ANGELS AND GHOSTS
CHAPTER TWENTY

The Assassin, The Dreamer and The Psychic

Rachael had to laugh as she looked at the sports results the next day; the Angels, again. If they had of won, she would have got her best result ever; but no, thank-you, beaten 8-9 in the eleventh innings.

Just to spite them, just to show that she wasn’t frightened of them, Rachael plonked $100- straight out on them to win the next game; and they lost. “Fucking pussies!”

And $100- the next day; lost. “You wanta fuck with me?” she snorted.

$100- on them to lose the next day; and they won. Fuming, Rachael stared at the computer screen, knowing that she was beaten. The Angels would never, ever be a part of her bets again, for it seemed like the Angels Management might have access to her betting account, and they monitored her every move; Rachael Terina bet on us today, so let’s throw the game … she bet against us today, so let’s win! “Los Angeles, the City of Angels!” Rachael huffed. In a way, she was an Angel, an Avenging Angel, and Los Angeles would be the last place on Earth where Angels would live; what, with the sun beating down all the time, and the claustrophobic traffic, and West Coast Wankers everywhere, and one of their fucking baseball teams …

Her cell rang.

“Hey Soph, how ya doing?”

“Very well thank-you Gorgeous. I rang Jasmine, and she was a little bit cautious, so I told her that you’re a good friend of mine, and yeah, she’ll see the woman.”

“Thank-you Sophie, I do appreciate it.”

Two days later, Rachael rang Mia. “Whatchya doing tomorrow?”

“Hi Rach, hopefully seeing you!”

Rachael frowned at the joyous statement, then said, “Yeah, you will, because we’re going to Bassington.”

“How come?”

“That psychic I told you about; we’re seeing her tomorrow.”

*

The next day, Rachael picked her up then took the freeway, wanting to avoid Cribb Highway.

“You feeling okay?”

Mia looked down and rubbed her thighs, “Yeah, I guess.” Four rubs, plus two half rubs, the tiniest of throbs beginning in her brow. The nervous rubs continued because Mia knew that was in love with Rachael Terina; head over heels in love with her. Mia thought about the expression, Head over heels. People normally spent most of their active hours in an upright position, and that meant that yes, your head is above your heels; so the expression didn’t seem to adequately describe the love that she had for Rachael Terina. Her love was kinda like a spinning love where she didn’t know whether she was upright, upside down, inside out, or heels-over-head. When she wasn’t with her, she felt depressed and she pined for her, and when she was due to see her, she was so excited that she felt nauseous, then when she did see her, it was like spinning all over the place, and volcanoes erupting, and fireworks exploding, and little ducklings following their mother across the pedestrian crossing; and no need to rub her thighs, because Rachael rubbed them, and kissed them, and licked them, and Rachael had even coerced her into the doing the Can-Can one time, and Mia had never been so embarrassed, but all the same, she had never laughed as much either, as they Can-Canned their way around Rachael’s apartment without their clothes on. No, Mia wasn’t head over heels in love with Rachael Terina, she was Infernal Galloped in love with her, because sometimes her heels were actually at the same height her head was, and, Gosh … ducks walking across a pedestrian crossing was just so darn cute. So yeah, don’t frighten her away, don’t frighten Rachael Terina away; but maybe, just maybe, she had to be honest with the girl who kept her spinning. “Rach …”

“What?”

“I, I’m nervous about this, but I want to help her.”

Rachael cocked her head to look at her, “The girl from the dream?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, maybe this might, you know, trigger something.”

Mia rubbed her thighs, uncertain of everything as she asked meekly, “What if it does?”

“Sorry?”

“What if it does trigger something?”

“Well that’s what we want, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I want to help the girl.” Mia frowned, uncertain of how to take this forward. The most important thing in her life was the girl who was driving. She was Infernal Galloped in love with her, although she desperately wanted to help the girl who she suspected was residing in the gluggy, mushy back-lots of her damaged brain. If a decision had to be made, ignore the girl and spend the rest of your days with Bold, Exciting Person, or else help the girl and risk losing Bold, Exciting Person; what would she do? Mia knew herself well enough to know that there was only decision. She suspected that something terrible had happened to the girl, and the girl had reached out to her, so she didn’t have a choice. “Rach, if something comes out of this, you won’t, ummm, you know …”

Rachael waited then prompted, “What?”

“If something comes out of this, you won’t think any less of me, will you?”

