Chapter 3
Damnation of All
"WAKE UP!"
Sophia was abruptly awakened out of her peaceful nights sleep by the angry voice of la Grand-mere. Her body immediately jolted up into a sitting position. To her great surprise and equal great displeasure her face was promptly met with a slap. Sophia gasped and covered her stinging cheek. La Grand-mere stood next to her shaking angrily like a leaf in the wind.
"You stupid fool! You stupid irresponsible whore of ah girl! Maudire le jour vous étiez né!" (Curse the day you were born")
"Grand-mere, what is…"
Another slap met Sophia's face before she could finish her sentence.
"Shut up! I should ave known dis would appen! You mama was une prostituée. Wat make me think you any different?!"
Sophia looked at the older woman in shock and hurt. What would make her speak to her this way? Was this some kind of delayed reaction to her pregnancy? The taste of salt reached her lips as tears began to flow down her face.
"Grand-mere," she dared to squeak out "What have I done?!"
"Wat ave you done? Wat ave you done?!," the old woman screeched. Her mouth hung open and her head shook from side to side. She appeared to be so overwhelmed with anger that the words could not find their way out of her mouth. Finally she managed to sputter our the words, "Remy Lebeau!"
Sophia's immediately paled.
"How…how is it that you know this?"
The old woman threw up her hands which cause Sophia to flinch out of fear of being hit again.
"You stupid girl…de boy as is eyes…."
Sophia looked down at the bed in shame.
"I am truly sorry for the embarrassment this is causing you grandmother," she whispered.
La Grand-mere was suddenly overcome with weariness. She sat down on the bed next to Sophia and gently took the crying woman's face in her hands forcing her to look into the old woman's eyes.
"Embarrassment? Dis got nutin ta do wit embarassment girl." She sighed deeply then continued "Two undred years we fight wit the tief's an de assassions. Finally dere is peace between us an both the other guilds for de last decade. And now….wat you tink will appen child when de tiefs find out we got the heir to de tief guild ere? Wat you tink appen when Bella Donna find out you slept wit her man an ave is baby? It be war all over again! Fighting and death for de next two hundred years! Such tings you ave brought on us wit dis baby!"
Sophia looked sorrowfully at the leader of her guild, the leader of her family and comprehended the words coming from her mouth. Everything she said made perfect sense to her now. Why hadn't she thought of this before? Why had she come back here? In her selfishness she had put them all in danger. Most of the men in their guild had been killed of over the many years that they had been at war with the other guilds. And though many of the women could match any of the men in skill and talent the fact remained that the family could not survive another feud.
"Grand-mere, please…please tell me what to do and I'll do it. Anything bien-aimé, I'll do itfor you! For the guild!"
La Grand-mere sat silently for a long time. So long Sophia began to wonder if she would ever answer. Finally though she spoke.
"I ave searched de future for an answer….I ave asked de ancestors of our pass to reveal to me wat it is we should do. …I am afraid dere is but one way we can avoid such a war as I ave mentioned…I'm afraid our only hope is ....to bring Remy LeBeau ere."