Hello all! This is my little "sequel" to the Host, just a result of me being unsatisfied with the ending we got and waiting anxiously for a real sequel. I'm super excited about the movie, thought the casting was brilliant, think it will NOT be a Twilight(gross), but a well done book-to-movie. I felt like Stephenie hinted at a rebellion of the humans, so here it is! Please read and review!
Chapter One - Melanie:
As my eyes, full of sleep, fluttered awake I was greeted by Jared's warm breath on my neck, as he continued on in his deep slumber. Ever since I had gained control of my own body back I took pure joy in the littlest things; such as watching Jamie continue to learn in the makeshift school the caves had or watching the man I loved sleep peacefully next to me, while the world was in chaos all around us. It brought an ease to my whole body to endlessly watch his chest rise and then fall, because I knew that he was mine, breathing and alive.
Slowly, as to not wake Jared, I climbed out of our small bed that barely fit his tall, slim figure. Luckily I fit just snug and had no discomfort at all, although that could be contributed to me being in a euphoric state because I got to sleep peacefully with Jared and alone; just like we used to. I couldn't help but smirk at how he had several limbs dangling off the bed that was too small for him alone. But that was what life was like after the human apocalypse; you had to make do with what you had and savor it for as long as you could, you never knew when everything you knew in the world would turn into dust. The invasion taught everyone on Earth about that.
I made my way to wash up in the deeper caves with the bathing pools. In the caves, you always felt grungy and grimy, no matter how hard you scrubbed your rough skin with that awful acidic cactus soap. It felt like it seeped into every crevice of your body setting it on fire, not to mention the foul smell it gave off. But by now, everyone was used to it and seemed indifferent, except me. Still, as I let the cool water run over my body I felt extremely refreshed and anew. After shimmying dry with a rag of a towel, I slipped on some clean clothes that made me feel even better. I made my way to the dining hall which was probably empty at this early hour, but I figured I might find something to eat.
"Hey," Wanda said, from the table she was sitting at, picking at some lumpy food. I went over to sit next to her and smirked.
"What has you up at such an hour?" I asked.
"Ian's snoring woke me up." she said with a chuckle. "And since you're an early riser, I am too now. I guess you kind of rubbed off on me." Although there was still tension because of those times when I would accidentally look at Ian too long or Wanda would brush Jared's arm instinctively, the ease of having Wanda and I in two different bodies had uplifted some of the bad blood between Jared and Ian, who had grown to become quite close since all that had happened.
"Early bird gets the worm." I said sarcastically, then took a fork and began picking at her food, getting the notion that she wouldn't be eating anymore. It was edible, but it wasn't great; a bit hard to swallow. "You still on laundry duty permanently?" I asked, nodding towards her hands, which I saw were still rubbed and raw from using the awful soap. We gathered good soap on raids but it wasn't a priority and it took up room in the van- so we saved it for special occasions.
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Ian won't let me pick up a shovel, carry anything heavier than my head, or go on raids without him. I feel like a child." she huffed. It was so funny to see her in the body of a young girl, only recently turning 17, as she let me in on her little secret. It suited her to be a teenager.
"You are a child." I said with a laugh, raising my eyebrows at her.
"I am your senior by centuries! I can't even begin to imagine how he'd react if I told him that I want to find the soul who was with the other survivors," she said, frowning and putting her head in her hands. My eyes widened at that news. It was enough of a risk going out on raids, but leaving the caves for some sort of recreational play date? I could understand Ian being infuriated with that. I loved Wanda and supported her, but I couldn't lose her that easily after all we'd been through.
"I think you should stick to laundry work." I said curtly. "And as much as I support you, I would be on Ian's side in that scenario. It's just not safe. You've only been in your body for a few months, too. The rains have only recently stopped. There are just too many factors against you. Plus, how do we know they weren't found by seekers? It could be a trap waiting to happen." Boy, when I got started you really couldn't shut me up.
"Jared would understand. He knew what it was like to think he was alone as a survivor. I finally found another soul who 'went native' and I only met him briefly. I want to know more, I want to know everything." she said, waving her hands around for emphasis.
"Jared barely lets me get out of bed in the morning." I snorted. She scowled. "Okay, okay, I get it. But we can't let you do that. I swear Wanda, every time you get a chance to almost get killed, you leap at it!" I groaned, rolling my eyes. As Wanda's host was younger, her reasoning seemed worse, and she also had that adorable giggle that escaped past her lips every so often for no reason.
"There's just…there's so much out there that we don't know about. Don't you want to learn too?" Wanda said, staring at me with those intense eyes that were constantly lit up. I thought about this for a minute as she sat quietly, waiting for my answer.
"Yes. I do. Okay. We'll talk more about this. We know it won't happen any time soon." I said, finishing off the last of Wanda's breakfast and getting up to rinse our plates off.
By the time I got back to my room, Jared was still soundly asleep in bed. I rolled my eyes. I swear; he would never wake up if nobody made him. I gently got on the bed and lightly kissed him near his shoulder. I could feel his body tense then relax, making me grin.
"I know you're up." I said in a sing-song voice.
"No, I'm not." he said huskily, rolling over with a groan. I chuckled and sat astride so I was on top of him.
"I've already been up for two hours. We have tons of chores. You need to wake up!" I said while leaning down and gently resting on his chest. I loved rising up and down with the steadiness of his breathing. After a minute, Jared let out a sigh and brought my face up to his, bringing my mouth to his. It was amazing how he could still make me weak in the knees after all this time, he slowly trailed his kisses from my mouth down my jaw and then my neck, focusing on my collarbone. Everywhere he kissed felt like it was on fire, just ignited by his simple touch. God, he made me feel like such a lovesick moron sometimes. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. He frowned.
"Up!" I yelled, getting off of him and picking his clothes up to throw at him.
"Since when are you so bossy?" he said, catching his shirt and putting it on with that priceless grin of his.
"Since when did I need a reason?" I said raising an eyebrow at him.
By the time we got to the wheat field and began digging to start a new harvest, all I could think about was what Wanda had said. She was right- I wanted to know who the other survivors were, where they were, what they lived in, how they survived. I wanted to know everything about them, because any other human was practically family now. As I was deep in thought we were called for a water break, and I joined Jared at the canteen.
"What's got you so quiet today?" he asked with a spark of curiosity in his deep brown eyes.
I shrugged. "I'll tell you when we get back to work." He still gave me an odd look. Jared could read me like an open book, unlike anyone else. I got a glance of Kyle helping to show Sunny how to properly do the job she was assigned and I couldn't help but smile. I still hated Kyle's guts for attempted murder but it was nice to see humans and souls coexisting, even loving each other.
Once Jared and I were back at work, side by side, I decided to start talking. Maybe if he was doing something he wouldn't overreact so much. I sighed and pushed a strand of hair behind my ears. Finally it was getting super long again; I missed the protective feel my hair had- anything shoulder length or shorter made me feel vulnerable and naked.
"We want to go to the other survivors. We want to learn more." I let out in a rushed breath. Jared continued digging as if I hadn't said anything, but I could tell he was trying to think out his response thoroughly by his iron grip on his shovel. Finally, he stopped and looked up at me.
"We being… you and Wanda." he said, his mouth in a hard line. I knew I had to approach this carefully. I nodded slowly. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and I began to brace myself for a typical angry Jared response. "What do you want to know more about?" he asked, and I could tell it was taking all of his strength to remain calm and collected.
"I-I think we have a chance." I said in a low voice. He gave me a quizzical look. "I think the human race has a chance."