Rachael thought about the nervous statement, then replied, “Mia, we found a grave, and the bones in the grave have been identified as belonging to a young female, so if you going under hypnosis is going to solve this mystery, I’ll be thinking that my friend is a brave little bitch!”

Mia blew out a relieved breath, then said politely, “I’m not little, I’m taller than you.”

Rachael smiled and said brightly, “Okay, yeah, so my friend is an average-sized brave bitch who is a, a …”

Mia waited, then asked, “Who is a what?”

Rachael assumed that this was the perfect time to subtly let Mia know that theirs was a physical relationship, not an emotional one. She gazed at Mia as she said, “My friend is an average-sized bitch who is a great fuck!”

Mia blushed and giggled, and she wanted to declare brightly, You too Rach, you’re a great (ohhh excuse me) a great fuck too! instead she replied, “I’m not a bitch.”

Rachael pulled up in front of the house, then said blandly, “This is it.”

They both looked at the house. South-west Bassington was essentially a middle-class area with nice looking houses set on reasonable allotments. Jasmine’s house was a California bungalow complete with a veranda, the house and yard well maintained. A sign hung above the entrance; Madame Jasmine- Fortune Teller.

Rachael and Mia stood at the front gate, staring at the sign, then Rachael asked, “You ready for this?”

Mia closed her eyes, then she shivered as she sensed movement in back-lots of her brain. “Yes.”

They walked up the pathway, on to the veranda, and Rachael engaged the doorbell.

“Rach…”

“What?”

Mia was frightened and confused; whatever was happening in her troubled mind, something might happen today when she went under hypnosis. Something might go ping or something might go boing, and it might even scare the ducklings off the pedestrian crossing; so Mia knew, she just knew that she had to tell her. “You’re a great …” Mia blushed, so many things running through her mind, Ohhh, I need to tell her, so sorry, excuse me … “You, you’re a great fuck too.”

Rachael blew out a laugh, then the door opened. Rachael composed herself as she said, “Hello, Jasmine, I’m Rachael and this is Mia.”

Jasmine was probably in her forties, and she was wearing an orange and purple kaftan, the kaftan unable to disguise the fact that she was thick set. Two more inches would see her knocking on the door of the six-foot club, and her dark hair billowed in the fashion that her heritage dictated. Her face was rounded by chubby cheeks and her eyes were dark, although the eyes seemed welcoming.

Jasmine lead them into the front room, asking, “Can I get you anything?”

Mia seemed frozen, so Rachael replied, “No, we’re okay. Did Sophie tell you what this is about?”

“She mentioned a few things, yeah.”

Jasmine spoke in the unhurried and personable manner that Rachael assumed all fortune tellers would employ; Sit down, make yourself comfortable, give me your money, and yeah, I’ll caress your hand for two minutes and then tell you how many kids you’re going to have.

Rachael sat, then leant forward, “So yeah, we were hoping that you could put Mia under hypnosis, and hopefully that will lead to some kind of a resolution for the problem we have.”

Jasmine smiled, then gazed at Mia as she asked, “And the problem is?”

“Well, you see-” Rachael began.

“I’m sorry Rachael, I’d like to hear about it from Mia.” Jasmine interrupted politely.

“Ohhh, sure, sorry.”

“So Mia, please go ahead, tell me about it.”

Mia rubbed her thighs. “I was hit by a car in July last year, and I was in a coma for a few weeks after that, then when I came out of the coma, I started hearing this voice in my mind.”

“You were in a coma, so you were badly injured?”

“The doctors said I was in a really bad way, and if it had been any longer …”

“You were in a critical condition?”

“Yes, I’m led to believe that I was lucky to survive.”

“I understand. Sophie told me bits and pieces, although for the purpose of this exercise, I would like you to tell me everything.”

“Certainly.”

“So the voice, what was the voice saying?”

“It said, Hello, hello, can you help me.”

“Did you recognize the voice?”

“No, the voice seemed young and female, but I didn’t recognize it.”

“How often did you hear it?”

“Every night for months, but when we discovered the grave, it just stopped.”

“Okay, the grave, where was the grave?”

“It was almost directly opposite where I got hit by the car, and it was about six hundred yards into the forest.”

“How did you discover the grave?”

“The voice was calling out to me every night, and the image in my dream was that part of the forest, and I didn’t know what to do, but I kinda felt that I had to see that spot.”

“So you went out to the place where you had your accident?”

