Silence stretches.
Then something changes.
I see it in her eyes before she even speaks.
The confusion is still there.
The fear too.
But underneath it—
Fire.
“I want in,” she says.
I don’t hesitate.
“No.”
Her eyes flash immediately.
“I’m not asking,” she snaps. “I’m telling you.”
“Not happening,” I say, calm but firm.
“I was there,” she pushes. “You think I’m just going to sit here while they keep doing that to other girls?”
“You’re going to sit here and heal,” I cut in. “That’s what you’re going to do.”
“I’m not some helpless girl you need to protect,” she snaps.
“I know that” I say, my voice dropping slightly. “That’s exactly why I’m telling you no right now.”
She stares at me, breathing heavier now.
“You can train me,” she says. “Teach me what you do.”
“And throw you into something you’re not ready for?” I shake my head. “That gets you killed.”
“I’m already in it!” she fires back. “They took me. They took my best friend. You think I get to walk away from that?”
That hits.
Hard.
I hold her gaze, seeing it clearly now.
She’s not reacting.
She’s decided.
“You’re not a damsel,” I say quietly. “Never were.”
She doesn’t look away.
“But you don’t step into that world half-healed,” I continue. “That’s how you don’t make it outa second time.”
Silence stretches between us.
