The next day I checked in the closet for the mysterious boy, there was nobody there. I felt sad and for the rest of the day my heart sunk down to my stomach and all the strings attached, felt like they would pop and my heart would fall down to feet. I texted my mother and realized I would have to get a ride home. A girl, named Gazes at the Stars, offered to drive me home, of course after having a ten minute conversation with my mother. In the car I felt awkward as she talked to me. It was pouring down rain so I couldn't look at the familiar buildings or trees.

"The garage is big, huh?" She asked, her voice was raspy as if she was sick though she looked quite healthy , and she was looking at me up from the road.

"Bigger then I imagined." I replied, politely and scolded myself for feeling uncomfortable talking to a soul.

"You started working here three days ago," It wasn't a question, just a fact or a statement.

"Yeah, seems longer." It did seem longer when my best friend wasn't with me, but today was the longest, since I missed the boy. It didn't make sense though. I had just met him. I remembered though I shouldn't be telling this lady my whole life story.

"Why?" She asked me turned fully to face me and I felt even more uncomfortable. Her eyes began slits as she stared at me.

"It isn't the same, without people I knew since I was little." I said trying not being too specific. She looked annoyed and I kept my mouth closed tightly.

"Oh," She said the only simple thing she had said the whole car ride. I looked at her and concentrated on the little details of her.

She had small red streaks in her hair like sparks of fire, she had freckles but they were only on her nose. Thing that caught me about her was her piercings. Four thing silver rings went through her ear and a long one descended to her chin. They had three jewels at the end, purple, black and green. A ring threaded through her lower lip and even though piercings weren't my thing, since I had only four, two in each ear. Something about hers made her look different and daring unlike most souls.

As we neared my street, I picked up my yellow bag. "Thanks for driving me home."

"You're welcome, any time," She smiled and pulled into my driveway.

"Spoooot," I groaned, spotting that all of my trash cans were toppled over, with stinky contents spilling over.

"You got a dog, huh?' She asked, a hard face brightening.

"Yeah, he's a little devil," I replied lovingly, and I could feel myself smiling.

"I had one also, well, you know, they don't live as long as us," She replied her brightened face clouding with sadness. I had to look away.

"Okay well, I have to feed him so I'll be going," I replied and she smiled and then patted my back and unlocking the door.

"Wave when your safely in," She nodded and I closed the door and saw that she was serious.

When I got into the house, it was a mess. The contents of the kitchen were lying on the floor, dishes were smashed and the lucky ones were only scratched. Paper towels, water everything was on the floor. I ran to the backyard finding Spot looking pitiful in the heavy rain. I opened the door and he came running to greet me. This mess wasn't Spot, the cans in the front yard. Someone was in my house. My breath came out ragged I walked to the window when I remembered that Gazes at the Stars would be waiting. I gave her a tight smile and watched as she drove away. I turned back at the mess. Spot smelt the spilt items and let out a scary menacing growl that scared me so much I backed up against the wall.

I closed my eyes and told myself lies. Raccoons came here and ruined our house, or maybe Spot had come in the house and then went back out. Nothing seemed to fit. Maybe my mother came home early and had a breakdown. My mother. This would scare her. I decided to clean up the kitchen; I had an hour or so. First I took the broken glass and dug a hole in the back yard and threw all the glass in it. I then picked up all the spilt items the juice and things and put the cartoons with a reasonable amount of liquid in the fridge and threw the rest away. I had made a cake just a while ago and I remembered I had to use five whole eggs and there had only been three left now there was only one. No maybe there had been only one left. I don't know, I thought exasperated, throwing a dirty wet towel down on the ground. I held my head in my clammy hands then I shook my head cleaned. The humans used Gorilla Glue I used Fix It. All I did was put a designated amount of the liquid on the crack and put the second half of my mother's favorite mug and soon even though I didn't have the little dust pieces the mug was good as new.

