Symbiotica - Sum of their Whole (Book 1)

By Alexander Nassau

"Melissa Marks was a typical University student with debts, a hectic scholastic schedule and a near empty social life other than her roommate who always ate all her food.
Waking up in her bed, disorientated, sore and confused, she is unable to shake the haunting memory of being attacked the night before, questioning if it was nothing more than a bad dream. However she soon finds herself noticing a mysterious red haired woman appearing throughout her day, a woman with an unreal proposition for her.
The truth of her situation soon becomes very apparent learning within her is an alien life form who needs her protection and after considering the proposal from her strange new friend she finds her world is turned inside out. Flung head first in to a strange new world she must learn to understand her new unnatural abilities with her alien symbiote in ways she could never have believed were possible.
Starting a journey which changes her life unrecognisably, she must go on a quest to search out others who have received her unnatural gift. It does not take long for Mel with the help of Poly, her girlfriend, to find two others although things do not go smoothly as Poly soon finds herself hosting a new born symbiote. With Jo and Kat along with their alien symbiotes having joined their family, it soon becomes apparent they needed a more secure and private place to call home.
Working together they pool their skills and talents as they create the Foundry, the perfect environment suited to both themselves and their symbiotes. Welcoming more members to their group, they plan a celebration, but it certainly doesn't go to plan. With their secret threatening to be exposed and Poly out of control, Melissa and her friends must take back control of the ensuing chaos.
Will everything work out or end in heartbreak?"

Start the journey of both Symbiotica and Proteus in this first instalment of the "New Worlds Saga" as Melissa goes from her humble roots to being the lynchpin of what will become Symbitek Global meeting Poly, Jo and Kat as they work towards finding the others that travelled to Earth on Koli.
Rewritten with nearly 20,000 words of new material, this Ultimate Edition of "Sum of their Whole" combines the first two books of the original saga, including "The Foundry" to create a the first part of the New Worlds Trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alexander Nassau
• Release date: Aug 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370179336

Alexander Nassau

November News: I know it has been a while and this is probably a surprise, but I have finally released a new book. Alphius Prime - Of Beasts and Monsters is an epic fantasy style book set on the world of Alphius Prime more familiar with my fans for being in Symbiotica and Proteus. Set in a medieval world you follow the epic journey of Echo Sana and her rather unusual family she was adopted by... unusual in that they are Kinar Beasts. There is a free preview to be had, so take a look and I hope you enjoy! I am pleased to see that I am currently rated as a 4.5 out of 5.0 Author on Good Reads. Thank you to those who took the time! It is really good to see the appreciation my fans have and that does spur me on to do even better for you! If you have any questions I am on Good Reads so throw me your thoughts and I will be happy to answer! Thanks for reading! _________________________ Finally, I am very pleased to say I actually produced a proper website and blog. Covering all my titles, with artwork, sneak peaks and so much more, it is the best place to find out exactly what I am up to and what books are coming soon. Like me on facebook now too! The link is easy enough to find on the page. Enjoy your reads! Alexander Nassau is an established science fiction author and artist with many well known mainstream works to his name, best known for his detailed and strong character driven stories. With a keen scientific mind and a strong attention to detail, he also is a commercial artist with a strong creative drive. Living in the UK, he spends his down time with his family and has something of a passion for classic Volkswagens.

Book preview

Symbiotica: Sum of Their Whole (Ultimate Edition)

The First book in the Symbiotica New Worlds Saga

Third Edition

Copyright © 2016 / 2018 Alexander Nassau

Published by Alexander Nassau at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781370179336

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

"For Erin,

Sometimes life is not fair, and you have had your fill of the darker side of life.

You did not stop fighting though and without that fight, this book would never have seen the light of day, let alone all the books that have followed.

Thank you for believing in me and know your faith is not forgotten, forever in print."

Please Note: This book is based on the collected volumes of Symbiotica

The Sum of their Whole and The Foundry.

These books have been significantly reworked to create this Ultimate Series.

If you already own these titles you may not want to purchase this and you can update your book to this copy at your retailer.

See More from the Author on my Blog

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One - Park Life

Chapter Two - Awakening

Chapter Three - New Direction

Chapter Four - Departures and Arrivals

Chapter Five - First Steps

Chapter Six - Regrets and Mistakes

Chapter Seven - An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter Eight - One Thing Leads to Another

Chapter Nine - The Strange Case of Nora Jones

Chapter Ten - Fear is in the Mind

Chapter Eleven - The Foundry

Chapter Twelve - Road Trip

Chapter Thirteen - Hard Landing

Chapter Fourteen - Bring a Bottle

Chapter Fifteen - Behind Closed Doors

Chapter Sixteen - Hangover

Chapter Seventeen - Housekeeping

Chapter Eighteen - Acclimatisation

Chapter Nineteen - Judgement Errors

Chapter Twenty - Acceptance and Loss

Epilogue

Preview of Symbiotica Full Circle

More Books from the Author

Authors Retrospective

About the Author

PROLOGUE

The distant world Alphius Prime, approximately three hundred and seven years ago

Cargo bays packed and everyone's onboard, Tirania growled as she ran on to the bridge, You have roughly four minutes to get us airborne and out of the atmosphere!

