How many times had I imagined this moment? It seemed inevitable - the unavoidable outcome of my life. I was a misfit, a risk, like my mother before me.
This time was different though. No-one was coming to protect me from the unstoppable force that wanted me to join or die. How could I not do what they wanted, when refusing would only put my loved ones in danger? How could I not give those loved ones the one thing they deserve? Their lives were much more precious to me than my own.