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.”

I feel tears burning in my eyes. “I won’t be okay if they kill you.” I turn to James and Philip and take a deep breath. “If you are going to kill him, you’ll have to kill me too.”

“Emma no!” Burns says in shock.

Philip turns to Nate. “Is she for real?”

“Yup,” Nate says calmly. He’s leaning on his crutch and watches us with interest. I had forgotten he was there, “I believe she is.”

James blinks at him. “You’re not gonna do something?” he asks in disbelieve. He points at me.

Nate shrugs casually. “You heard her. You wanna kill the alien, shoot her too.”

Burns whips his head towards him in shock, but I try to stand my ground, even if my heart is hammering in my chest. I can’t back down now.

“I can’t kill one of our own!” James says startled.

“Then I guess you won’t be killing Burns either,” I say, feeling my courage flare.

Philip rolls his eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

Burns sighs. “Please don’t harm her. It’s me you want.”

“No,” I protest.

“Oh shut up you two,” James says while grabbing his head. He looks at me. “Are you sure you’re human, girl?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“She’s human alright,” Philip comments in a dry tone.

“Why would you protect one of them?” James asks frustrated.

“Because he is my friend,” I say, “I care about him.”

“How can you say something like that?”

“You don’t even know him,” I say, “you’re just judging him. I’m not naïve or stupid. I know what the Souls have done. I’ve lost people too, but Burns is my friend. I trust him and I won’t let anything happen to him.”

“He’d sell you out in a heartbeat,” James says.

“He didn’t,” I say, “he left everything behind to make sure they wouldn’t capture me.” I manage to swallow the last word I was going to say. Again. Capture me again.

“Why would he do that?” Philip asks confused. He looks at Nate.

Nate shrugs. There’s an amused twinkle in his eyes. “Ask him,” he says.

I hold my breath. No, please don’t ask him. I reach back and grab Burns’ hand. He glances down at me and I look back worried.

“So answer the question,” James demands, why would you care what happens to a human?”

Burns sighs. “I don’t want her to disappear. It’s wrong.”

“If that’s how you feel, why don’t you and your kind just leave the planet?”

“It’s not that simple,” Burns says, “even if we left, it wouldn’t make a difference. It doesn’t work that way. The other Souls… they believe they’re doing the right thing. They’ve solved crime and pollution, made this world peaceful.”

“By wiping out an entire race?”

“They don’t see it that way,” Burns says quietly.

“But you do?” Philip says, “why?”

Burns looks at me and smiles. I press his hand and smile back.

“Heh,” James mutters, “I don’t believe it.”

“So are we satisfied now?” Nate asks in a gruff voice.

James clenches his fists. “For now,” he says.

Philip gives a brisk nod. He is studying Burns carefully, a confused look in his eyes.

“We’re keeping an eye on things, Nate,”  James says.

“I have no doubt you will, James,”  Nate replies calmly. We watch as they leave. I let my breath escape. “That went well,” Nate says.

I stare at him in disbelieve.

He grins at me. “You can’t blame them for reacting that way, sweetheart,” he says, “did you think they’d welcome him with open arms?”

“No,” I sigh.

Burns rubs my arms. “It’s gonna be alright, Emma.”

I wish I could be so sure.

“I’m gonna leave you to it,” Nate says an he turns on his crutch.

“Where are you going?” I don’t want him to leave. He is our only ally.

“You’ll be fine, sweetheart,” Nate smiles, I have things to do. I’ve seen you defend your friend. You don’t need my help.” His smile turns into a smirk. “But I can send Blake in if you want.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he already walks away, chuckling, so I settle for gritting my teeth. When I turn, I find Burns watching me. “What?” I ask confused.

He hesitates. “That Blake.. is he… nice… to look at? I mean… to humans…”

I blink a few times. Where did this come from? “I… guess so…” I say carefully. He may annoy the hell out of me, but I can’t deny that Blake is handsome.

“And…” Burns’ cheeks turn a shade darker, “this body… is it nice to look at?”

I feel the heat rush to my own face. This conversation is getting awkward. “You look fine, Burns,” I clear my throat. “Why?”

He shakes his head and smiles. “I was just wondering. To Souls… every body is the same. But to humans… exterior is so important. It’s confusing.”

I bite my lip. “It’s not the outside that matters in the end,” I say, “it doesn’t matter what body you wear. You are my friend. I care about you, not… David’s body.”

He looks away at those words and I know he feels guilty again. I take his hand. “Hey,” I say, “I mean it. So don’t go doing something stupid, okay? I need you around.” I grin. “Even if only to carry all this stuff.”  I point at our belongings.

He smiles too. “I suppose I’ll help you then.”