The Silent Courtesan

"Aunt Kenzie handed us both a piece of a plant and told us we had to eat it." Her face took on one of those looks you see when you tell a child to eat all their vegetables. "It was very sweet."

Erin looked directly at her mother. "You know I don't like sweet things but Aunt Kenzie insisted we eat it so I nibbled at it while I watched Susan eat all of hers."

Whatever was in the plant put both girls out. Kenzie got both girls away from the house and two miles down the road to the residence of the local Baptist Minister.

"Mommy I woke up while aunt Kenzie was carrying us over her shoulders."

Erin had seemed to come to a part of her story that she felt was important, yet in the limited vocabulary of a child couldn't express her thoughts.

"When I woke, Susan was on one shoulder I was on the other. She had a big stick strapped to her back and every so often when aunt Kenzie turned it knocked into me."

Her eyes took on a distance type of look as her memories once again yielded its secrets and then she looked genuinely confused and looked towards us both while trying to capture the words that would help her express her thoughts.

"Mommy when we do sports at school I know I kinda bounce, Susan does as well though."

This time Susan shot her an 'I do not' look, Casey held my hand and when I looked she was smiling.

"I was awake Mommy I know I was, yet all I felt was that we were going forward. Aunt Kenzie didn't bounce when she ran and she was going real fast, she said a rude word to herself when she realized I was awake."

Erin placed her arms around herself and I'm sure Casey wanted to leap from our seat just as I did to comfort her, but to do that would have torn her from her memories. Those same memories that she herself was fighting to get out so she could explain to us both what she saw but with the vocabulary of a child it was clearly a struggle for her.

It seems that when Kenzie figured out Erin was awake she had to stop and get her to eat this plant once again that clearly had some sort of sleep inducing side effect to it. She again went back over the fact that Kenzie could run with two children over her shoulders and all Erin felt was forward motion. Any explanation I could offer would have only caused her to ask more questions and to a child Erin's age the answers would have given them darker nightmares than they were having when they both came back to us.

When the Baptist Minister heard the banging on the door, his wife was reluctant to allow him to answer it this late at night. All that he found were two children asleep on his front porch, the minister's wife took charge of the children while he phoned the police. When the girls woke in the hospital they knew they would keep Kenzie a secret, she had saved them.

*******

The police came by a few more times over the years, we told them nothing other than what was on record and to be honest Casey and I wouldn't tell them anymore than that. After a time we were told that it was now considered a cold case and would only be re-opened if any further information came to light.

We got married two years after this event, we would have done it sooner but we didn't want the drama of past events to cloud our day if the papers ever made the connection. Both of us wanted a quiet, private ceremony. The twins wanted to take it in turns to look after Paige while I said 'I do' to a heavily pregnant Casey and although we hovered those girls seemed to grow into the mode of protector and sister. The one thing we both insisted on was an empty seat on the front row, we placed a reserved sign on the seat and hoped she understood if she was watching.

Casey never wanted to move and although it was left unsaid, I knew why, so that Kenzie could always find us if she needed us. We built out to accommodate the children, when Casey gave birth she added another girl to the family and after a talk between us she got her tubes tied, when I said I was outnumbered her response was that one man would feel the love of all the women in the house.

It sure didn't feel like it when the twins hit puberty Susan was always the spokes person for the two on personal matters and yet it was Erin that almost tore this family apart. With puberty pulling the girls' bodies every which way it could Erin was feeling the pressure the most, both from school and boys. I had to ground her and she took it very badly, her retaliation was swift and poorly thought out when she screamed as loud as she could that I wasn't her father.

The look of shock on her face told me she truly didn't mean it. When her hands went to her mouth and her eyes misted up, she was in a flood of tears by the time Susan got to her and pulled her back to her room. Casey found Paige and me on her return from shopping wrapped in each others arms just staring at the fireplace, I'm ashamed to say I was totally incoherent.

