[科幻]宿主-第66章

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hosts　reproduced　so　much　slower　than　we　did；　and　their　life　spans　were　short。　We　began　exploring　
farther　into　the　universe。…”


　I　trailed　off；　conscious　of　the　many　eyes　on　my　face。　Only　Sharon　continued　to　look　away。　
“You　speak　of　it　almost　as　if　you　were　there；”　Ian　noted　quietly。　“How　long　ago　did　this　happen？”　
“After　dinosaurs　lived　here　but　before　you　did。　I　was　not　there；　but　I　remember　some　of　what　my　


mother’s　mother’s　mother　remembered　of　it。”　
“How　old　areyou？　”　Ian　asked；　leaning　toward　me；　his　brilliant　blue　eyes　penetrating。　


　

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”　
“An　estimate？”　he　pressed。　
“Thousands　of　years；　maybe。”　I　shrugged。　“I　lose　track　of　the　years　spent　in　hibernation。”　
Ian　leaned　back；　stunned。　
“Wow；　that’s　old；”　Jamie　breathed。　
“But　in　a　very　real　sense；　I’m　younger　than　you；”　I　murmured　to　him。　“Not　even　a　year　old。　I　feel　like　a　


child　all　the　time。”　
Jamie’s　lips　pulled　up　slightly　at　the　corners。　He　liked　the　idea　of　being　more　mature　than　I　was。　
“What’s　the　aging　process　for　your　kind？”　Doc　asked。　“The　natural　life　span？”　
“We　don’t　have　one；”　I　told　him。　“As　long　as　we　have　a　healthy　host；　we　can　live　forever。”　
A　low　murmur—angry？　frightened？　disgusted？　I　couldn’t　tell—swirled　around　the　edges　of　the　cave。　I　


saw　that　my　answer　had　been　unwise；　I　understood　what　these　words　would　mean　to　them。　
“Beautiful。”　The　low；　furious　word　came　from　Sharon’s　direction；　but　she　hadn’t　turned。　
Jamie　squeezed　my　hand；　seeing　again　in　my　eyes　the　desire　to　bolt。　This　time　I　gently　pulled　my　hand　


free。


　“I’m　not　hungry　anymore；”　I　whispered；　though　my　bread　sat　barely　touched　on　the　counter　beside　me。　I　
hopped　down　and；　hugging　the　wall；　made　my　escape。　
Jamie　followed　right　behind　me。　He　caught　up　to　me　in　the　big　garden　plaza　and　handed　me　the　remains　

of　my　bread。　
“It　was　real　interesting；　honest；”　he　told　me。　“I　don’t　think　anyone’s　too　upset。”　
“Jeb　put　Doc　up　to　this；　didn’t　he？”　
“You　tell　good　stories。　Once　everyone　knows　that；　they’ll　want　to　hear　them。　Just　like　me　and　Jeb。”　
“What　if　I　don’twant　to　tell　them？”　
Jamie　frowned。　“Well；　I　guess　then…　you　shouldn’t。　But　it　seems　like　you　don’t　mind　telling　me　stories。”　
“That’s　different。　You　like　me。”　I　could　have　said；You　don’t　want　to　kill　me；　but　the　implications　would　

have　upset　him。　
“Once　people　get　to　know　you；　they’ll　all　like　you。　Ian　and　Doc　do。”　
“Ian　and　Doc　do　not　like　me；　Jamie。　They’re　just　morbidly　curious。”　

　

　“Ugh；”　I　groaned。　We　were　to　our　room　by　now。　I　shoved　the　screen　aside　and　threw　myself　onto　the　

mattress。　Jamie　sat　down　less　forcefully　beside　me　and　looped　his　arms　around　his　knees。

　“Don’t　be　mad；”　he　pleaded。　“Jeb　means　well。”

　I　groaned　again。

　“It　won’t　be　so　bad。”

　“Doc’s　going　to　do　this　every　time　I　go　in　the　kitchen；　isn’t　he？”

　Jamie　nodded　sheepishly。　“Or　Ian。　Or　Jeb。”

　“Or　you。”

　“We　all　want　to　know。”

　I　sighed　and　rolled　onto　my　stomach。　“Does　Jeb　have　to　get　his　way　every　single　time？”

　Jamie　thought　for　a　moment；　then　nodded。　“Pretty　much；　yeah。”

　I　took　a　big　bite　of　bread。　When　I　was　done　chewing；　I　said；　“I　think　I’ll　eat　in　here　from　now　on。”

　“Ian’s　going　to　ask　you　questions　tomorrow　when　you’re　weeding　the　spinach。　Jeb’s　not　making　

him—he　wants　to。”

　“Well；　that’s　wonderful。”

　“You’re　pretty　good　with　sarcasm。　I　thought　the　parasites—I　mean　the　souls—didn’t　like　negative　

humor。　Just　the　happy　stuff。”

