Disclaimer: I forgot it on the first chapter. Don't own them Probably never will….but if I did, all chaos would ensue.

Chapter Two

Cleansing Jordan

Oh…my head… was Jordan's first coherent thought, as she rolled over, sat up, and held her head in her hands. Tentatively, she reached around to the back of her head and felt the goose-egg sized knot on the back of it. It was squishy and she felt a wave of nausea hit her. She choked it down until she could get some kind of bearing on where she was at.

Which at the present was hard to determine. It was dark where she was at. Cautiously she reached out a hand and felt a wall on one side…then she tried with the other arm and encountered another wall.

Wherever she was at, it was small…and warm….She fought back another wave of nausea. A concussion. Whoever hit her had given her a concussion, she was sure of it.

This is a hell of a way to begin a vacation, she thought. Whoever it was that mugged me must have thrown me in some storage closet…so much for stepped-up airport security…I sure hope I can get another ticket to fly out today… Slowly she felt around the tiny space until she found what she thought was the door. Banging on it with all her strength and still battling the nausea, she called out, "Let me out…someone open the door and let me out….please."

She heard voices and footsteps. Thank God…someone is coming…The door swung open and Jordan winced at the sudden shaft of bright light that hit her eyes. "Hey…someone in your airport mugged me and threw me in this closet," she said to the figure standing in the middle of the shaft of light, holding her hand over her eyes to try to make out exactly who it was…and if it was per chance airport security, give them a piece of her mind.

"Mugged you, Dr. Cavanaugh?" the voice asked from above her.

How the hell does he know my name? she fleetingly wondered. And then it hit her.

This was no ordinary mugging.

"Who are you and where the hell am I at?" she asked, keeping a belligerent tone in her voice. Never let them see a weakness…

"Me? That's not necessary for you to know right now, Dr. Cavanaugh. As for where you're at…let's just say it's a sanctuary for you."

"Sanctuary? What kind of sanctuary?"

"The kind where you can find peace…

"I was on my way to St. Thomas to find that. If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." Jordan stood, but the pain in her head made her stumble.

"Ah. Your head. I'm sorry about that. I think Belinda hit you harder than she needed to…but you'll be okay. The pain will go away soon and you'll adjust to your new home just fine."

"New home?" Jordan was beginning to feel more uneasy every moment. The man…or what she could see of him…was large…imposing...strong, and muscular. There was no way she could run through him…or get around him…and from what she could tell there was a crowd of people behind him. She didn't see a way out at the present.

"Yes. New home…and we're glad to have you."

"But I have a home."

"You had a home…an old home. This is your new home and it will be so much better for you here…."

"And how's that?"

The man took her by the arm and pulled her from the closet into the bright light of the hallway. "Because you now have a family…These," he motioned to the women who were crowding around them, "are your new sisters…."

Jordan swallowed hard. "And you are?"

"Someone sent here to save you."

"Save me?"

"Yes." The man smiled at her. "Save you. Save your immortal soul. You should feel incredibly lucky that they chose you."

Jordan knew she had a concussion and was having a hard time keeping up, but this was making little sense to her. "I don't understand…."

"I don't expect you to right now…" The man took her downstairs to a large den and sat her down. "See, it's like this. My daughters were looking for someone…someone like you…who was alone…that needed all the sin and evilness cleansed from her…and they saw you at the airport and decided you were the one that needed saving today. So they brought you here…"

"Here?"

"To our home," the man said taking Jordan's hand. "Don't you understand? My daughters want to purify you so that you can become their sister…"

"You…to purify me? And who are you?"

"I told you…I am here to help you…and I'm here to save your soul…"

Jordan remembered little after that for a few days. The nausea and the knowledge that she had been kidnapped both joined together and welled up in her with such force that she spend the next several hours in the bathroom trying to make sense of it all. Trying to understand exactly where she was at and what was going to happen to her.

The where was hard to get a grip on. It was an old house…apparently an old farm house out in the middle of nowhere. The windows were covered with dark shades and curtains. Her bedroom, which she shared with six other women, had no openings other than the door that led into the hallway. She was not allowed outside and was watched constantly as her "savior" and her "sisters" got on with the process of "purifying her soul."

A process that meant little sleep, little food, and even less water. Jordan was well aware that whoever it was that had her…whatever this group called themselves, they were attempting to bend her will to theirs…in short, brainwash her.

And she fought it with everything she had…but she also knew the odds were against her. Garret and the others wouldn't be alarmed at her absence until her two week vacation was over and she didn't show back up at work…and by that time, it may be too late. She may have weakened enough to succumb to this group's desires, or she may die from lack of food and water.

Or be weakened by other means. Her "savior" – a man the women called "John" expected strict and immediate obedience by them all – and Jordan was no exception. "Obedience is part of the purification process," he told her.

"And when is this process over?" she asked.

He smiled at her again -- a singularly cold expression. "It never is. Because the soul has a natural bend toward sin and wickedness, one must constantly strive to purify oneself…to be completely cleansed."

"And obeying you guarantees my cleansing?"

"That….and listening to what I tell you. You are a wicked woman, Jordan Cavanaugh. Your sisters saw the evil in you the minute they laid eyes on you at the airport…The way you dressed…the things you carried in your suitcase…you needed to be cleansed…."

Jordan quickly found out her "cleansing" came with a high personal price. If she didn't obey "John" immediately…with whatever it was he asked of her…whether it was getting him a cup of coffee or regular household chores, the price was exacted out of her back…she was beaten.

The first time it happened, she was too stunned to react. But as she was held down by the women and a leather belt was worked over her back, she soon learned that her rebellion would not be tolerated by this bully.

And with the lack of food, rest, and water…coupled with the beatings, she soon found out that keeping her mouth shut for once and doing what she was told meant her survival.

So, dressed in the plain clothes that her "sisters" had given her to replace the ones in her suitcase…and with a closed mouth and weary body, she determined to try to survive the two weeks she would have to get through before anyone had the slightest idea she was missing.