For my part I was still trying to figure out how to get that emotional knife out of my heart without damaging this family and with all those thoughts in my head at the time I tried, I just couldn't find a way. This was new ground for us and neither Casey or I had a clue what to do, going into Erin's room all guns blazing wasn't going to happen, after all she was right. I'm not her father, I wasn't the drugged up scumbag who stole his children from their own mother so that he could ransom them back for money to get himself out of a debt of his own doing.

I was the man who came into their lives at the funeral of their uncle, took up space at the dinner table every Friday night and read them stories in bed before leaving for home. I was the man who introduced them to Kenzie and the man who eventually married their mom, the man who introduced Paige and Danielle into their lives.

"I'm sorry."

By the time I looked up Casey had swooped in and collected Paige from my lap and left the room. Erin was standing by the fireplace her pain clear to see, I held out my hand and she took it before sitting next to me. Hugs from my girls only ever came from Paige and Danielle now, the twins deemed themselves too old for that sort of thing.

Her voice choked, she tried ever so hard to say so much to make all this right. "Please tell me how to fix this."

Try as I did to hold back a sigh I simply couldn't, I wasn't pausing for effect.

"You can't Erin, it's out there now and even if you promised you will never use it again when I have to bring you to task over something, you will. Not out of spite but because we both know it's true."

As the silence drew out on itself it seemed that nothing either of us said from now on would make a difference. Even Casey picked up on the silence and told Erin to take Danielle with her to her room, the warm hand left mine as soon as Casey's words left her lips. Erin wanted out of the situation that was growing between us as quickly as possible.

My wife took the vacant spot on my lap and took over from Paige as we both watched the fireplace, the silence between us was interspersed with the sounds of the girls in their rooms talking and laughing together. Both the warmth and silence from my wife calmed the rampaging thoughts in my head, the love that oozed out of her sent my comfort level to contentment and my eyes finally closed.

I'm sure I wasn't supposed to notice the painfully slow way she climbed off of my lap, with the effort she took to do so I figured I would leave her thinking that I was still sleeping. When the house phone pinged and the sound of feet continued to the far end of the room it was clear that Casey was making a private call, I didn't care I trusted my wife and in my half sleep state my hearing seemed to heighten the sounds from the house.

Judging from the noise from the girls all four were in one room, Susan would start a song, Erin would join in as soon as the tune became familiar to her and then the rest of the girls slid seamlessly into that song so by the end all four sounded like a mini choir. They were all truly blessed with beautiful voices when moments like these came along. Casey was talking on the phone but the girls' song cancelled her out until the song ended and her voice became the only one in the house.

"Advertising department please, thank you. Hello, yes I wish to place a for sale ad. Yes I'll hold. Hello I want to place an ad please, it's to read 'for sale, one Black Labrador pup for sale, considered the runt of the litter, house trained and very loving.'"

Even though I wasn't intentionally listening, the words of the ad didn't make sense, we had no dog even though the girls wanted one and then the real words of the ad burst forth and my eyes flew open. Susan starting another song covered the sound of me shortening the distance between my wife and I, Casey almost dropped the phone when she turned and saw me standing no more than three feet from her.

"You've known all these years how to contact her?"

The steel in my wife came forth, pausing only to place the phone on the kitchen counter. She nodded her head and then looked straight at me.

"Not directly no, but I insisted on something in case of a family emergency."

Her hand swept the room. "Look at us Matt, our daughter is broke and we can't fix her with love as much as we both want to. She's crying out for help and its help we can't give her, Susan told me that she is still re-living that evening when Kenzie rescued them, more so now that puberty is tearing into her body."

Casey not only shortened the distance but clung to me like a limpet.

"Kenzie's our only hope Matt, she's screaming out for help and the therapist can't help her. She needs to re-live that night with the only person that was there, Susan too don't you see that?"

Another song drifted out of the girls' room, a lullaby this time. I held my wife as we shuffled our feet to the song with Casey's gentle sobs dampening my chest.

