Chapter 2 Bad Blood...

"I am asking you again, leave the subject alone."

"What are you hiding from me, mom?" She stays insistent.

"Nothing," Joyce snapped.

"I don't believe you. This conversation isn't over but I am going to give you time to reconsider hiding things from me. Once I am finished with my shower, you are going to talk to me. I am an adult and you will no longer treat me like a child. Do you understand me, mom!"

Pulling out a chair, she sits down. Her troubled mind wanders back over the years. Continued resentment, anger and frustration weight her heart down.

Escaping from the Sisterhood, she married Eric, wanting stability in her life. He was a man that caught and held her attention. They were barely married when she discovered she was pregnant.

Eugene her first born was a sickly child. While she worried about her marriage and her child, Eric was out drinking and gambling, leaving behind huge debts, which she had to cover, destroying whatever trail there might be for the Sisterhood to pick up. She had to stay in hiding at all cost.

Her emotions boiling over, she escaped from her home for a short while. She went to a person whom she trusted with her whole being. He was a broken man who belonged to another person, she also trusted.

Her child needed her. She went back to her marriage and her family. She gave no explanation to Eric. He never questioned her either.

Edmund, her youngest son was born instantly an easy, enjoyable baby with a gift for trusting and loving. She loves her sons.

Loving Shamane, her beautiful daughter, was very different she was and would always be the delight of her life. She was her lifeblood. She has strength, courage under duress; also very loving and trusting but never betrays her. One should never underestimate her either she is unknowingly at the moment, a dangerous, deceitful and deadly woman.

Qualities she inherited from her, Joyce Markovich Hoffman.

She may have left the Sisterhood but the Sisterhood haven't left her heart. Her child entwined with her in that world, but if the truth could be keep away from her, what harm could it do...

Now, foolish Eric was putting her in harm's way. Her child can't protect herself now; it was her duty as her mother and a woman to watch her back. She would betray her husband in the blink of an eye if it meant saving her daughter.

Her mind very much troubled, she circled her own kitchen. She had a serious problem that needed dealing.

Her almost forgotten past and the freedom of action she had known, made a plan took form in her mind not liking the feeling of being trapped liked both Shamane and she had years ago, the decision seemed very natural.

Life was peaceful for two years, except for Eric's continued reckless behavior, who made her daughter a stranger, a loner, but it is clear just beneath the surface, there is a boiling aggressiveness almost ready to explode judging from her told dreams, it was almost certain that her suppressed sexuality was also coming alive.

It won't take long before Shamane know who she was...

Going around in circles, she can no longer escape what she knows about the past action should be taken for their lives were a house of cards.

It's time to rebuild on a solid foundation.

She comes to know men as being reckless, stubborn, and a danger to the center of a family life. Her mind made-up, no man is going to take advantage of her child.

"Never, Eric!" she voiced her denial.

Edmund slip into the bedroom. The shower is running. Going through his sister's drawers, there is no sign of the package she always hide for him.

The bathroom door open Shamane enter, toweling her hair vigorously.

"Little brother, you know you should knock. I won't appreciate the fact if you should find me naked someday."

Edmund Hoffman looks immediately sorry. He blushed beet-red he is a handsome young man she noticed off-hand.

"I am sorry, Sis. But I need the money."

"What happened?"

"I just heard I could land a contract at the local school."

Edmund sit on the side of the bed.

"You are not sticking to the program. You were the one who asked me to keep you in-checked about your spending. According to our budget, you still should have a cash flow until next week. What did you do?"

"Eugene tricked me into lending him money. He isn't back yet I told the principal I take the contract. I need to buy supplies."

"Fine I will get the money. Stop fooling yourself that Eugene will ever pay you back he like making debts because it is so easy. If you want to succeed as a freelance photographer, you should change your method of doing business. Steinkopf is a small town. Use the gap while you have it."

"What is it with you and Eugene?"

Edmund eyed his sister curiously, wondering if she would answer him.

"I would like to know too. I always known I could trust and love you, little brother. Eugene however is a different option. For some reason that only he knows the answer to, he hold repressed resentment, sometimes hate covered in hostility towards me. Why that is, I don't know or understand."

"I would like to say you are wrong but I did notice he has an attitude whenever he is close to you. I sometimes think he might be afraid of you."

"Why on earth?"

"Don't know. But that is the impression I gotten."

"Get out. You will have your money later."

Edmund leaves the bedroom Shamane dressed quickly, jean shirt and faded jeans. Her feet slipped into her ankle boots. She let her hair dry in wavy curls. She goes down the passage in searched of her mother.

Joyce looks up when her daughter come to kneel in front of her. The young fingers entwined with hers. The changeable eyes close to her face seemed concerned. Her free hand reached out to brush the curls from her face.

