Chapter 1: Content

I was happy. Right here, with Ian. My Ian. I loved my life, here with the humans in Jeb's cave. Even though I was virtually useless when it came to physical labor, and there were a few who still didn't like me. But the positives far outweighed the negatives. Ian and I had our own cave. Our own space to be a couple. Though Mel and Jamie, mostly Jamie, frequently visited our space Ian and I found time to be alone.

I'd told Mel, in confidence, my body's true age. She'd been a little upset at first that I'd lied, to her, and gotten away with it. But then when she let me explain why, she understood. I swore her to secrecy but I had a suspicion that she told Jared because the next day Jared would tense up whenever Ian made a suggestive comment. Which, that day, was a lot.

Mel and I were super close; she was the only one who stood up for me against everyone else. She and I had a different way to communicate, which really bothered Ian and Jared. We could almost read each other's minds. We'd have eye contact and it's almost like I could read what she was thinking threw her eyes and she could read mine. Sometimes when there was an argument we could finish each other's sentences.

One day while Ian and Jared were playing a game of one-on-one in the game room Mel and I sat on the sidelines and were predicting each other's thoughts.

"K, what am I thinking now?" Mel said laughing.

"It's something about Jamie…." I said looking into her eyes. "I'm not sure…. Jamie doing something funny."

"Close enough." Mel said shrugging, "K, let me see what you're thinking."

I closed my eyes and started to think of Ian. I zeroed in on the time he and I had been welded together as partners then I opened my eyes.

Mel sat there and looked into my eyes for a minute. "You're thinking about when Ian found out you were going to 'leave' and when he tried to talk you out of it. When you two really became partners." I nodded. Mel was better at it than I was.

"That's freakin' amazing." Ian said walking over to us.

I looked over and smiled. "She knows me."

Ian sat next to me, "I know you two Wanda, let me try."

"I bet I could read Mel's mind." Jared said sitting by Mel.

"Yea, sure." I said smiling.

"You two sure you want to embarrass yourselves like this?" Mel said laughing.

"Just watch." Ian said.

I smiled and thought about our amazing morning together.

"When Ian doesn't get it I get to tell him what you're thinking." Mel said.

Ian looked into my eyes for a minute with a slight frown. "Your thinking…. Your thinking about when you were re-implanted. When you woke up in that body."

I started to laugh and then turned to Mel.

She looked into my eyes for a minute, "Your thinking, and mind you I don't know which day, but your thinking about a time that you and Ian…." She turned to Ian and winked.

I turned back to Ian and saw that he was kind of blushing. I leaned forward and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks, "I'm ok Ian. No one is perfect."

Jared laughed and Ian frowned, "So I got it wrong?" I nodded. His frown turned into a smile, "Out of curiosity which day time were you thinking of?"

Jared interrupted before I could say, "I don't think Mel and I need to know that information. I'd like to stay blissfully unaware of when you two go at it."

I leaned forward and whispered "this morning" into Ian's ear.

He smiled, "Oh." He leaned forward and kissed me, "want a repeat?"

Jared pretended to gag and Mel covered his eyes while closing her own.

I laughed and kissed Ian again, "Don't worry Mel. We wouldn't do anything in front of you two."

Mel laughed and opened her eyes. "Ok. Jared's turn."

Jared looked into Mel's eyes and cocked his head to the side, "When we met?"

I smiled because I remembered that from Mel's memories.

Mel looked over and me and I looked into her eyes. "Nope. It's the…." I turned and winked at Jared. "her first time with you."

Mel and I laughed at the look on Jared's face. He looked like he's been slapped but he was blushing a little bit too.

Mel leaned over and kissed Jared then Ian punched his shoulder, "It's ok bro. I didn't get it right either."

Mel smiled at me, "No one can be perfect." This time I knew what she was thinking. She was thinking of when we said goodbye.

Other than my relationship with Mel there was one other person who was almost as close as she was. Jamie. Jamie and I had become like brother and sister. He loved to flaunt the idea that he was taller than me but he tried to never flaunt the fact that he could do physical labor and I couldn't. He always wanted to sit by me at meal times and, when Ian was absent, he would hold my hand. Mel often said that, other than Freedom and Isaiah, Jamie would fallow me around like a little duckling fallowing its mother.

The relationship that changed and surprised me the most was my relationship with Sharon. Sharon and Maggie never liked me when I was in Mel's body and when I was re-born in Pet's body they tried not to like me. Maggie still didn't want to be around me but sometimes I found that when I handed her a bottle of water she would pat my head and mutter "thanks." But what interested me the most was the day that my relationship with Sharon changed.

I was standing with Mel waiting for our turns in the bathing pool. Sharon was behind us with Trudy. Trudy loved to play with my hair so when I felt my hair being played with I assumed that it was Trudy. I was so used to it being played with and stroked that I had stopped noticing it but it always registered in the back of my mind. The only thing that alerted me to something being wrong was Mel's face. She turned to talk to me but her face turned to one of complete shock.

"Sharon, are you braiding Wanda's hair?" Mel asked shocked.

Then I heard Sharon's voice and for once it wasn't filled with anger or distrust, "I couldn't help myself. Plus doesn't it look good on her?"

From that moment on Sharon was civle to me. We wouldn't be hanging out by ourselves any time soon but were defiantly on our way to being considered friends. Ian had said that he though Doc had something to do with it. However I thought or rather hoped that Sharon had been softened towards me because she realized that I was not a threat and that I really did care for each and every human.

Lacey still didn't like me. No matter how appealing my body was she tried her best to avoid me. I did catch her pat my head once. I hoped that everyone would warm up to me so that I could truly be one of the family; a human. Because while people disliked me I didn't feel human no matter how much Ian insisted that I was.

Yes I thought as I laid next to Ian about to go to sleep. This life is what I've been looking for, for all of my lives.