A/N: I have some bad news. I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow and will not be back until next Tuesday, so next week's update will be 2 days late. As a peace offering I am including an extra POV that will start the plot rolling. Since I'll be gone I won't be able to answer reviews and give previews but you should review out of the goodness of your hearts anyways!
Wanda POV
I was absolutely exhausted.
I dropped my tray next to Ian's and plopped down onto the seat next to him. He gave me a soothing smile rubbed his hand on my back. He could already tell that he was going to be in charge of getting Jodi to bed tonight. I knew he didn't mind but I felt bad leaving him to take care of her while I just laid in bed trying to recuperate from the day.
I didn't like thinking ill of my new host but it was hard when she was so tired all the time. She had never had to do any manual labor or serious exercise before I was inserted. Sam, the soul who inhabited her before me, worked in an office, shrugging off the need to keep fit. Even Andrea, the original human, had done her best to keep away from sports and gym class as much as possible.
It had been almost a year that I was in this body and I was still working to get into shape. I was starting to get worried that it was never going to happen. I was still envious of all of the things I could do when I was with Melanie. If there was one thing I regretted about giving her body back it was the uselessness of every other body. I knew that even if I skipped hosts thirty more times I would never find a host I was more comfortable in than Melanie. I had never told her that, but I think she suspected.
As I picked at my food I noticed Crystal shooting daggers at me. I didn't let it phase me. She was still resentful of me and at first I took it personally until Melanie explained the situation. I'd only spent three days with Crystal while she was present. Melanie had spent her first three days with me trying to get me to kill myself. According to Mel, Crystal was making progress.
I took a bite of my roll and looked up at Ian, my eyelids drooping.
"How was your day?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Long."
"Maybe you should take a day off," he suggested. "Stay with Jodi and Max instead."
I nodded as I considered it. That didn't seem like such a bad idea. I'm sure Mel would have appreciated the day off. Or maybe some company if Jared wouldn't let her do anything else.
Ian leaned in close, whispering so Crystal couldn't hear. "Besides, you know how much that housewife thing turns me on."
I giggled and pushed him back playfully. Ever since I got this body Ian had become insatiable. Apparently, as he'd told me once, this body was 'just his type'. Most of the time I didn't mind in the least, but his desire for extracurricular activities may have been part of the reason I was constantly exhausted.
I finished my food and sat while Ian and Crystal continued their baseball debate. I was glad that they found this common ground. I wished that I could have participated but it was way over my head. I barely understood the rules and they were going into complex arguments of players, teams, and base-running strategies. I'd earned a pair of incredulous looks from them when I had tried to jump into the conversation one day, mentioning the Yankees sounded like a good team. After the 2 hour long lecture about how 'Yankee fans are soulless monsters' from Ian and Crystal, I learned my lesson and kept my mouth shut, now sitting quietly, just enjoying the camaraderie between the pair. I was glad that they could be friends.
When the topic shifted to Cubs and Red Sox World Series droughts (which meant absolutely nothing to me; I barely understood why they felt compelled to find out who was the best in the world, let alone keep track of the teams that weren't), I decided it was time to go get Jodi. She was far more entertaining than this conversation.
Ian POV
Wanda left to get Mel and help her bring Jodi and Max in for dinner. I knew that Crystal and I were boring her but it was nice to have someone to talk baseball with that wasn't Kyle. Kyle and I shared the same views on just about everything, except Manny Ramirez. Kyle thought he was the second coming, while I was fairly convinced he was clubhouse cancer. I had a feeling I was right, but now there was no proof so the debate would go on for eternity.
Crystal and I were slightly different. Both still American League fans but definitely different teams. I was impressed by how much she knew for only have twelve years to learn it. I was 20 when the souls came and sometimes she knew more than me. She would have made an excellent ESPN reporter. They were always a sucker for pretty girls who knew what they were talking about.
We had hit an impasse and I decided to change the subject.
"So, Crystal, I hear you have a birthday coming up." I knew she was excited; it was her first birthday since she turned 12 before Pet was inserted.
She smiled at me. "Yep, the big 2-2."
"22?" I asked, confused. "Don't you mean 23?"
She looked at me like I was crazy. "No, I mean 22. It's 2013 right?" she clarified. She hadn't really lost track of the years. She just wanted to make sure she hadn't gotten her math wrong.
I nodded slowly. "But Wanda said you were born in 1990."
She shook her head not understanding. "Nope. May 20, 1991."
I raised my eyebrows. "Really?" I asked skeptically. "Why would Wanda lie about that?"
Crystal looked sheepish; she knew the answer. I raised my eyebrows at her, hoping she would just tell me.
"Wanda was worried that if she told you how young she really was that you wouldn't…" She trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. I could see her getting uncomfortable. I wished I knew a way to comfort her but until I knew what was making her uneasy it would be hard to avoid the subject again. I waited patiently for her to continue.
"She was afraid that you would be too honorable to…" She stopped again, hoping I would catch on.
I thought for a moment. Where was she leading me too? What would I be too honorable to do when she was a year younger? Suddenly it hit me. Wanda had turned me into a pedophile!