“Your act of bravery is,” Rowena paused, her voice a slow, drawn-out hiss that was pure mockery. She began stalking toward me slowly, savoring the moment, her eyes never leaving mine. “...commendable.” She finished with a sharp, humorless chuckle. Her minions, a pathetic-looking gaggle of rogues lurking behind her, burst into a chorus of harsh, forced laughter, as if she had just delivered the punchline to the funniest joke in the world.
I knew what they found so amusing. The girl they had once dragged through the mud, treated like a pathetic rag doll, was now standing here, bravely challenging a monster like Rowena. It must have looked hilariously naive to them.
I ignored the mockery glittering in their eyes and met Rowena's gaze head-on, my own eyes blazing with defiance. I held my gro
