Six months ago, if someone had told me I was gonna be saved by maple and ginger oatmeal, I would have advised them to go see a shrink - right after laughing in their face. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Sorry, that's the end of the story. I have trouble focusing my thoughts lately. Let me start again at the beginning.
My name is Emily. A normal name for a normal girl. See the girl to whom you give one look and forget about in the next second? The girl who can blend in as easily as a hyperactive chameleon? That was me. I wasn't noteworthy at all, really.
Until a parasite from another planet decided to take up residence in my head. This was the result of a long chain of events, the first link of which was named Christopher. Christopher, the most good-looking guy in our class. Do I really have to draw you a picture?
Anyway, the day it all started, we were in class listening to a man making a really boring speech, talking about some kind of organization. The Sharing or something. I kept yawning and my gaze wandered frequently outside the window. According to my friend the clock, I'd be free to go home in just a few more minutes.
The bell finally rang as I was almost done counting the numbers of holes in the ceiling, signaling the end of my suffering. Freedom! I had quickly gathered my belongings and was almost out of the door when someone called my name.
"Hey, Emily!"
I turned around. And froze. In front of me stood the most drop dead gorgeous guy I had ever seen. It was Christopher, as I'm sure you've already guessed.
"Buhguh?" I stammered, blushing like an overripe tomato.
"Leaving already? You know, the Sharing is a great organization. You could make a lot of friends."
It took a while for my brain to start working again. Christopher was talking to me! Me!
"Yeah, sure," I heard myself say automatically.
Christopher!
"There's a meeting Thursday evening where anyone can come and see what we're all about."
Was talking to me!
"Wanna come?"
He shot me a smile with that last sentence and I almost felt my heart stop.
"C... Come? Me?"
My cheeks were burning so hot I expected the fire alarm to go off any second now.
"Well, I'm talking to you, aren't I?"
I was a hair's breadth away from fainting.
Deep breaths, Emily, that's the key, I told myself.
I was so not going to faint in front of Christopher.
"Sure, I'll be there."
A whole sentence, and without any stuttering! I was getting better at this.
"Cool. See you Thursday then."
Another smile, which turned my legs into jelly.
And that's how it happened. I took the bait like an idiot, and I swallowed it all, hook, line, and sinker.
Very soon, it was Thursday. The meeting was taking place not far from my house, in the park. I knew the place well because I took Barley - our neighbor's dog - out for a walk there very regularly. In my mind, it was better than baby-sitting when it came to making some pocket money. At least when Barley drooled on me I knew it wasn't intentional.
But today the park was different from the usual. For starters, there were a lot of people. They had also set up a large platform and a podium, as well as about fifty chairs so we could warm our butts instead of standing around awkwardly while listening to the speeches. Half the seats were already taken. I recognized a few people, my math teacher amongst them. What was Mr. Valium doing with the Sharing? How could the most soporific teacher in the entire universe and the best looking guy in the whole galaxy belong to the same organization? What could they possibly have in common?
There were also some stalls offering foods and drinks, and another one which was overflowing with flyers and immediately caught my gaze. Not because of the flyers, mind you. It was just that Christopher was standing right next to it.
He smiled when he saw me. Suddenly, I was on cloud nine.
"Hey, Emily!" he greeted me. "I was starting to think you wouldn't make it!"
"I had to negociate with my parents. They don't like it when I go out in the evening," I said.
And then I mentally slapped myself. Why in the name of all that is holy had I said that? Now he was going to think I was a nice little girl who stayed hidden under the protective shadow of her genitors, too afraid to stand up to them.
"Folks, am I right?" he answered. "I've got the same problems with mine. Can't wait til I'm 18, you know?"
Relief flooded me. He didn't find me stupid!
"Yeah, me too," I agreed.
Christopher gave a nod toward the person who ran the stall.
"Marc, meet Emily. Emily, Marc."
We shook hands. He crushed my fingers in his strong grip for a split second before letting go of my hand. I held back a scowl. What was the matter with him? He didn't like the look of me or something?
"Marc is in charge of registrations for the organization. We've had lots of people joining lately, so he's swamped by work at the moment. I hope you'll give him some more," he added with a laugh.
I shrugged noncommittally.
