Well, I was here – in a new part of the country.

I looked around the mall, looking at the different people that were around me, from the teenagers who walked by, talking about how handsome some musician was, to the man waiting outside of a store that he had no desire to be in while I assumed his wife or whoever he came with was inside said store, and everyone else in between. And I stood there for some time, just taking them in.

"They are interesting," I said to myself.

Realizing that I needed to get a move on, I turned and started to walk…

…right into a boy.

"OOF, I'm sorry," he said. I turned to look at him.

"Don't apologize," I said. "It's my fault. Sometimes I get a bit absentminded at the worst possible time." I smiled at him. I then looked at his dark blue shirt, taking in the logo. I tilted my head. "That shirt… you go to that school?"

"As a matter fact I do." He raised his eyebrows briefly. "I'm a freshman, and I'm about to start there."

"What a coincidence, so am I!" I grabbed a bit of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. "I'm actually from out of state, so… I don't have much in the way of friends here."

That was… not true.

"Well, maybe we can hang out some time," the boy suggested. "Especially if he we have the same classes, and if you like football and like to see a man like me tear up the field. That is, if you're a football kind of girl."

I scoffed. "I can't say I am… but maybe I'll check a game out if you're playing." I smiled. "…What is your name?"

"I'm Marco." As he said this, he stuck his hand out. I took his hand and gave it a shake.

"I'm Jada," I replied. I paused for a moment. During that moment, I remembered the many times I did this – the many times I introduced myself to a person, wanting to make a connection with them, wanting to truly know what it feels like to be human, only to never seek out a way to contact them.

Was I that desperate for companionship?

"…Hey, mind if we exchange numbers?" Marco said with a slight smile. I thought about it for a moment. I then nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

We pulled out our phones and we took each other's numbers. After that was done, I put my phone away and smiled. "Well, I'll see you around," I said.

"I'm looking forward to it," he replied. I nodded and watched him as he walked off. I continued to look at him as he joined up with a group of people who I assumed was his friends. He had a smile on his face as he talked before a boy with brown hair pulled him into a headlock, much to the group's amusement. I chuckled, then sighed before I was back on my way.

Sometime later, I ended up at a door in the food court – one that led to the back. I looked left and right before I made my way in. I walked through the gray walled hallway before I hung a left. I kept on walking until I reached a double door, where two men stood, dressed in all back and a pair of sunglasses. It seemed liked they weren't armed, but I knew better – those weren't flashlights on their belts.

"Please state your business," one of them said.

"I'm here to collect the Madra forms for my employer," I replied. After nodding, the guards stepped aside, allowing me to enter. The doors led to another short hallway. That in turn led to stairway made out of rock. I kept on walking, passing by people who were walking in the opposite direction. I kept on descending for about 12 minutes until I reached the aquifer we sectioned off to turn into the new Yeerk Pool. It was still under construction.

I looked upon it, taking in the progress.

"Notar 561," I heard a voice say. I turned towards the voice to see a Taxxon crawl towards me. A lot of my own people found Taxxons revolting, but I wasn't so sure we had much room to judge the race. Plus, this particular Taxxon was playing host to one of the few fellow Yeerks I was friendly with.

"Dualtrof 954," I replied with a smile. "I take it things have been well."

"I suppose," he replied as he looked out towards the aquifer. "I didn't have to devour someone alive. And I'm always okay with that."

"I think a lot of Yeerks and hosts would agree with that." I smiled. Dualtrof looked towards me with his four red eyes.

"How's your host body doing? Is the experiment working?"

"It seems like it," I said. I looked down at my right hand as I balled it up into a fist. "The girl's parents believe they got their daughter back the day after they finally decided to pull the plug." I let my first unravel before I smiled at Dualtrof. "Seeing them welcome me with open arms made me feel both delighted and guilty." I frowned. "Too bad Visser Three is now overlooking the project." I sighed.

"Are you still hoping that one day – ?"

"I don't know anymore," I said morosely. "All I know is that whenever there's a sliver of a chance for an alternative to just over a planet and its people, Visser Three comes along and twists it into another tool for this war."

"Just don't say it out loud in front of other people," Dualtrof said. "I'd rather not have to hear about you being eaten by Visser Three… or to be the one doing the eating."

"I know. I know. I'm just…" I felt my right hand start to shake. I looked down at it, then sighed. "…hungry. I need to go."

A few hours later, I was at my apartment. On my computer, I went through my e-mails, reading the coded messages I received from those working closely with Visser Three. I read one e-mail requesting that I be present at The Sharing meeting when school starts. I rolled my eyes so far back it was a wonder I could see myself in my host's skull. I ignored the e-mail as I stood up and walked into my kitchen. I opened up the fridge and looked inside of it. I grabbed a can of Coke before I walked into the living room. After sitting down on the couch, I reached over forward for the remote. Before I grabbed it, however, I looked at my cellphone, which was right next to it. As I looked at it, I remembered the boy I ran into at the mall – Marco.

I picked up my phone instead and leaned back in my seat. After unlocking it, I went through my contacts and pulled up his name. I looked down at it for several seconds, wondering if I should call him or text him. I then furrowed up my eyebrows in confusion as I wondered why I was so anxious over this. I hit the call button before I put the phone to my ear. I waited through the rings. After the fourth ring, I mentally prepared the message I was going to leave until he picked up.

"Hello?"

I smiled. "Hey, Marco. It's me. Jada."

"Oh, hey! Not going to lie, I wasn't expecting a call so soon."

"I'm in the middle of some downtime and I figured I'd give you a ring," I responded. "How's your day been?"

"It's been okay. I just been out on the road with some friends, rolling through the area to get the lay of the land, you know?"

"How are you liking it so far?"

"I like it. The weather's nice, there's a lot to do, and the women are looking nice.:

"…" I went quiet for a bit as I raised an eyebrow. "…Oh really?"

"I mean, I think you're proof of that."

I tried my hardest to fight the smirk off of my face. I found the comment amusing and… what was the word humans would say? Oh, right – I found it corny. Still, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"That was both smooth and corny," I finally said.

"I've been told that before," he said as he chuckled. "So how was your day?"

"I didn't do much of anything. I went to the mall, as you remember. And I ate. That's pretty much it." I shrugged to myself. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Me and my friends are going to be at the freshman barbecue tonight," he responded. "Are you going to be there?"

"…Um… I don't know," I said. "I'm not that good in social settings."

"You should come and hang out with us. You can stay as quiet as you want to. Just bask in the handsomeness that is Marco and chill."

I shook my head as I held back a chuckle. This one… I'm not sure if I'm appalled and amused by him. Still, I thought about it. I didn't have anything planned for the night. Maybe spending some time with this human in his friends would be worth my while.

"…Okay, maybe I'll swing by," I said finally. "No promises, but if I go, I'll look for you when I'm there."

"That's all I ask for," Marco responded. "I'll see you later, then, hopefully soon. If not, you have a good rest of the day."

"Likewise," I said. I hung up the phone, then looked down at the screen. I then stood up and went to my room, deciding to get a head start on figuring out what to wear.

After that, I was in my car, dressed in a pair of jeans, a pair of blue sneakers and matching t-shirt. I put the key in the ignition and turned it. As the primitive vehicle roared to life, I sat there for a second.

"I'm really going to do this," I said to myself. "Well, let's go be human then." I put the car in drive and peeled out of the driveway. Next stop – school.