i don't wanna be alone.


—she can move.

She knows her name, almost immediately as she feels something warm around her right hand. She quivers. That sensation is almost too good to be true. It sends a spark throughout her body, alert that she is alone now. No one else in her mind.

Her voice cracks. She doesn't realize it is hers, as she calls him.

"Jared."

Someone catches his breath. A warm hand presses against her cheek, and she allows her eyes fluttered open.

"Melanie? Melanie, are you alright? Melanie."

Jared is here. His trembling figure is all she sees. He leans towards her, and kisses her full in the mouth. He calls her over and over. It's so wonderful to be back, to feel his arms around her. But she doesn't know why but her tears flow unstoppable, making her choke.

"Melanie?" Jared's eyes full of worries. "Melanie, what is it? Mel, honey, what's wrong?"

It's impossible to think about why this breaks her heart. She clenches her fists, unable to say a word. Jared still looks confused, calling Doc around. She trembles, her mind is a dizzy mess. And it kills her to remember there used to be someone inside her. Someone so important to her. Someone whose presence is almost essential to her. Like a family.

"Wanda—" she chokes, barely audible. "It's Wanda, Jared. She is not here. And I—I..."

It's so silent now. So... empty. She used to share her body with Wanda. And now that she leaves, she feels irrationally lonely. Jared and Doc try to calm her down, but she just can't. She doesn't want to be alone.

Last thing she knows, she is sobbing silently, wrapping Wanda's tank against her.


The Host and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Title and summary from Augustana's Sweet and Low lyrics.