The Host *Accepting*

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Name: Junetta Pern
Age: 12
Type: Human
Appearance:

Personality: Silent, self-consious, Bipolar-ish.
History: At the age of five, her parents were killed by the souls. She vowed then and there that she would kill all of the Souls that roam the Earth. So she roamed the world killing a total of ten Souls. At the age of eleven, she heard of Jebs caves and decided it was time to sheth her sword. She left her quest and started her journey to the caves. This is where her story starts.
Other: She id skilled in the way of the ninja and samorai.

Spoiler

Alright, I'll make the first post and yall can go from there. Sorry if it's long, but it kinda has to be xD Note: Skyler/Casper isn't in the caves yet, but Jeb is, so you go by the Jeb post until she does get there. I'll post the Jeb post separately.

Casper/Skyler

"So how has she been?" the Comforter asked, not looking up from her notepad until she realized I wasn't going to answer. I knew she was asking about Skyler, but I didn't want to admit that she'd been getting worse lately. She came through my dreams all of the time, sometimes sending me images of a boy I didn't know, sometimes sending me images of who I was sure was her family. Whichever it was, I would always wake up crying, screaming their names.

More often than not, I was screaming for Ocean, the boy she always showed me. I just wanted it to stop. I wanted to be like every other Soul out there. I didn't want to be constantly reminded that my Host wasn't going away and that I was failing to keep her out of my thoughts. I wanted Skyler gone.

"Cassie?" my Comforter asked, sitting her notepad down on the table next to her. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"Well maybe I don't want your help!" I yelled, standing up abruptly. Souls were peaceful creatures, despite what the humans thought. We didn't create war, we ended it, and we certainly didn't yell at each other. Not once had I ever felt the emotion of hate like I was feeling it at that exact moment. I knew it was Skyler, raging inside me, wanting to be free to control her own body, but it was mine now.

This body will always be mine, she growled, battering me with emotions I'd never felt before. No matter what insect they put inside of me.

"Cassie, it's the Host's anger inside of you, not your own," the Comforter said, standing up as well and putting her hands out in front of her as if she were surrendering. "We can take care of this, it's very common to have a Host's mind still exist. We'll contact your Healer and we'll have you transferred."

I knew what she meant when she said "transferred." It was the same as giving up, and I hadn't given up in all of the lives that I'd lived. I shook my head, backing away from her. I wasn't giving up, I wasn't going to quit. I'd only been in this Host for about a week now, hardly enough time to learn everything about her. I was still a child compared to the other Souls.

"I don't want to quit," I muttered, running for the door and out into the hallway of the building. I could hear the Comforter saying something and I was sure she was going to send a Seeker after me, probably to make sure I didn't do anything rash. When I made it to the elevator and the doors dinged open, my theory was proven correct. Inside the tiny space stood a woman dressed in all black, a gun at her hip. I automatically shied away from the weapon.

"Come, now Cassie. I'll take you home."

Jeb

Holding the shotgun tighter in his hands, Jeb walked along the hallway, patrolling. Of course he hadn't expected to find anything wrong, it was just his job. The caves were his, he made the rules, and anyone who didn't like that could get the hell out.

Everything was silent in the hallway, something Jeb was thankful for. Everyone should be up already, doing their chores or eating breakfast. Every blanket in front of the doors was pulled back, revealing empty rooms, bright with the morning light that leaved in through the cracks in the ceiling. All but one.

With a sigh, Jeb continued forward until he stopped in front of the closed blanket. He didn't hesitate before he yanked it back, revealing two beds, one empty and one not. The sleeping form of a boy laid underneath a thin sheet, breathing in and out slowly. Jeb made his way to the bed, which was only a mattress laid out on the floor, and kicked it, sending the boy shooting upright.

"Look boy," Jeb said. "Just cause you're my nephew don't mean you can sleep all day. We all have chores to do, so get your butt up and do 'em. Got it?" Ocean rubbed his eyes, and looked up at Jeb, who couldn't help but smile down at him. He was the only family Jeb had left now that his niece was gone along with the rest of his family. He'd been so sure Skyler would make it, she'd always been tough, but when Ocean had showed up alone, he'd known that he'd been wrong about her. That was the worse news anyone here wanted to get--that the person they were counting on the most to come back to them, was gone.

Jami

I wake to someone shaking me, it's Jake. “Wake up sleeping beauty.” He says smiling. He reaches out his hand to pull me up. I grasp it and get on my feet. “How are you this morning?” He asks.

“I am tired. Did not sleep much.” I say holding my hands over my arms. A chill rushes through me to think about the nightmares.

