Pam did not hesitate.
The moment the words left both her lips and Faith's at the same time, she took a single step forward, claiming the space as if it had always belonged to her, as if this stage, this moment, this entire situation had been waiting for her alone.
Her breathing slowed.
Her posture straightened.
And everything about her changed.
The anger that had burned so openly just moments ago did not disappear, but it settled into something deeper, something controlled, something focused that wrapped around her like a second skin. The tension in her shoulders eased, her gaze softened, and yet the intensity within her did not lessen. If anything, it became sharper, more refined, as though all of it had been condensed into a single point.
"I'll go first."
Her voice came out calm, steady, carrying a quiet confidence that did not need to be forced.
No one objected.
The judges watched.
The guards stood still.
