"Mom, who is Zula?" I asked and I watched in shock as her face turned as white as chalk.
She started shaking visibly and I wondered if I had asked for something that was forbidden or a curse.
"Mother—" I was about to repeat my question when she raised her hand and stopped me to speak.
"Do not say another word!" She hissed. "Do you know who she is? Where did you hear that name from? Have you been snooping around with that Xena girl in the library?"
She had a tight frown on her face yet the initial fear was still there. The fact that she had just brought up Xena's name. I knew that something was up. The name Zula was somehow related to all of this. It was something they were very scared to even admit out loud.
"Answer me!" She gritted clutching my shirt.
"Mum," I started in a gentle voice as I snatched her hands away from my shirt. "What have you people done? Who is this Zula and why are you so scared of her?"