　“They’d　learn　pretty　quick　in　here；　kid。”

　Jamie　laughed　and　then　took　my　hand。　“You　don’t　hate　it　here；　do　you？　You’re　not　miserable；　are　you？”

　His　big　chocolate…colored　eyes　were　troubled。

　I　pressed　his　hand　to　my　face。　“I’m　fine；”　I　told　him；　and　at　that　moment；　it　was　entirely　the　truth。

　CHAPTER　26

　Returned

　Without　ever　actually　agreeing　to　do　it；　I　became　the　teacher　Jeb　wanted。

　My　“class”　was　informal。　I　answered　questions　every　night　after　dinner。　I　found　that　as　long　as　I　was　
willing　to　do　this；　Ian　and　Doc　and　Jeb　would　leave　me　alone　during　the　day　so　that　I　could　concentrate　
on　my　chores。　We　always　convened　in　the　kitchen；　I　liked　to　help　with　the　baking　while　I　spoke。　It　gave　
me　an　excuse　to　pause　before　answering　a　difficult　question；　and　somewhere　to　look　when　I　didn’t　want　

　

　I　didn’t　want　to　admit　that　Jamie　was　right。　Obviously；　people　didn’tlike　me。　They　couldn’t；　I　wasn’t　
one　of　them。　Jamie　liked　me；　but　that　was　just　some　strange　chemical　reaction　that　was　far　from　rational。　
Jeb　liked　me；　but　Jeb　was　crazy。　The　rest　of　them　didn’t　have　either　excuse。

　No；　they　didn’t　like　me。　But　things　changed　when　I　started　talking。

　The　first　time　I　noticed　it　was　the　morning　after　I　answered　Doc’s　questions　at　dinner；　I　was　in　the　black　
bathing　room；　washing　clothes　with　Trudy；　Lily；　and　Jamie。

　“Could　you　hand　me　the　soap；　please；　Wanda？”　Trudy　asked　from　my　left。

　An　electric　current　ran　through　my　body　at　the　sound　of　my　name　spoken　by　a　female　voice。　Numbly；　I　
passed　her　the　soap　and　then　rinsed　the　sting　off　my　hand。

　“Thank　you；”　she　added。

　“You’re　wele；”　I　murmured。　My　voice　cracked　on　the　last　syllable。

　I　passed　Lily　in　the　hall　a　day　later　on　my　way　to　find　Jamie　before　dinner。

　“Wanda；”　she　said；　nodding。

　“Lily；”　I　answered；　my　throat　dry。

　Soon　it　wasn’t　just　Doc　and　Ian　who　asked　questions　at　night。　It　surprised　me　who　the　most　vocal　were：　
exhausted　Walter；　his　face　a　worrisome　shade　of　gray；　was　endlessly　interested　in　the　Bats　of　the　Singing　
World。　Heath；　usually　silent；　letting　Trudy　and　Geoffrey　talk　for　him；　was　outspoken　during　these　
evenings。　He　had　some　fascination　with　Fire　World；　and　though　it　was　one　of　my　least　favorite　stories　to　
tell；　he　peppered　me　with　questions　until　he’d　heard　every　detail　I　knew。　Lily　was　concerned　with　the　
mechanics　of　things—she　wanted　to　know　about　the　ships　that　carried　us　from　planet　to　planet；　their　
pilots；　their　fuel。　It　was　to　Lily　that　I　explained　the　cryotanks—something　they　had　all　seen　but　few　
understood　the　purpose　of。　Shy　Wes；　usually　sitting　close　to　Lily；　asked　not　about　other　planets　but　
about　this　one。　How　did　it　work？　No　money；　no　repense　for　work—why　did　our　souls’　society　not　
fall　apart？　I　tried　to　explain　that　it　was　not　so　different　from　life　in　the　caves。　Did　we　not　all　work　without　
money　and　share　in　the　products　of　our　labor　equally？

　“Yes；”　he　interrupted　me；　shaking　his　head。　“But　it’s　different　here—Jeb　has　a　gun　for　the　slackers。”

　Everyone　looked　at　Jeb；　who　winked；　and　then　they　all　laughed。

　Jeb　was　in　attendance　about　every　other　night。　He　didn’t　participate；　he　just　sat　thoughtfully　in　the　back　
of　the　room；　occasionally　grinning。

　He　was　right　about　the　entertainment　factor；　oddly；　for　we　all　had　legs；　the　situation　reminded　me　of　the　
See　Weeds。　There　had　been　a　special　title　for　entertainers　there；　likeforter　orHealer　orSeeker。　I　
was　one　of　theStorytellers；　so　the　transition　to　a　teacher　here　on　Earth　had　not　been　such　a　change；　
profession…wise；　at　least。　It　was　much　the　same　in　the　kitchen　after　dark；　with　the　smell　of　smoke　and　
baking　bread　filling　the　room。　Everyone　was　stuck　here；　as　good　as　planted。　My　stories　were　something　

