AN: Thanks for the reviews! Shucks, I shouldn't feel so flattered… but I do. Favoriting my story was a very much appreciated, also, so thanks again. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Also, because I'm pretty new, if anyone has any tips on just about anything, let me know. Once again, I do not own The Host, Miss Stephanie Meyer does (ugh). Enjoy reading!
I slide into a parking space at the Seekers' office building half an hour later. Even though I am already late, I take a moment to admire the sights in front of me. Our building is simple, nothing too remarkable compared to the buildings around it, but I have come to love it in all its simplicity. Three walls of the one story building are made entirely of glass, stretching from the ground all the way up to the twenty-foot ceiling. It makes the entire room visible from outside, and creates a magnificent, panoramic view of the surrounding city from the inside. The fourth wall is made of a pure white stone that curves around to the two adjacent walls, providing privacy for the bathrooms that wall houses. The ceiling is made of a thin but sturdy layer of white stone, with a dry wall ceiling inside; the floor is made entirely of white tile flecked with silver, glittery specks of crushed rock. There are eighteen white, sterile desks evenly spaced around the room with a slim computer on each one and a cushioned chair tucked neatly underneath. Only twelve of the desks are currently being used; ten Seekers, including me, are stationed here until further notice, with two being used by a Seeker couple visiting on assignment. I can see them all now; bustling around and gathering information, all in the clean white outfits that signify a one's calling as a Seeker in this town. Everything about the building and those in it embodies the souls' philosophy: full of light, clean, pure.
One of my coworkers, a young woman named Thousand Petals, notices me sitting in my car and smiles. Only a few years older than me, she is one of the most beautiful hosts I've ever seen. Her long golden hair, which normally falls stick-straight to her hips, is today pulled into a long braid over her shoulder. Her figure is tall and slim with small curves that show her womanly body, but aren't overbearing. Her oval face houses small, blue-gray eyes that seem very bright with the silver of the souls behind them; intelligent eyes that are constantly flitting to and fro to take in her surroundings. She has a wide, full mouth and a small nose that curves slightly at the end. I personally find it hard to believe she hasn't been partnered, but I would never say such a thing out loud. She raises her slim hand and waves me in with a kind smile. A small smile crossed my faces and, pushing the dream out of my mind, I climb out of my vehicle and walk into the building.
The moment I step inside, I'm greeted with the happy hellos of my fellow Seekers. They are all busily working at something. Azure, a portly middle-age woman with stunningly blue eyes; Upside-Down Song, a short, sixty something man with olive skin and dark hair; and Fire Weaver, a young man with a shocking mop of orange hair, are all leaning over a map of the surrounding area, contemplating where the human rebels could be hiding based on where we've tracked them so far. Glides Quickly, a thirty year old man with a pudgy frame, and Brightly Shines, a dark haired, dark skinned young woman with almost black eyes, are monitoring the radios where the visiting couple, June and Firstling, are out on the road, closely watching the areas where much of the human activity has been reported. The couple, in their late thirties, are both tall and athletic, both with dark blond hair that's twined with strands of gray. Ryan, tall, blond, twenty-three, and devastatingly handsome, is perched on his desk, intently reading over a report, while Damian, chocolate-skinned and in his early thirties, and Flowers of Ice, a fifty-something, lofty woman with salt and pepper hair, are lowly discussing a recent sighting in the far corner of the office.
I cross over to where Thousand Petals is motioning me to her. Her smile widens as I approach.
"Good morning, Laila. Damian said that you were going to visit your Comforter this morning. Are you feeling okay?" She questions, concerned. I smile graciously at her concern.
"Yes, I'm perfectly well. Just thought I'd pay him a visit, that's all." I say, though this isn't completely the truth. I just don't know if I want to share my strange experience with anyone, at least not yet.
"Well, I'm glad you're all right." She smiles sympathetically. "Now, I was working on some statistics for the news report tonight concerning the humans' activity, I was wondering if you could help me?" She asks me.
"Of course I will. I don't think I have any assignments I need to work on today." I respond, pulling the chair of my desk over to her.
Most of the rest of the day is spent gathering information for that night's news. We are trying not to alarm anyone, but the people need to be aware of the dangers that are out there, and the threat the humans pose to us. We break for lunch just as the sun is at its highest point. Some of the group leaves to get food from a local café, as usual, but the youngest five of us stay behind.
