Chapter 25 Chapter 23 Confession

A huge and weird shadow pressed towards me, and appeared in front of my eyes with a whoosh. I was about to scream, but my voice was stuck in my throat and I couldn't make it out, I was just panting. "Shh, it's me," Jamie whispered.The big round thing slid gently from his shoulders to the ground.Then, by the moonlight, I saw Jamie's light figure clearly. I rubbed my throat and took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry," he said softly, sitting on the edge of the mat. "I know it's silly. I just didn't want to wake up the doctor—I didn't mean to scare you at all. Are you okay?" He snapped Pat my ankle, which is the closest part of my body to him.

"Of course you scared me." I took a deep breath, but I was out of breath. "I'm sorry," he said again. "Jamie, what are you doing here? Are you still awake?" "That's why I'm coming here. Uncle Jeb is snoring so loudly that you can't believe it. I can't stand it." I didn't understand what he meant: "Don't you usually sleep with Jeb?" Jamie yawned and bent over to untie his big bedding on the ground: "No, I usually sleep with Jared. He never snores, but you know, Jared is gone now .” "Then why don't you sleep in Jared's room? Are you afraid of sleeping alone?" I didn't want to blame him, but if I didn't say it, it was as if I was terrified of being here.

"Afraid?" he murmured, a little annoyed. "No, this is Jared's room, and it's mine too." "What?" I gasped. "Did Jeb put me in Jared's room?" I can't believe the fact that Jared is going to kill me.No, he'll kill Jeb first, and then he'll kill me. "This is my room too, I told Jeb you can live here." "Jared's going to be mad," I whispered. "My room, I can do whatever I want," Jamie protested, but then he bit his lip. "We won't tell him, and he doesn't have to know." I nodded: "That's a good idea."

"You don't mind me sleeping here too, do you? Uncle Jeb snores too loudly." "No, of course I don't mind, but Jamie, I don't think you should." He frowned tightly, trying to be tough, and didn't want to show a hurt look: "Why shouldn't it be?" "Because it's not safe here, sometimes people will come to look for me at night." He opened his eyes wide: "Will they come?" "Jared used to always carry a gun - and they went away." "Who?" "I don't know—sometimes, Kyle comes, but there are others, and they're still here."

Jamie nodded. "There are more reasons why I should stay. The doctor may need help." "Jamie" "I'm not a child, Xiaoman, I can take care of myself." It was clear that continuing to argue would only make him more assertive. "At least you have to sleep on the bed" I surrendered, "I sleep on the floor, this is your room." "No, you are a guest." I snorted softly: "Ha! No, you sleep on the bed." "No." He lay on the mat with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Here we go again, I understand that arguing with Jamie is definitely the wrong choice.Well, as soon as he falls asleep, I can put him to bed.Jamie slept in a deep sleep, almost like a coma.In the past, once Jamie fell asleep, Melanie could carry him anywhere.

"You can use my pillow," he told me, patting the pillow next to him, "you don't have to curl up in the corner of the bed." I sighed, but moved slowly to the head of the bed. "That's right," he said approvingly. "Now, can you throw me Jared's pillow?" I hesitated, and was about to reach for the pillow under my head when Jamie jumped up, leaned towards me, and snatched the pillow away.I sighed again. We lay still for a while, listening to the low whistling sound of the doctor's breathing. "The doctor's snoring is nice, isn't it?" Jamie said softly.

"This kind of snoring won't keep you awake," I agreed. "Are you tired?" "yes." "Oh." I was waiting for him to see what else he wanted to say, but he was very quiet. "Is there anything you want to ask?" I asked him. He didn't answer right away and I felt him struggling so I waited. "If I asked you, would you tell me the truth?" Now it was my turn to hesitate, "I don't know about some things." I didn't answer him directly. "You should know about that. When we were talking, Jeb and I were talking and he told me things, things that came to his mind, but I don't know if he was right."

Melanie popped into my head at this moment. Jamie said so softly, even more quietly than I was breathing, that it was hard to hear: "Uncle Jeb thinks Melanie is alive, I mean she's in your body." my jamie.Melanie sighed. I didn't answer either of them. "I didn't know there would be such a thing, would there be such a thing?" His voice was a little choked.I could hear him holding back the tears, he was not a crybaby.I broke his heart twice in one day, and I felt a prick in my chest. "Will something like this happen, Man?" Tell him, please tell him I love him.

