" What do you mean?" I asked her."Since the dragon killed Benthor and flew away with Lucas, we have yet to see any further sign of Dred's minions. And...yet, we are closing in on the borders of the Dark Domain with every passing step. If I were him and I wanted us dead, I would have sent an army after us, not a single dragon." What are you saying?" I said, looking at her curiously."I am saying if Dred wanted us dead, he would be trying harder. I get the feeling that the bastard is keeping us. One of these friends was Brian, a guy a couple of years younger than me. Brian made no aspirations to be an actor like so many other LA residents, but instead had come to Los Angeles to actually work as a camera guy for scripted shows or the occasional low budget movie. The reality show boom had hit his field hard, as the need for stand alone operators dwindled but like me, he managed to get by. The best thing about Brian though, was that he helped me keep the Hollywood world in perspective. He. They thought that sooner or later, we would have to give up.They were wrong, and as a result, Denise and I both ended up in the hospital. That had been the last effort made. I was five years old then. I suppose you could say that we adopted each other. The nuns tried to reason with us a few times, but even that had been given up as a lost cause by the time I turned seven, and Denise six.I'm sure the poor sisters would have liked to be rid of me, more than Denise. I didn't think that I was that. Or Mrs. Orlova are going to say something to me? Or Tasha? Or Deacon Vasily? Or ALL of them?”“Don’t let any of them bait you into a public fight at church, Mike. Tasha might well try to do that. No matter what she says, stay calm and don’t argue.”“I don’t do that,” I said.“The OLD Mike didn’t do that; you’re not the same young man you were.”“I suppose that’s true.”“There’s also the chance Tasha might try to confront Janey, to see how you react and who you choose to defend. At church, do your.