Chapter 117: Weighing the Risks

Chapter 117: Weighing the Risks
“Hypnosis?” Nelly blinked at Stacy. She hadn’t anticipated that word.
“Yeah, hypnosis. Do you know anything about it?”
Nelly shook her head. “Not in detail, but I’ve heard about it. Hypnotherapy is used as medical treatment for pain, anxiety, and some other conditions. Why’d you ask?”
“Do you think that it’s effective? Have you ever seen anyone do it?”
Nelly suddenly felt a little defensive. What was this reckless person planning this time? “It must have some level of effectiveness to be declared as a medical treatment. I’ve not seen the process myself as it required a trained, certified person to do it. Why are you suddenly interested in this?”
Stacy ignored her question for the umpteenth time. “What would happen if an untrained, uncertified person does it?”
Nelly narrowed her eyes on Stacy. “You’re not thinking of..”
“I’m still thinking,” she said. “On who? Don’t be reckless. It can cause more emotional trauma if you’re not careful,” Nelly’s brows furrowed in concern.
“That’s why I’m asking you,” Stacy said calmly. “I’m not qualified to do it, and I don’t know how,” Nelly’s frown deepened. Stacy folded her arms in front of her as she thought. “Well, it’s either you or the old man.”
“Who, old man?” Nelly’s expression turned into one of confusion. “Ah, my old man. You know who,” Stacy’s easy-going attitude caused Nelly’s head to throb. ‘Everyone in this place is crazy,’ she thought.
“You mean your father is trying to hypnotize someone? Who? I know he has a lot of experience but is he sure about it? I’m not sure if I’m more qualified. I don’t specialize in psychology,” she started to fret over it.
“Take a deep breath, Nelly. Nobody’s going to die,” Stacy remained calm.
“Who? Who are you trying to hypnotize? And for what?” Nelly pushed.
There was a moment of silence.
“Me.” The room went pin-drop silent. Three seconds passed but nobody made a sound. Nelly blinked twice, as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.
“WHAT?” Her voice came out in a high-pitched screech, a sound she didn’t usually make. “YOU ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT?”
“Shh! Calm down, Nelly. Are you trying to announce it to the whole gang?”
Nelly’s hand went to her mouth. Her eyes were wide. “Don’t do it. Nobody here has been trained to do it. There is also no proper knowledge on it,” her voice lowered but her words tumbled out like a bullet train.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Stacy straightened as she asked, “what’s the emotion therapy thing you were saying?”
“Emotional trauma,” Nelly corrected, “it’s a condition related to one’s psychological state. Stressors like distressing events can cause a person’s ability to cope to be overwhelmed. It can cause long term anxiety, PTSD..”
She stopped when she realized Stacy’s change of expression. “Not sure what you’re talking about but can it help me regain my memory?”
Nelly sighed. “It’s not guaranteed. The point is nobody is qualified to carry out a safe hypnosis. It’s not worth it. Not only is the result not guaranteed, you are putting yourself at a higher risk. Don’t do it. We can think of other ways to regain your memory,” she continued persuading persistently.
Stacy was quiet as she processed her words. “Hmm.. you have a point,” she mumbled. Nelly watched her expression with suspicion.
“You’re not going to listen to me, aren’t you?” The comment made the corners of Stacy’s lips lift. “You are starting to know me better.”
Nelly could only sigh. “Think of it again. It’s not worth it. What if something happens? What would happen to you and those around you? Did your dad agree on this? Does Chad know about this?”
Stacy chuckled. “You ask so many questions. Which should I answer first?”
Nelly’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not the point, for God’s sake!” Stacy burst out laughing. She was so stressed up about it earlier, but seeing Nelly stressing over it lifted a huge portion of the weight from her shoulders.
“I’m serious, Stacy! When would you not let me worry?” Stacy’s smile widened at her words. “Aww, you worry about me. That’s so sweet!”
“Be serious! I’m telling you something important,” Nelly frowned, “you are impossible!” Her distress only made Stacy laugh louder. “Now you’re nagging like Neil and Jack,” she said in between her laugh.
Nelly’s frown deepened. “That’s different! They worry over nothing but you! You are trying to do something reckless. That’s absolutely dangerous. I won’t let you.”
“To be honest, I’m really tempted. I’m scared as well,” Stacy confessed.
“Then don’t. Stop thinking about it,” Nelly immediately said.
Stacy shook her head. “To be honest, if it isn’t the last resort, I won’t even think about it. But I have a feeling,” she leaned closer to Nelly and lowered her voice, “I feel that there’s something I might know about the enemy. It's crucial information lost in my memory. I have to find out what it is. It might be a knowledge we can use to save ourselves and everyone else.”
“Are you sure? How would you know if you don’t remember anything?”
“It’s a gut feeling,” Stacy said, sounding too confident. Nelly massaged her temples. “Have you ever thought that your gut feeling may be wrong?”
“It’s always right. I think it’s my body’s reaction towards danger developed over the years,” Stacy explained, her confidence not wavering.
“I know you feel bad, seeing the fight and all those people dying,” Stacy started, “even though I don’t look like it, but I feel the same. I’m afraid that something bad might happen to the people around me as well. If I have the power to prevent this from happening but I didn’t try, I won’t forgive myself. The risk is even higher than this. It involves a lot more people.”
Nelly was quiet as she listened and tried to process her words.
“I can’t let myself down that road. That shouldn’t be an option. I need to find a way, even if it’s risky. It’s just a possibility that things might go wrong. It’s not guaranteed. Things may work out well, aren’t they?”
Nelly nodded slowly. “Have you told Chad about this? What did he say?”