Ta Da!!! Here is the next chapter. I finally got it up. My computer was being stupid. So here it is. ENJOY!!!
"Wanda! Stop thinking about it. Ian will be fine. Besides, It's not like he left the country." I give Melanie a doubtful look. He could be anywhere, even outside the country, if he chose to leave. I sigh and try to pay attention to the road. We have been searching for anyone and everyone we know for three months with no luck at all. The determination I had at the beginning is still inside me, but instead of a raging fire, it has settled into a dim candle. It's not as if I don't care anymore, but my hope is draining. I fear we will never see out human family again. Mel and I had gone through each state on the west side of the country, spending about 5 days in each. Scoping out cities, small towns, and random gas stations. Anywhere a normal soul would be. We had done a whole sweep of the nation and we were back at tour starting point. Arizona. Mel would only let us stay here for one more night. I was anxious to get out of here too, by now Radiant Sun's friends will know something is wrong. If they see Mel they will definitely approach us, that is the last thing we need. Besides, almost all of my hope has been completely expelled from my mind.
I awoke, in a cheap motel, in the morning to find that Melanie was already packed and ready to go. Before I could change or do anything to make myself presentable, she shoves me out the door. She wants to leave NOW. But, I feel a pull inside that takes the car down a very familiar path. Almost against my will.
The only excuse I have for what I am doing is that maybe one of our humans remembered where one of the 'hideouts' were and encouraged their soul to move there.
"Wanda, where are you going? This is most definitely not the way to Houston." She sounds irritated, so I try to reason with her.
"Mel, I am going to drive through my old neighborhood. Maybe someone remembered that I had lived there and had their soul move close to it." It seems like a weak excuse, even to me, but we are already driving down my old road. It isn't until we are passing by the community pool that Mel shows any emotion, I glance at her and see the most intense expression on her face. But, she almost looks… hopeful. She springs from her seat and climbs into the passenger seat.
Mel had her gaze trained on a figure seated on one of those high life guard benches. As I'm looking over there, I nearly drive us into a ditch, so I swing around and pull into the parking lot of the pool. Mel doesn't seem to be able to talk, so I look to the boy she is staring at. The dirty blond hair and deeply tanned skin is instantly familiar. Now I know why Melanie is beyond words. Because when the boy turns around, I see Jamie looking straight at us.
***
Melanie is delirious; I think that she would jump out of the car right now if I wasn't holding onto her arm so tightly. She is screeching at me to let go, but I can't do that. There is no chance, that if I let her go, that she will not blow our cover. The last thing we need is Seekers on us. I have to yell several times before she begins to calm down, "MELANIE, listen to me! Melanie! LISTEN! Alright, I am going to go talk to him. Okay? Then, I will invite him to hang out; we will do the procedure and then leave. If I let go of you will you get out of the car?" Melanie is unresponsive,"Melanie?"
"I will stay in the car; just let me get in the back before you leave." Mel is talking in a strained voice, but I will take what I can get. She casts a desperate look at Jamie and then jumps into the back seat.
I get out of the car and softly close the door. There are tall, definitely not wild, trees around the perimeter of the lot. They look like pines, but those are only in the mountains, right? And the dirt under my feet is soft and seems to be overturned regularly. I am relaxing with every step I take toward the pool. Jamie and my hosts' body are almost the same age. So, it will be weird and I will have a whole lot to deal with Melanie later, but I will be able to flirt with the soul inside Jamie and invite him to hang out. Hopefully, he will come. God, Mel is going to kill me for what I am planning.
As I approach Jamie, I see a slight look of concentration and surprise cross his face, but act like I haven't. I don't want to tip off the soul that I know Jamie. Maybe the concentration look was an internal conversation; I used to have those with Mel all the time. I lean in close and say flirtily, "Hey,"
"Hi, what's up?" he says this with all the confidence in the world, what a cocky little soul. I smile sweetly and say nonchalantly, "Nothing, just hanging out. I'm Wanda, by the way. What's your name?"
Of course I already know his name, but Jamie smiles and says, "I'm Aqua Floater, I'm from the Dolphins. Wanda is an interesting name. How did you get it?" He seems genuinely curious and my face falls. Is Jamie totally lost inside him, is this the soul talking, or Jamie playing along? I don't know which, but my best chance to find out is to keep up this ridiculous plan.
"Well, I've been to every world except the Fire Planet, so they call me Wanderer. I shortened it to Wanda. The Dolphins was a nice place. How did you like it?"
"It was nice enough, I loved having all of my thoughts heard, but I find Earth much more interesting. I like discovering things, so this planet is a better fit."
