Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-Five

Another week went by, maybe two weeks—time was meaningless here, time didn't seem to matter here—and things were getting weirder and weirder for me. Every day I work with humans, but not always with Jeb.Some days Ian was with me, some days he was a doctor, and some days he was just working with Jamie.I've mowed, made bread, and scrubbed tables.I've carried water, cooked onion soup, washed clothes at the end of the dark pool, and made soap, but the acidic soap stings my hands.Everyone has their own job, and since I have no right to be here, I have to work twice as hard as everyone else.I can't compete for a place, I know, but I try to make my presence not a burden to others.

I began to understand the people around me a little bit, most of them were heard.At least, I know what they are called.The caramel-skinned Lily from Pennsylvania, she's the dry-humored type, never loses her temper, and gets along with everyone here; the young man, Wes, with the dark hair Wes was hard, always staring at Lily, but she never seemed to notice that Wes was only nineteen years old, and he fled here from Eureka, Montana; his sleepy mother was named Lucina , she had two children, both boys, one named Isaiah, and the other named "Free" Fritton - Fritton was born in the cave, with the help of doctors.I rarely see the three of them, and it seems that even in this limited space, Lucina tries to keep her two children away from me; the bald, ruddy man is Trudy's husband, named Jeffrey.They were always with another, older man.The man's name was Heath, who had been Geoffrey's best friend since childhood, and the three escaped together in the soul invasion operation; the pale man with white hair was Walter , he was sick, but the doctors didn't know what was wrong with him—there was no way to find out what caused him, there was no laboratory here, and there was no way to do tests.

Moreover, even if the doctor finds out what disease he has, the doctor has no medicine to treat it.Symptoms continued to appear, and doctors thought it was some kind of cancer.It hurts my heart - seeing people literally die slowly like this because of problems that could have been easily fixed.Walter was always tired, but he was always upbeat; the fair-haired woman—whose eyes were relatively dark—had brought water to everyone on my first day in the fields.Her name is Heidi.Also, Travis, John, Stanley, Red, Carol, Violetta, Luce.Ann at least, I know everyone's name.There were thirty-five men here, but six of them went off to fight, and Jared was among them.So, there are now twenty-nine people in the cave, and one extremely unwelcome outsider.

I also learned more about my neighbors. Ian and Kyle's room was in the same corridor as mine, only their room had two actual doors.At first, Iss and Wes slept in bunk beds, and their room was in another hallway. Ian did this to protest my presence, but after only two nights, he moved back.The other nearby caves were empty for the time being, and Jeb told me that the people who used to live there were afraid of me, which amused me. Could twenty-nine rattlesnakes be afraid of a lone field mouse? Now Peggy is living back, just next door.She and Andy were a couple, but Andy wasn't there, and it made her sad.Lily and Heidi lived in the first cave, with floral sheets hanging by the door; Heath lived in the second cave, with cardboard boxes taped up by the door; In the third cave, they used strip quilts; Red and Violetta's cave was further in, and behind mine, they used an old faded oriental blanket for privacy. sex.

A fourth cave in this corridor belonged to the Doctor and Sharon, and a fifth to Meggie, but neither of them came back. The doctor and Sharon are a couple.Maggie seldom jokes, and the jokes she makes often have a bit of irony, but she joked to Sharon that Sharon will not be able to find a perfect man until the end of the human race, and every mother hopes that the doctor and her own daughter together. As far as Melanie can remember, I have never seen Sharon.Had all these years living with the stern Meggie made her even more stern than her mother?Although she and the doctor have been in love for less time than I have been in this world, the new love has not made her any softer.

I knew from Jamie how long they had been in love—Sharon and Maggie were very attentive when I was in the same room with them, and their conversations were guarded.Their protest against me is still the strongest, only their turning a blind eye to me still has strong hostility. I asked Jamie how Sharon and Meggie got here.Did they find Jeb by themselves?Did they beat Jared and Jamie here?Jamie seemed to catch the question I really wanted to ask: Was Melanie's last-ditch effort to find them all in vain? Jamie told me that Melanie's efforts were not in vain.When Jared showed him Melanie's last note, telling him Melanie was gone—it took him a long time to speak, and I saw that moment on his face. What it meant to the two of them—they went to find Sharon by themselves.Jared tried to explain, but Meggie held an ancient sword against him and nearly died.

