| I said her name slowly?Why did you keep your human name? Did it make
you feel? more at one? With your host, I mean?? I would have liked to know about Curt's
choice as well, but it was such a personal questionIt would have been wrong to ask anyone
besides Curt for the answer, even his partnerI worried that I'd already been too impolite, but
she laughed
?Heavens, no, WandererHaven't I told you this? HmmMaybe not, since it's not my job to
talk, but to listenMost of the souls I speak with don't need as much encouragement as you do
Did you know I came to Earth in one of the very first placements, before the humans had any
idea we were here? I had human neighbors on both sidesCurt and I had to pretend to be our
hosts for several yearsEven after we'd settled the immediate area, you never knew when a
human might be nearSoKathy just became who I wasBesides, the translation of my former
name was fourteen words long and did not shorten prettilyThe sunlight slanting
through the window caught her eyes and sent their silver green reflection dancing on the chanel large cambon tote bag wall
For a moment, the emerald irises glowed iridescent
I'd had no idea that this soft, cozy woman had been a part of the front lineIt took me a minute
to process thatI stared at her, surprised and suddenly more respectfulI'd never taken
Comforters very seriously?never had a need before nowThey were for those who struggled, for
the weak, and it shamed me to be hereKnowing Kathy's history made me feel slightly less
awkward with herShe understood strength
?Did it bother you?? I asked?Pretending to be one of them??
?No, not reallyYou see, this host was a lot to get used to?there was so much that was newFollowing the set pattern was quite as much as I could handle at first
?And Curt? You chose to stay with your host's spouse? After it was over??
This question was more pointed, and Kathy grasped that at onceShe shifted in her seat, pulling
her legs up and folding them under herShe gazed thoughtfully at a spot just over my head as
she answered
?Yes, I chose Curt?and he chose meAt first, of course, it was random chance, an assignment
We bonded, fake rolex naturally, from spending so much time together, sharing the danger of our mission
As the university's president, Curt had many contacts, you seeOur house was an insertion
facilityWe would entertain oftenHumans would come through our door and our kind would
leaveIt all had to be very quick and quiet?you know the violence these hosts are prone toWe
lived every day with the knowledge that we could meet a final end at any momentThere was
constant excitement and frequent fear
?All very good reasons why Curt and I might have formed an attachment and decided to stay
together when secrecy was no longer necessaryAnd I could lie to you, assuage your fears, by
telling you that these were the reasonsBut?? She shook her head and then seemed to settle
deeper into her chair, her eyes boring into me?In so many millennia, the humans never did
figurelove outHow much is physical, how much in the mind? How much accident and how
much fate? Why did perfect matches crumble and impossible couples thrive? I don't know the
answers any better than they didLove simply is where it chanel jumbo isMy host loved Curt's host, and that
love did not die when the ownership of the minds changed
She watched me carefully, reacting with a slight frown when I slumped in my seat
?Melanie still grieves for Jared,? she stated
I felt my head nod without willing the action
?The dreams continue??
?Every night,? I mumbled Her voice was soft, persuasive
?I don't like to think about them
?How? How will it help to tell you that I see his face every time I close my eyes? That I wake
up and cry when he's not there? That the memories are so strong I can't separate hers from mine
anymore??
I stopped abruptly, clenching my teeth
Kathy pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to meWhen I didn't move,
she got up, walked over to me, and dropped it in my lapShe sat on the arm of my chair and
waited
I held on stubbornly for half a minuteThen I snatched the little square of fabric angrily and
wiped my eyes
?Everybody cries their first yearThese emotions are so impossibleWe're all children for a bit,
whether we intended that or notI used to tear up rolex air king watches every time I saw a pretty sunsetThe taste of
peanut butter would sometimes do that, too She patted the top of my head, then trailed her
fingers gently through the lock of hair I always kept tucked behind my ear
?Such pretty, shiny hair,? she noted?Every time I see you it's shorterWhy do you keep it that
way??
Already in tears, I didn't feel like I had much dignity to defendWhy claim that it was easier to
care for, as I usually did? After all, I'd come here to confess and get help?I might as well get on
with it
She didn't gasp, as I half expected she wouldKathy was good at her jobHer response was
only a second late and only slightly incoherent
?You? She? she's still that?present? ?
The appalling truth tumbled from my lips?When she wants to beOur history bores herShe's
more dormant while I'm workingBut she's there, all rightSometimes I feel like she's as present
as I am My voice was only a whisper by the time I was done
?Wanderer!? Kathy exclaimed, horrified?Why didn't you tell me it was that bad? How long
has it been this way??
?It's getting prada fringe wo |
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