9
Mara walked around the room, lighting candles and incense while Nicole took a seat in the middle of the floor and worked on calming her breathing. Dimming all the lights, Mara sat in front of Nicole, speaking softly. David and Mark sat quietly across the room, careful not to disturb them while Mara led Nicole deeper and deeper into meditation.
“Now, I want you to think of a memory the two of you share, something meaningful to you, a time when you were exceptionally close.”
Nicole thought back to their childhood, scanning her memories for something that stuck out, letting it come to her as Mara had taught her to do. And suddenly, she was three years old, back at the orphanage, crying softly into her pillow.
The nightmare still haunted her, terrifying her, even though she couldn’t make
