Reunited (Secrets of the Soul, Book One)

Chapter Five

Jack settled back onto his couch, looking from one to the other. Having a couple of strange people in his house was risky, especially considering where he lived. Experience had taught him that much a long time ago. He just didn't know what else to do. He couldn't go on this way.

His gaze briefly strayed to the trophies sitting on the mantle, bringing with them a sense of loss. Once, he'd been able to do amazing things, and now he could hardly walk a few feet on his own. Worse than that was the uncertainty. The lack of any action left to take.

Except this.

He knew it was insane, and probably a complete waste of his time, but he had to do something. Stephanie had struck him as an honest person, someone who had good intentions. He just hoped she knew what she was doing. The idea of wasting yet more effort with no results was nearly maddening. "Are you sure you're comfortable?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What do you want me to do?" He settled back just a little more and watched her expectantly.

"Just close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly. Let any tension ease out of your body."

Her voice was low, her tone soothing. He had to strain a little to hear her, but he liked it. The sound helped to relax him more, and he suddenly felt as though he could fall asleep, but he refused to allow that. Not with strangers in his space.

"Jack? You're getting tense. I can see it. You've got to let go if you want this to work."

"Sorry," he said. "Habit, I guess. Are you sure this is safe?"

"I'm completely sure. I've had this done a few times myself, and I've done this to others, too. Really, no one's ever been hurt. I swear."

"You're right; I'm sorry. I just don't trust easy, you know?"

"I get that." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Jack, we can start again any time you want. But... maybe you're not ready for this."

"No," he said quickly as he straightened up on the couch. "I want to do this. I don't know what other choice I have. I promise, I'll trust you."

"You can't just force that, you know," she said. "You've got to really want this. To be open."

"Okay. I'm ready." Jack leaned back onto the couch and took some long, deep breaths again. As he did, he focused on relaxing his body as she'd instructed before.

"That's good," Stephanie told him. "Let yourself just sit like that for a minute and relax. Remember that whatever you're going to see can't hurt you. It's in the past."

Jack settled deeper into the couch, allowing himself to drift off a little, while still remaining aware of his surroundings. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but suddenly, he was aware of Stephanie speaking again.

"Let's go back a little bit. Go back to when you first moved here. How old were you? Tell me the first detail that comes to mind."

"I was twenty. I didn't want to be around them anymore, because I found out they were using me."

"Who?"

"My family. I moved as far away as I could after what they did."

"Try to really picture that time. Any little details that come to mind, let it play through your mind."

***

Jack's hands shook as he held a magazine with him on the cover. He'd been getting calls and texts about the damn thing the whole morning, and he had someone bring him over a copy. Even seeing the publication himself, he couldn't believe it. The headline on the front was promising all the dirt—supposedly from inside sources. He glared at the cover, then turned to the table of contents to find the right page.