The Host / Носитель / Гостья (by Stephenie Meyer, 2008) - аудиокнига на английском

Stephenie Meyer The Host. PROLOGUE. Inserted The Healer’s name was Fords Deep Waters. Because he was a soul, by nature he was all things good: compassionate, patient, honest, virtuous, and full of love. Anxiety was an unusual emotion for Fords Deep Waters. Irritation was even rarer. However, because Fords Deep Waters lived inside a human body, irritation was sometimes inescapable. As the whispers of the Healing students buzzed in the far corner of the operating room, his lips pressed together into a tight line. The expression felt out of place on a mouth more often given to smiling. Darren, his regular assistant, saw the grimace and patted his shoulder. “They’re just curious, Fords,” he said quietly. “An insertion is hardly an interesting or challenging procedure. Any soul on the street could perform it in an emergency. There’s nothing for them to learn by observing today.” Fords was surprised to hear the sharp edge marring his normally soothing voice. “They’ve never seen a grown human before,” Darren said. Fords raised one eyebrow. “Are they blind to each other’s faces? Do they not have mirrors?” “You know what I mean-a wild human. Still soulless. One of the insurgents.” Fords looked at the girl’s unconscious body, laid out facedown on the operating table. Pity swelled in his heart as he remembered the condition her poor, broken body had been in when the Seekers had brought her to the Healing facility. Such pain she’d endured… Of course she was perfect now-completely healed. Fords had seen to that. “She looks the same as any of us,” Fords murmured to Darren. “We all have human faces. And when she wakes up, she will be one of us, too.” “It’s just exciting for them, that’s all.” “The soul we implant today deserves more respect than to have her host body gawked at this way. She’ll already have far too much to deal with as she acclimates. It’s not fair to put her through this.” By this, he did not mean the gawking. Fords heard the sharp edge return to his voice. Darren patted him again. “It will be fine. The Seeker needs information and -” At the word Seeker, Fords gave Darren a look that could only be described as a glare. Darren blinked in shock. “I’m sorry,” Fords apologized at once. “I didn’t mean to react so negatively. It’s just that I fear for this soul.” His eyes moved to the cryotank on its stand beside the table. The light was a steady, dull red, indicating that it was occupied and in hibernation mode. “This soul was specially picked for the assignment,” Darren said soothingly. “She is exceptional among our kind-braver than most. Her lives speak for themselves. I think she would volunteer, if it were possible to ask her.” “Who among us would not volunteer if asked to do something for the greater good? But is that really the case here? Is the greater good served by this? The question is not her willingness, but what it is right to ask any soul to bear.” The Healing students were discussing the hibernating soul as well. Fords could hear the whispers clearly; their voices were rising now, getting louder with their excitement. “She’s lived on six planets.” “I heard seven.” “I heard she’s never lived two terms as the same host species.” “Is that possible?” “She’s been almost everything. A Flower, a Bear, a Spider -” “A See Weed, a Bat -” “Even a Dragon!” “I don’t believe it-not seven planets.” “At least seven. She started on the Origin.” “Really? The Origin?” “Quiet, please!” Fords interrupted. “If you cannot observe professionally and silently, then I will have to ask you to remove yourselves.” Abashed, the six students fell silent and edged away from one another. “Let’s get on with this, Darren.” Everything was prepared. The appropriate medicines were laid out beside the human girl. Her long dark hair was secured beneath a surgical cap, exposing her slender neck. Deeply sedated, she breathed slowly in and out. Her sun-browned skin had barely a mark to show for her… accident. “Begin thaw sequence now, please, Darren.” The gray-haired assistant was already waiting beside the cryotank, his hand resting on the dial. He flipped the safety back and spun down on the dial. The red light atop the small gray cylinder began to pulse, flashing faster as the seconds passed, changing color. Fords concentrated on the unconscious body; he edged the scalpel through the skin at the base of the subject’s skull with small, precise movements, and then sprayed on the medication that stilled the excess flow of blood before he widened the fissure. Fords delved delicately beneath the neck muscles, careful not to injure them, exposing the pale bones at the top of the spinal column. “The soul is ready, Fords,” Darren informed him. “So am I. Bring her.” Fords felt Darren at his elbow and knew without looking that his assistant would be prepared, his hand stretched out and waiting; they had worked together for many years now. Fords held the gap open. “Send her home,” he whispered. Darren’s hand moved into view, the silver gleam of an awaking soul in his cupped palm. Fords never saw an exposed soul without being struck by the beauty of it. The soul shone in the brilliant lights of the operating room, brighter than the reflective silver instrument in his hand. Like a living ribbon, she twisted and rippled, stretching, happy to be free of the cryotank. Her thin, feathery attachments, nearly a thousand of them, billowed softly like pale silver hair. Though they were all lovely, this one seemed particularly graceful to Fords Deep Waters. He was not alone in his reaction. He heard Darren’s soft sigh, heard the admiring murmurs of the students. Gently, Darren placed the small glistening creature inside the opening Fords had made in the human’s neck. The soul slid smoothly into the offered space, weaving herself into the alien anatomy. Fords admired the skill with which she possessed her new home. Her attachments wound tightly into place around the nerve centers, some elongating and reaching deeper to where he couldn’t see, under and up into the brain, the optic nerves, the ear canals. She was very quick, very firm in her movements. Soon, only one small segment of her glistening body was visible. “Well done,” he whispered to her, knowing that she could not hear him. The human girl was the one with ears, and she still slept soundly. It was a routine matter to finish the job. He cleaned and healed the wound, applied the salve that sealed the incision closed behind the soul, and then brushed the scar-softening powder across the line left on her neck. “Perfect, as usual,” said the assistant, who, for some reason unfathomable to Fords, had never made a change from his human host’s name, Darren. Fords sighed. “I regret this day’s work.” “You’re only doing your duty as a Healer.” “This is the rare occasion when Healing creates an injury.” Darren began to clean up the workstation. He didn’t seem to know how to answer. Fords was filling his Calling. That was enough for Darren. But not enough for Fords Deep Waters, who was a true Healer to the core of his being. He gazed anxiously at the human female’s body, peaceful in slumber, knowing that this peace would be shattered as soon as she awoke. All the horror of this young woman’s end would be borne by the innocent soul he’d just placed inside her. As he leaned over the human and whispered in her ear, Fords wished fervently that the soul inside could hear him now. “Good luck, little wanderer, good luck. How I wish you didn’t need it.” CHAPTER 1.Remembered I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes. I had been warned. Not these eyes. My eyes. Mine. This was me now. The language I found myself using was odd, but it made sense. Choppy, boxy, blind, and linear. Impossibly crippled in comparison to many I’d used, yet still it managed to find fluidity and expression. Sometimes beauty. My language now. My native tongue. With the truest instinct of my kind, I’d bound myself securely into the body’s center of thought, twined myself inescapably into its every breath and reflex until it was no longer a separate entity. It was me. Not the body, my body. I felt the sedation wearing off and lucidity taking its place. I braced myself for the onslaught of the first memory, which would really be the last memory-the last moments this body had experienced, the memory of the end. I had been warned thoroughly of what would happen now. These human emotions would be stronger, more vital than the feelings of any other species I had been. I had tried to prepare myself. The memory came. And, as I’d been warned, it was not something that could ever be prepared for. It seared with sharp color and ringing sound. Cold on her skin, pain gripping her limbs, burning them. The taste was fiercely metallic in her mouth. And there was the new sense, the fifth sense I’d never had, that took the particles from the air and transformed them into strange messages and pleasures and warnings in her brain-scents. They were distracting, confusing to me, but not to her memory. The memory had no time for the novelties of smell. The memory was only fear. Fear locked her in a vise, goading the blunt, clumsy limbs forward but hampering them at the same time. To flee, to run-it was all she could do. I’ve failed. The memory that was not mine was so frighteningly strong and clear that it sliced through my control-overwhelmed the detachment, the knowledge that this was just a memory and not me. Sucked into the hell that was the last minute of her life, I was she, and we were running. It’s so dark. I can’t see. I can’t see the floor. I can’t see my hands stretched out in front of me. I run blind and try to hear the pursuit I can feel behind me, but the pulse is so loud behind my ears it drowns everything else out. It’s cold. It shouldn’t matter now, but it hurts. I’m so cold. The air in her nose was uncomfortable. Bad. A bad smell. For one second, that discomfort pulled me free of the memory. But it was only a second, and then I was dragged in again, and my eyes filled with horrified tears. I’m lost, we’re lost. It’s over. They’re right behind me now, loud and close. There are so many footsteps! I am alone. I’ve failed. The Seekers are calling. The sound of their voices twists my stomach. I’m going to be sick. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” one lies, trying to calm me, to slow me. Her voice is disturbed by the effort of her breathing. “Be careful!” another shouts in warning. “Don’t hurt yourself,” one of them pleads. A deep voice, full of concern. Concern! Heat shot through my veins, and a violent hatred nearly choked me. I had never felt such an emotion as this in all my lives. For another second, my revulsion pulled me away from the memory. A high, shrill keening pierced my ears and pulsed in my head. The sound scraped through my airways. There was a weak pain in my throat. Screaming, my body explained. You’re screaming. I froze in shock, and the sound broke off abruptly. This was not a memory. My body-she was thinking! Speaking to me! But the memory was stronger, in that moment, than my astonishment. “Please!” they cry. “There is danger ahead!” The danger is behind! I scream back in my mind. But I see what they mean. A feeble stream of light, coming from who knows where, shines on the end of the hall. It is not the flat wall or the locked door, the dead end I feared and expected. It is a black hole. An elevator shaft. Abandoned, empty, and condemned, like this building. Once a hiding place, now a tomb. A surge of relief floods through me as I race forward. There is a way. No way to survive, but perhaps a way to win. No, no, no! This thought was all mine, and I fought to pull myself away from her, but we were together. And we sprinted for the edge of death. “Please!” The shouts are more desperate. I feel like laughing when I know that I am fast enough. I imagine their hands clutching for me just inches behind my back. But I am as fast as I need to be. I don’t even pause at the end of the floor. The hole rises up to meet me midstride. The emptiness swallows me. My legs flail, useless. My hands grip the air, claw through it, searching for anything solid. Cold blows past me like tornado winds. I hear the thud before I feel it… The wind is gone… And then pain is everywhere… Pain is everything. Make it stop. Not high enough, I whisper to myself through the pain. When will the pain end? When…? The blackness swallowed up the agony, and I was weak with gratitude that the memory had come to this most final of conclusions. The blackness took all, and I was free. I took a breath to steady myself, as was this body’s habit. My body. But then the color rushed back, the memory reared up and engulfed me again. No! I panicked, fearing the cold and the pain and the very fear itself. But this was not the same memory. This was a memory within a memory-a final memory, like a last gasp of air-yet, somehow, even stronger than the first. The blackness took all but this: a face. The face was as alien to me as the faceless serpentine tentacles of my last host body would be to this new body. I’d seen this kind of face in the images I had been given to prepare for this world. It was hard to tell them apart, to see the tiny variations in color and shape that were the only markers of the individual. So much the same, all of them. Noses centered in the middle of the sphere, eyes above and mouths below, ears around the sides. A collection of senses, all but touch, concentrated in one place. Skin over bones, hair growing on the crown and in strange furry lines above the eyes. Some had more fur lower down on the jaw; those were always males. The colors ranged through the brown scale from pale cream to a deep almost-black. Aside from that, how to know one from the other? This face I would have known among millions. This face was a hard rectangle, the shape of the bones strong under the skin. In color it was a light golden brown. The hair was just a few shades darker than the skin, except where flaxen streaks lightened it, and it covered only the head and the odd fur stripes above the eyes. The circular irises in the white eyeballs were darker than the hair but, like the hair, flecked with light. There were small lines around the eyes, and her memories told me the lines were from smiling and squinting into sunlight. I knew nothing of what passed for beauty among these strangers, and yet I knew that this face was beautiful. I wanted to keep looking at it. As soon as I realized this, it disappeared. Mine, spoke the alien thought that should not have existed. Again, I was frozen, stunned. There should have been no one here but me. And yet this thought was so strong and so aware! Impossible. How was she still here? This was me now. Mine, I rebuked her, the power and authority that belonged to me alone flowing through the word. Everything is mine. So why am I talking back to her? I wondered as the voices interrupted my thoughts. CHAPTER 2. Overheard The voices were soft and close and, though I was only now aware of them, apparently in the middle of a murmured conversation. “I’m afraid it’s too much for her,” one said. The voice was soft but deep, male. “Too much for anyone. Such violence!” The tone spoke of revulsion. “She screamed only once,” said a higher, reedy, female voice, pointing this out with a hint of glee, as if she were winning an argument. “I know,” the man admitted. “She is very strong. Others have had much more trauma, with much less cause.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine, just as I told you.” “Maybe you missed your Calling.” There was an edge to the man’s voice. Sarcasm, my memory named it. “Perhaps you were meant to be a Healer, like me.” The woman made a sound of amusement. Laughter. “I doubt that. We Seekers prefer a different sort of diagnosis.” My body knew this word, this title: Seeker. It sent a shudder of fear down my spine. A leftover reaction. Of course, I had no reason to fear Seekers. “I sometimes wonder if the infection of humanity touches those in your profession,” the man mused, his voice still sour with annoyance. “Violence is part of your life choice. Does enough of your body’s native temperament linger to give you enjoyment of the horror?” I was surprised at his accusation, at his tone. This discussion was almost like… an argument. Something my host was familiar with but that I’d never experienced. The woman was defensive. “We do not choose violence. We face it when we must. And it’s a good thing for the rest of you that some of us are strong enough for the unpleasantness. Your peace would be shattered without our work.” “Once upon a time. Your vocation will soon be obsolete, I think.” “The error of that statement lies on the bed there.” “One human girl, alone and unarmed! Yes, quite a threat to our peace.” The woman breathed out heavily. A sigh. “But where did she come from? How did she appear in the middle of Chicago, a city long since civilized, hundreds of miles from any trace of rebel activity? Did she manage it alone?” She listed the questions without seeming to seek an answer, as if she had already voiced them many times. “That’s your problem, not mine,” the man said. “My job is to help this soul adapt herself to her new host without unnecessary pain or trauma. And you are here to interfere with my job.” Still slowly surfacing, acclimating myself to this new world of senses, I understood only now that I was the subject of the conversation. I was the soul they spoke of. It was a new connotation to the word, a word that had meant many other things to my host. On every planet we took a different name. Soul. I suppose it was an apt description. The unseen force that guides the body. “The answers to my questions matter as much as your responsibilities to the soul.” “That’s debatable.” There was the sound of movement, and her voice was suddenly a whisper. “When will she become responsive? The sedation must be about to wear off.” “When she’s ready. Leave her be. She deserves to handle the situation however she finds most comfortable. Imagine the shock of her awakening-inside a rebel host injured to the point of death in the escape attempt! No one should have to endure such trauma in times of peace!” His voice rose with the increase of emotion. “She is strong.” The woman’s tone was reassuring now. “See how well she did with the first memory, the worst memory. Whatever she expected, she handled this.” “Why should she have to?” the man muttered, but he didn’t seem to expect an answer. The woman answered anyway. “If we’re to get the information we need -” “Need being your word. I would choose the term want. ” “Then someone must take on the unpleasantness,” she continued as if he had not interrupted. “And I think, from all I know of this one, she would accept the challenge if there had been any way to ask her. What do you call her?” The man didn’t speak for a long moment. The woman waited. “Wanderer,” he finally and unwillingly answered. “Fitting,” she said. “I don’t have any official statistics, but she has to be one of the very few, if not the only one, who has wandered so far. Yes, Wanderer will suit her well until she chooses a new name for herself.” He said nothing. “Of course, she may assume the host’s name… We found no matches on record for the fingerprints or retinal scan. I can’t tell you what that name was.” “She won’t take the human name,” the man muttered. Her response was conciliatory. “Everyone finds comfort their own way.” “This Wanderer will need more comfort than most, thanks to your style of Seeking.” There were sharp sounds-footsteps, staccato against a hard floor. When she spoke again, the woman’s voice was across the room from the man. “You would have reacted poorly to the early days of this occupation,” she said. “Perhaps you react poorly to peace.” The woman laughed, but the sound was false-there was no real amusement. My mind seemed well adapted to inferring the true meanings from tones and inflections. “You do not have a clear perception of what my Calling entails. Long hours hunched over files and maps. Mostly desk work. Not very often the conflict or violence you seem to think it is.” “Ten days ago you were armed with killing weapons, running this body down.” “The exception, I assure you, not the rule. Do not forget, the weapons that disgust you are turned on our kind wherever we Seekers have not been vigilant enough. The humans kill us happily whenever they have the ability to do so. Those whose lives have been touched by the hostility see us as heroes.” “You speak as if a war were raging.” “To the remains of the human race, one is.” These words were strong in my ears. My body reacted to them; I felt my breathing speed, heard the sound of my heart pumping louder than was usual. Beside the bed I lay on, a machine registered the increases with a muted beeping. The Healer and the Seeker were too involved in their disagreement to notice. “But one that even they must realize is long lost. They are outnumbered by what? A million to one? I imagine you would know.” “We estimate the odds are quite a bit higher in our favor,” she admitted grudgingly. The Healer appeared to be content to let his side of the disagreement rest with that information. It was quiet for a moment. I used the empty time to evaluate my situation. Much was obvious. I was in a Healing facility, recovering from an unusually traumatic insertion. I was sure the body that hosted me had been fully healed before it was given to me. A damaged host would have been disposed of. I considered the conflicting opinions of the Healer and the Seeker. According to the information I had been given before making the choice to come here, the Healer had the right of it. Hostilities with the few remaining pockets of humans were all but over. The planet called Earth was as peaceful and serene as it looked from space, invitingly green and blue, wreathed in its harmless white vapors. As was the way of the soul, harmony was universal now. The verbal dissension between the Healer and the Seeker was out of character. Strangely aggressive for our kind. It made me wonder. Could they be true, the whispered rumors that had undulated like waves through the thoughts of the… of the… I was distracted, trying to find the name for my last host species. We’d had a name, I knew that. But, no longer connected to that host, I could not remember the word. We’d used much simpler language than this, a silent language of thought that connected us all into one great mind. A necessary convenience when one was rooted forever into the wet black soil. I could describe that species in my new human language. We lived on the floor of the great ocean that covered the entire surface of our world-a world that had a name, too, but that was also gone. We each had a hundred arms and on each arm a thousand eyes, so that, with our thoughts connected, not one sight in the vast waters went unseen. There was no need for sound, so there was no way to hear it. We tasted the waters, and, with our sight, that told us all we needed to know. We tasted the suns, so many leagues above the water, and turned their taste into the food we needed. I could describe us, but I could not name us. I sighed for the lost knowledge, and then returned my ponderings to what I’d overheard. Souls did not, as a rule, speak anything but the truth. Seekers, of course, had the requirements of their Calling, but between souls there was never reason for a lie. With my last species’ language of thought, it would have been impossible to lie, even had we wanted to. However, anchored as we were, we told ourselves stories to alleviate the boredom. Storytelling was the most honored of all talents, for it benefited everyone. Sometimes, fact mixed with fiction so thoroughly that, though no lies were told, it was hard to remember what was strictly true. When we thought of the new planet-Earth, so dry, so varied, and filled with such violent, destructive denizens we could barely imagine them-our horror was sometimes overshadowed by our excitement. Stories spun themselves quickly around the thrilling new subject. The wars-wars! our kind having to fight!-were first reported accurately and then embellished and fictionalized. When the stories conflicted with the official information I sought out, I naturally believed the first reports. But there were whispers of this: of human hosts so strong that the souls were forced to abandon them. Hosts whose minds could not be completely suppressed. Souls who took on the personality of the body, rather than the other way around. Stories. Wild rumors. Madness. But that seemed almost to be the Healer’s accusation… I dismissed the thought. The more likely meaning of his censure was the distaste most of us felt for the Seeker’s Calling. Who would choose a life of conflict and pursuit? Who would be attracted to the chore of tracking down unwilling hosts and capturing them? Who would have the stomach to face the violence of this particular species, the hostile humans who killed so easily, so thoughtlessly? Here, on this planet, the Seekers had become practically a… militia-my new brain supplied the term for the unfamiliar concept. Most believed that only the least civilized souls, the least evolved, the lesser among us, would be drawn to the path of Seeker. Still, on Earth the Seekers had gained new status. Never before had an occupation gone so awry. Never before had it turned into a fierce and bloody battle. Never before had the lives of so many souls been sacrificed. The Seekers stood as a mighty shield, and the souls of this world were thrice-over indebted to them: for the safety they had carved out of the mayhem, for the risk of the final death that they faced willingly every day, and for the new bodies they continued to provide. Now that the danger was virtually past, it appeared the gratitude was fading. And, for this Seeker at least, the change was not a pleasant one. It was easy to imagine what her questions for me would be. Though the Healer was trying to buy me time to adjust to my new body, I knew I would do my best to help the Seeker. Good citizenship was quintessential to every soul. So I took a deep breath to prepare myself. The monitor registered the movement. I knew I was stalling a bit. I hated to admit it, but I was afraid. To get the information the Seeker needed, I would have to explore the violent memories that had made me scream in horror. More than that, I was afraid of the voice I’d heard so loudly in my head. But she was silent now, as was right. She was just a memory, too. I should not have been afraid. After all, I was called Wanderer now. And I’d earned the name. With another deep breath, I delved into the memories that frightened me, faced them head-on with my teeth locked together. I could skip past the end-it didn’t overwhelm me now. In fast-forward, I ran through the dark again, wincing, trying not to feel. It was over quickly. Once I was through that barrier, it wasn’t hard to float through less-alarming things and places, skimming for the information I wanted. I saw how she’d come to this cold city, driving by night in a stolen car chosen for its nondescript appearance. She’d walked through the streets of Chicago in darkness, shivering beneath her coat. She was doing her own seeking. There were others like her here, or so she hoped. One in particular. A friend… no, family. Not a sister… a cousin. The words came slower and slower, and at first I did not understand why. Was this forgotten? Lost in the trauma of an almost death? Was I still sluggish from unconsciousness? I struggled to think clearly. This sensation was unfamiliar. Was my body still sedated? I felt alert enough, but my mind labored unsuccessfully for the answers I wanted. I tried another avenue of searching, hoping for clearer responses. What was her goal? She would find… Sharon -I fished out the name-and they would… I hit a wall. It was a blank, a nothing. I tried to circle around it, but I couldn’t find the edges of the void. It was as if the information I sought had been erased. As if this brain had been damaged. Anger flashed through me, hot and wild. I gasped in surprise at the unexpected reaction. I’d heard of the emotional instability of these human bodies, but this was beyond my ability to anticipate. In eight full lives, I’d never had an emotion touch me with such force. I felt the blood pulse through my neck, pounding behind my ears. My hands tightened into fists. The machines beside me reported the acceleration of my heartbeats. There was a reaction in the room: the sharp tap of the Seeker’s shoes approached me, mingled with a quieter shuffle that must have been the Healer. “Welcome to Earth, Wanderer,” the female voice said. CHAPTER 3.Resisted She won’t recognize the new name,” the Healer murmured. A new sensation distracted me. Something pleasant, a change in the air as the Seeker stood at my side. A scent, I realized. Something different than the sterile, odorless room. Perfume, my new mind told me. Floral, lush… “Can you hear me?” the Seeker asked, interrupting my analysis. “Are you aware?” “Take your time,” the Healer urged in a softer voice than the one he had used before. I did not open my eyes. I didn’t want to be distracted. My mind gave me the words I needed, and the tone that would convey what I couldn’t say without using many words. “Have I been placed in a damaged host in order to gain the information you need, Seeker?” There was a gasp-surprise and outrage mingled-and something warm touched my skin, covered my hand. “Of course not, Wanderer,” the man said reassuringly. “Even a Seeker would stop at some things.” The Seeker gasped again. Hissed, my memory corrected. “Then why doesn’t this mind function correctly?” There was a pause. “The scans were perfect,” the Seeker said. Her words not reassuring but argumentative. Did she mean to quarrel with me? “The body was entirely healed.” “From a suicide attempt that was perilously close to succeeding.” My tone was stiff, still angry. I wasn’t used to anger. It was hard to contain it. “Everything was in perfect order -” The Healer cut her off. “What is missing?” he asked. “Clearly, you’ve accessed speech.” “Memory. I was trying to find what the Seeker wants.” Though there was no sound, there was a change. The atmosphere, which had gone tense at my accusation, relaxed. I wondered how I knew this. I had a strange sensation that I was somehow receiving more than my five senses were giving me-almost a feeling that there was another sense, on the fringes, not quite harnessed. Intuition? That was almost the right word. As if any creature needed more than five senses. The Seeker cleared her throat, but it was the Healer who answered. “Ah,” he said. “Don’t make yourself anxious about some partial memory… difficulties. That’s, well, not to be expected, exactly, but not surprising, considering.” “I don’t understand your meaning.” “This host was part of the human resistance.” There was a hint of excitement in the Seeker’s voice now. “Those humans who were aware of us before insertion are more difficult to subdue. This one still resists.” There was a moment of silence while they waited for my response. Resisting? The host was blocking my access? Again, the heat of my anger surprised me. “Am I correctly bound?” I asked, my voice distorted because it came through my teeth. “Yes,” the Healer said. “All eight hundred twenty-seven points are latched securely in the optimum positions.” This mind used more of my faculties than any host before, leaving me only one hundred eighty-one spare attachments. Perhaps the numerous bindings were the reason the emotions were so vivid. I decided to open my eyes. I felt the need to double-check the Healer’s promises and make sure the rest of me worked. Light. Bright, painful. I closed my eyes again. The last light I had seen had been filtered through a hundred ocean fathoms. But these eyes had seen brighter and could handle it. I opened them narrowly, keeping my eyelashes feathered over the breach. “Would you like me to turn down the lights?” “No, Healer. My eyes will adjust.” “Very good,” he said, and I understood that his approval was meant for my casual use of the possessive. Both waited quietly while my eyes slowly widened. My mind recognized this as an average room in a medical facility. A hospital. The ceiling tiles were white with darker speckles. The lights were rectangular and the same size as the tiles, replacing them at regular intervals. The walls were light green-a calming color, but also the color of sickness. A poor choice, in my quickly formed opinion. The people facing me were more interesting than the room. The word doctor sounded in my mind as soon as my eyes fastened on the Healer. He wore loose-fitting blue green clothes that left his arms bare. Scrubs. He had hair on his face, a strange color that my memory called red. Red! It had been three worlds since I had seen the color or any of its relatives. Even this gingery gold filled me with nostalgia. His face was generically human to me, but the knowledge in my memory applied the word kind. An impatient breath pulled my attention to the Seeker. She was very small. If she had remained still, it would have taken me longer to notice her there beside the Healer. She didn’t draw the eye, a darkness in the bright room. She wore black from chin to wrists-a conservative suit with a silk turtleneck underneath. Her hair was black, too. It grew to her chin and was pushed back behind her ears. Her skin was darker than the Healer’s. Olive toned. The tiny changes in humans’ expressions were so minimal they were very hard to read. My memory could name the look on this woman’s face, though. The black brows, slanted down over the slightly bulging eyes, created a familiar design. Not quite anger. Intensity. Irritation. “How often does this happen?” I asked, looking at the Healer again. “Not often,” the Healer admitted. “We have so few full-grown hosts available anymore. The immature hosts are entirely pliable. But you indicated that you preferred to begin as an adult…” “Yes.” “Most requests are the opposite. The human life span is much shorter than you’re used to.” “I’m well versed in all the facts, Healer. Have you dealt with this… resistance before yourself?” “Only once, myself.” “Tell me the facts of the case.” I paused. “Please,” I added, feeling a lack of courtesy in my command. The Healer sighed. The Seeker began tapping her fingers against her arm. A sign of impatience. She did not care to wait for what she wanted. “This occurred four years ago,” the Healer began. “The soul involved had requested an adult male host. The first one to be available was a human who had been living in a pocket of resistance since the early years of the occupation. The human… knew what would happen when he was caught.” “Just as my host did.” “Um, yes.” He cleared his throat. “This was only the soul’s second life. He came from Blind World.” “Blind World?” I asked, cocking my head to the side reflexively. “Oh, sorry, you wouldn’t know our nicknames. This was one of yours, though, was it not?” He pulled a device from his pocket, a computer, and scanned quickly. “Yes, your seventh planet. In the eighty-first sector.” “Blind World?” I said again, my voice now disapproving. “Yes, well, some who have lived there prefer to call it the Singing World.” I nodded slowly. I liked that better. “And some who’ve never been there call it Planet of the Bats,” the Seeker muttered. I turned my eyes to her, feeling them narrow as my mind dredged up the appropriate image of the ugly flying rodent she referred to. “I assume you are one who has never lived there, Seeker,” the Healer said lightly. “We called this soul Racing Song at first-it was a loose translation of his name on… the Singing World. But he soon opted to take the name of his host, Kevin. Though he was slated for a Calling in Musical Performance, given his background, he said he felt more comfortable continuing in the host’s previous line of work, which was mechanical. “These signs were somewhat worrisome to his assigned Comforter, but they were well within normal bounds. “Then Kevin started to complain that he was blacking out for periods of time. They brought him back to me, and we ran extensive tests to make sure there was no hidden flaw in the host’s brain. During the testing, several Healers noted marked differences in his behavior and personality. When we questioned him about this, he claimed to have no memory of certain statements and actions. We continued to observe him, along with his Comforter, and eventually discovered that the host was periodically taking control of Kevin’s body.” “Taking control?” My eyes strained wide. “With the soul unaware? The host took the body back?” “Sadly, yes. Kevin was not strong enough to suppress this host.” Not strong enough. Would they think me weak as well? Was I weak, that I could not force this mind to answer my questions? Weaker still, because her living thoughts had existed in my head where there should be nothing but memory? I’d always thought of myself as strong. This idea of weakness made me flinch. Made me feel shame. The Healer continued. “Certain events occurred, and it was decided -” “What events?” The Healer looked down without answering. “What events?” I demanded again. “I believe I have a right to know.” The Healer sighed. “You do. Kevin… physically attacked a Healer while not… himself.” He winced. “He knocked the Healer unconscious with a blow from his fist and then found a scalpel on her person. We found him insensible. The host had tried to cut the soul out of his body.” It took me a moment before I could speak. Even then, my voice was just a breath. “What happened to them?” “Luckily, the host was unable to stay conscious long enough to inflict real damage. Kevin was relocated, into an immature host this time. The troublesome host was in poor repair, and it was decided there wasn’t much point in saving him. “Kevin is seven human years old now and perfectly normal… aside from the fact that he kept the name Kevin, that is. His guardians are taking great care that he is heavily exposed to music, and that is coming along well…” The last was added as if it were good news-news that could somehow cancel out the rest. “Why?” I cleared my throat so that my voice could gain some volume. “Why have these risks not been shared?” “Actually,” the Seeker broke in, “it is very clearly stated in all recruitment propaganda that assimilating the remaining adult human hosts is much more challenging than assimilating a child. An immature host is highly recommended.” “The word challenging does not quite cover Kevin’s story,” I whispered. “Yes, well, you preferred to ignore the recommendation.” She held up her hands in a peacemaking gesture when my body tensed, causing the stiff fabric on the narrow bed to crackle softly. “Not that I blame you. Childhood is extraordinarily tedious. And you are clearly not the average soul. I have every confidence that this is well within your abilities to handle. This is just another host. I’m sure you will have full access and control shortly.” By this point in my observations of the Seeker, I was surprised that she’d had the patience to wait for any delay, even my personal acclimatization. I sensed her disappointment in my lack of information, and it brought back some of the unfamiliar feelings of anger. “Did it not occur to you that you could get the answers you seek by being inserted into this body yourself?” I asked. She stiffened. “I’m no skipper.” My eyebrows pulled up automatically. “Another nickname,” the Healer explained. “For those who do not complete a life term in their host.” I nodded in understanding. We’d had a name for it on my other worlds. On no world was it smiled upon. So I quit quizzing the Seeker and gave her what I could. “Her name was Melanie Stryder. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was in Los Angeles when the occupation became known to her, and she hid in the wilderness for a few years before finding… Hmmm. Sorry, I’ll try that one again later. The body has seen twenty years. She drove to Chicago from…” I shook my head. “There were several stages, not all of them alone. The vehicle was stolen. She was searching for a cousin named Sharon, whom she had reason to hope was still human. She neither found nor contacted anyone before she was spotted. But…” I struggled, fighting against another blank wall. “I think… I can’t be sure… I think she left a note… somewhere.” “So she expected someone would look for her?” the Seeker asked eagerly. “Yes. She will be… missed. If she does not rendezvous with…” I gritted my teeth, truly fighting now. The wall was black, and I could not tell how thick it was. I battered against it, sweat beading on my forehead. The Seeker and the Healer were very quiet, allowing me to concentrate. I tried thinking of something else-the loud, unfamiliar noises the engine of the car had made, the jittery rush of adrenaline every time the lights of another vehicle drew near on the road. I already had this, and nothing fought me. I let the memory carry me along, let it skip over the cold hike through the city under the sheltering darkness of night, let it wind its way to the building where they’d found me. Not me, her. My body shuddered. “Don’t overextend -” the Healer began. The Seeker shushed him. I let my mind dwell on the horror of discovery, the burning hatred of the Seekers that overpowered almost everything else. The hatred was evil; it was pain. I could hardly bear to feel it. But I let it run its course, hoping it would distract the resistance, weaken the defenses. I watched carefully as she tried to hide and then knew she could not. A note, scratched on a piece of debris with a broken pencil. Shoved hastily under a door. Not just any door. “The pattern is the fifth door along the fifth hall on the fifth floor. Her communication is there.” The Seeker had a small phone in her hand; she murmured rapidly into it. “The building was supposed to be safe,” I continued. “They knew it was condemned. She doesn’t know how she was discovered. Did they find Sharon?” A chill of horror raised goose bumps on my arms. The question was not mine. The question wasn’t mine, but it flowed naturally through my lips as if it were. The Seeker did not notice anything amiss. “The cousin? No, they found no other human,” she answered, and my body relaxed in response. “This host was spotted entering the building. Since the building was known to be condemned, the citizen who observed her was concerned. He called us, and we watched the building to see if we could catch more than one, and then moved in when that seemed unlikely. Can you find the rendezvous point?” I tried. So many memories, all of them so colorful and sharp. I saw a hundred places I’d never been, heard their names for the first time. A house in Los Angeles, lined with tall fronded trees. A meadow in a forest, with a tent and a fire, outside Winslow, Arizona. A deserted rocky beach in Mexico. A cave, the entrance guarded by sheeting rain, somewhere in Oregon. Tents, huts, rude shelters. As time went on, the names grew less specific. She did not know where she was, nor did she care. My name was now Wanderer, yet her memories fit it just as well as my own. Except that my wandering was by choice. These flashes of memory were always tinged with the fear of the hunted. Not wandering, but running. I tried not to feel pity. Instead, I worked to focus the memories. I didn’t need to see where she’d been, only where she was going. I sorted through the pictures that tied to the word Chicago , but none seemed to be anything more than random images. I widened my net. What was outside Chicago? Cold, I thought. It was cold, and there was some worry about that. Where? I pushed, and the wall came back. I exhaled in a gust. “Outside the city-in the wilderness… a state park, away from any habitations. It’s not somewhere she’d been before, but she knew how to get there.” “How soon?” the Seeker asked. “Soon.” The answer came automatically. “How long have I been here?” “We let the host heal for nine days, just to be absolutely sure she was recovered,” the Healer told me. “Insertion was today, the tenth day.” Ten days. My body felt a staggering wave of relief. “Too late,” I said. “For the rendezvous point… or even the note.” I could feel the host’s reaction to this-could feel it much too strongly. The host was almost… smug. I allowed the words she thought to be spoken, so that I could learn from them. “He won’t be there.” “He?” The Seeker pounced on the pronoun. “Who?” The black wall slammed down with more force than she’d used before. She was the tiniest fraction of a second too late. Again, the face filled my mind. The beautiful face with the golden tan skin and the light-flecked eyes. The face that stirred a strange, deep pleasure within me while I viewed it so clearly in my mind. Though the wall slapped into place with an accompanying sensation of vicious resentment, it was not fast enough. “Jared,” I answered. As quickly as if it had come from me, the thought that was not mine followed the name through my lips. “Jared is safe.” CHAPTER 4. Dreamed It is too dark to be so hot, or maybe too hot to be so dark. One of the two is out of place. I crouch in the darkness behind the weak protection of a scrubby creosote bush, sweating out all the water left in my body. It’s been fifteen minutes since the car left the garage. No lights have come on. The arcadia door is open two inches, letting the swamp cooler do its job. I can imagine the feel of the moist, cool air blowing through the screen. I wish it could reach me here. My stomach gurgles, and I clench my abdominal muscles to stifle the sound. It is quiet enough that the murmur carries. I am so hungry. There is another need that is stronger-another hungry stomach hidden safely far away in the darkness, waiting alone in the rough cave that is our temporary home. A cramped place, jagged with volcanic rock. What will he do if I don’t come back? All the pressure of motherhood with none of the knowledge or experience. I feel so hideously helpless. Jamie is hungry. There are no other houses close to this one. I’ve been watching since the sun was still white hot in the sky, and I don’t think there is a dog, either. I ease up from my crouch, my calves screaming in protest, but keep hunched at the waist, trying to be smaller than the bush. The way up the wash is smooth sand, a pale pathway in the light of the stars. There are no sounds of cars on the road. I know what they will realize when they return, the monsters who look like a nice couple in their early fifties. They will know exactly what I am, and the search will begin at once. I need to be far away. I really hope they are going out for a night on the town. I think it’s Friday. They keep our habits so perfectly, it’s hard to see any difference. Which is how they won in the first place. The fence around the yard is only waist high. I get over easily, noiselessly. The yard is gravel, though, and I have to walk carefully to keep my weight from shifting it. I make it to the patio slab. The blinds are open. The starlight is enough to see that the rooms are empty of movement. This couple goes for a spartan look, and I’m grateful. It makes it harder for someone to hide. Of course, that leaves no place for me to hide, either, but if it comes to hiding for me, it’s too late anyway. I ease the screen door open first, and then the glass door. Both glide silently. I place my feet carefully on the tile, but this is just out of habit. No one is waiting for me here. The cool air feels like heaven. The kitchen is to my left. I can see the gleam of granite counters. I pull the canvas bag from my shoulder and start with the refrigerator. There is a moment of anxiety as the light comes on when the door opens, but I find the button and hold it down with my toe. My eyes are blind. I don’t have time to let them adjust. I go by feel. Milk, cheese slices, leftovers in a plastic bowl. I hope it’s the chicken-and-rice thing I watched him cooking for dinner. We’ll eat this tonight. Juice, a bag of apples. Baby carrots. These will stay good till morning. I hurry to the pantry. I need things that will keep longer. I can see better as I gather as much as I can carry. Mmm, chocolate chip cookies. I’m dying to open the bag right now, but I grit my teeth and ignore the twist of my empty stomach. The bag gets heavy too quickly. This will last us only a week, even if we’re careful with it. And I don’t feel like being careful; I feel like gorging. I shove granola bars into my pockets. One more thing. I hurry to the sink and refill my canteen. Then I put my head under the flow and gulp straight from the stream. The water makes odd noises when it hits my hollow stomach. I start to feel panicked now that my job is done. I want to be out of here. Civilization is deadly. I watch the floor on my way out, worried about tripping with my heavy bag, which is why I don’t see the silhouetted black figure on the patio until my hand is on the door. I hear his mumbled oath at the same time that a stupid squeak of fear escapes my mouth. I spin to sprint for the front door, hoping the locks are not latched, or at least not difficult. I don’t even get two steps before rough, hard hands grab my shoulders and wrench me back against his body. Too big, too strong to be a woman. The bass voice proves me right. “One sound and you die,” he threatens gruffly. I am shocked to feel a thin, sharp edge pushing into the skin under my jaw. I don’t understand. I shouldn’t be given a choice. Who is this monster? I’ve never heard of one who would break rules. I answer the only way I can. “Do it,” I spit through my teeth. “Just do it. I don’t want to be a filthy parasite!” I wait for the knife, and my heart is aching. Each beat has a name. Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. What will happen to you now? “Clever,” the man mutters, and it doesn’t sound like he’s speaking to me. “Must be a Seeker. And that means a trap. How did they know?” The steel disappears from my throat, only to be replaced by a hand as hard as iron. I can barely breathe under his grip. “Where are the rest of them?” he demands, squeezing. “It’s just me!” I rasp. I can’t lead him to Jamie. What will Jamie do when I don’t come back? Jamie is hungry! I throw my elbow into his gut-and this really hurts. His stomach muscles are as iron hard as the hand. Which is very strange. Muscles like that are the product of hard living or obsession, and the parasites have neither. He doesn’t even suck in a breath at my blow. Desperate, I jab my heel into his instep. This catches him off guard, and he wobbles. I wrench away, but he grabs hold of my bag, yanking me back into his body. His hand clamps down on my throat again. “Feisty for a peace-loving body snatcher, aren’t you?” His words are nonsensical. I thought the aliens were all the same. I guess they have their nut jobs, too, after all. I twist and claw, trying to break his hold. My nails catch his arm, but this just makes him tighten his hold on my throat. “I will kill you, you worthless body thief. I’m not bluffing.” “Do it, then!” Suddenly he gasps, and I wonder if any of my flailing limbs have made contact. I don’t feel any new bruises. He lets go of my arm and grabs my hair. This must be it. He’s going to cut my throat. I brace for the slice of the knife. But the hand on my throat eases up, and then his fingers are fumbling on the back of my neck, rough and warm on my skin. “Impossible,” he breathes. Something hits the floor with a thud. He’s dropped the knife? I try to think of a way to get it. Maybe if I fall. The hand on my neck isn’t tight enough to keep me from yanking free. I think I heard where the blade landed. He spins me around suddenly. There is a click, and light blinds my left eye. I gasp and automatically try to twist away from it. His hand tightens in my hair. The light flickers to my right eye. “I can’t believe it,” he whispers. “You’re still human.” His hands grab my face from both sides, and before I can pull free, his lips come down hard on mine. I’m frozen for half a second. No one has ever kissed me in my life. Not a real kiss. Just my parents’ pecks on the cheek or forehead, so many years ago. This is something I thought I would never feel. I’m not sure exactly what it feels like, though. There’s too much panic, too much terror, too much adrenaline. I jerk my knee up in a sharp thrust. He chokes out a wheezing sound, and I’m free. Instead of running for the front of the house again like he expects, I duck under his arm and leap through the open door. I think I can outrun him, even with my load. I’ve got a head start, and he’s still making pained noises. I know where I’m going-I won’t leave a path he can see in the dark. I never dropped the food, and that’s good. I think the granola bars are a loss, though. “Wait!” he yells. Shut up, I think, but I don’t yell back. He’s running after me. I can hear his voice getting closer. “I’m not one of them!” Sure. I keep my eyes on the sand and sprint. My dad used to say I ran like a cheetah. I was the fastest on my track team, state champion, back before the end of the world. “Listen to me!” He’s still yelling at full volume. “Look! I’ll prove it. Just stop and look at me!” Not likely. I pivot off the wash and flit through the mesquites. “I didn’t think there was anyone left! Please, I need to talk to you!” His voice surprises me-it is too close. “I’m sorry I kissed you! That was stupid! I’ve just been alone so long!” “Shut up!” I don’t say it loudly, but I know he hears. He’s getting even closer. I’ve never been outrun before. I push my legs harder. There’s a low grunt to his breathing as he speeds up, too. Something big flies into my back, and I go down. I taste dirt in my mouth, and I’m pinned by something so heavy I can hardly breathe. “Wait. A. Minute,” he huffs. He shifts his weight and rolls me over. He straddles my chest, trapping my arms under his legs. He is squishing my food. I growl and try to squirm out from under him. “Look, look, look!” he says. He pulls a small cylinder from his hip pocket and twists the top. A beam of light shoots out the end. He turns the flashlight on his face. The light makes his skin yellow. It shows prominent cheekbones beside a long thin nose and a sharply squared-off jaw. His lips are stretched into a grin, but I can see that they are full, for a man. His eyebrows and lashes are bleached out from sun. But that’s not what he is showing me. His eyes, clear liquid sienna in the illumination, shine with no more than human reflection. He bounces the light between left and right. “See? See? I’m just like you.” “Let me see your neck.” Suspicion is thick in my voice. I don’t let myself believe that this is more than a trick. I don’t understand the point of the charade, but I’m sure there is one. There is no hope anymore. His lips twist. “Well… That won’t exactly help anything. Aren’t the eyes enough? You know I’m not one of them.” “Why won’t you show me your neck?” “Because I have a scar there,” he admits. I try to squirm out from under him again, and his hand pins my shoulder. “It’s self-inflicted,” he explains. “I think I did a pretty good job, though it hurt like hell. I don’t have all that pretty hair to cover my neck. The scar helps me blend in.” “Get off me.” He hesitates, then gets to his feet in one easy move, not needing to use his hands. He holds one out, palm up, to me. “Please don’t run away. And, um, I’d rather you didn’t kick me again, either.” I don’t move. I know he can catch me if I try to run. “Who are you?” I whisper. He smiles wide. “My name is Jared Howe. I haven’t spoken to another human being in more than two years, so I’m sure I must seem… a little crazy to you. Please, forgive that and tell me your name, anyway.” “Melanie,” I whisper. “Melanie,” he repeats. “I can’t tell you how delighted I am to meet you.” I grip my bag tightly, keeping my eyes on him. He reaches his hand down toward me slowly. And I take it. It isn’t until I see my hand curl voluntarily around his that I realize I believe him. He helps me to my feet and doesn’t release my hand when I’m up. “What now?” I ask guardedly. “Well, we can’t stay here for long. Will you come back with me to the house? I left my bag. You beat me to the fridge.” I shake my head. He seems to realize how brittle I am, how close to breaking. “Will you wait for me here, then?” he asks in a gentle voice. “I’ll be very quick. Let me get us some more food.” “Us?” “Do you really think I’m going to let you disappear? I’ll follow you even if you tell me not to.” I don’t want to disappear from him. “I…” How can I not trust another human completely? We’re family-both part of the brotherhood of extinction. “I don’t have time. I have so far to go and… Jamie is waiting.” “You’re not alone,” he realizes. His expression shows uncertainty for the first time. “My brother. He’s just nine, and he’s so frightened when I’m away. It will take me half the night to get back to him. He won’t know if I’ve been caught. He’s so hungry. ” As if to make my point, my stomach growls loudly. Jared’s smile is back, brighter than before. “Will it help if I give you a ride?” “A ride?” I echo. “I’ll make you a deal. You wait here while I gather more food, and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go in my jeep. It’s faster than running-even faster than you running.” “You have a car?” “Of course. Do you think I walked out here?” I think of the six hours it took me to walk here, and my forehead furrows. “We’ll be back to your brother in no time,” he promises. “Don’t move from this spot, okay?” I nod. “And eat something, please. I don’t want your stomach to give us away.” He grins, and his eyes crinkle up, fanning lines out of the corners. My heart gives one hard thump, and I know I will wait here if it takes him all night. He is still holding my hand. He lets go slowly, his eyes not leaving mine. He takes a step backward, then pauses. “Please don’t kick me,” he pleads, leaning forward and grabbing my chin. He kisses me again, and this time I feel it. His lips are softer than his hands, and hot, even in the warm desert night. A flock of butterflies riots in my stomach and steals my breath. My hands reach for him instinctively. I touch the warm skin of his cheek, the rough hair on his neck. My fingers skim over a line of puckered skin, a raised ridge right beneath the hairline. I scream. I woke up covered in sweat. Even before I was all the way awake, my fingers were on the back of my neck, tracing the short line left from the insertion. I could barely detect the faint pink blemish with my fingertips. The medicines the Healer had used had done their job. Jared’s poorly healed scar had never been much of a disguise. I flicked on the light beside my bed, waiting for my breathing to slow, veins full of adrenaline from the realistic dream. A new dream, but in essence so much the same as the many others that had plagued me in the past months. No, not a dream. Surely a memory. I could still feel the heat of Jared’s lips on mine. My hands reached out without my permission, searching across the rumpled sheet, looking for something they did not find. My heart ached when they gave up, falling to the bed limp and empty. I blinked away the unwelcome moisture in my eyes. I didn’t know how much more of this I could stand. How did anyone survive this world, with these bodies whose memories wouldn’t stay in the past where they should? With these emotions that were so strong I couldn’t tell what I felt anymore? I was going to be exhausted tomorrow, but I felt so far from sleep that I knew it would be hours before I could relax. I might as well do my duty and get it over with. Maybe it would help me take my mind off things I’d rather not think about. I rolled off the bed and stumbled to the computer on the otherwise empty desk. It took a few seconds for the screen to glow to life, and another few seconds to open my mail program. It wasn’t hard to find the Seeker’s address; I only had four contacts: the Seeker, the Healer, my new employer, and his wife, my Comforter. There was another human with my host, Melanie Stryder. I typed, not bothering with a greeting. His name is Jamie Stryder; he is her brother. For a panicked moment, I wondered at her control. All this time, and I’d never even guessed at the boy’s existence-not because he didn’t matter to her, but because she protected him more fiercely than other secrets I’d unraveled. Did she have more secrets this big, this important? So sacred that she kept them even from my dreams? Was she that strong? My fingers trembled as I keyed the rest of the information. I think he’s a young adolescent now. Perhaps thirteen. They were living in a temporary camp, and I believe it was north of the town of Cave Creek, in Arizona. That was several years ago, though. Still, you could compare a map to the lines I remembered before. As always, I’ll tell you if I get anything more. I sent it off. As soon as it was gone, terror washed through me. Not Jamie! Her voice in my head was as clear as my own spoken aloud. I shuddered in horror. Even as I struggled with the fear of what was happening, I was gripped with the insane desire to e-mail the Seeker again and apologize for sending her my crazy dreams. To tell her I was half asleep and to pay no attention to the silly message I’d sent. The desire was not my own. I shut off the computer. I hate you, the voice snarled in my head. “Then maybe you should leave,” I snapped. The sound of my voice, answering her aloud, made me shudder again. She hadn’t spoken to me since the first moments I’d been here. There was no doubt that she was getting stronger. Just like the dreams. And there was no question about it; I was going to have to visit my Comforter tomorrow. Tears of disappointment and humiliation welled in my eyes at the thought. I went back to bed, put a pillow over my face, and tried to think of nothing at all. CHAPTER 5. Uncomforted Hello there, Wanderer! Won’t you take a seat and make yourself at home?” I hesitated on the threshold of the Comforter’s office, one foot in and one foot out. She smiled, just a tiny movement at the corners of her mouth. It was much easier to read facial expressions now; the little muscle twitches and shifts had become familiar through months of exposure. I could see that the Comforter found my reluctance a bit amusing. At the same time, I could sense her frustration that I was still uneasy coming to her. With a quiet sigh of resignation, I walked into the small brightly colored room and took my usual seat-the puffy red one, the one farthest from where she sat. Her lips pursed. To avoid her gaze, I stared through the open windows at the clouds scuttling past the sun. The faint tang of ocean brine blew softly through the room. “So, Wanderer. It’s been a while since you’ve come to see me.” I met her eyes guiltily. “I did leave a message about that last appointment. I had a student who requested some of my time…” “Yes, I know.” She smiled the tiny smile again. “I got your message.” She was attractive for an older woman, as humans went. She’d let her hair stay a natural gray-it was soft, tending toward white rather than silver, and she wore it long, pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were an interesting green color I’d never seen on anyone else. “I’m sorry,” I said, since she seemed to be waiting for a response. “That’s all right. I understand. It’s difficult for you to come here. You wish so much that it wasn’t necessary. It’s never been necessary for you before. This frightens you.” I stared down at the wooden floor. “Yes, Comforter.” “I know I’ve asked you to call me Kathy.” “Yes… Kathy.” She laughed lightly. “You are not at ease with human names yet, are you, Wanderer?” “No. To be honest, it seems… like a surrender.” I looked up to see her nod slowly. “Well, I can understand why you, especially, would feel that way.” I swallowed loudly when she said that, and stared again at the floor. “Let’s talk about something easier for a moment,” Kathy suggested. “Do you continue to enjoy your Calling?” “I do.” This was easier. “I’ve begun a new semester. I wondered if it would get tiresome, repeating the same material, but so far it doesn’t. Having new ears makes the stories new again.” “I hear good things about you from Curt. He says your class is among the most requested at the university.” My cheeks warmed a bit at this praise. “That’s nice to hear. How is your partner?” “Curt is wonderful, thank you. Our hosts are in excellent shape for their ages. We have many years ahead of us, I think.” I was curious if she would stay on this world, if she would move to another human host when the time came, or if she would leave. But I didn’t want to ask any questions that might move us into the more difficult areas of discussion. “I enjoy teaching,” I said instead. “It’s somewhat related to my Calling with the See Weeds, so that makes it easier than something unfamiliar. I’m indebted to Curt for requesting me.” “They’re lucky to have you.” Kathy smiled warmly. “Do you know how rare it is for a Professor of History to have experienced even two planets in the curriculum? Yet you’ve lived a term on almost all of them. And the Origin, to boot! There isn’t a school on this planet that wouldn’t love to steal you away from us. Curt plots ways to keep you busy so you have no time to consider moving.” “Honorary Professor,” I corrected her. Kathy smiled and then took a deep breath, her smile fading. “You haven’t been to see me in so long, I was wondering if your problems were resolving themselves. But then it occurred to me that perhaps the reason for your absence was that they were getting worse.” I stared down at my hands and said nothing. My hands were light brown-a tan that never faded whether I spent time in the sun or not. One dark freckle marked the skin just above my left wrist. My nails were cut short. I disliked the feeling of long nails. They were unpleasant when they brushed the skin wrong. And my fingers were so long and thin-the added length of fingernails made them look strange. Even for a human. She cleared her throat after a minute. “I’m guessing my intuition was right.” “Kathy.” I said her name slowly. Stalling. “Why did you keep your human name? Did it make you feel… more at one? With your host, I mean?” I would have liked to know about Curt’s choice as well, but it was such a personal question. It would have been wrong to ask anyone besides Curt for the answer, even his partner. I worried that I’d already been too impolite, but she laughed. “Heavens, no, Wanderer. Haven’t I told you this? Hmm. Maybe not, since it’s not my job to talk, but to listen. Most of the souls I speak with don’t need as much encouragement as you do. Did you know I came to Earth in one of the very first placements, before the humans had any idea we were here? I had human neighbors on both sides. Curt and I had to pretend to be our hosts for several years. Even after we’d settled the immediate area, you never knew when a human might be near. So Kathy just became who I was. Besides, the translation of my former name was fourteen words long and did not shorten prettily.” She grinned. The sunlight slanting through the window caught her eyes and sent their silver green reflection dancing on the wall. For a moment, the emerald irises glowed iridescent. I’d had no idea that this soft, cozy woman had been a part of the front line. It took me a minute to process that. I stared at her, surprised and suddenly more respectful. I’d never taken Comforters very seriously-never had a need before now. They were for those who struggled, for the weak, and it shamed me to be here. Knowing Kathy’s history made me feel slightly less awkward with her. She understood strength. “Did it bother you?” I asked. “Pretending to be one of them?” “No, not really. You see, this host was a lot to get used to-there was so much that was new. Sensory overload. Following the set pattern was quite as much as I could handle at first.” “And Curt… You chose to stay with your host’s spouse? After it was over?” This question was more pointed, and Kathy grasped that at once. She shifted in her seat, pulling her legs up and folding them under her. She gazed thoughtfully at a spot just over my head as she answered. “Yes, I chose Curt-and he chose me. At first, of course, it was random chance, an assignment. We bonded, naturally, from spending so much time together, sharing the danger of our mission. As the university’s president, Curt had many contacts, you see. Our house was an insertion facility. We would entertain often. Humans would come through our door and our kind would leave. It all had to be very quick and quiet-you know the violence these hosts are prone to. We lived every day with the knowledge that we could meet a final end at any moment. There was constant excitement and frequent fear. “All very good reasons why Curt and I might have formed an attachment and decided to stay together when secrecy was no longer necessary. And I could lie to you, assuage your fears, by telling you that these were the reasons. But…” She shook her head and then seemed to settle deeper into her chair, her eyes boring into me. “In so many millennia, the humans never did figure love out. How much is physical, how much in the mind? How much accident and how much fate? Why did perfect matches crumble and impossible couples thrive? I don’t know the answers any better than they did. Love simply is where it is. My host loved Curt’s host, and that love did not die when the ownership of the minds changed.” She watched me carefully, reacting with a slight frown when I slumped in my seat. “Melanie still grieves for Jared,” she stated. I felt my head nod without willing the action. “You grieve for him.” I closed my eyes. “The dreams continue?” “Every night,” I mumbled. “Tell me about them.” Her voice was soft, persuasive. “I don’t like to think about them.” “I know. Try. It might help.” “How? How will it help to tell you that I see his face every time I close my eyes? That I wake up and cry when he’s not there? That the memories are so strong I can’t separate hers from mine anymore?” I stopped abruptly, clenching my teeth. Kathy pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to me. When I didn’t move, she got up, walked over to me, and dropped it in my lap. She sat on the arm of my chair and waited. I held on stubbornly for half a minute. Then I snatched the little square of fabric angrily and wiped my eyes. “I hate this.” “Everybody cries their first year. These emotions are so impossible. We’re all children for a bit, whether we intended that or not. I used to tear up every time I saw a pretty sunset. The taste of peanut butter would sometimes do that, too.” She patted the top of my head, then trailed her fingers gently through the lock of hair I always kept tucked behind my ear. “Such pretty, shiny hair,” she noted. “Every time I see you it’s shorter. Why do you keep it that way?” Already in tears, I didn’t feel like I had much dignity to defend. Why claim that it was easier to care for, as I usually did? After all, I’d come here to confess and get help-I might as well get on with it. “It bothers her. She likes it long.” She didn’t gasp, as I half expected she would. Kathy was good at her job. Her response was only a second late and only slightly incoherent. “You… She… she’s still that… present? ” The appalling truth tumbled from my lips. “When she wants to be. Our history bores her. She’s more dormant while I’m working. But she’s there, all right. Sometimes I feel like she’s as present as I am.” My voice was only a whisper by the time I was done. “Wanderer!” Kathy exclaimed, horrified. “Why didn’t you tell me it was that bad? How long has it been this way?” “It’s getting worse. Instead of fading, she seems to be growing stronger. It’s not as bad as the Healer’s case yet-we spoke of Kevin, do you remember? She hasn’t taken control. She won’t. I won’t let that happen!” The pitch of my voice climbed. “Of course it won’t happen,” she assured me. “Of course not. But if you’re this… unhappy, you should have told me earlier. We need to get you to a Healer.” It took me a moment, emotionally distracted as I was, to understand. “A Healer? You want me to skip? ” “No one would think badly of that choice, Wanderer. It’s understood, if a host is defective -” “Defective? She’s not defective. I am. I’m too weak for this world!” My head fell into my hands as the humiliation washed through me. Fresh tears welled in my eyes. Kathy’s arm settled around my shoulders. I was struggling so hard to control my wild emotions that I didn’t pull away, though it felt too intimate. It bothered Melanie, too. She didn’t like being hugged by an alien. Of course Melanie was very much present in this moment, and unbearably smug as I finally admitted to her power. She was gleeful. It was always harder to control her when I was distracted by emotion like this. I tried to calm myself so that I would be able to put her in her place. You are in my place. Her thought was faint but intelligible. How much worse it was getting; she was strong enough to speak to me now whenever she wished. It was as bad as that first minute of consciousness. Go away. It’s my place now. Never. “Wanderer, dear, no. You are not weak, and we both know that.” “Hmph.” “Listen to me. You are strong. Surprisingly strong. Our kind are always so much the same, but you exceed the norm. You’re so brave it astonishes me. Your past lives are a testament to that.” My past lives maybe, but this life? Where was my strength now? “But humans are more individualized than we are,” Kathy went on. “There’s quite a range, and some of them are much stronger than others. I truly believe that if anyone else had been put into this host, Melanie would have crushed them in days. Maybe it’s an accident, maybe it’s fate, but it appears to me that the strongest of our kind is being hosted by the strongest of theirs.” “Doesn’t say much for our kind, does it?” She heard the implication behind my words. “She’s not winning, Wanderer. You are this lovely person beside me. She’s just a shadow in the corner of your mind.” “She speaks to me, Kathy. She still thinks her own thoughts. She still keeps her secrets.” “But she doesn’t speak for you, does she? I doubt I would be able to say as much in your place.” I didn’t respond. I was feeling too miserable. “I think you should consider reimplantation.” “Kathy, you just said that she would crush a different soul. I don’t know if I believe that-you’re probably just trying to do your job and comfort me. But if she is so strong, it wouldn’t be fair to hand her off to someone else because I can’t subdue her. Who would you choose to take her on?” “I didn’t say that to comfort you, dear.” “Then what -” “I don’t think this host would be considered for reuse.” “Oh!” A shiver of horror jolted down my spine. And I wasn’t the only one who was staggered by the idea. I was immediately repulsed. I was no quitter. Through the long revolutions around the suns of my last planet-the world of the See Weeds, as they were known here-I had waited. Though the permanence of being rooted began to wear long before I’d thought it would, though the lives of the See Weeds would measure in centuries on this planet, I had not skipped out on the life term of my host. To do so was wasteful, wrong, ungrateful. It mocked the very essence of who we were as souls. We made our worlds better places; that was absolutely essential or we did not deserve them. But we were not wasteful. We did make whatever we took better, more peaceful and beautiful. And the humans were brutish and ungovernable. They had killed one another so frequently that murder had been an accepted part of life. The various tortures they’d devised over the few millennia they’d lasted had been too much for me; I hadn’t been able to bear even the dry official overviews. Wars had raged over the face of nearly every continent. Sanctioned murder, ordered and viciously effective. Those who lived in peaceful nations had looked the other way as members of their own species starved on their doorstep. There was no equality to the distribution of the planet’s bounteous resources. Most vile yet, their offspring-the next generation, which my kind nearly worshipped for their promise-had all too often been victims of heinous crimes. And not just at the hands of strangers, but at the hands of the caretakers they were entrusted to. Even the huge sphere of the planet had been put into jeopardy through their careless and greedy mistakes. No one could compare what had been and what was now and not admit that Earth was a better place thanks to us. You murder an entire species and then pat yourselves on the back. My hands balled up into fists. I could have you disposed of, I reminded her. Go ahead. Make my murder official. I was bluffing, but so was Melanie. Oh, she thought she wanted to die. She’d thrown herself into the elevator shaft, after all. But that was in a moment of panic and defeat. To consider it calmly from a comfortable chair was something else altogether. I could feel the adrenaline-adrenaline called into being by her fear-shoot through my limbs as I contemplated switching to a more pliant body. It would be nice to be alone again. To have my mind to myself. This world was very pleasant in so many novel ways, and it would be wonderful to be able to appreciate it without the distractions of an angry, displaced nonentity who should have had better sense than to linger unwanted this way. Melanie squirmed, figuratively, in the recesses of my head as I tried to consider it rationally. Maybe I should give up… The words themselves made me flinch. I, Wanderer, give up? Quit? Admit failure and try again with a weak, spineless host who wouldn’t give me any trouble? I shook my head. I could barely stand to think of it. And… this was my body. I was used to the feel of it. I liked the way the muscles moved over the bones, the bend of the joints and the pull of the tendons. I knew the reflection in the mirror. The sun-browned skin, the high, sharp bones of my face, the short silk cap of mahogany hair, the muddy green brown hazel of my eyes-this was me. I wanted myself. I wouldn’t let what was mine be destroyed. CHAPTER 6. Followed The light was finally fading outside the windows. The day, hot for March, had lingered on and on, as if reluctant to end and set me free. I sniffled and twisted the wet handkerchief into another knot. “Kathy, you must have other obligations. Curt will be wondering where you are.” “He’ll understand.” “I can’t stay here forever. And we’re no closer to an answer than before.” “Quick fixes aren’t my specialty. You are decided against a new host -” “Yes.” “So dealing with this will probably take some time.” I clenched my teeth in frustration. “And it will go faster and more smoothly if you have some help.” “I’ll be better with making my appointments, I promise.” “That’s not exactly what I mean, though I hope you will.” “You mean help… other than you?” I cringed at the thought of having to relive today’s misery with a stranger. “I’m sure you’re just as qualified as any Comforter-more so.” “I didn’t mean another Comforter.” She shifted her weight in the chair and stretched stiffly. “How many friends do you have, Wanderer?” “You mean people at work? I see a few other teachers almost every day. There are several students I speak to in the halls…” “Outside of the school?” I stared at her blankly. “Human hosts need interaction. You’re not used to solitude, dear. You shared an entire planet’s thoughts -” “We didn’t go out much.” My attempt at humor fell flat. She smiled slightly and went on. “You’re struggling so hard with your problem that it’s all you can concentrate on. Maybe one answer is to not concentrate quite so hard. You said Melanie grows bored during your working hours… that she is more dormant. Perhaps if you developed some peer relationships, those would bore her also.” I pursed my lips thoughtfully. Melanie, sluggish from the long day of attempted comfort, did seem rather unenthused by the idea. Kathy nodded. “Get involved with life rather than with her.” “That makes sense.” “And then there are the physical drives these bodies have. I’ve never seen or heard of their equal. One of the most difficult things we of the first wave had to conquer was the mating instinct. Believe me, the humans noticed when you didn’t.” She grinned and rolled her eyes at some memory. When I didn’t react as she’d expected, she sighed and crossed her arms impatiently. “Oh, come now, Wanderer. You must have noticed.” “Well, of course,” I mumbled. Melanie stirred restlessly. “Obviously. I’ve told you about the dreams…” “No, I didn’t mean just memories. Haven’t you come across anyone that your body has responded to in the present-on strictly a chemical level?” I thought her question through carefully. “I don’t think so. Not so I’ve noticed.” “Trust me,” Kathy said dryly. “You’d notice.” She shook her head. “Perhaps you should open your eyes and look around for that specifically. It might do you a lot of good.” My body recoiled from the thought. I registered Melanie’s disgust, mirrored by my own. Kathy read my expression. “Don’t let her control how you interact with your kind, Wanderer. Don’t let her control you.” My nostrils flared. I waited a moment to answer, reining in the anger that I’d never quite gotten used to. “She does not control me.” Kathy raised an eyebrow. The anger tightened my throat. “You did not look too far afield for your current partner. Was that choice controlled?” She ignored my anger and considered the question thoughtfully. “Perhaps,” she finally said. “It’s hard to know. But you’ve made your point.” She picked at a string in the hem of her shirt, and then, as if realizing that she was avoiding my gaze, folded her hands resolutely and squared her shoulders. “Who knows how much comes from any given host on any given planet? As I said before, I think time is probably your answer. Whether she grows apathetic and silent gradually, allowing you to make another choice besides this Jared, or… well, the Seekers are very good. They’re already looking for him, and maybe you’ll remember something that helps.” I didn’t move as her meaning sank in. She didn’t seem to notice that I was frozen in place. “Perhaps they’ll find Melanie’s love, and then you can be together. If his feelings are as fervent as hers, the new soul will probably be amenable.” “No!” I wasn’t sure who had shouted. It could have been me. I was full of horror, too. I was on my feet, shaking. The tears that came so easily were, for once, absent, and my hands trembled in tight fists. “Wanderer?” But I turned and ran for the door, fighting the words that could not come out of my mouth. Words that could not be my words. Words that made no sense unless they were hers, but they felt like mine. They couldn’t be mine. They couldn’t be spoken. That’s killing him! That’s making him cease to be! I don’t want someone else. I want Jared, not a stranger in his body! The body means nothing without him. I heard Kathy calling my name behind me as I ran into the road. I didn’t live far from the Comforter’s office, but the darkness in the street disoriented me. I’d gone two blocks before I realized I was running in the wrong direction. People were looking at me. I wasn’t dressed for exercise, and I wasn’t jogging, I was fleeing. But no one bothered me; they politely averted their eyes. They would guess that I was new to this host. Acting out the way a child would. I slowed to a walk, turning north so that I could loop around without passing Kathy’s office again. My walk was only slightly slower than a run. I heard my feet hitting the sidewalk too quickly, as though they were trying to match the tempo of a dance song. Slap, slap, slap against the concrete. No, it wasn’t like a drumbeat, it was too angry. Like violence. Slap, slap, slap. Someone hitting someone else. I shuddered away from the horrible image. I could see the lamp on over my apartment door. It hadn’t taken me long to cover the distance. I didn’t cross the road, though. I felt sick. I remembered what it felt like to vomit, though I never had. The cold wetness dewed on my forehead, the hollow sound rang in my ears. I was pretty sure I was about to have that experience for my own. There was a bank of grass beside the walk. Around a streetlamp there was a well-trimmed hedge. I had no time to look for a better place. I stumbled to the light and caught the post to hold myself up. The nausea was making me dizzy. Yes, I was definitely going to experience throwing up. “Wanderer, is that you? Wanderer, are you ill?” The vaguely familiar voice was impossible to concentrate on. But it made things worse, knowing I had an audience as I leaned my face close to the bush and violently choked up my most recent meal. “Who’s your Healer here?” the voice asked. It sounded far away through the buzzing in my ears. A hand touched my arched back. “Do you need an ambulance?” I coughed twice and shook my head. I was sure it was over; my stomach was empty. “I’m not ill,” I said I as pulled myself upright using the lamppost for support. I looked over to see who was watching my moment of disgrace. The Seeker from Chicago had her cell phone in her hand, trying to decide which authority to call. I took one good look at her and bent over the leaves again. Empty stomach or no, she was the last person I needed to see right now. But, as my stomach heaved uselessly, I realized that there would be a reason for her presence. Oh, no! Oh, no no no no no no! “Why?” I gasped, panic and sickness stealing the volume from my voice. “Why are you here? What’s happened?” The Comforter’s very uncomforting words pounded in my head. I stared at the hands gripping the collar of the Seeker’s black suit for two seconds before I realized they were mine. “Stop!” she said, and there was outrage on her face. Her voice rattled. I was shaking her. My hands jerked open and landed against my face. “Excuse me!” I huffed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was doing.” The Seeker scowled at me and smoothed the front of her outfit. “You’re not well, and I suppose I startled you.” “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” I whispered. “Why are you here?” “Let’s get you to a Healing facility before we speak. If you have a flu, you should get it healed. There’s no point in letting it wear your body down.” “I don’t have a flu. I’m not ill.” “Did you eat bad food? You must report where you got it.” Her prying was very annoying. “I did not eat bad food, either. I’m healthy.” “Why don’t you have a Healer check? A quick scan-you shouldn’t neglect your host. That’s irresponsible. Especially when health care is so easy and effective.” I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to shake her again. She was a full head shorter than I was. It was a fight I would win. A fight? I turned away from her and walked swiftly toward my home. I was dangerously emotional. I needed to calm down before I did something inexcusable. “Wanderer? Wait! The Healer -” “I need no Healer,” I said without turning. “That was just… an emotional imbalance. I’m fine now.” The Seeker didn’t answer. I wondered what she made of my response. I could hear her shoes-high heels-tapping after me, so I left the door open, knowing she would follow me in. I went to the sink and filled a glass with water. She waited silently while I rinsed my mouth and spat. When I was through, I leaned against the counter, staring into the basin. She was soon bored. “So, Wanderer… or do you still go by that name? I don’t mean to be rude in calling you that.” I didn’t look at her. “I still go by Wanderer.” “Interesting. I pegged you for one that would choose her own.” “I did choose. I chose Wanderer.” It had long been clear to me that the mild spat I’d overheard the first day I woke in the Healing facility was the Seeker’s fault. The Seeker was the most confrontational soul I’d come across in nine lives. My first Healer, Fords Deep Waters, had been calm, kind, and wise, even for a soul. Yet he had not been able to help reacting to her. That made me feel better about my own response. I turned around to face her. She was on my small couch, nestled in comfortably as if for a long visit. Her expression was self-satisfied, the bulging eyes amused. I controlled the desire to scowl. “Why are you here?” I asked again. My voice was a monotone. Restrained. I would not lose control again in front of this woman. “It’s been a while since I heard anything from you, so I thought I would check in personally. We’ve still made no headway in your case.” My hands clamped down on the edge of the counter behind me, but I kept the wild relief from my voice. “That seems… overzealous. Besides, I sent you a message last night.” Her eyebrows came together in that way she had, a way that made her look angry and annoyed at the same time, as if you, not she, were responsible for her anger. She pulled out her palm computer and touched the screen a few times. “Oh,” she said stiffly. “I haven’t checked my mail today.” She was quiet as she scanned through what I had written. “I sent it very early in the morning,” I said. “I was half asleep at the time. I’m not sure how much of what I wrote was memory or dream, or sleep-typing, maybe.” I went along with the words-Melanie’s words-as they flowed easily from my mouth; I even added my own lighthearted laugh at the end. It was dishonest of me. Shameful behavior. But I would not let the Seeker know that I was weaker than my host. For once, Melanie was not smug at having bested me. She was too relieved, too grateful that I had not, for my own petty reasons, given her away. “Interesting,” the Seeker murmured. “Another one on the loose.” She shook her head. “Peace continues to elude us.” She did not seem dismayed by the idea of a fragile peace-rather, it seemed to please her. I bit my lip hard. Melanie wanted so badly to make another denial, to claim the boy was just part of a dream. Don’t be stupid, I told her. That would be so obvious. It said much for the repellent nature of the Seeker that she could put Melanie and me on the same side of an argument. I hate her. Melanie’s whisper was sharp, painful like a cut. I know, I know. I wished I could deny that I felt… similarly. Hate was an unforgivable emotion. But the Seeker was… very difficult to like. Impossible. The Seeker interrupted my internal conversation. “So, other than the new location to review, you have no more help for me on the road maps?” I felt my body react to her critical tone. “I never said they were lines on a road map. That’s your assumption. And no, I have nothing else.” She clicked her tongue quickly three times. “But you said they were directions.” “That’s what I think they are. I’m not getting anything more.” “Why not? Haven’t you subdued the human yet?” She laughed loudly. Laughing at me. I turned my back to her and concentrated on calming myself. I tried to pretend that she wasn’t there. That I was all alone in my austere kitchen, staring out the window into the little patch of night sky, at the three bright stars I could see through it. Well, as alone as I ever was. While I stared at the tiny points of light in the blackness, the lines that I’d seen over and over again-in my dreams and in my broken memories, cropping up at strange, unrelated moments-flashed through my head. The first: a slow, rough curve, then a sharp turn north, another sharp turn back the other way, twisting back to the north for a longer stretch, and then the abrupt southern decline that flattened out into another shallow curve. The second: a ragged zigzag, four tight switchbacks, the fifth point strangely blunt, like it was broken… The third: a smooth wave, interrupted by a sudden spur that swung a thin, long finger out to the north and back. Incomprehensible, seemingly meaningless. But I knew this was important to Melanie. From the very beginning I’d known that. She protected this secret more fiercely than any other, next to the boy, her brother. I’d had no idea of his existence before the dream last night. I wondered what it was that had broken her. Maybe as she grew louder in my head, she would lose more of her secrets to me. Maybe she would slip up, and I would see what these strange lines meant. I knew they meant something. That they led somewhere. And at that moment, with the echo of the Seeker’s laugh still hanging in the air, I suddenly realized why they were so important. They led back to Jared, of course. Back to both of them, Jared and Jamie. Where else? What other location could possibly hold any meaning for her? Only now I saw that it was not back, because none of them had ever followed these lines before. Lines that had been as much of a mystery to her as they were to me, until… The wall was slow to block me. She was distracted, paying more attention to the Seeker than I was. She fluttered in my head at a sound behind me, and that was the first I was aware of the Seeker’s approach. The Seeker sighed. “I expected more of you. Your track record seemed so promising.” “It’s a pity you weren’t free for the assignment yourself. I’m sure if you’d had to deal with a resistant host, it would have been child’s play.” I didn’t turn to look at her. My voice stayed level. She sniffed. “The early waves were challenging enough even without a resistant host.” “Yes. I’ve experienced a few settlings myself.” The Seeker snorted. “Were the See Weeds very difficult to tame? Did they flee?” I kept my voice calm. “We had no trouble in the South Pole. Of course, the North was another matter. It was badly mishandled. We lost the entire forest.” The sadness of that time echoed behind my words. A thousand sentient beings, closing their eyes forever rather than accept us. They’d curled their leaves from the suns and starved. Good for them, Melanie whispered. There was no venom attached to the thought, only approval as she saluted the tragedy in my memory. It was such a waste. I let the agony of the knowledge, the feel of the dying thoughts that had racked us with our sister forest’s pain, wash through my head. It was death either way. The Seeker spoke, and I tried to concentrate on just one conversation. “Yes.” Her voice was uncomfortable. “That was poorly executed.” “You can never be too careful when it comes to doling out power. Some aren’t as careful as they should be.” She didn’t answer, and I heard her move a few steps back. Everyone knew that the misstep behind the mass suicide belonged to the Seekers, who, because the See Weeds couldn’t flee, had underestimated their ability to escape. They’d proceeded recklessly, beginning the first settlement before we had adequate numbers in place for a full-scale assimilation. By the time they realized what the See Weeds were capable of, were willing to do, it was too late. The next shipment of hibernating souls was too far away, and before they’d arrived, the northern forest was lost. I faced the Seeker now, curious to judge the impact of my words. She was impassive, staring at the white nothingness of the bare wall across the room. “I’m sorry I can’t help you further.” I said the words firmly, trying to make the dismissal clear. I was ready to have my house to myself again. To ourselves, Melanie inserted spitefully. I sighed. She was so full of herself now. “You really shouldn’t have troubled yourself to come so far.” “It’s the job,” the Seeker said, shrugging. “You’re my only assignment. Until I find the rest of them, I may as well stick close to you and hope I get lucky.” CHAPTER 7. Confronted Yes, Faces Sunward?” I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. This was the first world’s history I’d presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. “I’m not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually… ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?” He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul’s place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. “Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. “When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I’m sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.” “How can they…” Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward’s thought. “It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?” “That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.” I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. “But it’s barbaric!” Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she’d given herself-and he didn’t seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. “Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it’s impossible to truly understand the -” “But you never lived on Fire World,” he interrupted me. “You must have felt the same way… Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You’ve been almost everywhere else.” “Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.” My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it’s barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What’s the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he’s more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn’t want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn’t resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn’t hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. “Our time is almost up,” I announced with relief. “I’m pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.” The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I’d never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. I could guess the subject. “Fire World stories ruffle feathers.” I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. “It’s not my favorite subject,” I said in a bland voice. “I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.” “Strong reactions from the class.” “Yes.” She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. “You seemed to react as well.” I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. “I wondered why you didn’t answer the question.” There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn’t. “So… why didn’t you answer the question?” I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. “Because it wasn’t pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it’s no one else’s business.” I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn’t until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. “Do you think you’ll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their… feelings.” I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn’t even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. “I’m not sure what you mean.” “Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?” “Who?” I asked blankly. “The Walking Flowers?” “No, the humans.” I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I’d been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she’d invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. “The humans?” “Yes. Do you pity them?” “Don’t you?” “No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.” “Not every one of them was bad.” “It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.” “It’s a lot to lose, don’t you think?” I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. “In your other lives, you can’t have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn’t you pity anyone who had this taken from them?” Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. “Which other worlds have you lived on?” She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. “None. I’ve only lived on Earth.” That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. “Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?” She nodded once, her chin set. “Well. Well, that’s your business.” I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. “I spoke to your Comforter.” And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. “What?” I gasped. “I gather you’ve been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?” “Kathy wouldn’t tell you anything!” The Seeker’s face was smug. “She didn’t have to answer. I’m very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.” “How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -” “Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don’t seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.” “You think I’m keeping something from you?” I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. “You think I confided that to my Comforter?” My anger didn’t faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. “No. I think you’re telling me what you know… But I don’t think you’re looking as hard as you could. I’ve seen it before. You’re growing sympathetic to your host. You’re letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It’s probably too late at this point. I think you’d be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.” “Hah!” I shouted. “Melanie would eat them alive!” Her expression froze in place. She’d had no idea, no matter what she thought she’d discerned from Kathy. She’d thought Melanie’s influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. “I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.” I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn’t made a slip. “If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you’re wrong.” “Only one way to find out.” “Did you have someone in mind?” I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. “I’ve gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn’t take long. They’re going to hold my host for me.” I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week’s nausea. “It’s too bad for your investigation that I’m not a skipper.” The Seeker’s eyes narrowed. “Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I’m in for a full course now.” “You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,” I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. “Why don’t you go back to wherever you belong?” She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. “I’m sure it is too late… for voluntary information. But if you don’t cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.” “Lead you?” “When she takes full control, and you’re no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?” I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. “Yes, it’s probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn’t tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn’t have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They’re changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We’re losing souls. It won’t be long before she’s talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.” I hadn’t moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. “Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?” I couldn’t breathe. “It only gets worse. You won’t be you anymore. She’ll beat you, and you’ll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene… Maybe they’ll move you like they did Kevin. And you’ll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.” “The success rate is under twenty percent?” I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. “You’re losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you’ve seen, all the experiences you’ve collected-they’ll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?” I jerked away from her, my face flushing. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, her face darkening, too. “That was impolite. Forget I said that.” “I’m going home. Don’t follow.” “I have to, Wanderer. It’s my job.” “Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We’ve won! It’s time for you to join society and do something productive!” My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. “Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.” She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. “If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose…” I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. “Don’t lose yourself, Wanderer!” she called after me. “Time is running out for you!” She paused, then shouted more loudly. “Inform me when I’m to start calling you Melanie!” Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let’s get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It’s our word against hers - In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn’t have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won’t remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like - Who cares how it works if it doesn’t help us? I know-let’s kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker’s neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You’d enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker’s face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That’s you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I’m not giving up. You’re not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn’t answer her. I didn’t have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I’d never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn’t know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn’t bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I’m going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I’m going to see the Healer. I don’t trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one. CHAPTER 8. Loved Y ou’re afraid to fly?” The Seeker’s voice was full of disbelief edging toward mockery. “You’ve traveled through deep space eight times and you’re afraid to take a shuttle to Tucson, Arizona?” “First of all, I’m not afraid. Second, when I traveled through deep space I wasn’t exactly aware of where I was, what with being stored in a hibernation chamber. And third, this host gets motion sickness on shuttles.” The Seeker rolled her eyes in disgust. “So take medication! What would you have done if Healer Fords hadn’t relocated to Saint Mary’s? Would you be driving to Chicago?” “No. But since the option of driving is now reasonable, I will take it. It will be nice to see a bit more of this world. The desert can be stunning -” “The desert is dead boring.” “-and I’m not in any hurry. I have many things to think through, and I will appreciate some time alone. ” I looked pointedly at her as I emphasized the last word. “I don’t understand the point of visiting your old Healer anyway. There are many competent Healers here.” “I’m comfortable with Healer Fords. He has experience with this, and I don’t trust that I have all the information I need.” I gave her another significant look. “You don’t have time to not hurry, Wanderer. I recognize the signs.” “Forgive me if I don’t consider your information impartial. I know enough of human behavior to recognize the signs of manipulation.” She glowered at me. I was packing my rental car with the few things I planned to take with me. I had enough clothes to go a week between washing, and the basic hygiene necessities. Though I wasn’t bringing much, I was leaving even less behind. I’d accumulated very little in the way of personal belongings. After all these months in my small apartment, the walls were still bare, the shelves empty. Perhaps I’d never meant to settle here. The Seeker was planted on the sidewalk next to my open trunk, assailing me with snide questions and comments whenever I was in hearing distance. At least I was secure in the belief that she was far too impatient to follow me on the road. She would take a shuttle to Tucson, just as she was hoping to shame me into doing. It was a huge relief. I imagined her joining me every time I stopped to eat, hovering outside gas station bathrooms, her inexhaustible inquisitions waiting for me whenever my vehicle paused at a light. I shuddered at the thought. If a new body meant freeing myself of the Seeker… well, that was quite an inducement. I had another choice, too. I could abandon this entire world as a failure and move on to a tenth planet. I could work to forget this whole experience. Earth could be just a short blip in my otherwise spotless record. But where would I go? A planet I’d already experienced? The Singing World had been one of my favorites, but to give up sight for blindness? The Planet of the Flowers was lovely… Yet chlorophyll-based life-forms had so little range of emotion. It would feel unbearably slow after the tempo of this human place. A new planet? There was a recent acquisition-here on Earth, they were calling the new hosts Dolphins for lack of a better comparison, though they resembled dragonflies more than marine mammals. A highly developed species, and certainly mobile, but after my long stay with the See Weeds, the thought of another water planet was repugnant to me. No, there was still so much to this planet that I hadn’t experienced. Nowhere else in the known universe called to me as strongly as this shady little green yard on this quiet street. Or held the lure of the empty desert sky, which I’d seen only in Melanie’s memories. Melanie did not share her opinion on my options. She had been very quiet since my decision to find Fords Deep Waters, my first Healer. I wasn’t sure what the detachment meant. Was she trying to seem less dangerous, less of a burden? Was she preparing herself for the invasion of the Seeker? For death? Or was she preparing to fight me? To try to take over? Whatever her plan, she kept herself distant. She was just a faint, watchful presence in the back of my head. I made my last trip inside, searching for anything forgotten. The apartment looked empty. There were only the basic furnishings that had been left by the last tenant. The same plates were still in the cupboards, the pillows on the bed, the lamps on the tables; if I didn’t come back, there would be little for the next tenant to clear out. The phone rang as I was stepping out the door, and I turned back to get it, but I was too late. I’d already set the message system to answer on the first ring. I knew what the caller would hear: my vague explanation that I would be out the rest of the semester, and that my classes would be canceled until a replacement could be found. No reason given. I looked at the clock on top of the television. It was barely past eight in the morning. I was sure it must be Curt on the phone, having just received the only slightly more detailed e-mail I’d sent him late last night. I felt guilty about not finishing out my commitment to him, almost like I was already skipping. Perhaps this step, this quitting, was the prelude to my next decision, my greater shame. The thought was uncomfortable. It made me unwilling to listen to whatever the message said, though I wasn’t in any real hurry to leave. I looked around the empty apartment one more time. There was no sense of leaving anything behind me, no fondness for these rooms. I had the strange feeling that this world-not just Melanie, but the entire orb of the planet-did not want me, no matter how much I wanted it. I just couldn’t seem to get my roots in. I smiled wryly at the thought of roots. This feeling was just superstitious nonsense. I’d never had a host that was capable of superstition. It was an interesting sensation. Like knowing you were being watched without being able to find the watcher. It raised goose bumps on the nape of my neck. I shut the door firmly behind me but did not touch the obsolete locks. No one would disturb this place until I returned or it was given to someone new. Without looking at the Seeker, I climbed into the car. I hadn’t done much driving, and neither had Melanie, so this made me a bit nervous. But I was sure I would get used to it soon enough. “I’ll be waiting for you in Tucson,” the Seeker said, leaning in the open passenger-side window as I started the engine. “I have no doubt of that,” I muttered. I found the controls on the door panel. Trying to hide a smile, I hit the button to raise the glass and watched her jump back. “Maybe…,” she said, raising her voice to almost a shout so that I could hear her over the engine noise and through the closed window, “maybe I’ll try it your way. Maybe I’ll see you on the road.” She smiled and shrugged. She was just saying it to upset me. I tried not to let her see that she had. I focused my eyes on the road ahead and pulled carefully away from the curb. It was easy enough to find the freeway and then follow the signs out of San Diego. Soon there were no signs to follow, no wrong turns to take. In eight hours I would be in Tucson. It wasn’t long enough. Perhaps I would stay a night in some small town along the way. If I could be sure that the Seeker would be ahead, waiting impatiently, rather than following behind, a stop would be a nice delay. I found myself looking in the rearview mirror often, searching for a sign of pursuit. I was driving slower than anyone else, unwilling to reach my destination, and the other cars passed me without pause. There were no faces I recognized as they moved ahead. I shouldn’t have let the Seeker’s taunt bother me; she clearly didn’t have the temperament to go anywhere slowly. Still… I continued to watch for her. I’d been west to the ocean, north and south up and down the pretty California coastline, but I’d never been east for any distance at all. Civilization fell behind me quickly, and I was soon surrounded by the blank hills and rocks that were the precursors to the empty desert wastelands. It was very relaxing to be away from civilization, and this bothered me. I should not have found the loneliness so welcoming. Souls were sociable. We lived and worked and grew together in harmony. We were all the same: peaceful, friendly, honest. Why should I feel better away from my kind? Was it Melanie who made me this way? I searched for her but found her remote, dreaming in the back of my head. This was the best it had been since she’d started talking again. The miles passed quickly. The dark, rough rocks and the dusty plains covered in scrub flew by with monotonous uniformity. I realized I was driving faster than I’d meant to. There wasn’t anything to keep my mind occupied here, so I found it hard to linger. Absently, I wondered why the desert was so much more colorful in Melanie’s memories, so much more compelling. I let my mind coast with hers, trying to see what it was that was special about this vacant place. But she wasn’t seeing the sparse, dead land surrounding us. She was dreaming of another desert, canyoned and red, a magical place. She didn’t try to keep me out. In fact, she seemed almost unaware of my presence. I questioned again what her detachment meant. I sensed no thought of attack. It felt more like a preparation for the end. She was living in a happier place in her memory, as if she were saying goodbye. It was a place she had never allowed me to see before. There was a cabin, an ingenious dwelling tucked into a nook in the red sandstone, perilously close to the flash flood line. An unlikely place, far from any trail or path, built in what seemed a senseless location. A rough place, without any of the conveniences of modern technology. She remembered laughing at the sink one had to pump to pull water up from the ground. “It beats pipes,” Jared says, the crease between his eyes deepening as his brows pull together. He seems worried by my laugh. Is he afraid I don’t like it? “Nothing to trace, no evidence that we’re here.” “I love it,” I say quickly. “It’s like an old movie. It’s perfect.” The smile that never truly leaves his face-he smiles even in his sleep-grows wide. “They don’t tell you the worst parts in the movies. C’mon, I’ll show you where the latrine is.” I hear Jamie’s laughter echo through the narrow canyon as he runs ahead of us. His black hair bounces with his body. He bounces all the time now, this thin boy with the sun-darkened skin. I hadn’t realized how much weight those narrow shoulders were carrying. With Jared, he is positively buoyant. The anxious expression has faded, replaced by grins. We are both more resilient than I gave us credit for. “Who built this place?” “My father and older brothers. I helped, or rather hindered, a little. My dad loved to get away from everything. And he didn’t care much about convention. He never bothered to find out who the land actually belonged to or file permits or any of that pesky stuff.” Jared laughs, throwing his head back. The sun dances off the blond bits in his hair. “Officially, this place doesn’t exist. Convenient, isn’t it?” Without seeming to think about it, he reaches out and takes my hand. My skin burns where it meets his. It feels better than good, but it sets off a strange aching in my chest. He is forever touching me this way, always seeming to need to reassure himself that I am here. Does he realize what it does to me, the simple pressure of his warm palm next to mine? Does his pulse jump in his veins, too? Or is he just happy to not be alone anymore? He swings our arms as we walk beneath a little stand of cottonwood trees, their green so vivid against the red that it plays tricks on my eyes, confusing my focus. He is happy here, happier than in other places. I feel happy, too. The feeling is still unfamiliar. He hasn’t kissed me since that first night, when I screamed, finding the scar on his neck. Does he not want to kiss me again? Should I kiss him? What if he doesn’t like that? He looks down at me and smiles, the lines around his eyes crinkling into little webs. I wonder if he is as handsome as I think he is, or if it’s just that he’s the only person left in the whole world besides Jamie and me. No, I don’t think that’s it. He really is beautiful. “What are you thinking, Mel?” he asks. “You seem to be concentrating on something very important.” He laughs. I shrug, and my stomach flutters. “It’s beautiful here.” He looks around us. “Yes. But then, isn’t home always beautiful?” “Home.” I repeat the word quietly. “Home.” “Your home, too, if you want it.” “I want it.” It seems like every mile I’ve walked in the past three years has been toward this place. I never want to leave, though I know we’ll have to. Food doesn’t grow on trees. Not in the desert, at least. He squeezes my hand, and my heart punches against my ribs. It’s just like pain, this pleasure. There was a blurring sensation as Melanie skipped ahead, her thoughts dancing through the hot day until hours after the sun had fallen behind the red canyon walls. I went along, almost hypnotized by the endless road stretching ahead of me, the skeletal bushes flying by with mind-numbing sameness. I peek into the one narrow little bedroom. The full-size mattress is only inches away from the rough stone walls on either side. It gives me a deep, rich sense of joy to see Jamie asleep on a real bed, his head on a soft pillow. His lanky arms and legs sprawl out, leaving little room for me where I am meant to sleep. He is so much bigger in reality than the way I see him in my head. Almost ten-soon he won’t be a child at all. Except that he will always be a child to me. Jamie breathes evenly, sleeping sound. There is no fear in his dream, for this moment at least. I shut the door quietly and go back to the small couch where Jared waits. “Thank you,” I whisper, though I know shouting the words wouldn’t wake Jamie now. “I feel bad. This couch is much too short for you. Maybe you should take the bed with Jamie.” Jared chuckles. “Mel, you’re only a few inches shorter than I am. Sleep comfortably, for once. Next time I’m out, I’ll steal myself a cot or something.” I don’t like this, for lots of reasons. Will he be leaving soon? Will he take us with him when he goes? Does he see this room assignment as a permanent thing? He drops his arm around my shoulders and tucks me against his side. I scoot closer, though the heat of touching him has my heart aching again. “Why the frown?” he asks. “When will you… when will we have to leave again?” He shrugs. “We scavenged enough on our way up that we’re set for a few months. I can do a few short raids if you want to stay in one place for a while. I’m sure you’re tired of running.” “Yes, I am,” I agree. I take a deep breath to make me brave. “But if you go, I go.” He hugs me tighter. “I’ll admit, I prefer it that way. The thought of being separated from you…” He laughs quietly. “Does it sound crazy to say that I’d rather die? Too melodramatic?” “No, I know what you mean.” He must feel the same way I do. Would he say these things if he thought of me as just another human, and not as a woman? I realize that this is the first time we’ve ever been really alone since the night we met-the first time there’s been a door to close between a sleeping Jamie and the two of us. So many nights we’ve stayed awake, talking in whispers, telling all of our stories, the happy stories and the horror stories, always with Jamie’s head cradled on my lap. It makes my breath come faster, that simple closed door. “I don’t think you need to find a cot, not yet.” I feel his eyes on me, questioning, but I can’t meet them. I’m embarrassed now, too late. The words are out. “We’ll stay here until the food is gone, don’t worry. I’ve slept on worse things than this couch.” “That’s not what I mean,” I say, still looking down. “You get the bed, Mel. I’m not budging on that.” “That’s not what I mean, either.” It’s barely a whisper. “I meant the couch is plenty big for Jamie. He won’t outgrow it for a long time. I could share the bed with… you.” There is a pause. I want to look up, to read the expression on his face, but I’m too mortified. What if he is disgusted? How will I stand it? Will he make me go away? His warm, callused fingers tug my chin up. My heart throbs when our eyes meet. “Mel, I…” His face, for once, has no smile. I try to look away, but he holds my chin so that my gaze can’t escape his. Does he not feel the fire between his body and mine? Is that all me? How can it all be me? It feels like a flat sun trapped between us-pressed like a flower between the pages of a thick book, burning the paper. Does it feel like something else to him? Something bad? After a moment, his head turns; he’s the one looking away now, still keeping his grip on my chin. His voice is quiet. “You don’t owe me that, Melanie. You don’t owe me anything at all.” It’s hard for me to swallow. “I’m not saying… I didn’t mean that I felt obligated. And… you shouldn’t, either. Forget I said anything.” “Not likely, Mel.” He sighs, and I want to disappear. Give up-lose my mind to the invaders if that’s what it takes to erase this huge blunder. Trade the future to blot out the last two minutes of the past. Anything. Jared takes a deep breath. He squints at the floor, his eyes and jaw tight. “Mel, it doesn’t have to be like that. Just because we’re together, just because we’re the last man and woman on Earth…” He struggles for words, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do before. “That doesn’t mean you have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m not the kind of man who would expect… You don’t have to…” He looks so upset, still frowning away, that I find myself speaking, though I know it’s a mistake before I start. “That’s not what I mean,” I mutter. “‘Have to’ is not what I’m talking about, and I don’t think you’re ‘that kind of man.’ No. Of course not. It’s just that -” Just that I love him. I grit my teeth together before I can humiliate myself more. I should bite my tongue off right now before it ruins anything else. “Just that…?” he asks. I try to shake my head, but he’s still holding my chin tight between his fingers. “Mel?” I yank free and shake my head fiercely. He leans closer to me, and his face is different suddenly. There’s a new conflict I don’t recognize in his expression, and even though I don’t understand it completely, it erases the feeling of rejection that’s making my eyes sting. “Will you talk to me? Please?” he murmurs. I can feel his breath on my cheek, and it’s a few seconds before I can think at all. His eyes make me forget that I am mortified, that I wanted to never speak again. “If I got to pick anyone, anyone at all, to be stranded on a deserted planet with, it would be you,” I whisper. The sun between us burns hotter. “I always want to be with you. And not just… not just to talk to. When you touch me…” I dare to let my fingers brush lightly along the warm skin of his arm, and it feels like the flames are flowing from their tips now. His arm tightens around me. Does he feel the fire? “I don’t want you to stop.” I want to be more exact, but I can’t find the words. That’s fine. It’s bad enough having admitted this much. “If you don’t feel the same way, I understand. Maybe it isn’t the same for you. That’s okay.” Lies. “Oh, Mel,” he sighs in my ear, and pulls my face around to meet his. More flames in his lips, fiercer than the others, blistering. I don’t know what I’m doing, but it doesn’t seem to matter. His hands are in my hair, and my heart is about to combust. I can’t breathe. I don’t want to breathe. But his lips move to my ear, and he holds my face when I try to find them again. “It was a miracle-more than a miracle-when I found you, Melanie. Right now, if I was given the choice between having the world back and having you, I wouldn’t be able to give you up. Not to save five billion lives.” “That’s wrong.” “Very wrong but very true.” “Jared,” I breathe. I try to reach for his lips again. He pulls away, looking like he has something to say. What more can there be? “But…” “But?” How can there be a but? What could possibly follow all this fire that starts with a but? “But you’re seventeen, Melanie. And I’m twenty-six.” “What’s that got to do with anything?” He doesn’t answer. His hands stroke my arms slowly, painting them with fire. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I lean back to search his face. “You’re going to worry about conventions when we’re past the end of the world?” He swallows loudly before he speaks. “Most conventions exist for a reason, Mel. I would feel like a bad person, like I was taking advantage. You’re very young.” “No one’s young anymore. Anyone who’s survived this long is ancient.” There’s a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. “Maybe you’re right. But this isn’t something we need to rush.” “What is there to wait for?” I demand. He hesitates for a long moment, thinking. “Well, for one thing, there are some… practical matters to consider.” I wonder if he is just searching for a distraction, trying to stall. That’s what it feels like. I raise one eyebrow. I can’t believe the turn this conversation has taken. If he really does want me, this is senseless. “See,” he explains, hesitating. Under the deep golden tan of his skin, it looks like he might be blushing. “When I was stocking this place, I wasn’t much planning for… guests. What I mean is…” The rest comes out in a rush. “Birth control was pretty much the last thing on my mind.” I feel my forehead crease. “Oh.” The smile is gone from his face, and for one short second there is a flash of anger I’ve never seen there before. It makes him look dangerous in a way I hadn’t imagined he could. “This isn’t the kind of world I’d want to bring a child into.” The words sink in, and I cringe at the thought of a tiny, innocent baby opening his eyes to this place. It’s bad enough to watch Jamie’s eyes, to know what this life will bring him, even in the best possible circumstances. Jared is suddenly Jared again. The skin around his eyes crinkles. “Besides, we’ve got plenty of time to… think about this.” Stalling again, I suspect. “Do you realize how very, very little time we’ve been together so far? It’s been just four weeks since we found each other.” This floors me. “That can’t be.” “Twenty-nine days. I’m counting.” I think back. It’s not possible that it has been only twenty-nine days since Jared changed our lives. It seems like Jamie and I have been with Jared every bit as long as we were alone. Two or three years, maybe. “We’ve got time,” Jared says again. An abrupt panic, like a warning premonition, makes it impossible for me to speak for a long moment. He watches the change on my face with worried eyes. “You don’t know that.” The despair that softened when he found me strikes like the lash of a whip. “You can’t know how much time we’ll have. You don’t know if we should be counting in months or days or hours.” He laughs a warm laugh, touching his lips to the tense place where my eyebrows pull together. “Don’t worry, Mel. Miracles don’t work that way. I’ll never lose you. I’ll never let you get away from me.” She brought me back to the present-to the thin ribbon of the highway winding through the Arizona wasteland, baking under the fierce noon sun-without my choosing to return. I stared at the empty place ahead and felt the empty place inside. Her thought sighed faintly in my head: You never know how much time you’ll have. The tears I was crying belonged to both of us. CHAPTER 9.Discovered I drove quickly through the I-10 junction as the sun fell behind me. I didn’t see much besides the white and yellow lines on the pavement, and the occasional big green sign pointing me farther east. I was in a hurry now. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was in a hurry for, though. To be out of this, I supposed. Out of pain, out of sadness, out of aching for lost and hopeless loves. Did that mean out of this body? I couldn’t think of any other answer. I would still ask my questions of the Healer, but it felt as though the decision was made. Skipper. Quitter. I tested the words in my head, trying to come to terms with them. If I could find a way, I would keep Melanie out of the Seeker’s hands. It would be very hard. No, it would be impossible. I would try. I promised her this, but she wasn’t listening. She was still dreaming. Giving up, I thought, now that it was too late for giving up to help. I tried to stay clear of the red canyon in her head, but I was there, too. No matter how hard I tried to see the cars zooming beside me, the shuttles gliding in toward the port, the few, fine clouds drifting overhead, I couldn’t pull completely free of her dreams. I memorized Jared’s face from a thousand different angles. I watched Jamie shoot up in a sudden growth spurt, always skin and bones. My arms ached for them both-no, the feeling was sharper than an ache, blade-edged and violent. It was intolerable. I had to get out. I drove almost blindly along the narrow two-lane freeway. The desert was, if anything, more monotonous and dead than before. Flatter, more colorless. I would make it to Tucson long before dinnertime. Dinner. I hadn’t eaten yet today, and my stomach rumbled as I realized that. The Seeker would be waiting for me there. My stomach rolled then, hunger momentarily replaced with nausea. Automatically, my foot eased off the gas. I checked the map on the passenger seat. Soon I would reach a little pit stop at a place called Picacho Peak. Maybe I would stop to eat something there. Put off seeing the Seeker a few precious moments. As I thought of this unfamiliar name-Picacho Peak-there was a strange, stifled reaction from Melanie. I couldn’t make it out. Had she been here before? I searched for a memory, a sight or a smell that corresponded, but found nothing. Picacho Peak. Again, there was that spike of interest that Melanie repressed. What did the words mean to her? She retreated into faraway memories, avoiding me. This made me curious. I drove a little faster, wondering if the sight of the place would trigger something. A solitary mountain peak-not massive by normal standards, but towering above the low, rough hills closer to me-was beginning to take shape on the horizon. It had an unusual, distinctive shape. Melanie watched it grow as we traveled, pretending indifference to it. Why did she pretend not to care when she so obviously did? I was disturbed by her strength when I tried to find out. I couldn’t see any way around the old blank wall. It felt thicker than usual, though I’d thought it was almost gone. I tried to ignore her, not wanting to think about that-that she was growing stronger. I watched the peak instead, tracing its shape against the pale, hot sky. There was something familiar about it. Something I was sure I recognized, even as I was positive that neither of us had been here before. Almost as if she was trying to distract me, Melanie plunged into a vivid memory of Jared, catching me by surprise. I shiver in my jacket, straining my eyes to see the muted glare of the sun dying behind the thick, bristly trees. I tell myself that it is not as cold as I think it is. My body just isn’t used to this. The hands that are suddenly there on my shoulders do not startle me, though I am afraid of this unfamiliar place and I did not hear his silent approach. Their weight is too familiar. “You’re easy to sneak up on.” Even now, there is a smile in his voice. “I saw you coming before you took the first step,” I say without turning. “I have eyes in the back of my head.” Warm fingers stroke my face from my temple to my chin, dragging fire along my skin. “You look like a dryad hidden here in the trees,” he whispers in my ear. “One of them. So beautiful that you must be fictional.” “We should plant more trees around the cabin.” He chuckles, and the sound makes my eyes close and my lips stretch into a grin. “Not necessary,” he says. “You always look that way.” “Says the last man on Earth to the last woman on Earth, on the eve of their separation.” My smile fades as I speak. Smiles cannot last today. He sighs. His breath on my cheek is warm compared to the chill forest air. “Jamie might resent that implication.” “Jamie’s still a boy. Please, please keep him safe.” “I’ll make you a deal,” Jared offers. “You keep yourself safe, and I’ll do my best. Otherwise, no deal.” Just a joke, but I can’t take it lightly. Once we are apart, there are no guarantees. “No matter what happens,” I insist. “Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t worry.” The words are nearly meaningless. A waste of effort. But his voice is worth hearing, no matter the message. “Okay.” He pulls me around to face him, and I lean my head against his chest. I don’t know what to compare his scent to. It is his own, as unique as the smell of juniper or the desert rain. “You and I won’t lose each other,” he promises. “I will always find you again.” Being Jared, he cannot be completely serious for more than a heartbeat or two. “No matter how well you hide. I’m unstoppable at hide-and-seek.” “Will you give me to the count of ten?” “Without peeking.” “You’re on,” I mumble, trying to disguise the fact that my throat is thick with tears. “Don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine. You’re strong, you’re fast, and you’re smart.” He’s trying to convince himself, too. Why am I leaving him? It’s such a long shot that Sharon is still human. But when I saw her face on the news, I was so sure. It was just a normal raid, one of a thousand. As usual when we felt isolated enough, safe enough, we had the TV on as we cleaned out the pantry and fridge. Just to get the weather forecast; there isn’t much entertainment in the dead-boring everything-is-perfect reports that pass for news among the parasites. It was the hair that caught my eye-the flash of deep, almost pink red that I’d only ever seen on one person. I can still see the look on her face as she peeked at the camera from the corner of one eye. The look that said, I’m trying to be invisible; don’t see me. She walked not quite slowly enough, working too hard at keeping a casual pace. Trying desperately to blend in. No body snatcher would feel that need. What is Sharon doing walking around human in a huge city like Chicago? Are there others? Trying to find her doesn’t even seem like a choice, really. If there is a chance there are more humans out there, we have to locate them. And I have to go alone. Sharon will run from anyone but me-well, she will run from me, too, but maybe she will pause long enough for me to explain. I am sure I know her secret place. “And you?” I ask him in a thick voice. I’m not sure I can physically bear this looming goodbye. “Will you be safe?” “Neither heaven nor hell can keep me apart from you, Melanie.” Without giving me a chance to catch my breath or wipe away the fresh tears, she threw another at me. Jamie curls up under my arm-he doesn’t fit the way he used to. He has to fold in on himself, his long, gangly limbs poking out in sharp angles. His arms are starting to turn hard and sinewy, but in this moment he’s a child, shaking, cowering almost. Jared is loading the car. Jamie would not show this fear if he were here. Jamie wants to be brave, to be like Jared. “I’m scared,” he whispers. I kiss his night-dark hair. Even here among the sharp, resinous trees, it smells like dust and sun. It feels like he is part of me, that to separate us will tear the skin where we are joined. “You’ll be fine with Jared.” I have to sound brave, whether I feel that way or not. “I know that. I’m scared for you. I’m scared you won’t come back. Like Dad.” I flinch. When Dad didn’t come back-though his body did eventually, trying to lead the Seekers to us-it was the most horror and the most fear and the most pain I’d ever felt. What if I do that to Jamie again? “I’ll come back. I always come back.” “I’m scared,” he says again. I have to be brave. “I promise everything will be fine. I’m coming back. I promise. You know I won’t break a promise, Jamie. Not to you.” The shaking slows. He believes me. He trusts me. And another: I can hear them on the floor below. They will find me in minutes, or seconds. I scrawl the words on a dirty shred of newsprint. They are nearly illegible, but if he finds them, he will understand: Not fast enough. Love you love Jamie. Don’t go home. Not only do I break their hearts, I steal their refuge, too. I picture our little canyon home abandoned, as it must be forever now. Or if not abandoned, a tomb. I see my body leading the Seekers to it. My face smiling as we catch them there… “Enough,” I said out loud, cringing away from the whiplash of pain. “Enough! You’ve made your point! I can’t live without them either now. Does that make you happy? Because it doesn’t leave me many choices, does it? Just one-to get rid of you. Do you want the Seeker inside you? Ugh!” I recoiled from the thought as if I would be the one to house her. There is another choice, Melanie thought softly. “Really?” I demanded with heavy sarcasm. “Show me one.” Look and see. I was still staring at the mountain peak. It dominated the landscape, a sudden upthrust of rock surrounded by flat scrubland. Her interest pulled my eyes over the outline, tracing the uneven two-pronged crest. A slow, rough curve, then a sharp turn north, another sudden turn back the other way, twisting back to the north for a longer stretch, and then the abrupt southern decline that flattened out into another shallow curve. Not north and south, the way I’d always seen the lines in her piecemeal memories; it was up and down. The profile of a mountain peak. The lines that led to Jared and Jamie. This was the first line, the starting point. I could find them. We could find them, she corrected me. You don’t know all the directions. Just like with the cabin, I never gave you everything. “I don’t understand. Where does it lead? How does a mountain lead us?” My pulse beat faster as I thought of it: Jared was close. Jamie, within my reach. She showed me the answer. “They’re just lines. And Uncle Jeb is just an old lunatic. A nut job, like the rest of my dad’s family.” I try to tug the book out of Jared’s hands, but he barely seems to notice my effort. “A nut job, like Sharon’s mom?” he counters, still studying the dark pencil marks that deface the back cover of the old photo album. It’s the one thing I haven’t lost in all the running. Even the graffiti loony Uncle Jeb left on it during his last visit has sentimental value now. “Point taken.” If Sharon is still alive, it will be because her mother, loony Aunt Maggie, could give loony Uncle Jeb a run for the title of Craziest of the Crazy Stryder Siblings. My father had been only slightly touched by the Stryder madness-he didn’t have a secret bunker in the backyard or anything. The rest of them, his sister and brothers, Aunt Maggie, Uncle Jeb, and Uncle Guy, were the most devoted of conspiracy theorists. Uncle Guy had died before the others disappeared during the invasion, in a car accident so commonplace that even Maggie and Jeb had struggled to make an intrigue out of it. My father always affectionately referred to them as the Crazies. “I think it’s time we visited the Crazies,” Dad would announce, and then Mom would groan-which is why such announcements had happened so seldom. On one of those rare visits to Chicago, Sharon had snuck me into her mother’s hidey-hole. We got caught-the woman had booby traps every-where. Sharon was scolded soundly, and though I was sworn to secrecy, I’d had a sense Aunt Maggie might build a new sanctuary. But I remember where the first is. I picture Sharon there now, living the life of Anne Frank in the middle of an enemy city. We have to find her and bring her home. Jared interrupts my reminiscing. “Nut jobs are exactly the kind of people who will have survived. People who saw Big Brother when he wasn’t there. People who suspected the rest of humanity before the rest of humanity turned dangerous. People with hiding places ready.” Jared grins, still study-ing the lines. And then his voice is heavier. “People like my father. If he and my brothers had hidden rather than fought… Well, they’d still be here.” My tone is softer, hearing the pain in his. “Okay, I agree with the theory. But these lines don’t mean anything.” “Tell me again what he said when he drew them.” I sigh. “They were arguing-Uncle Jeb and my dad. Uncle Jeb was trying to convince him that something was wrong, telling him not to trust anyone. Dad laughed it off. Jeb grabbed the photo album from the end table and started… almost carving the lines into the back cover with a pencil. Dad got mad, said my mom would be angry. Jeb said, ‘Linda’s mom asked you all to come up for a visit, right? Kind of strange, out of the blue? Got a little upset when only Linda would come? Tell you the truth, Trev, I don’t think Linda will be minding anything much when she gets back. Oh, she might act like it, but you’ll be able to tell the difference.’ It didn’t make sense at the time, but what he said really upset my dad. He ordered Uncle Jeb out of the house. Jeb wouldn’t leave at first. Kept warning us not to wait until it was too late. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into his side. ‘Don’t let ’em get you, honey,’ he whispered. ‘Follow the lines. Start at the beginning and follow the lines. Uncle Jeb’ll keep a safe place for you.’ That’s when Dad shoved him out the door.” Jared nods absently, still studying. “The beginning… the beginning… It has to mean something.” “Does it? They’re just squiggles, Jared. It’s not like a map-they don’t even connect.” “There’s something about the first one, though. Something familiar. I could swear I’ve seen it somewhere before.” I sigh. “Maybe he told Aunt Maggie. Maybe she got better directions.” “Maybe,” he says, and continues to stare at Uncle Jeb’s squiggles. She dragged me back in time, to a much, much older memory-a memory that had escaped her for a long while. I was surprised to realize that she had only put these memories, the old and the fresh, together recently. After I was here. That was why the lines had slipped through her careful control despite the fact that they were one of the most precious of her secrets-because of the urgency of her discovery. In this blurry early memory, Melanie sat in her father’s lap with the same album-not so tattered then-open in her hands. Her hands were tiny, her fingers stubby. It was very strange to remember being a child in this body. They were on the first page. “Do you remember where this is?” Dad asks, pointing to the old gray picture at the top of the page. The paper looks thinner than the other photographs, as if it has worn down-flatter and flatter and flatter-since some great-great-grandpa took it. “It’s where we Stryders come from,” I answer, repeating what I’ve been taught. “Right. That’s the old Stryder ranch. You went there once, but I bet you don’t remember it. I think you were eighteen months old.” Dad laughs. “It’s been Stryder land since the very beginning…” And then the memory of the picture itself. A picture she’d looked at a thousand times without ever seeing it. It was black and white, faded to grays. A small rustic wooden house, far away on the other side of a desert field; in the foreground, a split-rail fence; a few equine shapes between the fence and the house. And then, behind it all, the sharp, familiar profile… There were words, a label, scrawled in pencil across the top white border: Stryder Ranch, 1904, in the morning shadow of… “Picacho Peak,” I said quietly. He’ll have figured it out, too, even if they never found Sharon. I know Jared will have put it together. He’s smarter than me, and he has the picture; he probably saw the answer before I did. He could be so close… The thought had her so filled with yearning and excitement that the blank wall in my head slipped entirely. I saw the whole journey now, saw her and Jared’s and Jamie’s careful trek across the country, always by night in their inconspicuous stolen vehicle. It took weeks. I saw where she’d left them in a wooded preserve outside the city, so different from the empty desert they were used to. The cold forest where Jared and Jamie would hide and wait had felt safer in some ways-because the branches were thick and concealing, unlike the spindly desert foliage that hid little-but also more dangerous in its unfamiliar smells and sounds. Then the separation, a memory so painful we skipped through it, flinching. Next came the abandoned building she’d hidden in, watching the house across the street for her chance. There, concealed within the walls or in the secret basement, she hoped to find Sharon. I shouldn’t have let you see that, Melanie thought. The faintness of her silent voice gave away her fatigue. The assault of memories, the persuasion and coercion, had tired her. You’ll tell them where to find her. You’ll kill her, too. “Yes,” I mused aloud. “I have to do my duty.” Why? she murmured, almost sleepily. What happiness will it bring you? I didn’t want to argue with her, so I said nothing. The mountain loomed larger ahead of us. In moments, we would be beneath it. I could see a little rest stop with a convenience store and a fast food restaurant bordered on one side by a flat, concrete space-a place for mobile homes. There were only a few in residence now, with the heat of the coming summer making things uncomfortable. What now? I wondered. Stop for a late lunch or an early dinner? Fill my gas tank and then continue on to Tucson in order to reveal my fresh discoveries to the Seeker? The thought was so repellent that my jaw locked against the sudden heave of my empty stomach. I slammed on the brake reflexively, screeching to a stop in the middle of the lane. I was lucky; there were no cars to hit me from behind. There were also no drivers to stop and offer their help and concern. For this moment, the highway was empty. The sun beat down on the pavement, making it shimmer, disappear in places. This shouldn’t have felt like a betrayal, the idea of continuing on my right and proper course. My first language, the true language of the soul that was spoken only on our planet of origin, had no word for betrayal or traitor. Or even loyalty -because without the existence of an opposite, the concept had no meaning. And yet I felt a deep well of guilt at the very idea of the Seeker. It would be wrong to tell her what I knew. Wrong, how? I countered my own thought viciously. If I stopped here and listened to the seductive suggestions of my host, I would truly be a traitor. That was impossible. I was a soul. And yet I knew what I wanted, more powerfully and vividly than anything I had ever wanted in all the eight lives I’d lived. The image of Jared’s face danced behind my eyelids when I blinked against the sun-not Melanie’s memory this time, but my memory of hers. She forced nothing on me now. I could barely feel her in my head as she waited-I imagined her holding her breath, as if that were possible-for me to make my decision. I could not separate myself from this body’s wants. It was me, more than I’d ever intended it to be. Did I want or did it want? Did that distinction even matter now? In my rearview mirror, the glint of the sun off a distant car caught my eye. I moved my foot to the accelerator, starting slowly toward the little store in the shadow of the peak. There was really only one thing to do. CHAPTER 10.Turned The electric bell rang, announcing another visitor to the convenience store. I started guiltily and ducked my head behind the shelf of goods we were examining. Stop acting like a criminal, Melanie advised. I’m not acting, I replied tersely. The palms of my hands felt cold under a thin sheen of sweat, though the small room was quite hot. The wide windows let in too much sun for the loud and laboring air-conditioning unit to keep up. Which one? I demanded. The bigger one, she told me. I grabbed the larger pack of the two available, a canvas sling that looked well able to hold more than I could carry. Then I walked around the corner to where the bottled water was shelved. We can carry three gallons, she decided. That gives us three days to find them. I took a deep breath, trying to tell myself that I wasn’t going along with this. I was simply trying to get more coordinates from her, that was all. When I had the whole story, I would find someone-a different Seeker, maybe, one less repulsive than the one assigned to me-and pass the information along. I was just being thorough, I promised myself. My awkward attempt to lie to myself was so pathetic that Melanie didn’t pay any attention to it, felt no worry at all. It must be too late for me, as the Seeker had warned. Maybe I should have taken the shuttle. Too late? I wish! Melanie grumbled. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. I can’t even raise my hand! Her thought was a moan of frustration. I looked down at my hand, resting against my thigh rather than reaching for the water as she wanted to do so badly. I could feel her impatience, her almost desperate desire to be on the move. On the run again, just as if my existence were no more than a short interruption, a wasted season now behind her. She gave the mental equivalent of a snort at that, and then she was back to business. C’mon, she urged me. Let’s get going! It will be dark soon. With a sigh, I pulled the largest shrink-wrapped flat of water bottles from the shelf. It nearly hit the floor before I caught it against a lower shelf edge. My arms felt as though they’d popped halfway out of their sockets. “You’re kidding me!” I exclaimed aloud. Shut up! “Excuse me?” a short, stooped man, the other customer, asked from the end of the aisle. “Uh-nothing,” I mumbled, not meeting his gaze. “This is heavier than I expected.” “Would you like some help?” he offered. “No, no,” I answered hastily. “I’ll just take a smaller one.” He turned back to the selection of potato chips. No, you will not, Melanie assured me. I’ve carried heavier loads than this. You’ve let us get all soft, Wanderer, she added in irritation. Sorry, I responded absently, bemused by the fact that she had used my name for the first time. Lift with your legs. I struggled with the flat of water, wondering how far I could possibly be expected to carry it. I managed to get it to the front register, at least. With great relief, I edged its weight onto the counter. I put the bag on top of the water, and then added a box of granola bars, a roll of doughnuts, and a bag of chips from the closest display. Water is way more important than food in the desert, and we can only carry so much - I’m hungry, I interrupted. And these are light. It’s your back, I guess, she said grudgingly, and then she ordered, Get a map. I placed the one she wanted, a topographical map of the county, on the counter with the rest. It was no more than a prop in her charade. The cashier, a white-haired man with a ready smile, scanned the bar codes. “Doing some hiking?” he asked pleasantly. “The mountain is very beautiful.” “The trailhead is just up that -” he said, starting to gesture. “I’ll find it,” I promised quickly, pulling the heavy, badly balanced load back off the counter. “Head down before it gets dark, sweetie. You don’t want to get lost.” “I will.” Melanie was thinking sulfurous thoughts about the kind old man. He was being nice. He’s sincerely concerned about my welfare, I reminded her. You’re all very creepy, she told me acidly. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers? I felt a deep tug of guilt as I answered. There are no strangers among my kind. I can’t get used to not paying for things, she said, changing the subject. What’s the point of scanning them? Inventory, of course. Is he supposed to remember everything we took when he needs to order more? Besides, what’s the point of money when everyone is perfectly honest? I paused, feeling the guilt again so strongly that it was an actual pain. Everyone but me, of course. Melanie shied away from my feelings, worried by the depth of them, worried that I might change my mind. Instead she focused on her raging desire to be away from here, to be moving toward her objective. Her anxiety leaked through to me, and I walked faster. I carried the stack to the car and set it on the ground beside the passenger door. “Let me help you with that.” I jerked up to see the other man from the store, a plastic bag in his hand, standing beside me. “Ah… thank you,” I finally managed, my pulse thudding behind my ears. We waited, Melanie tensed as if to run, while he lifted our acquisitions into the car. There’s nothing to fear. He’s being kind, too. She continued to watch him distrustfully. “Thank you,” I said again as he shut the door. “My pleasure.” He walked off to his own vehicle without a backward glance at us. I climbed into my seat and grabbed the bag of potato chips. Look at the map, she said. Wait till he’s out of sight. No one is watching us, I promised her. But, with a sigh, I unfolded the map and ate with one hand. It was probably a good idea to have some sense of where we were headed. Where are we headed? I asked her. We’ve found the starting point, so what now? Look around, she commanded. If we can’t see it here, we’ll try the south side of the peak. See what? She placed the memorized image before me: a ragged zigzagging line, four tight switchbacks, the fifth point strangely blunt, like it was broken. Now I saw it as I should, a jagged range of four pointed mountain peaks with the broken-looking fifth… I scanned the skyline, east to west across the northern horizon. It was so easy it felt false, as though I’d made the image up only after seeing the mountain silhouette that created the northeast line of the horizon. That’s it, Melanie almost sang in her excitement. Let’s go! She wanted me to be out of the car, on my feet, moving. I shook my head, bending over the map again. The mountain ridge was so far in the distance I couldn’t guess at the miles between us and it. There was no way I was walking out of this parking lot and into the empty desert unless I had no other option. Let’s be rational, I suggested, tracing my finger along a thin ribbon on the map, an unnamed road that connected to the freeway a few miles east and then continued in the general direction of the range. Sure, she agreed complacently. The faster the better. We found the unpaved road easily. It was just a pale scar of flat dirt through the sparse shrubbery, barely wide enough for one vehicle. I had a feeling that the road would be overgrown with lack of use in a different region-some place with more vital vegetation, unlike the desert plants that needed decades to recover from such a violation. There was a rusted chain stretched across the entrance, screwed into a wooden post on one end, looped loosely around another post at the other. I moved quickly, pulling the chain free and piling it at the base of the first post, hurrying back to my running car, hoping no one would pass and stop to offer me help. The highway stayed clear as I drove onto the dirt and then rushed back to refasten the chain. We both relaxed when the pavement disappeared behind us. I was glad that there was apparently no one left I would have to lie to, whether with words or silence. Alone, I felt less of a renegade. Melanie was perfectly at home here in the middle of nothing. She knew the names of all the spiny plants around us. She hummed their names to herself, greeting them like old friends. Creosote, ocotillo, cholla, prickly pear, mesquite… Away from the highway, the trappings of civilization, the desert seemed to take on a new life for Melanie. Though she appreciated the speed of the jolting car-our vehicle didn’t have the ground clearance necessary for this off-road trip, as the shocks reminded me with every pit in the dirt-she itched to be on her feet, loping through the safety of the baking desert. We would probably have to walk, and all too soon for my taste, but when that time came, I doubted it would satisfy her. I could feel the real desire beneath the surface. Freedom. To move her body to the familiar rhythm of her long stride with only her will for guidance. For a moment, I allowed myself to see the prison that was life without a body. To be carried inside but unable to influence the shape around you. To be trapped. To have no choices. I shuddered and refocused on the rough road, trying to stave off the mingled pity and horror. No other host had made me feel such guilt for what I was. Of course, none of the others had stuck around to complain about the situation. The sun was close to the tips of the western hills when we had our first disagreement. The long shadows created strange patterns across the road, making it hard to avoid the rocks and craters. There it is! Melanie crowed as we caught sight of another formation farther east: a smooth wave of rock, interrupted by a sudden spur that swung a thin, long finger out against the sky. She was all for turning immediately into the brush, no matter what that did to the car. Maybe we’re supposed to go all the way to the first landmark, I pointed out. The little dirt road continued to wind in more or less the right direction, and I was terrified to leave it. How else would I find my way back to civilization? Wasn’t I going back? I imagined the Seeker right at this moment, as the sun touched the dark, zigzagging line of the western horizon. What would she think when I didn’t arrive in Tucson? A spasm of glee made me laugh out loud. Melanie also enjoyed the picture of the Seeker’s furious irritation. How long would it take her to go back to San Diego to see if this had all been a ploy to get rid of her? And then what steps would she take when I wasn’t there? When I wasn’t anywhere? I just couldn’t picture very clearly where I would be at that point. Look, a dry wash. It’s wide enough for the car-let’s follow it, Melanie insisted. I’m not sure we’re supposed to go that way yet. It will be dark soon and we’ll have to stop. You’re wasting time! She was silently shouting in her frustration. Or saving time, if I’m right. Besides, it’s my time, isn’t it? She didn’t answer in words. She seemed to stretch inside my mind, reaching back toward the convenient wash. I’m the one doing this, so I’m doing it my way. Melanie fumed wordlessly in response. Why don’t you show me the rest of the lines? I suggested. We could see if anything is visible before night falls. No, she snapped. I’ll do that part my way. You’re being childish. Again she refused to answer. I continued toward the four sharp peaks, and she sulked. When the sun disappeared behind the hills, night washed across the landscape abruptly; one minute the desert was sunset orange, and then it was black. I slowed, my hand fumbling around the dashboard, searching for the switch for the headlights. Have you lost your mind? Melanie hissed. Do you have any idea how visible headlights would be out here? Someone is sure to see us. So what do we do now? Hope the seat reclines. I let the engine idle as I tried to think of options besides sleeping in the car, surrounded by the black emptiness of the desert night. Melanie waited patiently, knowing I would find none. This is crazy, you know, I told her, throwing the car into park and twisting the keys out of the ignition. The whole thing. There can’t really be anyone out here. We won’t find anything. And we’re going to get hopelessly lost trying. I had an abstract sense of the physical danger in what we were planning-wandering out into the heat with no backup plan, no way to return. I knew Melanie understood the danger far more clearly, but she held the specifics back. She didn’t respond to my accusations. None of these problems bothered her. I could see that she’d rather wander alone in the desert for the rest of her life than go back to the life I’d had before. Even without the threat of the Seeker, this was preferable to her. I leaned the seat back as far as it would go. It wasn’t close to far enough for comfort. I doubted that I would be able to sleep, but there were so many things I wasn’t allowing myself to think about that my mind was vacant and uninteresting. Melanie was silent, too. I closed my eyes, finding little difference between my lids and the moonless night, and drifted into unconsciousness with unexpected ease. CHAPTER 11.Dehydrated Okay! You were right, you were right!” I said the words out loud. There was no one around to hear me. Melanie wasn’t saying “I told you so.” Not in so many words. But I could feel the accusation in her silence. I was still unwilling to leave the car, though it was useless to me now. When the gas ran out, I had let it roll forward with the remaining momentum until it took a nosedive into a shallow gorge-a thick rivulet cut by the last big rain. Now I stared out the windshield at the vast, vacant plain and felt my stomach twist with panic. We have to move, Wanderer. It’s only going to get hotter. If I hadn’t wasted more than a quarter of a tank of gas stubbornly pushing on to the very base of the second landmark-only to find that the third milestone was no longer visible from that vantage and to have to turn around and backtrack-we would have been so much farther down this sandy wash, so much closer to our next goal. Thanks to me, we were going to have to travel on foot now. I loaded the water, one bottle at a time, into the pack, my motions unnecessarily deliberate; I added the remaining granola bars just as slowly. All the while, Melanie ached for me to hurry. Her impatience made it hard to think, hard to concentrate on anything. Like what was going to happen to us. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, she chanted until I lurched, stiff and awkward, out of the car. My back throbbed as I straightened up. It hurt from sleeping so contorted last night, not from the weight of the pack; the pack wasn’t that heavy when I used my shoulders to lift it. Now cover the car, she instructed, picturing me ripping thorny branches from the nearby creosotes and palo verdes and draping them over the silver top of the car. “Why?” Her tone implied that I was quite stupid for not understanding. So no one finds us. But what if I want to be found? What if there’s nothing out here but heat and dirt? We have no way to get home! Home? she questioned, throwing cheerless images at me: the vacant apartment in San Diego, the Seeker’s most obnoxious expression, the dot that marked Tucson on the map… a brief, happier flash of the red canyon that slipped in by accident. Where would that be? I turned my back on the car, ignoring her advice. I was in too far already. I wasn’t going to give up all hope of return. Maybe someone would find the car and then find me. I could easily and honestly explain what I was doing here to any rescuer: I was lost. I’d lost my way… lost my control… lost my mind. I followed the wash at first, letting my body fall into its natural long-strided rhythm. It wasn’t the way I walked on the sidewalks to and from the university-it wasn’t my walk at all. But it fit the rugged terrain here and moved me smoothly forward with a speed that surprised me until I got used to it. “What if I hadn’t come this way?” I wondered as I walked farther into the desert waste. “What if Healer Fords were still in Chicago? What if my path hadn’t taken us so close to them?” It was that urgency, that lure-the thought that Jared and Jamie might be right here, somewhere in this empty place-that had made it impossible to resist this senseless plan. I’m not sure, Melanie admitted. I think I might still have tried, but I was afraid while the other souls were near. I’m still afraid. Trusting you could kill them both. We flinched together at the thought. But being here, so close… It seemed like I had to try. Please -and suddenly she was pleading with me, begging me, no trace of resentment in her thoughts-please don’t use this to hurt them. Please. “I don’t want to… I don’t know if I can hurt them. I’d rather…” What? Die myself? Than give a few stray humans up to the Seekers? Again we flinched at the thought, but my revulsion at the idea comforted her. And it frightened me more than it soothed her. When the wash started angling too far toward the north, Melanie suggested that we forget the flat, ashen path and take the direct line to the third landmark, the eastern spur of rock that seemed to point, fingerlike, toward the cloudless sky. I didn’t like leaving the wash, just as I’d resisted leaving the car. I could follow this wash all the way back to the road, and the road back to the highway. It was miles and miles, and it would take me days to traverse, but once I stepped off this wash I was officially adrift. Have faith, Wanderer. We’ll find Uncle Jeb, or he’ll find us. If he’s still alive, I added, sighing and loping off my simple path into the brush that was identical in every direction. Faith isn’t a familiar concept for me. I don’t know that I buy into it. Trust, then? In who? You? I laughed. The hot air baked my throat when I inhaled. Just think, she said, changing the subject, maybe we’ll see them by tonight. The yearning belonged to us both; the image of their faces, one man, one child, came from both memories. When I walked faster, I wasn’t sure that I was completely in command of the motion. It did get hotter-and then hotter, and then hotter still. Sweat plastered my hair to my scalp and made my pale yellow T-shirt cling unpleasantly wherever it touched. In the afternoon, scorching gusts of wind kicked up, blowing sand in my face. The dry air sucked the sweat away, crusted my hair with grit, and fanned my shirt out from my body; it moved as stiffly as cardboard with the dried salt. I kept walking. I drank water more often than Melanie wanted me to. She begrudged me every mouthful, threatening me that we would want it much more tomorrow. But I’d already given her so much today that I was in no mood to listen. I drank when I was thirsty, which was most of the time. My legs moved me forward without any thought on my part. The crunching rhythm of my steps was background music, low and tedious. There was nothing to see; one twisted, brittle shrub looked exactly the same as the next. The empty homogeny lulled me into a sort of daze-I was only really aware of the shape of the mountains’ silhouettes against the pale, bleached sky. I read their outlines every few steps, till I knew them so well I could have drawn them blindfolded. The view seemed frozen in place. I constantly whipped my head around, searching for the fourth marker-a big dome-shaped peak with a missing piece, a curved absence scooped from its side that Melanie had only shown me this morning-as if the perspective would have changed from my last step. I hoped this last clue was it, because we’d be lucky to get that far. But I had a sense that Melanie was keeping more from me, and our journey’s end was impossibly distant. I snacked on my granola bars through the afternoon, not realizing until it was too late that I’d finished the last one. When the sun set, the night descended with the same speed as it had yesterday. Melanie was prepared, already scouting out a place to stop. Here, she told me. We’ll want to stay as far from the cholla as possible. You toss in your sleep. I eyed the fluffy-looking cactus in the failing light, so thick with bone-colored needles that it resembled fur, and shuddered. You want me to just sleep on the ground? Right here? You see another option? She felt my panic, and her tone softened, as if with pity. Look-it’s better than the car. At least it’s flat. It’s too hot for any critters to be attracted to your body heat and - “Critters?” I demanded aloud. “Critters?” There were brief, very unpleasant flashes of deadly-looking insects and coiled serpents in her memories. Don’t worry. She tried to soothe me as I arched up on my tiptoes, away from anything that might be hiding in the sand below, my eyes searching the blackness for some escape. Nothing’s going to bother you unless you bother it first. After all, you’re bigger than anything else out here. Another flash of memory, this time a medium-size canine scavenger, a coyote, flitted through our thoughts. “Perfect,” I moaned, sinking down into a crouch, though I was still afraid of the black ground beneath me. “Killed by wild dogs. Who would have thought it would end so… so trivially? How anticlimactic. The claw beast on the Mists Planet, sure. At least there’d be some dignity in being taken down by that. ” Melanie’s answering tone made me picture her rolling her eyes. Stop being a baby. Nothing is going to eat you. Now lie down and get some rest. Tomorrow will be harder than today. “Thanks for the good news,” I grumbled. She was turning into a tyrant. It made me think of the human axiom Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile. But I was more exhausted than I realized, and as I settled unwillingly to the ground, I found it impossible not to slump down on the rough, gravelly dirt and let my eyes close. It seemed like just minutes later when the morning dawned, blindingly bright and already hot enough to have me sweating. I was crusted in dirt and rocks when I woke; my right arm was pinned under me and had lost feeling. I shook out the tingles and then reached into my pack for some water. Melanie did not approve, but I ignored her. I looked for the half-empty bottle I’d last drunk from, rummaging through the fulls and empties until I began to see a pattern. With a slowly growing sense of alarm, I started counting. I counted twice. There were two more empties than there were fulls. I’d already used up more than half my water supply. I told you that you were drinking too much. I didn’t answer her, but I pulled the pack on without taking a drink. My mouth felt horrible, dry and sandy and tasting of bile. I tried to ignore that, tried to stop running my sandpaper tongue over my gritty teeth, and started walking. My stomach was harder to ignore than my mouth as the sun rose higher and hotter above me. It twisted and contracted at regular intervals, anticipating meals that didn’t appear. By afternoon, the hunger had gone from uncomfortable to painful. This is nothing, Melanie reminded me wryly. We’ve been hungrier. You have, I retorted. I didn’t feel like being an audience to her endurance memories right now. I was beginning to despair when the good news came. As I swung my head across the horizon with a routine, halfhearted movement, the bulbous shape of the dome jumped out at me from the middle of a northern line of small peaks. The missing part was only a faint indentation from this vantage point. Close enough, Melanie decided, as thrilled as I was to be making some progress. I turned north eagerly, my steps lengthening. Keep a lookout for the next. She remembered another formation for me, and I started craning my head around at once, though I knew it was useless to search for it this early. It would be to the east. North and then east and then north again. That was the pattern. The lift of finding another milestone kept me moving despite the growing weariness in my legs. Melanie urged me on, chanting encouragements when I slowed, thinking of Jared and Jamie when I turned apathetic. My progress was steady, and I waited till Melanie okayed each drink, even though the inside of my throat felt as though it was blistering. I had to admit that I was proud of myself for being so tough. When the dirt road appeared, it seemed like a reward. It snaked toward the north, the direction I was already headed, but Melanie was skittish. I don’t like the look of it, she insisted. The road was just a sallow line through the scrub, defined only by its smoother texture and lack of vegetation. Ancient tire tracks made a double depression, centered in the single lane. When it goes the wrong way, we’ll leave it. I was already walking down the middle of the tracks. It’s easier than weaving through the creosote and watching out for cholla. She didn’t answer, but her unease made me feel a little paranoid. I kept up my search for the next formation-a perfect M, two matching volcanic points-but I also watched the desert around me more carefully than before. Because I was paying extra attention, I noticed the gray smudge in the distance long before I could make out what it was. I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me and blinked against the dust that clouded them. The color seemed wrong for a rock, and the shape too solid for a tree. I squinted into the brightness, making guesses. Then I blinked again, and the smudge suddenly jumped into a structured shape, closer than I’d been thinking. It was some kind of house or building, small and weathered to a dull gray. Melanie’s spike of panic had me dancing off the narrow lane and into the dubious cover of the barren brush. Hold on, I told her. I’m sure it’s abandoned. How do you know? She was holding back so hard that I had to concentrate on my feet before I could move them forward. Who would live out here? We souls live for society. I heard the bitter edge to my explanation and knew it was because of where I now stood-physically and metaphorically in the middle of nowhere. Why did I no longer belong to the society of souls? Why did I feel like I didn’t… like I didn’t want to belong? Had I ever really been a part of the community that was meant to be my own, or was that the reason behind my long line of lives lived in transience? Had I always been an aberration, or was this something Melanie was making me into? Had this planet changed me, or revealed me for what I already was? Melanie had no patience for my personal crisis-she wanted me to get far away from that building as fast as possible. Her thoughts yanked and twisted at mine, pulling me out of my introspection. Calm down, I ordered, trying to focus my thoughts, to separate them from hers. If there is anything that actually lives here, it would be human. Trust me on this; there is no such thing as a hermit among souls. Maybe your Uncle Jeb - She rejected that thought harshly. No one could survive out in the open like this. Your kind would have searched any habitation thoroughly. Whoever lived here ran or became one of you. Uncle Jeb would have a better hiding place. And if whoever lived here became one of us, I assured her, then they left this place. Only a human would live this way… I trailed off, suddenly afraid, too. What? She reacted strongly to my fright, freezing us in place. She scanned my thoughts, looking for something I’d seen to upset me. But I’d seen nothing new. Melanie, what if there are humans out here-not Uncle Jeb and Jared and Jamie? What if someone else found us? She absorbed the idea slowly, thinking it through. You’re right. They’d kill us immediately. Of course. I tried to swallow, to wash the taste of terror from my dry mouth. There won’t be anyone else. How could there be? she reasoned. Your kind are far too thorough. Only someone already in hiding would have had a chance. So let’s go check it out-you’re sure there are none of you, and I’m sure there are none of me. Maybe we can find something helpful, something we can use as a weapon. I shuddered at her thoughts of sharp knives and long metal tools that could be turned into clubs. No weapons. Ugh. How did such spineless creatures beat us? Stealth and superior numbers. Any one of you, even your young, is a hundred times as dangerous as one of us. But you’re like one termite in an anthill. There are millions of us, all working together in perfect harmony toward our goal. Again, as I described the unity, I felt the dragging sense of panic and disorientation. Who was I? We kept to the creosote as we approached the little structure. It looked to be a house, just a small shack beside the road, with no hint at all of any other purpose. The reason for its location here was a mystery-this spot had nothing to offer but emptiness and heat. There was no sign of recent habitation. The door frame gaped, doorless, and only a few shards of glass clung to the empty window frames. Dust gathered on the threshold and spilled inside. The gray weathered walls seemed to lean away from the wind, as if it always blew from the same direction here. I was able to contain my anxiety as I walked hesitantly to the vacant door frame; we must be just as alone here as we had been all day and all yesterday. The shade the dark entry promised drew me forward, trumping my fears with its appeal. I still listened intently, but my feet moved ahead with swift, sure steps. I darted through the doorway, moving quickly to one side so as to have a wall at my back. This was instinctual, a product of Melanie’s scavenging days. I stood frozen there, unnerved by my blindness, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The little shack was empty, as we’d known it would be. There were no more signs of occupation inside than out. A broken table slanted down from its two good legs in the middle of the room, with one rusted metal chair beside it. Patches of concrete showed through big holes in the worn, grimy carpet. A kitchenette lined the wall with a rusted sink, a row of cabinets-some doorless-and a waist-high refrigerator that hung open, revealing its moldy black insides. A couch frame sat against the far wall, all the cushions gone. Still mounted above the couch, only a little crooked, was a framed print of dogs playing poker. Homey, Melanie thought, relieved enough to be sarcastic. It’s got more decor than your apartment. I was already moving for the sink. Dream on, Melanie added helpfully. Of course it would be wasteful to have water running to this secluded place; the souls managed details like that better than to leave such an anomaly behind. I still had to twist the ancient knobs. One broke off in my hand, rusted through. I turned to the cupboards next, kneeling on the nasty carpet to peek carefully inside. I leaned away as I opened the door, afraid I might be disturbing one of the venomous desert animals in its lair. The first was empty, backless, so that I could see the wooden slats of the outside wall. The next had no door, but there was a stack of antique newspapers inside, covered with dust. I pulled one out, curious, shaking the dirt to the dirtier floor, and read the date. From human times, I noted. Not that I needed a date to tell me that. “Man Burns Three-Year-Old Daughter to Death,” the headline screamed at me, accompanied by a picture of an angelic blond child. This wasn’t the front page. The horror detailed here was not so hideous as to rate priority coverage. Beneath this was the face of a man wanted for the murders of his wife and two children two years before the print date; the story was about a possible sighting of the man in Mexico. Two people killed and three injured in a drunk-driving accident. A fraud and murder investigation into the alleged suicide of a prominent local banker. A suppressed confession setting an admitted child molester free. House pets found slaughtered in a trash bin. I cringed, shoving the paper away from me, back into the dark cupboard. Those were the exceptions, not the norm, Melanie thought quietly, trying to keep the fresh horror of my reaction from seeping into her memories of those years and recoloring them. Can you see how we thought we might be able to do better, though? How we could have supposed that maybe you didn’t deserve all the excellent things of this world? Her answer was acidic. If you wanted to cleanse the planet, you could have blown it up. Despite what your science fiction writers dream, we simply don’t have the technology. She didn’t think my joke was funny. Besides, I added, that would have been such a waste. It’s a lovely planet. This unspeakable desert excepted, of course. That’s how we realized you were here, you know, she said, thinking of the sickening news headlines again. When the evening news was nothing but inspiring human-interest stories, when pedophiles and junkies were lining up at the hospitals to turn themselves in, when everything morphed into Mayberry, that’s when you tipped your hand. “What an awful alteration!” I said dryly, turning to the next cupboard. I pulled the stiff door back and found the mother lode. “Crackers!” I shouted, seizing the discolored, half-smashed box of Saltines. There was another box behind it, one that looked like someone had stepped on it. “Twinkies!” I crowed. Look! Melanie urged, pointing a mental finger at three dusty bottles of bleach at the very back of the cupboard. What do you want bleach for? I asked, already ripping into the cracker box. To throw in someone’s eyes? Or to brain them with the bottle? To my delight, the crackers, though reduced to crumbs, were still inside their plastic sleeves. I tore one open and started shaking the crumbs into my mouth, swallowing them half chewed. I couldn’t get them into my stomach fast enough. Open a bottle and smell it, she instructed, ignoring my commentary. That’s how my dad used to store water in the garage. The bleach residue kept the water from growing anything. In a minute. I finished one sleeve of crumbs and started on the next. They were very stale, but compared to the taste in my mouth, they were ambrosia. When I finished the third, I became aware that the salt was burning the cracks in my lips and at the corners of my mouth. I heaved out one of the bleach bottles, hoping Melanie was right. My arms felt weak and noodley, barely able to lift it. This concerned us both. How much had our condition deteriorated already? How much farther would we be able to go? The bottle’s cap was so tight, I wondered if it had melted into place. Finally, though, I was able to twist it off with my teeth. I sniffed at the opening carefully, not especially wanting to pass out from bleach fumes. The chemical scent was very faint. I sniffed deeper. It was water, definitely. Stagnant, musty water, but water all the same. I took a small mouthful. Not a fresh mountain stream, but wet. I started guzzling. Easy there, Melanie warned me, and I had to agree. We’d lucked into this cache, but it made no sense to squander it. Besides, I wanted something solid now that the salt burn had eased. I turned to the box of Twinkies and licked three of the smooshed-up cakes from the inside of the wrappers. The last cupboard was empty. As soon as the hunger pangs had eased slightly, Melanie’s impatience began to leak into my thoughts. Feeling no resistance this time, I quickly loaded my spoils into my pack, pitching the empty water bottles into the sink to make room. The bleach jugs were heavy, but theirs was a comforting weight. It meant I wouldn’t stretch out to sleep on the desert floor thirsty and hungry again tonight. With the sugar energy beginning to buzz through my veins, I loped back out into the bright afternoon. CHAPTER 12.Failed It’s impossible! You’ve got it wrong! Out of order! That can’t be it!” I stared into the distance, sick with disbelief that was turning quickly to horror. Yesterday morning I’d eaten the last mangled Twinkie for breakfast. Yesterday afternoon I’d found the double peak and turned east again. Melanie had given me what she promised was the last formation to find. The news had made me nearly hysterical with joy. Last night, I’d drunk the last of the water. That was day four. This morning was a hazy memory of blinding sun and desperate hope. Time was running out, and I’d searched the skyline for the last milestone with a growing sense of panic. I couldn’t see any place where it could fit; the long, flat line of a mesa flanked by blunt peaks on either end, like sentinels. Such a thing would take space, and the mountains to the east and north were thick with toothy points. I couldn’t see where the flat mesa could be hiding between them. Midmorning-the sun was still in the east, in my eyes-I’d stopped to rest. I’d felt so weak that it frightened me. Every muscle in my body had begun to ache, but it was not from all the walking. I could feel the ache of exertion and also the ache from sleeping on the ground, and these were different from the new ache. My body was drying out, and this ache was my muscles protesting the torture of it. I knew that I couldn’t keep going much longer. I’d turned my back on the east to get the sun off my face for a moment. That’s when I’d seen it. The long, flat line of the mesa, unmistakable with the bordering peaks. There it was, so far away in the distant west that it seemed to shimmer above a mirage, floating, hovering over the desert like a dark cloud. Every step we’d walked had been in the wrong direction. The last marker was farther to the west than we’d come in all our journeying. “Impossible,” I whispered again. Melanie was frozen in my head, unthinking, blank, trying desperately to reject this new comprehension. I waited for her, my eyes tracing the undeniably familiar shapes, until the sudden weight of her acceptance and grief knocked me to my knees. Her silent keen of defeat echoed in my head and added one more layer to the pain. My breathing turned ragged-a soundless, tearless sobbing. The sun crept up my back; its heat soaked deep into the darkness of my hair. My shadow was a small circle beneath me when I regained control. Painstakingly, I got back on my feet. Tiny sharp rocks were embedded in the skin on my legs. I didn’t bother to brush these off. I stared at the floating mesa mocking me from the west for a long, hot time. And finally, not really sure why I did it, I started walking forward. I knew only this: that