“ If you did not eat right before you go to bed, you might sleep better.” Jake says taking off his sweatshirt. He hands it to me. I slip it over my head and look down. The sweat shirt is three times bigger than my body. “Perfect fit.” He says laughing.

“I know right.” I strike a pose. “I could model.” I say. He give me a look and smiles. “We should go.” I say walking out. “Lets go see what we have to do today.”

Ocean

I dream of her. My sister is the missing part, the cause of the constant ache in my chest, the only reason I stay. If she were to come back, find me gone, she would have gone through everything for nothing. I would have gone through everything for nothing. But everything is for nothing now.

Someone kicks me in the side and I jump up, biting a swear down. It's just Jeb.

"Look boy," He says, "Just cause you're my nephew don't mean you can sleep all day. We all have chores to do, so get your butt up and do 'em. Got it?"

I hesitate before nodding, rubbing the side where he kicked. I make my bed and follow him out to do whatever else is in store for me.

Casper/Skyler

Really, it's not like anyone would miss you if we left, Skyler said as I paced the length of my bare apartment. I hadn't lived here long and had very little possessions other the clothes. Besides, I wasn't planning on staying here much longer anyway.

"People would too miss me," I muttered out loud. There was no use lying to Skyler, though. Both of us were practically one person--with two very different personalities--and we knew when the other was lying. Or maybe I should say she knew when I was lying, because I had yet to break down the walls she kept building to keep me out of her memories.

Skyler pushed images of the boy at me again, knowing what would happen when she did. I saw the same images as I always had: him as a baby, wrapped up in a blanket and looking up into our eyes--her eyes; him when he was older, unwrapping Christmas presents with all of her family; him just before everything started turning into a living nightmare for them, standing out on a cliff that stretched out above the desert, and old man next to him, patting his shoulder and telling him that everything was going to change; a cabin; the same old man in a picture above the fireplace, on the back instructions to the hiding place--

The images cut off, leaving me curled up on the floor next to the bed, crying and confused. She'd showed me more today, more than she'd ever showed me. I'd never seen that man before, never seen that cabin or those cliffs, or the instructions to who knows where.

The instructions to his safety, she whispered in my head. I could feel her loss, just as if it were my own. That pain, that emotion I'd never felt before, was what had decided my future.


Come on, you're not bringing anything? Not water, or food? Skyler questioned be as I drove off the highway and onto a little dirt road that led through a thin layer of trees and farther into the desert. I sighed and began to drive faster, feeling the need to get away from the rest of my kind. I knew the urge was Skyler's but part of me knew I didn't belong with the others. That same part of me didn't want to belong with the others.

"No, we're not. I don't plan on being out here all day. If we don't start finding sign of them, then we'll turn around and come back," I said aloud. She scoffed at me and a part of me knew I was completely wrong.

They would have gone far enough away that you wouldn't be able to see a sign of them. She sounded so sure of them and I knew she was right. They were humans, they had a natural urge to hide from anything they weren't sure about--or so I'd read. From what I'd learned from Skyler, not all of them were like that.

The car began to slow down before it completely stopped and I heard Skyler curse inside my head. Great. No gas.

We'll have to walk, Skyler said, sounding way too enthusiastic about the idea.I was not about to get out there and stomp around the desert looking for something I wasn't sure about. I wasn't about to trust the instructions of some crazy old man Skyler used to know.


The sun was hot overhead as we continued to parade around, looking for signs that the instructions that the old man had left her were even remotely correct. So far, we'd come up with nothing.

Don't doubt him just yet, Skyler muttered. We were both exhausted from out endless walking. The sun had been just rising from the east when we'd began and now it was inching ever to the west. I knew that soon enough the sun would be completely gone and we'd be left walking in the dark with the scary beasts that kept flashing through Skyler's mind.

Oh, I haven't just been doubting him for the last few minutes, I said, using sarcasm that came mostly from Skyler. I've been doubting him since you came up with this crazy idea. I didn't even have the energy to speak aloud to her anymore. My legs felt like rubber, my eyes drooped down from lack of sleep because Skyler had decided that I needed to know everything about her brother--the boy I'd been seeing--last night. My skin felt like it was on fire and even though I was wearing nothing but a tank top pulled up to show my stomach and shorts, I was still dying from the heat. I'd lost my shoes miles back, not in the mood to constantly empty the sand out of them. My thick red hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, ensuring that I would get sun burnt on my shoulders too.

