Free Against The Odds by Senna Fisher Page B

first
person I saw.”
    “ No. He was almost speaking to you, and then you calmed down.
I was there, remember?”
    “ Jono, am I going crazy, my friend?”
    “I
don’t know. But if you are, then so are Jackie and I. If I
had not been at the house that day, I would have had you committed
by now. No Clayton. There is something that does not fit. You and
that family, there is a link. How do we begin to find
out? ”
    “Rebecca. It has to be Rebecca. No-one
el se. ”
    “ The gods certainly have a twisted sense of humour. Think
about it. The moment you start dating a psychologist, you start
going crazy.”
    “Yes, it
is twisted. But I am not laughing.”
    “I
think for our entertainment, Jackie and I want to invite you
two for dinner. We just don’t know what will
happen. ”
    Jonathan
was laughing now, trying to ease his friend’s burden.
    “ Yes, I might become a lion again.”
    He
raised his hands and roared.
    “But seriously, you two must come over, so we can check it
out. That way we will all be committed to a padded room with
a psychologist. ”
    They went back to the office and Clayton was looking and
feeling much better. He looked over to the harbor and enjoyed the quiet motion of
ships moving slowly. Rebecca had left a message on his cell phone, thanking him for the plant. He smiled, hearing her voice, so
cheerful and pleased.
     
    Jonathan, however, was not smiling. Does my friend have special
powers? He wondered
about the wine glass. He had to have known. But how?
     
    *****
Chapter 11
    Rebecca
had been so pleased with the plant that she kept it right on her
desk. She went home for lunch to meet with her parents. She wanted
to discuss her new idea with them.
    “ Mum, Dad, I need your help. I want to fight The Darkness, my
way. I want to take it on, alone.”
    “Rebecca, it is not done like that. It is the power of the
love of a man and a special skill he has that destroys it. You
cannot do it alone. Others have tried and it just comes back. It
will go away temporarily and then return. My grand mother was
just like you, stubborn, wanting things her way. She removed it for
a year and then it came back after Nana was born. It ruined the two
of them, because they had a child and were so vulnerable. That is
why Nana was so strong. It had been in her family when she was
baby. Don’t you understand? It will wait until you cannot leave the
man. ”
    “ Mum, I have to try. There has to be a way. You always said
all spells can be broken. Why not this one?”
    They were silent for a while. Should they tell her
about Clayton? That she was close to success?
    No. Don’t take the risk with my Sweetpea. Leave it alone,
Rowena.
    But she has the butterfly blues so bad now. She has been
upset before, but never like this. She might do something really
stupid. She is upset, George.
    Comfort her. Hold her and give her strength. He is here now.
Things have to improve.
    Rowena
went to her daughter and hugged her.
    “Okay, look, let me make some calls. With the Internet
these days, maybe someone has found the unbinding spell for it.
Then we can see what to do. Rebecca, it is very dangerous to
go it alone, you know. ”
    “ I know, Mum, but I need to do it now. I am ready. Please,
help me.”
    “ Yes, we will. Some of my sisters in the coven specialize in
unbinding. I will start today.”
    That’s better .
    Shut up, you old fool, before I bind your
tongue.
    Try me, you wicked witc h.
    “ Okay, before you have that conversation, I need to go back to
work. Tonight we are going to my favourite restaurant at the Craft
Centre. You will like it there, okay?”
    When she h ad gone, George hugged his wife.
    “ Yes that was clever, my dear. That buys us some time. I asked
Nana to speed things up with the boy. But he is as stubborn as
Rebecca. They seem to be taking their own time.”
    They went into the garden and chatted to the
butterflies , whispering to them their wish that Clayton
should realize who he was. Rowena went to the