I put everything away and swept the floor, the kitchen looked bad to me. I went around my room and found that there was no sign of someone being in there. Pillows scattered the floor and Spot thought it would be fun to chew them. I picked them all up and kept them away from Spot's snapping mouth. I checked around the whole house and found nothing else out of place. I heard a car engine and ran to the couch and pretended to read. Spot ran to the door his tail already moving furiously. The door opened and my mother came in and greeted Spot.

"Flame?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm here," I replied, and heard her taking off her high heels.

"Have you seen Sarah, lately?" She asked, she tried to sound casual, but her voice held a touch of something. Sadness?

'No," I replied, my voice was harsh and then depressed. "Remember you won't let me talk to her."

"Yeah," My mother said and didn't speak the rest of the day.

^^Fords Deep Waters^^

I was nauseous, not from the two flights that brought me to this town, but from the thought of our kind becoming like humans. I marched to the as building that was a courthouse at first, but became a place for Seekers. I did calm down a little when I entered the building, since I had almost growled at the helpful soul that was asking of my purpose here. I took an elevator to level five and instead of a hallway I entered a room. It had ten chairs and all were filled but two. I sat stiffly in the sit next to Shining Moon, and she welcomed me with a tight smile. The room was awkwardly quiet and a young man in a dark blue suit spoke first.

"Drifting Suns is running late." He spoke, in a grave voice.

A few minutes later a pretty woman came to and sat, apologizing.

"Now we must discuss the matter at hand," Said an all- business man. "Sarah, seventeen year old girl, has gone missing."

I couldn't contain myself any more. "The reason being, she was pushed into being a Seeker and spying on her friend, which broke her in half."

"Now, now," Replied a sharp voice which made everyone flinch, it was drifting Sun. "Let's not be dramatic. Fords is it? Was Sarah forced into being a Seeker?"

"No, but-"

"Did we make her sign up?"

"No-"

"Was she forced to betray her friend?"

"Actually, yes she was," I replied finally able to get more than two words out. "As I was told her mother had died, from humans. Sarah devoted herself into being a Seeker. She was pushed by Flowers bathing in the Sun, and the Seekers."

"She could have stopped any time!" A man half-yelled and then made his voice calm. "Excuse me. She could have stopped we didn't make her."

"You put pressure on her for being a Quitter, she told you she wanted to quit. She is a poor soul who can't stand up for herself, and you have seen that and continue to take advantage of her." Shining Moon, spoke in her usual self-confident voice and I gave her a grateful smile.

"Seekers are the strongest of all souls along with being a Mother. The strongest are Seekers, they have to find things that will disrupt our regular life. A little pressure is needed, along with reassurance and all Seekers need confidence. We treat all souls the same, or do you need special treatment, because you are not ready to risk your life in order to save others?" Everyone started at the pale skinned man that spoke.

"N-no" Sputtered Shining Moon.

"So you think that souls that are less confident have to be treated with others that aren't? Suppose one soul's host is not strong physically and another host is, then would it be fair for smaller host to carry the amount that the bigger host does?" A man, named Shiny Sky asked, and the pale skin man turned bright red.

"Now, now," Spoke the all-business man. "No need to put each other down."

With that, everyone flushed with embarrassment and mumbled out apologies.

The business-man wasn't finished though. "Listen, we are civilized creatures, and we make mistakes since we are using the human as a host, but we correct them. I agree that all the souls should be treated correctly, but you Seekers put a lot of pressure on Sarah. That was wrong, but we will forget and none of the other souls will hear of this, "

"On two conditions," I said, and The Seekers ashamed faces turned toward my red one.

"What is that?" Asked the all- business man, his voice was confused but he covered it well.

"We don't speak of this, first: You don't pressure any other souls," Everyone nodded at this. "and second: The human child Flame will not be bothered, or be forced to become another soul."

A murmur ran throughout the room. "-I know that won't work," or "She's human, though."

"With proper discipline she will be one of us, or we can tell the world of our problem," Shining Moon said her voice cutting through the murmurs.

"Let's take a vote," The business man said. "All for keeping the girl a human."

Seven people raised their hands. The girl was saved.