Went to see my daughter's play 'Wait Until Dark'. It was AWESOME! All her students love Miss K and so do I! Meantime my mother is coming so I have been a bit on edge all week. I love my mother but she is one of those people who can drive you to drink after the first 24 hours. And I have been FORCED to do the thing I HATE to do most-clean…(sigh)

I hope you all enjoy the chapter and I look forward to hearing from you. (PS: Yeah I cried)

THE CONDITIONS

"DADDY!" IT WAS MY FATHER.

"Pet!" I suddenly realized I wasn't who he wanted to see.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm Wanderer."

He was confused. "What? No, you are Pet. I think I would recognize my own daughter."

Ian came up behind me and put his arms around my waist.

"Who are you? Take your hands off my daughter," he demanded.

"Daddy…er Mr. Hollister. This is Pet's body. But she's not here anymore. I have all her memories though."

"You're lying. She wouldn't skip."

"She didn't. Let me explain." I told him the story. He was visibly upset and Ian stayed close to my side in case he had to protect me.

"So, my Pet is gone?"

"Yes, but I remember everything. I can be your daughter if you want or you can tell everyone that Pet is dead. It's up to you but I do think of you as my father. I want you to know that."

"Will you come home to live with me?"

"No. I'm married now."

"To him? A human?"

"Yes, Daddy…um…I mean Mr. Hollister. And I'm pregnant."

"You're only seventeen!"

"I'm eighteen now."

"This human raped you and knocked you up so you married him?"

"No, Daddy. I fell in love with him, then I married him and then when I turned eighteen we decided to get pregnant. This was a planned pregnancy."

"When did you have time to fall in love with him? In the five minutes after he kidnapped you?"

"You are forgetting that I'm Wanderer. I spent several months with him in my original host before I was placed in this body. I was twenty years old in her body."

"Then, why you? Why did he pick you? Is he some kind of pervert?"

"No. He didn't even pick the host. He stayed with my soul. A fourteen year old boy chose Pet. Don't you see? Ian loves me, Wanderer, the soul. You know I can't survive without a host body."

"I have a headache." He looked at Ian. "You love her in this host body?"

"Yes, very much. Pet's memories gave Wanderer a new perspective on life that she didn't have with her before. It took some adjusting, I have to admit, but I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's perfect." He chuckled. "Even if she is a little high maintenance."

I smiled and leaned into his waiting arms. He kissed the top of my head.

Mr. Hollister paced the room scratching the top of his head. "My baby is married to a human and pregnant," he muttered to himself. He looked up. "Where will you live?"

"On the reservation."

"With Indians?"

The Colonel answered. "Not exactly. We will be meeting right after lunch to discuss the conditions. You may join us if you want provided you intend to remain a part of Wanderer's life."

He looked at me again. "Can I hug you?"

I left Ian's arms and rushed to my father and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm sorry. Our intention was never to hurt you. They just couldn't let me die." We both cried.

He pulled back and scanned my body. "You've gotten taller."

"I still dance. I've even taught Ian to dance. I teach a class. It's a small class but I love it."

"Will you come and visit?"

I looked at the General and the Colonel. The Colonel answered. "I think that can be arranged."

"Where's Mom?"

"After you disappeared, we tried to make it work but in all honestly the only reason we stayed together was because of you. After six months when there was no sign of you, she left. She's in Europe somewhere with a guy named Serge."

"That sounds like Mom." In Pet's memories, she was always taking off alone to some exotic locale. She always complained that Daddy loved his work more than her.

"I have her cell phone number but I didn't want to call her unless I was sure it was really you. Now, I don't know what to do."

"Why don't you hold off calling her for a few weeks until I can get my life back in order?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

Colonel Jeffries intervened. "How about some lunch? I know the happy couple hasn't eaten," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Sounds good," I replied.

We went as a group down the hall to the private dining room where I had melted down last night. I didn't look forward to seeing Travels the Frozen Tundra. I could feel the anger in the pit of my stomach. My grip on Ian's hand tightened as we approached the door. He stopped.

