I stared into my teacup, listening to the guards around me as they talked.

There were seven of us in the room right then: myself, three other hosts and their yeerks. We were all sat around a small table, each with cups of tea or coffee within easy reach. The carpet beneath our feet was spotlessly clean. The red, patterned curtains had been tightly pulled, hiding the well-kept garden that lay beyond. It wouldn't do, after all, for us to be watched by the wrong person.

This was a feeding group - one of many that had formed since the war's end. My own yeerk, Arash Eight-Three-Two-Eight, was currently in the Kandrona room a few doors down. That, in theory, left three other yeerks to guard me. In reality, such guarding was unnecessary, and all three of them knew that. They all knew I'd behave. I always behaved.

Glancing around, I saw that Larton and Delnik were currently in control of their respective hosts. Larton Nine-Three-Four controlled Henry, a rather portly man who was balding at the sides. Henry was a banker, selected principally due to his wealth. We used his house regularly. His daughter, Sonja, hosted Delnik Three-One-Two-Seven. Sonja was pretty and well-mannered, which made her popular at my school. This in turn made her an asset in her own right, though as of yet it had not been necessary to make use of her.

Gedis Six-Seven-Two, meanwhile, had given control over to Gordon. Gordon huddled in his seat, looking oddly small for his heavy build. He eyed me nervously. Gordon was the newest of our group, having been infested by me and Arash only a fortnight earlier. Like Sonja, he went to my school, but he appealed to an entirely different sort than Sonja did. I'd chosen him myself.

'Gordon?' Delnik said, leading forward with a cup in Sonja's hand. 'Gordon, are you okay?'

'No,' he said. 'N-no, I'm...who is this?'

'Delnik.'

Gordon said nothing to that. He crossed his arms, huddling down even further.

'Relax, Gordon,' Larton said. 'You've been given control. Enjoy it while it can, alright?'

'But how can I?' Gordon said. He's...' His voice had started to rise. He blinked a handful of times. Then, more quietly: 'He's still there. Gedis. He'll come back.'

'Is Gedis hurting you?' Delnik said.

'Well, no, but...'

'You'll be fine, Gordon,' Delnik said, before Gordon could continued. He smiled, using Sonja's gentle features to full effect. 'You'll get used to it - I promise.'

Gordon sighed, shaking his head. He took a quick sip from his own cup and then placed it down hard. His hand, I noted, was shaking. 'You could all join the Peace Movement,' he said. 'Get voluntary hosts, stop hiding. You could-'

Larton dismissed him with a sweep of the hand. 'We've been hiding too long, Gorden: we'd all be made nothlits and you know it.' He shook his head. 'Besides, the peacers never have enough hosts. Hardly any human wants a yeerk in them. That's why we need to hide like this. That's why we...'

I went back to looking at my teacup, no longer interested in what was said. I took a long sip, savouring the taste and warmth and concentrating on those alone. This was what Arash had taught me to do – to focus solely on the present moment, to enjoy each and every one of my senses as and when the opportunity arose. It didn't take control to do that; in fact, I often found that control made it harder. Arash couldn't come back soon enough.

Delnik was entirely correct, I thought: if more of my species were willing to share, then none of this hiding would be needed. Humans were born with so much – sight, smell, taste – and yet so many of them simply took it for granted, their minds full of irrelevancies. Having thought that, I allowed my mind to clear. I was not going to fall into the same trap.

For a while, I simply enjoyed the taste of my drink.

'Hey, are you okay, Lucas?' Sonja said. 'You're awfully quiet today – even for you.'

I'm not quite sure why I thought it was Sonja just then. There was something about her tone, something Delnik couldn't quite mimic. I looked up at her and studied her face. Delnik never looked at me like that; it was definitely his host I was dealing with.

Sonja's eyes were wide and full of concern, and I decided it would be best to just answer her. I opened my mouth to speak, which was when I caught sight of the clock hanging on the wall. Time, I realised. Arash is waiting. All of a sudden, Sonja was forgotten.

'It's time,' I said. 'Can someone walk me back?'

Gordon's body relaxed, signifying that Gedis had returned. 'Sure thing,' Gedis said as he got up. He beckoned me towards him. 'Come on.'

He walked me down a long hallway past several doors, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. I could easily have ducked and ran if I had wanted, though I of course didn't. At the end of the hallway was our destination: the Kandrona room, where Arash presently fed.

'Honestly, Lucas?' Gedis said. 'I don't understand you at all.' I looked at him; he just shrugged. 'I mean, we know you won't run away. Why don't you go yourself?'

Now it was my turn to shrug. 'I don't know,' I said. I stared at the floor. 'It just…feels better this way.' I opened the door the Kandrona room and stepped in, with Gedis following.

Numerous shelves lined the walls, full to bursting with yeerk technology. I saw several stacks of kandrona disks, as well as computers and various other pieces of equipment I had no knowledge of. By the door, a pair of dracon beams hung in case of emergencies. A bare bulb was the only source of light. On the floor, directly in front of me, was a set of portable kandronas. Right now, only one was being used.

I stepped to one side, allowing Gedis to go on past me. I knelt down, closed my eyes, waited. Gedis fumbled with the kandrona for a moment before coming back to me. I kept still as he held Arash to my ear. Then, I felt Arash's familiar presence within me, and all was right in the world.