Chapter 12
Barnabas was awakened that night by a pounding at the door. The source of the noise was a drunken, disheveled Quentin Collins. "Quentin? What is it? Is everything alright at Collinwood?"
"Yes Barnabas, Collinwood is fine, it's me that everything is not right with." "Come in, sit down." Barnabas said as he tightened his robe, "I'll put some tea on." "Do you have anything with a bit more bite?" Quentin slurred. "I think tea will do you just fine. Now tell me, what's got you in such a pitiful state my old friend?" "That's just it Barnabas, you don't know me anymore, no one does. I'm not the same Quentin Collins you met in 1897, I haven't been for a long time." "What do you mean?" asked Barnabas curiously. "Well I've been, how I am now for about 20 years, it started right after you and Julia left, when Nancy was about 3 and David was in his senior year of high school. He came back then and he's never left." "Who?" "Petofi."
"What do you mean he came back and hasn't left? Where is he?" Quentin tapped his head remorsefully, "In here. Here's been taking over my mind Barnabas, making me do things I would never do. Do you know what really happed to Chris and Amy? And Sabrina? They didn't leave to start another life Barnabas, they have no lives now." "What do you mean? What happened to them?" Barnabas asked fearfully, "Did you.....do something to them?" "Not me, Petofi as me, he made me do it. He made me......kill them!" he choked out, "because of the curse! He made me do it because they carried my curse. He thought having me suffer them passing it on and Chris changing wasn't enough, no he made me kill my family and I had no control over my own body. I hardly do now. If only you knew what I've done to Nancy and David, to Maggie, to Carolyn and Willie, to everyone I once loved and those I hardly knew." Quentin breaks down in sobs. "Please Barnabas, you're my only friend, you must help me!"
The whistle of the tea kettle blew and Barnabas went into the kitchen. He returned with a hot cup of tea and placed cup and saucer in Quentin's trembling hands. "Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning. Tell how all of this came about." Quentin took a deep breath and went back into the far reaches of his mind, to the day when his life changed forever.
