Page 2 of Ngozii's Plight

Unsure of what to believe anymore, I decide that it’s probably best to listen to my father, seeing as he’s the only one truly teaching me anything. He’s my father, he wouldn’t lead me astray, right? We are a bit of an outcast family, but perhaps that’s because we’re right and the village is wrong?

Coming out of my room for breakfast, I head for the table in the center of our large family room, sitting down as my mother smiles brightly, her green eyes crinkling, and places a plate of food in front of me. She smooths my hair, giving my forehead a kiss as I thank her for the food and begin to dig in. She places a mug in front of me with tea before walking away to make a plate for Father.

He enters the room a few moments later, his steps heavy, and the ease and comfortability between my mother and I is lost. She visibly tenses before she turns and greets him politely, placing his food in front of him and skittering away to finish cooking and make her own plate. I watch from the corners of my eyes as Father tastes his food, grimacing before spitting it out and throwing his plate at her thin back.

She cries out as the plate clatters to the floor, breaking into bits. She’ll be bruised and in pain for days from that. Those stone plates are not something you want thrown at you. It’s no better than a rock. I watch in horror as he rises, my eyes widening as he stomps to her, yelling in her face about his food being poorly cooked.

He berates her, asking if she’s trying to poison him, maybe kill him, and she begs for him to release her. His large hand squeezes around her throat, her lush purple lips whitening as she gasps for breath, her eyes widening in terror.

“When I come home with dinner, you better cook it properly, and this house better be clean. Or you’ll regret the day you disobeyed me.” He growls in her face, spittle collecting on her cheekbones before he drops her with a scoff, her body slumping to the floor as she heaves in gulps of air.

I’m torn for a moment, wondering if I should go to her or mimic my father and believe she deserves this. I tasted nothing wrong with our meal. The meat was tender, not necessarily undercooked, and the vegetables were soft, just how I like them.

Father whirls around, and my eyes snap to his, the anger and disdain clear in his expression as he practically snarls like a wild animal at me. Small tendrils of his long hair frame his face, his beard unruly and long, making him look even more sinister. “Xenshay, would you like to join your mother or go hunting like a man?” It’s not really a question so much as a demand. He doesn’t want me here with her, growing weak, as he says. He wants me with him, learning how to be a tough man in a society of wimps.

I swallow and harden my expression, throwing one final look at my mother, one of disappointment, before looking him in the eyes and nodding. “I’d like to go hunting, Father.”

“Good boy. Let’s go.” He grunts, shoving past me. I quickly turn and follow him, refusing to look at the woman lying on the floor. As much as I love my mother, I hate to see her so weak and broken. I know she doesn’t like being treated this way, and if I’m honest with myself, I don’t necessarily like seeing her treated like that either, but perhaps father is right in his ways?

Following his broad back around the house, we grab our spears and bows, readying to head into the woods as he grumbles to himself before giving me a long, hard look. Once again, he gestures for me to follow, and I match his step, walking alongside him. Our skin tone of darker purple is nearly the same, my eyes matching both his and Mother’s in the bright green color. One day, I hope to be as strong and broad as my father. I watch our legs, matching in rhythm, as we walk through the woods. Father’s sudden words cause me to look up at his face.

“One day, Xenshay, you’ll understand more fully the dynamics of a relationship. It’s not easy, no matter how you handle it. Women think they have minds of their own, but there’s no greater joy for them than serving a man and caring for their home and children. Your mother seems to have forgotten that.”

I don’t comment, remembering the sweet smile on her face as she greeted me this morning, the tender kiss she planted on my forehead. She hasn’t forgotten the joy in caring for me, the one person who treats her like a person. Am I wrong to do that?

“Your mother and I are not truly bonded, Xenshay. Remember that I told you the soul mate bonds are becoming extinct due to the changes of our world? Well, because of that we are forced to mate with someone of our choosing. Your mother and I are compatible enough, but without a true bond, we were only lucky enough to go into heat one time, and we got you. Were we truly bonded, we’d have a child every four years. It angers me to think I have a mate out there that I’ll never meet because of the intruders taking over our world.”

