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A/N:
this chapter was like taking one step forward and two steps back. Every time I think that I'm going to start closing up the story and getting it to the point where Mel and Jared will finally get married, the story takes a turn of surprise and I realize I'm no where closer to that much desired chapter. I guess for the people that don't want this story to end anytime soon, that is good news for you because once Ian and Wanda are married the story will come to an end.
Anyway I think the backspace key on my laptop is officially pushed all the way in, because I used it so many times for this chapter.
I am extremely proud of this chapter and I hope you guys love it as much as I do.
By the way it is over 3,000 words long; I think by far the longest chapter ever in this story.
p.s. excuse any grammatical errors, I only read it over once because I've been busy. So if you do find any errors just kindly notify me and I will fix them. I will go back and read this chapter when I have more time and fix any mistakes but until then… Happy reading :)
Disclaimer: I don't own the host. Just the plot and Maudy.
:)
Last Chapter:
I wanted to scream. Didn't they see that she was too old now to hold out on her own? Sure she is safe now, but she is getting weaker and older. She is going to need someone to take care of her. Once those souls decided the "host" wasn't functioning properly for the soul, they would try to persuade "the nonexistent soul" inside Maudy to be switched into another host. If she refused that would make them curious and then her façade would be over. They would find out that the soul that was inserted in Maudy had long gone, and they would end up killing Maudy instead.
I wanted to tell them that, but as I looked around at the faces of everyone around me, I realized that they just weren't going to see it that way. I would just have to wait and one by one explain it to them, because if I explained it now a rebuttal to my argument would seem less harsh of an outcome for Maudy and my argument would be overlooked. Because, we, as humans tend to avoid thinking about tragedies. We only believe in happy endings.
I'd talk to Wanda alone first; she was the only one who would understand everything clearly.
Chapter Sixteen
WPOV
I couldn't believe Maudy not only knew Melanie, but she was her godmother. To say that I was happy for Mel would be an understatement. For once, she didn't have to play the motherly role. She could finally have someone to look after her.
I knew her too well to believe that she would let the only person, that could bring back the piece of her life that she left when I came to this world, stay away from her.
I didn't know if it was possible for me to bring Maudy here to live with us without arousing suspicion in the souls or creating danger to my family, but I was going to try.
If Jared was right that Maudy would rather live out there, then I would at least make sure that Maudy was here to watch Mel walk down the aisle.
How was I going to pull this off? I had no clue, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to get help from Ian or Jared. They would just deem it too dangerous and try to talk me out of it.
"Sugar, are you trying to scrub that shirt to threads?" Lucina asked from behind a shirt that she had just hung on the line to dry.
"Oh no, sorry Lucina, I didn't realize-"I started to explain myself.
"Now Now, no need to apologize for being young. I know what it's like to have my head in the clouds. Why don't you hand me that shirt so I can rinse it and then you go find that lover boy of yours." She said sweetly in her southern accent, and winked at me.
I blushed at her assumption, but I didn't argue. Instead I handed her the soapy shirt, and rinsed my hands in the bucket of water.
"Thank you." I said drying my hands with the bottom of my t-shirt.
Then I picked up the basket full of Ian and my dry clothes and headed toward the bedrooms.
As I passed the kitchen, I could hear Geoffrey, Trudy's husband, and his best friend, Heath, boisterously playing their daily game of checkers. I could smell the sweet aroma of Trudy's famous banana bread in the air, and I made a mental note to come back and help her clean up in the kitchen as soon as I put away the clothes.
I turned the corner and almost ran into Heidi as she came out of the room she shared with Lily.
"Hey Wanda." She said then glanced down to the basket in my arms. "Laundry duty today?"
"Yea, it's one of the chores that Ian doesn't object to. I think Lily and your clothes are still drying on the line." I replied.
"Oh, that's fine. I can get them tomorrow when it's my turn to do the laundry." She said.
I was about to argue that I could just bring it to her today, when Lily came out of the room.
"Wanda. Just the person I was going to look for-"Then just like Heidi she glanced at the basket and said, "Laundry duty?"
I nodded.
"Well, when you're done do you think you could stop by here? I have to show you something." Lily said excitement clearly evident in her tone.
"Sure, I was just going to put these away and then grab some lunch. Then I'll come back here." I explained.
"Sounds good." She said then went back inside her room.
I turned to Heidi, "Any idea what it might be?" I asked hoping she would have a clue as to what Lily so desperately wanted to show me.
Heidi nodded, "It's really cool, and I promised I wouldn't say anything more."
"Okay, but why would she care to show me?" I asked.
"Wanda of course she cares about your opinion, you were the one person that kept her out of depression after…" Heidi trailed off.
I knew I provided a shoulder to cry on and listened to Lily ramble about the little things she loved about Wes after he died, but I thought that I was just returning the favor and supporting her like she supported the relationship between Ian and me.
