Disclaimer: I don't own The Host.

I was frozen, stunned. There should have been no one here but me. And yet she was so strong and so aware. She had stayed hidden and then taken control of the body after I had been inserted, this was wrong, this wasn't supposed to happen. We enter a host body and their consciousness goes away.

Guess it didn't work properly did it?

The voice I could hear was malicious and spiteful, glad that I was scared. She hated me, she hated everything about Souls and now she was back and I couldn't get rid of her, I couldn't even feel for my own attachments to shed through her brain. But even if I could feel them could I kill myself?

Shred through my brain? How violent. She thought sardonically. I thought you all hated getting your hands dirty. You gave murder a comfortable easy euphemism and considered yourselves superior.

Thats not what we did!

That's exactly what you did. Now shut up so I can think.

It was only when I stopped panicking that I realized that my host was scared too, her fear was completely separate from mine but for essentially the same reason: she was in a situation she had never anticipated or even thought possible and now she wasn't sure what to do next.

I was relieved to see that her immediate plans didn't involve brutal bloodshed of the Souls around us but that didn't necessarily mean they were safe from her. She had killed our kind before and had no problems with the idea of doing it again. I was scared of the damage she might do to my unsuspecting family. They wouldn't know to fear her because what she was should have been impossible.

My dear god! Do you ever shut up? No, I'm not going on some killing rampage because I don't need to. Don't you understand what having you in my neck means? I will never go hungry again, I will ever have to hide, and I will never have to fear for my life so long as I can make the rest of your kind think I really am a Soul.

You are going to pretend to be me?

Duh.

Why?

Because, while I might hate you all for the mass extermination of all human life on this planet you have made a comfortable world I can now be a part of, and I have every intention of taking advantage of it. Now if you don't mind I would like a little peace while I take a shower.

She took off her clothes and stepped into the shower turning the knobs so that the water nearly scalded her skin. She simply stood underneath the spray of water relishing the feel of it; showers had been an unheard of luxury for many years. The shampoo smelled of mint and it tingled her scalp, as much as she disliked how things had turned out she was trying to enjoy herself.

It was odd, I experienced everything that she did and I could hear her thoughts as if she were speaking aloud, but I had no idea why she thought certain things or felt a certain way. I could not see her memories or even her name and yet I knew she was telling the truth, she didn't want to hurt any Souls even if it was only because she didn't want to attract any attention. She wouldn't hurt them but she still held ill will towards my family, and she still kept her secrets. All of this was making me very nervous.

Don't worry about it. She thought in a tired way, I was a necessary evil in her mind, something she had to live with to get what she wanted, that didn't mean she enjoyed my company or my thoughts.

She stepped out of the shower wrapped herself in a soft fluffy towel and stood in front of the mirror and started pulling a comb through her tangles. When she was done she stood still and inspected her reflection much as I had earlier. She was pleased with how she looked until she turned her head and her eyes reflected the light. She flinched.

Do you have any idea how many nightmares I've had about ending up like this, well not like this, but with one of you parasites reanimating my corpse. It was my worst fear and it sort of startled me seeing those eyes in my face.

And I could understand, as she had spoken a few memories trickled down and I could feel her disgust with her new eyes.

She left the bathroom and found a few sets of clothes in the chest of drawers I had taken stock of earlier. She found some under clothes and slipped a white t-shirt on over her head and then sat down on the bed to watch the television. Thirteen minutes later she turned it off.

You all have the most mind numbingly dull idea of entertainment I have ever seen in my entire life! This must be what it was like in Stepford; everything is perfect and polite on the surface but you all don't talk about the ugly truth of what you are.

Now I was getting angry, I had never been angry before and it was almost too much to handle but I managed to convey my thoughts. Better than Humans at any rate, at least we don't torture and take advantage of those we are meant to care for! I thought of the horror stories I had heard of this planet, sexual exploitation of children was a common occurrence and mass killings were barely in the news before people had moved on to the next tragedy. Violence death and bloodshed had a well worn place in the human world.

Those were the exceptions, not the norm! Her voice was now angry, defensive.

Can you see how we thought we might be able to do better, though? How we could have supposed that maybe you didn't deserve all the excellent things of this world?

I'm sorry but who the hell said you got to make that decision, what if we thought your planet was doing a shit job and then killed you all so we could have it, would that be fair?!

That's completely different, I thought desperately. She snorted in disbelief. We're peaceful! Your kind is violent.

You all murder people with impunity and then act like you did nothing wrong! At least we knew killing was wrong, it seems accepted amongst your kind!

What are you talking about? Killing isn't part of our world!

Oh yes it is. Or do you not consider the eradication of humans murder? I guess we could call it genocide, because what else would it be when billions of people are no longer in their bodies?! With that she turned off the light, flipped onto her side and tried to fall asleep.

I had no answer to her question, partly because I couldn't think straight. Both her anger and mine was clouding out rational thought. But one thing was very clear in my mind, I had gone into that argument with moral superiority, I had come out of it wondering if my Host had a point.

The next morning she was calmer and less ready to pick a fight.

So tell me parasite, what are we going to do today?

Why are you asking me?

You're the Soul, what do Souls do?

We live harmoniously with all other Souls while fulfilling a role in our community. There was a pause as she waited for more.

That's it?

Yes.

Well that should be easy enough. There was a pause, she was nervous to say whatever she was thinking. Sky, why am I still here?

You have never used my name before.

I know. You said it shouldn't be possible, but it is. How am I still here?

You have to understand that with my kind sometimes fact is mixed with fiction so thoroughly that, though no lies are told, it is hard to remember what is actually true. When we thought of the new planet – Earth so varied and filled with such violent, destructive denizens we could barely imagine them – our horror was sometimes overshadowed by our excitement. Stories spun themselves quickly around the thrilling new subject. The wars – wars! our kind having to fight! – were first reported accurately and then embellished and fictionalized. When the stories conflicted with the official information I sought out, I naturally believed the first reports. But there was whispers about this: of human hosts so strong that the souls were forced to abandon them. Hosts whose minds could not be completely suppressed. Souls who took on the personality of the body, rather than the other way around. Stories. Wild rumors. Madness.

And they appear to be completely true, at least in some cases. Her tone took on a feel of melancholy and there was a brief flash of where in her mind's eye I could she a boy with the silver eyes of a soul.

Who is that?

He's dead!

You mean he's a soul?

Remember what you said usually happens, the body takes on qualities of the Soul and the human is gone. Just because it looks like him doesn't make it him. My best friend is dead, and there is nothing I can do about it.

She was unhappy and very tired in a way that had nothing to do with sleep.

Where do you think I could get some clothes?

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