Victor had driven back to Feather Stone. Darcy and Sísele sat in the back seat with Emily all the way home. The car was quiet. Even Emily didn't have much to say. Everyone was tired.

When they arrived home, they slowly climbed out of the car. Darcy hadn't looked at her mom the whole trip. She felt she would have had some negative things to say. She didn't want to start anything with Emily around.

Victor helped Sísele out of the car the he reached in for Emily. Emily was tired and weak. She had little energy to complain.

Darcy went ahead and unlocked the front door. She walked in, leaving the door open, went into the kitchen and dropped her keys on the counter. She slipped out of her coat then draped it on the back of one of the stools. She turned and looked at the door.

Sísele walked in and sighed. She went to the stairs and waited.

Victor carried Emily into the house. He gave a quick glance around and carries her up the stairs. He gave a quick nod to Sísele as he passed her.

Sísele sighed, again. She walked to the kitchen and climbed into one of the stools.

"I'm shorry." She started. "I promish I will lishen to you from now on."

Darcy was ready to yell. She wanted to. But she looked at her mother and seen the fear and sadness in her eyes. She sighed instead. "I made it perfectly clear to you." Darcy growled quietly. "I wanted her to rest. Had she rested, this may not have happened."

"I know. But if she had reshted, thish could've happened, too." Sísele argued.

"Maybe. But we don't know, now. When I tell you something important, like the welfare of my daughter, I expect you to respect it. Respect ME." Darcy flopped her hand on the counter. She started to whine.

Sísele nodded. "I promish I will lishen. She sheemed fine." She pouted.

Darcy sighed. She wanted to get angry but found she couldn't. "Alright, mom." Darcy conceded. "I hope you mean that." Darcy shook her head and turned around. She started to look through the cupboards for something to eat.

Victor came down the stairs and into the kitchen. "She's ready to get changed." He pointed, with his thumb, to the stairs.

"I'll do it." Sísele announced. She slid off the stool and started for the stairs.

"I gotta get my truck. You mind sitting with her while Darcy drives me to your place?" Victor asked.

Darcy stiffened her back, then slumped.

Sísele smiled and nodded before climbing the stairs.

Darcy turned and looked at Victor. Her face was droopy and tired. She sighed again.

Victor looked at Darcy apologetically.

Darcy nodded and grabbed her coat and keys.

"What are we going to do now?" Darcy asked as they drove to Sísele's house.

"Same thing as we always do. Make her rest and see how she is on Monday." Victor answered nonchalantly.

Darcy frowned. She stared at the road in front of her as she drove. "Yeah. Okay. But you know there's something wrong with this."

"Maybe. Maybe the doctors right. She doesn't get sick often."

"Oh, please! Are you insinuating that her symptoms are exaggerated?!"

"Well..." Victor cut himself off and shrugged.

Darcy shook her head.

They had a quiet rest of the trip. Darcy dropped Victor off at her mother's house and she drove back home.

Victor jumped into his truck and started for the liquor store.

Darcy turned on her powwow music and decided to take her time going home. She didn't know how, exactly, she felt. She only knew to keep driving. A dark haze drifted over Feather Stone, fog. Darcy hated driving in the fog. She always had a hard time to see.

Victor drove slowly. Slower than the speed limit. His mind was exhausted and his body, moreso. He wanted to get home to Emily, but he couldn't bring himself to rush. He needed a break. He switched on the radio.

Sísele had sat down on the edge of Emily's bed. She had found a long nighty for Emily to wear to bed.

Emily sat on her bed. She had a pillow propped behind her. She leaned against the wall, ready to sleep. Sísele pulled her, gently, toward her and stripped off her shirt. It was easy to see that Emily was weak tonight. Sísele pulled her nighty over her head and waited for Emily to stick her arms through.

Darcy made a different turn than usual. She hadn't planned it. She pulled her car over and turned up the volume of her powwow music. She gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath. She started to think about everything that's happened, so far, and make sense of it. No such luck. Nothing made sense.

Victor walked into the house with his 6-pack. He walked into the kitchen and dropped his keys on the counter. He snapped three cans of beer out of the plastic rings. Victor took the three left and walked past the stairs. Victor walked to the mudroom and opened the door to the garage. He followed the steps down and went for the fridge. He had a small, apartment sized fridge in the garage.

They used this fridge for all of Victor's left over beer. They started with a mini fridge, but had to upgrade. The mini fridge is now in the master bedroom for midnight snacks and drinks. One year, they stashed a birthday cake for Emily in the mini fridge.

Victor took a look at the contents of his fridge and sighed. Darcy was right. The fridge is full. There may be some space for two more cans, after these three. Victor stuffed the three cans into the fridge and closed the door. It was time to stop going to the liquor store and start drinking what he already has.

He walked into the kitchen, when he left his three beer. Sísele was sitting there.

"I can shee you're shcared." Sísele said as Victor sat down beside her.

