“Why don’t you get on your knees instead?” she suggested, her voice steady and clear. The unexpected defiance in her words caught the bully off guard, and a ripple of disbelief spread through the crowd.

The bully’s smirk faltered for a moment, his bravado shaken by the unexpected challenge. “What did you say?” he growled, but his voice lacked the conviction it had carried moments before.

Anna took another step back, her eyes never leaving his. “I said, why don’t you get on your knees? Or maybe we can settle this another way.”

The bully laughed, a hollow, uncertain sound. “You think you can take me on?”