Chapter 2: Overheard

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Chapter 2 begins with the Soul waking up to the voices of two voices; a Healer and a Seeker. The two Souls are arguing over what measures should be taken to deal with the soul. The Healer tells the Seeker that this soul is called “Wanderer” because of how far she has wandered to different worlds.

It is clear that both Souls have a different outlook and approach to their species’ occupation on Earth. The Seeker is adamant on believing there is a war waging and that the Souls need to be more cautious about the humans.

While the Healer and the Seeker pause in their argument, the Soul called Wanderer uses this time to study her surroundings and present situation. She concludes that she is in a healing facility and that she has just recovered from a traumatic insertion. Although Wanderer was informed before coming to Earth that the hostility from the remaining humans was over and that the planet was now peaceful, she suspects that this notion may not be entirely true given the Seekers unrest.

Wanderer begins to lament over her last host species, but when she is unable to name the species using human words, her thoughts return to the Souls’ occupation on earth and how tampered and violent the planet had been prior to their arrival. She then thinks about the rumors about Souls who could not suppress the thoughts of their hosts, but then she thinks that perhaps these fears are just a reflection of the distaste felt for the Seeker’s Calling. Wanderer notes that on Earth, the Seekers have gained a new status since “never before had an occupation gone so awry.

Wanderer knows that the Seeker in the room with her will have many questions, so she begins to look through her host’s memories. She slips through the barrier and finds out that her host was looking for somebody – a cousin named Sharon. After this she hits a wall, not being able to figure out what was supposed to happen after she found Sharon. “As if this brain had been damaged: she observes. Wanderer becomes angry, an unexpected reaction that she is not accustomed to. Her anger is reflected on the heart monitor. At this, the Seeker makes her way over and welcomes Wanderer to Earth.