"Somewhere in the middle," I explained awkwardly, and then stopped before I gave something away. Like that Terlin seemed pretty decent, or the whole my family probably wouldn't become Controllers thing. Yeah, that would go over real well in the Empire.

"This is your first time with the voluntary hosts, then?" Sue asked me.

I nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

I'd rather have taken some more time to digest everything, but as Sue's group-well, Sue-was speaking with me already, it would feel rude to just ignore her. Then again, if she was just making small talk, I'd like to know that as well.

It had always been easy enough for me to get along with people my age. Older people were...well, there was always a level of awkwardness involved.

There seemed to be a group of them, sitting in the comfortable chairs near the TV, but more interested in their own group than the show that was on. Sue nodded and pointed to an empty chair next to her.

"Thanks," I said, taking a seat in the comfortable chair.

It was definitely an improvement to spending the next two hours locked in a cage.

"Who's your Yeerk?" Sue asked me. "Are your family hosts yet?"

"Terlin something," I told her. "And no, just me."

The "yet" must have shone on my face, because I could feel the tension building in the group.

"Sue, give him a chance to take everything in before you start bugging him for every detail of his life," the Asian man chided. "I'm Alan. Controller for nearly two years. That's Susan, who's kind of the mom/aunt of the group, but she'll insist that you call her Sue. She's been here the longest-three years?"

"Three years, six months, and nine days," she replied, sounding rather proud of this fact. "And I'm still on my first Yeerk, which we're both happy about. Even though she was recently given a small promotion."

"Kallen made sub-visser?" This came from a redhead about my age.

But Sue was shaking her head. "No, not that high. They reduced her number from Kallan four-six-three to two-seven-eight. So, of course, whenever she introduces herself, she includes her former number as well as her current one." She gave me an indulgent smile, the kind you'd give to a cute kid who was proud of some (to them) major accomplishment. "And they all congratulate her, naturally. But she's hoping to be made a sub-visser by the end of the next Yeerk cycle."

Alan smiled at me. "We've all had the same Yeerk for at least a year, and been on the same feeding cycle."

"Have you always been voluntary?" I asked.

It seemed like a safe enough question.

"I haven't." This came from another female, probably Jake's age. "My first one was a real daspen."

Sue's eyebrows shot up-I guessed the term was either profanity, or a slur against Yeerks. "Amanda!" she scolded.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Sue, but threatening to infest my three year old sister in her sleep with the worst Yeerk she knew, one who was known for abusing even voluntary hosts, makes a Yeerk a daspen. And that's not all she did to torture me." Amanda's face darkened at the memory, but she quickly calmed down. "But my current Yeerk is a lot nicer."

"And your sister?" I prodded.

"Six. Uninfested. As are the rest of my family," Amanda told me. "The first Yeerk could never get them to join, and the second Yeerk either figured it was a lost cause, or didn't want to...to make me fight her."

"It was probably an empty threat, anyway," Sue told her.

"Yeah, it's not like kids make great hosts," Alan agreed.

"Hey, if Molly wants to join The Sharing when she's older and get her own Yeerk, fine. I won't stop her. But not before she's old enough to drive. And not with him."

Sue put a hand on Amanda's shoulder.

"Anyway, what's your name?" Alan asked me.

"Tom Berenson," I told him.

"And your Yeerk? He explain everything to you after he infested you?" Sue asked me. "About the invasion and all that? They usually do."

"Yeah, pretty much. I thought they were going to kill me when they brought me to the Yeerk Pool, so the news that I was going to have an alien residing in my head permanently was weird, but..." I shrugged. "Anyway, there's not much I can do about it now, and it's better than being locked up in a cage every three days."

"Provided that you agree to become a full member, they usually tell you a little about it before they infest you," Amanda said. "Sometimes, whoever is in charge with the infestation will give you all of the information, and let you ask as many questions as you want. Others just handcuff you and let the Yeerk do the explaining, if they think you'll end up becoming involuntary either way."

"More often, it's somewhere in the middle. They don't want to alienate potential voluntary humans, but it's not like most Yeerks who oversee infestation have all day to answer every question you might have," Alan contradicted her. "And since half of all humans turn out to be voluntary, it's not the worst system."

"That really depends on who you get as a Yeerk." This was from a black woman who, until now, hadn't said much. Long hair, probably early 50's. "The really cruel ones will mistreat their hosts no matter what. And the truly decent ones will attempt to show humans-even the ones who were initially captured-that having a Yeerk in your head can be a good thing. Most are somewhere in the middle. They'd rather have a voluntary human, and will certainly treat them better, but they're not going to set you free just because you don't want to be a host."

I suspected that Terlin counted himself somewhere between the "truly decent ones" and "somewhere in the middle".

