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(_[previously...](https://peakd.com/hive-153503/@viking-ventures/phoenix-chapter-10-swan-valley)_)


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# 11
### Wyoming
.
For a long time, it was quiet in the minivan, except for the soft drone of old country music. The children slept, Freya concentrated on the road, sometimes obscured by blowing snow, and Tanya just looked out at the scenery. At some point, the scenery would change to be what she was going to call ‘home’ for awhile, but she didn’t know when that change would be, or what that scenery would look like. She mused about the fact that being “free” didn’t feel very free at all. She would always be second-guessing herself, looking over her shoulder. The incident at the gas station proved that. If it wasn’t for the fact that Frank would kill her and the children, she would have considered canceling the whole thing and returning to Portland.
	
But then, had he not threatened her, she wouldn’t have left to begin with. Why would she choose insecurity over security – with children? She thought back, shamefully, to times when she didn’t understand the plight of a single mother either – had figured that marriage was for life – no matter what – and that a single mother chose her fate… Now, she knew better. And she had only just begun the journey. She wondered how she would secure gainful employment that allowed her to mother the way she intended. She had been so arrogant! And now she would be knocked to the level of those she’d once disparaged.
	
“When do we get to the Great Divide?” Tanya asked.
	
“That’s a better question than you probably know… You’re going to be sitting smack dab on it. Sort of.”
	
“What do you mean by that?”
	
“The Great Divide Basin is a special place where all the water that falls stays within the Basin. The Divide itself is to the west and to the east… around the Basin. So, yes. You’ll be right in the middle of it.”
	
“Wow.”
	
“Ba’a O’ng is beautiful. The government made a mistake when they shooed the Neme’o’ng into the basin.” Freya laughed. “You should read your books. When you come to understand where they came from, you will understand their free spirit better. As much as I love the people in Blackfoot, where Therese lives, they have lost much of their culture. The Neme’o’ng fought to keep theirs – much to the chagrin of the government!”
	
“They sound like a resilient people.”
	
“They are. And they recognize that feature in others – like yourself. Which is why it will be a good place for you. You don’t have the “victim mentality” - so, you’ll bounce back – with a little help.”
	
“Anything more about that Amber Alert?” Tanya asked.
	
Freya shook her head. “No. It would be unusual to hear much. But because we’re already two states away from where you began, it’s an FBI case now – and that’s only if Evana was unsuccessful at explaining your reason for leaving. I suspect that once the question of your safety is raised, they’ll drop the case pretty quickly.  If it helps, I haven’t seen your face on any of the newspapers or news channels...”
	
“I guess that helps,” Tanya replied with a sigh.
	
“We’re going to have to stop for fuel and food just after we get onto I-80. I’ll understand if you want to stay in the car, but even you probably could do with the rest area. Such stops aren’t plentiful in Wyoming.”
	
“Okay.”
	
After awhile, they pulled into the little tourist trap that served as a place to get gas, food and souvenirs, maybe in that order. The over-commercialization churned her stomach even before she got the girls out for a much-needed restroom stop.
	
“After I fill up, I’ll find you,” Freya said, handing Tanya a couple of twenties.
	
“I can’t…,” Tanya protested.
	
“You can’t use whatever card you have either.”
	
Tanya’s face fell.
	
“Go and buy what you like,” Freya insisted. “Pay it forward in the future.”
	
“I will,” Tanya agreed, wondering when she would be on her own again. Her life as Frank Jones’ wife had ended, her life as Tanya… Tanya who? Her life on her own had begun and she felt like she was failing. She thought about that again as she looked in the mirror in the bathroom, starting to get used to her new look. She felt the strange need for black eye liner and deep purple rouge.
	
“Mommy?” Rose’s voice sang out. “Flush?”
	
Tanya sighed, but cheerfully went to help her younger daughter.
	
Half an hour later, having eaten their fill in pizza slices, they piled back into the car with large cookies to keep them busy for awhile.
	
“Look,” Freya said as they merged onto I-80. “I’m not doing this out of charity. It’s an investment into your future… the future of your girls… as well as the help you might give other women in the future. If you want a real education into how men treat women, read the romance novels of the past two generations. Then you’ll see how far we’ve come – but also what kind of struggle we face. It wasn’t so long ago when it was seen as okay for a man to spank his wife!”
	
“What?!”
	
“He was expected to discipline! I’ve actually thrown books like that in the garbage. It’s harmful for women to see that as some sort of romantic ideal!”
	
“That’s just crazy!” Tanya replied.
	
“We’ve come a long ways as women… but still have a long ways to go. True equality isn’t proven in the workplace; it’s proven at home. Until men see their wives as true and equal partners, there will be no equality anywhere else either!”
	
“True,” Tanya agreed with a large yawn.
	
“Hey, the next couple of hours is going to be relatively boring. Go ahead and sleep for awhile. I’ll wake you before we get into the Basin, promise.”
	
“Sure,” she replied, wadding her coat into a pillow against the window. She nestled against it, hoping that her dreams would be of a handsome brown-skinned man, rather than Frank.
	
♥♥♥

</div>

[Next chapter...](https://peakd.com/hive-153503/@viking-ventures/phoenix-chapter-12-swan-valley)

Back to [the prologue](https://peakd.com/hive-153503/@viking-ventures/phoenix-prologue-swan-valley)

[Character Info and Notes](https://peakd.com/hive-153503/@viking-ventures/phoenix-characters-and-notes-swan-valley)

Available to purchase at [Books2Read]( *coming soon*. Print version will be available soon.

THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased one of my books. I appreciate every single one!

### Image Credits
**Phoenix**
Genesis 8.1 by DAZ 3D Studio
Summer Dress by Pusey Designs
Mitsu Hair
Dice Earrings by Fisty
.
**Sage Eagle**
Genesis 8.1
Mada TnC Jeans by DAZ
Gypsy Shirt by Pusey Designs
PH Classic Hair
.
**Kitten**
Housecat by HiveWire
.
**Background**
Room4 by SmidA

***
### Previous Swan Valley Stories: 
* **Native Concession** either in [ebook form](https://books2read.com/b/mgg87K) or [print]( . (June 2014, approximately 9 months before **Phoenix**.)

### Location:
Swan Valley is a fictitious American Indian reservation located in the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming, USA. The Neme'o'ng (Swan People) are based on the idea of blending the Shoshoni and Arapaho peoples - as might have happened if they were stranded in a desolate area as a small band of misfits. I have developed their language from the same ideas.

***

Please read [my note](https://peakd.com/hive-153503/@viking-ventures/author-s-note-regarding-teenage-relationships-in-my-books) on romance, teenage intimate relationships and underage sex. I apologize if my understanding conflicts with your sense of morality, but I'm only looking at things realistically, not ideologically. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

***

**Writing and artwork copyright myself 2005-2105 – all rights reserved.** 
If you are interested in helping me publish these works, please contact me on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/AmaraBooks/) or Discord, viking-ventures#2883. 

***

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**Lori Svensen**
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