She glared at him from behind the bars.
"It's all over tomorrow, huh?" he mumbled, glaring back. "All over."
She was silent. He never would shut up. Didn't he realize that prisoners about to be executed weren't exactly in cheery moods? She felt like punching him through the bars; unfortunately, he was too far away for her to reach. Plus, she hardly thought her skimpy little arms would do much. No, crystals were more her style.
He smiled at her, green eyes twinkling. She hated that dreaded smile.
"Stop that," she growled. Her first words in a week. He seemed surprised, his smile disappearing almost immediately. She relished the tiny amount of control she had over him.
That was what her life was about, wasn't it? Control.
Later that evening, he stepped back into the prison and leaned against her cell bars. And he asked her a question. "Are you scared?"
And she had no answer ready.
She could not sleep that night. She was pondering his query. Was she scared? Perhaps the correct answer was yes, but she felt no fear. After all, Dark Ace had gone to his own end only a few days before. And yet...
She didn't know what fear was in the first place. Was it that gnawing in her gut? The speed her heart was racing at? The pounding in her brain? So in the morning, she still had no answer. And when he led her out of her cell and slid the cloth over her violet eyes, she still had no response. Only when she stepped out into the morning and heard the whispers and hisses of the crowd did she feel something real, something petrifying inside her.
They were speaking about her. Murderer. Tyrant. Evil. Was she all those things?
So when they led her up the stairs and towards the chopping block...she had her answer ready.
"Yes," was all she mustered, until they laid her head onto the wood. She thought she heard a small "NO!" from the crowd. Perhaps it was her imagination.
Are you scared?
Yes.
OOO
A/N: I guess they have Wi-Fi in the Rockies after all...