"Right," Alan agreed. "And if you're smart, you become a voluntary Controller at that point, because even if you don't like your current Yeerk, there's a better chance that they won't mistreat you if you cooperate with them. Additionally, you're far less likely to get a truly cruel Yeerk if yours gets promoted."

"Yeah, Terlin told me that part," I confirmed. "Are there a lot of those? Cruel Yeerks?"

The same black woman spoke again. "The Yeerks don't collect data that way, because it indicate treason against the empire. Based solely on my experience, about one in every hundred Yeerks are sadists."

"Sarah would know," Sue told me, nodding at the black woman. "Hers is Sub-Visser fifteen."

"Wow."

It seemed like the right response, because Sarah smiled at me. "Yes, Talith has been my Yeerk for nearly two years. We're amicable," Sarah told me. "And while she doesn't oversee voluntary hosts, she has a say in the assignments of potential full members for The Sharing. Before me, she was in a Hork-Bajir and was a pool guard."

I noticed her use of the word "amicable". She hadn't said "friends" to describe her relationship with Talith. Was that because Talith had told her not to appear to be on too good terms with her Yeerk? Would it make Talith out to be some kind of traitor if the wrong Yeerks heard?

It was something to ask Terlin about.

On the whole, as I listened and occasionally participated on this conversation, I thought this group seemed fairly normal for having been voluntary Controllers for so long. It seemed like they utilized the voluntary "card" that was at their disposal in exchange for better treatment. Maybe, they bargained for their families' freedom, like I had done. I imagined that after enough time with the same Yeerk, especially if you were cooperating, infestation-and even the loss of control for most of the time-just seemed like the new normal.

While I didn't ever want to get used to not being in control, I thought that I could probably get used to the situation of having Terlin in my head most of the time.

"How long does it usually take to...you know...get used to it?" I asked. Not really asking any one person in particular, just addressing the group as a whole.

Sue answered without hesitating. "About a month. Less if your Yeerk is one of the truly decent ones, but nearly all voluntary hosts have settled in before their Yeerk has gone for their tenth feeding."

"Yeah, but you never really adjust to the screamers at the Yeerk Pool," Amanda pointed out. "They're the ones who make you think you've entered the pits of hell."

"You're one to talk. You were one of the worst ones until you got Illnit," Sarah remarked.

Amanda laughed. "Giving my first Yeerk a sore throat was one of my few ways of getting back at her. And if the rumors are true that she's in a Taxxon now, I won."

Sue snorted at this.

"They won't last," said Alan, suddenly, as though it had just occurred to him.

I jumped, thinking of what Terlin had told me earlier about the six month rule. "What won't?"

"Involuntary hosts," he explained. At the shock on our faces, he continued, "When the Yeerks take over the planet, they'll realize that humans outnumber them. They'll still have all of the military power, of course. By then, they will have infested all of the government leaders, taken over all of the weapons. Not that theirs aren't fairly destructive. But there are what, forty million Yeerks? And the vast majority don't reproduce. Those who do wait until nearly the end of their life. The human population, on the other hand, is growing each day. There are probably more humans born throughout the world each day than there are human Controllers on the planet. The Yeerks might catch up, eventually, but it could take decades. In the meantime, they'll have their choice of hosts, and almost no one will want an involuntary human. Those who object to Yeerk control will still have to live under the Yeerk rule, but they won't have a Yeerk in their heads." He paused for a minute. "Less than one human in a thousand will be a Controller, at least in the beginning. You would probably have to go on a wait list to have a Yeerk in your head. The cages will be discontinued."

"Well, that's an optimistic way of looking at things," Amanda responded, and I had no idea if she was being serious or not.

"Mathematically speaking-"

"They could just kill off most of us." Someone who hadn't spoken before-another kid around Jake's age-said this. "They might figure that a human without a Yeerk in their head is too dangerous after they finish defeating the planet."

"Or, they might take the uninfested humans and use them as backups when they engage in physical combat against the Andalites," Sue put in. "Whatever happens, it won't be anytime soon. Not for at least five more years. The number of full members of The Sharing hasn't even reached a hundred thousand, yet. That includes involuntary Controllers."

"Let's change the subject," suggested Amanda. "I hear about Yeerk politics enough when I'm infested."

The others laughed, and they began discussing some TV show that was on last night. I decided to grab a snack from the table, and after inspecting the contents, settled on some of the crackers and an apple.

I rejoined the group, but stayed pretty quiet during most of the time. They had moved on from talking about Yeerks, but they seemed like a pretty close knit group and I didn't know if they would end up becoming friends. At least I knew a little more about why people became voluntary Controllers, and how long it would take before my new life with Terlin would feel normal.

