Phoebe's voice rang in my ears, her words slicing through my sweet triumph like a sword.
For the first time since I stepped into this dream, something inside me stirred and I didn't like the way it made me feel.
I tightened my grip on the microphone, and my knuckles whitened. No one questioned my authority, not even her.
Then, murmurs started among the people seated.
I scanned the room and saw that the people who had cowered before me just moments ago now stole glances at Phoebe.
A few lifted their heads, their eyes building up the flames of courage.
She was riling them up.
I turned my gaze back to her in anger, feeling rage flow through my veins like lava.
I had shown her so much care and attention that she found the nerve to challenge me.
She stood near the entrance, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. Her once warm, adoring eyes now burned with a fierce determination that I had never seen before.