*******

With the Masterson's steadily growing influence it did come to the notice of a very few people in government. When Jacob died and Ashimi went into morning the son took over the farm and his own hunger for power and to show his mother that he was by far the superior Masterson it lead to more than a few bloodbaths. It was then that those select few realized that to cut the head off may not kill the beast.

It was on a tour of Japan when the President met with the then Emperor. The meeting so secret that only four people were in attendance, by the end of the meeting a file that Alexander Donaldson had, changed hands with his counterpart in that room. Four weeks after that meeting the Emperor had an even deeper understanding of the problem and the possible consequences if this situation continued to go unchecked.

On May 12th in room 417 of the Tokyo Hilton four men entered and once the file under the arm of one of them was opened and read, an agreement was reached. The Emperor had decreed that the affiliation the clan had with Jacob and Ashimi Masterson's family was to cease and in return for cutting off every head and tentacle the Masterson family had in American society, the clan would be released from the shame it had carried for hundreds of years.

It was three months later that the trusted associate of the Emperor met once again with the three members of the clan, his own instincts telling him that something was different about this meeting. He was met in the middle of the room by two of them and yet one stood at the furthest part of the room and in front of a chair that was placed in the shadows.

Still looking at the man furthest from him he asked his question. "Why did you summon me, you have all the information you need, decide before that decision is taken away from you."

The man moved and still in the shadows sitting crossed legged on a chair a figure moved slightly the face of the figure hidden from all those in the room. Other than the Emperors envoy no one said anything. He continued to stare at the figure and the figure simply stared right back. The stalemate was finally broken when one of the men offered the envoy a chair, still not taking his eyes off the shadow he nodded his head.

"Who are you?"

The figure remained silent for a moment longer before un-crossing her legs and leaning her elbows on her thighs. Kenzie's face then emerged from the shadows and the envoy instantly stood and pointed at her and yet talked directly to the man who offered him a chair.

"You bring a Gaijin to this meeting. I warned you from the very beginning that this matter was to be dealt with in the utmost secrecy and you bring THAT here?"

Kenzie leaned to one side of her chair and picked up the file sitting on the table next to her, she then tossed it across the room, it landed three feet from the envoy but the force still within her throw carried it to within an inch of his highly polished left shoe.

The envoy paused mid-rant as he recognized the folder now at his feet.

In fluent Japanese she said, "Neither you or the Emperor get to tell us how to clean up our own mess, we have been doing that for hundreds of years. I want to ask were you got that from, too much of it is false information for our clan to trust it."

The envoy still ignored Kenzie and turned to the man he first spoke to at the original meeting.

"That file came from a very reliable source."

Kenzie tried one more time. "Who?"

Again she was ignored, when the envoy went to speak the man pointed to Kenzie.

"I will not discus this with a Gaijin. My sense of smell is already having to fight the urge to be sick even being this close to THAT."

The envoy only heard the click as Kenzie released her short sword from its scabbard because she wanted him too. His head quickly turned to the figure in shadows and as his eyes closed to blink she was sitting in the chair across the room from him, when his eyes opened again the sword was buried between his legs and through the chair he was sitting on with Kenzie standing over him.

He smelt urine before he realized his bladder had given into the fear that now clutched at his heart.

"Now that I have your undivided attention. First, don't ever insult me since you have no idea who I am. Second, I want the name of the person who gave that file to the Emperor."

Summoning the very last of his escaping courage he looked directly at Kenzie. "You wouldn't dare...."

Kenzie hadn't let go of her sword, she pulled it out of the chair by six inches, the sharpness of the blade slicing the envoys trousers as he tried so desperately hard to move further back. Fear clutched at his throat like a vice, his mind trying desperately hard to scream as a new smell moved upwards telling him his bowels had now joined his bladder in blind terror.