Before too long, I heard my name called, and I got up to leave the group without much hesitation. Sue waved a goodbye as I stood up, and some of the others followed suit, but I could tell that I had long since ceased to be very interesting to them.

Probably, it was because I hadn't said much, but I was still figuring out what I could say and who-if anyone-I could trust. At least the involuntary hosts got to scream and rant at the guards in protest of their treatment as slaves to the Yeerks. Since I was seemingly okay with Yeerk infestation, I had to be more careful.

Then again, maybe I was overthinking things. But I'd rather lose out on potential friends than on my decent treatment by Terlin-not to mention my family's freedom and safety.

The screams seemed louder than before, but I made myself get in the line for reinfestation. You could tell who the involuntary hosts were. While few were actually being physically restrained, there was a large number of Hork-Bajir pool guards standing nearby, all holding some sort of gun. It would be a tough battle even if all of the people in the cages were free and fighting, but the number of people waiting in line to be reinfested was not much greater than the number of guards available.

Probably, they did that on purpose.

When it came to be my turn, I knelt down in front of the pool, as close to the edge as I could go without risking the fear of falling in. I moved so my head a couple of inches above the water and turned so my ear was touching the the top of the pool. As the nearest guard didn't step in to readjust my head, I imagined that I would be giving Terlin enough space to crawl inside.

A minute later, I felt the squishy touch of Terlin's body-at least, I hoped it was his body, and not another Yeerk-and then a brief stab of pain before my ear went numb. I could still feel him making his way inside of my ear, and the mental image this conjured up made me more than a little queasy. I forced myself to keep calm, not get sick, because I couldn't imagine what would happen to me if I threw up in the Yeerk Pool.

Just like what Terlin first infested me, I felt myself lose control little by little. I was prepared for it, but it wasn't any less unsettling. Maybe Terlin was right about practicing the whole "giving over control" thing before he had to attend a Sharing meeting with his Yeerk buddies.

Just after I lost complete control of my body, I felt his mind link with mine. Sensing my anxiety that-in spite of his reassurances-it wasn't him, he spoke in a calm, gentle voice.

(It's all right, Tom, I'm back. Terlin.)

I managed a mental grin. (Hey, you.)

Terlin moved my body so that I was standing up, and nodded to the guards. "I'm back in control." Then, without looking back at the cages, he headed back towards the stairway. Away from the Yeerk Pool.

True to his word, he handed over control to me as soon as we were out of the vicinity of the Yeerk Pool. (Thanks,) I said, talking over the walking. (How was the pool?)

(Oh, the usual. Nothing terribly interesting to report. How was the voluntary area?)

(A little weird,) I admitted. (You can open my memories if you want, and see for yourself.)

(Are you certain?)

(Well, maybe we better wait until we get home. I don't want to risk falling off my bike while you're going through memory lane,) I amended. (But once we're home, yeah.)

(All right.) Terlin seemed surprised at the change in my attitude towards his delving into my memory since Friday night, but not enough to push the matter. Or, maybe he realized that since this was all fairly new to me, I was bound to change my mind about certain things on occasion. (Yes, you certainly have the right to do that,) he laughed, responding to my thoughts.

(Don't you guys ever change your minds?) I prodded.

Terlin gave a mental shrug. (Not to the extent that humans do. Our brains aren't physically divided the way yours are, so we aren't constantly second guessing ourselves. It's more productive that way.)

(It's never stopped us from making decisions. Well, not usually,) I told him. (We just think a lot more about what could happen as a result. Actually,) I added, remembering this from my biology class, (my brain hasn't completely formed. The whole prefrontal cortex thing? It doesn't stop developing until I'm in my twenty's.)

(That might explain why you decided to crash the full members Sharing meeting without pausing to consider what could happen,) Terlin commented.

(I figured the worst that would happen would be expulsion from the group, and Allison not wanting to have anything to do with me. Both of which were risks I was willing to take, especially since I wasn't all gung ho about The Sharing,) I pointed out. (The whole concept of The Sharing being a front for an alien invasion didn't cross my mind. And I doubt that it would have had I been ten years older, with that part of my head fully functional.)

(No, but you may have been less impulsive,) Terlin remarked, wryly. (Anyway, seeing as becoming a full member requires infestation, and you might have become a full member had Allison been encouraging towards it, the end result may have been the same.)

(Yeah, but with a different Yeerk.)

(Yes. That part worked out rather well for me,) Terlin agreed, sending me a mental smile. He paused before adding, (You seem happier about my being in your head than you were before.)

I shrugged mentally. (Maybe I'm getting used to it. And you're not exactly horrible to have around.)

(Well, thank you, Tom.)

