Silver Lining - The Host fanfiction

Chapter 6 The Naive

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.

And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

                                               - Tenzin Gyatso

 

 

Burns Living Flowers

It’s been two days since Emma ran away. I’ve asked around in town again, but received the same answers as two days ago.
On the other hand, I haven’t heard rumors of a human being brought in, so it could mean she’s alright. She has survived on her own for a  long time, so who am I to think she needs my help?
Still, I can’t help but worry.

At one point I even consider talking to a seeker. They won’t be bothered too much that I’ve seen a human. If I tell them I was going to keep her for scientific research, they probably won’t make a problem of it. Especially since she was alone.
I don’t think she knows about other humans. If she had, she would be with them instead of by herself.  
   Aside from that, human children are still being born every day. They don’t get born with a soul in the back of their head. They need to be inserted, though not everyone gives up their child for insertion. Seekers don’t make a problem out of that, because the babies are being raised by souls.
Perhaps that will make a difference in the end. If this new generation is raised without hate and anger, maybe this planet can become peaceful again. Maybe it can stay that way. And in the light of that project, I can always claim this to be something similar. I really could make a research out of that. What is the difference between a child raised by souls and a human, raised by humans but put into a soul society? Do we have an influence on this world? It would be interesting to find out. It certainly is an intriguing theory. If only I could put it to the test. But to do that, I’ll need to find her first.
And that seems like an impossible task.

Today is cloudy, but it doesn’t rain. There’s a cold tone to the air though and I pull my coat tight around me. I ventured into town to buy new film for my camera. My last trip to the forest was an interesting one and I have a lot of material for my studies on Earthly vegetation. Next on my list is the Grand Canyon, but I’ll need a lot of film for that. I also want to set up my own dark room in the basement and I’ll need supplies for that particular project. Up till now I’ve always let my photos be developed, but I’d like to be able to do so myself.
Photographing is a passion of mine. I’m working on a catalogue at the moment which will contain plants and landscapes and I would really love to put my photos in it.

I nod at the two souls that venture outside a small restaurant, but they don’t seem to notice me. They are caught up in a conversation of which I catch the last few phrases.

“…still thinking about that thing we spotted?”
“It wasn’t a thing. I’m sure it was a person.”

The girl behind the counter in the photo shop smiles as she watches me glance at them. “They think they saw a person in the storm two nights ago,” she says, “but when they went to check it out, no one was there.”
“It could have been an animal,” I say, “I’ve hard there used to be a lot of them.”

It’s true. Back when humans were still walking this planet, they often had pets. Most pets have run wild though. Somehow they seem to sense we are different. I’m not sure why that is. I’ve seen some wild animals on my journey, but my presence doesn’t seem to bother them. They just mind their own business. They don’t come closer, but from what I’ve heard, they didn’t come near humans either.
With pets it’s a different story though. I once had a cat hissing at me as I walked up to it. First I thought it might be me, but then I heard similar stories from other souls about dogs and cats. Since I found it very interesting, I investigated and found some old world, human, documents that pointed out that pets recognize their owner. First I thought it was a visual thing, but maybe it goes deeper than that. That on its own is something fascinating, since we are certain that humans are the only intelligent species on this planet.

The girl nods at me. “Yes you are right. That was what I thought too, but the young one, Jeremy, is convinced it was a person.