“Yes, my friend, ohhh Rachael, her, yes, she drove me out there.”

“What happened when you got there?”

“Ummm it’s hard to remember and hard to explain, but I was drawn into the forest and we came across the grave.”

Jasmine pyramided her hands under her chin, then asked affably, “I need you to explain how you were drawn into the forest; was it the voice guiding you?”

“No, not at that stage, and I don’t clearly remember why I walked into the forest, but Rachael said that it was like I was in a trance or something.”

“Yeah, she was like a zombie or something, and I kept calling out to her, but she seemed focussed on something else.”

“Thank-you Rachael,” Jasmine said. “Now Mia, tell me what you can remember about being at the grave site.”

“I, I was drawn to a tree and then I saw something at the base of the tree, a piece of rope, so I picked it up, and I can’t remember clearly, but the rope, ummm, the rope and the tree seemed important.”

“In what way did they seem important?”

Mia concentrated then shook her head, “I, I don’t think I know, but while I was clutching the rope, my focus was directed to a cluster of trees.”

“So what did you do?”

“I moved over to the cluster of trees, and then behind the trees, I saw the stacked rocks.”

“I presume this is the grave?”

“Yes, and I remember when I knelt by the rocks, I heard the voice.”

“What did the voice say?”

“It said, Yes, I’m here.”

Jasmine sat back, studying her. The woman was obviously nervous, although Jasmine suddenly realised that she was a little nervous too, because she sensed something. This wasn’t some little white honkie gal wanting a bit of attention, this could be real. “So Mia, it seems like the voice is acknowledging your presence at the burial site.”

“I’m sure it did, and that was the first time I’d ever heard or been conscious of the voice while I was awake.”

“Okay, so every other time, the voice has connected with you while you were sleeping?”

“Yes.”

“Rachael said that you seemed to be like a zombie; do you think that you could have been in some kind of noctambulism state?”

Mia gazed at her sheepishly and said, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what that means.”

“Do you think that you may been in a sleep walking state?”

“I’m sure I was awake, because I knew Rachael was there.”

“Sure, tell me what happened next.”

“I suffer migraines, acute migraines, and one hit me while we were kneeling by the rocks, then after I’d recovered, we started throwing the rocks away, and then we found the bracelet, and not long after, we dug up a bone.”

“What were you feeling when you dug up the bone?”

“I was still suffering from the after-effects of the migraine, and everything is a bit hazy after that.”

“I understand. Have you heard the voice since you found the grave?”

“No, I mean yes, but I’d almost forgotten about it until I heard it recently.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“For almost two weeks now, I’m waking up in the middle of the night, and I’m drawn to pick up the bracelet I took from the site.”

“You have the bracelet?”

“Yes.”

Jasmine thought about it, then suggested, “Maybe you should have handed the bracelet over to the police.”

Mia produced the bracelet and showed it to Jasmine. “Yes, that’s what Rachael said, but I can’t, not now.”

“Why?”

“When I wake up, I’m drawn to it, and I believe it’s important because it might be linking us together somehow.”

“Linking who?”

“It sounds stupid I know, but the bracelet might be linking the girl and me together.”

Jasmine nodded, then asked, “Okay, so you wake up and you’re drawn to pick up the bracelet?”

“Yes.”

“Explain that to me; how are you drawn to it, why are you drawn to it?”

“I’m not sure if I can explain it. I wake up and I’m always very confused, but I seem to be in a receptive frame of mind; and by that, I mean that I think if somebody wanted to tell me something, I would understand what they were saying.”

Jasmine nodded, then asked, “Getting back to the voice, you’ve heard the voice only once since the burial site was discovered?”

“Yes, about a week ago.”

“The same message?”

“Almost.”

“What was different?”

“The sentence I hear or, you know, identify, is normally, Hello, hello, can you help me please … but the last time it started off with, The men, the men … then it finished with, Can you help me please.”

“Does that mean anything to you?”

“Well this is going to sound strange, but ever since I got that last message, I think, or I feel that the girl is somehow with me.”

“Could you explain that to me Mia?”

Mia gazed at the ceiling, her hands clasped between her knees. “I’m not sure if I can, but it seems like she has connected with me or something, and I feel like she is a part of me, and I know this sounds silly, but I feel that she is somehow in my mind.”

Jasmine considered, then said, “Mia, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, so you’re going to have to lay everything out for me in clear, simple terms.”

“Yes, I’ll try.”

