I'm repeating a lot of the conversation from Wanda's version of the story. But if you didn't read that one, the information is important to this story. So if you already read Wanda's story: sorry ;-)
Chapter 10.
"You're jumping to conclusions. We don't know what this is about yet."
We ate in silence, but my anger hasn't gone down even a bit. So I snap at her.
"Oh, come on Wanda! They bring in three Souls. No humans. Just Souls. What else am I supposed to think? Of course they want something from you. You're going to say no."
"If I can help with something..."
"No! Not even if you can help, you can't endanger yourself. I can't stand to even think of it. Going on raids is enough."
"We don't know anything yet. Let's go find out first."
Fine. She wants to know what's going on? I would like to know myself.
Mel, Jared and Jeb are sitting in the kitchen with the Souls. I walk over to them and direct my question to the Souls.
"Why are you here? What do you want?"
They must be wanting something.
"Russels cell cot caught."
Mels response surpises me.
"Come again?"
Now Jared explains.
"Russels cell of humans got caught. Burns and Nick were out with some of them for a raid, when they got caught. Burns and Nick tried to talk the Souls out of taken the humans, but it didn't work. One Soul did listen and she got Burns and Nick out of there. She didn't succeed in saving the humans present. Russels cell was just 7 people. Three of them got caught during the raid. The other four had stayed behind. Nick is the only one who knows the location of Russels cell. He got the other four humans out and then Burns took all of them to our safe place. We were supposed to meet up there last night. When we found them there, we had no other choice than to take them with us."
We didn't see any humans, just the Souls.
So I ask: "Then where are they?"
I look around as if they'd be in this room.
"We took them to one of the outer caves to get some rest. Burns and Nick stayed with me and Mel to figure out what to do next."
I point to the new Soul.
"But then who is this?"
"This is the Soul that saved me and Burns last night," Nick answers, "Her name is Sky."
I sit down on the one empty chair at the table and pull Wanda onto my lap. Sky looks a bit uncomfortable but quickly hides that and tries to look normal again. It must be strange for her, to see a human and a Soul so close.
Wanda speaks up.
"That is what the both of you have been doing all this time you went out on your own! You were having meetings!"
"Yes."
"Well, we haven't got any spare rooms here either, but the rains are coming soon." Jeb says, "So for the time being, we'll just take the new group to the recreation cave to sleep."
"The three of you should get some rest as well." he adds to the Souls.
"But Jeb, what do we do after the rains? Seven more bodies in the caves? We're crammed already." I ask.
Jeb exchanges looks with Mel and Jared before answering me.
"We'll figure that out when it comes to it. The rains will last for at least three months. Plenty of time."
Plenty of time for what? Carving out new rooms, that will be impossible. There must be some other plan.
"Let's go you three. I'll show you where you can get some rest this afternoon."
Jeb stands up and the Souls follow him out of the kitchen.
We stay behind, sitting in silence. I realize this all must have taken some plotting and time. Not this little group coming to stay here. But something else, though I don't know what. They are obviously making plans for something.
"We couldn't tell you." Jared cuts through the silence. "The less people knew about the meetings, the better. It was just Nate, Russel and Burns. Gail and Max got their information from them again. All of us decided that yes, we trust each other, but it's better to know as less details as possible. When we took these seven people, we blindfolded all of them way ahead. They have no idea where they are, apart from the obvious fact that they are staying in a cave."
Jared doesn't apologize and I don't expect him to. He is being efficient. And if toes get stepped on or feelings get hurt in the process, he doesn't care as much. Mel does though. She doesn't apogolize either, but has a pleading look on her face. It's an expression I don't see much on that face any more, but is very familiar from the time Wanda was in that body. It softens me a bit.
I nod at Jared to express that I understand.
I'm not leaving Wanda's side. I don't know if I can trust the new Souls yet, especially Sky. Jeb isn't letting anyone of the hook when it comes to work today. But it seems most people don't mind. They don't know about the new humans yet, but they are on edge because of the new Souls.
