"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." – Jim Morrison.

When I found the others the next day, I was confronted by a series of serious and concerned faces. I knew at once that the happy mood I'd woken up in was completely gone. Had something happened that I wasn't aware of?

Any joy I'd had from chatting to Maya last night seemed to have evaporated in the blink of an eye. With all these serious faces, I would have thought someone to be seriously injured but I could see all the faces of the people I knew starring back at me.

"What's going on? Is everything alright? You're all looking rather serious."

Raff smiled at me, but it was a tight smile and a rather false one. It didn't help to ease my sudden nerves at all. In the end, it was Maya that spoke up.

"We decided that you should try and force a vision once more...Ben has been weighing up the pros and cons, but we are certain of how to help you now that we've seen what can happen to you."

"Miss Maya and I will be watching over you with medical help on standby should you need it," said Ben.

I couldn't help but feel fearful and angry. I'd always been concerned by the visions I had and the blackouts that occurred. My time on bedrest had scared me more than I had let on to the others and though I knew that I was the one destined to solve the curse for good, I was reluctant to tempt the hand of fate lest I get burnt.

"You just decided this for me? What of my feeling on the matter?"

I was all for continuing to have the visions but why couldn't I just let them happen when they should? Why did I have to force the visions?

"I do not think it wise."

"We wouldn't do it if we hadn't thought about everything. We wouldn't put you in danger unnecessarily," said Maya.

"Except you haven't thought of everything. You haven't thought about how I'd feel forcing a vision or what the experience would cost me."

I felt that the decision had already been taken from my hands as Maya led me towards an elegant four poster bed I'd only just noticed. I sat on the bed and turned to look at the faces around me. I was positively livid at the decision being made and the fact that no one could meet my eyes now. Raff had moved to sit beside me and placed my hand in his as he stroked the back of it.

Locking eyes with Raff was the best thing I could have done in that moment. He was like the calm in the storm and the one person who grounded me while the others wanted to lift me from the ground. I stared into Raff's eyes and tried to convey as much as I could without having to say anything. If I had to do what the others expected of me – I had thought about running but the exit was blocked – then I supposed I could do it with Raff in mind. I was trying to save Raff after all. He was my light when I floundered in the dark.

I nodded my consent to Raff and immediately people started moving around me. I tried not to tense too much and focused on Raff's touch upon my hand. I wondered how long everyone had been planning this for. Had it been a sudden thing, or had it been meticulously planned? Had Maya known before our chat yesterday or had she just been informed? What did Raff think of this? Was he on the side of the majority or did he stand in my unvoiced corner, thinking that this venture was a mistake?

I almost became a statue, blinking unknowingly across the room as everyone bustled around me. Most I knew but there were some unfamiliar faces, faces that I assumed to be the standby medic team Ben had mentioned.

As I starred across the room, I noticed the air begin to change and stir, carrying change in the air. I knew what it was and soon enough the shimmering image of Harriet appeared. One look at Raff confirmed that I was the only one to see her. Raff had smiled when I looked at him and I squeezed his hand if only for a second, before I returned my gaze to Harriet.

"I can feel your fear," said Harriet. "I will help when I can and guide you when needed. You are not alone in this Valera."

I smiled, comforted by Harriet's words but still frightened by the fear that coursed through my veins.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked the room at large.

People stopped to look at me and they saw what they had missed at last. Concern and guilt flooded their features and I couldn't help but feel smug at their remorse for they had unwillingly placed me in this situation.

"They are nervous, but I can see now that you are terrified. Your bedrest scared a lot of people here and they worry each time that you'll be taken from them. They worry for the curse yes, but they worry about you more because you have touched their hearts and become part of the family. They do not want to see you disappear," said Maya.

"I have been doing research and talking to Maya a lot. We believe that as long as you remain grounded in this world, then we should be able to pull you back should you need the help. So far, your visions have ejected you when you've seen enough but we want to be in control here. We don't want to see you suffer by what you are seeing when we could help pull you out of it," said Ben.

I nodded but I still felt unsure.

Raff tugged on my hand, bringing my attention back to him.

"We only have to try this way once. If it doesn't work or you don't like it, we'll stop, alright?"

I nodded.

"You'll give it a try then?" he asked.

"For you," I replied.