**Snow Ball Effect**

Chapter 1- Wanda pov

We had finished a raid that lasted three months. Those short few months felt like years to me. The same process every single day; eating, sneaking into hospitals or malls, than going back to a hotel to sleep. The days simply became meshed. Making this boring process take forever, but it was definitely worth it and I would do it all over again without a second thought. Helping my family brought nothing but joy to me, and raiding was the only thing I could do. At the caves I was completely useless. I couldn't lift anything and I couldn't work in the fields. All I seemed to be good at was cooking and raiding.

I groaned, trying to close my eyes so I could fall asleep but I couldn't. Even with Ian's soft snores that would usually put me to sleep in an instant had no use on me. I laid curled against Ian's side, wide awake staring at the tinted windows.

I heard someone trying to stifle a yawn and then groan. "Oww...you're on my arm..." Mel quietly mumbled tiredly.I averted my eyes and saw Mel, Kyle and Sunny sprawled out around the cramped van. It would normally be Ian, Mel, Jared, Kyle and me but for this raid we also brought a timid Sunny. Everyone except Sharon and Maggie trusted Sunny enough to make her first appearance in the outside world. So she too was brought on this raid.

It had been an three hours of driving and mostly everyone was asleep except for Jared who was driving the car and me who desperately wanted sleep to come.

I heard Jared switching the radio station; sighing every time he heard the soul's music. When all the a sudden he cursed out loud and pressed on the breaks causing the jeep to stop with a jerk.

I flew off of Ian's lap flying into Kyle and Sunny.

Everyone was wide awake now. "What the hell Jared!" Kyle said rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Sunny flinched at Kyle's loud voice.

I got off them and apologized. "Kyle, Sunny I'm sorry I-i ..." I stuttered frantically trying to get off the fuming Kyle.

Ian came over to me and helped me out. "Wanda you don't have to say sorry, it was Jared's fault."

Jared ignored his remark and spoke with alarm. "There are people out there! Humans! Come on." He jumped out of the car.

The van was filled with silence; we sat quietly not believing our ears.

Was it possible?

"Well come on we don't have forever." Mel said sliding the door open and jumping out onto the heated sand.

Humans? Out here in the middle of the desert? They must be dehydrated; thirsty...I hope their okay.

I grabbed two water bottles from the back of the van and turned to see Ian smiling wildly at me.

I immediately blushed and smiled back slyly. Ian said. "Let's get outta here before Mel blows a gasket."

"Hey I heard that O'shea!" Mel's voice yelled from behind the closed van door. I giggled at Ian's shocked expression. He chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand as he slid open the door and we jumped out one by one.

We caught up with the others and walked for a while trying to find the humans that Jared had supposedly seen.

Maybe they thought we were seekers and ran...

Kyle stopped and we all turned to him. Sweat shimmered across his olive toned skin. He slumped forward putting his hands on his knees in exhaustion. "Man Jared, maybe you're going crazy. I wouldn't hold it against you. This heat is insane, I'm probably insane too...but I don't think anyone is out here."

Jared glared at him. "Shut it Kyle. We've only been outside a couple of minutes, you're just being lazy." Jared started walking away.

Kyle huffed but soon we all started looking again. It was quite except for the crunch of our feet walking on the dry sand and the occasional sounds of Kyles irritated sighs.

We looked in front of us our eyes peering through the darkness. Mel brought out the flashlight.

"Hello? It's okay we won't hurt you." She flashed the bright light over her brown eyes so they would see she was human.

Three people slowly emerged from the darkness. Two males and one female, they had strange expressions of happiness, relief, suspicion and anger.

They were all in torn clothes and had cuts and bruises all over them.

The woman had dirty blond hair that fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were forest green and held revulsion and anger.

She couldn't possibly notice that Sunny and I weren't human. It was pitch black and no light was being reflected off our eyes. How could she hate us already?

I frowned looking at her. She looked about twenty years of age and was short yet still taller than me. Her white teeth were visible under her thin pink lips. She was smiling wildly, but something seemed off. Her eyes held so much hatred but her smile seemed so sweet and innocent. She unnerved me.

I moved on to the next person beside her, and was quite startled. The man beside her was very very muscular; bigger than Jared, Kyle and Ian. He was also very tall. He had jet black hair and dark brown eyes. Altogether he seemed very intimidating.

The other man on the other side of the woman was tall and lean. He looked like the brother to the woman, but seemed a little older with messy dirty blond hair and green eyes. He held himself with pride and confidence as he smiled smugly at us.

