Stephenie Meyer owns The Host.
Okay, so here's a little something extra that never made it into Blurring The Lines. It should probably have gone somewhere around the time Wanda was catatonic in the game room. Maybe just after that. Anyway, i've decided to post it.
Special thanks to 4-eva-bookworm, who read this and convinced me to finally post it.
"You're sick, Ian." Sharon was scathing.
"Excuse me?" I said. It wasn't really a question. I was shocked she was speaking to me this way. She rarely spoke to me since Wanda showed up. She hardly spoke to anyone, but she had never spoken to me with such venom before.
"You heard me," she hissed. "What you're doing with that abomination is disgusting."
I knew where she was going with this and I was suddenly furious. I was angry enough already, I didn't think I'd be able to make it through her ranting without hitting something.
"And just what do you think it is that I'm doing with Wanda?" I snapped. Everyone seemed to think the worst of me all of a sudden. I would never do anything against Wanda's will or Melanie's. Well, I'd kissed her and if Wanda wanted me to, I'd do it again, but that was it. I wouldn't do anything more than that. Jared was right. Mel had rights, even if I was in love with Wanda.
"That was my cousin's body. It does not belong to that parasite―"
"It's as much Wanda's body as it is Melanie's. I don't know what your problem is, Sharon. You should be grateful to Wanda for bringing Mel back to you. If it wasn't for Wanda, Melanie would probably be dead right now. The Souls get rid of... uncooperative bodies."
She snorted. "Melanie is dead. Is that what that thing is telling you, that it saved Melanie? It killed her."
I was finished with this conversation. "Sharon, I'm not fighting with you about this, but you're wrong. Melanie is still there. Wanda talks to her. Melanie is aware of everything that's happening―"
"Oh, Ian, think with your brain, not with your pants," she scoffed.
"Excuse me?" I was taken back by her comment. Did she really think that that was all this was about?
"Everyone knows, Ian." She said it like she was aware of some deep dark secret I was hiding. "Everyone knows about you and that thing. It's disgusting, if you ask me."
"No one did," I spit.
She continued as if she hadn't heard me. "Couldn't find a human girl that was willing?" she taunted.
She had a lot of nerve. Did she think that I had forgotten the first few weeks she was here? Before she had gotten together with Doc, she spent enough time checking me out. I would have thrown it in her face, but I was too angry with her comment about Wanda.
"My relationship with Wanda is not like that, Sharon. I wouldn't do that to Melanie―"
"You and it are disgusting. Don't pretend like you care about my cousin. You don't know her and if you did you'd want that thing gone as much as I do," she sneered. Then she mumbled to herself, "I can't believe so many of you were taken in by that murderous leech. I didn't know Seekers were trained in the art of seduction."
I shook my head. What was wrong with this girl? She was bitter and it made her seem old and weary, but she was only twenty-three! What does Doc see in her?
I began to walk away, but stopped when I heard her call from behind me. "Don't let that thing manipulate you, Ian. Trust me, whatever it's telling you, it's a lie. You used to be a good man, Ian. Don't fall for it's tricks."
She was pleading with me, even though it didn't sound like it. She had an arrogant undertone to her voice that made me want to slap her. I never would, of course, but if I ever did hit a girl, this would surely be the girl to make me do it.
I began walking again. I didn't turn to look at her.