“I’m interested in your statement that you think she is now a part of you, or she is somehow in your mind; think about that, and then try and explain it so that I’ll understand.”

Mia bowed her face and closed her eyes, rocking back and forward, unsure what to say, although foggy mists began clearing in her mind. It almost seemed like something, or someone was trying to guide her, and Mia said quietly, “She, she wants me to help her.”

“She wants you to help her do what?”

Mia concentrated, rocking back and forward, her hands between her knees. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure.”

Jasmine leant back in her chair, studying her again, fully understanding what she was saying, although seeing the holes in her story. The holes were very similar to the holes she had encountered as a teenager, people asking her, What do you mean when you say that the boy is calling out to you?

The boy had never stopped calling until she had located his body, and he HAD been in her mind, although just like this young woman, Jasmine had never been able to properly explain the feeling. “Okay, so the things we do know are that you were involved in a near fatal accident, and that incident occurred almost directly across from where it appears that a young girl may have been murdered. Mia, I am not so much a believer in an after-life, although I do believe that there is a veil between the living and the dead, and sometimes a deceased person, through whatever reason, is unable to cross through, or cross over to the other side to replace eternal peace. I have heard stories where an unsettled spirit has reached out and connected with someone, and that person has been led to the site of the incident.”

“Do you believe that kind of thing is possible?” Mia asked timidly.

At this stage, Jasmine didn’t want this woman knowing about her very similar experience, so she replied calmly, “Believe is too strong a word when we’re dealing with these kinds of issues, although I tend to think that it’s not impossible. With your situation in mind, let me put forward this scenario; let’s assume that the young girl was murdered at the site, and her spirit has been unable or unwillingly to cross over. Her spirit is possibly in limbo, searching for something or someone to help her get through. Many years later, your accident occurs, and you are close to death, and maybe the girl’s spirit somehow connects with you.”

“Well, when I came out of the coma, I definitely heard the voice, for months on end.”

Keeping her focus on Mia, Jasmine said nonchalantly, “To delve deeper, we could try and hypnotise you and see if that throws any light on the issue.”

“Okay, I’m willing to try anything.”

“Certainly, please come with me,” Jasmine said, then she turned to Rachael. “I have soft drinks or water in the fridge, or else feel free to make yourself a tea or coffee.”

Rachael stood and said hopefully, “Ummm, I was hoping to come in, you know, just to make sure she’s alright.”

“I’m sorry, I need Mia to be focussed on me,” Jasmine began, “Just relax and make yourself at home.”

Rachael fidgeted, then asked cautiously, “It’s safe is it? I mean she won’t get harmed?”

Jasmine smiled as she replied, “It’s actually been medically proven, and me, no, I’ve never lost anyone by hypnotising them.”

Rachael skimmed a hand through her hair as she said quietly, “In, in the accident, you know, Mia suffered cranial damage, so …”

Jasmine nodded and said, “Mia’s well-being is my primary focus, so relax and make yourself at home.”

Mia felt touched by Rachael’s concern for her, although she tensed as she followed Jasmine down the hallway and into the back room. The front room had the afternoon sun filtering in through the windows, and the atmosphere was bright and welcoming, although the back room was dark, with heavy curtains blocking out any light. Mia gazed around; astrology charts and Zodiac signs plastered over the walls, the flickering light provided by a single candle burning on a large, round table.

Jasmine directed Mia to the couch. “Please come over here and lie down.”

When Mia was settled, Jasmine produced a round object, switched it on, and then the disc began spinning slowly. “Now Mia, I want you to focus on this, keep your eyes on it and clear any thoughts from your mind.”

“Okay.”

Rachael stared down the hallway, wondering what was going on. Ever since she’d eliminated Target Number 19 on a mild summer’s night last year, parts of her life had become a little bit freaky. While she couldn’t get a mental image of the hovering light she had seen that night, she knew that she had seen it, for it had been compelling enough to have her stop the car and investigate. Then she saw the body in the ditch, remembered that there was no pulse, no breathing, and quite possibly she had revived her. Six months later, she had driven Mia to the scene of the accident, and the freaky shit kept coming; the rope, the grave, the bracelet, the bones ... And now this, sitting in a loungeroom by herself while Mia went under hypnosis.

Rachael needed a diversion, so she sent Marco a text; Need to tell you something …

An instant reply; What?

Rachael typed in; You are … a fuckwit!