I think we're close, Skyler said. I could feel just how exhausted she was--we both were. I can feel him. I knew she was talking about Ocean, her brother, but I wasn't so sure about that. It was about then that we lost all hope of ever finding them, all hope of ever being seen again, and all will to keep moving. Our legs gave out and we went falling towards the ground. Skyler didn't even complain as we laid there, gasping and wishing we had brought water. We'd walked for roughly twelve hours nonstop; we were hungry, tired, and grouchy, but neither of us said anything as we closed our eyes and prayed that it would all be over with soon.

Jeb

"Jeb!" His name echoed down the tunnels, bouncing off every wall until it finally reached him. It was coming from the main entrance, someone on guard duty. He gripped his shotgun tighter as he jogged to the already crowded entrance. Everyone was there, waiting to see who was out there, what the threat was.

"What is it?" he asked, stepping through the crowd and up the the boy in charge of the main entrance today. The boy held a gun, ready to use it whenever he had to.

"There's someone out there," he replied, motioning with his thumb back towards the entrance. "They're following the instructions, but they're a good distance from here that I can't really see who it is." Jeb rolled his eyes and jogged past him into the darkness of the tunnel. This part of the tunnel went on for a good ways in the dark, leaving anyone who tried to enter their little safe house pretty lost by the time they even thought they saw light.

When he was at the beginning of the tunnel, he edged his way out of the tunnel, hiding behind the big rock that covered the entrance. Peeking his head out from around the boulder, Jeb used the binoculars that were clipped to his belt to see the tiny ant looking figure in the distance. As soon as he adjusted the sight well enough that he could see who it was, he almost dropped them, shocked at what he saw.

The red hair gave her away as she laid there on her stomach, not moving. Skyler was back, she was following his directions, and Ocean wasn't the only family he had left. Of course he loved the boy, but it was heartbreaking to know that all they had was each other. Besides, if the kid knew his sister was back, that would bring back the light that had been missing from his eyes for so long.

"Someone bring Ocean back to his room," Jeb said. "I need a group of guys. Bring guns, we go out when it gets dark."

Jake

We walk out of our room and Jeb has a worried look on his face. He says he needs a group of guys. I walk toward him and pull Jami along beside me. She is so tiny for her age I forget that she does not need to be babied, but all I can think about is keeping her safe. She the only part of my life that matters anymore. I can not let my sister get hurt. “Someone take Ocean to his room.” I begin to walk towards Ocean, but he needs something else. “I need a group of guys. We go out when if gets dark.” I look to Jami who already know what I am thinking.

I put my hands on her face. “Listen to me, you and I are going to take Ocean back to his room, and then I am going to go help them. You are going to stay with him until I get back.” I see the fear in her eyes. He child like features make me not want to leave her, but I need to help. “Everything is going to be okay.” I say. She wraps her arms around me and lays her face on my arm. “Lets go.” I say. I place my hand on her back and we walk Ocean back to his room.

“I am going to have to leave soon.” I say. “I will stay here for a few minutes.” I sit on the floor next to Jami. She is fighting to be strong and I find that amazing about my younger sister. She is not talking. She is a little shy when she does not know someone very well. I can tell her is worried though. I have to admit I am worried about leaving her alone with someone I do not know well. I check my watch. “ I should go. Are you two going to be okay?” I ask. Jami nods and hugs me and Ocean just sits on his bed and nods. “ I will be back soon. Do not leave this room.” I say and I go back to help.

Jeb

The sun was just setting on the other side of the mountains to the west when Jeb looked back at the group of guys he'd gathered together. Surprisingly, they managed to scrounged up enough weapons for all of them--bats, guns, machete's. Jeb looked out through the binoculars one last time, scanning the area before he motioned for all of them to follow.

They made their way towards Skyler, who hadn't moved since he'd last looked out at her. Fear ran through the old man as he wondered if she'd managed to get herself killed after all. When they reached her, her flipped her body over gently, kneeling down beside her. Skyler's face was red and slightly sun burnt.

"Does anyone have a flashlight?" Jeb asked, looking back at the group who had created a semicircle around them. Someone tossed a flashlight into the sand next to him and he shined it into her eyes, watching the light reflect off of her silver pupils. With a sigh, he clicked off the flashlight and leaned back on his heals.

"What do we do with it?" he heard someone ask behind him. That was the question, wasn't it?

"We'll bring her back to the caves," Jeb answered, receiving groans and disapproving curses. He stood up and turned abruptly. "Look, we're not just going to leave her here to die. My caves, my rules. Bring her back with us, we'll keep her locked up and get her back into shape. If anyone wants to argue, you can answer to my gun." He stroked the gun, glaring at all of them. "Jake, carry her back to the caves."

Without another word, Jeb stalked off back to the entrance, already thinking about where to keep her. The storage hold would do just fine.

