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He seized Stinky by the neck and shoulders, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to rip the poor creature’s head off.
Stinky whined pitifully inside his master’s grip.
My heart caught in my throat. For all the dislike the Titan had for me, I always felt certain he would never harm Stinky.
Would he?
Had I misjudged his affections for his pet?
It was one thing to love something when you had nothing to lose, but what happened when your freedom was on the line?
Master stared at Stinky with his downward-facing eyes. His resolve faltered and he relaxed, brushing Stinky’s hairless skin.
“You’re sticking with me, my friend,” he said. “For the next twelve hours, we will be like conjoined twins.”
Stinky licked Master’s face with joy.
Twelve hours? Why was that significant?
And then I realized.
It took that long for Stinky’s digestive system to pass the key. Then Master could use it to free himself.
My ploy with Stinky hadn’t saved my life. It’d only prolonged it.
Master would chase me. There was no doubt in my mind about that.
“You’d better kill me,” Master said. “Or you’ll never live your life in peace. I’ll find you. I swear to the Creator himself, I’ll find you and make you pay.”
The smart thing to do was carry out his suggestion. To kill him and leave him there to rot. Someone would eventually find his body. They’d find evidence that I’d been in the shack too, that I’d been the one to kill him. Would there be enough evidence to prove I’d only done it to protect myself?
I didn’t know this planet or this Titan species. The only example I had to draw from had chained me up and used me as a slave. It didn’t inspire much confidence that they would be valiant upholders of the law.
I had to be honest with myself. I was an elementary school teacher. I just didn’t have it in me to kill a man—or a Titan—even the evil one I was staring at right now.
I got to my feet and dusted off my dress.
“The galaxy is a big place,” I said. “And you’re not even half a man.”
He ground his teeth and growled.
“You’ll never get anywhere without me!” he said. “I am your master!”
“You are a loser,” I said. “And I don’t associate with such people.”
I waved a finger at him.
“If you come after me, I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget,” I said. “And I know about lessons. I’m a teacher!”
The threat sounded weak even to my ears.
I moved to the beaten-up wardrobe and chest of drawers. I didn’t know if the wood was badly warped or it’d been assembled from random parts. Neither would have surprised me.
I reached inside the wardrobe and sifted through the scraps of cloth he called clothes until I came across what I was looking for. I’d only ever seen him look in this wardrobe for one thing—the tin that rattled at the back.
“What are you doing?” he said, working his way up onto his knees. “Get away from there! It’s mine!”
He took it out every day. Sometimes to put money inside, more often to take some out. I reached in and removed the small bag of credits. I tucked it in my pocket and did the same with the other items. If they were in that tin box, they must have some value.
