@@@@@?You're not mad? There's nobody in there 848
@@@@@?You're not mad? There's nobody
in there with you, is there??
?I'm not mad, exactly,? I whispered?And I?I can't find anybody elsePet's
been in here since? I can't remember when she wasn't hereI can't remember any other name
?You're not a parasite,? Melanie said firmly, touching my hair, pulling up a strand and letting
the gold slide between her fingers?This body didn't belong to Pet, but there's nobody else to
claim itWe waited to make sure, WandaWe tried to wake her up almost as long as we tried
with Jodi
?Jodi? What happened to Jodi?? I chirped, my little voice going higher, like a bird's, with
anxietyI struggled to get up, and Ian pulled me?it took no effort, no strength to move my tiny
new body?into a sitting position with his arm supporting meI could see all the faces then
Doc, no more tears in his eyesJeb, peeking around Doc, his expression satisfied and burning
with curiosity at the same timeNext, a woman I didn't recognize for a second because her face
was more animated than I'd ever seen it, and I hadn't seen it much anyway?Mandy, the former
HealerCloser to me, Jamie, with his bright, excited smile, Melanie beside him, and Jared
behind her, his hands around her waistI knew that his hands would never feel right unless they
were touching her body?my body!?nowThat he would keep her as close as he could forever,
hating any inch that came between themThis caused me a fierce, aching painThe delicate
heart in my thin chest shudderedIt had never been broken before, and it didn't understand this
memory
It made me sorry to realize that I still loved JaredI wasn't free of that, wasn't free of jealousy
for the body he lovedMy glance flickered back to MelI saw the rueful twist of the mouth that
used to be mine, and knew she understood
I continued quickly around the cluster of faces circling my bed, while Doc, after a pause,
answered my quest