Brigid

Because I had been assigned to take the night watch, I tried to sleep in as late as I could. I was used to a night shift, so normally, that wouldn't be a problem for me. This time, though, something had woken me up--some sort of commotion.

I got up, shrugged on my fleece, and went outside. Jeb, Jake, and a few of the others were out in the tunnel, carrying what looked like a body toward the storage rooms.

"Hey, Jeb!" I called. "Whatcha got there?"

"Skyler," Jeb replied simply.

"Skyler's body, at least," one of the guys muttered. "She's a Host."

I stopped dead in my tracks. They were bringing a Host into the caves?!

"Oh, come on," I snapped. "Don't tell me you're--" I broke off abruptly, and strode off toward my post. I wasn't going to watch them carry the enemy into the heart of our safe haven. I wanted Skyler back, too, but I wanted the real Skyler, not her shell with something else in it.

Casper/Skyler

I was vaguely aware that we were being moved, carried off someplace else, but I didn't bother to open my eyes and see. Not much mattered anymore, if we were going to die, we were going to die.

I just hope it's sooner rather than later, Skyler complained in the back of my mind. I'm so tired and it's so hot. I wonder how long it takes to die of dehydration.

I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but I was too tired to do anything, let alone move my closed eyes. So we just listened. There was a tapping sound, and then more. The sound was so familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it before. And then I got it. Footsteps, the footsteps were echoing off of something, like the walls of an empty hallway.

Or a cave... Skyler was suddenly there in my mind, trying to take in more than I was, though it wasn't really possible. She could only hear what I heard, she could only see what I saw.

And then we heard voices. I was too tired to really understand what they were saying. Questions probably, greetings, names...

"...Skyler." The name rang through my ears, bring me fully back to reality. I didn't open my eyes, though Skyler was begging me to look at the person who had said her name.

It's Uncle Jeb! she practically screamed inside my head. We made it, Casper! We're here! My heart dropped into my stomach. Though I was glad that I'd gotten Skyler back to her kind, I knew I wouldn't be as welcomed as she would be. Besides, it wasn't like any of them knew that she was still inside of me.

There was a long silence and we both listened intently as the footsteps began to grow silent until whoever was carrying us stopped. I could feel myself being sat down on the hard ground, then there was the sound of something sloshing and--

Water hit me all at once, making my eyes flash open and my body instantly move away from the threat. Every part of me wished that I could have drank that water, but I knew it was a lost cause now. I glanced around as I cowered against the wall I'd been placed by. Inside of me, Skyler was going crazy, taking in every human face. But while she was busy being happy, I was being terrified as I looked into their hands and saw the only thing that could have made this journey worse: weapons.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to move farther away from them, but it was just a dead end. Wide eyed, I watched as a familiar old man knelt down in front of me, face revealing nothing. His eyes were soft, full of concern, but the rest of his features gave nothing away. That was what Skyler would call his poker face.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, reaching a hand out towards me. I flinched away from it, moving down the wall to put distance between us. Skyler wanted me to jump up, to wrap our arms around his neck and scream in joy. That gesture would just end up getting me killed. So I stayed silent and just stared at all of them.

"Oh come on, Jeb, you're not going to feed it, are you?" someone asked, holding their weapon tighter.

"And why shouldn't I? She might not be human, but she does eat food," Jeb argued, standing back up. That was when I noticed the shotgun in his hands. Great, not only had I trusted a Host, I'd let her lead me to a group of deranged, wild, humans. What had I gotten myself into?

Aura-
I hadn't been fast enough to see it when they first brought it in and, being six, no one would let me see it. I pouted for quite some time after that, but when I heard the raucous caused by the odd alien-thing finally waking up, I ran
"She might not be human, but she does eat food," I heard Jeb say.
"Can I see it? Can I see it?" I asked, darting around Jeb's legs. It looked up at me, and I saw right into its spider-like pupils. I shuddered. Jeb shoved me behind him.
"What's it doing here?" I asked, "what're you going to do with it?"

Jake

The caves are not safe anymore for Jami and Ocean. All I can think about is Jami and her safety. We have to be in the caves to be safe, but can not be safe in the caves with a host. Jeb cares so much about Skyler that I know I would do the same thing for Jami. I put my gun down and wipe the sweat from my face. “What is Ocean going to do when he finds out about this?” I ask Jeb.

“I will get back to you on that when I know what the right answer is.” He brushes a strand of hair from Skyler's face.

Ocean

Before I can even get started on my chores, I'm dragged back to my room and told not to leave. A girl my age is sat with me, left as the boy who brought us in here heads out. I sit on my cot and look down. A few minutes of silence pass over us before I look up and study her.

"What do you think is going on out there?" I ask.