A low hum of tension vibrated through him as he remembered the Night Voice. The Night Voice spoke of red things. The Night Voice spoke of feelings. Better not to have them. Love.
Passion.
Greed.
Anger.
Hatred.
Their power was very red. The people they touched ceased to exist. Like Father. Like Mother. Like Marcus. Like Pam.
Sometimes Victor dreamed of the Dark Night and the things he had seen. Very red. Mother, but not Mother, doing things the Night Voice talked about. Even just remembering brought on a red intensity that paralyzed him, as it had that night. He had stood frozen outside the house for hours afterward, hidden in the darkness, unable to move or speak. Finally he had gone inside to see.
Pam, but not Pam. She had ceased to exist. Her cries remained locked inside Victor's mind, echoing and echoing. He didn't like the way her face had changed. Slowly, he took off his mask and laid it across her eyes. Love.
Passion.
Greed.
Anger.
Hatred.
Emotions. Better not to have them. Better to wear a mask, he thought as he put his new one on and went to his small window to stare out at a world cast in the intense colors and soft shadows of twilight. Hatred.
Anger.
Greed.
Passion.
Love. The line between them is thin and dark.
GLOSSARY OF CAJUN FRENCH
allons -- let's go
arrete-- stop
c'est assez-- that's enough
c'est chaud-- that's hot
c'est ein affaire a pus finir-- it's a thing that has no end
c'est vrai-- that's true
chère 'tite bete-- poor little dear
chérie, chère, cher-- cherished, beloved coonass a sometimes derogatory slang term for Cajun
espesces de tite dure-- you hard-headed thing
fils de putain-- son of a bitch
foute ton quant did-- get away
grenier-- attic, loft
id on park francais-- French spoken here
il a pas d'esprit-- he doesn't have any sense
je t'aime-- I love you
jeune fille-- young girl
le grand derangement-- when the Cajuns were exiled from Canada
loup-garou-- Cajun myth: werewolf
ma 'tite fille-- my little girl
mais-- but: often used for emphasis with yes or no
mais non-- but no
mais sa c'est fou-- but that's crazy
merde-- shit
mon ami-- my friend
mon Dieu-- my God
pou-- louse
pur Cajun-- pure Cajun
que sera sera-- what will be will be
sa c'est de la couyonade-- that's foolishness
si vous plait-- please
t'es trop grand pour tes-- you're too big for your
cullottes-- britches
t'es en erreur-- you're mistaken
tcheue poule-- chicken ass
'tite chatte-- little cat
'tite belle-- little sweetheart
Tor Tee-- preceding a name is short for petite or 'tite, and denotes a nickname
viens id-- come here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TAMI HOAG'S novels have appeared regularly on national bestseller lists since the publication of her first book in 1988. She lives in Virginia with her husband and a menagerie of pets.