"Why didn't you answer me?" Jamie really cried this time, but he tried his best to suppress his crying, "Is Melanie still alive, Xiaoman? Please tell me, okay?" He was probably being used, and Jeb had sent him for that purpose.Jeb was smart enough to see that Jamie would easily break through my defenses.It's likely that Jeb needs to confirm his theory, and he's not opposed to using the kid for information.So, now that Jeb has confirmed that the situation is dangerous, what will he do?How will he use the information collected?I don't think he meant to hurt me, but can I trust my own judgment?Human beings are treacherous and cunning, and I cannot expect them to have darker plans, which are unimaginable to our souls.

Lying next to Jamie, I felt his body trembling. He is sad.Melanie cried.Under my control, Melanie's fight became useless. But if it turns out to be terribly wrong, I don't blame Melanie, I know who's talking now. "She promised she'd come back, didn't she?" I whispered. "Has Melanie ever said something that doesn't count?" Jamie put his arms around my waist and pressed against me for a long, long time.After a few minutes he whispered, "I love you, Mel." "She loves you too, and she's happy to see you're safe here."

He was silent for a long time, and the tears he shed on my body also dried up, with a faint, salty taste. "Is everyone like this?" After a long time, I thought Jamie was asleep, but he asked in a low voice, "Can everyone stay in their own body?" "No," I told him sadly, "no, Melanie is a special case." "She was strong and brave." "Very strong and brave." "Do you think" he paused for a breath, "do you think Dad might be alive too?" I'm choked up, I want to swallow it, but I can't seem to: "No, Jamie. No, I don't think so, he's not like Melanie." "why?" "Because he brought a group of hunters to find you, of course, the spirit in his body. If your father still existed, he would not let those hunters find you. Your sister never let me see Where is the hut—she didn't even let me know you were alive as much as she could. Your sister didn't bring me here until she was sure I wouldn't hurt you." There is too much information all at once.As soon as I finished speaking, I realized that the doctor wasn't snoring anymore, I didn't hear his breathing.What a fool!I scolded myself secretly. "Wow," Jamie exclaimed. I leaned into his ear, so close that the doctor couldn't hear, and I told him softly, "Yes, she is very strong." Jamie listened, his brow furrowed, and then he turned his eyes to the door of the dark passage.He must have realized as much as I did that the doctor wasn't snoring anymore, because Jamie turned to my ear, his voice even softer than before: "Then why don't you do that? Why don't you hurt us? Isn't that Do you want it?" "No, I don't want to hurt you." "why?" "Your sister and I have been together for a while. She's been telling me about you, and I've grown to love you." "So you're starting to love Jared, too, aren't you?" I struggled for a second, feeling a little annoyed in my heart, this child is always so easy to connect things together: "Of course, I don't want him to be hurt." "He hates you," Jamie told me, clearly upset by the incident. "Yeah, everyone hates me." I sighed, "It's not their fault." "Jeb doesn't hate you, and I don't hate you either." "If you think about it again, you might hate me." "However, when they occupied the earth, you weren't here yet. You didn't choose whether it was my father, my mother, or Melanie. At that time, you were still in outer space, right?" "You're right, but Jamie, I'm me now, and I do what souls do. I've had many hosts before Melanie, but nothing has ever stopped me from taking a life. Time and time again, it's the same, it's how I survive." "Does Melanie hate you?" I thought for a minute: "She doesn't hate me as much as she used to." No, I don't hate you, I don't hate you anymore. "She said she would never hate me again," I murmured, my voice barely there. "How is she?" "She's happy to be here, she's happy to see you, and she doesn't even care if they kill us." I felt Jamie's body straighten. "They won't! If Mel was alive, they wouldn't kill you!" You upset him, Melanie grumbled, you don't have to tell him that. If he is not ready, it is difficult for him to accept this reality. "Jamie, they won't believe this," I whispered. "They'll think I'm lying to you. If you tell them the truth, they'll kill me. Only hunters lie." This sentence made him shudder. "But I know that you are not lying and deceiving people." After a while, he said. I shrugged. "I won't let them kill her." Although his voice was as light as exhaling, his tone was full of firmness.The thought of him getting further involved in this with me, I don't know what to do.I thought of the savages who lived with him. If he wanted to protect me, would those people let him go because he was young?I'm skeptical about this.All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind, and I tried to think of a way to talk him out of it, but without making him stubborn. Before I could open my mouth, Jamie spoke.He was suddenly calm, as if the answer was obvious: "Jared will figure it out, he always will." "Jared won't believe you either. Of all the people, he is