A/N: I'm back! I just want to apologize for the delay of a couple months. My teachers piled on assignment after assignment and I only now had a break. I want to give a shoutout to all these people for their wonderfully encouraging reviews: MellyMeliza (really, who doesn't love Jamie?), TopKat90 (how many thumbs does this chapter get?), Twilight0394 (OMGG? what's the extra G for? ;P), Dessa-Fly (glad you chose Love it :-), twilightsparky101 (thanks for the honesty! hope this chapter encourages you to read more.), SweetP123 (I'm writing some more right now ;P). Also, thank you everyone who favorited or alerted this story! You all get virtual hugs! :) So, on with the show!

I couldn't remember the last time I had so many eyes on me. I could feel the blood rushing to my face and the warmth spreading across my cheeks. Ugh, I'm blushing and if it is like all the other times I've blushed, my face is probably a dead ringer for a mutated tomato. I never was one for public speaking. And, I guess, the fact that I haven't actually spoken to someone in almost 4 years put a real dent in my social skills. But, I decide I'm probably going to be around these people for awhile and should try to get over my shyness as quickly as possible. So, I take another deep breath and dive right in.

"M-my name is Kimberley Josephine Adams. I used to live in a small town a couple states north of here. Before the invasion, I lived in a beautiful house that backed on to a forest that was my favorite place in the world. My brother Mark taught me how to fish in the river that ran through the woods. We used to spend hours just sitting together, talking…"

Images danced around in my mind. Golden sunlight filtering through rich, green leaves. Bright, blue water sparkling like it was made of diamonds. A face with cool, cobalt eyes and ink black hair smiling a toothy grin. All I could hear was the rustle of wind between leaves and the flow of water around rocks. And laughter. A laugh so full and distinct that I could recognize it anywhere. So clearly imprinted into my head that it was like I could have been listening to it yesterday. But I really hadn't heard it in what seemed like forever.

All too quickly reality sets in. Again. How many times have I gotten lost in my reverie, only to have it dissipate in a flash? Too many to count. I sometimes got so wrapped in my dream world that I could almost feel the grass tickling the underside of my bare legs and the sun's warmth kissing my face as I sat beside that river. But so very often, a squirrel jumping from branch to branch or a bird squawking would disturb me from my thoughts.

Someone clears his throat.

I then remember that I'm not alone and have three pairs of eyes staring at me.

"Oh, oh! Sorry, kinda got lost there," I splutter. "Where was I? Oh yes, Mark. Mark," I sigh the last word.

My vision starts to get blurry. Crap, here come the waterworks. I try to hold back the tears and a huge lump settles in my throat. It feels like someone's squeezing my throat from the inside. I really don't want to start crying at the moment. Mostly because I'm not as I call it a "pretty crier." There are only two types of criers, pretty ones and ugly ones. The fact that every time I cry my eye turn reddish and I get red splotches around my eyes causing me to look, as my best friend Cassandra used to say, "Like a raccoon from hell." pretty much puts me in the category of an ugly crier. But I also didn't want to appear weak in front of theses people who I just met. It wouldn't be wise to let my emotional guard down in front of strangers.

So, I try to get my thoughts away from my grief over my brother and concentrate on continuing my story. I take another sip from my bottle, each drop of liquid helps to loosen the chokehold in my neck. I clear my throat and keep going.

"The woods became like my second home. I spent most of my life in here, at first with my father, then Mark, then just by myself. I would find all these secret places in there, a bunny family's burrow, you know, things like that. One day I found an abandoned tree house, well hidden in a cluster of oaks. This was a few months before I had to… leave my home and was already suspicious something was up. So-"

" So, you had to leave your house because of the soul invasion? What happened to your family? What do you mean you we're suspicious?" Jamie burst into my monologue, firing questions with a lightning fast speed.

"Yes," I replied, slightly annoyed. "Before the whole 'invasion of the body snatchers' thing came into full force, I was kinda suspicious." In my peripheral vision, I can see Wanda the Alien flinching at the body snatcher quip. I feel a little guilty, but why should I care? She is kind of part of the problem. I know the others told me to trust her, but making friends with a soul sucker isn't exactly on my To-Do list. More like on my To-Not-Do list. "This is all relevant. Don't worry, I'll get to it."

I can't be mad at Jamie, he was only curious. I would be too. So, I continue, "As I was saying, I didn't tell anyone about the tree house. Not Mark, not even Cassandra, my best friend. I didn't tell them because I couldn't share with them what I was going to use it for, and if I did, they wouldn't have understood anyway."

Abruptly, bright white lights appear behind us. My heart gives a jump-start. I practically jump out of my seat. What is happening? Are we being followed?

Jared must have seen my reaction because he explains with a mocking grin, "Don't worry, that's just Kyle in a truck behind us. We couldn't carry all our stuff in this car."

"Oh, okay." I flush, a little embarrassed. While I was freaking out, everyone else acted like it was nothing. I guess they were used to being on the road with other drivers. The only time I ever was in a car was late at night after breaking into one and hotwiring it.

"What we're you going to use it for?" Inquires Jamie.

"The tree house? Well, I was planning to use it as my secret storage place for my emergency supplies. I had always had a thing for movies and books about people trying to survive after a major global disaster like a nuclear war or a horrible disease. When I was nine, I decided I should be prepared if something kind of disaster did happen on a global scale. So I began to learn useful things related to survival. Like how to build a fire, set snares, first aid, things like that. I also needed a place to store an emergency pack and all that and the tree house was perfect. I loaded all my money and water and non-perishable food in it, along with camping supplies and my rifle here," I say as I pat it. "When I had to leave, all I had to do was go to the tree house and I was on my way."

"What happened that caused you to leave?" asked Ian from the front seat. I had almost forgotten he was there since he hadn't spoken much during the car ride. But, I hadn't left much room for anyone during my story.

"At first, I noticed something was wrong with Cassandra's dad. Obviously, he had the mirrored eyes, but he was also less abrupt and temperamental. He was now so kind and gentle, but it was kind of creepy. It was early summer, so they had just settled in their summer home after a long flight from the capitol. I was harder yo notice something wrong with Cassandra. I also noticed her eyes, but didn't really notice anything else because she always had been a caring person. Cassandra was about to take me to the basement when I threw up all over their carpet. Ends up I had a stomach bug. It saved my life because the next day, my parents and Mark went over to the Shang's for dinner. I was coming down the stairs from my bedroom to get more ginger ale when they came back through the front door. They all had the shiny eyes. At that moment I knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. Luckily I was already getting better, so I just ran up to my room, changed my clothes, got my stuff from the tree house and w-was on my way."

My voice cracks at the end because the chokehold is back. The images of that night are so horrific that I start to tear up again. Jamie gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. I take another drink from my water bottle as I stare out the window past Jared. It is still too dark outside to see the desert landscape that we're passing by. I take a few deep breaths to reorganize my thoughts while I absentmindedly stroke Jamie's hand. Having Jamie's warm body against mine is really soothing. Instinctually, I snuggle closer and let out a contented sigh.

"Tired?" Jamie asks. His breath tickles the top my head. I hadn't realized just how tired I am until he mentioned it. On the soft, cloth seats and with the car rocking gently I probably could fall asleep. I yawn. "Thought so," he chuckles. "You just go to sleep, Kimberley. We can hear the rest of the story later."

I follow his instructions obediently. I tuck my legs in beside me, being careful of my ankle, and use Jamie's shoulder as a pillow. Almost immediately, I drift into unconsciousness…

A/N: So, there you have it. Please review!