Having Wanda here caused them to trust her. They know that there are Souls to be trusted. But after what happened with Sunny... It made it clear again that Wanda is an exception. We can't trust all Souls.
Since no one will let Wanda help with any work, she wants to cook at the end of the afternoon. As we walk into the kitchen I spot Kyle. He's sitting at the counter, while Jodi is helping Trudy prepare dinner. Wanda joins them and I go stand at the other end of the counter.
I should've known Kyle would be here as well. I don't always want to admit it, but we are still very much alike. Just like me, he senses a kind of danger in the caves, so he's not letting Jodi alone. Not even when there will be other people around her.
When it's time to eat, everyone comes into the kitchen. When the new humans enter the kitchen with Jared, people start to ask questions, but Jeb quickly quits everyone., saying he'll explain when everyone's in. I see Mel walking in alone and smirk to myself – of course Jared isn't as worried about her that he wouldn't leave her side. 'No'. I admit to myself. Jared just knows Melanie well enough to trust that she can take care of herself. Besides; he knows he can trust these new Souls. Before everyone starts to eat Jeb explains how the humans and the Souls came here. He also says more questions will have to wait until after dinner.
I can't say we're eating in silence, but there's also not the usual talking and chatter there normally is. The people in the caves are confused and out of rhythm.
I sit down on the table with my legs wide, creating a space for Wanda to sit. Kyle sits down on a chair on our right, taking Jodi on his lap, Jamie takes a chair to our left.
Jeb already explained why the humans and Souls are here and he knows what everyone wants to learn about. So he starts up the questions.
"So we know a lot about Wanda here. What we don't know is how you guys came to switch sides."
Wanda stiffens a bit in my arms as Sky looks at her. Burns is the first to talk.
"My name is Burns Living Flowers, but everyone just calls me Burns. I came into this body three years ago. I got a love for hiking and forest walks from this body. One day I was walking in the forest and got stuck in a storm. As a Soul, I didn't know what to do. This body didn't have memories of storms either. I was all alone and disorientated from the storm, so I just kept walking, trying to find a way out of the forest. I heard a loud crack and when I turned around I saw a tree falling right at me. Nate jumped at me and pushed me out of the way. He saved me there."
"He saved a Soul? Why?" It seems a rhetorical question, but Burns still answers it.
"As I said, I was all alone in the forest. Nate assumed that I was human, because Souls usually don't go into forests by themselves. We tend to stick together. Nate and I became friends and I started seeing things from the human side. I started helping him with getting supplies. At first I stayed in the house I lived in, but eventually I decided to go and stay with Nate's cell."
"Was there anyone with you in that body?" Doc asks.
"No, there was no one here. I've been alone in this body from the start."
After a few moments of silence, Jeb looks at the other two Souls.
"What about the other two of you?"
"My Soul name is Ice Writer, but I'm called by the name of this body, Nick.
When I was placed into this body, Nick was still here. After a few weeks living with the Souls, seeing Nick's memories and hearing Nick's thoughts, I decided I wanted to help any human survivors. I moved around the country a lot, to try and find humans. And then one night I ran into Russell. It took me some time to convince him I was on his side. But we've been working together ever since. I have been staying in the Soul society, in the house I have there. Of course I can't return to that now after we got caught. They know that I am on the human's side."
As I look around the room, I see some angry faces. Wanda notices as well and I pull her in even closer than she already was. At this moment, I think I might have a better understanding of what's going through people's minds than she does.
"Nick is still in there with you?"
No Kyle, shut op.
"Yes, we became friends and are working together."
"Why don't you just get out?"
"What?" Nick looks confused at the question.
Sky looks from Mel to Wanda and back again a few times. Does she know something about them?
"Kyle..." I try to warn him with my voice but he continues anyway, always the hothead.
"Why don't you just get out of that body? If you are on the human's side, don't you agree that Nick should get his body back?"
After he said this, people start commenting on it and agreeing with him.
"It's what Wanda did."
I don't know who said it, but after that comment, silence hits the room.
Sky get's up and walks over to us, almost running.
"What did you do?"