“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.”