A/N: Just a crazy one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Host. Stephenie Meyer has that privilege :p I only own my imagination :D

What if?

It was a cold, lonely night as Jodie trudged through the dark, empty alley. Years ago, she might have been scared, but the once crime-infested streets were now clean and safe. Too clean and too safe for her taste. The eerily beautiful graffiti art had been whitewashed and the crime rate was down to less that 0.2%. Ironically, the danger of living in East Los Angeles that she used to hate, was now the danger she craved. As crazy as it sounded, in that danger, she would find safety. Because crime meant humans, and Jodie would rather be killed by a human than taken away to be host.

It started so subtly, just an insignificant neighbor here and there. They would disappear for a few days, and then come back like a totally different person. Little did she know, they were a totally different person. It started becoming more frequent. Two or three friends would disappear in a single day. It got worse. At school, friends would go to the restroom and come back the next week. For a while, she had been too scared to even step outside her dorm room. When her parents died, she was forced to leave school, find a job, and support her family. All her hard work in medical school and all the dreams of becoming a psychiatrist, were gone. Just like that, her career went out the door. She had been able to get her bachelor's degree, but it was useless. She went home to find her aunt the same as when she left. She was so relieved, she almost enjoyed being treated like trash by her. Then she disappeared too.

When her aunt came back, Jodie escaped with her thirteen year-old sister and her seven year-old brother to her boyfriend's house. They hid there for a few months before he too was sucked up by the Earth. They didn't wait for him to come back. Jodie knew they had taken him and molded him into one of their own. She took the kids and ran. She didn't know where she was going; she didn't know how she would get there. All she knew was that the last person she could count on was no longer there. Matt was gone. In his place was a creepy, friendly, untrustworthy alien whose race was taking over her home. All she had left was Danny and Kat.

But Danny and Kat were currently lost.

Two seconds. That's all it took for the siblings to be separated. If Jodie hadn't stayed two seconds longer to grab Danny's favorite cookies, she wouldn't have dropped a can of chili. If she hadn't dropped the can of chili, the dog wouldn't have barked. If the dog hadn't barked, the neighbor wouldn't have suspected. If the neighbor hadn't suspected, he wouldn't have called the Seeker. If the Seeker hadn't come, she wouldn't have had to run the opposite direction of their hideout. If she hadn't run the wrong direction, she never would have encountered the train. If she hadn't encountered the train, she might have been able to get back to the hideout in less than one hour. If she had been able to get back to the hideout in that time, she would have found her siblings safe and sound. If she hadn't stopped two seconds, she would have Danny and Kat.

But she did stop two seconds, and she did drop the can. The dog did bark, and the neighbor suspected. The Seeker came, and Jodie ran the wrong direction. She encountered the train, she wasn't able to get back in an hour, and she didn't find her only family left. Who knows what would have happened if she hadn't stopped for those two precious, life-changing seconds. Jodie wasn't sure that if she could go back in time, she would not stop for the cookies. Because maybe she would trigger a butterfly effect worse than this domino effect.

Now, there was nothing to do but sulk in the shadows of the safe alley, lament over her failure, and try to plan out her next move. All while eating Danny's favorite cookies.

A/N: review? Please? i might consider continuing the story if i get enough reviews...

:Dee