"Are you going to be all right?"

"No. I'm not."

"What's wrong?" My father asked.

"Nothing. I just need a minute with her."

My father seemed concerned. "Okay…I'll see you inside?"

"Yes, in just a minute."

The others went in.

"Wanderer, I know this is difficult but please don't fall apart on me. If they think that I can't control you…wait. That's the wrong word. If they think that I can't help you from self destructing then they will have no reason to keep me around. Is that what you want?"

"No. Of course not. It's just so unfair. Nate doesn't need to be a soul. There are enough of us already."

"I know. Look at it this way. Doc can remove that scummy soul if he has to."

I hadn't thought of that. We could send him to the caverns and tell them that he died or that he just disappeared. At any rate, it was too much to think about now.

"Okay, I'll try my best but I can't promise I won't cry."

"Focus on your Dad."

"Okay."

We entered the dining hall and the others were in there including Travels the Frozen Tundra. Unlike yesterday, the President was not present. The atmosphere was more relaxed.

Fords Deep Water approached me immediately. "How are you feeling today?"

"A lot better. I had a good night's sleep and I was happy to be in the arms of my husband."

"Good. After lunch they are going to meet with all of you to discuss the conditions of the community. I will be here just in case. I also want you to know that in a few weeks I intend to visit you." He pulled me aside. "Your letter was quite a surprise. I wish during our conversation that I had known that you had first hand knowledge of the questions you asked, but then again I probably would have missed my conference." He smiled.

There was a buffet set out that included sandwiches, soups, salad, chips and beverages. I definitely ate like I was eating for two. Even Ian made a comment on the amount of food I consumed. I avoided conversation with Travels the Frozen Tundra. I couldn't even look at him. After we ate, President Halsden entered and the meeting began. Ian pulled a chair in front of him and set it sideways. He had me sit in front of him and he wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his hands across my belly.

The President spoke to us. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Shea, are you comfortable?"

Ian answered. "We're good."

"Mr. Hollister. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about your work with the shuttle crafts." He walked to my father and shook his hand.

"Thank you Sir. It's good to meet you as well."

My father was sitting next to me and I reached out and held his hand.

The President took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this meeting started. Last night ended badly. Even after all that, General Blue Flame, Colonel Jeffries, and I stayed up late hammering out the terms of this community you wish to establish."

Ian raised his hand. "Sir, the community is already established."

"I understand. Allow me to continue."

"Sorry."

"As was indicated yesterday, we need a soul who can travel back and forth regularly to represent the community. Your friend Nate is now sharing his host body with Seeker Travels the Frozen Tundra. I know this is difficult for both of them to endure. Having said that; Nate has agreed to give himself as host for the good of the community."

The tears began to well up in my eyes. I squeezed Ian's wrist. He leaned forward and put his chin on my shoulder. "It's okay. It's only for now. We'll figure a way out of this," he whispered. I wiped the tear that trickled down my cheek.

"Are you okay, Mrs. O'Shea?" I nodded my head in silence.

"I don't know how long Nate will remain in the conscious mind. It could be a week or it could be forever. No matter what, we are grateful to him for his sacrifice."

That was it. I put my hands over my face and began to cry. "It's not fair!"

Ian was up and out of his seat and kneeling in front of me in seconds.

"Shh...Shh...Shh… Babydoll. Look at me. Shake it off. Okay?"

I looked at Ian. His eyes were pleading with me.

"I'm okay. I can cry later." I reeled it in the best I could.

"Good girl." He kissed me briefly on the lips; then he got up and returned to his spot behind me.

"Mr. O'Shea."

"Yes, Sir?"

"You will replace Nate as the head human at the community. You will be responsible to make sure the other humans stay in line. You can appoint a task force if you like and they can be made up of humans or souls. That's your choice."

"Thank you, Sir."

