CHAPTER 16

  Remembering the self-defence tricks Jacques had taught me, I curled my body easily and went right to the floor, scrambling as fast as I could for the dagger.

  No matter what, Lenard Lee had to go down tonight. Hearing his fast footsteps, I evaded his grasp in the nick of time as he made a powerful lunge towards me.

  “Don’t come near!” I shouted, flashing the weapon in front of his eyes.

  He just laughed.

  “Stab me then! Go ahead, do it!”

  He waved his hands at me with a sickening laugh. As he came closer, I held the dagger more firmly, swallowing hard. My hands felt clammy. I had never hurt a fly all my life, and it just scared me more of how I would kill him.

  Earlier, I had stabbed the dagger in self-defence, but now that he was trying to get me to stab him, it just drove fear inside me!

  “Don’t be daft. I’ll show you what a real knife is!” he said deeply, drawing out the folded knife earlier.