Never ownED myself

Confrontation

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Trust is earned.
Friendship is not.
MJ1
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Tom's voice cut through the chaos in Annie's mind like a blade. His word echoed in her head sending ripples that ricocheted from the inside out. Her eyes darted Tom with a deadly expression.

The relentless man swung his blade harder than his his previous attack. Annie's claws clashed with the blade barely making a move. The men flew backwards and with a single blow he ended crashing into a wall that someone else casted to prevent him from falling.

People's eyes and ears gathered like vultures in disbelief. She had never given a glance to her attacker.

Leah was stunned letting Annie take all the decisions regarding their survival. While her rage simmered through the surface of her skin. Her magic sparked surrounding her body.

The man charged again, laughing, empowered by his silent allies. Annie stepped aside and finally looked at her opponent. Each burst of mirth echoed through the walls. His blows grew stronger, his movements wilder. Almost sadistic. Every time Annie shifted to dodge or gain ground, his laughter swelled, louder and more unhinged.

"Leah! Come and talk with Tom, because if I do, you won't like then out come." Annie summoned Leah.

But silence answered.

Around them, half of the crowd turned restless. Voices crept through the stone.
"Knock her off already."
"Fraud."
The words pierced deeper than any blade.

What a bunch of hypocrites! All of them. Her eyes darted around the room.

A hatchet whistled toward her, the gap between them had shortened and she had failed to notice. She gasped for air, heart pounding loud. Sweat trickled down her neck. Her strength diminished. Leah was slipping further away she was fleeing the confrontation with Tom. And without her, Annie was only a bag of flesh vulnerable and unremarkable.

Desperate, she summoned scraps of powers she possessed and hurled a fireball, aiming for his legs. But it was too small. He snuffed it out easily.  Her only flame was gone in an instant.

Annie looked at her hands.
Is there no other way around it?
She made another fireball and hurled it his way.

But he turned before it landed, swinging his shield behind him in one fluid motion. The flames struck metal and fizzled out.
"Yar gonna need more than a fireball to put me on me arse, lady," he barked, grinning through cracked teeth.

Annie clenched her jaw, heat rising. It wasn't due to magic, but from humiliation. He hadn't even flinched. Her attacks were nothing to him. Useless.

She retreated again, stumbling on her heels. A ridge in the stone, it hadn't been there the second before, but her instincts saved her. She twisted, regained her balance, and kept moving in one fluid motion.
"They want a show of brutality," she muttered, her voice shaking with fury. They want a warrior. Fine. Watch me. I just need to make him fall on his ass.
She repeated to herself.

She placed a hand over her chest, steadying her breath.
In, out. Harder. Faster.
On the exhale, a blast of wind surged forward like a cannon.
It caught him off guard. He stumbled.
But the man slammed his hatchet into the ground and held firm, shield braced against the storm, teeth bared in effort.

Pain throbbed through her temples.
The headache had grown brutal.
Hair this hair is driving me crazy!
Her hair clung to her face, whipping into her eyes whenever she shifted too fast.

Annie, just focus on your opponent.
Aim your emotions at him. Stop caring about anything else. Let it out. Stop deflecting.
Annie inhaled, drawing strength from Lina's voice.