"I don't like groups much. I'm more of a lone wolf."
"Well, the Sharing is much more than just a group. But I'm not lauching into that speech without a drink first. Come on, let's go get something."
And that's how I found myself in a one-to-one discussion with Christopher. I felt like I was dreaming. Granted, we were mostly talking about the Sharing and how it was going to change my life if I joined, but still. Two days ago, I wouldn't even have dared to look him in the eye.
"... but you see, it's that spirit of community that I like most with the Sharing. There's no competition, we're all equal," Christopher was saying.
He paused to take a long swig of his soda.
"We help people reach their full potential. Who knows what you could become?"
I gave a weak nod, more interested by the way his lips moved when he talked than by what was actually coming out of his mouth.
Applause rose around us, distracting me. A man had climbed on stage and was getting ready to make a speech. Christopher stoop up, winking at me in a manner that said "I'm leaving you in good hands". The man started by welcoming us, before moving on to the usual stuff, talking about how we were stronger together and praising team spirit because it made up for each of our individual weaknesses. His voice was steady without being dull, and he made jokes when appropriate and generally had a very enthusiastic glow about him. I was starting to get interested despite myself.
"...and to conclude, I have but one thing to say: enjoy your evening!" he said at the end. "The drink stalls are open and just waiting for you, and we'll light the barbecues any minute. Don't worry, we brought the sausages!"
That last weak joke was met with a few laughs before thundering applause erupted, in which I participated. The guy was worth it for his rhetoric skills alone, even if his ideas were nothing I hadn't heard before.
I got up to look around for Christopher, but he was nowhere in sight.
"Well well, look who it is," a voice said behind me.
Oh no, not them.
I turned around, plastering on my face my best fake smile. I should have known that Jessica and her two inseparable friends would show up to wreck my evening. They already constantly pestered me at school, but apparently it wasn't enough in the eyes of Fate. No. The eyes of fate. It didn't even deserve its capital letter.
"Hi Jessica," I said with a sweet tone.
"It's nice to see you here," my classmate said. "You made the right choice, the Sharing is a great organization. Are you going to join? Think how cool it'd be if you were a member! We could share so many things!"
Her two friends who always followed her around like a pair of blind puppy dogs nodded in unison. I blinked. What? Not even one insult? What the heck was going on here? Was I actually talking to clones from the nice dimension?
"Yeah, that's why it's called the Sharing," I said carefully.
They giggled. Giggled, seriously. But not the kind of giggle meaning "haha you're so pathetic", no. The kind that meant "oh my gosh you're hilarious, have you ever thought about stand-up comedy?". Two options: either my lie detecting ability was completely off, or they were really being honest. If it was the latter, then suddenly anything was possible. Penguins wearing snow boots! Getting an A in Maths! Bags of chips filled with actual chips instead of air!
If that was Fate apologizing to me, it could have its capital letter back.
Of course, had I known everything I know now, I wouldn't even have given its "f" to fate. But that evening, I was naive and optimistic enough to make the stupidest mistake of my entire life. I filled out their form and joined the Sharing, thinking it would get me closer to Christopher. The other members seemed nice, the atmosphere felt welcoming, and if I didn't like it in the end, I figured I could always change my mind.
How wrong I was.
A few weeks went past. I went regularly to the Sharing meetings. I was astonished when I realized the diversity in their members, a fact that had escaped my notice that evening in the park - I suppose I was too focused on Christopher. Young and old, gay and straight, housewives and kids who went to primary school, there were all sort of people in the Sharing. A spirit of mutual aid and kindness reigned supreme at their premises, a building that used to be a disused theater before they had saved it from demolition and had renovated it.
They assigned me a guide, someone who was there to help me find my way and answer any questions I may have had. His name was Seth, and just like Christopher, he was a full member.
"What does it mean exactly?" I asked once as he was showing me around their private library.
"We full members all share a very big secret..." he said with a smile. "You'll understand one day, little grasshopper."
As vague statements went, this one couldn't possibly have been vaguer. And yet all it did was pique my curiosity further. So when the moment came, I didn't hesitate:
"Are you sure?" Seth asked. "You really want to become a full member?"
I nodded eagerly.