"As for the land, I am told that Burns Living Flowers owns the land you currently inhabit. The surveyors were hired by the company that bought the adjoining land from his father eight years ago. I have contacted this company and the government is willing to buy this land back. This will give you another twenty acres of land to live on. It's a total of four square miles. It's not much."

"It's plenty," Ian commented.

"You say that now, but as more humans trickle into your community, you will find yourself crowded before you know it."

"How many humans are out there?" Ian asked.

"You'd be very surprised," the Colonel responded.

My father spoke up. "Sir, if I may?"

"Yes, Mr. Hollister?"

"I would like to research the land surrounding the existing community and if it is possible I would like to purchase some of that land and donate it to the cause."

"Oh Daddy! Thank you!"

"You're welcome my Pet… er I mean Wanderer." He smiled. "That's going to take some getting used to."

"I understand." I kissed him on the cheek.

Ian raised his hand again.

"Mr. O'Shea. You have another comment?"

"Actually, it's a question."

"Go ahead."

"I am in the process of building a home for my impending family. Many others are in the cave. It is cramped in there. Can we get the supplies to continue to build on the land?"

"Absolutely."

"Our biggest obstacle has been power. We are running a ton of electricity off of one line."

The President addressed the Colonel. "Colonel Jeffries, can you make that happen?"

"Yes, Sir."

I raised my hand now. "Mrs. O'Shea. What can we do for you?"

"It's not for me. Most of these humans haven't seen a dentist in over six years. Can you provide a dentist for these people?"

"I will get Colonel Jeffries right on it." He paused. "Colonel Jeffries will be your liaison for all of your needs."

Ian spoke up. "Will we be under lock and key?"

"This is a difficult decision for us. You have been there for the last several years and you have never given anyone in the area any trouble. We checked with the police department. As a matter of fact it seems that you have actually been helpful in getting other rogue humans out of the area and into your community. Therefore, it would make sense to not enforce unnecessary military presence. However, I have been advised by General Blue Flame to establish some sort of presence."

General Blue Flame, he was the same guy who set up the 'protocol' that separated me and Ian and Nate in the first place. He was the guy who obviously came up with the decision to implant them both. I truly did not like him.

"So, we have decided that we will place a post on the road somewhere between the entrance of the community and the town to make sure no one gets through who shouldn't. It is for your protection. We wouldn't want curious people or troublemakers barging onto the land. I see no need for an enclosure at this time."

"Can the souls still come and go as they please?"

"I don't see any reason why they can't. As you have indicated, they are a vital part of the community and they are the only ones who can go into society without fear of being seen."

I raised my hand. "I would like to suggest that we name our community rather than call it 'the community'."

"I see by the look on your face that you already have a name in mind."

"Yes. I would like to propose that we name it 'Downey'." I looked at Travels the Frozen Tundra. I was falling apart at the seams but I managed to speak. "Nate, you will always…" I had to stop because I couldn't see or speak. Ian rubbed my arms.

"Go ahead," he encouraged.

I took a deep ragged breath. "You will always be the leader and it would make me very happy to call our town 'Downey'. You've never said no to me before."

Travels the Frozen Tundra spoke. "Mrs. O'Shea, Nate says that he knows how much you love him and he would be honored to have the town named after him. He said…" His voice croaked. "He says I love you very much."

A lump rose in my throat. "I love you too." I stood up. "I have to go." I ran for the door.

"Wanderer?" Ian called.

"I'm sorry Ian. I tried. I really did." I left the room and ran for the bathroom.

It was my father who tracked me down in the bathroom.

"Wanderer, it's me, Dad. Let me in."

I opened the door and he came in. I was sitting on the toilet weeping.

"Sweetheart, I'm confused. I thought you are in love with Ian."

"I am."

"You act as though you are in love with this guy Nate."

"Oh Daddy, you just wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Ian is my true love but Nate will always have a special place in my heart. It took a long time for Ian to come to terms with that, but it doesn't matter now because they took him away from me." I started to cry again.

"Ian and Fords Deep Water are concerned about your health. The meeting is almost over. They asked me to watch over you. So what would you like to do?"

