The chant washed over her like warm rain. Laura! Laura! Laura! Her legs shook, not from fear anymore but from pure shock. These people, who minutes ago had mocked her, laughed at her were now cheering for her.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. She tried to catch her breath, feeling dizzy from the sudden change.
"I can't believe it," someone whispered nearby. "She actually won."
"Did you see how she moved?" another voice added. "Never seen anyone fight like that."
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting it all sink in. The pain. The victory. The realization that she had found something she thought was lost forever.
Herself.
Her split lip stung. Her ribs screamed with every breath. But none of that mattered now. For the first time in forever, she felt alive. Real.
When she opened