"How's Emily?"

"She good." Sísele looked at him.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Yesh."

Victor nodded and grabbed a can. He snapped it open and sighed.

"You don't drink three." Sísele pointed out. "We all shcared. We all hurt." She tapped her chest. "We don't know why."

Victor nodded and took a drink of his beer. "How do you know that song?" He finally asked. He turned and looked at Sísele.

Sísele sighed. She seemed to have an answer but was unsure of how to say it.

"I hadn't heard that song since I was a boy. And I didn't think any of you knew that song." He looked away and took another drink.

Sísele smiled and pointed to one of his cans.

Victor nodded once. He grabbed a can and opened it for Sísele. He placed the can in front of her.

Sísele took the can and had a drink from it. She frowned. "There shum thingsh you don't know." Sísele turned to face Victor. She took another drink of beer. "Do you remember when you met Darshy?"

Victor nodded. "Yeah. We were at a powwow in the states."

Sísele nodded. "I met your mom yearsh before that."

Victor looked at Sísele. "What?"

"I knew your mom from my childhood. Did she tell you anything about her childhood?"

Victor nodded. "She told me some. Not a lot. Just that she had moved around. She met my dad in the states." He shrugged. "I never thought to ask."

Sísele nodded. She turned and took another drink of her beer. "I will tell you about you." She tapped him. "Your tá:l was a part of our tribe."

Victor looked at her, stiffly.

"No. You not related." She smiled.

Victor remained stiff.

"Your tá:l married into our tribe. She wash young. She wash fourteen."

Victor leaned back. He turned his stool to face sisele and took another drink.

"It did not lasht long. I'll get there."

Victor took a deep breath.

"Your tá:l wash fourteen. She had to go to different shchool. She outgrow the shchool here. Three daysh," Sísele held up three fingers. "After she go to new shchool, she was raped."

Victor shifted his weight uncomfortably in his seat. He took a drink of his beer. He found it difficult to look at her now.

"She wash pregnant from that boy. Hish family take her. She wash gone a long time. I don't know what happened. When she come back, she wash not the same. Her clothesh dirty and covered in blood. She did not bath in months. She had a baby on her back. Her hushband thought she run away. She tell him what happened."

Victor looked at Sísele again.

"He became angry. He shnatched the baby from her. She shcreamed at him. You shee...She love that baby. Don't matter what happened. She love him."

"A boy? She had a boy?" Victor asked.

Sísele nodded. "He look funny. He wash dark like your tá:l. But blonde like hish dad. She went after her hushband to save the baby. He would kill him. He took him to the bottom of the mountain. She chashe him. I went with her. We were besht friendsh." Sísele giggled proudly.

Victor frowned. He didn't remember his mom talking about Sísele.

"Her hushband lay the baby down on the ground. Under a big shedar tree. He pick up a big rock." She choked emotionally. She swallowed hard and took a drink of her beer.

Victor shifted in his seat again. His stomach twisted in knots.

"I shcreamed. I told him 'shtop!', 'shtop!'. He lift the rock high in the air. But your tá:l grabbed the rock from him."

Victor let out a breath. He stopped breathing without knowing it.

"She wash crying lots. She tell him it not the baby's fault. It her fault. She told him to kill her. She wash broken. She wash no longer hish. She wash taken from him and wash hurt."

Victor swallowed hard.

"He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill her. He look at the baby one lasht time. The baby shmiled at him. Dark shkin, blonde hair, blue eyesh. He wash confushed. The baby wash an abomination. But she loved him. Her hushband looked at your tá:l like she dishgushted him. He leave her there, under the tree." She took a drink of beer.

Victor looked down. His mother hadn't said anything to him about this.

"She pick up the baby and hug him closhe." Sísele high herself, showing Victor what his mother did. "I went to her. I hug her. Together, we walk back home. When we got there, our familiesh were standing around. They were in a group. They all turned and looked at ush. Your tá:l married into ush. She wash family. Her hushband left. He left everything. He shaid nothing to no one. He walk away." Sísele took a deep breath. "I never shee him again. No one did. I shtill don't know where he went."

Victor frowned. "She married into your family?"

Sísele nodded.

"So what was she to you?"

"She marry my brother." Sísele answer. "She wash my shishter-in-law for five monthsh before she wash raped."

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?"

"It hurt her shtill." Sísele answered. "Her heart shtill break a little bit more each day."

"Why wasn't I told any of this when I met Darcy?"

"Your tá:l didn't want you to know. But I tell you now, againsht her wishesh." Sísele looked at Victor carefully.

Victor stared at her. He understood her to be telling him this as a secret. He nodded at her.

"The baby shtay with her for a few more monthsh. She shing that shong to the baby. She taught me that shong. I shing with her." Sísele smiled at the memory. "Everyone left her alone. I wash the only one to talk to her. But she wash family, shee? Sho we take care of her even after she wash shunned."