"Really?"

"Anything."

"I would like to go get an ice cream. Some of Pet's favorite memories were going to get ice cream with you."

So, my father whisked me off into a limousine and took me for an ice cream. We laughed and had fun like a father and daughter. He really pulled me back from the sadness that encompassed me. By the time we returned, the meeting had adjourned and poor Ian was pacing back in forth in the hall outside the meeting room. When he saw me he ran to me.

"Where the hell have you been?"

I laughed. He sounded like my old Ian. "I went to get an ice cream with my Dad."

"You might have said something. I was afraid they took you to the hospital or something."

"You always over react and I love you for it. Come on, my dad wants to take us out for dinner."

"Wanderer, have you lost your mind? I can't just go out in public!"

"Why not? What are they going to do? Call the military? We have a military escort silly. This is Washington."

I grabbed Ian's hand and dragged him out the door and into the waiting limousine. Captain Abbott, the officer who had delivered me to and from the military compound everyday was with us. He was our military escort. We had a fabulous dinner at a fine restaurant. We were seated in a private room probably so as to not disturb the other customers. I noticed that Ian kept his head down when we entered and when we departed. I really enjoyed the time I spent with Ian and my father. They got along well. Even Captain Abbott had a good time and his personality that he kept so hidden earlier had risen to the surface. When I said good bye to my father, he gave me several phone numbers in which to reach him and said he would come to visit as soon as we were ready for him.

By the time we got back to our bare room, we were satiated and sleepy. As we lay curled up in each others arms, I was ready to drift off to sleep.

"Wanderer?"

"Hmmm?"

"I have a question."

"What?"

He turned me over so he could talk to me face to face. "I am confused. The souls don't need money to purchase things, yet the President and your father told us that they were looking to buy additional land surrounding the community. Can you explain that to me?"

"Sure. Products in stores and restaurants and services are free to all. There is inventory taken on all of these things. The more that is purchased by the public, the greater the value of the company or the service. We don't use dollars. It's more like a point system"

"You mean like the stock market?"

"Exactly. For example, a company that creates inexpensive watches may sell one hundred of them. If each watch is worth two points then the value of the company is two hundred points. Another company may sell a watch like mine that is worth twenty points. If the company sells twenty watches, then the value of the company is four hundred points. Understand?"

"Yes, but what about the land?"

"Land, businesses, and homes are the only things that are officially bought and sold. The point system of these items is based on size and demand. Obviously, land in town would be worth much more than the land on this mountain because there would be more demand for land within the town limits. The more points an individual has, the more power and position they hold."

"What if you don't have points? How do you get them?"

"Well, if you come from a family of position like I do, there's a certain percentage of points that automatically get put into your name at birth. If my father has say one hundred points and I am entitled to ten percent, I would automatically get ten points. Another way of getting points is through education. The more schooling you have, the more points you earn. You already know that job status earns points or position. A Seeker, a Healer, or any job that requires training or involves danger are high point earners. If you are in the public eye and your profession involves high amounts of purchases of the product involved, then you can become a person of position and therefore earn points. Those types of professions include actors, sports players, and people in the music industry."

"So the rich still get rich. It's just that there are no poor people anymore."

"Precisely."

"And I married a woman of position."

"Well, that depends on my father. He could list 'Pet' as dead and that would leave me with nothing. If he decides to accept me as his daughter, then he will have to make a name change from Pet Hollister to Wanderer O'Shea. That's going to take some explaining."

"True. Either way, I still love you and tomorrow we are going home."

"I'm nervous about that."

"Why?"

"Nate. He has blood relatives on that mountain. They are not exactly going to welcome Travels the Frozen Tundra with open arms and I don't blame them. I hate him."

"Hate is a strong word."

"I don't care. I really hate him."

"Okay, I don't want you to get upset again. Let's go to sleep."

It was too late. The emotions I had been suppressing came back and although I tried hard not to let Ian hear me, I cried myself to sleep. I would mourn the loss of my beloved Nate for a long time to come.

8