It is my favorite part of the day, spending this time conversing with my fellow Seekers. They all have such interesting lives, and they love sharing their stories. Today, Ryan is telling us stories of his life as a bear. I love when he tells stories; normally, he is terribly shy, especially around Thousand Petals, whom he has a large crush on, but when he tells stories, he comes to life. He becomes enthralling and captivating and animated in a way that he isn't in his day-to-day life. His eyes seem to glow with excitement, and you find yourself hanging onto his every word. As he speaks, I notice with a smile that Thousand Petals is watching him with rapt admiration.
All too soon however, our lunches have disappeared and the others are trickling back from the café. The work starts up again, and goes on and on as the sun sinks in the sky.
All of us are sitting calmly at our desks, when Glides Quickly let out a yelp. We all look over to see both Glides and Brightly frantically writing things down and speaking in panic-filled tones that are so rapid they're practically indecipherable. Damian hurries over to their desks, while the rest of us sit frozen with wide eyes, our conversations silenced. Ryan shoots a worried glance at me, which I return.
Damian leans over the two, listening intently to what is happening. For the most part they completely ignore him as his eyes grow wide and panicked. Suddenly, Glides rips a piece of paper off his notepad and shoves it Damian, not taking his eyes off the radio for a second. Damian strides over to us determinedly, trying to hide the panic in his eyes.
"Alright, Seekers, there's been a sighting. Firstling and June pulled a jeep over for going over the speed limit, and when they realized the people in the truck were human, they tried to apprehend and arrest them, but the humans pulled out their guns and sped off. They're following the humans right now, but it's not enough; there's a moving truck behind them, obviously full of humans, that's shooting at them. I've told them to back off and follow them, but not too closely. We need to leave right away." He starts to hand out assignments. "Thousand Petals, Laila, and Ryan, you're coming with me to help Firstling and June chase down the humans. Fire Weaver, Upside-Down Song, Azure, and Flowers of Ice, you're the back-up in case we need any. Glides Quickly and Brightly Shines will continue monitoring the radios. You all know how to contact each other?" He questions, and we all respond with a curt nod. "Let's go then."
We all jump into action immediately. The four in back-up immediately dash over to where Glides and Brightly are sitting and plug their headsets into the radio. I yank open the drawer in my desk to reveal my gun. With a deep breath, I pick it up quickly and put it in the holster that I strapped through my belt loops. I try not to gag as its heavy weight settles against my leg. It is such a repulsive thing, that weapon. It is the worst part of the Calling. Shuddering, I dash outside to start my car. Within a few moments, the four of us our on our way, the sirens on the top of our cars blaring. I pass Damian and Ryan in their car, then pull in behind Thousand Petals.
Even going as fast as safely possible, it still takes too long, much too long, to reach where Firstling and June are. They had fallen far behind the humans, their guns shooting a lot farther than we'd anticipated. We park next to the pair where they are pulled over on the side of the dusty highway, quickly changing a shot-out tire on their car.
"I'm so sorry we got so behind." June apologizes tearfully to Damian while Firstling shoves the flat tire into the trunk of the car. "We had no idea how efficient their guns were, we didn't anticipate our tire-"
"You don't have to worry, June." Damian interrupts. "We can still find them, and like you said, you had no idea what they were capable of." He turns to the rest of us to give us more instructions. "All right everyone, back in your cars, see if you can pick them up on the radar."
We all dash back to our vehicles. I jump in the driver's seat, and flip on the radar. The machine immediately picks up every vehicle in a hundred mile radius. I quickly filter the search down to the ones driving on this highway, which leaves seven on the road, all traveling in the direction the humans went. I have no idea what to do now; the radar only tracks the speeds of the cars and where they are heading. There's no way to look at the profiles of the cars, the upgrade hasn't been shipped to our offices yet. Frustrated, I glance over at Thousand Petal's car. She, too, has a frustrated scowl on her face as she fumbles around with the buttons.
A sudden, vivid image of the desert from my dream flashes across my mind, as does a wild thought. I push it to the back of my head as I hurriedly punch in another filter into the radar. Hadn't Damian said that the humans had been pulled over for speeding? Maybe they would be doing the same thing, knowing that are on their tail. The search yields to distinct results. Two cars.
The humans.
AN: Oh! Almost forgot! I don't have a regular update schedule. I'm two chapters ahead of what I'm posting right now, but that might not last long. Thanks again for the support! Drop a review if you're feeling up to it.