I felt like my heart was going to jump right out of my mouth and hit the dusty floor. Every pulse in my neck was a violent throb, but I forced myself to take a long, shaky breath and summoned every tiny bit of courage hidden in my soul. My legs felt like they were made of thin glass, wobbling with every movement, but I didn't let them stop me. I forced one foot in front of the other, climbing the creaky wooden steps of the stage to face the woman who wanted to destroy me. Up there, Mary was waiting, her lips pulled back in a grin that made her look like a hungry shark sensing blood in the water.
The referee was a massive man with a thick, gray beard that reached his chest. He didn't even bother to look at me with a shred of respect; to him, I was just a lamb walking into a slaughterhouse.