She didn't respond as she sat in the navigation seat, the connection fluid in the arms of the chair wrapping around her fingers as she became fully aware of Koli. She was terrified as she tried to sooth her, letting her know that everything was going to be okay even if her skin was burning in the heat, the pain of this carefree and playful soul was suffering now hers as well. Trying to use Koli sensors was a hit and miss affair, the electromagnetic storm around them filling her mind with static as she powered the ion engines up, Koli shaking as another blast of infernal heat ripped over her.

Tell me the other ships got the message, she growled as she felt Koli starting to move forward, the ground below them growing distant as the roar of the engine echoed through the ship.

What limited readings I'm getting show Terrik in the air but the Titans have only just started to power their engines, Dorpi grumbled from the operations station.

Tira, I need you to set a destination. As soon as we are out of the atmosphere, we are going to jump, she ordered trying to keep a level head as Coras scrambled on to the bridge behind them, running over to the engineering console.

Try not to overpower the reactor core, she barked as she throttled the ion engines to full thrust, the roar filling her ears as she pointed Koli in to the blood red sky above them.

I have set course for the rendezvous point. Koli has the details in her system, Tira reported as she looked around, her friends settling in to their tasks like a well oiled and efficient machine.

Terrik is roughly two hundred kalars below us. Sensor reading from the Titans becoming sporadic, Dorpi shouted out as the sky started to darken, the stars starting to come in to view as they tore through the upper atmosphere.

It gave her a second to breathe, to take stock and try to make sense of things, but as Koli's sensor data hit her she almost screamed in panic, the view from above their world even worse that she expected.

Plasma storm's about to hit Alphius Prime, Tirania hissed, her own heart thumping in her chest as Koli started to feel the leading edge of the shockwave, piece of super heated stellar debris heading straight for them at thousands of kalars a second.

This is Verish, she barked out through the intercom, Strap yourselves down. We are about to jump!

CHAPTER ONE

Park Life

Hey Mousy! Ya looking for a hot date tonight?

Melissa briefly glanced over her shoulder, scowling at her tormentors with an extra viciousness that night.

Brain dead jocks... Don't they have anything better to do? she thought to herself pulling her woolly sweater straight as she pushed her glasses back up her nose and gave them a hard stare.

She could hear them laughing and snickering as they walked away towards the campus bar to find yet more mischief in alcohol. They were like a pack of unintelligible animals searching for their next happy.

She dropped another passing glare over her shoulder scowling at them at once more for good measure before composing herself before jangling her keys, as she searched.

As the door made its familiar click she was finally happy to be in her own surroundings, alone and in peace and quiet once more. It gave her a warm feeling inside as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had known for years that she was different from most people. In fact throughout most of her life she had been like this. It just came as a surprise that she only recently began to understand that everyone else was not like her.

Not hearing the pressure of other peoples thoughts encroaching on her mind made her happy and at peace, finally able to be alone with only her own jumbled thoughts to deal with.

She flicked the light on closing the door with a little extra verve and made her way into the bedroom throwing down her bag on the bed as it unlatched and emptied its contents haphazardly.

She considered the mess of books, wondering what the point to her existence really was sometimes. Ever since school she had been haunted, driven into isolation by her fellow classmates. Still, being called Mousy was a darn sight better than being called freak.

Still, the mundanity of life went on as she walked through into the kitchen to get munchies.

Opening the cupboard her heart sank as she sighed and muttered under her breath. Julie, her none existent roommate had been home and wiped out her food stocks again. For a moment she wanted to get angry, but then she considered that it was a small price to pay for having a roommate who was never around to irritate you.

Looking back towards the hall, she really didn't want to go out again, but with a grumbling tummy and an empty larder, what choice did she have?

* * *

She looked at the dazzling array of chocolate before her, the bright lights of the twenty four hour market seeming to make them glow invitingly. She grabbed a large number of Crunchos, Swirls, and a couple of thick bars of imported Dairy Cream and placed them next to the bread, cheese, milk and well, you get the picture. She may have been small, but she could pack the food in!

