Chimerical

Reflecting

Brodan and Sylvie watched as the others dropped around them. Iseki tried to catch Reyna but ended up just breaking her fall with his own unconscious body. They worked together and set each of them gently on the ground next to each other. They watched them with worry. And waited for them to wake up.

Reyna felt herself going through what felt like a long dark tunnel before she all but slammed back into her own body. She let go of the threads and gasped, sitting straight up and putting a hand to her heart. This was exactly what she was afraid of and had been trying to tell everyone. All of these different paths were entirely different lives for her to live. And how was she supposed to know which one was going to be best? And now it was even harder. Because in choosing one of them, the other three paths would be snuffed out like a flame in a harsh breath. Never to be seen again. And now after seeing them all how could she be expected to do that to three of them? To snuff out that life and love like it didnt even matter to her. When it did. It mattered so much. But she couldnt have it all. She couldnt. A choice was going to have to be made. And she wasnt ready to make it.

The others all sat up quickly gasping for air. They all looked around dazed. Sylvie and Brodan moved over to them with worry. "What happened?" Sylvie asked concerned.

"You all suddenly collapsed." Brodan explained.

Reyna pressed her palms to her eyes for a moment hard to try to push back the urge to cry. Other than in the woods with caleb she had never cried out of sadness before. But she wanted to again. Because people were gonna get hurt because of her. Children may or may not be born. A whole world would change. Or not. She didnt know what she was supposed to do. Or how she was supposed to behave now that she had such an intimate experience with four different men. And now they were right back to the start of it all. Did they see it too?" She looked up at brodan and sylvie then. "I dont even know how to begin to explain it." She admitted, putting a hand to her head with a splitting headache.

Anoch stood up then. "It would seem we all experienced what our lives could actually be like if she chose each of us. But she probably experienced them all." He said furrowing his brow.

Iseki didn't care. He was worried about what that experience was doing to Reyna. "Are you alright?" He whispered with concern.

Caleb struggled to his feet. (So that's what my life would be like?) He wondered. Did he even deserve that much happiness? We're the other lives better lives for her? He didn't know what to say so he stayed silent.

Sunlaw was still laying down trying to process everything. "That's such bullshit." He said out loud.

Reyna looked at iseki and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Um. Ill be fine. It was just. Alot." She admitted quietly. She heard sunlaw then and furrowed her brow as she looked over at him questioningly.

"Why do my parents like you more than me?" Sunlaw said with a grin. He sat up and looked over at her. "I mean for fuck's sake I gave em a home and take care of them. Yet they like you more?" He wanted her to know that he would be on her side no matter the choice she made.

Iseki cocked an eyebrow. "Of course they do. Have you met her?" He said grinning.

"Have you met yourself?" Caleb chimed in. "It's a no brainier really."

Brodan was so confused. "Wait. Why wasn't I affected?" He asked lost.

Reyna furrowed her brow more at sunlaw. After all of that, thats what he had to say? Obviously they had only seen their own futures with her and not the others. Did they realize that she had experienced all of them. She looked back at brodan then. "I dont think we have a thread anymore." She explained, her brow still knitted. She didnt know when that happened. She tried to think back to the last time she felt brodan with the thread. "I think it went away when i died." She speculated, still not quite back in this world with her mind. It was overwhelming to think about it all.