"Yes, I'm sure. I want to do something with my life. Make the world a better place."
He smiled.
"Great. There's just the small matter of the initiation ceremony, and you'll be one of us."
I ended up in a room in the basement, with Seth and two other full members, as well as a girl who wanted the same thing I did. Small and overheated, the room contained something that looked like a mini jacuzzi. A dark liquid bubbled in the pool. Even from afar, it seemed strangely thick - like molten lead, I guess. What could it be? Maybe this initiation was some kind of disguised hazing? I hoped they weren't going to ask us to drink that stuff...
"Julie, why don't you go first..." Seth said to the other girl. "Get closer to the pool and put the right side of your head in the water."
Julie and I exchanged a puzzled look. She bit her lip, seemingly hesitant, before dropping down on her knees in front of the pool. I watched as she lowered her head into the liquid, wondering what was the point of all this. Nobody had told us about that part of the initiation... In fact, nobody talked much about the iniation in itself; the full members usually just said they had felt much better afterwards, knowing they were a part of something greater than themselves.
Julie suddenly cried out in surprise and started to lift her head. And that's when things went south. The two other guys stepped in and forced her to stay on her knees, one ear submerged in the liquid. I backed away, torn between confusion and panic.
Seth grabbed me by the arm.
"It's only a formality," he said. "It will all be over in a moment."
Oh shit, what had I gotten myself into? Julie was struggling, her finger joints whitening as she gripped the metallic rim of the jacuzzi. She screamed again, but they shoved her head under the water, cutting off her protests.
"I... I've changed my mind," I said, my voice lifeless. "Let me go."
Far from complying, Seth gripped my arm harder.
"Little late for that," he breathed in my ear.
All of a sudden, Julie ceased her struggles. At first I thought she had passed out, but when the two brutes moved aside, she got up on her own. Then she calmly turned toward us. And smiled.
"Don't worry, Emily. It doesn't hurt that much, and you'll feel... much more in phase with the world after."
My heart was hammering in my chest. I struggled to swallow.
"Forget it," Seth said. "We're wasting time, she's never gonna be a volunteer anyway."
Upon hearing him talk in such a cold and clinical way, the dam which was helding back my fear exploded. Adrenaline flooded my veins. I started screaming and punching wildly - anything as long as I did something, really. I tried to run to the exit but they pounced on me. I struggled like a mad woman, even biting someone's hand out of rage when it came too close to my mouth.
No dice. They overpowered me - three adult men against one adolescent girl, I didn't stand a chance -, and my head ended up in the liquid. Instinctively, I held my breath and closed my eyes. The substance was tepid and felt strangely viscous on my skin. Very unpleasant.
A moment later, something touched my ear. Panic blossomed at the pit of my stomach, burning through the rest of my body like fire. What was that? Oh god, what was it doing? Helpless to stop it, I could only stand there as the thing forced its way into my ear canal. It burned like hell. I would have screamed if my head hadn't been underwater at the time.
And then, there was another mind touching mine. The shock made me open my eyes. How... ? I tried closing them again, but I couldn't do it. My body, which had been as tense as a bowstring, suddenly relaxed - without my say so. Slowly, I lifted my head from the pool and took a deep breath, before coughing a bit.
Only it wasn't me who was doing it. It was like I was now riding shotgun instead of driving my body. There was someone in my head, and it controlled everything. Impossible! I must have been dreaming.
My mouth moved without my permission:
"You could have treated this body more gently," I heard myself say. "The shoulder is sore, and there will possibly be bruises."
"Tell that to your host," Seth answered. "There wouldn't have been any problems if she had volunteered."
I tried moving. Any type of movement would have been enough. A shudder in my pinkie. The blink of an eye. Anything. I tried it, pushing myself as far as I could, but nothing happened. Nothing. Even the panic I felt wasn't visible physically: my heart had resumed beating at its normal rythm and the adrenaline had vanished.
Who are you? What's going on? Why can't I move anymore? I asked, nearly hysterical.
The thing in my head laughed.
Me? My name is Valkesh 227, and you are my slave.
This is a translation of a small fic I wrote in French. Just a little look at what life would be like for a regular human girl once she got a Yeerk in her head. Only two more chapters coming. :)