The day had come. I'd waited and waited, and it was finally here. My host would arrive any second, I would crawl in through the ear canal as I had been taught, connect with the brain... I ran a nervous mental check-list through my head as I waited.

Then at last I felt a head being placed in the water and I knew that my waiting was over. I swam over and extended my palps to feel for the ear canal. It was smaller than a Gedd's, but it didn't matter. I knew what to do. I secreted numbing enzymes so that the girl would feel no pain and crept toward the brain, alive and tingling with electricity.

Once I had connected with the brain's center, I used the skills I had practiced in my IPCs (Infestation Prep Class) to flatten out my malleable body until some part of me touched and connected to every neuron of her brain. The others in my class had often laughed at me because for some reason this action made me feel nervous and vulnerable, the way that my body was folded and contorted in such an enclosed space... Even with all my poolmates in it, I was accustomed to the much more open environment of the Yeerk pool and it's endless supply of Kandrona. To be inside a host's brain caused me to feel extremely enclosed and vulnerable.

My phobia was soon forgotten as I took control of her hands and feet, mouth, ears and eyes. Her eyes! So different from a Gedd! Everything was clearer than a Yeerk could possibly imagine apart from experience, the colors so vibrant! I could have laughed for sheer joy.

I used my host's voice and assured my superiors that I was in full control, then left the Yeerk pool. Walking took a little getting used to, I discovered. A human's gait is different from a Gedd or Hork-Bajir, who use their hands and tails, respectively, to balance.

I climbed the rock stairs slowly, clutching the hand rail for support. By Tyarik, humans were not the most stable creatures in the galaxy. How could any species possibly evolve into a *biped*, of all things?!

This host gave no resistance, and I would have been surprised had I not been in such a state of euphoria. With so much to concentrate on, I was not paying attention to her at all, anyway.

Halfway up the stairs, I paused for a moment and gazed at the pool. Dearer than a mother to Yeerks, it now seemed to me a thing of disgust. The screams that I had always heard vaguely from beneath the mercurial liquid of the pool were now amplified by my new ears. The pool seemed to seethe with my poolmates, and, ashamed though I am of my feeling toward it, I felt nauseated by the sight. I mounted the rest of the stairs rapidly, trying mentally to block out the sounds and smells.

I left the building that housed the entrance to the pool, every moment and instance filled with wonder at so many new experiences. I had never imagined it would be like this…

Searching Katie's memories and knowledge, I decided to go to a park near her home. As I walked, I looked all around me at the colors. The trees were beautiful, the sky, the grass, all so wonderful. I saw birds flying, honking and cawing and just singing. It was overwhelming, but in a way so pleasing I wished the novelty could never end.

I felt something wet on my cheek and lifted a hand to touch it. Tears. I didn't know if they were Katie's or mine. I could feel Katie's joy at my seeing this beautiful world.

I know I did the right thing, she thought.

I was startled; as I mentioned before, she had been completely silent from the moment I entered her mind. What?

I did the right thing, she said again.

I was confused, so I searched her memories. She merely watched and waited quietly. Her reaction to me made no sense. My final practice host, a young Hork-Bajir, had moaned and yelled, been angry and defeated, while I had infested it. I was extremely confused by the human's reaction; it went against everything the instructors had told me. She had not been a controller before. Her only reactions should have been confusion, fear, or anger.

As I searched her thoughts and memories I became even more confused. This girl had become a voluntary controller not because she was seeking acceptance from anyone, since the world had rejected her. She had chosen to become a controller so that I would have a chance to experience all the wonders that she had.

Immediately, I felt myself growing fond of this human. I knew I shouldn't. From an early age, all Yeerks are taught that the host is a host and nothing more. Your host is not a friend. A host is inferior and not a peer.

But I couldn't help it. A part of me wanted and needed to like this girl. But I knew I shouldn't. I wouldn't. Couldn't. She was merely a host.

I felt sadness coming from her. Hosts cannot read your thoughts, but they can sense emotions and such if you are not careful. I hadn't been, and she had sensed that I was not a good kind Yeerk. She had been naïve to think that I would be grateful and love her for allowing me to see and hear. She was a host and nothing more…