Fall Thru Ch. 10

How had my life gone so... wrong in only a matter of months? Not just my life. I'd had common sense before, an ability to reason and understand. I studied women in different cultures, understood the savage hold traditions had on a community. The species and planet might be different but reactions to ingrained societal norms rarely changed.

It was time to throw myself on the sword. I'd made this mess, and I needed to clean it up. "Rain, I—"

"Chief," a centaur to my left interrupted, glaring at me. There was such visible hate in his eyes, it made my muscles tense and prepare. "You call him Chief."

I took a careful look around, peered intently into all the faces surrounding me. Hate, anger, loathing, and even a touch of fear was what most held in their eyes and the lines of their face. God, I'd have to watch my back constantly, listen to the biting words and bitchy retorts of these and other centaurs in the tribe. If I went with Rain, would I even be with him? Would he just keep me locked away from everyone?

For that matter, if I went to the witches what would happen? Would I get the same treatment? Would it cause a rift between them and the centaurs? I'd thought my options changed, that going with Duke and trusting him when I'd failed was the right course of action. But fuck it. My failures were my own, as were my successes. I wasn't a pawn to be used in a pissing match and I wasn't one to leave myself at the mercy of others.

This was my life and my choice and no one was taking that from me.

Duke said something and Rain deflected. I took the moment of distraction and reached into my back pocket, grasping one of the pills tucked into the pouch. Before I could think more about my choice I opened my mouth and threw the pill down my throat, dry swallowing.

"What is that?" someone yelled.

Rain made a move toward me and Duke intercepted. The said something to each other, before one of the men surrounding me grabbed my arm. I stared into the guy's eyes, seeing a million reflection of myself in this moment. Hands that weren't hands tugged at my skin, my bones, my very soul in a move I'd felt what seemed like a lifetime ago in a photo booth. The centaur's grip loosened or maybe my body did. Didn't matter. The floor opened and I watched a million and one versions of myself fall through space and time. Again.