The Soul-The Host Fanfiction

Chapter 12: Awakened

Next chapter! Enjoy!

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Chapter 12 Awakened

I awoke the next morning to an odd feeling of deja vu. The cracks in the ceiling above me were familiar, yet I would've sworn I'd never seen them before. I couldn't figure out where I was until Mel touched my hand.

"Wanda?" she asked. "You awake?"

"Yeah." I sat up, disoriented, and suddenly I remembered that I had slept in Melanie's room last night. I hadn't slept here since I'd been put in this body, and it felt strange. I remembered everything about it, but at the same time it felt new, bigger. I blinked.

"You okay?" Mel asked.

"Fine. Just...weird. Everything's the same...but different. Similar, but new."

Mel nodded. "Well, Jared's already gone to get Ian. They're going to eat while we're in the river room getting cleaned up, and then we can get some breakfast."

I rolled my eyes. She really planned on going through with the whole bride-and-groom-can't-see-each-other thing. "Okay then, let's go."

In the river room, Lucina was waiting with Freedom and Isaiah for their turn in the bathing room. The boys were splashing around in the smaller, cool stream. Isaiah crowed in delight when he saw me and ran over, Freedom toddling close behind him, and hugged me.

"Hey, there!" I said as I hoisted Freedom into my arms. Isaiah grasped my hand.

Freedom, now resting on my hip, noticed Melanie next to me. He buried his face in my shoulder when she smiled at him. She sighed. The children were still afraid of her from when their mother had frightened them, trying to keep them away from me, back when we shared a body.

Isaiah, halfway hiding behind me, waved cautiously at Melanie, and she smiled. She knelt down and waved back, and he giggled.

"Hi." Melanie said gently. Isaiah looked up at me questioningly, and I nodded and gave him an encouraging smile. He stepped gingerly forward and threw his arms around Mel's neck. She stood and hefted him along with her. She spun him in a circle and he screamed in joy and laughed until his face was red. Freedom heard this and decided that he wanted to play, too. He reached out to her and she gave him a turn. He giggled uncontrollably.

Melanie and I were both laughing. We walked over to where Lucina was standing, looking amused. Freedom and Isaiah jabbered excitedly to her about Melanie.

Katelin, Amber,and Marie came out of the river room, their hair dripping on their backs.

"Hey Lucina, hey Mel, hey Wanda." Katelin greeted us. Marie and Amber smiled.

We returned their greeting. They strolled off, probably to get ready.

Mel and I talked as we waited for Lucina and the kids to be done. She told me about a wedding she went to when she was little. I told her about how souls did 'weddings' on other planets; all of the ones I knew.

"On the Singing World, we would gather together; all of the souls in the area, as many as could make it, and the two souls that were...Harmonizing--that's not quite the right, but it's close enough--they hang from the center of the Song Cave. Then we would all stop singing. After the loud, echoed harmonies that had just bounced off of the cave walls and filled the air around us, the silence was deafening. We communicated by singing; to be silent was to be alone. But we were only silent for a moment, because almost immediately the couple would start singing. A new song, one they had made up together. Then we would all join in. It was beautiful." I was smiling, remembering. "I had a friend when I lived there. Floating Song, that's what they'd call him here, I think. I remember his Harmony very well.

"Then there are the Bears. Their way is much different. It is a private thing. When two souls wanted to become.....One Ice? Hmmm, that doesn't sound quite right. I never actually attended one, obviously, but I studied it as a Dragon. It's hard to translate it through so many languages. There's probably a better name for it." I thought for a moment. "Oh, well. Anyway, they would prepare a house for them in whichever Ice City they wanted to live in, with one solid pillar of ice left un-sculpted in the bedroom. The couple carved the ice together, creating something that had both of them in it." I looked at Melanie. She looked shocked. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just...those are all so beautiful. Our way must seem...stupid."

I shook my head. "I happen to love your way. They're all beautiful." I smiled and so did she.

When our turn came we went into the dark room with the bathing pool. I washed my clothes, my hair, and my body. Since I had been raiding we had stooped using the harsh, stinging cactus soap. Bathing was much more pleasant without it.

By the time we were finished we were starving. We hurried out of the river room toward the kitchen. Before we got there, we heard Kyle's booming voice as if he were running toward us. I couldn't make out what he was saying.

We stopped in a patch of light and waited for him to reach us. He dragged Sunny behind him, his face wild.

"What? What is it?" I asked, worried.

He took a deep breath. His eyes--the same deep blue as Ian's--were filled with hope.

"Jodi's back."

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Tada! A cliffhanger! Life in the caves is about to get complicated! Vote, comment, fan!