An average family in the Atlanta suburbs trying to make ends meet. The last few years had seen their home's value sink by 50%, leaving them owing cons...derably more than the property was worth. Dick Crenshaw was out of work when his company laid off half of their staff.He'd been upbeat for the first few months as he sought new employment and used his unemployment benefits. As the months dragged on and his benefits ended, he lost hope of finding work to provide for his family. He felt like a. Mark and I, we’re not exactly engaged in a formal way, but we both expect to marry someday.”“Yes, I know.”“I find it’s a super smooth transition to link with him, with Toshi and Frida too, and it is exhilarating to enter the dream worlds they create, but I never felt any particular sense of power.”Lucia dismissedFatima’s remark with a shake of her head. “That’s because you haven’t practiced enough. My group was isolated for two months. We had nothing to do except link with each other, and the. Sleep deprivation, coupled with intense emotional crises often causes aberrant behavior." He smiled and gestured for her to sit on the couch."You have medical training?" she asked, surprised."Well, not so's you would notice it. I just quoted what a shrink told me after they threw me in the guardhouse because I beat the crap out of a Muslim not-so-holy man. Who got his stinking breath up in my face." He grinned at the memory."Oh," she answered, at loss for words. Then she said, "I hope you. .. Tony... it isn't growing, you know." Is it going to last?" I don't know. Maybe..." You don't sound very confident." I'm not. We'll see. It'll be fun in the meantime, won't it."The front door closed, and when no-one appeared they both realised that it must have been Marcus heading out."Oh, hell..." Elspeth muttered."Do you think he heard much?" We'll never get him to tell." Elspeth observed, gnawing on her bottom lip."Probably not." The mood didn't pick up until Tony and Briana turned up,.