"Tina. Come here," Nadine said a third time.
This isn't working, the old man thought. He sighed, then told Nadine to grab her friend.
She walked slowly towards Tina, who suddenly looked afraid and a little unsure of what was happening, and she grabbed her. "Nadine! What are you doing?!" Tina yelled out, panicking.
The old man was swift. He stepped into the house and sprayed the girl in the face with one fluidic move. Tina slumped in Nadine's arms.
"Stand up, Tina," he said. The girl complied. "Let go of her, Nadine." She complied.
"Now," he said, checking his watch. "Nadine and Tina, you will both not remember that we had this conversation or that we had ever even met. But you will remember everything that I tell you to do. And you will follow all my commands. But you will believe that everything I command of you is coming from yourself. You will believe that everything I tell you to do are your own thoughts, feelings and desires. Do you understand?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
"Good." He didn't have enough time right now to condition Nadine. But he could implant a desire for her to let him into the house the next time he came by, which he decided he would do right after he conditioned the CWS members. "Nadine, I want you to answer the next three questions I ask you by saying 'YES'. And, I want you to believe that 'YES' is the correct answer to the questions. Do you understand?" That was one question.
"Yes."
"When you see me at your door, I want you to let me in, even though you will not know why. Do you understand?" That was the second question.
"Yes."
"Very good. Now, after I leave this room, you will awaken from your trance and not remember that I was ever here. Do you understand?" And that was question number three.
"Yes."
"Tina, can you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good," the old man said, checking his watch again. He had to wrap this up. "Everything I've told Nadine also applies to you. Have you got that?"
"Yes."
"Good." He turned around and walked briskly towards the door, then left the house.
Nadine blinked, as did her friend Tina.
"Did something happen?" Tina asked.
"What do you mean?" Nadine asked.
"I ... I don't know. It feels like something's wrong."
"What's wrong is that my mother won't be joining us for our Bible study. She's never absent from it. I wonder who her new friend is. It must be someone really special to make her ditch Bible study."
Tina just shrugged, but deep down she felt like something was different.
Unknown to her, her uneasy feelings were due to the old man's hasty conditioning of her. He should have gone through his usual process, but he was in a hurry.
