Chapter 1: Leaders

Wanda

After an entire day working in the caves, my new body was exausted. While inside Melanie, I could handle a lot more hours. But now, my eyes would role everytime I would stop moving. That´s how tired I was.

Ian noticed my lack of energy before I did, so he made me sit down next to Melanie while he was getting us dinner. Weird enough, the two of them teamed up quite more than when I was inside her, when the subject was me. Taking care of me. Making sure I was safe and sound and not pushing myself too hard.

If when inside Melanie my protection sometimes bothered me, now it was really getting on my nerves. I love Jamie, but he could have chosen a stronger body...

"Wanda?" Jamie´s voice brought me back. Jeb, Melanie, Jared, Ian, Kyle, Doc and Sharon were around me in the table, looking at my face with a serious look in their eyes. Did anybody asked me something?

"Yes, Jamie?" I smiled. Ian looked at my eyes, noticing how tired I looked. I knew: We both hoped I would go to bed soon, before I fainted somewhere.

"I was just wondering if you could like... teach us today. About the universe. We haven't had a lesson in a while".

I sighed. Of course. A lesson. I looked at my half-eaten dinner. Talking while eating would not hurt, would it?

"Ok. But short today". I answered. "I am... a little tired".

"Exhausted" whispered Ian. I smiled and reached for his hand across the table, which he squeezed.

Then I faced the curious looks across the room. All waiting. "What do you wanna know today?"

"Actually" said Sharon, interrupting herself after seeing everyone's reaction. Maggie, her mother, gazed, furious, at her from the oven. Betrayed, that would be the best interpretation of her expression. Which was very legit. They hated me, for what I was. I think it was the first time that Sharon was even talking to me!

Sharon took a deep breath, and then the words came "I wanna know something. About your people".

I stood straight.

"You said that your... society, was simpler than ours. But your... invasion" looks of disapproval across the table "was organized." She continued, ignoring them "across the globe. How does that work? You have healers, and seekers. But... who leads you? It cannot be just equal team work right? Invading a planet requires leaders."

The silence in the room is so deep that I can almost hear the hearts of our bodies beating.

I was used to questions about my travels, the ones about us, souls, were avoided, because it was a touching topic for those people. It was about the enemy, and how it came to take away their loved ones. But even though Ian and Melanie looked at Sharon with ofended looks, I smiled at Sharon. She was brave enough to ask, and the question did not offend at all. It was actually very legit.

"Once you all asked how it was we souls reproduced." I explained to everyone in the room. "Well, I gave the example of bees. Well it was intensional. We are indeed a lot like your insects." I looked at Jamie, whose eyes were sparkling like stars, from the enthusiasm. "The most earthly example are your ants, actually. Hundreds of sexless, working souls, who do the experimentation of the world. The soulders, our Seekers, who protect our... hive." I glanced at uncle Jeb, an older, even more excited image of Jamie. That made me almost chuckle. "The nurtures, our Healers and Comforters, who help us, and..." I swallowed "The queen". Everybody held their breath. "Now, you know how we reproduce, but after... the queen gives birth" Ian squeezed my hand, understanding my discomfort. The soul mothers died, giving a fraction of their body to their offspring, after giving birth. And I was one potential mother. "Each birth has a new queen. Just one in a million. Each travels to a planet, and creates a hive. Like your ants."

Another moment of silence.

"But you are a... princess." said Jamie, smiling by the use of the word "and you don't have a hive".

"Because we don't have many worlds, but every single invasion has a queen leading the entrance. The... princess" I smiled at Jamie, "is usually the first one inserted. Along with the first seekers. And then..." I dont finish the sentence on purpose. Everybody knows what happens next.

"Then you coming to earth is not seen as a potential claim to the throne?" asked Jeb.

I smiled. "Claims to the throne is a human thing, Jeb. The Princess that enters is the one that stays. The others only replace if... she decides to give birth. Sometimes it happens, sometimes does not".

"Where is Earth's queen?" suprisingly, the question comes from Jared. I look at him, and so does Melanie.

"I dont know her Earth name. But..." I search through my memories. I learned her location, still in the last planet I was in. Where was it... "I think She is in the White House, actually. Because the human networks all ended up there."

Ian chuckled "Of course they did".