"Oh, have you figured out how girl's minds work?" I snicker at this, before us souls got here; it was a constant argument how women were confusing and 'overly sensitive', while men were desensitized and had a huge ego. I at least agree with the large ego stereo-type.
Jamie gives a broad smile and shakes his head, "I haven't quite figured that out yet. Can I get some insight from you?" Perfect, he is picking up on my flirting, this is SO weird. Surely Melanie is watching, and about ready to rip my head off. She will just have to deal. I was about to save Jamie.
"Not here," I say, "I burn easily, that is the last thing I need right now. When do you get off?" I believe this was a common phrase. Translation: When are you free to hang out with me?
Jamie looks pleased with himself, "I get off in 15 minutes, can you wait that long?" I nod enthusiastically and head over to a lawn chair on the opposite side of the pool. Jamie has a clear view of me and I stare at him until he hops off of his lifeguard bench and heads over to me.
"Hey, my house is down the street, want to hang out?" Jamie seems very excited as I lead him to the car. I get there before him and see Mel shooting glares at me. I try to ignore her, but it is hard to miss. I sigh, she is going to kill me, I think.
When we reach my old apartment, I lead Aqua Floater into the house and leave the door open so that Melanie can get in. I hear the door close behind me and grab the chlorophome aerosol spray can. Jamie turns around to face me and I spray it in his face. I am just catching him and moving his body to the coffee table when Mel comes in with everything I need for the procedure.
***
I am sitting on the couch next to the table, Mel is pacing the living room, casting glances at Jamie's barely moving body every few steps. He should be waking up any minute. I don't know how much chlorophome he breathed in, but I hope he wakes up.
The next 5 hours are the worst in my entire life; I imagine they are the worst of Mel's, too. The only moving part of Jamie is his chest, he hasn't shown any signs of waking up. Maybe there is a twitch of his finger, or a flickering eyelid, but other than that, he is catatonic.
"Mel, it's 10 o'clock, we have to get to bed. We need to leave by 4:30 tomorrow. I'm sure Jamie will have woken up by morning. Trust me." I am pleading with her now; we have almost completely switched places from this morning. I am desperate to leave, and Mel would give her life to stay here. She gives a tight nod and heads towards the couch. I sigh deeply, that is the best I will get out of her. So, I bid her a goodnight, turn out the light, and head down the hall to my room. I can only pray that Jamie will be awake by the time we have to leave tomorrow.
My dreams were awful; I don't think I got any real sleep. They mostly focused on Jamie. Jared and Ian were thrown into the mix, but it was basically all Jamie.
Jamie is lying on his stomach in the middle of a white room. The walls and floor and ceiling are white, so we are caged in a room that looks like it could go on forever. You don't know where anything is until you touch it, it is a prison. But this is all going on in another part of my head, most of my attention is focused on Jamie. So, I run to him. I've never run so fast in my life, but Jamie makes me do things I've never done before. He made me a sister, gave me a motherly instinct, he showed me what family was. He was the first one to believe me and Mel, and I love him for that. As I reach Jamie I see that he isn't moving. At all. His chest is still and there is no way that he is simply sleeping. I can't breathe, it's like my throat has swollen to twice its regular size so that oxygen isn't getting to my body. I reach down and my heart is beating so loud I can't even think. When my hand touches Jamie's shoulder my heart skips a beat in its extreme tempo, his skin is ice cold, like life has been drained from him. Oh, God no! No, no, no, no! Why Jamie? No, please let it be someone else. Anyone else! I think. I reach down again ond turn him over. Tears are streaming freely down my face as I take in his blue lips and lifeless eyes. I killed him, it is all my fault. If I hadn't been put in Melanie, I wouldn't have led the seekers to him, then he would still be Jamie, and he would live. My face is covered in tears. I am getting up to wipe them off when I hear a loud whooshing. It is coming from above me, it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the ceiling, but then I see it. Thousands of gallons about to crash down on me. Then I am swept up in wetness.
"Wanda! Get the hell up! We are late!" Melanie is screaming at me. I open my drowsy eyes and see her hovering over me.
"What!?" That has to be the worst awakening I've ever had, and it doesn't help that I had just had the worst dream in my life. Melanie is dressed and ready to go; she is throwing clothes everywhere and telling me to hurry up. Like I could forget our situation?
"Hello? We have to get going. Duh! Come on! I have the car waiting in front, I moved Jamie into the back so that if he wakes up I will be there." She is trying to hide it, the pain, but I've spent enough time with her to know that she is being torn up inside. So, Jamie hasn't woken up yet. Mel is not going to give up, neither will I. If Jamie can wake up, he will be with us. I put on the clothes Mel threw at me and brush through my hair. I am heading down to the car when I see a cryotank lying on the ground. You did not, Mel! I think.