Troy:
"Mother, watch out," I screamed, even though I could tell she was ready.
Thankfully, she did not freeze this time.
My mother lifted her leg and kicked her in the stomach.
The force sent my stepmother stumbling back, the dagger slipping from her grip as she crashed into a table lined with vases.
The vases fell, and the table broke apart.
My stepmother let out a sharp scream.
Messi realized we had been distracted for too long.
I moved back and drove my elbow into his chin, freeing myself.
As I hit Messi, forcing his grip to loosen, I twisted out of his hold to move away.
But he grabbed me again and shoved me down, climbing on top of me.
My head snapped backward, and I saw Leysa.
She must have seen how I broke free from Messi because, in the next second, she drove her elbow straight into my father's ribs.
He grunted, his hold breaking as his body jerked backward.
Before he could recover, she turned and backhanded him across the face.
