Alright, this chapter is special for Web Girl 1 for making me want to write more. I know that that last chapter jumped around and around, but no worries. My thoughts are totally organized now. Don't forget to review!!! That is the only way I can make it better. REVIEW!!!!
I turn around and see Melanie's silhouette in the shadows. She is standing with her back straight and her head held high, her usual stance; I can't see any of the features on her face though. She turns her head and looks at the entrance of the alley that we are standing in. It surprises me that she hasn't said anything yet, but I push it out of my mind. I am just so glad to see her; I thought that Light had her. Because Light thought that she 'saved' me from Mel. Oh well, we are here now and can go home. Mel turns back to me and there is some light coming in from the alley. It makes me gasp to see the reflection of light coming from her eyes. Then I see the sign that it is not Mel that is standing front of me, but a soul.
Light spills into the alley and I can see nothing but the brightness radiating from the soul's eyes. I take a step back and the soul mimics my movement by taking a step toward me. There is a look of horror on my face as I register how different she is with a soul inside her. Melanie's hands are on her hips and there is a blankness on her familiar face that I have never seen before. My best friend is now a stranger and I am fighting back tears. She has always been the strong, not me.
How could this have happened again? I can't imagine being a host, let alone surviving the first intruder of my body only to have my body taken away again. How could this happen? I wonder if Melanie is still there inside, but that is such a stupid question. Of course she is still there; no way would Mel go down without a fight.
"Who are you?" I ask cautiously. I wonder if this is really happening, or if I am going to wake up any second in my cell. Waiting to be interrogated.
Unfortunately, Mel's body answers with a calm, gentle voice only a soul could create, "I am Radiant Sun; I came from the Flower Planet." Ah, Radiant Sun, no wonder she was drawn to the sunny south, she was a flower. "Who are you?" Radiant Sun asks, she doesn't seem suspicious or scared, just curious.
"My name is Wanderer; my friends call me Wanda, though." I mimic her tone to try to blend in and then, hopefully, I will be able to invite her somewhere. Somewhere out of the way, so I can do the procedure to remove the soul without anyone noticing. "Do you have any friends you are staying with?"
"I am staying with my sister in Gilbert; it is just east of Phoenix."
"Oh, I hate to impose, but I really need to use a phone could you give me a ride to my friends house? She lives in Gilbert, too."
"Of course, you poor thing, I am headed home right now! You can come along; my car is just parked in this alley." It still surprises me how nice and understanding the souls are, I am used to humans who only do favors if they gain something from it. Not just to be nice, like the souls.
***
The inside of Radiant Sun's car was nice and new, It felt weird seeing Mel out in broad daylight, though. I just kept forgetting that it wasn't Mel, it was really Radiant Sun. We turned a corner and I saw my old house. It was vacant still, which I found odd. But I pushed the thought from my mind. It wasn't important. I would have plenty of time to talk about it with Mel in a few minutes.
It was smart of me to ask Doc to stock some of our hideouts with medical supplies, now I would just invite her in. Being the polite innocent that she thought I was.
"Would you like to come in? My friend makes the best lemonade you have ever tasted! Oh, please come inside. It's the least I can do; after all you drove me all the way out here." I knew it was a stupid reason to invite someone in, but Radiant Sun was ecstatic to have found a new 'friend'.
"I would love to come inside! Thank you so much for inviting me. You know, I absolutely adore lemonade!" And with that, we walked into my old apartment. I felt very exposed as I walked in the door of my old home; I haven't walked freely in daylight in almost two years. Anyway, we walked into the living room and I addressed Radiant Sun, "Make yourself comfortable, I will be back with the lemonade in just a minute.
I hurried into the hallway with the linen closet stocked full of chlorophome, a scalpel, heal, seal, clean, no pain and smooth. It was simple enough to just grab everything I needed and head back through the kitchen to Radiant Sun.
"Here, you should use this," I hold up the rag with the chlorophome in it, "to clean your hands before we drink the lemonade." I walk over and hand the rag to her. Radiant Sun puts the rag in between her hands and starts to 'clean' them. I jump on the opportunity, it might be the only one I have. Before Radiant Sun can make a noise, I jump onto the couch and shove the rag into her face. She is breathing deeply and having trouble getting air. That is the point, now she will have to breathe in the chlorophome. Radiant Sun takes one last shaking breath and then goes still in my arms. Perfect.