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Chapter 3 – Life & Love

"I'm sorry!" I sobbed, for the 50th time.

"Don't worry!" Melanie replied, for the 50th time. I'd hit my head on the purple floor pretty hard, and Doc was treating me. He'd given me some of the soul's medicines, and although I didn't trust them, they worked a treat. I couldn't feel a thing now he had, and I was glad he'd ignored my protests.

The body was waking up, really slowly. I'd been in the hospital nearly an hour. He'd got to the stage of tossing and turning, but he was still not reacting to our voices.

"Doc, give him the awake…" Jared muttered.

"OK." Doc replied. He gave the man the awake and within a matter of seconds, the man opened his eyes and smiled.

"I'm back!" He gasped. "I'm really here! Hold on, where am I?"

"You are in the desert, near Tuscon." Doc explained.

"Tuscon?"

"Yeah, near Phoenix." Doc tried to pinpoint nearby places.

"Oh. Hold on, you lot are humans? How is that possible? Humans are all but extinct."

"There are a few humans left."

"How many?"

"Maybe a few hundred. We have 38 here, and then there are about 40 others in other cells." My mouth was hanging open. I thought there was only just over 60, but…my mind could not take it in.

"We hear you're an eye specialist." Wanda got to the subject.

"Me? Or Seventh Song? It's very confusing."

"You're from the Singing World!" Wanda smiled. "Well, probably Seventh Song."

"Yes, that's right."

"What was your name?"

"My name? Um, I'm not sure. Yes, I know! It's Tom."

"Tom." Wanda tried it out. "Nice name. Now, Tom, I think Seventh Song made contact lenses. Do you remember?"

"Oh! Oh, yes. I did. No, HE did. This is very hard! It's like I am HIM, in the memories."

"No, it's not like that." Wanda tried to explain. "He is you, not the other way round. Remember."

"Uh…Okay..."

"Well, Tom, you now have a choice. You can go off on your own as a human, or stay with us. Ace will come in a few weeks, to do trades with us. You can join with him, and tour the other cells if you want. It's up to you. Oh, Ziggy, those are your options too."

"OK." I mumbled. "I've chosen."

"What?"

"If…if it's OK…I'd like to stay here please." I hated being the centre of the spotlight. It seemed Wanda did too, but got over it. It was her life. But it seemed if she had a choice, she would rather fade into the background, only being around when needed. I would do that, too. And I will.

"You don't need to decide right away, Tom. Give it a few days, or weeks. However long you need." Wanda smiled, but then it faded as Melanie walked toward me.

"Ziggy. We need to know what you were doing here, without Lily! I mean, what possessed you to come?" she was pretty scary when she was angry…

"I'm sorry Melanie. It's just, I wanted to see what was going on…"

"Oh, you saw alright! I'm going to have a word with Lily. You know how disturbing this can be?"

"Be nice with the girl." Wanda exclaimed.

"No, it's my fault." Always admit in the face of danger. "Lily was upset, after she told me about Wes, and she was in no fit state to take me anywhere."

"Whatever." Melanie sighed. "And please, call me Mel. It's easier."

Mel. That's nice. It suits her. I bobbed my head mutely.

"Jamie! Go and bring the mattress to Ziggy's room."

"OK"

"Ziggy, you go too."

"Uhuh."

We carried the mattress down the hallway in silence. There was nothing to say. He shook the purple dust out of his black hair once, then carried on walking.

We eventually arrived at my room. Jamie placed the mattress down and sat down on Lily's. She was not in the room, and I sat down on my own mattress.

"Hi!" he said brightly. He was grinning too.

"Um…hi?"

"How old are you?" What is it with this question?

"Do I have to answer you?"

"Yes!"

"Gee, you're a lot worse than Lily!"

"I know."

I sighed.

"So tell me then!" He urged.

"Fine! I'm –chough-15-cough-!"

"I'm sorry!" He was sniggering quietly. "15?"

"Yes…"

"Cool! Did you know, you are the first teenager non-soul I've seen ever?"

"What about Wanda?"

"OK. She was 17 for 2 weeks. Come on."

"She doesn't look it."

"You don't look 15."

"I'm telling the truth."

"And she's not?"

"No."

"What makes you think so?"

"Look at her! Does she look 18?"

"No."

"Exactly! She looks my age."

"No." He disagreed. "She looks our age." We started laughing. Jamie was so easy to be with. "But…I have some bad news."

"What?"

"Lily's told Sharon how old you are and that means you have to go to school."

"Can I re-think my decision to stay here?" School was the ultimate bad guy, my worst fear.

"Oh, don't! Please, don't!"

"Look, Jamie. I haven't been to school since I was 7. What are people gonna think of me when I can't even do division? I can't go to school!"

"Yes you can! Sharon's very flexible! And she teaches little kids too."

"So what am I meant to do? Go and sit on a table that goes up to my ankles and draw little fairies like a three year old?" I was desperate. Please agree with me, please agree with me…

"Oh, Ziggy! Please! You could make our lessons so much more fun!"

"No. I can't do it. And even if I can, I won't."

"You're very stubborn." He frowned.

"And you're very selfish!" I flung back at him. He sighed.

"Look, do you ever want to be able to divide things, to learn about the souls, to be able to write joined-up?"

"Well…"

"Exactly. If you ever want to get somewhere, you have to actually start."

"Fine! I'll go to school!" He smiled smugly and folded his arms in success.

"Good. Lessons start after lunch."

"What?" I growled. "But I only got here this morning!"

"Yeah, hell you've done a lot in ½ a day!"

I snorted. He was right. I'd joined a bunch of savage humans in their quest to bring up the rights to humanity, cracked my head open (then had it fixed), witnessed an ex-soul waking up and getting a room assigned to me, along with making friends with another human boy and plenty of human adults! Oh, too much to take in…something told me that as long as I stayed in the caves, I was sure to have a lot of fun!

It just makes you think, even when earth has been invaded by a lethal species of body-controlling worms, the human race still fights, and life and love go on.