"You still seemed worried. What was the argument about? Tell me, mom maybe I can help?"

Joyce looks at her daughter her personality so different from the rest of them. She is a strong, strangely confident young woman. The Sisterhood tried to break her, but steel within her core held her together at her worse moment. Sometimes she glimpsed a piece of her truth.

Her daughter certainly is a mixture of puzzlement, strength and mystery.

"I love you darling."

"I know. Mom there is never a doubt. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, darling. I promise."

"Liar," Shamane whisper softly." You were angry earlier. Now you somehow looked sad. Something shifted in your attitude."

Joyce stands and circled the kitchen she looked caged, trying to conceal the wildness in her eyes.

"I could never lie to you, darling."

"If need be, we both can keep a secret. Talk to me, mom."

For a brief moment, there is total silence between them.

Shamane watch her mother struggled with what she is going to say.

"I loved your father, although he made my life hell over the years. Most of his sins, I had forgiven the day he told me, they had found you. Today, he went too far again. I won't stay with him any longer."

"What did he do?"

"I won't tell you what he did. He certainly had forgotten where I came from. My path is set in motion again, after years of obedience. I am going to leave him once and for all."

"I see." Shamane stands.

Joyce circled the kitchen again.

"There would be consequences. But I had enough."

"Where are you going? What plans did you make? Would you be safe, once you leave?"

"You are not angry with my decision?"

Shamane look directly at her mother. Her eyes reflect no misunderstanding for her words spoken just then.

"At last you are making a right choice for yourself. I can't remember father growing up. But..."

"Be completely honest with me, darling."

"My youth is a blank. These last two years, I watched him closely. Yet, he didn't physically harm you, but emotionally, he is most abusive. I am just surprised you didn't left him years ago."

"If I had done that, I would never have seen you again. He would have made certain about that."

"To be honest, I don't like him as a man. I don't respect him. His opinion is of no importance to me. He will never come between us. As a parent, only your word is law to me."

"Everything is always black and white for you, darling. No compromises."

"My life is basically two years old. For now, I call things the way they are. You raised us and now we are all grown-up. It is time that you look after yourself. What do you want from me?"

"I am not certain."

"Okay. Let me handle this."

Shamane walk over to the phone. She dialed a number from memory. She speaks short but convincingly for a couple of minutes. At last, she put the phone down and looked at her mother.

"Sammy Strike will take you in until Friday. By then I would have a solid plan for us both. Are you game, mom? Remember, we must act fast before anyone wise-up."

Joyce looks curiously at her child. It is clear to her that her daughter didn't even realized she had conferred with her past.

"Who is this friend of yours? I never heard you mentioned her."

Joyce is openly curious.

"Now that we made new plans for our future, I instinctively just remembered her." Shamane frown puzzled. "Don't ask me how, but I trust her with my life. Like the woman in my dreams, her face is a blank. Calling her seemed natural."

Joyce looks intently at her child. Again, like in the past, she realized she would never fully comprehend her.

Shamane smiled because of her obvious, unspoken question. She grows serious.

"I don't like men, mom. I don't trust them. As lovers, I will never choose them. However, this is a conversation for another time. Sammy is a person I helped once. Why, I can't remember. She is a natural choice. She is unknown to father."

"Are you really sure about this woman?"

"As I said, mom, I trust her instinctively. Maybe, I will discover the truth about her too, someday. We go to her. She will make us vanish."

Joyce heard a twinge of aggression in the young voice but the trusting conviction towards the unknown woman soothes her tone.

Remembering her as a child, she allowed no-one close, which made this Sammy Strike a person of worth. The older woman remembers a person she had known a long time ago. That was her past, best forgotten.

"I should go and packed a few things."

"Mom, you can try and hide it but someday I will know the truth about you and me. Let your game begin. I will discover the rules along the way."

"You always were a quick study."

Joyce smiled suddenly mysterious.

Shamane look out the window when she hears a truck stop outside. A dark scowl clouded her face.

"Steven van Dyke," she snaps.

"I am sorry, darling. I should have told you he offered to take me to Springbok. Ask him to wait."

Joyce disappears down the passage.

Shamane open the backdoor and goes outside. She leans against the wall, just looking at the young man, whose face ruined by his alcohol misuse. The longer she looks at him, the least she liked him or the fact that her mother is going with him.

"Mom, I don't like this. How sure are you about him? He really doesn't look the trustworthy type. Wait a day then we go together."

"Stick to the plan, darling. This is a game of cat and mouse from now on. We are playing according to our rules. Steven will behave. I have spoken to his mother."

"Okay, mom I am still doubtful. Wait a moment."

She goes back into the living room. A quick rummage through her books and she retrieve a big wad of money. She returns to her mother.

"Take this spent it as discreetly as possible. I see you on Friday. Wait for me. I won't waste time."