A/N All the characters and places you recognise here are based on Stephenie Meyer's "The Host". The story below, however, is entirely my own.
It's been fifteen weeks, to the day. (He's been keeping count. How could he not?) Fifteen weeks since he took the old body with the new soul living inside of it.
Fifteen weeks of looking for her. Jodi. Hope is a tenacious thing. And still, she's nowhere to be found.
All this counting, and it still feels like he's lost track of time. So much has happened, it seems like a year could have passed. At lot has changed. But she's been with him since that very first day, refusing to leave his side.
Sunny.
Sometimes, he catches himself staring at her ponytail, or her shoulder blades, or her fingers, and damn, even her face, seeing everything just as it is, forgetting to look for the person he used to love. And he hates himself for it, though he can't deny that the weight on his shoulders feels lighter then, almost bearable.
Because there is someone there. Someone different, but special nonetheless.
He can't help but protect Sunny. It's Jodi's body, he tells himself, but then he's not completely sure it's really just that. Because there's something in her eyes that seems to latch onto something deep inside of him.
He remembers this feeling from years ago; this spark that, if left unattended, could light his heart on fire. Will, he corrects himself, because he just knows.
And for some reason, he welcomes the thought. He knows it's selfish, but he's tired of being alone. He wants to be happy again, like before. But this time, it will be different.
A/N Welcome to this madness! I thought I'd try my hand something more experimental (especially writing in the present tense), and so far I've been enjoying it. I've got a couple more ideas jotted down that I could use for future chapters (taking other characters' POV), so let's hope I'll manage to develop them further.
As always, thanks a million for reading!