Someone turned the lights back on, and the group broke into different conversations. Grant and Anastasia were watching Tina closely, studious, like they expected her eyes to roll back in her head while she chanted in tongues. Which I’d seen her do before, but still.
Then they caught each other watching. Exchanged the briefest glance. Grant left the table and made his way to the living room window, to look out at the night. At nothing.
Tina had her hands around the glass of water Jeffrey had brought her, but she hadn’t taken a drink yet. Jeffrey was hovering. Something was definitely sparking between those two. If I had my way I’d have shuffled everyone out of the room and let them have their moment. But the cameras were probably eating this up.
I sat at the table and folded the Ouija board out of the way; I had the feeling it was staring at me.
“Jeffrey, are you sensing anything?” I asked.
He hesitated, glancing around like whatever it was had physical form and he could really see it. “It’s hard to tell if there’s really something here, or if it’s the strain of a dozen strangers pushed together in an artificial situation. I wouldn’t expect the energy here to be rosy.”
“Maybe that’s it,” Tina said. “Just normal weirdness.”
“You know how odd that sounds?” I said, and she smiled.
“Tina,” Grant said, turning from the window and marching over. “I’d like to try something, if you’re game.”
She looked wary. “Depends. I may just have a beer and call it a night.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Hell, no,” she said, glaring.
“You saw something,” he said. “You didn’t like it, and I think your mind decided to block it. Now, I suspect you’re the kind of person who doesn’t scare easily. If something has scared you, I’d really like to know what.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I’d like to hypnotize you.”
“Can you do that?” Tina said.
“I can try. It may not work. I may be wrong and you may not have any idea what’s bothering you, subconsciously or otherwise.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I’ve seen a lot of freaky stuff, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“We can do it here, in the open,” Grant said. “The moment you’re uncomfortable, we’ll stop.”
“Is it dangerous?” I said.
“It can be,” he said. And that was why I liked Grant. He could be evasive, but he didn’t sugarcoat.
She looked at Jeffrey, gave him some expression I couldn’t see. He shrugged and said, “I’m curious to see what would happen.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. We can try it.”
Sounding amused, Conrad said, “So, you have a watch on a chain? A crystal ball or something?”
“No,” Grant said. “Lie down on the sofa, here. Everyone else, you can watch, but keep your distance.”
Under the gathering’s watchful, curious stares, Tina moved to the sofa and lay down. Jeffrey didn’t leave her side. He sat on the edge, near her knees. She shifted to give him room, and they both looked at Grant, daring him to argue. The magician didn’t. He moved a pillow under her head and asked if she was comfortable. She shifted and fidgeted for a moment, then settled. Even I could tell she was tense. The room smelled tangy. It wasn’t just the smell of a house filled with people and growing ripe; it was nerves, tension. Lee and Jerome, the other lycanthropes, glanced at me. All our noses were flaring. This was getting thick.
Grant knelt by the sofa near Tina’s head.
“Relax,” he said, his voice soft, steady. “Take a deep breath. In, and out.”
He managed to project even more intensity than usual. Like he had collected all his focus, which had been spread equally around the room, observing, and pointed it toward her. If he had pointed all that attention toward me, I’d probably have jumped out of my skin. Never mind relaxing.
I had to say something: “I’m sorry, weird question, and if I don’t ask now I’ll forget.”