The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 5.5

Sabrina, in what she suspected was an all too transparent display of contrite helpfulness, had dinner on the table when Cynthia walked in the door. Ford, having been banished from the kitchen after an unfortunate encounter with the mixer, was making his way through a paperback medical thriller he'd found in a pile of books in the living room. He was linked in with Sabrina's mind to access her English vocabulary, and they were both amused at the notes Cynthia had made in the margins, nitpicking the author's mistakes.

"Well," Cynthia said, sniffing the air appreciatively as she set down her briefcase and shrugged off her jacket, "I could get used to this treatment. What's cooking?"

"I'm a bit out of practice," Sabrina said, "so I went with an old standby. Lasagna. With a salad and garlic bread. Then I got cocky and tried to make those rum bon-bons for dessert, but I'm afraid it was not a happy experiment. They look awful."

"But they're quite edible," Ford chimed in from the living room.

"And hence, more than half gone," Sabrina added wryly.

"As I recall," Cynthia said, "they turned out much the same the last time we made them."

"Yes, but I'm twenty years older now," Sabrina said, her irritation showing, "and I thought I was a better cook!"

"You said yourself, you're out of practice," Cynthia said. "Never mind. I stopped by the bakery and picked up a white chocolate cheesecake." She gestured to the box sitting atop her briefcase. "Now, let me go pick out a good wine for lasagna. I'll be right back."

"The interrogation begins. Wine and cheesecake—a lethal combination," Sabrina murmured.

"Would you like me to be utterly obnoxious and dominate the conversation all through dinner?" Ford asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm sure I'm capable of dodging any and all questions."

"I'm sure you are," Sabrina sighed. "But after dinner you are going to quietly retire and give me a chance to put her anxieties at rest, if I can." She tried to shrug out of his embrace in vain.

"As long as you promise not to take too long. I'll be waiting for you." He gave her a little squeeze.

"Ford," she said, a definite warning in her tone. "That is not who we are. I want you to remember that."

"All I can do is be who I am at any given moment," he retorted, stepping back. "You would be much happier if you would do the same."

"Not in the long run. Ford, I am not having this argument with you again right now."

Cynthia's footsteps were getting louder in the hall, so Ford didn't make a verbal reply. His indignation was clear in the link, however, and Sabrina gave an inward sigh at the realization that he was probably going to make dinner miserable with a sullen funk.

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To give him credit, he did try to behave during dinner, Sabrina reflected as she helped Cynthia clear the table. But his hurt resentment surfaced in barbed comments he couldn't resist voicing, and Cynthia's wariness evolved into a definite coolness. They were all relieved when Ford excused himself halfway through dessert, having no taste for the cheesecake that Sabrina and Cynthia were so enthusiastically devouring.

"He's having a bad day," Sabrina said as she wrapped up leftovers.

"I'll bet his was nothing to mine," Cynthia retorted. "Sabrina, you always insisted on respect, if nothing else. Why do you put up with him?"

"He does respect me. And vice versa. But...he's not himself at the moment. Please give us some time, Cynthia. I promise it will get better."

"I certainly hope so," Cynthia said. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Sabrina accepted the freshly brewed cup with reverence as they settled back down at the table. "Okay," she said when she'd finished savoring her first sip, "shoot."

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "You make me feel like I should be reading you your rights. I hate that."

"I'm sorry. And I want to tell you what I can. It's just...it's so incredibly complicated. I honestly don't know where to begin."

"I just...I don't like to see you so...cowed," Cynthia said. "I've never seen anyone dominate you like this before, and frankly, it scares the hell out of me. I'm putting myself out for you, Sabrina. That's based on the assumption that you're thinking for yourself. If you're not, I've got nothing to trust in."

"I don't know how I can assure you that I am thinking for myself, except to say so," Sabrina said, spreading her hands helplessly. "And I...I'm not even sure...Cynthia, I came to you for one very specific reason. You know me, who I am at my most basic. I need that right now. Because I'm not sure...I can't be sure that I know it. And no," she said hurriedly as her friend's expression became alarmed, "it's not because of any abuse, physical or mental, if that's what you're thinking. But Ford and I have been in trouble. In the course of our escape, we were exposed to a...a substance that has, um, had the same basic effects as a powerful hallucinogen. We are getting better, but we do have these, um, flashbacks. And we don't necessarily know who we are during those. I...I don't think we're a danger to you, or we wouldn't be here. I just thought that you could anchor me, and then I could anchor Ford, and we could get ourselves back that much faster."

Cynthia frowned. "If you've been exposed to some kind of chemical substance—"

"It wasn't chemical."

"How could it not be? Was it organic, some kind of fungi or alkaloid? That doesn't remove the need for treatment," Cynthia said firmly. "I want to examine you. Whatever it is could be having effects you're not even aware of."

"Cynthia, physically we're fine. It's—"

"And where did you get your medical degree? Sabrina, you came to me for help. This is the place I know to start from. Just a physical and some blood work. A tox screen. Please. I have to set my mind at rest about this."

"I don't want to go to a clinic," Sabrina said. "I don't want any records of anything."

"I'll treat you as a Jane Doe," Cynthia said. "And we can go to my office after hours."

Sabrina bit her lip. "Okay. But just me. Ford hates that kind of thing. And if there's anything to be found, you'll find it in my blood, and we can go from there. But I don't think there's anything to be found."

"Indulge me," Cynthia said. "We can go right now."

"Before I change my mind?" Sabrina said wryly. "Okay. Let me just go tell Ford where I'll be."

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Sabrina heaved a sigh of relief when Cynthia finished drawing the two vials of blood. "I'll put this in for testing, but I won't use your name, don't worry," Cynthia assured her. "Your blood pressure's normal; you seem healthy enough. We'll see what your blood looks like, but unless something turns up there, you're right about being fine physically."

"I'm not entirely careless with my health, Cynthia. We checked ourselves out as thoroughly as we could."

"Thank you for indulging me," Cynthia said. "Come on. It's been a long day, and I'm beat. Let's go home."

"Right." Sabrina rolled her sleeve back down and eyed the vials thoughtfully. She was pretty sure that any oddities in her blood would be subtle and easily missed, and at least she was human. As long as it kept Cynthia from examining Ford, she was willing to submit to any test her friend could think up.