I smiled at them but they didn't return it at all. They smiled at the others but when it came to me a frown was all that settled on their faces. To them I was invisible.

How could they hate me now when they think I'm human, what will they think when they find out I'm a soul.

I shivered at the thought. Ian put his arms around my waist when he saw my discomfort.

Jared stepped forward towards the newcomers.

"Hey I'm Jared this is Mel, Kyle, Sunny, Ian and Wanda" He pointed to each and every one of us; the newcomers smiled and nodded their heads in acknowledgment. But they ignored me.

Ian noticed and glared at them. I grasped his hand to tell him it was all right.

Did they frown at me because they realize I'm not human? But they don't seem as upset with Sunny as they do with me...

"So...who are you?" Kyle said, getting straight to the point.

"Oh I'm Chris the leader" I heard the girl snort and saw the other big guy roll his dark brown eyes. He continued as if the others did nothing at all.

"Well the big guy over there is Ryan and trouble maker over here is my sister, Sarah." We all laughed a little when Sarah hit him at the back of his head.

"Call me a trouble maker one more time." She glared but you could see the contained laughter that was about to burst from her.

Chris erupted in laughter. "Oh sorry little sis." He turned to us and smiled. "I meant to rephrase my last statement. Here's my pain in the neck, little spaz of a sister, Sarah."

"I'll get you later." Sarah just about growled at her brother.

"Ohh so scared."

"Better be." She muttered. She started coughing holding her throat in pain.

She must be really thirsty.

I walked up with the water bottles in hand and I smiled at them. "Here, you must be thirsty, you can have these. We just went on a raid so we have plenty" I stretched my arms out to give it to them, but they didn't make move to grab them. They stood frozen like stone as they stared at me, as if I was the most sickening thing they've seen.

I tried to smile as I quietly muttered. "Take them, your thirsty." Sarah looked at me with a sour expression, as if I just offered her acid. "We actually aren't thirsty anymore." She said icily

I furred my eyebrows in confusion.

Anymore? Did they already have a drink of water? How? It's so hard to find water out here? And that coughing... she must be thirsty.

I nodded and said. "Well... keep them you might get thirsty later on and it could help with your cough." handing them over again.

She shook her head no, leaving it at that. I frowned but I just nodded and took a step back to Ian and the others.

There was an awkward silence no one really knowing what to say. I looked at Ian and he looked as confused as I was.

Mel interrupted. "Okay people I would just like to point out that maybe we should get moving, it's almost morning. If you guys like you can come back with us, there are other humans living with us and we're not that far away from the cave another few hours and we will be there."

Sarah said, her sour expression instantly changing to excitement. "Yeah of course we will come! I never knew humans still lived here I thought we were the only ones." She glared at me. "I thought the creepy aliens took over all of us humans."

Okay she definitely knew I was a soul, but what about Sunny?

I flinched at her comment, although Ian told me numerous times he loved both alien and well... my human form but it still hurt. I wasn't used to insults anymore, Maggie and Sharon just ignored me and everyone else treats me like family.

Ian hugged me tighter and I put my head on his chest. He rubbed my back soothingly trying to make me feel better.

"Oh shut up! The whole creepy alien's thing was unnecessary. Wanda here is my sister and Sunny over there is my friend so who the hell do you think you are for messing with them. They are treated as family back in the caves if you don't agree to that, then you should stay here and die of dehydration."

Wow harsh. I immediately felt guilty as I looked warily at the newcomers.

The three of them all seemed to avert their eyes to Sunny. They seemed disturbed and angered but it wasn't the same amount of anger they held for me. Not one bit.

It went quiet. Everyone was shocked by Mel's outburst; I guess she was angrier because it was strangers insulting me and Sunny.

Chris spoke. "Forget my sister she didn't mean it. But we would all still like to come back with you."

Jared nodded. "Okay we should get back to the car"

We all walked back to the truck in silence.

Why do they hate me so much? I fussed twirling my blond wavy hair between my fingers.

I crawled next to Ian in the van. He looked at me worried when he saw my expression. "I'm okay." I whispered before he could ask. He looked at me, his dark eyebrows raised and his blue eyes staring at me intently. I sighed.

I knew he could read through my lies.

"Later, I'm tired." I murmured. I closed my eyes and leaned against Ian's chest; listening to his breaths. The van roared to life and it started driving through the bumpy sand and rocks.

I got comfortable in Ian's arms falling asleep to the light snores he gave off.