"Well, I'm going to see what Trudy cooked for lunch." She said as she turned the corner and disappeared into the dim light.
*******
I was just putting away my jeans, when the room door was shoved aside and Jamie's lean figure burst through the opening.
"Jamie, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice alarmed.
He took a deep breath and sat down on my bed.
"I suck at hide and seek." He said simply.
I laughed at his childish pout; it was at times like this that I remembered the little kid he used to be. It scared me how fast he was maturing. It felt like every time I saw him he was at least two inches taller.
Then remembering how he had surprised me, I hit him with a pair of my jeans on the shoulder.
"Don't scare me like that next time." I chastised, faking a scowl.
He laughed and rolled his eyes at me.
"So what's this about your lack of skills at seeking?" I grimaced at the word seeking. It reminded me that though I was safe in here there were people who were still out there, like Maudy, who were haunted by seekers.
"Well, if I was still as small as Isaiah or Freedom then I could hide easily. But since I'm not, they decided that I have to be seeker." He said.
"And you can't find them?" I asked gently, putting away the last piece of clothing and sitting next to him on the bed.
"Nope. It's been almost a half an hour." He said with frustration.
"Huh. Well, if it makes you feel better I was never a good seeker either." I said trying to placate his aggravation.
I brushed the hair out of his eyes; Mel wanted him to cut it before the wedding but he always refused. He said he was going for the Tom Cruise look. When I didn't understand him he went on to explain how Mel had a thing for the heartthrob as a child and he had seen Mission Impossible II so many times he had practically memorized it. He said he always wanted to grow out his hair like Tom's in that specific movie.
He laughed.
"Thanks for trying Wanda. Thank goodness you weren't cut out for being a seeker, otherwise Mel and you wouldn't be here with us today." His voice gaining a serious edge towards the end of the sentence.
I nodded, because I didn't know how else to respond.
I don't know how long we sat in silence, my head resting on his shoulder while we were both lost in our thoughts.
"Wanda." He said breaking the silence first.
"Hmm."
"Do you really think that Maudy is safer living out there?" He asked.
"She is as safe as we are." I responded truthfully.
"So she isn't." He said, pointedly.
The silence returned.
"Do you think I'll ever get to meet her?" he said after a couple minutes, sounding like the same little boy that had asked me if Melanie was still alive.
"I hope so, Jamie." I responded "I hope so."
Then before we could say anything else, Ian walked into the room with two sandwiches.
"Oh, Hey Jamie. Sorry man I didn't know you would be in here otherwise I would've grabbed you a sandwich too." He said as he handed me one of the plates and sat down on the floor in front of me.
"It's okay Ian. I don't think one sandwich would've been enough anyways." He said playfully, all traces of the serious Jamie I was just talking to gone.
"See you later." Ian said as Jamie walked out of the room.
Then he closed the door and it was just Ian and me.
"Thanks for the sandwich." I said, taking a bite.
Ian just shrugged and kissed my cheek before he took a bite of his own.
"So, any particular reason why we're eating in here and not in the kitchen with everyone else?" I asked with curiosity.
He shrugged again, but I could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.
Lately Ian had taken a liking to annoying me and getting a rise out of me. Then he would apologize profusely and kiss me senseless. I couldn't really complain because I enjoyed the kissing as much as he did I just wished he didn't have to piss me off first.
"Ian O'Shea, if you don't tell me what's going on then I'm going to go eat with Jamie." I threatened, but he knew they were just empty words.
He smirked, and then sheepishly said "Can't a guy just have lunch alone with his girl?"
His question caught me off guard and I didn't know how to respond.
When he noticed I didn't have a comeback, his smirk grew bigger.
"Plus, I'm really sick of Jared's brooding. All day I've been hearing about how Melanie is really upset, how he is afraid she's getting cold feet, and how he has to tiptoe around her in case something he says or does will cause that storm building inside her to explode. I feel like I'm the one in love with Melanie because she is the only thing on my mind. Is this how you felt when you were in Mel's body, listening to someone's thoughts about their infatuation so that you eventually become infatuated with them too?" He said all in one breath, his eyebrows scrunching in annoyance and disgust.
I glared at him, the anger bubbling inside me. Jared was his best friend and the least he could do was listen to Jared's problems. And the thing that was nagging me in the back of my mindwas the fact that he felt like he was in love with Melanie. I knew he wasn't and he was just trying to help me imagine how he felt right now, but I couldn't help but feel hurt.
"Who's the one brooding now?" I spat with a little too much venom.
"I'm not brooding I'm giving you the reason why we aren't eating lunch in the kitchen." He replied, in between a bite of his sandwich.
"No actually, you being sick of listening to your best friend's problems and falling in love with Mel doesn't explain why we are eating here." I retorted then blinked away the stupid tears out of my eyes. Why was I being so childish?
His eyebrows shot up in surprise and I could tell he was recapping what he had just said earlier. His expression transitioned from puzzlement to comprehension to rueful.
