The room was now almost completely dark except for the candle on the table. Its shape was low and squat, and as Sandy pulled it closer to him, its light reflected upward on his face making him look positively demonic. Once again, Rebecca found herself on the verge of snorting with derision. She and her sister had done the same thing with candles when they were kids, seeing who would make the scariest “demon.”
“Now,” Sandy said, “I need all of you to focus your thoughts on what we are about to do.”
He began with long breaths in and out, getting everyone to breathe in unison. Next, he went to the typical calming exercises of “You’re getting sleepy” and “Your head is getting heavy.” Instead of concentrating on what he was saying, Rebecca paid more attention on the others, keeping her eyes o