He spits into the grass as we walk, our steps slowing as we go deeper into the woods, his voice softening as he begins to look for signs of life around us. His dark hair is braided back to avoid it getting in the way, where mine is in a bun at the nape of my neck. I have not yet learned to perfect the braid, but I will someday.

“I suppose I can be a bit hard on your mother, she isn’t perfect for me, nor will she ever be, but that is why I must put her in her place, understand?” He turns his green eyes on me, letting them pierce me as he raises an eyebrow in question. I give one firm nod, refusing to speak as he gets his thoughts out. Father tends to rant without expecting a response, whether he’s doing it to teach me or because he just needs to get his thoughts out, I’m not sure, but I listen anyhow.

“When you’re older, son, I’ll show you the best parts of being in charge, of having a woman tend to your every need. For now, just remember that as a man, you’re in charge, you make the rules. This is your world, and no one is going to just hand you the things you want. You must take it for yourself, for your family. Do what is right for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” I stare up at him, trying to decipher exactly what it is he’s trying to teach me now. I suppose this is more reiteration on the fact that I should not be weak, that I must handle my life as I see fit, not let our society around me dictate how I should live. One thing I refuse to be is weak, and since our species is already weakened without our soul bonds, I will do everything I can to make my father proud and be strong in all other ways.

Satisfied with my answer, he turns, and we begin the hunt in earnest, no longer speaking as we stalk our prey. Giving me the lead, he insists I be the one to take down our target. It’s time I begin hunting like the man of the house, prove my worth. Shifting my thoughts, I remember what he’s taught me, how to track through footprints, broken branches, and crushed leaves.

As I come up on a boar, I draw my bow back, aiming carefully and waiting for just the right moment before letting the arrow fly.

“A clean kill! That’s my boy!” Father jumps up, yelling into the sky as he rushes to the animal, ripping the arrow out and handing it to me. “Think you can handle the rest?” He grins at me, his yellowing teeth peeking from the facial hair. I nod enthusiastically, bending down to hoist the animal onto my shoulders.

I’m just strong enough to handle the weight, and my father rambles about his pride in me as we head back to the house to butcher our kill. These are the moments I love best, making him proud, seeing a light in his eyes for even the smallest moments. Nothing else in the world makes my father happy like me following in his steps.

Galactic Year 4077 (16 years old)

Climbing from the lake, I dry my hair and toss my towel over my shoulder, deciding to air dry on the way home. There’s nothing more relaxing than a late night swim alone in the cool waters. It’s the best way to clear your head.

While adventuring tonight at sunset, I stumbled upon a hidden cave on the other side of the lake, one that I intend to keep hidden for my own purposes. Sometimes having my own space is nice. My father has found my treehouse, so the cave is my only secret now. I’ll begin to stock it up and make it mine so when I need it, I have somewhere to go.

As I step onto the porch of our home, I hear yelling, and for a moment, I debate turning around and going back to the lake, to my cave. I know if I do, though, Father will be angry that I was not home on time and prepared for our hunting trip in the morning. Taking a steadying breath to prepare for the shit show I’m sure to face, I open the door and close it loudly behind me. What I see is not at all what I expected to find, and I’m honestly horrified, my eyes widening to burst as my mouth flops open, ready to make excuses for needing to go to my room.

“Do as I say, woman,” Father growls, his now trimmed beard making it easier to see his nasty teeth as he snarls at Mother. Clothes are scattered across the floor, some in heaps, some in shards as if torn from their bodies. His fist is in her hair as she sits on her knees, forcing her face into his bare crotch as his cock juts from his body. I’m unsure of how to feel about this.

A very disgusting part of me is aroused by the mating about to happen. I haven’t had any experience in this area, and my curious mind is all too eager to see what it’s like.

Another part of me is horrified and wants to shove him away, to protect her from him. The way everyone talks about it, mating should be fun and exciting, not terrifying, and Mama is clearly terrified.

I don’t know if I should get in the middle of something that’s meant to be private, if I should run and pretend I never saw a thing, or if I should just keep my mouth shut. All I can seem to do is stand here and stare wide-eyed in shock, frozen as the scene plays out.

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