As the clerk scanned the items in, she heard the thoughts running through the middle aged woman's mind, pondering the items she had bought and wondering if she was having a party.

She smiled to herself, amused at the fact that she had a unique and rare gift that others could never ever understand. Still wearing a vague grin, she packed the brown paper bag and paid for the items.

Outside, it seemed darker than normal, probably because of the lighting inside the store. It was still warm, but the humidity seemed to have jumped up from earlier. Overhead she could hear the first rumblings of an approaching storm. It was probably a good hour away though.

The walk home took her through Tower Park, part of the campus. As she passed through the grounds, the wind brushed the trees, rattling the leaves slightly. She always liked this as it reminded her of where she grew up near Wyvern, a good few hours' drive outside of New Oxford. As a child, she wandered for hours through the forests that surrounded her home in the countryside. Storms were always beautiful and invigorating, yet so dangerous.

She smiled to herself, lost in the nostalgia when suddenly she heard a quiet voice echo out on breeze, seeming to come from nowhere. Spooked, she span round, looking for the owner of the voice.

Nobody was there. In fact the park was completely empty, except for the trees and the street lights vaguely illuminating the path.

Must have been the wind, she mused to herself however somewhere in the back of her mind she knew someone was out there. She could feel their presence making her hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

Help me.

This time she knew she had heard it! She looked around again, reaching out with her mind to locate the voice. Gingerly she backed away, placing her bags down on a bench and slowly ventured over to a patch of trees, the wind rustling the leaves as it broken that pre-storm stillness. She could feel the fear kicking in, but there was something so familiar and yet so sad about this cry from the dark.

She could not ignore it.

Hello? she called out however as she eyes scoured the darkened area she could not see anything.

Above, the first crack of lightning blistered across the night sky, blinding her for a moment. She looked up to the sky instinctively wincing, her vision still hazy from the sudden burst of light.

Through her blurred vision she saw something move in the tree above her head.

She threw her hand up to her head as she felt the weight hit her, throwing her to the floor and then there was nothing.

* * *

She awoke with a start looking around in a frenzy as if she had been attacked by... well, she was not actually sure. As her eyes focused in on the surroundings, she realised that this was her bedroom in the apartment and she was in fact on her bed.

Her mind raced, trying desperately to piece together exactly what had happened.

How on earth did she get here? She peered at the clock, the digital display reading half two in the morning.

Okay, she thought to herself, there are two possible explanations. One, I was attacked in the park, managed to escape, found my way home and collapsed on the bed in shock. Or two, I fell asleep on the bed, dreamt it all and this is one of those weird moments where you are not sure what is real or not.

She considered her options. It was early morning and the acid test would be to look in the mirror.

As she viewed her clothing, nothing seemed to be out of place. Her shirt was unmarked and her jeans not torn. Option two seemed the most plausible as she reassured herself.

She took another look at herself in the mirror before abruptly yawning, stripping off her clothes and pulling on her PJ's, headed back to bed.

She awoke with a start once more, but this time something felt terribly wrong.

The light was blinding and as she breathed, her lungs filled with noxious fumes. She panicked for a second, flailing around violently as her vision cleared up. Coughing, she looked around her attempting to ascertain her surroundings.

Somewhere in the distance she could see plumes of thick black smoke rising and again a sulphurous stench filled her lungs, burning her throat. As such looked around she found herself in a strange, barren desert like plain unlike anything she had ever seen before.

From the above there was a blinding flash of light as she raised a hand to cover her eyes, the blue aura lancing the sky intense and burning.

She ran, fear filling her as she tried to hold back from choking on the noxious fumes, the pain in her chest growing almost unbearable. In the distance, she could see figures in the haze frantically working on a reflective black… well, she did not know what it was exactly, but for some inexplicable reason she would be safe there.

There was something wrong though. She was struggling for breath, the pain shocking through her body overloading her senses. She could feel her vision blurring again, her head felt dizzy. She dropped to her knees coughing, blood speckling the sand, a voice to her side making no sense as it echoed in her mind. In the distance, figures were now running towards her, but everything was becoming dark and blurred. Her breaths were now nothing but shallow gulps as she struggled to stay alive, but it seemed hopeless.

As she felt the last breath pass from her body, she heard a soothing female voice sing an incomprehensible song and then her eyes closed for the last time.

She bolted upright in her bed instinctively gasping for breath. Her body was covered in sweat and her heart was racing. Her mind attempted to grasp the fact that she was alive and that it was another strange nightmare. Outside, she could hear the birds singing their morning sonata and the sun was streaming in through the window.

Suddenly her alarm went off scaring the life out of her. She managed to suck her heart back down from her throat and started to breathe a little easier, eventually leaning over and whacking the clock on her bedside table.

