Prologue:
It's so hot, yet so cold at the same time. How does that make sense? How can my body feel so hot on the outside, when my insides are so cold? I should never have left the Bats. I should have gone to the Flowers.
Get up, Wanderer, she urged. She, my friend. After all that we have been through together, I have the right to call her my friend, even though I was only inserted into her mind a few days ago.
Dust gathered in my nostrils when I inhaled, making breathing hard.
How can I get up, Melanie? I'm so weak, and we're lost. We're going to die. I told her calmly. I hoped that it would be quick. I hoped that when we died, it would be as peaceful as the desert that we were dying in.
I saw a large cactus up ahead, and Melanie's hope surfaced. Not my hope. Melanie's.
Come on, Wanderer, she urged. Grab hold of that tree, and pull yourself into the shade. You don't want us to die, do you?
I was amazed at that moment by the strength of my survival instincts. I did not want to die, not at all. I wanted to live this life on earth to the fullest, and how could I live with myself, knowing that Melanie died because I gave up? Melanie may have hated me in the beginning, but now, after four days lost in the desert, we had formed a bond that no one could explain. Soul and human, working together at last.
Okay Melanie. For you, I vowed.
I felt her disapproval. Not for me, Wanderer. For you. For us.
I nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see me.
I used my fingertips to pull myself across the bare hot sand of the desert. We were thankful about the Healers new discovery. The extra strength was useful. As soon as I touched the cactus, I knew that it was over. No matter how much the Teachers had taught me on the planet of the Flowers, the flowers on this planet were much more stubborn, and this cactus refused to give up its water. I could have broken it in two and drank its fluids, but the thought of killing another thing filled me with dread.
The cactus provided some shade. Enough shade to cover my head and torso, however, the air was humid and moist, and I couldn't breathe.
I'm so sorry, Melanie, I told her weakly as my eyelids closed.
***