*******

Alexander Donaldson had had a difficult day and to him the sun that was descending beyond the buildings across the park from his apartment couldn't disappear fast enough. Hearing the chirp of his car signaling that he had locked it seemed like the drawing of a line under the day, the rituals had started. As he summoned the elevator for the underground car park the mood within him changed and as the doors opened and as he entered. His mind was already going over what he wanted to eat since his wife and two children were visiting her mother for the week.

The last vestige of tension left him as the door to his apartment opened and the lights went on, with his case on the table by the door and his coat now in the closet he took that final deep breathe that signified that this was now his time. It was also then that his world went dark and he slumped to the ground.

He woke from his dream sitting on the couch, a woman sat crossed legged on a chair from the kitchen across from him a sword on her lap and her eyes stared directly at him. Alexander Donaldson was six foot two and close to two hundred pounds, he had found politics only after a career in the service as a helicopter pilot. Very few times in his military career had he known fear, looking directly at this woman was one of them.

He shook his head trying to stop his head from spinning and to focus better, "This is a secure building, how did you get in here?"

Kenzie smiled, "I'm sorry I had to do this, the muscles in your body will stay relaxed for a few hours yet, I made sure I didn't give you too much or it may have stopped your heart."

His eyes moved to the sword lying across her lap.

"Did you need to use it at all since you brought that tooth pick to the party?"

Kenzie giggled instinctively tracing her fingers along the sword as she did.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun, I like you already."

Alex thought it was worth a try, "Like me enough to leave and not come back maybe?"

She shook her head and the smile slowly vanished from her face.

"No, more like leave you alive and in a wheel chair so you can watch your children grow up kind of like, rather than take your head as a souvenir type of like."

When Alex looked closely at this woman he knew she was deadly serious. He thought it wise to quickly move away from this conversation.

"Well since you do seem to have my undivided attention perhaps you would tell me what you do want."

Kenzie got up off the chair, turned and placed her sword onto it. Alex didn't see her move, he just felt the punch connect with his chin and the force of the blow that slid him sideways and down onto the base of the couch. She used his hair to place Alex back into the sitting position he was in when he woke up.

"I believe that's called getting your undivided attention."

Once again Kenzie sat on the chair with her sword across her lap.

"You gave a document to the President to read, he took it with him on his tour of Japan and handed it to the Emperors aide. The President was quick to get others to do his own dirty work, and he expected the Japanese to deal with the farm. We notice that you skipped over the part that Jacob Masterson was an American citizen."

Alex looked closer at the woman across from him.

"No such file exists and I don't know what you're talking about."

Kenzie shook her head, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, it's because of you interfering that's made this much harder."

This time Alex remained silent, his stare was constant and in no way antagonizing his house guest.

"In three days our clan will remove the threat of Jacob Masterson's son and his organization. The only innocents in all this are the breeders, because of your interference they now have to die. I refuse to allow this and your President is going to look after them. I hear your witness protection program has some redeeming qualities Mr. Donaldson."

Alex listened and watched the woman very closely and then he realized who she was.

"You're one of them aren't you, you're a Courtesan?"

Kenzie smiled and even shook her head ever so slightly, "No, I'm far worse than that. I'm a manipulation of breeding, my father was Shingi Osowar and my mother was Becky seven. A joining that was so secret that not even the Masterson's realized it. My late father gave me two gifts Mr. Donaldson. I am the Silent Courtesan and also through right of blood since I now take my late fathers roll in the clan, one of the leaders of the clan sent to destroy the farm."

Alex went to speak but Kenzie held up her left hand to stop him, he felt the dart hit his chest a second later and he slumped sideways once again.

It was dark when he woke on the floor, Alex found he could turn so he knew he had muscle function back. First he got onto all fours and then got up slowly, his head hurt and his jaw reminded him why it ached as well. The only light in the room was from the open kitchen he even made it to the fridge before a voice caused him to instantly stop.

"You need to drink but I would avoid caffeine for a day or two so stick to the orange juice you have in the fridge door and while you're there I will have a bottled water please."