Maggie and Jared team up, and soon they're solving Jeb's riddle.So, the four of them came here, before I moved from Chicago to San Diego. When Jamie and I talked about Melanie, it wasn't as difficult as it used to be.She would always join in our conversations—soothing his pain and my embarrassment—even though she had nothing to say.She spoke to me very infrequently, and when she did, there was no sound; sometimes, I wasn't sure if I really heard her or if it was just me imagining what she might be thinking, but she kept trying to get close to Jay. rice.When I hear her talk, it's always with Jamie.She doesn't speak, but we all feel that she is there.

"Why is Melanie so quiet now?" Jamie asked me one night, late at night.For once, he didn't pester me about Spider Planet and Fire Eaters.We were all very tired - we were all pulling carrots during the day and my back couldn't straighten up. "It was difficult for her to speak, and it took more effort than us. She didn't have anything very much to say." "Then what has she been doing?" "I think she's listening, and I don't know." "Can you hear her now?" "cannot." I yawned and he fell silent.I thought he was asleep and I was going to sleep too.

"Do you think she's going to leave? Or has she already?" Jamie asked me suddenly in a low voice.His voice broke as he spoke the last word. I won't lie, and I don't think I would lie to him if I could.I try not to be affected by the love I have for him, because even if it is the greatest love I have experienced in nine times in my life, even if it is the first time I feel family, the first time I have a mother Instinct, but what does that mean to an alien?I dare not think. "I don't know," I said to him, and since it was true I added, "I hope she doesn't go."

"Did you like her as much as I did? Did you hate her? Did you hate her like she hated you?" "It's not the same thing as I like you. I never hated her, not even at first. I used to be terrified of her, I was angry because of her I couldn't possibly be like everyone else, but I've always admired strong people, and Melanie was the strongest person I've ever met." Jamie smiled: "Are you afraid of her?" "Don't you think your sister isn't scary? According to Jared, remember the time when you ran far up the canyon and came home late and your sister threw a fit?"