　

　I　was　in　about　my　fourth　week　as　an　informal　teacher　when　life　in　the　caves　changed　again。

　The　kitchen　was　crowded；　as　was　usual。　Jeb　and　Doc　were　the　only　ones　missing　besides　the　normal　
two。　On　the　counter　next　to　me　was　a　metal　tray　of　dark；　doughy　rolls；　swollen　to　twice　the　size　they’d　
started　at。　They　were　ready　for　the　oven；　as　soon　as　the　current　tray　was　done。　Trudy　checked　every　
few　minutes　to　make　sure　nothing　was　burning。

　Often；　I　tried　to　get　Jamie　to　talk　for　me　when　he　knew　the　story　well。　I　liked　to　watch　the　enthusiasm　
light　up　his　face；　and　the　way　he　used　his　hands　to　draw　pictures　in　the　air。　Tonight；　Heidi　wanted　to　
know　more　about　the　Dolphins；　so　I　asked　Jamie　to　answer　her　questions　as　well　as　he　could。

　The　humans　always　spoke　with　sadness　when　they　asked　about　our　newest　acquisition。　They　saw　the　
Dolphins　as　mirrors　of　themselves　in　the　first　years　of　the　occupation。　Heidi’s　dark　eyes；　disconcerting　
underneath　her　fringe　of　white…blond　hair；　were　tight　with　sympathy　as　she　asked　her　questions。

　“They　look　more　like　huge　dragonflies　than　fish；　right；　Wanda？”　Jamie　almost　always　asked　for　
corroboration；　though　he　never　waited　for　my　answer。　“They’re　all　leathery；　though；　with　three；　four；　or　
five　sets　of　wings；　depending　on　how　old　they　are；　right？　So　they　kind　of　fly　through　the　water—it’s　
lighter　than　water　here；　less　dense。　They　have　five；　seven；　or　nine　legs；　depending　on　which　gender　they　
are；　right；　Wanda？　They　have　three　different　genders。　They　have　really　long　hands　with　tough；　strong　
fingers　that　can　build　all　kinds　of　things。　They　make　cities　under　the　water　out　of　hard　plants　that　grow　
there；　kind　of　like　trees　but　not　really。　They　aren’t　as　far　along　as　we　are；　right；　Wanda？　Because　they’ve　
never　made　a　spaceship　or；　like；　telephones　for　munication。　Humans　were　more　advanced。”

　Trudy　pulled　out　the　tray　of　baked　rolls；　and　I　bent　to　shove　the　next　tray　of　risen　dough　into　the　hot；　
smoking　hole。　It　took　a　little　jostling　and　balancing　to　get　it　in　just　right。

　As　I　sweated　in　front　of　the　fire；　I　heard　some　kind　of　motion　outside　the　kitchen；　echoing　down　the　
hall　from　somewhere　else　in　the　caves。　It　was　hard；　with　all　the　random　sound　reverberations　and　strange　
acoustics；　to　judge　distances　here。

　“Hey！”　Jamie　shouted　behind　me；　and　I　turned　just　in　time　to　see　the　back　of　his　head　as　he　sprinted　out　
the　door。

　I　straightened　out　of　my　crouch　and　took　a　step　after　him；　my　instinct　to　follow。

　“Wait；”　Ian　said。　“He’ll　be　back。　Tell　us　more　about　the　Dolphins。”

　Ian　was　sitting　on　the　counter　beside　the　oven—a　hot　seat　that　I　wouldn’t　have　chosen—which　made　
him　close　enough　to　reach　out　and　touch　my　wrist。　My　arm　flinched　away　from　the　unexpected　contact；　
but　I　stayed　where　I　was。

　“What’s　going　on　out　there？”　I　asked。　I　could　still　hear　some　kind　of　jabbering—I　thought　I　could　hear　
Jamie’s　excited　voice　in　the　mix。

　Ian　shrugged。　“Who　knows？　Maybe　Jeb…”　He　shrugged　again；　as　if　he　wasn’t　interested　enough　to　

　

　I　was　sure　I　would　find　out　soon　enough；　so　I　shrugged；　too；　and　started　explaining　the　incredibly　
plex　familial　relationships　of　the　Dolphins　while　I　helped　Trudy　stack　the　warm　bread　in　plastic　
containers。

　“Six　of　the　nine…　grandparents；　so　to　speak；　traditionally　stay　with　the　larvae　through　their　first　stage　of　
development　while　the　three　parents　work　withtheir　six　grandparents　on　a　new　wing　of　the　family　
dwelling　for　the　young　to　inhabit　when　they　are　mobile；”　I　was　explaining；　my　eyes　on　the　rolls　in　my　
hands　rather　than　my　audience；　as　usual；　when　I　heard　the　gasp　from　the　back　of　the　room。　I　continued　
with　my　next　sentence　automatically　as　I　scanned　the　crowd　to　see　who