The kitchen is crowded, filled with bustling bodies smells of fried eggs. Yum. I love fried eggs. I quickly look around for Mel. I spy her sitting at the center table, surrounded by a small pile of gifts and home-made cards.
"Wanda!" she cries as she sees me.
"hey Mel!" I say, bounding up to her and flinging my arms around her sun-tanned shoulders. "Happy Birthday!"
"I know!" she squees. "Twenty five! I can't believe it!"
Just then Doc and Sharon enter, hand in hand. Well that's good, at least they're on good terms again.
"Happy Birthday Mel!" Doc repeats, grinning. He has his hands behind his back. He looks down at Sharon, who nudges him, indicating that she should give whatever was in his had to Melanie. He brings out a large box of Celebrations, tied with a single blue ribbon.
"OMG! CHOCOLATE!" Mel reaches out for the box, undoing the bow and thrusting her hand in side. Moments later her hand emerges clutching a Snickers bar. Greedily she tears of the wrapper and stuffs it in her mouth.
I am so busy watching Mel's curious display that I have only just realised Jared creeping up behind her. I start to giggle and Jared frowns at me, indicating me to be quiet.
Just as Melanie is stuffing her fourth Snickers bar into her mouth, Jared pounces, scooping her up like the newly-wed bride she is, in his strong muscled arms
"ARGH!" Mel screams in an uncharacteristically high girly voice.
"Ha! Got you" he kisses her full on the lips, in front of every one. I feel a sudden pang of jealousy towards Mel. Irrational, I know, but I can't help it. I had spent almost a year and a half in Mel's body, all the while feeling drawn to Jared, his tanned skin, dark hair and even darker eyes. What am I thinking? I have Ian! Ian who I don't deserve. Ian who still loves me, just for being me, Wanderer.
I look across to the stove where Maggie is being chef- as normal, and also as normal, she ignoring everyone else's existence. Well, apart from Sharon, who had sidled up to her the moment she had let go of Doc.
And so the scene continued for about another five or ten minuets. More people arrived, all wishing Mel a happy birthday, Maggie cooked more eggs,-most of which were eaten by Jamie and Freedom and Jeb, who surprisingly I hadn't noticed before kept yelling at people to 'Keep the God Damn Noise Down!"
"What ya doooin?"
I jump, spinning round at the same time to find myself less than an inch away from Ian's face. His blue are yes looking down at me, one thick, black eyebrow raised.
"watching." I reply, turning back to look at Mel. Ian slips his large, muscled arms around my miniature waist.
"I still can't believe it's been two years" I whisper, looking up to my head fits nicely in the hollow beneath his chin.
"Neither can I," Ian mutters.
Two years of living harmoniously with my fellow rebels. Gosh, that makes it almost four since I came to earth, almost twelve since the invasion began. The time as flown so fast! We stand there, Ian's arms wrapped around me for a moment longer, both gazing at the scene before us.
"Where's our present to her?" I suddenly ask.
"Under the abnormally large pile of laundry in our room" Ian whispers. "Hang on, I'll go get it."
"What? No, its okay. I'll fetch it."
Reluctantly he unwraps his arms from around me.
"are you sure you'll be able to lift it?" he enquires anxiously.
"Ian." I mock glare at him.
"Fine, fine." He mutters. I turn to skip out of the kitchen towards our room.
"come and get me if you can't lift it!" I hear him call after me.
I walk down the more than familiar corridors. Ha! I could walk around theses caves blindfolded now and I wouldn't get lost. Not that I need to be blindfolded to not see. They are so dark, even with the bluish solar lamps. I have to admit, those solar lamps give me the creeps. It's weird. They never used to when I was Melanie. I have had to get used to a LOAD of new changes since occupying Pet. Fortunately, people aren't quite so protective when it comes to hard jobs like farming etc. I have been able to build up some muscles which help…loads. I reach the bedroom part of the caves and take the right fork, the one that leads to mine and Ian's room. About summer last year, Jeb decided to extend the sleeping quarters on account of the three new people who had joined us. Eden and Isaac are seventeen year old twins, who had travelled from New York on hearing that there were rebel cells in the deserts. When we found them, Isaac was almost dead from dehydration and Eden had given up hope of ever finding a unit. If Jeb hadn't insisted on doing a 'necessary' clothing raid, we would never had found them. The other new addition was Peter, a tall, well built man of about sixty who used to be a Healer. We had 'soulnapped' as Jared put it, him and sent the resident soul to the flower world. Luckily Peter regained consciousness within a few hours. In my opinion he is brilliant company for Doc. Candy, although she used to also be a healer, cant really remember much of her time of being occupied and so unfortunately isn't much use in that aspect of things. She is, as it turns out a brilliant cook. Seriously, she makes the best cake in the world…not that I have tasted many examples.
Mel and Jamie decided to make a birthday cake for Lily on her last birthday. Shell from precious eggs and sloppy cake mixture everywhere. It took forever to get the kitchen clean again. There were five of us as well, Jamie, Mel, Ian, Sunny and me. We laughed about it later though.
I pass various 'rooms' habitually counting them until I get to ours, a small entrance with a thin sheet of metal across the front as a door. According to Ian, it used to be a trash can lid. I swing open the door and sweep back the purple piece of fabric serving as a dividing curtain. I enter our room and scan around for the 'abnormally large pile of laundry'. I spot it immediately. It was a wonder I didn't spot it when I got up first thing this morning. I must have been really distracted by that dream. I cant even remember much of it now. Something about a desert? Oh well. It's not like it matters. I cross the room, once again avoiding large piles of junk. Oooo that really annoys me. I stop to pick up a book lying on the floor. It's Ian's note book. He writes everything in there. I don't flick through it. Being a soul it's against my nature to look at anyone else's private things. Instead I place it gently on our mattress. Back to the job in hand. I start to move towards the laundry.
Suddenly the room is spinning. I feel faint. I don't want to faint. That will just mean every one else getting upset. I am going to be sick. I try to stumble towards the bed, but I can't focus on anything. My foot catches on something lying on the ground and I go flying, striking my head on the floor. I feel a pain shooting through my head and leg at the same time.
Everything goes black.