Recalling the incident, Jamie smiled.I was glad to be able to take his mind off that painful question. I desperately wanted to get along with my new companions as hard as I could.I would have done anything, no matter how exhausting or disgusting, but it turned out I was wrong. One day, about two weeks after everyone had "quieted down," Jeb said to me, "So I was thinking." I'm starting to hate those few words that Jeb said. "Do you remember, I said maybe you could take some lessons here?" I answered him bluntly: "Yes." "So, what do you think?" Without thinking, I replied, "No." I refused, but suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt in my heart. I had never refused to perform my vocation before.It makes me feel selfish to do it now, but obviously it's not the same thing, the soul never asks me to do something self-destructive. He frowned at me, his two caterpillar-like eyebrows squeezed together: "Why not?" "What do you think Sharon would think?" I replied calmly.This is just one example, but there may be even stronger objections. He nodded, still frowning, agreeing with me. "This will bring more benefits," Jeb murmured. I scoff at this: "More good? Is it impossible for me to get shot for this?" "Xiao Man, you are so short-sighted to think like this," he said, arguing with me as if my answer was to persuade him seriously, "We have a very rare learning opportunity here, and too much money has been wasted." Pity." "I don't think anyone wants to learn from me, and I don't mind talking to you, to Jamie—" "It doesn't matter what they want," Jeb insisted, "classes are good for them, like chocolate and broccoli. They deserve to know more about the universe—not to mention the new inhabitants of Earth." gone." "Jeb, how is this going to help them? Do you really think I know a way to destroy souls? To turn things around? Come on, Jeb." "As long as we're here, it doesn't count," he said to me, and I knew he was kidding me again when he grinned, "I didn't expect you to be a traitor and give us any superweapons, I just thought we could Learn more about the world you live in." Hearing the word "traitor," I was startled: "Jeb, I couldn't give you any superweapons even if I wanted to. We don't have any big weaknesses, Achilles' heels. In the universe, we don't have any great weaknesses." Help your mighty enemy, no virus can destroy us but keep you alive, sorry." "Don't worry about it," he poked my arm lightly with his fist, "but, you may be surprised. You know, living here is getting boring, and maybe humans desire your stories far more than More than you can imagine." I knew Jeb wasn't going to let it go.Would Jeb be willing to let it go?I doubt it. I always sit with Jeb and Jamie at meals when Jamie isn't in school or anything else.Ian was always sitting nearby, but not really with us.I still can't quite accept his claim to be my personal bodyguard.Things that seem too good to be true are always untrue, so, by human logic, it's clearly false. A few days after I refused Jeb's offer to teach humanity "for the benefit of humanity," the doctor sat next to me at dinner. Sharon was still sitting in her corner, which was farthest from my usual spot.Today she was alone, her mother wasn't there, and she didn't turn around to see the doctor walking towards me.Sharon's brightly colored hair was pulled up high, and I noticed that her neck was straight and her shoulders were arched.She was nervous and unhappy.So, before the doctor said what he wanted to say, I wanted to leave immediately. I didn't want to be thought that there was something ulterior between me and the doctor. But, Jamie is with me.He saw the familiar look of horror in my eyes, and he grabbed my hand.He gradually developed a peculiar ability to sense when I was getting emotional.I sighed and sat there without moving.What may bother me more is that I have come to submit to the child's wishes. "How are you?" The doctor greeted me casually, and sat down on the table next to me.Ian was only a few steps away from us, and he turned around too, looking as though he, too, was with us. I shrugged. "We made soup today," Jamie announced aloud, "and my eyes still hurt." The doctor raised a pair of ruddy hands: "Soap." Jamie laughed and said, "You're right." The doctor pretended to bow down to thank, then he turned to me: "Xiao Man, I have a question for you" The voice behind it became smaller and smaller. I raised my eyebrows. "Well, I was wondering which species is closest to humans among the various planets you are familiar with?" I blinked: "Why do you ask this question?" "It's just a biological curiosity. I've been thinking about your therapists, as you said, they don't simply treat the disease, they treat it. But where did they learn it?" Dr. The sound was beyond the normal required decibels, and the gentle voice spread farther than usual, and several people looked up—Trudy and Jeffrey, Lily, Walter, and I wrapped my arms tightly myself, hoping to take up less space. "Those are two completely different questions." I replied in a low voice. The doctor smiled and motioned for me to continue with his other hand. Jamie grabbed my hand tightly. I sighed: "Maybe it's the bear on the misty planet." "A beast with claws?" Jamie asked softly. I nod. "In what ways are they similar?" The doctor continued to ask. I rolled my eyes and felt Jeb looking this way, but continued, "In many ways, they're similar to mammals. The fur, the warm blood—their blood is the same as yours." Not exactly the same, but it serves the same function. They have emotions similar to yours, have the same need to interact, have the same need to be creative'” "Creative?" The doctor leaned forward, amused—or feigned. "How?" I looked at Jamie. "You know, why don't you explain it to the doctor?" "I might be wrong." "Will not." He looked at the doctor, who nodded. "Okay, bear paws are amazing." Jamie snapped, "it's kind of like a double joint—the bear paws can move back and forth." He moved his fingers, as if trying to snap them backwards, "bear One side of the paw is soft, like mine, and the other side is sharp as a knife! Bear paws can cut ice blocks - like making ice sculptures. The cities they build are crystal clear castles that will never melt! Beautiful Is it right, Man?" He turned to look at me, hoping for my support. I nodded: "Bears see completely different colors - ice is the color of the rainbow. The ice city is their pride, and they always want to make the city more beautiful. I know a bear, he called oh, like ' Glitter