it was me who moved and no one else. Melanie was so small in my brain-a tiny capsule of pain wrapped tightly in on her herself. There was no help from her. My footsteps were a slow crunch, crunch across the brittle ground. “He was just a deluded old lunatic, after all,” I murmured to myself. A strange shudder rocked my chest, and a hoarse coughing ripped its way up my throat. The stream of gravelly coughs rattled on, but it wasn’t until I felt my eyes pricking for tears that couldn’t come that I realized I was laughing. “There was… never… ever… anything out here!” I gasped between spasms of hysteria. I staggered forward as though I were drunk, my footprints trailing unevenly behind me. No. Melanie uncurled from her misery to defend the faith she still clung to. I got it wrong or something. My fault. I laughed at her now. The sound was sucked away by the scorching wind. Wait, wait, she thought, trying to pull my attention from the joke of it all. You don’t think… I mean, do you think that maybe they tried this? Her unexpected fear caught me midlaugh. I choked on the hot air, my chest throbbing from my fit of morbid hysteria. By the time I could breathe again, all trace of my black humor was gone. Instinctively, my eyes swept the desert void, looking for some evidence that I was not the first to waste my life this way. The plain was impossibly vast, but I couldn’t halt my frantic search for… remains. No, of course not. Melanie was already comforting herself. Jared’s too smart. He would never come out here unprepared like we did. He’d never put Jamie in danger. I’m sure you’re right, I told her, wanting to believe it as much as she did. I’m sure no one else in the whole universe could be this stupid. Besides, he probably never came to look. He probably never figured it out. Wish you hadn’t. My feet kept moving. I was barely aware of the action. It meant so little in the face of the distance ahead. And even if we were magically transported to the very base of the mesa, what then? I was absolutely positive there was nothing there. No one waited at the mesa to save us. “We’re going to die,” I said. I was surprised that there was no fear in my rasping voice. This was just a fact like any other. The sun is hot. The desert is dry. We are going to die. Yes. She was calm, too. This, death, was easier to accept than that our efforts had been guided by insanity. “That doesn’t bother you?” She thought for a moment before answering. At least I died trying. And I won. I never gave them away. I never hurt them. I did my best to find them. I tried to keep my promise… I die for them. I counted nineteen steps before I could respond. Nineteen sluggish, futile crunches across the sand. “Then what am I dying for?” I wondered, the pricking feeling returning in my desiccated tear ducts. “I guess it’s because I lost, then, right? Is that why?” I counted thirty-four crunches before she had an answer to my question. No, she thought slowly. It doesn’t feel that way to me. I think… Well, I think that maybe… you’re dying to be human. There was almost a smile in her thought as she heard the silly double meaning to the phrase. After all the planets and all the hosts you’ve left behind, you’ve finally found the place and the body you’d die for. I think you’ve found your home, Wanderer. Ten crunches. I didn’t have the energy to open my lips anymore. Too bad I didn’t get to stay here longer, then. I wasn’t sure about her answer. Maybe she was trying to make me feel better. A sop for dragging her out here to die. She had won; she had never disappeared. My steps began to falter. My muscles screamed out to me for mercy, as if I had any means to soothe them. I think I would have stopped right there, but Melanie was, as always, tougher than I. I could feel her now, not just in my head but in my limbs. My stride lengthened; the path I made was straighter. By sheer force of will, she dragged my half-dead carcass toward the impossible goal. There was an unexpected joy to the pointless struggle. Just as I could feel her, she could feel my body. Our body, now; my weakness ceded control to her. She gloried in the freedom of moving our arms and legs forward, no matter how useless such a motion was. It was bliss simply because she could again. Even the pain of the slow death we had begun dimmed in comparison. What do you think is out there? she asked me as we marched on toward the end. What will you see, after we’re dead? Nothing. The word was empty and hard and sure. There’s a reason we call it the final death. The souls have no belief in an afterlife? We have so many lives. Anything more would be… too much to expect. We die a little death every time we leave a host. We live again in another. When I die here, that will be the end. There was a long pause while our feet moved more and more slowly. What about you? I finally asked. Do you still believe in something more, even after all of this? My thoughts raked over her memories of the end of the human world. It seems like there are some things that can’t die. In our mind, their faces were close and clear. The love we felt for Jared and Jamie did feel very permanent. In that moment, I wondered if death was strong enough to dissolve something so vital and sharp. Perhaps this love would live on with her, in some fairytale place with pearly gates. Not with me. Would it be a relief to be free of it? I wasn’t sure. It felt like it was part of who I was now. We only lasted a few hours. Even Melanie’s tremendous strength of mind could ask no more than that of our failing body. We could barely see. We couldn’t seem to find the oxygen in the dry air we sucked in and spit back out. The pain brought rough whimpers breaking through our lips. You’ve never had it this bad, I teased her feebly as we staggered toward a dried stick of a tree standing a few feet taller than the low brush. We wanted to get to the thin streaks of shade before we fell. No, she agreed. Never this bad. We attained our purpose. The dead tree threw its cobwebby shadow over us, and our legs fell out from under us. We sprawled forward, never wanting the sun on our face again. Our head turned to the side on its own, searching for the burning air. We stared at the dust inches from our nose and listened to the gasping of our breath. After a time, long or short we didn’t know, we closed our eyes. Our lids were red and bright inside. We couldn’t feel the faint web of shade; maybe it no longer touched us. How long? I asked her. I don’t know, I’ve never died before. An hour? More? Your guess is as good as mine. Where’s a coyote when you really need one? Maybe we’ll get lucky… escaped claw beast or something… Her thought trailed off incoherently. That was our last conversation. It was too hard to concentrate enough to form words. There was more pain than we thought there should be. All the muscles in our body rioted, cramping and spasming as they fought death. We didn’t fight. We drifted and waited, our thoughts dipping in and out of memories without a pattern. While we were still lucid, we hummed ourselves a lullaby in our head. It was the one we’d used to comfort Jamie when the ground was too hard, or the air was too cold, or the fear was too great to sleep. We felt his head press into the hollow just below our shoulder and the shape of his back under our arm. And then it seemed that it was our head cradled against a broader shoulder, and a new lullaby comforted us. Our lids turned black, but not with death. Night had fallen, and this made us sad. Without the heat of day, we would probably last longer. It was dark and silent for a timeless space. Then there was a sound. It barely roused us. We weren’t sure if we imagined it. Maybe it was a coyote, after all. Did we want that? We didn’t know. We lost our train of thought and forgot the sound. Something shook us, pulled our numb arms, dragged at them. We couldn’t form the words to wish that it would be quick now, but that was our hope. We waited for the cut of teeth. Instead, the dragging turned to pushing, and we felt our face roll toward the sky. It poured over our face-wet, cool, and impossible. It dribbled over our eyes, washing the grit from them. Our eyes fluttered, blinking against the dripping. We did not care about the grit in our eyes. Our chin arched up, desperately searching, our mouth opening and closing with blind, pathetic weakness, like a newly hatched bird. We thought we heard a sigh. And then the water flowed into our mouth, and we gulped at it and choked on it. The water vanished while we choked, and our weak hands grasped out for it. A flat, heavy thumping pounded our back until we could breathe. Our hands kept clutching the air, looking for the water. We definitely heard a sigh this time. Something pressed to our cracked lips, and the water flowed again. We guzzled, careful not to inhale it this time. Not that we cared if we choked, but we did not want the water taken away again. We drank until our belly stretched and ached. The water trickled to a stop, and we cried out hoarsely in protest. Another rim was pressed to our lips, and we gulped frantically until it was empty, too. Our stomach would explode with another mouthful, yet we blinked and tried to focus, to see if we could find more. It was too dark; we could not see a single star. And then we blinked again and realized that the darkness was much closer than the sky. A figure hovered over us, blacker than the night. There was a low sound of fabric rubbing against itself and sand shifting under a heel. The figure leaned away, and we heard a sharp rip-the sound of a zipper, deafening in the absolute stillness of the night. Like a blade, light cut into our eyes. We moaned at the pain of it, and our hand flew up to cover our closed eyes. Even behind our lids, the light was too bright. The light disappeared, and we felt the breath of the next sigh hit our face. We opened our eyes carefully, more blind than before. Whoever faced us sat very still and said nothing. We began to feel the tension of the moment, but it felt far away, outside ourself. It was hard to care about anything but the water in our belly and where we could find more. We tried to concentrate, to see what had rescued us. The first thing we could make out, after minutes of blinking and squinting, was the thick whiteness that fell from the dark face, a million splinters of pale in the night. When we grasped that this was a beard-like Santa Claus, we thought chaotically-the other pieces of the face were supplied by our memory. Everything fit into place: the big cleft-tipped nose, the wide cheekbones, the thick white brows, the eyes set deep into the wrinkled fabric of skin. Though we could see only hints of each feature, we knew how light would expose them. “Uncle Jeb,” we croaked in surprise. “You found us.” Uncle Jeb, squatting next to us, rocked back on his heels when we said his name. “Well, now,” he said, and his gruff voice brought back a hundred memories. “Well, now, here’s a pickle.” CHAPTER 13.Sentenced Are they here?” We choked out the words-they burst from us like the water in our lungs had, expelled. After water, this question was all that mattered. “Did they make it?” Uncle Jeb’s face was impossible to read in the darkness. “Who?” he asked. “Jamie, Jared!” Our whisper burned like a shout. “Jared was with Jamie. Our brother! Are they here? Did they come? Did you find them, too?” There was barely a pause. “No.” His answer was forceful, and there was no pity in it, no feeling at all. “No,” we whispered. We were not echoing him, we were protesting against getting our life back. What was the point? We closed our eyes again and listened to the pain in our body. We let that drown out the pain in our mind. “Look,” Uncle Jeb said after a moment. “I, uh, have something to take care of. You rest for a bit, and I’ll be back for you.” We didn’t hear the meaning in his words, just the sounds. Our eyes stayed closed. His footsteps crunched quietly away from us. We couldn’t tell which direction he went. We didn’t care anyway. They were gone. There was no way to find them, no hope. Jared and Jamie had disappeared, something they knew well how to do, and we would never see them again. The water and the cooler night air were making us lucid, something we did not want. We rolled over, to bury our face against the sand again. We were so tired, past the point of exhaustion and into some deeper, more painful state. Surely we could sleep. All we had to do was not think. We could do that. We did. When we woke, it was still night, but dawn was threatening on the eastern horizon-the mountains were lined with dull red. Our mouth tasted of dust, and at first we were sure that we had dreamed Uncle Jeb’s appearance. Of course we had. Our head was clearer this morning, and we noticed quickly the strange shape near our right cheek-something that was not a rock or a cactus. We touched it, and it was hard and smooth. We nudged it, and the delicious sound of sloshing water came from inside. Uncle Jeb was real, and he’d left us a canteen. We sat up carefully, surprised when we didn’t break in two like a withered stick. Actually, we felt better. The water must have had time to work its way through some of our body. The pain was dull, and for the first time in a long while, we felt hungry again. Our fingers were stiff and clumsy as we twisted the cap from the top of the canteen. It wasn’t all the way full, but there was enough water to stretch the walls of our belly again-it must have shrunk. We drank it all; we were done with rationing. We dropped the metal canteen to the sand, where it made a dull thud in the predawn silence. We felt wide awake now. We sighed, preferring unconsciousness, and let our head fall into our hands. What now? “Why did you give it water, Jeb?” an angry voice demanded, close behind our back. We whirled, twisting onto our knees. What we saw made our heart falter and our awareness splinter apart. There were eight humans half-circled around where I knelt under the tree. There was no question they were humans, all of them. I’d never seen faces contorted into such expressions-not on my kind. These lips twisted with hatred, pulled back over clenched teeth like wild animals. These brows pulled low over eyes that burned with fury. Six men and two women, some of them very big, most of them bigger than me. I felt the blood drain from my face as I realized why they held their hands so oddly-gripped tightly in front of them, each balancing an object. They held weapons. Some held blades-a few short ones like those I had kept in my kitchen, and some longer, one huge and menacing. This knife had no purpose in a kitchen. Melanie supplied the name: a machete. Others held long bars, some metal, some wooden. Clubs. I recognized Uncle Jeb in their midst. Held loosely in his hands was an object I’d never seen in person, only in Melanie’s memories, like the big knife. It was a rifle. I saw horror, but Melanie saw all this with wonder, her mind boggling at their numbers. Eight human survivors. She’d thought Jeb was alone or, in the best case scenario, with only two others. To see so many of her kind alive filled her with joy. You’re an idiot, I told her. Look at them. See them. I forced her to see it from my perspective: to see the threatening shapes inside the dirty jeans and light cotton shirts, brown with dust. They might have been human-as she thought of the word-once, but at this moment they were something else. They were barbarians, monsters. They hung over us, slavering for blood. There was a death sentence in every pair of eyes. Melanie saw all this and, though grudgingly, she had to admit that I was right. At this moment, her beloved humans were at their worst-like the newspaper stories we’d seen in the abandoned shack. We were looking at killers. We should have been wiser; we should have died yesterday. Why would Uncle Jeb keep us alive for this? A shiver passed through me at the thought. I’d skimmed through the histories of human atrocities. I’d had no stomach for them. Perhaps I should have concentrated better. I knew there were reasons why humans let their enemies live, for a little while. Things they wanted from their minds or their bodies… Of course it sprang into my head immediately-the one secret they would want from me. The one I could never, never tell them. No matter what they did to me. I would have to kill myself first. I did not let Melanie see the secret I protected. I used her own defenses against her and threw up a wall in my head to hide behind while I thought of the information for the first time since implantation. There had been no reason to think of it before. Melanie was hardly even curious on the other side of the wall; she made no effort to break through it. There were much more immediate concerns than the fact that she had not been the only one keeping information in reserve. Did it matter that I protected my secret from her? I wasn’t as strong as Melanie; I had no doubt she could endure torture. How much pain could I stand before I gave them anything they wanted? My stomach heaved. Suicide was a repugnant option-worse because it would be murder, too. Melanie would be part of either torture or death. I would wait for that until I had absolutely no other choice. No, they can’t. Uncle Jeb would never let them hurt me. Uncle Jeb doesn’t know you’re here, I reminded her. Tell him! I focused on the old man’s face. The thick white beard kept me from seeing the set of his mouth, but his eyes did not seem to burn like the others’. From the corner of my eye, I could see a few of the men shift their gaze from me to him. They were waiting for him to answer the question that had alerted me to their presence. Uncle Jeb stared at me, ignoring them. I can’t tell him, Melanie. He won’t believe me. And if they think I’m lying to them, they’ll think I’m a Seeker. They must have experience enough to know that only a Seeker would come out here with a lie, a story designed for infiltration. Melanie recognized the truth of my thought at once. The very word Seeker made her recoil with hatred, and she knew these strangers would have the same reaction. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m a soul-that’s enough for them. The one with the machete-the biggest man there, black-haired with oddly fair skin and vivid blue eyes-made a sound of disgust and spit on the ground. He took a step forward, slowly raising the long blade. Better fast than slow. Better that it was this brutal hand and not mine that killed us. Better that I didn’t die a creature of violence, accountable for Melanie’s blood as well as my own. “Hold it, Kyle.” Jeb’s words were unhurried, almost casual, but the big man stopped. He grimaced and turned to face Melanie’s uncle. “Why? You said you made sure. It’s one of them.” I recognized the voice-he was the same one who’d asked Jeb why he’d given me water. “Well, yes, she surely is. But it’s a little complicated.” “How?” A different man asked the question. He stood next to the big, dark-haired Kyle, and they looked so much alike that they had to be brothers. “See, this here is my niece, too.” “Not anymore she’s not,” Kyle said flatly. He spit again and took another deliberate step in my direction, knife ready. I could see from the way his shoulders leaned into the action that words would not stop him again. I closed my eyes. There were two sharp metallic clicks, and someone gasped. My eyes flew open again. “I said hold it, Kyle.” Uncle Jeb’s voice was still relaxed, but the long rifle was gripped tightly in his hands now, and the barrels were pointed at Kyle’s back. Kyle was frozen just steps from me; his machete hung motionless in the air above his shoulder. “Jeb,” the brother said, horrified, “what are you doing?” “Step away from the girl, Kyle.” Kyle turned his back to us, whirling on Jeb in fury. “It’s not a girl, Jeb!” Jeb shrugged; the gun stayed steady in his hands, pointed at Kyle. “There are things to be discussed.” “The doctor might be able to learn something from it,” a female voice offered gruffly. I cringed at the words, hearing in them my worst fears. When Jeb had called me his niece just now, I’d foolishly let a spark of hope flame to life-perhaps there would be pity. I’d been stupid to think that, even for a second. Death would be the only pity I could hope for from these creatures. I looked at the woman who’d spoken, surprised to see that she was as old as Jeb, maybe older. Her hair was dark gray rather than white, which is why I hadn’t noticed her age before. Her face was a mass of wrinkles, all of them turning down into angry lines. But there was something familiar about the features behind the lines. Melanie made the connection between this ancient face and another, smoother face in her memory. “Aunt Maggie? You’re here? How? Is Sharon -” The words were all Melanie, but they gushed from my mouth, and I was unable to stop them. Sharing for so long in the desert had made her stronger, or me weaker. Or maybe it was just that I was concentrating on which direction the deathblow was going to fall from. I was bracing for our murder, and she was having a family reunion. Melanie got only halfway through her surprised exclamation. The much-aged woman named Maggie lunged forward with a speed that belied her brittle exterior. She didn’t raise the hand that held the black crowbar. That was the hand I was watching, so I didn’t see her free hand swing out to slap me hard across the face. My head snapped back and then forward. She slapped me again. “You won’t fool us, you parasite. We know how you work. We know how well you can mimic us.” I tasted blood inside my cheek. Don’t do that again, I scolded Melanie. I told you what they’d think. Melanie was too shocked to answer. “Now, Maggie,” Jeb began in a soothing tone. “Don’t you ‘Now, Maggie’ me, you old fool! She’s probably led a legion of them down on us.” She backed away from me, her eyes measuring my stillness as if I were a coiled snake. She stopped beside her brother. “I don’t see anyone,” Jeb retorted. “Hey!” he yelled, and I flinched in surprise. I wasn’t the only one. Jeb waved his left hand over his head, the gun still clenched in the right. “Over here!” “Shut up,” Maggie growled, shoving his chest. Though I had good reason to know she was strong, Jeb didn’t wobble. “She’s alone, Mag. She was pretty much dead when I found her-she’s not in such great shape now. The centipedes don’t sacrifice their own that way. They would have come for her much sooner than I did. Whatever else she is, she’s alone.” I saw the image of the long, many-legged insect in my head, but I didn’t make the connection. He’s talking about you, Melanie translated. She placed the picture of the ugly bug next to my memory of a bright silver soul. I didn’t see a resemblance. I wonder how he knows what you look like, Melanie wondered absently. My memories of a soul’s true appearance had been new to her in the beginning. I didn’t have time to wonder with her. Jeb was walking toward me, and the others were close behind. Kyle’s hand hovered at Jeb’s shoulder, ready to restrain him or throw him out of the way, I couldn’t tell. Jeb put his gun in his left hand and extended the right to me. I eyed it warily, waiting for it to hit me. “C’mon,” he urged gently. “If I could carry you that far, I woulda brought you home last night. You’re gonna have to walk some more.” “No!” Kyle grunted. “I’m takin’ her back,” Jeb said, and for the first time there was a harsher tone to his voice. Under his beard, his jaw flexed into a stubborn line. “Jeb!” Maggie protested. “’S my place, Mag. I’ll do what I want.” “Old fool!” she snapped again. Jeb reached down and grabbed my hand from where it lay curled into a fist against my thigh. He yanked me to my feet. It was not cruelty; it was merely as if he was in a hurry. Yet was it not the very worst form of cruelty to prolong my life for the reasons he had? I rocked unsteadily. I couldn’t feel my legs very well-just prickles like needle points as the blood flowed down. There was a hiss of disapproval behind him. It came from more than one mouth. “Okay, whoever you are,” he said to me, his voice still kind. “Let’s get out of here before it heats up.” The one who must have been Kyle’s brother put his hand on Jeb’s arm. “You can’t just show it where we live, Jeb.” “I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Maggie said harshly. “It won’t get a chance to tell tales.” Jeb sighed and pulled a bandanna-all but hidden by his beard-from around his neck. “This is silly,” he muttered, but he rolled the dirty fabric, stiff with dry sweat, into a blindfold. I kept perfectly still as he tied it over my eyes, fighting the panic that increased when I couldn’t see my enemies. I couldn’t see, but I knew it was Jeb who put one hand on my back and guided me; none of the others would have been so gentle. We started forward, toward the north, I thought. No one spoke at first-there was just the sound of sand grinding under many feet. The ground was even, but I stumbled on my numb legs again and again. Jeb was patient; his guiding hand was almost chivalrous. I felt the sun rise as we walked. Some of the footsteps were faster than others. They moved ahead of us until they were hard to hear. It sounded like it was the minority that stayed with Jeb and me. I must not have looked like I needed many guards-I was faint with hunger, and I swayed with every step; my head felt dizzy and hollow. “You aren’t planning to tell him, are you?” It was Maggie’s voice; it came from a few feet behind me, and it sounded like an accusation. “He’s got a right to know,” Jeb replied. The stubborn note was back in his voice. “It’s an unkind thing you are doing, Jebediah.” “Life is unkind, Magnolia.” It was hard to decide who was the more terrifying of the two. Was it Jeb, who seemed so intent on keeping me alive? Or Maggie, who had first suggested the doctor -an appellation that filled me with instinctive, nauseated dread-but who seemed more worried about cruelty than her brother? We walked in silence again for a few hours. When my legs buckled, Jeb lowered me to the ground and held a canteen to my lips as he had in the night. “Let me know when you’re ready,” Jeb told me. His voice sounded kind, though I knew that was a false interpretation. Someone sighed impatiently. “Why are you doing this, Jeb?” a man asked. I’d heard the voice before; it was one of the brothers. “For Doc? You could have just told Kyle that. You didn’t have to pull a gun on him.” “Kyle needs a gun pulled on him more often,” Jeb muttered. “Please tell me this wasn’t about sympathy,” the man continued. “After all you’ve seen…” “After all I’ve seen, if I hadn’t learned compassion, I wouldn’t be worth much. But no, it was not about sympathy. If I had enough sympathy for this poor creature, I would have let her die.” I shivered in the oven-hot air. “What, then?” Kyle’s brother demanded. There was a long silence, and then Jeb’s hand touched mine. I grasped it, needing the help to get back on my feet. His other hand pressed against my back, and I started forward again. “Curiosity,” Jeb said in a low voice. No one replied. As we walked, I considered a few sure facts. One, I was not the first soul they’d captured. There was already a set routine here. This “Doc” had tried to get his answer from others before me. Two, he had tried unsuccessfully. If any soul had forgone suicide only to crack under the humans’ torture, they would not need me now. My death would have been mercifully swift. Oddly, I couldn’t bring myself to hope for a quick end, though, or to try to effect that outcome. It would be easy to do, even without doing the deed myself. I would only have to tell them a lie-pretend to be a Seeker, tell them my colleagues were tracking me right now, bluster and threaten. Or tell them the truth-that Melanie lived on inside me, and that she had brought me here. They would see another lie, and one so richly irresistible-the idea that the human could live on after implantation-so tempting to believe from their perspective, so insidious, that they would believe I was a Seeker more surely than if I claimed it. They would assume a trap, get rid of me quickly, and find a new place to hide, far away from here. You’re probably right, Melanie agreed. It’s what I would do. But I wasn’t in pain yet, and so either form of suicide was hard to embrace; my instinct for survival sealed my lips. The memory of my last session with my Comforter-a time so civilized it seemed to belong to a different planet-flashed through my head. Melanie challenging me to have her removed, a seemingly suicidal impulse, but only a bluff. I remembered thinking how hard it was to contemplate death from a comfortable chair. Last night Melanie and I had wished for death, but death had been only inches away at the time. It was different now that I was on my feet again. I don’t want to die, either, Melanie whispered. But maybe you’re wrong. Maybe that’s not why they’re keeping us alive. I don’t understand why they would… She didn’t want to imagine the things they might do to us-I was sure she could come up with worse than I. What answer would they want from you that bad? I’ll never tell. Not you, not any human. A bold declaration. But then, I wasn’t in pain yet… Another hour had passed-the sun was directly overhead, the heat of it like a crown of fire on my hair-when the sound changed. The grinding steps that I barely heard anymore turned to echoes ahead of me. Jeb’s feet still crunched against the sand like mine, but someone in front of us had reached a new terrain. “Careful, now,” Jeb warned me. “Watch your head.” I hesitated, not sure what I was watching for, or how to watch with no eyes. His hand left my back and pressed down on my head, telling me to duck. I bent forward. My neck was stiff. He guided me forward again, and I heard our footsteps make the same echoing sound. The ground didn’t give like sand, didn’t feel loose like rock. It was flat and solid beneath my feet. The sun was gone-I could no longer feel it burn my skin or scorch my hair. I took another step, and a new air touched my face. It was not a breeze. This was stagnant-I moved into it. The dry desert wind was gone. This air was still and cooler. There was the faintest hint of moisture to it, a mustiness that I could both smell and taste. There were so many questions in my mind, and in Melanie’s. She wanted to ask hers, but I kept silent. There was nothing either of us could say that would help us now. “Okay, you can straighten up,” Jeb told me. I raised my head slowly. Even with the blindfold, I could tell that there was no light. It was utterly black around the edges of the bandanna. I could hear the others behind me, shuffling their feet impatiently, waiting for us to move forward. “This way,” Jeb said, and he was guiding me again. Our footsteps echoed back from close by-the space we were in must have been quite small. I found myself ducking my head instinctively. We went a few steps farther, and then we rounded a sharp curve that seemed to turn us back the way we’d come. The ground started to slant downward. The angle got steeper with every step, and Jeb gave me his rough hand to keep me from falling. I don’t know how long I slipped and skidded my way through the darkness. The hike probably felt longer than it was with each minute slowed by my terror. We took another turn, and then the floor started to climb upward. My legs were so numb and wooden that as the path got steeper, Jeb had to half drag me up the incline. The air got mustier and moister the farther we went, but the blackness didn’t change. The only sounds were our footsteps and their nearby echoes. The pathway flattened out and began to turn and twist like a serpent. Finally, finally, there was a brightness around the top and bottom of my blindfold. I wished that it would slip, as I was too frightened to pull it off myself. It seemed to me that I wouldn’t be so terrified if I could just see where I was and who was with me. With the light came noise. Strange noise, a low murmuring babble. It sounded almost like a waterfall. The babble got louder as we moved forward, and the closer it got, the less it sounded like water. It was too varied, low and high pitches mingling and echoing. If it had not been so discordant, it might have sounded like an uglier version of the constant music I’d heard and sung on the Singing World. The darkness of the blindfold suited that memory, the memory of blindness. Melanie understood the cacophony before I did. I’d never heard the sound because I’d never been with humans before. It’s an argument, she realized. It sounds like so many people arguing. She was drawn by the sound. Were there more people here, then? That there were even eight had surprised us both. What was this place? Hands touched the back of my neck, and I shied away from them. “Easy now,” Jeb said. He pulled the blindfold off my eyes. I blinked slowly, and the shadows around me settled into shapes I could understand: rough, uneven walls; a pocked ceiling; a worn, dusty floor. We were underground somewhere in a natural cave formation. We couldn’t be that deep. I thought we’d hiked upward longer than we’d slid downward. The rock walls and ceiling were a dark purpley brown, and they were riddled with shallow holes like Swiss cheese. The edges of the lower holes were worn down, but over my head the circles were more defined, and their rims looked sharp. The light came from a round hole ahead of us, its shape not unlike the holes that peppered the cavern, but larger. This was an entrance, a doorway to a brighter place. Melanie was eager, fascinated by the concept of more humans. I held back, suddenly worried that blindness might be better than sight. Jeb sighed. “Sorry,” he muttered, so low that I was certainly the only one to hear. I tried to swallow and could not. My head started to spin, but that might have been from hunger. My hands were trembling like leaves in a stiff breeze as Jeb prodded me through the big hole. The tunnel opened into a chamber so vast that at first I couldn’t accept what my eyes told me. The ceiling was too bright and too high-it was like an artificial sky. I tried to see what brightened it, but it sent down sharp lances of light that hurt my eyes. I was expecting the babble to get louder, but it was abruptly dead quiet in the huge cavern. The floor was dim compared to the brilliant ceiling so far above. It took a moment for my eyes to make sense of all the shapes. A crowd. There was no other word for it-there was a crowd of humans standing stock-still and silent, all staring at me with the same burning, hate-filled expressions I’d seen at dawn. Melanie was too stunned to do anything more than count. Ten, fifteen, twenty… twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven… I didn’t care how many there were. I tried to tell her how little it mattered. It wouldn’t take twenty of them to kill me. To kill us. I tried to make her see how precarious our position was, but she was beyond my warnings at the moment, lost in this human world she’d never dreamed was here. One man stepped forward from the crowd, and my eyes darted first to his hands, looking for the weapon they would carry. His hands were clenched in fists but empty of any other threat. My eyes, adjusting to the dazzling light, made out the sun-gilded tint of his skin and then recognized it. Choking on the sudden hope that dizzied me, I lifted my eyes to the man’s face. CHAPTER 14.Disputed It was too much for both of us, seeing him here, now, after already accepting that we’d never see him again, after believing that we’d lost him forever. It froze me solid, made me unable to react. I wanted to look at Uncle Jeb, to understand his heartbreaking answer in the desert, but I couldn’t move my eyes. I stared at Jared’s face, uncomprehending. Melanie reacted differently. “Jared,” she cried; through my damaged throat the sound was just a croak. She jerked me forward, much the same way as she had in the desert, assuming control of my frozen body. The only difference was that this time, it was by force. I wasn’t able to stop her fast enough. She lurched forward, raising my arms to reach out for him. I screamed a warning at her in my head, but she wasn’t listening to me. She was barely aware that I was even there. No one tried to stop her as she staggered toward him. No one but me. She was within inches of touching him, and still she didn’t see what I saw. She didn’t see how his face had changed in the long months of separation, how it had hardened, how the lines pulled in different directions now. She didn’t see that the unconscious smile she remembered would not physically fit on this new face. Only once had she seen his face turn dark and dangerous, and that expression was nothing to the one he wore now. She didn’t see, or maybe she didn’t care. His reach was longer than mine. Before Melanie could make my fingers touch him, his arm shot out and the back of his hand smashed into the side of my face. The blow was so hard that my feet left the ground before my head slammed into the rock floor. I heard the rest of my body hit the floor with dull thumps, but I didn’t feel it. My eyes rolled back in my head, and a ringing sound shimmered in my ears. I fought the dizziness that threatened to spin me unconscious. Stupid, stupid, I whimpered at her. I told you not to do that! Jared’s here, Jared’s alive, Jared’s here. She was incoherent, chanting the words like they were lyrics to a song. I tried to focus my eyes, but the strange ceiling was blinding. I twisted my head away from the light and then swallowed a sob as the motion sent daggers of agony through the side of my face. I could barely handle the pain of this one spontaneous blow. What hope did I have of enduring an intensive, calculated onslaught? There was a shuffle of feet beside me; my eyes moved instinctively to find the threat, and I saw Uncle Jeb standing over me. He had one hand half stretched out toward me, but he hesitated, looking away. I raised my head an inch, stifling another moan, to see what he saw. Jared was walking toward us, and his face was the same as those of the barbarians in the desert-only it was beautiful rather than frightening in its fury. My heart faltered and then beat unevenly, and I wanted to laugh at myself. Did it matter that he was beautiful, that I loved him, when he was going to kill me? I stared at the murder in his expression and tried to hope that rage would win out over expediency, but a true death wish evaded me. Jeb and Jared locked eyes for a long moment. Jared’s jaw clenched and unclenched, but Jeb’s face was calm. The silent confrontation ended when Jared suddenly exhaled in an angry gust and took a step back. Jeb reached down for my hand and put his other arm around my back to pull me up. My head whirled and ached; my stomach heaved. If it hadn’t been empty for days, I might have thrown up. It was like my feet weren’t touching the ground. I wobbled and pitched forward. Jeb steadied me and then gripped my elbow to keep me standing. Jared watched all this with a teeth-baring grimace. Like an idiot, Melanie struggled to move toward him again. But I was over the shock of seeing him here and less stupid than she was now. She wouldn’t break through again. I locked her away behind every bar I could create in my head. Just be quiet. Can’t you see how he loathes me? Anything you say will make it worse. We’re dead. But Jared’s alive, Jared’s here, she crooned. The quiet in the cavern dissolved; whispers came from every side, all at the same time, as if I’d missed some cue. I couldn’t make out any meanings in the hissing murmurs. My eyes darted around the mob of humans-every one of them an adult, no smaller, younger figure among them. My heart ached at the absence, and Melanie fought to voice the question. I hushed her firmly. There wasn’t anything to see here, nothing but anger and hatred on strangers’ faces, or the anger and hatred on Jared’s face. Until another man pushed his way through the whispering throng. He was built slim and tall, his skeletal structure more obvious under his skin than most. His hair was washed out, either pale brown or a dark, nondescript blond. Like his bland hair and his long body, his features were mild and thin. There was no anger in his face, which was why it held my eye. The others made way for this apparently unassuming man as if he had some status among them. Only Jared didn’t defer to him; he held his ground, staring only at me. The tall man stepped around him, not seeming to notice the obstacle in his path any more than he would a pile of rock. “Okay, okay,” he said in an oddly cheery voice as he circled Jared and came to face me. “I’m here. What have we got?” It was Aunt Maggie who answered him, appearing at his elbow. “Jeb found it in the desert. Used to be our niece Melanie. It seemed to be following the directions he gave her.” She flashed a dirty look at Jeb. “Mm-hm,” the tall, bony man murmured, his eyes appraising me curiously. It was strange, that appraisal. He looked as if he liked what he saw. I couldn’t fathom why he would. My gaze shied away from his, to another woman-a young woman who peered around his side, her hand resting on his arm-my eyes drawn by her vivid hair. Sharon! Melanie cried. Melanie’s cousin saw the recognition in my eyes, and her face hardened. I pushed Melanie roughly to the back of my head. Shhh! “Mm-hm,” the tall man said again, nodding. He reached one hand out to my face and seemed surprised when I recoiled from it, flinching into Jeb’s side. “It’s okay,” the tall man said, smiling a little in encouragement. “I won’t hurt you.” He reached toward my face again. I shrunk into Jeb’s side like before, but Jeb flexed his arm and nudged me forward. The tall man touched my jaw below my ear, his fingers gentler than I expected, and turned my face away. I felt his finger trace a line on the back of my neck, and I realized that he was examining the scar from my insertion. I watched Jared’s face from the corner of my eye. What this man was doing clearly upset him, and I thought I knew why-how he must have hated that slender pink line on my neck. Jared frowned, but I was surprised that some of the anger had drained from his expression. His eyebrows pulled together. It made him look confused. The tall man dropped his hands and stepped away from me. His lips were pursed, his eyes alight with some challenge. “She looks healthy enough, aside from some recent exhaustion, dehydration, and malnourishment. I think you’ve put enough water back into her so that the dehydration won’t interfere. Okay, then.” He made an odd, unconscious motion with his hands, as if he were washing them. “Let’s get started.” Then his words and his brief examination fit together and I understood-this gentle-seeming man who had just promised not to hurt me was the doctor. Uncle Jeb sighed heavily and closed his eyes. The doctor held a hand out to me, inviting me to put mine in his. I clenched my hands into fists behind my back. He looked at me carefully again, appraising the terror in my eyes. His mouth turned down, but it was not a frown. He was considering how to proceed. “Kyle, Ian?” he called, craning his neck to search the assembly for the ones he summoned. My knees wobbled when the two big black-haired brothers pressed their way forward. “I think I need some help. Maybe if you were to carry -” the doctor, who did not look quite so tall standing beside Kyle, began to say. “No.” Everyone turned to see where the dissent had come from. I didn’t need to look, because I recognized the voice. I looked at him anyway. Jared’s eyebrows pressed down hard over his eyes; his mouth was twisted into a strange grimace. So many emotions ran across his face, it was hard to pin one down. Anger, defiance, confusion, hatred, fear… pain. The doctor blinked, his face going slack with surprise. “Jared? Is there a problem?” “Yes.” Everyone waited. Beside me, Jeb was holding the corners of his lips down as if they were trying to lift into a grin. If that was the case, then the old man had an odd sense of humor. “And it is?” the doctor asked. Jared answered through his teeth. “I’ll tell you the problem, Doc. What’s the difference between letting you have it or Jeb putting a bullet in its head?” I trembled. Jeb patted my arm. The doctor blinked again. “Well” was all he said. Jared answered his own question. “The difference is, if Jeb kills it, at least it dies cleanly.” “Jared.” The doctor’s voice was soothing, the same tone he’d used on me. “We learn so much each time. Maybe this will be the time -” “Hah!” Jared snorted. “I don’t see much progress being made, Doc.” Jared will protect us, Melanie thought faintly. It was hard to concentrate enough to form words. Not us, just your body. Close enough… Her voice seemed to come from some distance, from outside my pounding head. Sharon took a step forward so that she stood half in front of the doctor. It was a strangely protective stance. “There’s no point in wasting an opportunity,” she said fiercely. “We all realize that this is hard for you, Jared, but in the end it’s not your decision to make. We have to consider what’s best for the majority.” Jared glowered at her. “No.” The word was a snarl. I could tell he had not whispered the word, yet it was very quiet in my ears. In fact, everything was suddenly quiet. Sharon’s lips moved, her finger jabbed at Jared viciously, but all I heard was a soft hissing. Neither one of them took a step, but they seemed to be drifting away from me. I saw the dark-haired brothers step toward Jared with angry faces. I felt my hand try to rise in protest, but it only twitched limply. Jared’s face turned red when his lips parted, and the tendons in his neck strained like he was shouting, but I heard nothing. Jeb let go of my arm, and I saw the dull gray of the rifle’s barrel swing up beside me. I cringed away from the weapon, though it was not pointed in my direction. This upset my balance, and I watched the room tip very slowly to one side. “Jamie,” I sighed as the light swirled away from my eyes. Jared’s face was suddenly very close, leaning over me with a fierce expression. “Jamie?” I breathed again, this time a question. “Jamie?” Jeb’s gruff voice answered from somewhere far away. “The kid is fine. Jared brought him here.” I looked at Jared’s tormented face, fast disappearing into the dark mist that covered my eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered. And then I was lost in the darkness. CHAPTER 15.Guarded When I came to, there was no disorientation. I knew exactly where I was, roughly speaking, and I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even. I tried to learn as