Ruby (Landry 1)

daughter away."

"But it's not as if she is your daughter in

actuality, Pierre. You haven't known her a day since

her birth and neither have I. She's been brought up in

bsp; an entirely different world," Daphne pleaded. But my

father didn't appear to hear her. With his gaze still

fixed on me, he spoke.

"I knew your grandmother better than I knew

your grandfather. She was a very special woman with

special powers," he said.

"Really, Pierre," Daphne interrupted. "No, Daphne, she was. She was what Cajuns

call. . . a Traiteur, right?" he asked me. I nodded. "If

she thought it was best for you to come here, she must

have had some special reasons, some insights,

spiritual guidance," Pierre said.

"You can't be serious, Pierre," Daphne said.

"You don't put any validity in those pagan beliefs.

Next thing, you'll be telling me you believe in Nina's

voodoo."

"I never reject it out of hand, Daphne. There are

mysteries that logic, reason, and science can't

explain," he told her. She closed her eyes and sighed

deeply.

"How do you propose to handle this. . . this

situation, Pierre? How do we explain her to our

friends, to society?" she asked. I was still standing,

afraid to take a step away, yet afraid to sit down again,

too. I clung so hard to my little b. t of possessions, my

knuckles turned white while my father thought. "Nina wasn't with us when Gisselle was