Disclaimer: I don't own The Host, any of its characters, or the state of Arizona…for now.
Author's Note: I got the idea for this fanfic a couple of minutes ago from rocking out to "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie (sadly I don't own them either). Anyway, love the band!
Soft-spoken: A Jamie Stryder Story
Chapter 1: The Raid
I grinned as we ran back to the van. I loved raids. They felt like being in a spy movie (the human ones), with our secret hand signals and fake names. I wouldn't put it past Jared to wear a tux to our next one, either.
Something, someone, caught my eye as Ian started up the van. A girl, running down the street. Her long brown hair billowed in the wind as she dashed past us. She didn't hold the smug demeanor of the souls, either. She looked…scared, even human.
"Ian, stop the van," I said.
"Why? What did you see?" Everyone was staring at me now, concerned.
"Not what, who." With that, I opened the door and jumped out, running after the girl, despite Mel's calls.
The girl didn't spare me a glance, continuing to run, but I was able to keep pace. Stryders were born runners.
"Hey wait up!" I followed her into an alley. I didn't like this. I felt like a criminal, cornering her like this.
She turned around, fear still showing in her eyes. "Don't touch me. I know what you are."
I backed her against a wall. "No you don't."
She fiddled with the flashlight from her pocket, eventually turning it on and shining it in my face. "…you're not one of them," she whispered.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I probably couldn't anyway. My sister would kill me if I hit a girl." She managed to laugh.
"So…what's your name?" She smiled, interested.
"Jamie, Jamie Stryder. And yours?"
"Anna Walker. Why were you chasing me?"
I glanced around shiftily, making her laugh some more. "There's a place in the desert, where I live. Other humans live there too. If you come with me, you can stay there, and you'll be safe."
She smiled. "Okay, I'll go." She took a quick look at the canvas messenger bag she was carrying, smiling sheepishly. "This is all I have."
"Oh. That's okay. Come on." I took her hand and walked her to the van.
I chuckled a bit as we reached the door. Mel's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head!
Anna blushed as we reached the door. "I'm not going to impose, am I?"
I shook my head. "No, not at all. We could always use an extra hand to help." At this she brightened up considerably.
"Where have you been?" Mel demanded.
I shrugged. "Here, there, I'm not one to memorized street names."
"Who's the girl?" She asked.
"Her name is Anna." I corrected. "And don't worry, she's human. She wants to come to the caves."
"Today my parents…I realized they were souls. And they wanted me to become one too." I felt a great wave of respect for Anna. Not many of us can talk about how they survived. She looked on the verge of tears. "So I ran away, and I just happened to meet Jamie." She smiled through the sadness.
Ian started the van. "Get in."
We clambered into the van, and Ian pulled away from the curb. "Hope you're not sensitive to heat Anna."
She shook her head and leaned in. "Jamie, that girl in the front…" She whispered, gesturing to Wanda. Ian tensed. I glared at him, urging her to go on. "…why is she not afraid?"
Frankly, I was surprised. I was expecting Anna to be afraid of her. But, what should I expect? Anna's full of surprises.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I'll try to update as soon as I can. While you're waiting, why don't you press that green button down there? Oh, and don't even try to post a negative review. This fanfic is 100% flame-resistant.
