Bravery is the capacity to perform properly, even when scared half to death.
-Omar Bradley
Emma
“Emma!” Burns gasps, “please. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“I don’t want them to hurt you either,” I say.
“You can’t be serious, girl,” James says, “why are you protecting something that killed every human on the planet? They stole the lives of the people we care about and wear their bodies like it’s nothing!”
“No one is gonna care what happens to it,” Philip states, “it’s not like it’s human.”
“Burns is as human as you and me,” I hiss.
“It brainwashed you!”
“No, he didn’t!”
“Emma,” Burns says softly, “please don’t fight.” He tries to move around me and into their line of attack, but I move with him and throw out my arm to prevent his movement.
“I lost my family because of them!” James shouts.
“So have I!” I say, “we all lost people we love. Burns too! He’s lost his friends, because he wanted me to be safe. And now he’ll never see them again.”
The reality of my words hits me hard. I’ve never even considered it before. Somehow I managed to delude myself into thinking life would go on as always.
But I’m not Sky anymore. I’m Emma. And Emma does not belong in his world.
And he not in mine.
I see the angry faces of James and Philip. I’ve seen it in Rachel’s eyes, in the hostile looks last night.
Burns must have already realized it. He’s good at things like that.
I study James and Philip, the threatening stance and I want to kick myself. All this time, I’ve been worried about what the Seekers would do to Burns if they found us.
Such a stupid thought.
The real danger comes from my own kind.
“Those friends of his,” James hisses, “stole those bodies, those lives. They don’t belong to them.”
“They are still his friends,” I insist.
“Move aside girl,” Philip threatens.
“No!” I say, “I won’t let you hurt him!”
Burns’ hands are on my shoulders. “Emma please,” he says quietly, “I don’t want you to get hurt. It doesn’t matter what they do to me, as long as you are okay.”
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Silver Lining - The Host fanfiction
FanfictionSomewhere in the future, Earth has been taken over by so called 'Souls'. Creatures that take over a human body, wiping out that human's mind. Their purpose? Creating a peaceful world where everyone is equal and where crime does not exist. But Earth...