The reply; To what do I owe this ungracious comment?

-Me bored.

-Come down, I will tickle The Royal Clitoris.

-Pervert! I’m in Bassington.

-How come?

-Mia seeing a psychic.

-Sounds exciting!

-I just told you I’m bored, fuckwit!

-Why is she seeing psychic?

-Long story, but you boring me now.

-Me doing chilli con carne for dinner, wanta share?

-Love chilli, yes.

-How about chilli, then deserts, then a snort, then we play with each others bits?

-Chilli, deserts, snort, yes; then I punch your fucking head in!

-I will shower, just in case.

*

Forty minutes later, Rachael heard the door open, and she watched as Jasmine and Mia strolled out. Rachael gazed at Mia nervously and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Fine thanks.” Mia nodded.

“Please sit Mia.” Jasmine instructed, then after Mia sat on the couch next to Rachael, Jasmine asked. “Do you remember anything?”

“The last thing I remember is feeling very sleepy.”

“You don’t remember talking to me while you were under?”

“No,” Mia replied timidly, “What did I say?”

“You said that something bad happened to the girl in that forest.”

Silence descended, and while Rachael felt uncomfortable breaking the silence, she assumed she could shed a little light. “Well we’re assuming something bad happened to her, because Mia found rope at the site, and you know, the body was buried, so maybe that’s just Mia’s sub-conscious.”

Jasmine glanced at Rachael then turned her focus back to Mia. “You also said that the girl is young, maybe fifteen or sixteen.”

Rachael piped in again, “I don’t think the age of the bones has been determined yet.”

Jasmine focussed on Mia as she said, “You also said that the girl has blond hair.”

Silence, Mia sucking her bottom lip.

“Honey, did you see an image of the girl?” Jasmine asked cautiously.

Mia shook her head, “No, I don’t think so, I mean I don’t remember talking, and I definitely don’t remember seeing an image.”

Jasmine leant back, still looking at her as she said calmly, “There’s something here Mia. Hypnosis is generally about the person recalling their repressed or forgotten memories, but to me, it seems like you’re tapping into somebody else’s memories. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but it could be that the spirit of the girl is trying to communicate with you, just that she’s not sure how to do it, or it could be that your sub-conscious isn’t sure of how to let her in.”

Mia was already spooked; she didn’t remember anything about the hypnosis session, although if the girl was trying to reach out for her, she knew that she had to make herself available. Mia sighed and gazed at Jasmine, then said quietly, “Well, like I said before, my belief is that she in my mind and she wants me to help her, and, and, I just remembered something …”

Jasmine waited, then prompted her, “Please go ahead.”

“The last time I heard the voice, you know, when she said, the men, the men; I was awake that time, so I closed my eyes and after a while, I saw a silhouette, the silhouette of a girl, and one of her arms was reaching out.”

“You were awake?”

“Yes definitely.”

“And what happened?”

Mia remembered that the occasion had been interrupted by Rachael’s blood-curdling scream, so she said timidly, “My, my focus was disturbed, and nothing really happened after that.”

“So you were awake, and when you closed your eyes, you saw a silhouette of a girl?”

“Ummm, it didn’t come straight away, but I concentrated, and I ran my fingers over the bracelet, then yes, I did see a silhouette.”

Jasmine was becoming more unsettled by the minute. Under hypnosis, Mia had offered a few sketchy details about the girl, although alarmingly, she didn’t remember any of it. Pondering, reflecting, Jasmine said soothingly, “Close your eyes now Mia, and try and bring that image up in your mind.”

Mia pulled the bracelet out of her pocket, closed her eyes and rocked back and forward, concentrating, willing the image to appear.

After two minutes, Mia shook her head. “Ummm, no, sorry.”

“Do you remember the silhouette; would you be able to describe it for me?”

“Ummm, I think I was aware of hair falling past her shoulders.”

“Blond hair?”

“No, I think everything was really dark, and the silhouette was kind of like a dark shape.”

“So you didn’t see a face or any features?”

“No, I’m sure I didn’t.”

“Okay, well that seems to support your feeling that the girl is with you, or in your mind.” Jasmine said, as she lowered her gaze. She wanted to help both Mia and the spirit of this girl, and she assumed that to make it happen, now was the perfect time to bring up her own experience. “Mia, many years ago, I had a similar experience.”

Mia asked curiously, “Really?”

