A Graduation Gift

"What is your plan?"
Rufus was confused when he heard Cassandra's words.
"Rufus, thank you! I think I finally found the key to solve this problem!"
Cassandra giggled. But then, she realized another problem that she might have.
"Rufus, do you know of any hypnotist?" she asked.
Talking about being hypnotized reminded Cassandra of her roommate at school before who majored in Psychology. She
remembered her sharing that mental illnesses could be treated by hypnosis. The problem with this was that there were very few
of them, not to mention excellent ones.
Rufus forced a wry smile. Hypnotist? He wished he had heard it wrong. Staying on the line, he said, "Hold on. I happen to know
one hypnotist. I'll send him over to you now."
As soon as he hung up, he turned to Victor.
"Book me the earliest flight to Norway," he ordered.
About the hypnotist, memories flashed in his mind of the days when he just started training ten years ago.
"You must have a mind so tough that no one can bar it. Wars are not just fought with bullets. There is another aspect unseen by
the common eye, and it's mental confrontation!"
The trainer was a man from the special forces. He had tattoos all over his body and a brilliant track record.
He stood there like an impenetrable fortress. His cold face made new recruits shiver.
"If your mind is weak, your enemy will destroy you in every way they could. They can use it against you by hypnosis. Once they
succeed, they can get you to do whatever they wish,"
Rufus was all ears. His stern and determined eyes impressed the General. In the following training sessions, he stood out from
his class because of his excellence.
Later, he was chosen for higher studies.

One of the skills he learned there was hypnosis.
Rufus did not know what Cassandra needed a hypnotist for, but he flew in anyway to be of help.
Besides, it had been days since he last saw her. This was a good way to visit her as well.
Cassandra was startled when she saw Rufus driving the car into the yard by himself.
"Don't tell me you're the hypnotist!"
Cassandra said in surprise. She looked around but could not see anyone else that he was with. Even Victor wasn't with him.
"Why can't I be the hypnotist?"
Rufus smirked and looked at her with gentle eyes.
"Will you suddenly hypnotize me?"
Cassandra said, instantly alarmed with what he was capable of. Had she been hypnotized by him? Was that the reason she fell
for him?
"Hypnotism is not an answer to everything. It only works on someone who doesn't resist you in his consciousness,"
he replied. Cassandra seemed to think that hypnosis was easy, so he made sure to correct her first.
Cassandra seemed to realize her ignorance. She stuck out her tongue, trying to hind her embarrassment. Then she led Rufus
into the castle.
Cassandra told Whitney that she would like to invite a hypnotist over to hopefully help Courtney by looking into what was going
on in her subconscious. It was not a guaranteed solution, but they did not have better options. Courtney, right now, was like a
drowning woman. Hypnosis was a rope that could possibly save her.
Whitney was not sure she could endure another episode of self-harm so she agreed to give it a try.
"Cassandra told me that your daughter sleepwalks. Is that correct?"
Rufus asked, confirming the pieces of information that Cassandra relayed over the phone.

"Yes. It started three years ago when she just broke up with her boyfriend. It was as if she became a totally different person since
then. I was too busy taking care of my dying husband so I failed to notice the changes until he passed away. By the time I did, it
was already too serious to remedy,"
Whitney narrated, recalling a past that clearly brought her pain.
Cassandra felt sorry for Whitney. It must have been very difficult to lose a husband and a daughter at the same time, in different
ways.
"Do you know what had happened when they broke up? Did he do anything that traumatized her?"
With his eyebrows connecting, Rufus went straight into asking questions that could uncover the reason behind Courtney's
illness. To his disappointment, Whitney shook her head.
"I don't know, honestly. I only know that Courtney was upset when they broke up," she replied.
She had so many responsibilities. She had to keep the family afloat financially while taking care of her husband. Back then, her
daughter's love life was the least of her priorities.
From her perspective, it was a normal breakup that many girls her age went through. She did not expect her daughter to fall ill
because of it. In her head, it was her fault. Had she paid more attention to her daughter, things might be different.
"Did your daughter have mental problems previously before the breakup?"
Rufus asked as he stole a glance at the magnificent castle which was closely resembling the Royal Palace.
"Courtney was quite timid when she was young. She didn't talk much with people. Furry animals like rabbits, cats, and mice, all
scared her. In fact, she seemed to be afraid of anything. She's better now, though. She even has a cat,"
Whitney told Rufus.
Cassandra listened quietly as they talked with a hand on her chin. She did not understand Rufus's line of questioning, but she
did not interrupt.
Rufus noticed Cassandra's expression from the corner of his eye. He knew that she had doubts.
With a smirk, he spoke frankly, "Mrs. Zheng, please forgive me for being straightforward. I don't mean to offend you. I just want to
know as much as I can about your daughter so I can try to find a point where we can break through."

Then, he pointed at the decorations around the house and continued, "Did she do all these?"
He already knew the answer but he needed to confirm his assumption.
"Yes. Since she got sick, she became obsessed with princesses and palaces. She always asked me if she were my princess.
Every time, I told her that she was. Then, she asked me why she did not have a palace or a beautiful dress if I were telling the
truth,"
Whitney narrated, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. It brought her so much pain recalling her daughter's sickness.
"Thank you, Mrs. Zheng. I think I already know what to do. I will hypnotize her while she is sleepwalking. Although her brain will
be in a state of sleep, some people's brains are still active to control their actions. Hypnotizing them while this is happening
would be a good time to do so because although they are active, it will be when they are the least on guard,"
Rufus said, telling Whitney about his plan. She nodded. Whitney did not know much about hypnotism but what Rufus said
seemed to make sense. She felt at ease allowing him to take the lead.
While the three of them were having dinner, Whitney asked Rufus and Cassandra abruptly from across the table, "You two aren't
married yet, right?"
Whitney's question almost made Cassandra cough out her soup. Luckily, she managed to swallow it before she started
coughing. Rufus was rubbing her back to help her ease up.
"It's not what you think, Auntie Whitney!"
Cassandra said, trying to explain her relationship with Rufus. After all, she wasn't divorced yet. Technically, she was still Rufus's
sister-in-law. Whitney's question frightened her.
Rufus, however, answered differently.
"No, we are not. But I will marry her one day,"
he said, extending a hand to hold Cassandra's shoulder. Cassandra immediately refused it as her face flushed in tomato red.
"Well, it's okay. I know Cassandra still has things to deal with but I believe you will be together, sooner or later," Whitney said,
smiling.

Her words made Cassandra freeze, looking up to the lady.
She noticed the wrinkles that surrounded her eyes. Still, the blemishes did not reduce her beauty. If anything, they only made her
look wiser.
Cassandra didn't understand how a woman as wise as Whitney could see through what was going on between her and Rufus,
but did not know what to do with her own daughter. The thought saddened Cassandra.
Men are blind in their own cause. It is always easier to observe something from afar than to be completely submerged in the
situation. Cassandra wondered why people seemed to find it easy to figure out that there was something special between her
and Rufus.
Rufus and Cassandra stayed in the bedroom as they waited for Courtney to sleepwalk.
Finally, at around midnight, they heard noises from the corridor.
Rufus put a finger on his mouth to remind Cassandra to be quiet.
He opened the curtains gently and saw Courtney going back and forth along the hall. As she was about to go back to her room,
Rufus sneaked up and followed her in. The moment she lay down, he showed her a photo and said, "One, two, three. You will
only see him when you sleep."