Authors note: I don’t think I did what the prompt said but eh

Act calm.

I repeated the thought every step the psychopath took. “You have 5 minutes to tell me why I shouldn’t kill you,” she spat.

Act calm, I thought again. Hold on. Why was I telling myself to act calm? Why was I trying to act calm? Why was I not normally calm?

BECAUSE SHE’S ABOUT TO KILL YOU, my mind answered.

But maybe, I think back, maybe she’ll kill Leafa That Likes to Yap, and I won’t yap anymore.

I looked her in the eye. “Quick question. How much would I have to pay you to only kill Leafa That Likes to Yap?”

The girl looked at me with a look that seemed like a mix of shock, confusion, and insanity. “What?”

“How much?”

“You’re not going to kill me?”

I gave her a confused look. “I’m the one in the chair, I can’t kill you.”

The world suddenly rippled and the psychopath smiled. Her features began to change. She spoke, her voice now soft and whispery, and then I realized to my horror, she was me. “In your mind perhaps, but I’m blocking your view of reality. You’re now chained as much as I was. Good luck finding your way out.”