"Why was she shunned? What happened wasn't her fault."

Sísele smiled at his attempt to understand. "She kept the baby and let her hushband go." She explained.

Victor nodded once and frowned.

"If she let my brother kill the baby, we would go on like nothing happened. But she protect the baby. And my brother couldn't live with it. Couldn't live with her. She was dirty."

"How was she dirty?!" Victor became defensive.

"We keep our own. The baby washn't oursh to keep. My brother left becaush of shame. My family keep your tá:l becaush she was shtill my shishter-in-law. But no one talk to her becaush the baby."

Victor shook his head. He couldn't understand.

"You kidsh are lucky. The world changed around you. But it ish not a world that I know." She sighed. "When the baby wash a few months old, the boy who raped her came back. He wanted to take her again. But I protected her. He came after me and my family helped me. Sho he take the baby. I tried to help. I tried to get him back." Sísele's voice changed. She was fighting a sob. "But my má:l shtopped me. He thought that if the baby go and she shtay, my brother will come home."

"But he didn't. Did he?"

Sísele shook her head. "He didn't." She sighed. "My má:l wash sho shorry. Your tá:l wash more broken. She lost her hushband. Then she lost her baby. People didn't talk to her becaush of their shame. Their shame for not protecting the baby."

"But you still spoke to her?" Victor wanted to make sure.

Sísele nodded. "Yesh. I wash there through it all. That why we besht friendsh." She smiled, softly. "She shtay with ush another year. Then she left. My family don't know where she went. But I did. We kept in touch." Sísele smiled mischievously. "She take a long time to find another hushband. That hushband wash your má:l." She pointed at Victor.

Victor looked down at the counter. He took a drink of beer. "How could she marry again? My parents were married."

"Yesh. She marry my brother our way." She pointed to herself. "We had a ceremony to marry them. We had another ceremony to break that bond before she left. She wash no longer family and had to leave. She couldn't shtay with ush. She looked around and felt hate in her heart. She love me shtill becaush..."

"Because you tried to help." Victor interrupted.

Sísele nodded.

"So, what happened to the baby?" He was hesitant to ask. Curiosity over powered him.

"He alive shtill. Your tá:l track him. But she didn't talk to him. She never told me where she found him." Sísele took a drink.

"I have a brother?"

Sísele nodded. "And your tá:l love him sho much. It took her lotsh of yearsh to find him. You were a young boy. Two yearsh old when she found him. And she watch him all thish time."

"Okay, so how does this come into how me and Darcy met?"

Sísele smiled. "We were pregnant together. I begged my family to let her come home to have the baby. To have you. And my family allowed it. She come home with her new hushband. And we have the babiesh together. She had an accident. She fell into the river when you were still growing inside her. I ran in to help her but my hushband shtopped me. My má:l and her hushband pull her out. She went in labour with you that night. But she shtayed. She shtayed until I had Darshy two monthsh later. She left when you were a year old. My má:l felt it time for her to leave. She shtayed long enough."

"Did your family talk to her?"

Sísele nodded. "It wash eashier for them thish time. She came back clean and bathed. Shmiling. It took a while at firsht. But they shpeak to her."

Victor nodded.

Sísele smiled. "She write me a letter." Sísele dug in her pocket. She pulled out an old letter, folded. It had faded with age. "It short. But she write me about her firsht boy." She handed it to Victor.

Victor took it and opened it. Sísele was right. It was a very short letter. He read it aloud. "Dear sister. I found him. My heart leaps. Thank you for your strength. I love you sister." Victor leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. He handed Sísele the letter and scratches his head.

Sísele smiled and put the letter back into her pocket. "I wait for a time to tell you. I told her she should tell you. But she wash afraid you would hate her."

"Like your family." Victor concluded.

"Yesh." Sísele answered quietly. She took a drink of her beer. "But, yearsh later, we talk back and forth. Write lettersh. We make arrangement for you and Darshy to meet. Sho we agree to go to the powwow down shouth. We hoped you two would find each other. But we didn't want to forsh it. Your tá:l always carried it in her heart. The damage and the pain she shuffered. But you did find each other." Sísele smiled broadly.

"You set us up?"

"No. We make arrangementsh to meet at the powwow in shecret. We HOPED you two would find each other. If you didn't, we would have introdushed you." Sísele giggled. "That ish how I know that shong. And that ish how you two met. And that ish how I know you two will get through anything." Sísele patted Victor's hand on the counter.

Victor frowned. "I want to talk to her about this. I want to know about this other baby."

Sísele nodded. "I undershtand. Let me call her tomorrow. I will tell her I shpoke to you. Let me do that firsht. I owe her that."

Victor nodded. He was surprised he accepted the information well. He wanted to be angry, shocked, something. But he remained calm. He breathed deeply as he tried to register the information. Thinking about it, he hadn't spoken to his mother in a few weeks. It was definitely time to give her a call.