“Yes, I was nineteen, and I fell out a tree and hurt myself badly. Somebody called an ambulance, and when they arrived, I was in serious trouble, indeed, it was suggested that I was wavering between life and death. After a few weeks I had stabilized, and I began dreaming about a boy who was lying in a creek, wedged underneath a tree. Nobody paid much attention to what I was saying, and initially I was worried that I was going crazy, but when the dreams kept coming, I started to believe that the dreams weren’t actually dreams, they were messages, and this boy needed me to help him. After I’d been released from hospital, I went to the accident site, and when I got there, I felt the boy’s presence, I mean I felt like he was reaching out to me and guiding me. To cut a long story short; I was led to a creek a couple of miles away, and yes, I found him, or more accurately, he guided me to where he was. I’m sure you can understand, I was rattled by the whole episode, but it happened, and the conclusion that I came to was that while I was dangling between life and death, the boy’s spirit somehow connected with me, then he led me to his body, and I believe, I firmly believe that by replaceing him, I was able to set his spirit free.”

“Gosh,” Mia gushed, “That really is similar.”

Rachael wasn’t sure she wanted to enhance the already creepy atmosphere, although she realised, this wasn’t about her. “Ummm Jasmine, maybe I should tell you something …”

“Please go ahead.”

“On the night, the night of Mia’s accident, I was driving along, and I saw this kind of flickering light hovering above the road, so I slammed on the brakes and got out of the car, then I looked around, you know, thinking what the hell was that; and then I saw a leg, you know, Mia’s leg.”

Jasmine cocked her head and asked, “A flickering light hovering above the road?”

“Yeah, it was quite bright and I dunno, I thought I saw a figure behind the light … actually, shit, I know this sounds stupid, but the figure seemed like it was IN the light.”

Jasmine pondered then said, “Again, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions, although we could put forward the possibility that the light, or the figure in the light could have been directing you to Mia’s body.”

Mia tapped Rachael on the leg and whispered, “You never told me about a hovering light.”

“Well it didn’t seem relevant at the time,” Rachael said as she lowered her gaze and twiddled her thumbs, then she said meekly, “Plus …”

“What Rachael?”

“Ummm Mia, when I found Mia, I couldn’t feel a pulse, and I didn’t think she was breathing, so I pumped her chest, and yeah, she started breathing.”

Mia tensed as she asked shakily, “You mean I was, I was …”

Rachael looked at her as she shrugged her shoulders, “I’m not sure, I mean I was freaking out, but yeah, maybe.”

Jasmine drew in a breath then said quietly, “We could put forward the possibility that someone, or something wanted you to stop.”

Rachael and Mia both lowered their gazes, although they snapped to attention when Jasmine spoke.

“Obviously we don’t know, and I suspect that we may never know what actually happened, but for the purpose of this exercise, let’s make the assumption that while Mia was fighting for her life, the spirit of this girl has reached out and somehow connected with her. For the spirit to still be with you Mia, that suggests to me that even though her remains have been recovered, her spirit is either unable or unwilling to cross over.”

“Maybe she wants the people responsible to be punished before she crosses over.” Rachael threw in.

Jasmine nodded in agreement then turned her attention to Mia. “That is a reasonable assumption, especially when we take into account that the girl has said to you; The men, the men … which to me, it seems like she is still directing you.”

“So what should I do Jasmine; should I just wait until she contacts me again?”

“The only thing I can think of is that I put you under again, only this time …”

Silence swam in, Jasmine wondering whether she should even suggest it.

Enough time had floated by for Rachael to step in. “Only this time, what?”

Jasmine looked at Rachael, then swung her gaze back to Mia. “How would you feel about me putting you under out at the site?”

Mia was still bamboozled by the thought that she had spoken during the hypnosis, and not only spoken, but filled in a few blanks; the girl was fifteen or sixteen … Gosh … and the girl has blond hair … Goodness me … Mia shrugged her shoulders, “Do you think it would help?”

“I honestly don’t know. My instincts tell me that this girl may be trapped in limbo, and you may be the only one who can help her move through to the other side.”

Mia sat straight and stated, “To help her, I’d be willing to try anything.”

“Okay, good,” Jasmine replied. “Do you want to do it today, or would you prefer another time?”

Mia knew that she was a just a semblance of the person she used to be, and with Rachael’s admission still ringing in her ears, and the girl’s frightened statements floating in her mind, she swelled with purpose, and with her head held high, she stated, “If today is good for you, let’s do it.”