I couldn't hold back the tears this time, and they rolled down my cheeks leaving a trail.
Through my blurred vision, I saw Ian put his sandwich back in his plate without taking the bite he was about to. He rose from the ground and took a seat next to me on the edge of the bed.
I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the water works. Ian wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.
It wasn't the most comfortable of positions; I was facing the door while he faced my side. Due to his arms I was leaning into him with the side of my tear streaked face resting on his chest.
He rubbed his hand soothingly down my back, hushing my cries.
After what seemed like hours but was probably only ten minutes my sobs died and we sat their in silence.
"Wanda, I'm so sorry." Ian apologized. His remorse tone breaking the silence.
"It's okay." I replied, my voice barely a whisper.
"No, it's not. I know that Melanie has every right to be upset and that Jared has every right to complain. I have no right, though, to upset you. I thought you knew I was just joking and trying to get a rise out of you because I love the way your nose scrunches up and your bottom lip sticks out when you're mad." He refuted.
I lifted my head and rested my chin on his chest so that I could look into his eyes.
I saw a mixture of sorrow and love shining in his blue eyes.
"I knew you were joking." I said simply. I was just being oversensitive and insecure. How could I ever doubt Ian's love? He deserved so much more.
He looked confused again, and then his eyes brightened in realization as if a light bulb just went off in his head.
"Wanda," he said lovingly and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. "You're my one and only. The only person I will ever be infatuated by. I love you."
I didn't need him to confirm it. I always knew that he loved me; I just didn't understand why he did.
His eyes were searching mine and his mouth turned down into a frown. He probably saw either confusion or doubt in my eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
"Ian I know you love me, I just…" I trailed off trying to figure out how to voice my opinions. " I just always worry that you'll wake up one day and realize that you're insane because you claim to be in love with a bluish liquid."
As I explained, Ian's expression became angrier by the second and my voice lowered.
See, I didn't deserve his love. I hurt him and doubted him.
His arms around me were suddenly gone and for a second I thought that he was going to push me away. I was afraid that my confession had in fact opened his eyes and that he realized he wasn't in love with me.
But of course, my insecure thoughts were wrong.
Instead of pushing me away, he grasped my face gently in his hands.
"Wanda, please don't ever think like that. I will always love you, no matter what form you're in. If you don't believe me you can ask Melanie how torn up I was when you were in that tank. If we would've never found you a host I would have made sure my entire life that you stayed alive inside that tank."He emphasized his eyes pleading.
I knew what he was like when I was in that tank; Mel had created a pretty good picture in my mind about that brief time period.
"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I don't know why I feel so insecure. You've done nothing to disprove your love to me."
He kissed my forehead and said, "Wanda if I have to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you, I will."
"I promise I won't waste your entire life proving it to me." I replied.
He smiled and mumbled, "My beautiful silly Wanda."
Then he kissed me on the lips, our lips conveying our unspoken emotions.
I pulled away for air, and he chuckled lightly.
I raised my eyebrow in question.
"I still got the makeup kiss I wanted, I just wish I didn't have to upset you first." He explained.
I rolled my eyes, and picked up my abandoned sandwich taking another bite.
He leaned over and picked his plate up off the floor and mimicked my actions.
We ate in comfortable silence.
"Just for the record, I like you better in human form. Just for communication sake." He said, in his playful mood returning.
"Of course." I said rolling my eyes.
I took the last bite of my sandwich and placed my empty plate on top of Ian's.
There was a knock on the door before either of us got up.
"Come in." Ian and I said in unison.
The door was noisily pushed aside and Heidi stuck her head in.
"Hey Wanda, if you aren't busy, Lily wanted you to stop by our room."
"Sure, I'll be right there." I replied.
Heidi nodded and put the door back into place.
Ian picked up the plates and said, "I'll take these to the kitchen and then I'll see you later in the evening."
"Okay."
Then he kissed me gently on the lips and walked out of the room.
I picked up my towel and wiped my face. Then I walked out of the room and the down the hall to Lily's.
A/N: so did you love it... Hate it? Was it worth the wait? What was your favorite part?
I know a lot of you review and tell me that this could be the sequel, but what I have neglected throughout the entire story are all the minor characters.
So I reread the host and brushed up on my knowledge about the characters that make the cave life so fantastic…and I hope I did them justice in their first debut in my story.
Be prepared to see more of them and let me know if there is any way I can improve their role in the story. (:
*** I totally forgot to mention this in my earlier chapters but I PURPOSEFULLY made it so that Maggie was Jeb's wife and not his sister. If you haven't realized by now I like to stick with the original story..but I also like to twist it up a little bit. Also this story took a path towards marriage and I need two couples that didn't work out so well… I already had doc and Sharon..and since Maggie and jeb never got along I made them a couple.***
I have a challenge for you guys… we are at 380 reviews do you think you could get me the 20 to reach 400?
Xoxo
rmla