Chapter 1

"Give me what you got, Mel!" I yelled across the game room. She laughed as she threw the ball into the "field" perimeters, only to run in after it herself. Yes, I Wanda, had challenged Melanie to a soccer game. Maybe not the smartest thing, but it felt so good to feel the old, familiar burn in my muscles that I had missed for so long. Pet's body, my body, had finally started to gain muscle as I convinced people to let me do more and more around the caves. I now had wiry cords of muscle hidden underneath my pale skin. They were nothing compared to Melanie's muscles, which I had taken for granted when I had them, but they were getting stronger each day.

I had started playing soccer with the others to try and gain as much muscle as I could, and then I found that I really liked it. I couldn't play as often as I liked, because when I played with Kyle, Jared, or Ian, I would get pummeled and run into the ground. But during weeks like this, when they were out on raids—the ones I wasn't needed for--I could play as much as I wanted, because Melanie was capable of slowing down her game.

"Are you sure, Wanda?" I giggled and nodded, already knowing what would happen. Melanie dribbled the ball until she was less than a foot away from me, within easy reach. I stuck my foot out as fast as I could to try to hook the ball and get it away from her, but it hit free air. She had swerved around me hopping around the ball and flipping it up into the air, showing off.

"Oh, just shoot the ball already!" I begged. "I'm going to look away." I turned around so I wouldn't have to watch the finale of my complete failure.

"Come on, Wanda," she called. "I'll let you block it."

"No." I clipped. "It's better if I just accept my extreme lack of skill before I embarrass myself any further."

"Come on, please?" she whined. "I'll kick really easy." I groaned in defeat.

"Fine. But go easy," I pleaded. She grinned as I took my place in front of the goal. I squinched my eyes shut and covered my face. "Okay, go." Nothing.

"Wanda, really try," Melanie encouraged. "You might get it this time." I laughed, but I uncurled.

As soon as I was standing up straight, Melanie sent the ball swirling at unbelievable speed towards my face. I screamed and dropped to the ground. The ball passed over me and smacked the wall, bouncing all the way back to her. She caught it and chuckled, "Nice try."

I stood up and dusted myself off. From the sides of the room I heard our "crowd"—Jamie, Sharon, and Maggie--howling with laughter. I began to blush, and knew everyone could see my face turning red. Melanie came over to my side and yelled at them, "Hey, shut up! I'd like to see one of you come up here and block my Destroyer!" They instantly quieted.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"No problem, you just got to scare them, that's all. Especially Jamie, he's a whimp."

"Hey!" he called. "These caves echo you know!"

Melanie and I laughed, because Jamie was the farthest thing from a whimp that there was. When our laughs had passed, Melanie put her arm around my shoulder and I put my arm around her waist. My head only came up to about her chin, if there, and so she had to look down at me when she asked, "You wanna get some food?"

"Yes, food would be good." We were almost out of the room when Jamie jumped in front of us, startling us both. He stepped forward and hugged us. I have to give him points; he didn't even cringe when he felt how sweaty we were. We hugged him back as best we could, connected as we were. I loved Jamie's hugs almost as much as I loved Ian's. He just had a way of wrapping you up completely and radiating warmth to you.

"Good game, guys."

"Thanks, Jamie." I said.

"You got creamed, Wanda."

"Thanks, Jamie." I repeated, this time with a sarcastic tint to my voice.

"You know I'm not being mean," he reminded me as he linked his arm through my free one.

"I know." I smiled at him, because he knew that I wasn't mad. I could never be mad at anyone here. I fit in like family. I had even learned sarcasm, and though I remained a generally good person, I had maintained almost nothing of the souls' way of life. Except for the reflective silver ring in my eyes, I could have passed for human.

We talked and laughed until we got to the big plaza, where we were stopped by a crowd. Sharon and Maggie, who had arrived only moments before us, looked as bewildered as I felt. Melanie extricated her arm from around her shoulders and parted the crowd. Jamie and I followed, arms still linked. When we reached the front of the crowd, Melanie whispered, "Jared," And ran up to him and hugged him. They were back from the raid. Jamie and I followed. "Hey Jared," he said, and he and Jared had a handshake/hug moment. Then Jared stepped forward to hug me, and suddenly stopped. I had outstretched my arms to receive his hug, and so now I stood there stupidly, arms in the air. I slowly lowered them. "Hi, Jared," I said, hurt and confused because I didn't know why he hadn't want to hug me. He was looking at me with an expression that had pity and pain in it.

At that moment Sunny, who had finally let Kyle go on a raid, came barreling past us and jumped into his arms. He smiled, caught her, and kissed her on the cheek. "See?" I heard him ask. "I'm safe." Then, slowly, he set down Sunny and stopped smiling. Was there something going on? Were Seekers going to come looking for Sunny and me? Were we going to get thrown out? I began silently hyperventilating as my panic heightened. Where was Ian?

Sunny was trying to get Kyle's attention, but he just ignored her. Melanie was trying to talk to Jared, but he was grim faced and oblivious. Jamie had finally noticed me freaking out, and was trying to figure out was wrong. I saw Paige and Andy, and she wasn't getting through to him at all either. Brandt had come up behind Kyle and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Where was Ian?

"Jamie, where's Ian?" I asked, out of breath.

"He's probably just putting away supplies. Let me ask Jared." He left my side, but didn't even make it halfway to Jared before Jeb's subdued voice carried over all the other noise.

"Hey! Listen up. There's something that happened while the boys were out on their raid." Oh no. I begged my heart to beat quieter. "We,uh," Jeb looked like he was trying to hold himself together, too. I looked at Kyle and saw that he was already breaking down, with tears streaming down his cheeks. "one of the boys was—"

"It was Ian," Kyle broke in. "Ian was…taken." His voice broke, and he paused to swallow a sob. By now tears had already blazed trails down my face. "They caught him trying to get extra medicines. I told him—I told him…" Sunny turned around and hugged him, and he buried his face in her hair.

"No," I whispered.

"Wanda," Melanie stepped toward me.

"No," I repeated. He's—he's here. He's just putting away supplies. He's safe."

"No, Wanda." Jared's voice was hard. "No, he's not." Pet's body failed me. There were too many emotions that I was feeling at once. It was too much for the fragile body. I fainted.