vlads per week as a gift from the king. That’s probably meant to provide plenty of food to make up for that person’s absence, but as I discussed with Zeke, that’s not the case in our village.