I am so sorry I have not updated sooner. It's just I've written this chapter about 3 times, and I forget to save it and someone logs me off or turns off the computer once I've nearly finished the chapter. But I've saved this one, so I'm not losing it! Also, school has started. Noooo... But it doesn't matter too much, as long as I'm still updating once in a while, right? OK now for the chapter.

Chapter 6 – Only a Single Flame

A lot happened in the next 8 hours. It started with us putting out lights, making a small circle of light where we would hide out, till the Seekers were gone. Everyone but Wanda and I went around collecting things up, and bringing them back to us once their hands were full. A small pile of goods were stacking up by the stream, over the other side of the game room.

"This is really scary. I had the first normal day in years, and then once I was happy, boom! If there is a God out there, he must not be caring very much about us right now." I sighed.

"We'll be fine. You just see. I've been in difficult situations before. I always got through. We will today too." She smiled weakly.

"You seem like you're trying to cheer yourself up, as well."

"I am."

"Exactly!"

"Whatever. We WILL do it."

"Tell me about your other hard situations."

"Well, there was one when I was in Mel, and Jamie was ill. He probably would have died. There were no human medicines left. We had to get the soul's medicine. I cut myself, and went inside, where I was treated. I asked for some water and when the nurse was out of the room, BAM! I shot like lightning, grabbing all the stuff I could see. Two footsteps walked down the hallway...had I been found? Were they seekers? No! IT was just her and the receptionist."

"Wow, now that was scary!"

"Tell me about it." Everyone entered the room at that moment; I could see them because Jamie was carrying a light.

"That's the last of the stuff, people!" Jared called. "Can you get those lights together, we're gonna need to put them in the stream!"

They approached us, as we got the lights together. Ian and Jared took the lights from us up to the stream. Ian said there was a little alcove that doesn't get wet, but it's completely invisible. Still, they wrapped them up in a sack. It still let out a faint glow and I followed it with my eyes till it disappeared into the stream. Their work was done, and all we could do was sit and wait.

We all held hands, cuddled and we girls let out the occasional whimper.

Half an hour later, we started to hear shouts, from far off. They came a bit closer, and then drifted away again. It must have been no more than an hour later, and the voices came up real close. They didn't stop coming. Sooner or later, they fell silent and we could just hear the pounding of their feet. One, two, three, four. Yes, four people. They entered and walked around the side for a bit. I could just make out their voices over the stream.

"This place is empty."

"Tell me about it."

"Can't we go back? It's really freaky." Three different men groaned.

"No! That's called slacking! We need to check every corner of this place!" A high-pitched woman's voice, this time.

"Aww, but we can't SEE every corner! I bet you there's no-one here." The second man again.

"Chill, man!" The first one laughed.

"Please, your phrases are really starting to irritate me!" The woman sighed. She was probably about 28.

"Sorry. It's my host. He always used to say stuff like that. It's infectious. But if you say so, game on!"

"I see..." She groaned.

"There's nothing here." Shivered the second man.

"I bet as soon as they saw us they legged it." The third man chuckled.

"No, I never think there was anybody!" The second man growled.

"Calm it, boys. If you're so scared, let's go back. But just for the record, you wanted to, not me."

"There will be no record. People will not find out." The first man said sternly. They left, and we sat in the dark for another couple of hours. Our quiet breathing was all we heard, we were still alert, waiting for signs of people coming back. But there was none.

"I think they're gone." Ian got up and stretched his back, just as a flashlight shone directly into our faces.

"No!" Mel screamed, she was the first to react.

"Oh, my, I think they're still here." It was the voice of the woman from earlier. I couldn't see her, I was so blinded by the light.

"You came back." Jared murmured.

"You bet I did. You and your band of silly rebels, found!"

"All Jeb's work..." Wanda sighed, defeated.

"But wait." The woman paused, uncertainly.

"What?" Ian growled. Wanda sighed, annoyed by his defence towards her.

"I didn't come back to get you guys found out."

"What!" Jared and Ian exclaimed in unison.

"You heard me. I was like...second in command of the mission. I had access to so many files, that no-one knew about. And a lot of people who could...give me information."

"Who?" Wanda shivered delicately, I could tell because we were holding hands.

"A few Comforters, a few Seekers, a few Healers. That's all."

"What did you find out?" Mel asked boldly.

"I researched about the disappearances. Wanderer and Helena."

"Helena?" Mel asked again.

"A seeker." Gasps from all of us but me. Who was this seeker, called Helena?

"Yes. You knew her?"

"I did." Ian helped Wanda up and held her close, but Wanda did not cease. "She was my Seeker, in charge of finding the people that Mel knew."

"From the pictures, it looks like she is the soul, but you are. How?"

"We don't know if we can trust you...yet. Do you mind?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did you come here?"

"I...can't tell you."

"Why can't you tell us?"

"You might tell some other souls!"

"We won't!" Wanda gasped.

"If you're sure. You see...I hear...screaming. Me...screaming. You know what it means."

"Yes. I had a resistant host once, too."

"I'm known as Wanda here."

"Well, Helena had a resistant host too. She went missing here. What happened to her? Where is she?"

"She's...not really on...Earth anymore."

"How?"

"We extracted her. Shipped her off."

"But Wanderer was a teacher, nothing more. How did you know how? Are there others?"

"No, no. I mean, there were, but...they're gone now. They ran from you. We've no way of contacting them...but anyway. You didn't research very far into Wanderer's previous lives, did you?"

"A little too less, may I presume?"

"Yes."

"Well. I understand Wanderer was famous for how many lives she'd had."

"Correct. But I had an event when I was a bear, when we...knew how to extract souls. Wasn't so different for a human."

"Interesting. So you think you could...extract me?"

"Yes, if that's what you would like. But first, what's your name?"

"Single Flame."

"What world?"

"The Fire World. I got named after food. Please!"

"Something's indicating you didn't like it there."

"You got that one right." My stomach gurgled. I blushed, but I don't think anyone saw it.

"Let's finish this, then get something to eat." Jared announced.

"Good idea." Mel sighed. Single Flame walked toward us nervously and turned her flashlight toward the door.

"Wait." Ian muttered, putting his hand on her shoulder. She flinched away.

"Hey!"

"Sorry. We've got some lights and stuff; we should get some of the things set back up."

"Good idea..."

Later that night, after I'd eaten, showered and Single Flame knew all our names, we all split up to go back to bed. The couples went their separate ways and me, Jamie and Single Flame kipped in Jamie's room, the biggest, fit for 3. I was dog tired and fell asleep seconds after my head hit the pillow.