the most angry." "Even if he doesn't believe it, he will protect her, just in case." "Then we'll see." I whispered.After a while, I found a very suitable word - not like an argument for an argument. Jamie was quiet, he was thinking.Finally, his breathing began to slow and his mouth opened.I'm waiting until he's completely asleep.Then, I moved slowly towards him and carefully moved him off the floor onto the bed.He was heavier than before, but I managed to move him to the bed.He didn't wake up. I put Jared's pillow back in its place and lay down on the mat. Well, I think, I've just laid it all out.But, I'm too tired right now to care about what's going to happen tomorrow.Within seconds, I too fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw the sun shining through the cracks in the roof, and someone was whistling. The whistle stopped. "You're finally awake." Jeb's deep voice sounded, and I blinked. I rolled over, sideways so I could look at him.As I rolled over, Jamie's hand slipped from my arm.At some point last night, he must have reached for me again—by ​​the way, it wasn't me, it was his sister. Jeb leaned against the natural rock doorframe, arms folded across his chest. "Good morning," he said, "Have you had enough sleep?" I stretched, made sure I was mostly rested, and nodded. "Oh, don't answer me with silence." He complained a little, frowning. "I'm sorry," I whispered back, "I slept well, thank you." Hearing my voice, Jamie woke up too. "Xiaoman?" Jamie asked. It's ridiculous that I was a little touched, this silly nickname was casually mentioned by him when he was about to fall asleep. "What's up?" Jamie blinked and moved a few strands of hair that fell into his eyes: "Oh, hi, Uncle Jeb." "Son, isn't my room good enough?" "You snore so loud," Jamie said, and he yawned. "Didn't I teach you?" Jeb asked him, "Since when did you let guests and ladies sleep on the floor?" Jamie sat up abruptly, frowning, looking around in a daze. "Don't blame him," I said to Jeb, "he insisted on sleeping on the mat, I moved him to the bed while he was asleep." Jamie said angrily, "Mel always used to be like that." I glared at him, trying to warn him. Jeb laughed softly, and I looked up at him with the look of grabbing a cat, the same look he had yesterday, and it was like the mystery had been solved.He came over and kicked the edge of the mat with his foot. "You're already late for class in the morning. Sharon is going to be furious, so don't hurry." "Sharon's always been like this," Jamie grumbled, but he stood up quickly anyway. "Child, let's go!" Jamie gave me another look, then turned and disappeared down the hallway. "Now," said Jeb once Jamie was gone, "I feel like I've been babysitting you long enough. I'm busy, and everyone here is busy—it's impossible to just sit around and do nothing." Do it, be your bodyguard all day. So today when I work, you have to go with me." I felt my mouth open all of a sudden. He stared at me without a smile on his face. "Don't be so scared," he complained, "you'll be fine." He patted his gun, "My house is not for babies." I wouldn't argue with him about something like that.I took three quick deep breaths, trying to stabilize my emotions.His ears were filled with the sound of blood flowing, and he spoke again, but in comparison, his voice seemed very soft. "Come on, Xiaoman, don't waste your time." He turned around and strode out of the room. I froze for a moment, then rushed out stumblingly, following behind him.He wasn't scaring me - he had disappeared around the first turn.I ran after him, worried I might run into someone, this is obviously a residential area.I caught up with him when he reached the fork in the underpass. He didn't even look at me. I slowed down and walked beside him to match his pace. "The field in the northwest should have been planted a long time ago. We have to loosen the soil first. I hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty. After work, I'll see if it's possible for you to wash it. You need to wash it." He said deliberately I sniffed, then laughed. I felt a heat on the back of my neck, but I pretended not to see it. "I don't mind getting my hands dirty." I whispered back to him.It occurred to me that the field to the northwest was far away, and perhaps we should work alone. As soon as we got to the Grand Place, we started weaving through the crowd.As usual, they all glared at us.I began to recognize most of them: the gray-haired, middle-aged woman with the long braid I had seen yesterday, watering the fields with the others; the short, pot-bellied man with his hair Flaxen-coloured, a little sparse, rosy-cheeked, he had been with the middle-aged woman; and the somewhat athletic-looking woman with caramel-colored skin.The day I first came here, she was bending over to tie her shoes; and the dark, thick-lipped, sleepy-eyed woman who had been in the kitchen surrounded by her two children— Possibly she was the mother of the two children.Now passing us is Maggie.She gave Jeb a hard look and turned away when she saw me.We passed another pale, sickly-faced, silver-haired man whom I was sure I had never seen before.Then, we met Ice. "Hi, Jeb," he said cheerfully, "what are you doing?" "Turn up that field to the east," Jeb