Chapter One: The News
Temperance laughed as she ran through the tall grass and her skirts whipped around her ankles. Her sisters giggled as she chased them, letting them stray ahead of her before closing the distance and then once again falling back.
It felt amazing to hear their laughter and see their cherub faces flushed with happiness as their blond braids danced around their shoulders. For so long life had been such a struggle and while money was still tight, food was still scarce and their clothes were still threadbare at least the war was finally over!
The papers had been full of news about the end of the war between the states. The Union had been successful and a declaration had been issued. The Confederacy had surrendered. It meant that their western Virgina home here in the rolling mountains would once again be filled with their entire family just as soon as Temperance's father and two older brothers made it home. It meant that the fields would soon be full of crops once again. It meant that her brothers would once again be working in town and it meant that the cupboards would once again be full of food, the smokehouse full of meat, the wardrobes full of clothes, their feet encased in shoes and their home overflowing with laughter.
It had been four long years since her, her sisters, or her mama had seen the three men--and the boys would be grown men now. Thomas had been fifteen when they'd left and Gregory seventeen. Temperance could hardly remember what her papa looked like and figured she'd never know her brothers until they introduced themselves. She had only been eleven years old the last time she had seen any of them. Her youngest sister, Charlotte was only three and a half now and had never even met the rest of her family and six year old Jessica didn't remember them.
Temperance couldn't wait to have everyone together again! And she knew her mother was overjoyed as well. The woman had been polishing the house until it shown, sewing new dresses and filling the house with beautiful singing since they'd received news two weeks ago that the war was over.
Now it was simply a waiting game until word spread throughout all the troops and the men found their way home.
Temperance hoped it wouldn't be too long... she was a papa's girl and longed to feel his strong arms hugging her close again. Everything in the whole world had always felt better and safer when her papa hugged her.
After topping over the last of the rises their meager cabin home came into view and Charlotte plopped down in the grass, "Char, you're going to stain your dress!" Jessica scolded, panting for breath as she did so.
"You sound just like, mama," Temperance informed the bossy girl as she caught up to them and then plopped down in the grass beside her youngest sister.
Jessica giggled, "You're going to stain your dress as well."
Temperance feigned shock, "Well come on then, dearest sister, don't let us be the only ones that earn a scolding from mama!"
She grabbed a squealing Jessica around the waist and pulled the girl into the grass. Charlotte laughed and began to tickle Jessica until she begged for mercy.
The girls sat companionably side by side and then Jessica frowned and pointed toward the barn, "Tempy, who's horse is that tied up?"
Temperance's eyes sought out the horse she saw the Union insignia upon the sacks on its back. Her heart pounded. Were her papa and brothers home so soon? If so, why was there only one horse?
"It's papa!" Charlotte exclaimed and she jumped to her bare feet. Her chubby legs scampered down the hill as she yelled out for papa again and again.
Temperance couldn't contain her own excitement either as she too got to her feet, raised up her skirts and raced after her sister with Jessica hot on her heels.
Her mother's wails broke through the quiet afternoon air and Temperance froze just feet away from the porch of their home.
Jessica and Charlotte stood in the doorway of the house with fear and uncertainty on their flushed faces as they gazed inside.
Their mother's sobs were almost inhuman and full of so much sorrow and pain that it filled Temperance with fear. Her mother was not a woman who cried. She was strong-willed and tough. She had been raising three girls all on her own for four years and was the type of woman who took things in stride.
Whatever the man inside had said to her mother had to have been terrible.
Temperance pushed past her sisters and entered the cabin. Her mother was on her knees in front of the fireplace with a picture clutched against her chest as she stared up at the ceiling and wailed. Temperance knew the picture was one of her family taken before Charlotte had been born and before the war had taken her brothers and father away from home.
Temperance's heart was pounding and full of uncertainty as she took in the sight of the man standing awkwardly in front of her mother. He had his blue hat clutched in his hands as he stood there in his full soldier attire. The black mustache on his face quivered as he looked down at the sobbing woman before him and his brown eyes were rimmed with red. His face was extremely skinny and very pale.
This wasn't her father or her one of her brothers. Her brothers had red hair just like her and their mother. Their father was blond like her sisters.