Dreamweaver'Gret Weaver, but it sounds better in bear language, because Ice seems to know what he thinks, and will build a certain shape according to his imagination. I only met him once , I've seen his creations and it's one of my fondest memories." "Can they imagine?" Ian asked softly. A wry smile appeared on my face: "Their imagination is not as vivid as that of humans." "And how do your therapists understand the psychology of new species? They came to this planet prepared. I've seen—I've seen terminally ill patients walk out of the hospital intact." On the doctor's narrow forehead, two lines The eyebrows have formed a V shape.Like everyone else, he hated these soul invaders, but unlike everyone else, he envied them. I don't want to answer, at the moment, everyone is listening to our chat.A beautiful fairy tale about bears who build ice sculptures, this is a story about them being defeated. The doctor frowned, waiting for my answer. "They'll take some samples," I murmured. Ian grinned, he understood: "The abduction incident by aliens." I ignored him. The doctor pouted: "It makes sense." There was silence in the room, reminding me of my first time here. "And where did you come from?" the doctor asked. "Do you remember? I mean, do you know how your species evolved?" "Ancestral Planet," I nodded, and replied, "We still live there, and I was born there." "It's kind of special," Jamie added. "It's rare to meet one from the Progenitor Planet, isn't it? Most souls want to be there, right, Man?" He didn't want me to answer, and I Started to regret answering his question so carefully every night, "So, once someone goes to another planet, it's like they become a celebrity? Or like royalty?" I feel my cheeks burn. "It's cool there," Jamie continued. "There are many clouds, and each layer has many different colors. Only on that planet, the soul can survive for a long time without the host. The hosts of the ancestor planet are also very beautiful. They have wings. , with many tentacles, and large silver eyes." The doctor leaned forward and buried his face in his hands: "Do they remember how the host-host relationship was formed? How did this invasion begin?" Jamie looked at me and shrugged. "We've always been like this," I replied slowly, still reluctant to answer his question, "at least, since we've been wise enough to understand ourselves. Another species found us - vultures, that's what we call them, it's more because they resemble vultures than they look like vultures. They're very unfriendly and we found we could Establish the same relationship with them as the original host. Once we control them, we can use their technology. So, we first occupied their planet, and then followed them to Dragon Planet and Summer Planet - these places All very pleasant, but even here vultures are not very friendly. We start to invade, our hosts reproduce too slowly compared to us, their life cycle is short, and we start to explore the universe further " I realized that there were many eyes on me, and my voice trailed off, only Sharon was still looking elsewhere. "You're talking like you've been there," Ian added quickly, "how long ago was that?" "After the dinosaurs, before humans. It wasn't me, but I have a part of my mother's mother's mother's memory." "How old are you?" Ian asked, leaning closer to me, a keen look in his bright blue eyes. "I don't know how to count according to the number of years on earth?" "Estimate?" He urged again. "About thousands of years." I shrugged, "I have been asleep for a long time, and I don't remember how many years have passed." Ian leaned back with a surprised expression on his face. "Wow, so old." Jamie gasped. "But in a real sense, I'm younger than you," I whispered to him. "I'm not yet a year old, and I've always felt like a child." The corners of Jamie's mouth turn up slightly, he likes to be more mature than me. "What is it like for you to grow old?" the doctor asked. "Natural life cycle?" "We don't have a life cycle," I told him, "as long as we have a healthy host, we can live forever." People were talking in low voices—angry?Fear?disgust?I can't tell - the sound echoes in every corner of the cave.I knew my answer was ill-advised, and I knew what it meant to them. "Pretty." Sharon's voice was low and full of anger, but she didn't turn her head. Jamie squeezed my hand, and once again he saw in my eyes that I wanted to run away, and this time I gently pulled my hand away. "I'm not hungry anymore," I whisper, but my bread is barely moving, on the table next to me.I jumped off and ran along the wall. Jamie was right behind me.In the spacious garden square, Jamie caught up to me, my unfinished bread in hand. "Honestly, it's been really funny," he told me. "I don't think people are too upset." "Jeb sent the doctor to find out about these things, didn't he?" "Your story is great. Once people hear it, they keep listening, like me and Jeb." "What if I don't want to tell them?" Jamie frowned: "Well, I don't think you should do this, but you don't seem to mind telling me the story." "It's different, you like me." I was going to say, you won't kill me, but the implied meaning of this sentence will make him sad. "Once people get to know you, they love you, Ian and the doctor did." "Jamie, Ian and the doctor don't like me, they're just too curious." "They like yours." "Ah." I muttered.Now we are back in the room.I pushed the screen aside and fell straight onto the bed.Jamie sat softly beside me, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Don't be mad," he pleaded, "Jeb meant well." I snorted again. "It won't be too bad." "Doesn't the doctor want to run up to me and ask me questions every time I walk into the kitchen?" Jamie nodded weakly: "And Ian and Jeb." "Or you." "We all want to know." I sighed and bent over; "Isn't Jeb just thinking about it every time?" Jamie thought for a while, then nodded: "Basically it is like this." I took a big bite out of the bread and said as I chewed, "I think I'll be eating here from now on." "Ian's going to ask you questions tomorrow when you're spreading the spinach seeds. Jeb didn't ask him to—he wanted to." "Okay, great." "You're so sarcastic. I thought the host—I mean the soul—didn't like dark humor, but happy things." "Souls adapt quickly on this planet, child." Jamie smiled, and took my hand. "You don't hate it here, do you? You don't feel sorry for yourself, do you?" There was concern in Jamie's chocolate eyes. I put his hand on my face. "I'm fine." I told him.In this moment, everything is real.