muttered. "Do you need help?" "You should be doing something useful," Jeb whispered. Ian took that as a sign of agreement and followed me.I feel like he's staring at me and it gives me goosebumps. We passed another young man, not much older than Jamie—olive-skinned, with black hair standing up from his forehead like a pan-scrubber. "Hi, Wes." Ian greeted him. Wes watched us pass silently, and Ian laughed out loud at Wes's expression. We met the doctor. "Hi, doctor," Ian said. "Ian," nodded the doctor, holding a large ball of dough in his hand, some black semolina on his shirt, "good morning, Jeb. good morning, Man." "Good morning," Jeb responded. I nodded unnaturally. "See you later." The doctor said, and hurried away with his dough. "Xiaoman, huh?" Ian asked me. "My idea," Jeb answered his question, "I think it suits her." "Interesting." Ian said the word. At last we came to the field to the northeast, and my hopes were dashed. There were more people here than in the passage—five women, nine men.Naturally, they stopped what they were doing, with displeasure on their faces. "Don't pay attention to those people," Jeb whispered to me. Jeb did as he was told, walking up to the nearest wall, where the tools for the job were cluttered.Jeb slipped the gun into his belt and grabbed a pick and two shovels. I don't feel safe being that far away from him.Ian was just a step behind me - I could hear him breathing.Others in the room, still holding tools, glared at me.Of course I know that these picks and hoes in their hands can dig the soil, and they can easily break a body.I read some of the expressions on their faces, as if I wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. Jeb came over and handed me a shovel.The handle of the shovel is smooth and well worn.I gripped the handle of the shovel tightly, feeling that it was heavy.After seeing the desire to kill in the human eye, it's hard not to think of the shovel as a weapon, and I don't like the idea of ​​it.I doubt if I can lift the shovel whole, even if it is to resist someone's attack. Jeb gave Ian a pickaxe, the sharp black pick in Ian's hand that looked like it could kill someone.I used all the strength in my body to stabilize myself and didn't run away. "Let's go to the back corner." The long cave was full of sunlight, but fortunately, Jeb took me to the least crowded part of the cave, and he asked Ian to dig loose the hard soil in front of us.I shoveled the clods over and Jeb then used the edge of the shovel to crush the clods into workable soil. I watched the sweat run down Ian's white skin - every few seconds in the scorching sun he would lift his shirt to wipe the sweat - I heard Jeb wheezing behind me and I understood The things I do are the easiest.I wish I could do something more difficult so I wouldn't be so distracted by the actions of other people around me that I feel horrified by their every move. I couldn't do Ian's job - my arms weren't big enough, my muscles weren't muscular enough to get a pick into the hard dirt, but, I decided to take over Jeb's job, which I could do Yes, break the clods of soil into small pieces first, and then continue to dry.It kind of worked—my eyes were so busy, I was so exhausted that I could only focus on what I was doing. Ian brings us some water every now and then.There's a woman--short and pretty, I saw her in the kitchen yesterday--she seems to be in charge of bringing water, but she's just assuming she didn't see us.Ian always brought enough water for the three of us.I was a little uneasy about the 180-degree turn in his attitude towards me.He really didn't want to kill me?Or is he just looking for a chance to kill me?The water here has always tasted a little weird to drink - it smells of sulfur and musty - but, now that it tastes a little fishy, ​​I try not to let that paranoid take over my mind . I had been working so hard, my eyes fixed on the work in hand, my mind so numb that I didn't notice that we had reached the last row.Ian stopped what he was doing, and I stopped.Stretching, he lifted the pick over his head with both hands, relaxing his joints.I stepped aside, away from the raised pick, but he didn't see it, and I realized that everyone else around me stopped what they were doing too.I looked at the newly turned soil, the whole field was turned over, and I realized that the field was completely turned over. "Well done," Jeb announced loudly to the crowd. "Tomorrow we're planting and watering." There were whispers in the room, and the tools were piled in the corner again, clanking.Some were talking casually, while others were still tense because of my presence.Ian reached out to take my shovel, and I handed him the shovel, feeling as if my already depressed mood had bottomed out.No doubt Jeb's "we" includes me.Tomorrow will be as difficult as today. I looked at Jeb sadly, and he smiled at me.He had such a smug smile that I felt like he knew what I was thinking - not only could he guess that I wasn't feeling well, but he was happy to see that I wasn't feeling well. He winked at me, my crazy friend, and it dawned on me that this is the best kind of human friendship. "See you tomorrow, Xiaoman." He greeted me with a smile from across the room. Everyone is staring at us.