I didn't say anything else during the trip back. It was almost 10:00 at night, and even though I had an 11:00 curfew, I was feeling pretty tired and needed to stay focused on the ride. At least it felt shorter biking back than it did going there. We arrived home around 10:20, and I parked my bike in the garage before heading in the house.

"Mom, I'm home!" I called, knowing that she'd still be up.

Mom came out of her office and gave me a hug. "Don't stay up too late, okay? With school tomorrow and all."

"Don't worry, I'm exhausted," I told her, and I was. "I'm just about to turn in."

"The Sharing is quite a commitment," she commented. "Well, sweet dreams, honey."

"You too," I told her, then headed to my room.

I changed into pajamas without thinking (much) about Terlin watching me. Headed to the bathroom for the usual business, plus brushing my teeth and washing my face. A few minutes later, I was back in my room, laying on my bed.

(Should I look at your memories of tonight now, or later?) Terlin asked me, sensing my exhaustion.

(Later, but not when I'm sleeping, okay?)

(All right. Good night, Tom.)

I shut my eyes, and within minutes, fell into the first truly deep and restful sleep that I experienced since my initial infestation.

Monday went by in kind of a blur. During math class, Terlin asked if he could open my memories from the Yeerk Pool from the previous day, and I consented. It wasn't like we were learning anything new in the class, and reliving the events from the night before would be a nice distraction. As, I knew, would be Terlin's presence in my head. I wondered how many teenagers who saw school as a necessary evil would consent to Yeerk control just to have a distraction from the boredom of class. Don't get me wrong, learning was great, but most of the stuff we covered in school I would never use in real life, and we went over the same thing so many times that even if it took me a couple of explanations to understand it, I would still be bored to tears by the fifth explanation.

Anyway, Terlin opened my memory and saw my interaction with the voluntary hosts, as well as with Sorren. I couldn't really tell what he thought of it as he was seeing the events, and I figured it was best to keep my thoughts to myself until he finished seeing the memory.

Even though the events had played out over a couple of hours, Terlin saw the whole thing in less than a couple of minutes. I guessed that human memory recorded things quicker than he actual events took place.

(I don't think Alan's quite correct about what would happen if we took over the planet,) Terlin commented. (His assessment of the Yeerk reproduction rate is very low.)

(Uh huh,) I replied. (And the rest of it?)

He gave a mental shrug. (Hearing the interactions of voluntary humans when their Yeerks feed is as new to me as it is to you, Tom. But I thought you did well with not providing too much information.)

(It's hard to know if their Yeerks would use that against us later,) I noted.

(Or the Yeerks of other hosts who happened to be listening in. Voluntary hosts don't generally stay voluntary if they have cruel Yeerks, but the empire doesn't want to portray its servants as-to adopt a human term-sissies.)

(What do I say if I have to speak to one of the sub-vissers about how I'm adjusting?) I asked him.

Terlin considered this for a minute. (I think that what you thought of was fine. It's safe enough to say that I treat you decently, and that you realized it was better to cooperate rather than fight a pointless battle. It's nothing that they haven't heard before, and it's believable.)

(You could get into trouble for trying to protect my family,) I pointed out.

He sent me a mental shrug. (Yes, but protecting your cover is just as important as seeking out a few more hosts for the empire in the immediate future.)

I had my doubts about this. Sure, three humans didn't sound like much, but even if just those three lead to three more, and those lead to three more...it wasn't an insignificant number.

Then again, The Sharing had to keep the invasion quiet, and whatever hosts Terlin didn't bring in, someone else would.

Also, it wasn't like there was an infinite number of humans living in our state. At some point, overlap would occur. Of course, this could mean that Marco might join The Sharing and urge Jake to join...or Rachel could join and do the same thing.

(You're overthinking things, Tom,) Terlin chided me. (There's no need to think ten steps ahead to what might happen. One day at a time.)

(Right,) I agreed. (But I want to be as prepared as I can be.)

Terlin hesitated. (Would you prefer me to look for sympathetic Yeerks for your family? If their infestation becomes inevitable, it might be good to be prepared.)

(No. Because they probably wouldn't go voluntarily, and then they'd end up as a host to a cruel Yeerk. Besides, I don't just want to surrender their freedom now in case it happens later!) My fists clenched under my desk, and I was sure my face was getting red. I unclenched my fists and leaned over my desk, pretending to be fascinated with my notes.

He sent me a mental nod. (All right.)

(But, thanks for the offer,) I added, because I knew that he meant it as just that. Not as a threat.

We had the same goal in mind, after all. At least as far as myself and my family went.

A/N: I was going to end this chapter on a cliffhanger, but having already spent some time on the next one, I didn't think I could end it in such a way that would make sense while keeping what I had already worked on. So, no cliffie this time. Hope you still enjoyed it...and please leave a review!