"Who are you?" Temperance demanded. "What have you done to my mother?!"
The man whirled around and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of Temperance and the two girls who were now clutching onto her skirts. Temperance spared a glance at her mother but the woman didn't seem to notice they were there as she remained lost in her overwhelming grief...
But grief over what?
Temperance thought she might know but prayed she was wrong. Please God it had to be wrong. They'd just received a letter days before in their fathers hand that the men were fine and hopeful the war would end soon. It had been dated a few weeks before but they were fine.... They were coming home.
"Ma'am's, I'm sorry.. I didn't do nothing to your mama I promise," the man insisted, his throat bobbing.
"Mama's crying," Charlotte whispered as she chewed on her lip. Her wide innocent eyes gazed up at Temperance full of tears, "Why mama cry?"
Temperance patted her head and turned her attention back to the man. Her gaze made it clear she was waiting for an answer. The man shifted his scuffed black boots on the uneven planks of wood on the floor, "It's not news fit for young ears," he assured her.
Temperance's heart shattered as her worst fears were realized. She looked at her broken mother and knew she could not fall apart. The girls would need her to be the strong one since their mother could not.
She crouched down and looked into the confused eyes of her sisters, "Both of you need to go out to the barn and make sure the cow and mule have enough food, water and hay. Stay out there until I come for you."
"But, Tempy, something is wrong! I want to know what's wrong," Jessica stubbornly argued.
Temperance shook her head and pointed toward the door, "You will do as I say, Jessica. Now go," she patted both girls gently on the backside as they clutched hands and went out the door. Charlotte seemed more confused than ever and Jessica was stomping, clearly angry and hurt over being made to leave.
Temperance let out a long, weary sigh, shoved herself to her feet and turned to face the man once again who rubbed at his neck with his bony hand and glanced at her mother still sobbing on the floor.
"Now what news have you brought with you?" Temperance asked.
"You are a set of young ears, ma'am... I don't know if I should tell you.."
"I am fifteen years old, sir, and plenty old enough to hear what it is you have to say. My mother will need my help in dealing with my sisters so I need to know what's going on. Clearly she is in no shape to tell me herself."
"Miss, it's too bad..." he shook his head.
Temperance stomped her foot, "You will tell me! Do you know my brothers and my father?" her voice broke as she spoke of her father but she kept her chin strong and her shoulders back.
The man looked down at the toes of his boots, "Yes, I knew them."
Temperance's body shook with despair though she made no sound. The man had just said he knew them--past tense.
"And do you bring us news of them?" she whispered, finding that her voice refused to speak any louder.
"Yes," the man croaked. "I promised your father, Joseph, that if anything happened to him I would see to his family."
"Surely my brothers can see to us," Temperance countered, her eyes getting lost in space as she stared into nothing. Her body felt numb--almost weightless....dead.
"Miss, your father and brothers were victims of a raid just over two weeks ago. They aren't coming home, Miss. Well at least not alive. I accompanied their caskets here and have them waiting in town...."
The room began to spin. Caskets? All three of them?
"You're lying..." she countered, shaking her head and stumbling back several steps. She tripped over the rug and nearly fell. The man reached out for her but she slapped his hands away, "You're lying!" she screamed this time.
He shook his head as a tear fell down his gaunt cheek, "I'm not. I wish I were. I loved those men like brothers... we fought side by side from the beginning."
Temperance couldn't focus. Her mind raced, her heart cried, the room seemed to be in a never ending spiral. It was hard to focus. Blackness began to edge into her vision.
She cried out for her papa just as she lost hold on her consciousness and crumpled to the floor.
A/N: I want to let you all know that I tweaked the synopsis a bit to fit the story better just in case you notice some things that are different. I don't know if you have to take the old out of your library and add the new but i have corrected anything that didn't fit with the old synopsis and this first chapter! I also want to warn everyone that this story is rated R for a very very good reason. There will be very graphic abuse, sexual abuse, rape, humiliation, degredation, language, drug use, torture... you name it and this story is going to have it. So if you are too faint of heart it would probably be best to bow out now! But for those of you who are up to it--let's get this thing started!