much as I could about my exact situation without giving away the fact that I was conscious again. I was hungry. My stomach knotted and clenched and made angry noises. I doubted these noises would betray me-I was sure it had gurgled and complained as I slept. My head ached fiercely. It was impossible to know how much of this was from fatigue and how much was from the knocks I’d taken. I was lying on a hard surface. It was rough and… pocked. It was not flat, but oddly curved, as though I was lying in a shallow bowl. It was not comfortable. My back and hips throbbed from being curled into this position. That pain was probably what had woken me; I felt far from rested. It was dark-I could tell that without opening my eyes. Not pitch-black, but very dark. The air was even mustier than before-humid and corroded, with a peculiar acrid bite that seemed to cling to the back of my throat. The temperature was cooler than it had been in the desert, but the incongruous moisture made it almost as uncomfortable. I was sweating again, the water Jeb had given me finding its way out through my pores. I could hear my breathing echo back to me from a few feet away. It could be that I was only close to one wall, but I guessed that I was in a very small space. I listened as hard as I could, and it sounded like my breathing echoed back from the other side as well. Knowing that I was probably still somewhere in the cavern system Jeb had brought me to, I was fairly sure what I would see when I opened my eyes. I must be in some small hole in the rock, dark purple brown and riddled with holes like cheese. It was silent except for the sounds my body made. Afraid to open my eyes, I relied on my ears, straining harder and harder against the silence. I couldn’t hear anyone else, and this made no sense. They wouldn’t have left me without a warden, would they? Uncle Jeb and his omnipresent rifle, or someone less sympathetic. To leave me alone… that wouldn’t be in character with their brutality, their natural fear and hatred of what I was. Unless… I tried to swallow, but terror closed my throat. They wouldn’t leave me alone. Not unless they thought I was dead, or had made sure that I would be. Not unless there were places in these caves that no one came back from. The picture I’d been forming of my surroundings shifted dizzyingly in my head. I saw myself now at the bottom of a deep shaft or walled into a cramped tomb. My breathing sped up, tasting the air for staleness, for some sign that my oxygen was running low. The muscles around my lungs pulled outward, filling with air for the scream that was on the way. I clenched my teeth to keep it from escaping. Sharp and close, something grated across the ground beside my head. I shrieked, and the sound of it was piercing in the small space. My eyes flew open. I jerked away from the sinister noise, throwing myself against a jagged rock wall. My hands swung up to protect my face as my head thunk ed painfully against the low ceiling. A dim light illuminated the perfectly round exit to the tiny bubble of a cave I was curled in. Jared’s face was half lit as he leaned into the opening, one arm reaching toward me. His lips were tight with anger. A vein in his forehead pulsed as he watched my panicked reaction. He didn’t move; he just stared furiously while my heart restarted and my breathing evened out. I met his glare, remembering how quiet he had always been-like a wraith when he wanted. No wonder I hadn’t heard him sitting guard outside my cell. But I had heard something. As I remembered that, Jared shoved his extended arm closer, and the grating noise repeated. I looked down. At my feet was a broken sheet of plastic serving as a tray. And on it… I lunged for the open bottle of water. I was barely aware that Jared’s mouth twisted with disgust as I jerked the bottle to my lips. I was sure that would bother me later, but all I cared about now was the water. I wondered if ever in my life I would take the liquid for granted again. Given that my life was not likely to be prolonged here, the answer was probably no. Jared had disappeared, back through the circular entry. I could see a piece of his sleeve and nothing more. The dull light came from somewhere beside him. It was an artificial bluish color. I’d gulped half the water down when a new scent caught my attention, informing me that water was not the only gift. I looked down at the tray again. Food. They were feeding me? It was the bread-a dark, unevenly shaped roll-that I smelled first, but there was also a bowl of some clear liquid with the tang of onions. As I leaned closer, I could see darker chunks on the bottom. Beside this were three stubby white tubes. I guessed they were vegetables, but I didn’t recognize the variety. It took only seconds for me to make these discoveries, but even in that short time, my stomach nearly jumped through my mouth trying to reach the food. I ripped into the bread. It was very dense, studded with whole-grain kernels that caught in my teeth. The texture was gritty, but the flavor was wonderfully rich. I couldn’t remember anything tasting more delicious to me, not even my mushed-up Twinkies. My jaw worked as fast as it could, but I swallowed most of the mouthfuls of tough bread half-chewed. I could hear each mouthful hit my stomach with a gurgle. It didn’t feel as good as I thought it would. Too long empty, my stomach reacted to the food with discomfort. I ignored that and moved on to the liquid-it was soup. This went down easier. Aside from the onions I’d smelled, the taste was mild. The green chunks were soft and spongy. I drank it straight from the bowl and wished the bowl were deeper. I tipped it back to make sure I’d gotten every drop. The white vegetables were crunchy in texture, woody in taste. Some kind of root. They weren’t as satisfying as the soup or as tasty as the bread, but I was grateful for their bulk. I wasn’t full-not close-and I probably would have started on the tray next if I thought I’d be able to chew through it. It didn’t occur to me until I was finished that they shouldn’t be feeding me. Not unless Jared had lost the confrontation with the doctor. Though why would Jared be my guard if that were the case? I slid the tray away when it was empty, cringing at the noise it made. I stayed pressed against the back wall of my bubble as Jared reached in to retrieve it. This time he didn’t look at me. “Thank you,” I whispered as he disappeared again. He said nothing; there was no change in his face. Even the bit of his sleeve did not show this time, but I was sure he was there. I can’t believe he hit me, Melanie mused, her thought incredulous rather than resentful. She was not over the surprise of it yet. I hadn’t been surprised in the first place. Of course he had hit me. I wondered where you were, I answered. It would be poor manners to get me into this mess and then abandon me. She ignored my sour tone. I wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to do it, no matter what. I don’t think I could hit him. Sure you could. If he’d come at you with reflective eyes, you’d have done the same. You’re naturally violent. I remembered her daydreams of strangling the Seeker. That seemed like months ago, though I knew it was only days. It would make sense if it had been longer. It ought to take time to get oneself stuck in such a disastrous mire as the one I was in now. Melanie tried to consider it impartially. I don’t think so. Not Jared… and Jamie, there’s no way I could hurt Jamie, even if he was… She trailed off, hating that line of thought. I considered this and found it true. Even if the child had become something or someone else, neither she nor I could ever raise a hand to him. That’s different. You’re like… a mother. Mothers are irrational here. Too many emotions involved. Motherhood is always emotional-even for you souls. I didn’t answer that. What do you think is going to happen now? You’re the expert on humans, I reminded her. It’s probably not a good thing that they’re giving me food. I can think of only one reason they’d want me strong. The few specifics I remembered of historical human brutalities tangled in my head with the stories in the old newspaper we’d read the other day. Fire-that was a bad one. Melanie had burned all the fingerprints off her right hand once in a stupid accident, grabbing a pan she hadn’t realized was hot. I remembered how the pain had shocked her-it was so unexpectedly sharp and demanding. It was just an accident, though. Quickly treated with ice, salves, medicine. No one had done it on purpose, continued on from the first sickening pain, drawing it out longer and longer… I’d never lived on a planet where such atrocities could happen, even before the souls came. This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds-the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions… the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached. Were the souls the exception to that rule? Could they have the light without the darkness of this world? I… felt something when he hit you, Melanie interrupted. The words came slowly, one by one, as if she didn’t want to think them. I felt something, too. It was amazing how natural it was to use sarcasm now, after spending so much time with Melanie. He’s got quite a backhand, doesn’t he? That’s not what I meant. I mean… She hesitated for a long moment, and then the rest of the words came in a rush. I thought it was all me-the way we feel about him. I thought I was… in control of that. The thoughts behind her words were clearer than the words themselves. You thought you were able to bring me here because you wanted it so much. That you were controlling me instead of the other way around. I tried not to be annoyed. You thought you were manipulating me. Yes. The chagrin in her tone was not because I was upset, but because she did not like being wrong. But… I waited. It came in a rush once more. You’re in love with him, too, separately from me. It feels different from the way I feel. Other. I didn’t see that until he was there with us, until you saw him for the first time. How did that happen? How does a three-inch-long worm fall in love with a human being? Worm? Sorry. I guess you sort of have… limbs. Not really. They’re more like antennae. And I’m quite a bit longer than three inches when they’re extended. My point is, he’s not your species. My body is human, I told her. While I’m attached to it, I’m human, too. And the way you see Jared in your memories… Well, it’s all your fault. She considered that for a moment. She didn’t like it much. So if you had gone to Tucson and gotten a new body, you wouldn’t love him anymore now? I really, really hope that’s true. Neither of us was happy with my answer. I leaned my head against the top of my knees. Melanie changed the subject. At least Jamie is safe. I knew Jared would take care of him. If I had to leave him, I couldn’t have left him in better hands… I wish I could see him. I’m not asking that! I cringed at the thought of the response that request would receive. At the same time, I yearned to see the boy’s face for myself. I wanted to be sure that he was really here, really safe-that they were feeding him and caring for him the way Melanie never could again. The way I, mother to no one, wanted to care for him. Did he have someone to sing to him at night? To tell him stories? Would this new, angry Jared think of little things like that? Did he have someone to curl up against when he was frightened? Do you think they will tell him that I’m here? Melanie asked. Would that help or hurt him? I asked back. Her thought was a whisper. I don’t know… I wish I could tell him that I kept my promise. You certainly did. I shook my head, amazed. No one can say that you didn’t come back, just like always. Thanks for that. Her voice was faint. I couldn’t tell if she meant for my words now, or if she meant the bigger picture, bringing her here. I was suddenly exhausted, and I could feel that she was, too. Now that my stomach had settled a bit and felt almost halfway full, the rest of my pains were not sharp enough to keep me awake. I hesitated before moving, afraid to make any noise, but my body wanted to uncurl and stretch out. I did so as silently as I could, trying to find a piece of the bubble long enough for me. Finally, I had to stick my feet almost out the round opening. I didn’t like doing it, worried that Jared would hear the movement close to him and think I was trying to escape, but he didn’t react in any way. I pillowed the good side of my face against my arm, tried to ignore the way the curve of the floor cramped my spine, and closed my eyes. I think I slept, but if I did, it wasn’t deeply. The sound of footsteps was still very far away when I came fully awake. This time I opened my eyes at once. Nothing had changed-I still could see the dull blue light through the round hole; I still could not see if Jared was outside it. Someone was coming this way-it was easy to hear that the footsteps were coming closer. I pulled my legs away from the opening, moving as quietly as I could, and curled up against the back wall again. I would have liked to be able to stand; it would have made me feel less vulnerable, more prepared to face whatever was coming. The low ceiling of the cave bubble would barely have allowed me to kneel. There was a flash of movement outside my prison. I saw part of Jared’s foot as he rose silently to his feet. “Ah. Here you are,” a man said. The words were so loud after all the empty silence that I jumped. I recognized the voice. One of the brothers I’d seen in the desert-the one with the machete, Kyle. Jared didn’t speak. “We’re not going to allow this, Jared.” It was a different speaker, a more reasonable voice. Probably the younger brother, Ian. The brothers’ voices were very similar-or they would have been, if Kyle weren’t always half shouting, his tone always twisted with anger. “We’ve all lost somebody-hell, we’ve all lost everybody. But this is ridiculous.” “If you won’t let Doc have it, then it’s got to die,” Kyle added, his voice a growl. “You can’t keep it prisoner here,” Ian continued. “Eventually, it will escape and we’ll all be exposed.” Jared didn’t speak, but he took one side step that put him directly in front of the opening to my cell. My heart pumped hard and fast as I understood what the brothers were saying. Jared had won. I was not to be tortured. I was not to be killed-not immediately, anyway. Jared was keeping me prisoner. It seemed a beautiful word under the circumstances. I told you he would protect us. “Don’t make this difficult, Jared,” said a new male voice I didn’t recognize. “It has to be done.” Jared said nothing. “We don’t want to hurt you, Jared. We’re all brothers here. But we will if you make us.” There was no bluff in Kyle’s tone. “Move aside.” Jared stood rock still. My heart started thumping faster than before, jerking against my ribs so hard that the hammering disrupted the rhythm of my lungs, made it difficult to breathe. Melanie was incapacitated with fear, unable to think in coherent words. They were going to hurt him. Those lunatic humans were going to attack one of their own. “Jared… please,” Ian said. Jared didn’t answer. A heavy footfall-a lunge-and the sound of something heavy hitting something solid. A gasp, a choking gurgle - “No!” I cried, and launched myself through the round hole. CHAPTER 16.Assigned The ledge of the rock exit was worn down, but it scraped my palms and shins as I scrambled through it. It hurt, stiff as I was, to wrench myself erect, and my breath caught. My head swam as the blood flowed downward. I looked for only one thing-where Jared was, so that I could put myself between him and his attackers. They all stood frozen in place, staring at me. Jared had his back to the wall, his hands balled into fists and held low. In front of him, Kyle was hunched over, clutching his stomach. Ian and a stranger flanked him a few feet back, their mouths open with shock. I took advantage of their surprise. In two long, shaky strides, I moved between Kyle and Jared. Kyle was the first to react. I was less than a foot from him, and his primary instinct was to shove me away. His hand struck my shoulder and heaved me toward the floor. Before I could fall, something caught my wrist and yanked me back to my feet. As soon as he realized what he’d done, Jared dropped my wrist like my skin was oozing acid. “Get back in there,” he roared at me. He shoved my shoulder, too, but it wasn’t as hard as Kyle’s push. It sent me staggering two feet back toward the hole in the wall. The hole was a black circle in the narrow hallway. Outside the small prison, the bigger cave looked just the same, only longer and taller, a tube rather than a bubble. A small lamp-powered by what, I couldn’t guess-lit the hallway dimly from the ground. It cast strange shadows on the features of the men, turning them into scowling monster faces. I took a step toward them again, turning my back to Jared. “I’m what you want,” I said directly to Kyle. “Leave him alone.” No one said anything for a long second. “Tricky bugger,” Ian finally muttered, eyes wide with horror. “I said get back in there,” Jared hissed behind me. I turned halfway, not wanting Kyle out of my sight. “It’s not your duty to protect me at your own expense.” Jared grimaced, one hand rising to push me back toward the cell again. I skipped out of the way; the motion moved me toward the ones who wanted to kill me. Ian grabbed my arms and pinned them behind me. I struggled instinctively, but he was very strong. He bent my joints too far back and I gasped. “Get your hands off her!” Jared shouted, charging. Kyle caught him and spun him around into a wrestling hold, forcing his neck forward. The other man grabbed one of Jared’s thrashing arms. “Don’t hurt him!” I screeched. I strained against the hands that imprisoned me. Jared’s free elbow rammed into Kyle’s stomach. Kyle gasped and lost his grip. Jared twisted away from his attackers and then lunged back, his fist connecting with Kyle’s nose. Dark red blood spattered the wall and the lamp. “Finish it, Ian!” Kyle yelled. He put his head down and hurtled into Jared, throwing him into the other man. “No!” Jared and I cried at the same moment. Ian dropped my arms, and his hands wrapped around my throat, choking off my air. I clawed at his hands with my useless, stubby nails. He gripped me tighter, dragging my feet off the floor. It hurt-the strangling hands, the sudden panic of my lungs. It was agony. I writhed, more trying to escape the pain than the murdering hands. Click, click. I’d only heard the sound once before, but I recognized it. So did everyone else. They all froze, Ian with his hands locked hard on my neck. “Kyle, Ian, Brandt-back off!” Jeb barked. No one moved-just my hands, still clawing, and my feet, twitching in the air. Jared suddenly darted under Kyle’s motionless arm and sprang at me. I saw his fist flying toward my face, and closed my eyes. A loud thwack sounded inches behind my head. Ian howled, and I dropped to the floor. I crumpled there at his feet, gasping. Jared retreated after an angry glance in my direction and went to stand at Jeb’s elbow. “You’re guests here, boys, and don’t forget it,” Jeb growled. “I told you not to go looking for the girl. She’s my guest, too, for the moment, and I don’t take kindly to any of my guests killing any of the others.” “Jeb,” Ian moaned above me, his voice muffled by the hand held to his mouth. “Jeb. This is insane.” “What’s your plan?” Kyle demanded. His face was smeared with blood, a violent, macabre sight. But there was no evidence of pain in his voice, only controlled and simmering anger. “We have a right to know. We have to decide whether this place is safe or if it’s time to move on. So… how long will you keep this thing as your pet? What will you do with it when you’re finished playing God? All of us deserve to know the answers to these questions.” Kyle’s extraordinary words echoed behind the pulse thudding in my head. Keep me as a pet? Jeb had called me his guest … Was that another word for prisoner? Was it possible that two humans existed that did not demand either my death or my torture-wrung confession? If so, it was nothing less than a miracle. “Don’t have your answers, Kyle,” Jeb said. “It’s not up to me.” I doubted any other response Jeb could have given would have confused them more. All four men, Kyle, Ian, the one I didn’t know, and even Jared, stared at him with shock. I still crouched gasping at Ian’s feet, wishing there was some way I could climb back into my hole unnoticed. “Not up to you?” Kyle finally echoed, still disbelieving. “Who, then? If you’re thinking of putting it to a vote, that’s already been done. Ian, Brandt, and I are the duly designated appointees of the result.” Jeb shook his head-a tight movement that never took his eyes off the man in front of him. “It’s not up for a vote. This is still my house.” “Who, then?” Kyle shouted. Jeb’s eyes finally flickered-to another face and then back to Kyle. “It’s Jared’s decision.” Everyone, me included, shifted their eyes to stare at Jared. He gaped at Jeb, just as astonished as the rest, and then his teeth ground together with an audible sound. He threw a glare of pure hate in my direction. “Jared?” Kyle asked, facing Jeb again. “That makes no sense!” He was not in control of himself now, almost spluttering in rage. “He’s more biased than anyone else! Why? How can he be rational about this?” “Jeb, I don’t…” Jared muttered. “She’s your responsibility, Jared,” Jeb said in a firm voice. “I’ll help you out, of course, if there’s any more trouble like this, and with keeping track of her and all that. But when it comes to making decisions, that’s all yours.” He raised one hand when Kyle tried to protest again. “Look at it this way, Kyle. If somebody found your Jodi on a raid and brought her back here, would you want me or Doc or a vote deciding what we did with her?” “Jodi is dead,” Kyle hissed, blood spraying off his lips. He glared at me with much the same expression Jared had just used. “Well, if her body wandered in here, it would still be up to you. Would you want it any other way?” “The majority -” “My house, my rules,” Jeb interrupted harshly. “No more discussion on this. No more votes. No more execution attempts. You three spread the word-this is how it works from now on. New rule.” “Another one?” Ian muttered under his breath. Jeb ignored him. “If, unlikely as it may be, somehow this ever happens again, whoever the body belongs to makes the call.” Jeb poked the barrel of the gun toward Kyle, then jerked it a few inches toward the hall behind him. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see you anywhere around this place again. You let everyone know that this corridor is off-limits. No one’s got any reason for being here except Jared, and if I catch someone skulking around, I’m asking questions second. You got that? Move. Now.” He jabbed the gun at Kyle again. I was amazed that the three assassins immediately stalked back up the hallway, not even pausing to give me or Jeb a parting grimace. I deeply wanted to believe that the gun in Jeb’s hands was a bluff. From the first time I’d seen him, Jeb had shown every outward appearance of kindness. He had not touched me once in violence; he had not even looked at me with recognizable hostility. Now it seemed that he was one of only two people here who meant me no harm. Jared might have fought to keep me alive, but it was plain that he was intensely conflicted about that decision. I sensed that he could change his mind at any time. From his expression, it was clear that part of him wanted this over with-especially now that Jeb had put the decision on his shoulders. While I made this analysis, Jared glowered at me with disgust in every line of his expression. However, as much as I wanted to believe that Jeb was bluffing, while I watched the three men disappear into the darkness away from me, it was obvious there was no way he could be. Under the front he presented, Jeb must have been just as deadly and cruel as the rest of them. If he hadn’t used that gun in the past-used it to kill, not just to threaten-no one would have obeyed him this way. Desperate times, Melanie whispered. We can’t afford to be kind in the world you’ve created. We’re fugitives, an endangered species. Every choice is life-or-death. Shh. I don’t have time for a debate. I need to focus. Jared was facing Jeb now, one hand held out in front of him, palm up, fingers curled limply. Now that the others were gone, their bodies slumped into a looser stance. Jeb was even grinning under his thick beard, as though he’d enjoyed the standoff at gunpoint. Strange human. “Please don’t put this on me, Jeb,” Jared said. “Kyle is right about one thing-I can’t make a rational decision.” “No one said you had to decide this second. She’s not going anywhere.” Jeb glanced down at me, still grinning. The eye closest to me-the one Jared couldn’t see-closed quickly and opened again. A wink. “Not after all the trouble she took to get here. You’ve got plenty of time to think it through.” “There’s nothing to think through. Melanie is dead. But I can’t-I can’t-Jeb, I can’t just…” Jared couldn’t seem to finish the sentence. Tell him. I’m not ready to die right this second. “Don’t think about it, then,” Jeb told him. “Maybe you’ll figure something out later. Give it some time.” “What are we going to do with it? We can’t keep watch on it round the clock.” Jeb shook his head. “That’s exactly what we’re going to have to do for a while. Things will calm down. Even Kyle can’t preserve a murderous rage for more than a few weeks.” “A few weeks? We can’t afford to play guard down here for a few weeks. We have other things -” “I know, I know.” Jeb sighed. “I’ll figure something out.” “And that’s only half the problem.” Jared looked at me again; a vein in his forehead pulsed. “Where do we keep it? It’s not like we have a cell block.” Jeb smiled down at me. “You’re not going to give us any trouble, now, are you?” I stared at him mutely. “Jeb,” Jared muttered, upset. “Oh, don’t worry about her. First of all, we’ll keep an eye on her. Secondly, she’d never be able to find her way out of here-she’d wander around lost until she ran into somebody. Which leads us to number three: she’s not that stupid.” He raised one thick white eyebrow at me. “You’re not going to go looking for Kyle or the rest of them, are you? I don’t think any of them are very fond of you.” I just stared, wary of his easy, chatty tone. “I wish you wouldn’t talk to it like that,” Jared muttered. “I was raised in a politer time, kid. I can’t help myself.” Jeb put one hand on Jared’s arm, patting lightly. “Look, you’ve had a full night. Let me take the next watch here. Get some sleep.” Jared seemed about to object, but then he looked at me again and his expression hardened. “Whatever you want, Jeb. And… I don’t-I won’t accept responsibility for this thing. Kill it if you think that’s best.” I flinched. Jared scowled at my reaction, then turned his back abruptly and walked the same way the others had gone. Jeb watched him go. While he was distracted, I crept back into my hole. I heard Jeb settle slowly to the ground beside the opening. He sighed and stretched, popping a few joints. After a few minutes, he started whistling quietly. It was a cheery tune. I curled myself around my bent knees, pressing my back into the farthest recess of the little cell. Tremors started at the small of my back and ran up and down my spine. My hands shook, and my teeth chattered softly together, despite the soggy heat. “Might as well lie down and get some sleep,” Jeb said, whether to me or to himself, I wasn’t sure. “Tomorrow’s bound to be a tough one.” The shivers passed after a time-maybe half an hour. When they were gone, I felt exhausted. I decided to take Jeb’s advice. Though the floor felt even more uncomfortable than before, I was unconscious in seconds. The smell of food woke me. This time I was groggy and disoriented when I opened my eyes. An instinctive sense of panic had my hands trembling again before I was fully conscious. The same tray sat on the ground beside me, identical offerings on it. I could both see and hear Jeb. He sat in front of the cave in profile, looking straight ahead down the long round corridor and whistling softly. Driven by my fierce thirst, I sat up and grabbed the open bottle of water. “Morning,” Jeb said, nodding in my direction. I froze, my hand on the bottle, until he turned his head and started whistling again. Only now, not quite so desperately thirsty as before, did I notice the odd, unpleasant aftertaste to the water. It matched the acrid taste of the air, but it was slightly stronger. The tang lingered in my mouth, inescapable. I ate quickly, this time saving the soup for last. My stomach reacted more happily today, accepting the food with better grace. It barely gurgled. My body had other needs, though, now that the loudest ones had been sated. I looked around my dark, cramped hole. There weren’t a lot of options visible. But I could barely contain my fear at the thought of speaking up and making a request, even of the bizarre but friendly Jeb. I rocked back and forth, debating. My hips ached from curving to the bowled shape of the cave. “Ahem,” Jeb said. He was looking at me again, his face a deeper color under the white hair than usual. “You’ve been stuck in here for a while,” he said. “You need to… get out?” I nodded. “Don’t mind a walk myself.” His voice was cheerful. He sprang to his feet with surprising agility. I crawled to the edge of my hole, staring out at him cautiously. “I’ll show you our little washroom,” he continued. “Now, you should know that we’re going to have to go through… kind of the main plaza, so to speak. Don’t worry. I think everyone will have gotten the message by now.” Unconsciously, he stroked the length of his gun. I tried to swallow. My bladder was so full it was a constant pain, impossible to ignore. But to parade right through the middle of the hive of angry killers? Couldn’t he just bring me a bucket? He measured the panic in my eyes-watched the way I automatically shrank back farther into the hole-and his lips pursed in speculation. Then he turned and started walking down the dark hall. “Follow me,” he called back, not looking to see if I obeyed. I had one vivid flash of Kyle finding me here alone, and was after Jeb before a second passed, scrambling awkwardly through the opening and then hobbling along on my stiff legs as fast as I could to catch up. It felt both horrible and wonderful to stand straight again-the pain was sharp, but the relief was greater. I was close behind him when we reached the end of the hall; darkness loomed through the tall broken oval of the exit. I hesitated, looking back at the small lamp he’d left on the floor. It was the only light in the dark cave. Was I supposed to bring it? He heard me stop and turned to peer at me over his shoulder. I nodded toward the light, then looked back at him. “Leave it. I know my way.” He held out his free hand to me. “I’ll guide you.” I stared at the hand for a long moment, and then, feeling the urgency in my bladder, I slowly put my hand on his palm, barely touching it-the way I would have touched a snake if for some reason I was ever forced to. Jeb led me through the blackness with sure, quick steps. The long tunnel was followed by a series of bewildering twists in opposing directions. As we rounded yet another sharp V in the path, I knew I was hopelessly turned around. I was sure this was on purpose, and the reason Jeb had left the lamp behind. He wouldn’t want me knowing too much about how to find my way out of this labyrinth. I was curious as to how this place had come to be, how Jeb had found it, and how the others had wound up here. But I forced my lips tightly together. It seemed to me that keeping silent was my best bet now. What I was hoping for, I wasn’t sure. A few more days of life? Just a cessation of pain? Was there anything else left? All I knew was that I wasn’t ready to die, as I’d told Melanie before; my survival instinct was every bit as developed as the average human’s. We turned another corner, and the first light reached us. Ahead, a tall, narrow crevice glowed with light from another room. This light was not artificial like the little lamp by my cave. It was too white, too pure. We couldn’t move through the narrow fracture in the rock side by side. Jeb went first, towing me close behind. Once through-and able to see again-I pulled my hand out of Jeb’s light grip. He didn’t react in any way except to put his newly freed hand back on the gun. We were in a short tunnel, and a brighter light shone through a rough arched doorway. The walls were the same holey purple rock. I could hear voices now. They were low, less urgent than the last time I’d heard the babble of a human crowd. No one was expecting us today. I could only imagine what the response would be to my appearance with Jeb. My palms were cold and wet; my breath came in shallow gasps. I leaned as close as I could to Jeb without actually touching him. “Easy,” he murmured, not turning. “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” I doubted that. And even if there were any way that it could be true, fear turned into hatred and violence in the human heart. “I won’t let anybody hurt you,” Jeb mumbled as he reached the archway. “Anyway, might as well get used to this.” I wanted to ask what that meant, but he stepped through into the next room. I crept in after him, half a step behind, keeping myself hidden by his body as much as possible. The only thing harder than moving myself forward into that room was the thought of falling behind Jeb and being caught alone here. Sudden silence greeted our entrance. We were in the gigantic, bright cavern again, the one they’d first brought me to. How long ago was that? I had no idea. The ceiling was still too bright for me to make out exactly how it was lit. I hadn’t noticed before, but the walls were not unbroken-dozens of irregular gaps opened to adjoining tunnels. Some of the openings were huge, others barely large enough for a man to fit through stooped over; some were natural crevices, others were, if not man-made, at least enhanced by someone’s hands. Several people stared at us from the recesses of those crevices, frozen in the act of coming or going. More people were out in the open, their bodies caught in the middle of whatever movement our entrance had interrupted. One woman was bent in half, reaching for her shoelaces. A man’s motionless arms hung in the air, raised to illustrate some point he’d been making to his companions. Another man wobbled, caught off balance in a sudden stop. His foot came down hard as he struggled to keep steady; the thud of its fall was the only sound in the vast space. It echoed through the room. It was fundamentally wrong for me to feel grateful to that hideous weapon in Jeb’s hands… but I did. I knew that without it we would probably have been attacked. These humans would not stop themselves from hurting Jeb if it meant they could get to me. Though we might be attacked despite the gun. Jeb could only shoot one of them at a time. The picture in my head had turned so grisly that I couldn’t bear it. I tried to focus on my immediate surroundings, which were bad enough. Jeb paused for a moment, the gun held at his waist, pointing outward. He stared all around the room, seeming to lock his gaze one by one with each person in it. There were fewer than twenty here; it did not take long. When he was satisfied with his study, he headed for the left wall of the cavern. Blood thudding in my ears, I followed in his shadow. He did not walk directly across the cavern, instead keeping close to the curve of the wall. I wondered at his path until I noticed a large square of darker ground that took up the center of the floor-a very large space. No one stood on this darker ground. I was too frightened to do more than notice the anomaly; I didn’t even guess at a reason. There were small movements as we circled the silent room. The bending woman straightened, twisting at the waist to watch us go. The gesturing man folded his arms across his chest. All eyes narrowed, and all faces tightened into expressions of rage. However, no one moved toward us, and no one spoke. Whatever Kyle and the others had told these people about their confrontation with Jeb, it seemed to have had the effect Jeb was hoping for. As we passed through the grove of human statues, I recognized Sharon and Maggie eyeing us from the wide mouth of one opening. Their expressions were blank, their eyes cold. They did not look at me, only Jeb. He ignored them. It felt like years later when we finally reached the far side of the cavern. Jeb headed for a medium-sized exit, black against the brightness of this room. The eyes on my back made my scalp tingle, but I didn’t dare to look behind me. The humans were still silent, but I worried that they might follow. It was a relief to slip into the darkness of the new passageway. Jeb’s hand touched my elbow to guide me, and I did not shrink away from it. The babble of voices didn’t pick up again behind us. “That went better than I expected,” Jeb muttered as he steered me through the cave. His words surprised me, and I was glad I didn’t know what he’d thought would happen. The ground sloped downward under my feet. Ahead, a dim light kept me from total blindness. “Bet you’ve never seen anything like my place here.” Jeb’s voice was louder now, back to the chatty tone he’d used before. “It’s really something, isn’t it?” He paused briefly in case I might respond, and then went on. “Found this place back in the seventies. Well, it found me. I fell through the roof of the big room-probably shoulda died from the fall, but I’m too tough for my own good. Took me a while to find a way out. I was hungry enough to eat rock by the time I managed it. “I was the only one left on the ranch by then, so I didn’t have anyone to show it to. I explored every nook and cranny, and I could see the possibilities. I decided this might be a good card to keep up my sleeve, just in case. That’s how we Stryders are-we like to be prepared.” We passed the dim light-it came from a fist-sized hole in the ceiling, making a small circle of brightness on the floor. When it was behind us, I could see another spot of illumination far ahead. “You’re probably curious as to how this all got here.” Another pause, shorter than the last. “I know I was. I did a little research. These are lava tubes-can you beat that? This used to be a volcano. Well, still is a volcano, I expect. Not quite dead, as you’ll see in a bit. All these caves and holes are bubbles of air that got caught in the cooling lava. I’ve put quite a bit of work into it over the last few decades. Some of it was easy-connecting the tubes just took a little elbow grease. Other parts took more imagination. Did you see the ceiling in the big room? That took me years to get right.” I wanted to ask him how, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Silence was safest. The floor began to slant downward at a steeper angle. The terrain was broken into rough steps, but they seemed secure enough. Jeb led me down them confidently. As we dropped lower and lower into the ground, the heat and humidity increased. I stiffened when I heard a babble of voices again, this time from ahead. Jeb patted my hand kindly. “You’ll like this part-it’s always everyone’s favorite,” he promised. A wide, open arch shimmered with moving light. It was the same color as the light in the big room, pure and white, but it flickered at a strange dancing pace. Like everything else that I couldn’t understand in this cavern, the light frightened me. “Here we are,” Jeb said enthusiastically, pulling me through the archway. “What do you think?” CHAPTER 17.Visited The heat hit me first-like a wall of steam, the moist, thick air rolled over me and dewed on my skin. My mouth opened automatically as I tried to pull a breath from the abruptly denser air. The smell was stronger than before-that same metallic tang that clung in my throat and flavored the water here. The murmuring babble of bass and soprano voices seemed to issue from every side, echoing off the walls. I squinted anxiously through the swirling cloud of moisture, trying to make out where the voices came from. It was bright here-the ceiling was dazzling, like in the big room but much closer. The light danced off the vapor, creating a shimmering curtain that almost blinded me. My eyes struggled to adjust, and I clutched at Jeb’s hand in panic. I was surprised that the strangely fluid babble did not respond in any way to our entrance. Perhaps they couldn’t see us yet, either. “It’s a bit close in here,” Jeb said apologetically, fanning at the steam in front of his face. His voice was relaxed, conversational in tone, and loud enough to make me jump. He spoke as if we were not surrounded. And the babble continued, oblivious to his voice. “Not that I’m complaining,” he continued. “I’d be dead several times over if this place didn’t exist. The very first time I got stuck in the caves, of course. And now, we’d never be able to hide out here without it. With no hiding place, we’re all dead, right?” He nudged me with his elbow, a conspiratorial gesture. “Mighty convenient, how it’s laid out. Couldn’t have planned it much better if I’d sculpted it myself out of play dough.” His laugh cleared a section of mist, and I saw the room for the first time. Two rivers flowed through the dank, high-domed space. This was the chatter that filled my ears-the water gushing over and under the purple volcanic rock. Jeb spoke as if we were alone because we were. It was really only one river and one small stream. The stream was closest; a shallow braided ribbon of silver in the light from above, coursing between low stone banks that it seemed constantly in danger of overrunning. A feminine, high-pitched murmur purred from its gentle ripples. The male, bass gurgle came from the river, as did the thick clouds of vapor that rose from the gaping holes in the ground by the far wall. The river was black, submerged under the floor of the cavern, exposed by wide, round erosions along the length of the room. The holes looked dark and dangerous, the river barely visible as it rushed powerfully toward an invisible and unfathomable destination. The water seemed to simmer, such was the heat and steam it produced. The sound of it, too, was like that of boiling water. From the ceiling hung a few long, narrow stalactites, dripping toward the stalagmites beneath each one. Three of them had met, forming thin black pillars between the two bodies of flowing water. “Got to be careful in here,” Jeb said. “Quite a current in the hot spring. If you fall in, you’re gone. Happened once before.” He bowed his head at the memory, his face sober. The swift black eddies of the subterranean river were suddenly horrible to me. I imagined being caught in their scalding current and shuddered. Jeb put his hand lightly on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Just watch your step and you’ll be fine. Now,” he said, pointing to the far end of the cavern, where the shallow stream ran into a dark cave, “the first cave back there is the bathing room. We’ve dug the floor out to make a nice, deep tub. There’s a schedule for taking baths, but privacy’s not usually an issue-it’s black as pitch. The room’s nice and warm so close to the steam, but the water won’t burn you like the hot spring here. There’s another cave just past that one, through a crevice. We’ve widened the entrance up to a comfortable size. That room is the farthest we can follow the stream-it drops underground there. So we’ve got that room fixed up as the latrine. Convenient and sanitary.” His voice had assumed a complacent tone, as if he felt credit was due to him for nature’s creations. Well, he had discovered and improved the place-I supposed some pride was justified. “We don’t like to waste batteries, and most of us know the floor here by heart, but since it’s your first time, you can find your way with this.” Jeb pulled a flashlight from his pocket and held it out. The sight of it reminded me of the moment he’d found me dying in the desert, when he’d checked my eyes and known what I was. I didn’t know why the memory made me sad. “Don’t get any crazy ideas about maybe the river taking you out of here or something. Once that water goes underground, it doesn’t come back up,” he cautioned me. Since he seemed to be waiting for some acknowledgment of his warning, I nodded once. I took the flashlight from his hand slowly, being careful not to make any quick movements that might startle him. He smiled in encouragement. I followed his directions quickly-the sound of the rushing water was not making my discomfort any easier to bear. It felt very strange to be out of his sight. What if someone had hidden in these caves, guessing I would have to come here eventually? Would Jeb hear the struggle over the cacophony of the rivers? I shone the flashlight all around the bathing room, looking for any sign of an ambush. The odd flickering shadows it made were not comforting, but I found no substance to my fears. Jeb’s tub was more the size of a small swimming pool and black as ink. Under the surface, a person would be invisible as long as they could hold their breath… I hurried through the slender crack at the back of the room to escape my imaginings. Away from Jeb, I was nearly overwhelmed with panic-I couldn’t breathe normally; I could barely hear over the sound of my pulse racing behind my ears. I was more running than walking when I made my way back to the room with the rivers. To find Jeb standing there, still in the same pose, still alone, was like a balm to my splintered nerves. My breathing and my heartbeat slowed. Why this crazy human should be such a comfort to me, I couldn’t understand. I supposed it was like Melanie had said, desperate times. “Not too shabby, eh?” he asked, a grin of pride on his face. I nodded once again and returned the flashlight. “These caves are a great gift,” he said as we started back toward the dark passageway. “We wouldn’t be able to survive in a group like this without them. Magnolia and Sharon were getting along real well-shockingly well-up there in Chicago, but they were pushing their luck hiding two. It’s mighty nice to have a community again. Makes me feel downright human.” He took my elbow once more as we climbed the rough stair-case out. “I’m sorry about the, um, accommodations we’ve got you in. It was the safest place I could think of. I’m surprised those boys found you as quick as they did.” Jeb sighed. “Well, Kyle gets real… motivated. But I suppose it’s all for the best. Might as well get used to how things are going to be. Maybe we can find something more hospitable for you. I’ll think on it… While I’m with you, at least, you don’t really have to cram yourself into that little hole. You can sit in the hall with me if you prefer. Though with Jared…” He trailed off. I listened to his apologetic words in wonder; this was so much more kindness than I’d hoped for, more compassion than I’d thought this species was capable of giving their enemies. I patted the hand on my elbow lightly, hesitantly, trying to convey that I understood and wouldn’t cause a problem. I was sure Jared much preferred to have me out of sight. Jeb had no trouble translating my wordless communication. “That’s a good girl,” he said. “We’ll figure this all out somehow. Doc can just concentrate on healin’ human folks. You’re much more interesting alive, I think.” Our bodies were close enough that he was able to feel me tremble. “Don’t worry. Doc’s not going to bother you now.” I couldn’t stop shivering. Jeb could only promise me now. There was no guarantee that Jared would not decide my secret was more important than protecting Melanie’s body. I knew that such a fate would make me wish Ian had succeeded last night. I swallowed, feeling the bruising that seemed to go all the way through my neck to the inside walls of my throat. You never know how much time you’ll have, Melanie had said so many days ago, when my world was still under control. Her words echoed in my head as we reentered the big room, the main plaza of Jeb’s human community. It was full, like the first night, everyone there to glare at us with eyes that blazed anger and betrayal when they looked at him and murder when they looked at me. I kept my gaze down on the rock under my feet. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Jeb held his gun ready again. It was only a matter of time, indeed. I could feel it in the atmosphere of hate and fear. Jeb could not protect me long. It was a relief to scrape back through the narrow crevice, to look forward to the winding black labyrinth and my cramped hiding place; I could hope to be alone there. Behind me, a furious hissing, like a nest of goaded snakes, echoed in the big cavern. The sound made me wish Jeb would lead me through the labyrinth at a quicker pace. Jeb chuckled under his breath. He seemed to get stranger the longer I was around him. His sense of humor mystified me as much as his motivations did. “It gets a bit tedious down here sometimes, you know,” he murmured to me, or to himself. With Jeb, it was hard to tell. “Maybe when they get over being cheesed off at me, they’ll realize they appreciate all the excitement I’m providing.” Our path through the dark twisted in a serpentine fashion. It didn’t feel at all familiar. Perhaps he took a different route to keep me lost. It seemed to take more time than before, but finally I could see the dim blue light of the lamp shining from around the next curve. I braced myself, wondering if Jared would be there again. If he was, I knew he would be angry. I was sure he wouldn’t approve of Jeb taking me for a field trip, no matter how necessary it might have been. As soon as we rounded the corner, I could see that there was a figure slumped against the wall beside the lamp, casting a long shadow toward us, but it was obviously not Jared. My hand clutched at Jeb’s arm, an automatic spasm of fear. And then I really looked at the waiting figure. It was smaller than me-that was how I’d known it was not Jared-and thin. Small, but also too tall and too wiry. Even in the dim light of the blue lamp, I could see that his skin was dyed to a deep brown by the sun, and that his silky black hair now fell unkempt past his chin. My knees buckled. My hand, grasping Jeb’s arm in panic, held on for support. “Well, for Pete’s sake!” Jeb exclaimed, obviously irritated. “Can’t nobody keep a secret around this place for more’n twenty-four hours? Gol’ durn, this burns me up! Bunch of gossipmongers…” He trailed off into a grumble. I didn’t even try to understand the words Jeb was saying; I was locked in the fiercest battle of my life-of every life I’d ever lived. I could feel Melanie in each cell of my body. My nerve endings tingled in recognition of her familiar presence. My muscles twitched in anticipation of her direction. My lips trembled, trying to open. I leaned forward toward the boy in the hall, my body reaching because my arms would not. Melanie had learned many things the few times I’d ceded or lost my command to her, and I truly had to struggle against her-so hard that fresh sweat beaded on my brow. But I was not dying in the desert now. Nor was I weak and dizzy and taken off guard by the appearance of someone I’d given up for lost; I’d known this moment might come. My body was resilient, quick to heal-I was strong again. The strength of my body gave strength to my control, to my determination. I drove her from my limbs, chased her from every hold she’d found, thrust her back into the recesses of my mind, and chained her there. Her surrender was sudden and total. Aaah, she sighed, and it was almost a moan of pain. I felt strangely guilty as soon as I’d won. I’d already known that she was more to me than a resistant host who made life unnecessarily difficult. We’d become companions, even confidantes during our past weeks together-ever since the Seeker had united us against a common enemy. In the desert, with Kyle’s knife over my head, I’d been glad that if I had to die I would not be the one to kill Melanie; even then, she was more than a body to me. But now it seemed like something beyond that. I regretted causing her pain. It was necessary, though, and she didn’t seem to grasp that. Any word we said wrong, any poorly considered action would mean a quick execution. Her reactions were too wild and emotional. She would get us into trouble. You have to trust me now, I told her. I’m just trying to keep us alive. I know you don’t want to believe your humans could hurt us… But it’s Jamie, she whispered. She yearned for the boy with an emotion so strong that it weakened my knees again. I tried to look at him impartially-this sullen-faced teenager slumped against the tunnel wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest. I tried to see him as a stranger and plan my response, or lack of response, accordingly. I tried, but I failed. He was Jamie, he was beautiful, and my arms-mine, not Melanie’s-longed to hold him. Tears filled my eyes and trickled down my face. I could only hope they were invisible in the dim light. “Jeb,” Jamie said-a gruff greeting. His eyes passed swiftly over me and away. His voice was so deep! Could he really be so old? I realized with a double pang of guilt that I’d just missed his fourteenth birthday. Melanie showed me the day, and I saw that it was the same day as the first dream with Jamie. She’d struggled so hard all through the waking hours to keep her pain to herself, to cloud her memories in order to protect the boy, that he’d come out in her dream. And I’d e-mailed the Seeker. I shuddered now in disbelief that I’d ever been so callous. “Whatcha doing here, kid?” Jeb demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Jamie demanded back. Jeb went silent. “Was that Jared’s idea?” Jamie pressed. Jeb sighed. “Okay, so you know. What good does that do you, eh? We only wanted to -” “To protect me?” he interrupted, surly. When did he get so bitter? Was it my fault? Of course it was. Melanie began sobbing in my head. It was distracting, loud-it made Jeb and Jamie’s voices sound farther away. “Fine, Jamie. So you don’t need protecting. What do you want?” This quick capitulation seemed to throw Jamie off. His eyes darted between Jeb’s face and mine while he struggled to come up with a request. “I-I want to talk with her… with it,” he finally said. His voice was higher when he was unsure. “She doesn’t say much,” Jeb told him, “but you’re welcome to try, kid.” Jeb pried my fingers off his arm. When he was free, he turned his back to the nearest wall, leaning into it as he eased himself to the floor. He settled in there, fidgeting until he found a comfortable position. The gun stayed balanced in the cradle of his lap. Jeb’s head lolled back against the wall, and his eyes closed. In seconds, he looked like he was asleep. I stood where he’d left me, trying to keep my eyes off Jamie’s face and failing. Jamie was surprised again by Jeb’s easy acquiescence. He watched the old man recline on the floor with wide eyes that made him look younger. After a few minutes of perfect stillness from Jeb, Jamie looked back up at me, and his eyes tightened. The way he stared at me-angry, trying hard to be brave and grown-up, but also showing the fear and pain so clearly in his dark eyes-had Melanie sobbing louder and my knees shaking. Rather than take a chance with another collapse, I moved slowly to the tunnel wall across from Jeb and slid down to the floor. I curled up around my bent legs, trying to be as small as possible. Jamie watched me with cautious eyes and then took four slow steps forward until he stood over me. His glance flitted to Jeb, who hadn’t moved or opened his eyes, and then Jamie knelt down at my side. His face was suddenly intense, and it made him look more adult than any expression yet. My heart throbbed for the sad man in the little boy’s face. “You’re not Melanie,” he said in a low voice. It was harder not to speak to him because I was the one who wanted to speak. Instead, after a brief hesitation, I shook my head. “You’re inside her body, though.” Another pause, and I nodded. “What happened to your… to her face?” I shrugged. I didn’t know what my face looked like, but I could imagine. “Who did this to you?” he pressed. With a hesitant finger, he almost touched the side of my neck. I held still, feeling no urge to cringe away from this hand. “Aunt Maggie, Jared, and Ian,” Jeb listed off in a bored voice. We both jumped at the sound. Jeb hadn’t moved, and his eyes were still closed. He looked so peaceful, as if he had answered Jamie’s question in his sleep. Jamie waited for a moment, then turned back to me with the same intense expression. “You’re not Melanie, but you know all her memories and stuff, right?” I nodded again. “Do you know who I am?” I tried to swallow the words, but they slipped through my lips. “You’re Jamie.” I couldn’t help how my voice wrapped around the name like a caress. He blinked, startled that I had broken my silence. Then he nodded. “Right,” he whispered back. We both looked at Jeb, who remained still, and back at each other. “Then you remember what happened to her?” he asked. I winced, and then nodded slowly. “I want to know,” he whispered. I shook my head. “I want to know,” Jamie repeated. His lips trembled. “I’m not a kid. Tell me.” “It’s not… pleasant,” I breathed, unable to stop myself. It was very hard to deny this boy what he wanted. His straight black eyebrows pulled together and up in the middle over his wide eyes. “Please,” he whispered. I glanced at Jeb. I thought that maybe he was peeking from between his lashes now, but I couldn’t be sure. My voice was soft as breathing. “Someone saw her go into a place that was off-limits. They knew something was wrong. They called the Seekers.” He flinched at the title. “The Seekers tried to get her to surrender. She ran from them. When they had her cornered, she jumped into an open elevator shaft.” I recoiled from the memory of pain, and Jamie’s face went white under his tan. “She didn’t die?” he whispered. “No. We have very skilled Healers. They mended her quickly. Then they put me in her. They hoped I would be able to tell them how she had survived so long.” I had not meant to say so much; my mouth snapped shut. Jamie didn’t seem to notice my slip, but Jeb’s eyes opened slowly and fixed on my face. No other part of him moved, and Jamie didn’t see the change. “Why didn’t you let her die?” he asked. He had to swallow hard; a sob was threatening in his voice. This was all the more painful to hear because it was not the sound a child makes, frightened of the unknown, but the fully comprehending agony of an adult. It was so hard not to reach out and put my hand on his cheek. I wanted to hug him to me and beg him not to be sad. I curled my hands into fists and tried to concentrate on his question. Jeb’s eyes flickered to my hands and back to my face. “I wasn’t in on the decision,” I murmured. “I was still in a hibernation tank in deep space when that happened.” Jamie blinked again in surprise. My answer was nothing he’d expected, and I could see him struggling with some new emotion. I glanced at Jeb; his eyes were bright with curiosity. The same curiosity, though more wary, won out with Jamie. “Where were you coming from?” he asked. In spite of myself, I smiled at his unwilling interest. “Far away. Another planet.” “What was -” he started to ask, but he was interrupted by another question. “What the hell?” Jared shouted at us, frozen with fury in the act of rounding the corner at the end of the tunnel. “Damn it, Jeb! We agreed not to -” Jamie wrenched himself upright. “Jeb didn’t bring me here. But you should have.” Jeb sighed and got slowly to his feet. As he did so, the gun rolled from his lap onto the floor. It stopped only a few inches from me. I scooted away, uncomfortable. Jared had a different reaction. He lunged toward me, closing the length of the hallway in a few running strides. I cowered into the wall and covered my face with my arms. Peeking around my elbow, I watched him jerk the gun up from the floor. “Are you trying to get us killed?” he almost screamed at Jeb, shoving the gun into the old man’s chest. “Calm down, Jared,” Jeb said in a tired voice. He took the gun in one hand. “She wouldn’t touch this thing if I left it down here alone with her all night. Can’t you see that?” He stabbed the barrel of the gun toward me, and I cringed away. “She’s no Seeker, this one.” “Shut up, Jeb, just shut up!” “Leave him alone,” Jamie shouted. “He didn’t do anything wrong.” “You!” Jared shouted back, turning on the slim, angry figure. “You get out of here now, or so help me!” Jamie balled his fists and stood his ground. Jared’s fists came up, too. I was rooted in place with shock. How could they scream at each other this way? They were family, the bonds between them stronger than any blood tie. Jared wouldn’t hit Jamie-he couldn’t! I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what to do. Anything that brought me to their attention would only make them angrier. For once, Melanie was calmer than I was. He can’t hurt Jamie, she thought confidently. It’s not possible. I looked at them, facing off like enemies, and panicked. We should never have come here. See how unhappy we’ve made them, I moaned. “You shouldn’t have tried to keep this a secret from me,” Jamie said between his teeth. “And you shouldn’t have hurt her.” One of his hands unclenched and flew out to point at my face. Jared spit on the floor. “That’s not Melanie. She’s never coming back, Jamie.” “That’s her face,” Jamie insisted. “And her neck. Don’t the bruises there bother you?” Jared dropped his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You will either leave right now, Jamie, and give me some space, or I will make you leave. I am not bluffing. I can’t deal with any more right now, okay? I’m at my limit. So can we please have this conversation later?” He opened his eyes again; they were full of pain. Jamie looked at him, and the anger drained slowly from his face. “Sorry,” he muttered after a moment. “I’ll go… but I’m not promising that I won’t come back.” “I can’t think about that now. Go. Please.” Jamie shrugged. He threw one more searching look at me, and then he left, his quick, long stride making me ache again for the time I’d missed. Jared looked at Jeb. “You, too,” he said in a flat voice. Jeb rolled his eyes. “I don’t think you’ve had a long enough break, to be honest. I’ll keep an eye on -” “Go.” Jeb frowned thoughtfully. “Okay. Sure.” He started down the hall. “Jeb?” Jared called after him. “Yeah?” “If I asked you to shoot it right now, would you do it?” Jeb kept walking slowly, not looking at us, but his words were clear. “I’d have to. I follow my own rules. So don’t ask me unless you really mean it.” He disappeared into the dark. Jared watched him go. Before he could turn his glower on me, I ducked into my uncomfortable sanctuary and curled up in the back corner. CHAPTER 18.Bored I spent the rest of the day, with one brief exception, in total silence. That exception occurred when Jeb brought food for both Jared and me several hours later. As he set the tray inside the entrance to my tiny cave, he smiled at me apologetically. “Thank you,” I whispered. “You’re welcome,” he told me. I heard Jared grunt, irritated by our small exchange. That was the only sound Jared made all day. I was sure he was out there, but there was never so much as an audible breath to confirm that conviction. It was a very long day-very cramped and very dull. I tried every position I could imagine, but I could never quite manage to get all of me stretched out comfortably at once. The small of my back began a steady throbbing. Melanie and I thought a lot about Jamie. Mostly we worried that we had damaged him by coming here, that we were injuring him now. What was a kept promise in comparison with that? Time lost meaning. It could have been sunset, it could have been dawn-I had no references here, buried in the earth. Melanie and I ran out of topics for discussion. We flipped through our joint memories apathetically, like switching TV channels without stopping to watch anything in particular. I napped once but could not fall soundly asleep because I was so uncomfortable. When Jeb finally came back, I could have kissed his leathery face. He leaned into my cell with a grin stretching his cheeks. “’Bout time for another walk?” he asked me. I nodded eagerly. “I’ll do it,” Jared growled. “Give me the gun.” I hesitated, crouched awkwardly in the mouth of my cave, until Jeb nodded at me. “Go ahead,” he told me. I climbed out, stiff and unsteady, and took Jeb’s offered hand to balance myself. Jared made a sound of revulsion and turned his face away. He was holding the gun tightly, his knuckles white over the barrel. I didn’t like to see it in his hands. It bothered me more than it did with Jeb. Jared didn’t make allowances for me the way Jeb had. He stalked off into the black tunnel without pausing for me to catch up. It was hard-he didn’t make much noise and he didn’t guide me, so I had to walk with one hand in front of my face and one hand on the wall, trying not to run into the rock. I fell twice on the uneven floor. Though he did not help me, he did wait till he could hear that I was on my feet again to continue. Once, hurrying through a straighter section of the tube, I got too close and my searching hand touched his back, traced across the shape of his shoulders, before I realized that I hadn’t reached another wall. He jumped ahead, jerking out from under my fingers with an angry hiss. “Sorry,” I whispered, feeling my cheeks turn warm in the darkness. He didn’t respond, but sped his pace so that following was even more difficult. I was confused when, finally, some light appeared ahead of me. Had we taken a different route? This was not the white brilliance of the biggest cavern. It was muted, pale and silvery. But the narrow crevice we’d had to pass through seemed the same… It wasn’t until I was inside the giant, echoing space that I realized what caused the difference. It was nighttime; the light that shone dimly from above mimicked the light of the moon rather than the sun. I used the less-blinding illumination to examine the ceiling, trying to ferret out its secret. High, so very high above me, a hundred tiny moons shone their diluted light toward the dim, distant floor. The little moons were scattered in patternless clusters, some farther away than others. I shook my head. Even though I could look directly at the light now, I still didn’t understand it. “C’mon,” Jared ordered angrily from several paces ahead. I flinched and hurried to follow. I was sorry I’d let my attention wander. I could see how much it irritated him to have to speak to me. I didn’t expect the help of a flashlight when we reached the room with the rivers, and I didn’t receive it. It was dimly lit now, too, like the big cave, but with only twenty-odd miniature moons here. Jared clenched his jaw and stared at the ceiling while I walked hesitantly into the room with the inky pool. I guessed that if I stumbled into the fierce underground hot spring and disappeared, Jared would probably see it as a kind intervention of fate. I think he would be sad, Melanie disagreed as I edged my way around the black bathing room, hugging the wall. If we fell. I doubt it. He might be reminded of the pain of losing you the first time, but he would be happy if I disappeared. Because he doesn’t know you, Melanie whispered, and then faded away as if she were suddenly exhausted. I stood frozen where I was, surprised. I wasn’t sure, but it felt as though Melanie had just given me a compliment. “Move it,” Jared barked from the other room. I hurried as fast as the darkness and my fear would allow. When we returned, Jeb was waiting by the blue lamp; at his feet were two lumpy cylinders and two uneven rectangles. I hadn’t noticed them before. Perhaps he’d gone to get them while we were away. “Are you sleeping here tonight or am I?” Jeb asked Jared in a casual tone. Jared looked at the shapes by Jeb’s feet. “I am,” he answered curtly. “And I only need one bedroll.” Jeb raised a thick eyebrow. “It’s not one of us, Jeb. You left this on me-so butt out.” “She’s not an animal, either, kid. And you wouldn’t treat a dog this way.” Jared didn’t answer. His teeth ground together. “Never figured you for a cruel man,” Jeb said softly. But he picked up one of the cylinders, put his arm through a strap, and slung it over his shoulder, then stuffed one rectangle-a pillow-under his arm. “Sorry, honey,” he said as he passed me, patting my shoulder. “Cut that out!” Jared growled. Jeb shrugged and ambled away. Before he was out of sight, I hurried to disappear into my cell; I hid in its darkest reaches, coiling myself into a tight ball that I hoped was too small to see. Instead of lurking silently and invisibly in the outside tunnel, Jared spread his bedroll directly in front of the mouth of my prison. He plumped his pillow a few times, possibly trying to rub it in that he had one. He lay down on the mat and crossed his arms over his chest. That was the piece of him that I could see through the hole-just his crossed arms and half of his stomach. His skin was that same dark gold tan that had haunted my dreams for the last half year. It was very strange to have that piece of my dream in solid reality not five feet from me. Surreal. “You won’t be able to sneak past me,” he warned. His voice was softer than before-sleepy. “If you try…” He yawned. “I will kill you.” I didn’t respond. The warning struck me as a bit of an insult. Why would I try to sneak past him? Where would I go? Into the hands of the barbarians out there waiting for me, all of them wishing that I would make exactly that kind of stupid attempt? Or, supposing I could somehow sneak past them, back out into the desert that had nearly baked me to death the last time I’d tried to cross it? I wondered what he thought me capable of. What plan did he think I was hatching to overthrow their little world? Did I really seem so powerful? Wasn’t it clear how pathetically defenseless I was? I could tell when he was deeply asleep because he started twitching the way Melanie remembered he occasionally did. He only slept so restlessly when he was upset. I watched his fingers clench and unclench, and I wondered if he was dreaming that they were wrapped around my neck. The days that followed-perhaps a week of them, it was impossible to keep track-were very quiet. Jared was like a silent wall between me and everything else in the world, good or bad. There was no sound but that of my own breathing, my own movements; there were no sights but the black cave around me, the circle of dull light, the familiar tray with the same rations, the brief, stolen glimpses of Jared; there were no touches but the pitted rocks against my skin; there were no tastes but the bitter water, the hard bread, the bland soup, the woody roots, over and over again. It was a very strange combination: constant terror, persistent aching physical discomfort, and excruciating monotony. Of the three, the killer boredom was the hardest to take. My prison was a sensory-deprivation chamber. Together, Melanie and I worried that we were going to go mad. We both hear a voice in our head, she pointed out. That’s never a good sign. We’re going to forget how to speak, I worried. How long has it been since anyone talked to us? Four days ago you thanked Jeb for bringing us food, and he said you were welcome. Well, I think it was four days ago. Four long sleeps ago, at least. She seemed to sigh. Stop chewing your nails-it took me years to break that habit. But the long, scratchy nails bothered me. I don’t really think we need to worry about bad habits in the long term. Jared didn’t let Jeb bring food again. Instead, someone brought it to the end of the hall and Jared retrieved it. I got the same thing-bread, soup, and vegetables-twice every day. Sometimes there were extra things for Jared, packaged foods with brand names I recognized-Red Vines, Snickers, Pop-Tarts. I tried to imagine how the humans had gotten their hands on these delicacies. I didn’t expect him to share-of course not-but I wondered sometimes if he thought I was hoping he would. One of my few entertainments was hearing him eat his treats, because he always did so ostentatiously, perhaps rubbing it in the way he had with the pillow that first night. Once, Jared slowly ripped open a bag of Cheetos-showy about it as usual-and the rich smell of fake powdered cheese rolled through my cave… delicious, irresistible. He ate one slowly, letting me hear each distinct crunch. My stomach growled loudly, and I laughed at myself. I hadn’t laughed in so long; I tried to remember the last time and couldn’t-just that strange bout of macabre hysteria in the desert, which really didn’t count as laughter. Even before I’d come here, there hadn’t been much I’d found funny. But this seemed hilarious to me for some reason-my stomach yearning after that one small Cheeto-and I laughed again. A sign of madness, surely. I didn’t know how my reaction offended him, but he got up and disappeared. After a long moment, I could hear him eating the Cheetos again, but from farther away. I peeked out of the hole to see that he was sitting in the shadows at the end of the corridor, his back to me. I pulled my head inside, afraid he might turn and catch me watching. From then on, he stayed down at that end of the hall as much as possible. Only at night did he stretch out in front of my prison. Twice a day-or rather twice a night, as he never took me when the others were about-I got to walk to the room with the rivers; it was a highlight, despite the terror, as it was the only time I was not hunched into the unnatural shapes my small cave forced on me. Each time I had to crawl back inside was harder than the last. Three times that week, always during the sleeping hours, someone came to check on us. The first time it was Kyle. Jared’s sudden lunge to his feet woke me. “Get out of here,” he warned, holding the gun ready. “Just checking,” Kyle said. His voice was far away but loud and rough enough that I was sure it was not his brother. “Someday you might not be here. Someday you might sleep too soundly.” Jared’s only answer was to cock the gun. I heard Kyle’s laughter trailing behind him as he left. The other two times I didn’t know who it was. Kyle again, or maybe Ian, or maybe someone whose name I hadn’t learned. All I knew was that twice more I was woken by Jared jumping to his feet with the gun pointed at the intruder. No more words were spoken. Whoever was just checking didn’t bother to make conversation. When they were gone, Jared went back to sleep quickly. It took me longer to quiet my heart. The fourth time was something new. I was not quite asleep when Jared started awake, rolling to his knees in a swift movement. He came up with the gun in his hands and a curse on his lips. “Easy,” a voice murmured from the distance. “I come in peace.” “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying,” Jared growled. “I just want to talk.” The voice came closer. “You’re buried down here, missing the important discussions… We miss your take on things.” “I’m sure,” Jared said sarcastically. “Oh, put the gun down. If I was planning to fight you, I would have come with four guys this time.” There was a short silence, and when Jared spoke again, his voice carried a hint of dark humor. “How’s your brother these days?” he asked. Jared seemed to enjoy the question. It relaxed him to tease his visitor. He sat down and slouched against the wall halfway in front of my prison, at ease, but with the gun still ready. My neck ached, seeming to comprehend that the hands that had crushed and bruised it were very close by. “He’s still fuming about his nose,” Ian said. “Oh, well-it’s not the first time it’s been broken. I’ll tell him you said you were sorry.” “I’m not.” “I know. No one is ever sorry for hitting Kyle.” They laughed quietly together; there was a sense of camaraderie in their amusement that seemed wildly out of place while Jared held a gun loosely pointed in Ian’s direction. But then, the bonds that were forged in this desperate place must have been very strong. Thicker than blood. Ian sat down on the mat next to Jared. I could see his profile in silhouette, a black shape against the blue light. I noticed that his nose was perfect-straight, aquiline, the kind of nose that I’d seen in pictures of famous sculptures. Did that mean that others found him more bearable than the brother whose nose was often broken? Or that he was better at ducking? “So what do you want, Ian? Not just an apology for Kyle, I imagine.” “Did Jeb tell you?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “They’ve given up the search. Even the Seekers.” Jared didn’t comment, but I could feel the sudden tension in the air around him. “We’ve been keeping a close watch for some change, but they never seemed overly anxious. The search never strayed from the area where we abandoned the car, and for the past few days they were clearly looking for a body rather than a survivor. Then two nights ago we caught a lucky break-the search party left some trash in the open, and a pack of coyotes raided their base camp. One of them was coming back late and surprised the animals. The coyotes attacked and dragged the Seeker a good hundred yards into the desert before the rest of them heard its screams and came to the rescue. The other Seekers were armed, of course. They scared the coyotes off easily, and the victim wasn’t seriously hurt, but the event seems to have answered any questions they might have had about what happened to our guest here.” I wondered how they were able to spy on the Seekers who searched for me-to see so much. I felt strangely exposed by the idea. I didn’t like the picture in my head: the humans invisible, watching the souls they hated. The thought made the skin on the back of my neck prickle. “So they packed up and left. The Seekers gave up the search. All the volunteers went home. No one is looking for it.” His profile turned toward me, and I hunched down, hoping it was too dark to see me in here-that, like his face, I would appear as only a black shape. “I imagine it’s been declared officially dead, if they keep track of those things the way we used to. Jeb’s been saying ‘I told you so’ to anyone who’ll stand still long enough to hear it.” Jared grumbled something incoherent; I could only pick out Jeb’s name. Then he inhaled a sharp breath, blew it out, and said, “All right, then. I guess that’s the end of it.” “That’s what it looks like.” Ian hesitated for a moment and then added, “Except… Well, it’s probably nothing at all.” Jared tensed again; he didn’t like having his intelligence edited. “Go on.” “No one but Kyle thinks much of it, and you know how Kyle is.” Jared grunted his assent to that. “You’ve got the best instincts for this kind of thing; I wanted your opinion. That’s why I’m here, taking my life into my hands to infiltrate the restricted area,” Ian said dryly, and then his voice was utterly serious again. “You see, there’s this one… a Seeker, no doubt about that-it packs a Glock.” It took me a second to understand the word he used. It wasn’t a familiar part of Melanie’s vocabulary. When I understood that he was talking about a kind of gun, the wistful, envious tone in his voice made me feel slightly ill. “Kyle was the first to notice how this one stood out. It didn’t seem important to the rest-certainly not part of the decision-making process. Oh, it had suggestions enough, from what we could see, but no one seemed to listen to it. Wish we could’ve heard what it was saying…” My skin prickled anxiously again. “Anyway,” Ian continued, “when they called off the search, this one wasn’t happy with the decision. You know how the parasites are always so… very pleasant? This was weird-it’s the closest I’ve ever seen them come to an argument. Not a real argument, because none of the others argued back, but the unhappy one sure looked like it was arguing with them. The core group of Seekers disregarded it-they’re all gone.” “But the unhappy one?” Jared asked. “It got in a car and drove halfway to Phoenix. Then it drove back to Tucson. Then it drove west again.” “Still searching.” “Or very confused. It stopped at that convenience store by the peak. Talked to the parasite that worked there, though that one had already been questioned.” “Huh,” Jared grunted. He was interested now, concentrating on the puzzle. “Then it went for a hike up the peak-stupid little thing. Had to be burning alive, wearing black from head to toe.” A spasm rocked through my body; I found myself off the floor, cringing against the back wall of my cell. My hands flew up instinctively to protect my face. I heard a hiss echo through the small space, and only after it faded did I realize it was mine. “What was that? ” Ian asked, his voice shocked. I peeked through my fingers to see both of their faces leaning through the hole toward me. Ian’s was black, but part of Jared’s was lit, his features hard as stone. I wanted to be still, invisible, but tremors I couldn’t control were shaking violently down my spine. Jared leaned away and came back with the lamp in his hands. “Look at its eyes,” Ian muttered. “It’s frightened.” I could see both their expressions now, but I looked only at Jared. His gaze was tightly focused on me, calculating. I guessed he was thinking through what Ian had said, looking for the trigger to my behavior. My body wouldn’t stop shaking. She’ll never give up, Melanie moaned. I know, I know, I moaned back. When had our distaste turned to fear? My stomach knotted and heaved. Why couldn’t she just let me be dead like the rest of them had? When I was dead, would she hunt me still? “Who is the Seeker in black?” Jared suddenly barked at me. My lips trembled, but I didn’t answer. Silence was safest. “I know you can talk,” Jared growled. “You talk to Jeb and Jamie. And now you’re going to talk to me.” He climbed into the mouth of the cave, huffing with surprise at how tightly he had to fold himself to manage it. The low ceiling forced him to kneel, and that didn’t make him happy. I could see he’d rather stand over me. I had nowhere to run. I was already wedged into the deepest corner. The cave barely had room for the two of us. I could feel his breath on my skin. “Tell me what you know,” he ordered. CHAPTER 19.Abandoned Who is the Seeker in black? Why is it still searching?” Jared’s shout was deafening, echoing at me from all sides. I hid behind my hands, waiting for the first blow. “Ah-Jared?” Ian murmured. “Maybe you should let me…” “Stay out of it!” Ian’s voice got closer, and the rocks grated as he tried to follow Jared into the small space that was already too full. “Can’t you see it’s too scared to talk? Leave it alone for a sec -” I heard something scrape the floor as Jared moved, and then a thud. Ian cursed. I peered through my fingers to see that Ian was no longer visible and Jared had his back to me. Ian spit and groaned. “That’s twice,” he growled, and I understood that the punch meant for me had been diverted by Ian’s interference. “I’m ready to go for three,” Jared muttered, but he turned back around to face me, bringing light with him; he’d grabbed the lamp with the hand that had struck Ian. The cave seemed almost brilliant after so much darkness. Jared spoke to me again, scrutinizing my face in the new illuminations, making each word a sentence. “Who. Is. The. Seeker.” I dropped my hands and stared into his pitiless eyes. It bothered me that someone else had suffered for my silence-even someone who had once tried to kill me. This was not how torture was supposed to work. Jared’s expression wavered as he read the change in mine. “I don’t have to hurt you,” he said quietly, not as sure of himself. “But I do have to know the answer to my question.” This wasn’t even the right question-not a secret I was in any way bound to protect. “Tell me,” he insisted, his eyes tight with frustration and deep unhappiness. Was I truly a coward? I would rather have believed that I was-that my fear of pain was stronger than anything else. The real reason I opened my mouth and spoke was so much more pathetic. I wanted to please him, this human who hated me so fiercely. “The Seeker,” I began, my voice rough and hoarse; I hadn’t spoken in a long time. He interrupted, impatient. “We already know it’s a Seeker.” “No, not just any Seeker,” I whispered. “My Seeker.” “What do you mean, your Seeker?” “Assigned to me, following me. She’s the reason -” I caught myself just before I spoke the word that would have meant our death. Just before I could say we. The ultimate truth that he would see as the ultimate lie-playing on his deepest wishes, his deepest pain. He would never see that it was possible for his wish to be true. He would only see a dangerous liar looking out through the eyes he’d loved. “The reason?” he prompted. “The reason I ran away,” I breathed. “The reason I came here.” Not entirely true, but not entirely a lie, either. Jared stared at me, his mouth half-open, as he tried to process this. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Ian was peering through the hole again, his vivid blue eyes wide with surprise. There was blood, dark on his pale lips. “You ran away from a Seeker? But you’re one of them!” Jared struggled to compose himself, to get back to his interrogation. “Why would it follow you? What did it want?” I swallowed; the sound seemed unnaturally loud. “She wanted you. You and Jamie.” His expression hardened. “And you were trying to lead it here?” I shook my head. “I didn’t… I…” How could I explain it? He’d never accept the truth. “What?” “I… didn’t want to tell her. I don’t like her.” He blinked, confused again. “Don’t you all have to like everyone?” “We’re supposed to,” I admitted, coloring with shame. “Who did you tell about this place?” Ian asked over Jared’s shoulder. Jared scowled but kept his eyes on my face. “I couldn’t tell-I didn’t know… I just saw the lines. The lines on the album. I drew them for the Seeker… but we didn’t know what they were. She still thinks they’re a road map.” I couldn’t seem to stop talking. I tried to make the words come slower, to protect myself from a slip. “What do you mean you didn’t know what they were? You’re here.” Jared’s hand flexed toward me but dropped before it closed the small distance. “I… I was having trouble with my… with the… with her memory. I didn’t understand… I couldn’t access everything. There were walls. That’s why the Seeker was assigned to me, waiting for me to unlock the rest.” Too much, too much. I bit my tongue. Ian and Jared exchanged a look. They’d never heard anything like this before. They didn’t trust me, but they wanted so desperately to believe it was possible. They wanted it too much. That made them fear. Jared’s voice whipped out with a sudden harshness. “Were you able to access my cabin?” “Not for a long time.” “And then you told the Seeker.” “No.” “No? Why not?” “Because… by the time I could remember it… I didn’t want to tell her.” Ian’s eyes were frozen wide. Jared’s voice changed, became low, almost tender. So much more dangerous than the shouting. “Why didn’t you want to tell her?” My jaw locked hard. It was not the secret, but still, it was a secret he would have to beat out of me. In this moment, my determination to hold my tongue had less to do with self-preservation than it did with a stupid, grudging kind of pride. I would not tell this man who despised me that I loved him. He watched the defiance flash in my eyes, and he seemed to understand what it would take to get this answer. He decided to skip it-or maybe to come back to it later, save it for last, in case I wouldn’t be able to answer any more questions when he was done with me. “Why weren’t you able to access everything? Is that… normal?” This question was very dangerous, too. For the first time so far, I told an outright lie. “She fell a long way. The body was damaged.” Lying did not come easily to me; this lie fell flat. Jared and Ian both reacted to the false note. Jared’s head cocked to the side; one of Ian’s ink black eyebrows rose. “Why isn’t this Seeker giving up like the rest?” Ian asked. I was abruptly exhausted. I knew they could keep this up all night, would keep this up all night if I continued to answer, and eventually I would make a mistake. I slumped against the wall and closed my eyes. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “She’s not like other souls. She’s… annoying. ” Ian laughed once-a startled sound. “And you-are you like other… souls? ” Jared asked. I opened my eyes and stared at him wearily for a long moment. What a stupid question, I thought. Then I shut my eyes tight, buried my face against my knees, and wrapped my arms around my head. Either Jared understood that I was done speaking or his body was complaining too loudly to be ignored. He grunted a few times as he squeezed himself out of the opening of my cave, taking the lamp with him, and then groaned quietly as he stretched. “That was unexpected,” Ian whispered. “Lies, of course,” Jared whispered back. I could just barely make out their words. They probably didn’t realize how the sound echoed back to me in here. “Only… I can’t quite figure out what it wants us to believe-where it’s trying to lead us.” “I don’t think it’s lying. Well, except the one time. Did you notice?” “Part of the act.” “Jared, when have you ever met a parasite who could lie about anything? Except a Seeker, of course.” “Which it must be.” “Are you serious?” “It’s the best explanation.” “She-it is the furthest thing from a Seeker I’ve ever seen. If a Seeker had any idea how to find us, it would have brought an army.” “And they wouldn’t have found anything. But she-it got in, didn’t it?” “It’s almost been killed half a dozen -” “Yet it’s still breathing, isn’t it?” They were quiet for a long time. So long that I started to think about moving out of the cramped ball I was curled in, but I didn’t want to make any noise by lying down. I wished Ian would leave so I could sleep. The adrenaline left me so worn out when it drained from my system. “I think I’m going to go talk to Jeb,” Ian eventually whispered. “Oh, that’s a great idea.” Jared’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “Do you remember that first night? When it jumped between you and Kyle? That was bizarre.” “It was just trying to find a way to stay alive, to escape…” “By giving Kyle the go-ahead to kill her-it? Good plan.” “It worked.” “Jeb’s gun worked. Did she know he was on his way?” “You’re overthinking this, Ian. That’s what it wants.” “I don’t think you’re right. I don’t know why… but I don’t think she wants us to think about her at all.” I heard Ian get to his feet. “You know what’s really twisted?” he muttered, his voice no longer a whisper. “What’s that?” “I felt guilty -guilty as hell-watching her flinch away from us. Seeing the black marks on her neck.” “You can’t let it get to you like that.” Jared was suddenly disturbed. “It’s not human. Don’t forget that.” “Just because she isn’t human, do you think that means she doesn’t feel pain?” Ian asked as his voice faded into the distance. “That she doesn’t feel just like a girl who’s been beaten-beaten by us?” “Get a hold of yourself,” Jared hissed after him. “See you around, Jared.” Jared didn’t relax for a long time after Ian left; he paced for a while, back and forth in front of the cave, and then sat on the mat, blocking my light, and muttered incomprehensibly to himself. I gave up waiting for him to fall asleep, and stretched out as well as I could on the bowl-like floor. He jumped when my movement made noise, and then started muttering to himself again. “Guilty,” he grumbled in scathing tones. “Letting it get to him. Just like Jeb, like Jamie. Can’t let this go on. Stupid to let it live.” Goose bumps rose on my arms, but I tried to ignore them. If I panicked every time he thought about killing me, I’d never have a moment’s peace. I turned onto my stomach to bend my spine in the other direction, and he jerked again and then lapsed into silence. I was sure he was still brooding when I finally drifted to sleep. When I woke up, Jared was sitting on the mat where I could see him, elbows on knees, his head leaning against one fist. I didn’t feel as if I’d slept more than an hour or two, but I was too sore to try to go back to sleep right away. Instead, I fretted about Ian’s visit, worrying that Jared would work even harder to keep me secluded after Ian’s strange reaction. Why couldn’t Ian have kept his mouth shut about feeling guilty? If he knew he was capable of guilt, why did he go around strangling people in the first place? Melanie was irritated with Ian, too, and nervous about the outcome of his qualms. Our worries were interrupted after just a few minutes. “’S just me,” I heard Jeb call. “Don’t get worked up.” Jared cocked the gun. “Go ahead and shoot me, kid. Go ahead.” The sound of Jeb’s voice got closer with every word. Jared sighed and put the gun down. “Please leave.” “Need to talk to you,” Jeb said, huffing as he sat down across from Jared. “Hey, there,” he said in my direction, nodding. “You know how much I hate that,” Jared muttered. “Yep.” “Ian already told me about the Seekers -” “I know. I was just talkin’ with him about it.” “Great. Then what do you want?” “Not so much what I want. It’s what everybody needs. We’re running low on just about everything. We need a real comprehensive supply run.” “Oh,” Jared muttered; this topic was not what he’d been tensed for. After a short pause he said, “Send Kyle.” “Okay,” Jeb said easily, bracing himself against the wall to rise again. Jared sighed. It seemed his suggestion had been a bluff. He folded as soon as Jeb took him up on it. “No. Not Kyle. He’s too…” Jeb chuckled. “Almost got us in some real hot water the last time he was out alone, didn’t he? Not one to think things through. Ian, then?” “He thinks things through too much.” “Brandt?” “He’s no good for the long trips. Starts getting panicked a few weeks in. Makes mistakes.” “Okay, you tell me who, then.” The seconds passed and I heard Jared suck in a breath now and then, each time as if he was about to give Jeb an answer, but then he just exhaled and said nothing. “Ian and Kyle together?” Jeb asked. “Maybe they could balance each other out.” Jared groaned. “Like the last time? Okay, okay, I know it has to be me.” “You’re the best,” Jeb agreed. “You changed our lives when you showed up here.” Melanie and I nodded to ourselves; this didn’t surprise either of us. Jared is magic. Jamie and I were perfectly safe while Jared’s instincts guided us; we never came close to getting caught. If it had been Jared in Chicago, I’m sure he would have made it out fine. Jared jerked his shoulder toward me. “What about…?” “I’ll keep an eye on her when I can. And I’ll expect you to take Kyle with you. That oughta help.” “That won’t be enough-Kyle gone and you keeping an eye on her when you can. She… it won’t last long.” Jeb shrugged. “I’ll do my best. That’s all I can do.” Jared started to shake his head slowly back and forth. “How long can you stay down here?” Jeb asked him. “I don’t know,” Jared whispered. There was a long silence. After a few minutes, Jeb began whistling tunelessly. Finally, Jared let out a huge breath that I hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I’ll leave tonight.” The words were slow, full of resignation but also relief. His voice changed slightly, got a little less defensive. It was as though he was making the transition back to who he’d been here before I showed up. Letting one responsibility slide from his shoulders and putting another, more welcome one in its place. He was giving up on keeping me alive, letting nature-or rather mob justice-take its course. When he returned, and I was dead, he wouldn’t hold anyone responsible. He would not mourn. All this I could hear in those three words. I knew the human exaggeration for sorrow-a broken heart. Melanie remembered speaking the phrase herself. But I’d always thought of it as a hyperbole, a traditional description for something that had no real physiological link, like a green thumb. So I wasn’t expecting the pain in my chest. The nausea, yes, the swelling in my throat, yes, and, yes, the tears burning in my eyes. But what was the ripping sensation just under my rib cage? It made no logical sense. And it wasn’t just ripping, but twisting and pulling in different directions. Because Melanie’s heart broke, too, and it was a separate sensation, as if we’d grown another organ to compensate for our twin awarenesses. A double heart for a double mind. Twice the pain. He’s leaving, she sobbed. We’ll never see him again. She didn’t question the fact that we were going to die. I wanted to weep with her, but someone had to keep her head. I bit my hand to hold the moan back. “That’s probably best,” Jeb said. “I’ll need to get some things organized…” Already Jared’s mind was far, far away from this claustrophobic corridor. “I’ll take over here, then. Have a safe trip.” “Thanks. Guess I’ll see you when I see you, Jeb.” “Guess so.” Jared handed the gun back to Jeb, stood up, and brushed absently at the dust on his clothes. Then he was off, hurrying down the hall with his familiar quick step, his mind on other things. Not one glance in my direction, not one more thought for my fate. I listened to the fading sound of his footsteps until they were gone. Then, forgetting Jeb’s existence, I pressed my face into my hands and sobbed. CHAPTER 20.Freed Jeb let me cry myself out without interrupting. He didn’t comment all through the following sniffles. It was only when I’d been completely silent for a good half hour that he spoke. “Still awake in there?” I didn’t answer. I was too much in the habit of silence. “You want to come out here and stretch?” he offered. “My back is aching just thinking about that stupid hole.” Ironically, considering my week of maddening silence, I wasn’t in the mood for company. But his offer wasn’t one I could refuse. Before I could think about it, my hands were pulling me through the exit. Jeb was sitting with crossed legs on the mat. I watched him for some reaction as I shook out my arms and legs and rolled my shoulders, but he had his eyes closed. Like the time of Jamie’s visit, he looked asleep. How long had it been since I’d seen Jamie? And how was he now? My already sore heart gave a painful little lurch. “Feel better?” Jeb asked, his eyes opening. I shrugged. “It’s going to be okay, you know.” He grinned a wide, face-stretching grin. “That stuff I said to Jared… Well, I won’t say I lied, exactly, because it’s all true if you look at it from a certain angle, but from another angle, it wasn’t so much the truth as it was what he needed to hear.” I just stared; I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying. “Anyway, Jared needs a break from this. Not from you, kid,” he added quickly, “but from the situation. He’ll gain some perspective while he’s away.” I wondered how he seemed to know exactly which words and phrases would cut at me. And, more than that, why should Jeb care if his words hurt me, or even if my back was aching and throbbing? His kindness toward me was frightening in its own way because it was incomprehensible. At least Jared’s actions made sense. Kyle’s and Ian’s murder attempts, the doctor’s cheerful eagerness to hurt me-these behaviors also were logical. Not kindness. What did Jeb want from me? “Don’t look so glum,” Jeb urged. “There’s a bright side to this. Jared was being real pigheaded about you, and now that he’s temporarily out of the picture, it’s bound to make things more comfortable.” My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to decide what he meant. “For example,” he went on. “This space here we usually use for storage. Now, when Jared and the guys get back, we’re going to need someplace to put all the stuff they bring home with them. So we might as well find a new place for you now. Something a little bigger, maybe? Something with a bed?” He smiled again as he dangled the carrot in front of me. I waited for him to snatch it away, to tell me he was joking. Instead, his eyes-the color of faded blue jeans-became very, very gentle. Something about the expression in them brought the lump back to my throat. “You don’t have to go back in that hole, honey. The worst part’s over.” I found that I couldn’t doubt the earnest look on his face. For the second time in an hour, I put my face in my hands and cried. He got to his feet and patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. He didn’t seem comfortable with tears. “There, there,” he mumbled. I got control of myself more quickly this time. When I wiped the wet from my eyes and smiled tentatively at him, he nodded in approval. “That’s a girl,” he said, patting me again. “Now, we’ll have to hang out here until we’re sure Jared’s really gone and can’t catch us.” He grinned conspiratorially. “Then we’ll have some fun!” I remembered that his idea of fun was usually along the lines of an armed standoff. He chuckled at my expression. “Don’t worry about it. While we’re waiting, you might as well try to get some rest. I’ll bet even that skinny mattress would feel pretty good to you right now.” I looked from his face to the mat on the floor and back. “Go on,” he said. “You look like you could use a good sleep. I’ll keep watch over you.” Touched, new moisture in my eyes, I sank down on the mat and laid my head on the pillow. It was heavenly, despite Jeb’s calling it thin. I stretched out to my full height, pointing my toes and reaching out with my fingers. I heard my joints popping. Then I let myself wilt into the mattress. It felt as if it were hugging me, erasing all the sore spots. I sighed. “Does me good to see that,” Jeb muttered. “It’s like an itch you can’t scratch, knowing someone is suffering under your own roof.” He eased himself to the floor a few yards away and started humming quietly. I was asleep before he’d finished the first bar. When I woke up, I knew that I’d been solidly asleep for a long time-a longer stretch than I’d slept since coming here. No pains, no frightening interruptions. I would have felt pretty good, except that waking on the pillow reminded me that Jared was gone. It still smelled like him. And in a good way, not the way I smelled. Back to just dreams. Melanie sighed forlornly. I remembered my dream only vaguely, but I knew it had featured Jared, as was usual when I was able to sleep deeply enough to dream. “Morning, kid,” Jeb said, sounding chipper. I peeled back my lids to look at him. Had he sat against the wall all night? He didn’t look tired, but I suddenly felt guilty for monopolizing the better accommodations. “So the guys are long gone,” he said enthusiastically. “How ’bout a tour?” He stroked the gun slung through a strap at his waist with an unconscious gesture. My eyes opened wider, stared at him in disbelief. A tour? “Now, don’t turn sissy on me. Nobody’s going to bother you. And you’ll need to be able to find your way around eventually.” He held out a hand to help me up. I took it automatically, my head spinning as I tried to process what he was saying. I would need to find my way around? Why? And what did he mean “eventually”? How long did he expect me to last? He pulled me to my feet and led me forward. I’d forgotten what it was like to move through the dark tunnels with a hand guiding me. It was so easy-walking barely took any concentration at all. “Let’s see,” Jeb murmured. “Maybe the right wing first. Set up a decent place for you. Then the kitchens…” He went on planning his tour, continuing as we stepped through the narrow crevice into the bright tunnel that led to the even brighter big room. When the sound of voices reached us, I felt my mouth go dry. Jeb kept right on chatting at me, either missing or ignoring my terror. “I’ll bet the carrots are sprouted today,” he was saying as he led me into the main plaza. The light blinded me, and I couldn’t see who was there, but I could feel their eyes on me. The sudden silence was as ominous as ever. “Yep,” Jeb answered himself. “Now, I always think that looks real pretty. A nice spring green like that is a treat to see.” He stopped and held his hand out, inviting me to look. I squinted in the direction he gestured, but my eyes kept darting around the room as I waited for them to adjust. It took a moment, but then I saw what he was talking about. I also saw that there were maybe fifteen people here today, all of them regarding me with hostile eyes. But they were busy with something else, too. The wide, dark square that took up the center of the big cavern was no longer dark. Half of it was fuzzy with spring green, just as Jeb had said. It was pretty. And amazing. No wonder no one stood on this space. It was a garden. “Carrots?” I whispered. He answered at normal volume. “This half that’s greening up. The other half is spinach. Should be up in a few days.” The people in the room had gone back to work, still peeking at me now and then but mostly concentrating on what they were doing. It was easy enough to understand their actions-and the big barrel on wheels, and the hoses-now that I recognized the garden. “Irrigating?” I whispered again. “That’s right. Dries out pretty quick in this heat.” I nodded in agreement. It was still early, I guessed, but I was already sweaty. The heat from the intense radiance overhead was stifling in the caves. I tried to examine the ceiling again, but it was too bright to stare at. I tugged Jeb’s sleeve and squinted up at the dazzling light. “How?” Jeb smiled, seeming thrilled with my curiosity. “Same way the magicians do it-with mirrors, kid. Hundreds of ’em. Took me long enough to get them all up there. It’s nice to have extra hands around here when they need cleaning. See, there’s only four small vents in the ceiling here, and that wasn’t enough light for what I had in mind. What do you think of it?” He pulled his shoulders back, proud again. “Brilliant,” I whispered. “Astonishing.” Jeb grinned and nodded, enjoying my reaction. “Let’s keep on,” he suggested. “Got a lot to do today.” He led me to a new tunnel, a wide, naturally shaped tube that ran off from the big cave. This was new territory. My muscles all locked up; I moved forward with stiff legs, unbending knees. Jeb patted my hand but otherwise ignored my nerves. “This is mostly sleeping quarters and some storage. The tubes are closer to the surface here, so it was easier to get some light.” He pointed up at a bright, slender crack in the tunnel ceiling overhead. It threw a hand-sized spot of white onto the floor. We reached a broad fork-not really a fork, because there were too many tines. It was an octopus-like branching of passageways. “Third from the left,” he said, and looked at me expectantly. “Third from the left?” I repeated. “That’s right. Don’t forget. It’s easy to get lost around here, and that wouldn’t be safe for you. Folks’d just as soon stab you as send you in the right direction.” I shuddered. “Thanks,” I muttered with quiet sarcasm. He laughed as if my answer had delighted him. “No point in ignoring the truth. Doesn’t make it worse to have it said out loud.” It didn’t make it better, either, but I didn’t say that. I was beginning to enjoy myself just a little. It was so nice to have someone talk to me again. Jeb was, if nothing else, interesting company. “One, two, three,” he counted off, then he led me down the third hallway from the left. We started passing round entrances covered by a variety of makeshift doors. Some were curtained off with patterned sheets of fabric; others had big pieces of cardboard duct-taped together. One hole had two real doors-one red-painted wood, one gray metal-leaning over the opening. “Seven,” Jeb counted, and stopped in front of a smallish circle, the tallest point just a few inches higher than my head. This one protected its privacy with a pretty jade green screen-the kind that might divide the space in an elegant living room. There was a pattern of cherry blossoms embroidered across the silk. “This is the only space I can think of for now. The only one that’s fitted up decent for human habitation. It will be empty for a few weeks, and we’ll figure something better out for you by the time it’s needed again.” He folded the screen aside, and a light that was brighter than that in the hallway greeted us. The room he revealed gave me a strange feeling of vertigo-probably because it was so much taller than it was wide. Standing inside it was like standing in a tower or a silo, not that I had ever been in such places, but those were the comparisons Melanie made. The ceiling, twice as high as the room was wide, was a maze of cracks. Like vines of light, the cracks circled around and almost met. This seemed dangerous to me-unstable. But Jeb showed no fear of cave-ins as he led me farther in. There was a double-sized mattress on the floor, with about a yard of space on three sides of it. The two pillows and two blankets twisted into two separate configurations on either half of the mattress made it look as if this room housed a couple. A thick wooden pole-something like a rake handle-was braced horizontally against the far wall at shoulder height with the ends lodged in two of the Swiss cheese holes in the rock. Over it were draped a handful of T-shirts and two pairs of jeans. A wooden stool was flush with the wall beside the makeshift clothes rack, and on the floor beneath it was a stack of worn paperback books. “Who?” I said to Jeb, whispering again. This space so obviously belonged to someone that I no longer felt like we were alone. “Just one of the guys out on the raid. Won’t be back for a while. We’ll find you something by then.” I didn’t like it-not the room, but the idea of staying in it. The presence of the owner was strong despite the simple belongings. No matter who he was, he would not be happy to have me here. He would hate it. Jeb seemed to read my mind-or maybe the expression on my face was clear enough that he didn’t have to. “Now, now,” he said. “Don’t worry about that. This is my house, and this is just one of my many guest rooms. I say who is and isn’t my guest. Right now, you are my guest, and I am offering you this room.” I still didn’t like it, but I wasn’t going to upset Jeb, either. I vowed that I would disturb nothing, if it meant sleeping on the floor. “Well, let’s keep moving. Don’t forget: third from the left, seventh in.” “Green screen,” I added. “Exactly.” Jeb took me back through the big garden room, around the perimeter to the opposite side, and through the biggest tunnel exit. When we passed the irrigators, they stiffened and turned, afraid to have me behind their backs. This tunnel was well lit, the bright crevices coming at intervals too regular to be natural. “We go even closer to the surface now. It gets drier, but it gets hotter, too.” I noticed that almost immediately. Instead of being steamed, we were now being baked. The air was less stuffy and stale. I could taste the desert dust. There were more voices ahead. I tried to steel myself against the inevitable reaction. If Jeb insisted on treating me like… like a human, like a welcome guest, I was going to have to get used to this. No reason to let it make me nauseous over and over again. My stomach began an unhappy rolling anyway. “This way’s the kitchen,” Jeb told me. At first I thought we were in another tunnel, one crowded with people. I pressed myself against the wall, trying to keep my distance. The kitchen was a long corridor with a high ceiling, higher than it was wide, like my new quarters. The light was bright and hot. Instead of thin crevices through deep rock, this place had huge open holes. “Can’t cook in the daytime, of course. Smoke, you know. So we mainly use this as the mess hall until nightfall.” All conversation had come to an abrupt halt, so Jeb’s words were clear for everyone to hear. I tried to hide behind him, but he kept walking farther in. We’d interrupted breakfast, or maybe it was lunch. The humans-almost twenty at a quick estimate-were very close here. It wasn’t like the big cavern. I wanted to keep my eyes on the floor, but I couldn’t stop them from flashing around the room. Just in case. I could feel my body tensing to run for it, though where I would run, I didn’t know. Against both sides of the hallway, there were long piles of rock. Mostly rough, purple volcanic stone, with some lighter-colored substance-cement?-running between them, creating seams, holding them together. On top of these piles were different stones, browner in color, and flat. They were glued together with the light gray grout as well. The final product was a relatively even surface, like a counter or a table. It was clear that they were used for both. The humans sat on some, leaned on others. I recognized the bread rolls they held suspended between the table and their mouths, frozen with disbelief as they took in Jeb and his one-person tour. Some of them were familiar. Sharon, Maggie, and the doctor were the closest group to me. Melanie’s cousin and aunt glared at Jeb furiously-I had an odd conviction that I could have stood on my head and bellowed songs out of Melanie’s memory at the top of my lungs and they still would not have looked at me-but the doctor eyed me with a frank and almost friendly curiosity that made me feel cold deep inside my bones. At the back end of the hall-shaped room, I recognized the tall man with ink black hair and my heart stuttered. I’d thought Jared was supposed to take the hostile brothers with him to make Jeb’s job of keeping me alive slightly easier. At least it was the younger one, Ian, who had belatedly developed a conscience-not quite as bad as leaving Kyle behind. That consolation did not slow my racing pulse, however. “Everybody full so quick?” Jeb asked loudly and sarcastically. “Lost our appetites,” Maggie muttered. “How ’bout you,” he said, turning to me. “You hungry?” A quiet groan went through our audience. I shook my head-a small but frantic motion. I didn’t even know whether I was hungry, but I knew I couldn’t eat in front of this crowd that would gladly have eaten me. “Well, I am,” Jeb grumbled. He walked down the aisle between the counters, but I did not follow. I couldn’t stand the thought of being within easy reach of the rest. I stayed pressed against the wall where I stood. Only Sharon and Maggie watched him go to a big plastic bin on one counter and grab a roll. Everyone else watched me. I was certain that if I moved an inch, they would pounce. I tried not to breathe. “Well, let’s just keep on movin’,” Jeb suggested around a mouthful of bread as he ambled back to me. “Nobody seems able to concentrate on their lunch. Easily distracted, this set.” I was watching the humans for sudden movements, not really seeing their faces after that first moment when I recognized the few I could put names to. So it wasn’t until Jamie stood up that I noticed him there. He was a head shorter than the adults beside him, but taller than the two smaller children who perched on the counter on his other side. He hopped lightly off his seat and followed behind Jeb. His expression was tight, compressed, like he was trying to solve a difficult equation in his head. He examined me through narrow eyes as he approached on Jeb’s heels. Now I wasn’t the only one in the room holding my breath. The others’ gazes shifted back and forth between Melanie’s brother and me. Oh, Jamie, Melanie thought. She hated the sad, adult expression on his face, and I probably hated it even more. She didn’t feel as guilty as I did for putting it there. If only we could take it away. She sighed. It’s too late. What could we do to make it better now? I didn’t mean the question more than rhetorically, but I found myself searching for an answer, and Melanie searched, too. We found nothing in the brief second we had to consider the matter; there was nothing to be found, I was sure. But we both knew we would be searching again when we were done with this asinine tour and had a chance to think. If we lived that long. “Whatcha need, kid?” Jeb asked without looking at him. “Just wondering what you’re doing,” Jamie answered, his voice striving for nonchalance and only just failing. Jeb stopped when he got to me and turned to look at Jamie. “Takin’ her for a tour of the place. Just like I do for any newcomer.” There was another low grumble. “Can I come?” Jamie asked. I saw Sharon shake her head feverishly, her expression outraged. Jeb ignored her. “Doesn’t bother me… if you can mind your manners.” Jamie shrugged. “No problem.” I had to move then-to knot my fingers together in front of me. I wanted so badly to push Jamie’s untidy hair out of his eyes and then leave my arm around his neck. Something that would not go over well, I was sure. “Let’s go,” Jeb said to us both. He took us back out the way we had come. Jeb walked on one side of me, Jamie on the other. Jamie seemed to be trying to stare at the floor, but he kept glancing up at my face-just like I couldn’t help glancing down at his. Whenever our eyes met, we looked away again quickly. We were about halfway down the big hall when I heard the quiet footsteps behind us. My reaction was instantaneous and unthinking. I skittered to one side of the tunnel, sweeping Jamie along with one arm so that I was between him and whatever was coming for me. “Hey!” he protested, but he did not knock my arm away. Jeb was just as quick. The gun twirled out of its strap with blinding speed. Ian and the doctor both raised their hands above their heads. “We can mind our manners, too,” the doctor said. It was hard to believe that this soft-spoken man with the friendly expression was the resident torturer; he was all the more terrifying to me because his exterior was so benign. A person would be on her guard on a dark and ominous night, a person would be ready. But on a clear, sunny day? How would she know to flee when she couldn’t see any place for danger to hide? Jeb squinted at Ian, the barrel of the gun shifting to follow his gaze. “I don’t mean any trouble, Jeb. I’ll be just as mannerly as Doc.” “Fine,” Jeb said curtly, stowing his gun. “Just don’t test me. I haven’t shot anybody in a real long time, and I sort of miss the thrill of it.” I gasped. Everyone heard that and turned to see my horrified expression. The doctor was the first one to laugh, but even Jamie joined in briefly. “It’s a joke,” Jamie whispered to me. His hand strayed from his side, almost as if he was reaching for mine, but he quickly shoved it into the pocket of his shorts. I let my arm-still stretched protectively in front of his body-drop, too. “Well, the day’s wasting,” Jeb said, still a little surly. “You’ll all have to keep up, ’cause I’m not waiting on you.” He stalked forward before he was done speaking. CHAPTER 21.Named I kept tight to Jeb’s side, a little in front of him. I wanted to be as far as possible from the two men following us. Jamie walked somewhere in the middle, not sure of where he wanted to be. I wasn’t able to concentrate much on the rest of Jeb’s tour. My attention was not focused on the second set of gardens he led me through-one with corn growing waist-high in the blistering heat of the brilliant mirrors-or the wide but low-ceilinged cavern he called the “rec room.” That one was pitch-black and deep underground, but he told me they brought in lights when they wanted to play. The word play didn’t make sense to me, not here in this group of tense, angry survivors, but I didn’t ask him to explain. There was more water here, a tiny, noxiously sulfurous spring that Jeb said they sometimes used as a second latrine because it was no good for drinking. My attention was divided between the men walking behind us and the boy at my side. Ian and the doctor did mind their manners surprisingly well. No one attacked me from behind-though I thought my eyes might get lodged in the back of my head from trying to see if they were about to. They just followed quietly, sometimes talking to each other in low voices. Their comments revolved around names I didn’t know and nicknames for places and things that might or might not have been inside these caves. I couldn’t understand any of it. Jamie said nothing, but he looked at me a lot. When I wasn’t trying to keep an eye on the others, I was often peeking at him, too. This left little time to admire the things Jeb showed me, but he didn’t seem to notice my preoccupations. Some of the tunnels were very long-the distances hidden beneath the ground here were mind-boggling. Often they were pitch-black, but Jeb and the others never so much as paused, clearly familiar with their whereabouts and long since accustomed to traveling in darkness. It was harder for me than it was when Jeb and I were alone. In the dark, every noise sounded like an attack. Even the doctor’s and Ian’s casual chatter seemed like a cover for some nefarious move. Paranoid, Melanie commented. If that’s what it takes to keep us alive, so be it. I wish you would pay more attention to Uncle Jeb. This is fascinating. Do what you want with your time. I can only hear and see what you hear and see, Wanderer, she told me. Then she changed the subject. Jamie looks okay, don’t you think? Not too unhappy. He looks… wary. We were just coming into some light after the longest trek so far in the humid blackness. “This here is the southernmost spur of the tube system,” Jeb explained as we walked. “Not super convenient, but it gets good light all day long. That’s why we made it the hospital wing. This is where Doc does his thing.” The moment Jeb announced where we were, my body froze and my joints locked; I skidded to a halt, my feet planted against the rock floor. My eyes, wide with terror, flickered between Jeb’s face and the face of the doctor. Had this all been a ruse, then? Wait for stubborn Jared to be out of the picture and then lure me back here? I couldn’t believe I’d walked to this place under my own power. How stupid I was! Melanie was just as aghast. We might as well have gift-wrapped ourselves for them! They stared back at me, Jeb expressionless, the doctor looking as surprised as I felt-though not as horrified. I would have flinched, ripped myself away from the touch of a hand on my arm, if the hand had not been so familiar. “No,” Jamie said, his hand hesitantly resting just below my elbow. “No, it’s okay. Really. Right, Uncle Jeb?” Jamie looked trustingly at the old man. “It’s okay, right?” “Sure it is.” Jeb’s faded blue eyes were calm and clear. “Just showing you my place, kid, that’s all.” “What are you talking about?” Ian grumbled from behind us, sounding annoyed that he didn’t understand. “Did you think we brought you here on purpose, for Doc?” Jamie said to me instead of answering Ian. “Because we wouldn’t do that. We promised Jared.” I stared at his earnest face, trying to believe. “Oh!” Ian said as he understood, and then he laughed. “That wasn’t a bad plan. I’m surprised I didn’t think of it.” Jamie scowled at the big man and patted my arm before removing his hand. “Don’t be scared,” he said. Jeb took up where he’d left off. “So this big room here is fitted up with a few cots in case anyone gets sick or hurt. We’ve been pretty lucky on that count. Doc doesn’t have much to work with in an emergency.” Jeb grinned at me. “Your folks threw out all our medicines when they took over things. Hard to get our hands on what we need.” I nodded slightly; the movement was absentminded. I was still reeling, trying to get my bearings. This room looked innocent enough, as if it were only used for healing, but it made my stomach twist and contract. “What do you know about alien medicine?” the doctor asked suddenly, his head cocked to the side. He watched my face with expectant curiosity. I stared at him wordlessly. “Oh, you can talk to Doc,” Jeb encouraged me. “He’s a pretty decent guy, all things considered.” I shook my head once. I meant to answer the doctor’s question, to tell them that I knew nothing, but they misunderstood. “She’s not giving away any trade secrets,” Ian said sourly. “Are you, sweetheart?” “Manners, Ian,” Jeb barked. “Is it a secret?” Jamie asked, guarded but clearly curious. I shook my head again. They all stared at me in confusion. Doc shook his head, too, slowly, baffled. I took a deep breath, then whispered, “I’m not a Healer. I don’t know how they-the medications-work. Only that they do work- they heal, rather than merely treating symptoms. No trial and error. Of course the human medicines were discarded.” All four of them stared with blank expressions. First they were surprised when I didn’t answer, and now they were surprised when I did. Humans were impossible to please. “Your kind didn’t change too much of what we left behind,” Jeb said thoughtfully after a moment. “Just the medical stuff, and the spaceships instead of planes. Other than that, life seems to go on just the same as ever… on the surface.” “We come to experience, not to change,” I whispered. “Health takes priority over that philosophy, though.” I shut my mouth with an audible snap. I had to be more careful. The humans hardly wanted a lecture on soul philosophy. Who knew what would anger them? Or what would snap their fragile patience? Jeb nodded, still thoughtful, and then ushered us onward. He wasn’t as enthusiastic as he continued my tour through the few connecting caves here in the medical wing, not as involved in the presentation. When we turned around and headed back into the black corridor, he lapsed into silence. It was a long, quiet walk. I thought through what I’d said, looking for something that might have offended. Jeb was too strange for me to guess if that was the case. The other humans, hostile and suspicious as they were, at least made sense. How could I hope to make sense of Jeb? The tour ended abruptly when we reentered the huge garden cavern where the carrot sprouts made a bright green carpet across the dark floor. “Show’s over,” Jeb said gruffly, looking at Ian and the doctor. “Go do something useful.” Ian rolled his eyes at the doctor, but they both turned good-naturedly enough and made their way toward the biggest exit-the one that led to the kitchen, I remembered. Jamie hesitated, looking after them but not moving. “You come with me,” Jeb told him, slightly less gruff this time. “I’ve got a job for you.” “Okay,” Jamie said. I could see that he was pleased to have been chosen. Jamie walked beside me again as we headed back toward the sleeping-quarters section of the caves. I was surprised, as we chose the third passageway from the left, that Jamie seemed to know exactly where we were going. Jeb was slightly behind us, but Jamie stopped at once when we reached the green screen that covered the seventh apartment. He moved the screen aside for me but stayed in the hall. “You okay to sit tight for a while?” Jeb asked me. I nodded, grateful at the thought of hiding again. I ducked through the opening and then stood a few feet in, not sure what to do with myself. Melanie remembered that there were books here, but I reminded her of my vow to not touch anything. “I got things to do, kid,” Jeb said to Jamie. “Food ain’t gonna fix itself, you know. You up to guard duty?” “Sure,” Jamie said with a bright smile. His thin chest swelled with a deep breath. My eyes widened in disbelief as I watched Jeb place the rifle in Jamie’s eager hands. “Are you crazy? ” I shouted. My voice was so loud that I didn’t recognize it at first. It felt like I’d been whispering forever. Jeb and Jamie looked up at me, shocked. I was out in the hallway with them in a second. I almost reached for the hard metal of the barrel, almost ripped it from the boy’s hands. What stopped me wasn’t the knowledge that a move like that would surely get me killed. What stopped me was the fact that I was weaker than the humans in this way; even to save the boy, I could not make myself touch the weapon. I turned on Jeb instead. “What are you thinking? Giving the weapon to a child? He could kill himself!” “Jamie’s been through enough to be called a man, I think. He knows how to handle himself around a gun.” Jamie’s shoulders straightened at Jeb’s praise, and he gripped the gun tighter to his chest. I gaped at Jeb’s stupidity. “What if they come for me with him here? Did you think of what could happen? This isn’t a joke! They’ll hurt him to get to me!” Jeb remained calm, his face placid. “Don’t think there’ll be any trouble today. I’d bet on it.” “Well, I wouldn’t!” I was yelling again. My voice echoed off the tunnel walls-someone was sure to hear, but I didn’t care. Better they come while Jeb was still here. “If you’re so sure, then leave me here alone. Let what happens happen. But don’t put Jamie in danger!” “Is it the kid you’re worried about, or are you just afraid that he’ll turn the gun on you?” Jeb asked, his voice almost languid. I blinked, my anger derailed. That thought had not even occurred to me. I glanced blankly at Jamie, met his surprised gaze, and saw that the idea was shocking to him, too. It took me a minute to recover my side of the argument, and by the time I did, Jeb’s expression had changed. His eyes were intent, his mouth pursed-as if he were about to fit the last piece into a frustrating puzzle. “Give the gun to Ian or any of the others. I don’t care,” I said, my voice slow and even. “Just leave the boy out of this.” Jeb’s sudden face-wide grin reminded me, strangely, of a pouncing cat. “It’s my house, kid, and I’ll do what I want. I always do.” Jeb turned his back and ambled away down the hall, whistling as he went. I watched him go, my mouth hanging open. When he disappeared, I turned to Jamie, who was watching me with a sullen expression. “I’m not a child,” he muttered in a deeper tone than usual, his chin jutting out belligerently. “Now, you should… you should go in your room.” The order was less than severe, but there was nothing else I could do. I’d lost this disagreement by a large margin. I sat down with my back against the rock that formed one side of the cave opening-the side where I could hide behind the half-opened screen but still watch Jamie. I wrapped my arms around my legs and began doing what I knew I would be doing as long as this insane situation continued: I worried. I also strained my eyes and ears for some sound of approach, to be ready. No matter what Jeb said, I would prevent anyone from challenging Jamie’s guard. I would give myself up before they asked. Yes, Melanie agreed succinctly. Jamie stood in the hallway for a few minutes, the gun tight in his hands, unsure as to how to do his job. He started pacing after that, back and forth in front of the screen, but he seemed to feel silly after a couple of passes. Then he sat down on the floor beside the open end of the screen. The gun eventually settled on his folded legs, and his chin into his cupped hands. After a long time, he sighed. Guard duty was not as exciting as he’d been expecting. I did not get bored watching him. After maybe an hour or two, he started looking at me again, flickering glances. His lips opened a few times, and then he thought better of whatever he was going to say. I laid my chin on my knees and waited as he struggled. My patience was rewarded. “That planet you were coming from before you were in Melanie,” he finally said. “What was it like there? Was it like here?” The direction of his thoughts caught me off guard. “No,” I said. With only Jamie here, it felt right to speak normally instead of whispering. “No, it was very different.” “Will you tell me what it was like?” he asked, cocking his head to one side the way he used to when he was really interested in one of Melanie’s bedtime stories. So I told him. I told him all about the See Weeds’ waterlogged planet. I told him about the two suns, the elliptical orbit, the gray waters, the unmoving permanence of roots, the stunning vistas of a thousand eyes, the endless conversations of a million soundless voices that all could hear. He listened with wide eyes and a fascinated smile. “Is that the only other place?” he asked when I fell silent, trying to think of anything I’d missed. “Are the See Weeds”-he laughed once at the pun-“the only other aliens?” I laughed, too. “Hardly. No more than I’m the only alien on this world.” “Tell me.” So I told him about the Bats on the Singing World-how it was to live in musical blindness, how it was to fly. I told him about the Mists Planet-how it felt to have thick white fur and four hearts to keep warm, how to give claw beasts a wide berth. I started to tell him about the Planet of the Flowers, about the color and the light, but he interrupted me with a new question. “What about the little green guys with the triangle heads and the big black eyes? The ones who crashed in Roswell and all that. Was that you guys?” “Nope, not us.” “Was it all fake?” “I don’t know-maybe, maybe not. It’s a big universe, and there’s a lot of company out there.” “How did you come here, then-if you weren’t the little green guys, who were you? You had to have bodies to move and stuff, right?” “Right,” I agreed, surprised at his grasp of the facts at hand. I shouldn’t have been surprised-I knew how bright he was, his mind like a thirsty sponge. “We used our Spider selves in the very beginning, to get things started.” “Spiders?” I told him about the Spiders-a fascinating species. Brilliant, the most incredible minds we’d ever come across, and each Spider had three of them. Three brains, one in each section of their segmented bodies. We’d yet to find a problem they couldn’t solve for us. And yet they were so coldly analytical that they rarely came up with a problem they were curious enough to solve for themselves. Of all our hosts, the Spiders welcomed our occupation the most. They barely noticed the difference, and when they did, they seemed to appreciate the direction we provided. The few souls who had walked on the surface of the Spiders’ planet before implantation told us that it was cold and gray-no wonder the Spiders only saw in black and white and had a limited sense of temperature. The Spiders lived short lives, but the young were born knowing everything their parent had, so no knowledge was lost. I’d lived out one of the short life terms of the species and then left with no desire to return. The amazing clarity of my thoughts, the easy answers that came to any question almost without effort, the march and dance of numbers were no substitute for emotion and color, which I could only vaguely understand when inside that body. I wondered how any soul could be content there, but the planet had been self-sufficient for thousands of Earth years. It was still open for settling only because the Spiders reproduced so quickly-great sacs of eggs. I started to tell Jamie how the offensive had been launched here. The Spiders were our best engineers-the ships they made for us danced nimbly and undetectably through the stars. The Spiders’ bodies were almost as useful as their minds: four long legs to each segment-from which they’d earned their nickname on this planet-and twelve-fingered hands on each leg. These six-jointed fingers were as slender and strong as steel threads, capable of the most delicate procedures. About the mass of a cow, but short and lean, the Spiders had no trouble with the first insertions. They were stronger than humans, smarter than humans, and prepared, which the humans were not… I stopped short, midsentence, when I saw the crystalline sparkle on Jamie’s cheek. He was staring straight ahead at nothing, his lips pressed in a tight line. A large drop of salt water rolled slowly down the cheek closest to me. Idiot, Melanie chastised me. Didn’t you think what your story would mean to him? Didn’t you think of warning me sooner? She didn’t answer. No doubt she’d been as caught up in the storytelling as I was. “Jamie,” I murmured. My voice was thick. The sight of his tear had done strange things to my throat. “Jamie, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Jamie shook his head. “’S okay. I asked. I wanted to know how it happened.” His voice was gruff, trying to hide the pain. It was instinctive, the desire to lean forward and wipe that tear away. I tried at first to ignore it; I was not Melanie. But the tear hung there, motionless, as if it would never fall. Jamie’s eyes stayed fixed on the blank wall, and his lips trembled. He wasn’t far from me. I stretched my arm out to brush my fingers against his cheek; the tear spread thin across his skin and disappeared. Acting on instinct again, I left my hand against his warm cheek, cradling his face. For a short second, he pretended to ignore me. Then he rolled toward me, his eyes closed, his hands reaching. He curled into my side, his cheek against the hollow of my shoulder, where it had once fit better, and sobbed. These were not the tears of a child, and that made them more profound-made it more sacred and painful that he would cry them in front of me. This was the grief of a man at the funeral for his entire family. My arms wound around him, not fitting as easily as they used to, and I cried, too. “I’m sorry,” I said again and again. I apologized for everything in those two words. That we’d ever found this place. That we’d chosen it. That I’d been the one to take his sister. That I’d brought her back here and hurt him again. That I’d made him cry today with my insensitive stories. I didn’t drop my arms when his anguish quieted; I was in no hurry to let him go. It seemed as though my body had been starving for this from the beginning, but I’d never understood before now what would feed the hunger. The mysterious bond of mother and child-so strong on this planet-was not a mystery to me any longer. There was no bond greater than one that required your life for another’s. I’d understood this truth before; what I had not understood was why. Now I knew why a mother would give her life for her child, and this knowledge would forever shape the way I saw the universe. “I know I’ve taught you better than that, kid.” We jumped apart. Jamie lurched to his feet, but I curled closer to the ground, cringing into the wall. Jeb leaned down and picked up the gun we’d both forgotten from the floor. “You’ve got to mind a gun better than this, Jamie.” His tone was very gentle-it softened the criticism. He reached out to tousle Jamie’s shaggy hair. Jamie ducked under Jeb’s hand, his face scarlet with mortification. “Sorry,” he muttered, and turned as if to flee. He stopped after just a step, though, and swiveled back to look at me. “I don’t know your name,” he said. “They called me Wanderer,” I whispered. “Wanderer?” I nodded. He nodded, too, then hurried away. The back of his neck was still red. When he was gone, Jeb leaned against the rock and slid down till he was seated where Jamie had been. Like Jamie, he kept the gun cradled in his lap. “That’s a real interesting name you’ve got there,” he told me. He seemed to be back to his chatty mood. “Maybe sometime you’ll tell me how you got it. Bet that’s a good story. But it’s kind of a mouthful, don’t you think? Wanderer?” I stared at him. “Mind if I call you Wanda, for short? It flows easier.” He waited this time for a response. Finally, I shrugged. It didn’t matter to me whether he called me “kid” or some strange human nickname. I believed it was meant kindly. “Okay, then, Wanda.” He smiled, pleased at his invention. “It’s nice to have a handle on you. Makes me feel like we’re old friends.” He grinned that huge, cheek-stretching grin, and I couldn’t help grinning back, though my smile was more rueful than delighted. He was supposed to be my enemy. He was probably insane. And he was my friend. Not that he wouldn’t kill me if things turned out that way, but he wouldn’t like doing it. With humans, what more could you ask of a friend?