As she threw the covers to one side her body felt tired. Her joints seemed to ache and her muscles were fatigued. However her mind was alive, perhaps the most alive it had been in years, which in itself was quite odd.

She was not a morning person.

* * *

The shower had helped. Her aches and pains were more bearable now and she began to focus her mind on the day ahead. Picking out a polo neck vest and skin tight slacks from her drawer, she hurriedly put them on and moved rapidly to the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

Grabbing a bowl and spoon she collected the milk from the fridge and removed the wheat flakes from the cupboard, resting them down on the table. After a few half asleep mouthfuls, she suddenly stopped dead looking at the box of cereal wide eyed.

She launched herself out of the seat and swung the door to the cupboard open staring at the contents.

Before her were the items she dreamt she purchased the night before. It made no sense. It was a dream! Her mind raced, trying to reconstruct the events of the previous night.

Slowly she backed away from the cupboard, inching towards the chair. She continued to stare blankly at the chocolate, frowning occasionally before slumping down on to the hard surface.

For a second her eyes removed themselves from the cupboard, eyeing the kitchen clock.

Her shoulders slumped and her face crumpled as she growled a little under her breath.

She was late...

* * *

Melissa hurriedly sat down next to Shauna as the Professor at the front of the lecture theatre frowned at her tardiness, on the board were notes regarding the Biology and Zoology lesson.

Shauna gave her a questioning look which was understandable as she was never late for class. She shrugged her shoulders smiling back at her friend. Well, perhaps friend was the wrong word.

They had sat next to each other for the last two months and very few words had past between them. However she knew that Shauna liked her, but just did not know how to approach her. Shauna pushed her notes toward her desk and she studied them quickly.

Parasitic and symbiotic fauna. Oh goodie.

She was a physicist at heart. It was her only passion in life however biology was something she just had to do to get the grades. It was not that she did not like it. It was just that it was too easy for her.

As she settled down and the Professor droned on, she looked around the class room. Marty Burbitz was yet again eating a sandwich, as he always did. Mary Smith and Elise Gellar were sitting on the back row, giggling and talking as if this was a free period. As she continued to take in her surroundings, her eyes glimpsed a new face in the class.

Curiously she reached out with her mind, expecting a rich array of images, but there was nothing. Now that was something quite unique. Peoples mind were like an open book to her.

Curiosity piqued, she focused more on her. The new girl was stunning. Flowing red hair running nearly half way down her back, her skin was fair and flawless with freckles around her nose. She had full, pouting lips and a vague smile which instantly made her feel warm and comfortable.

Beneath the figure hugging red dress she could make out a toned, athletic body, beautifully proportioned and full in the right areas.

Suddenly the person looked straight at her and gave her a warm smile. She blushed and hastily returned her eyes to the book, pretending to read. After a few moments she sneakily returned a glance, but she had gone. She looked around the room attempting to find the mysterious woman, but she had literately vanished.

Can we talk?

Melissa looked around confused, her gaze turning to Shauna.

Did you say something? she asked in a whisper.

Shauna looked up from her book and gave her a questioning look, shaking her head from side to side.

Melissa joined in with the confused look before returning to the text book.

I just need to talk to you, the voice came again.

This time she knew that it was not Shauna, as she frantically searched for the origin of the familiar voice. As she searched her gaze returned to Shauna who was looking right at her with a perplexed expression.

Are you okay? she questioned in a whisper as she realised that something was seriously not right.

Just a little jumpy I guess, she reassuringly whispered, Just had a bad night's sleep.

And the answer is... Miss Marks? came the Professors booming voice.

She looked up to see the ageing Professor now starting straight at her.

Errr, she exclaimed out loud as she wracked her brain to figure out what had been asked.

The Tape worm, echoed the haunting voice from an unseen location.

The Tape Worm? she snapped out instinctively.

The Professor looked at her with a little surprise and gave her a stern smile.

Very good however please do keep your full attention on the lecture, unlike our dear friends Smith and Gellar, he commented, turning his attention to the giggling girls at the back of the class who immediately went quiet.

She returned him a cocked smile before burying her head in her note book again, trying to ignore the strangeness surrounding her.

* * *

She had never been so thankful that the bell had sounded the end of the class. As the people herded out of the lecture theatre, she let out a sigh of relief.

She pondered for a moment of she was really going mad, after all how many people hear voices in their head?

In the end she had just ignored the voices, hoping they would go away, but they didn't.

She questioned if this was a new manifestation of her abilities however before she could give herself an answer, she spotted the mysterious red head wandering off in to the crowd.

For some reason she could not explain she felt compelled to follow her.

After fighting her way through the throngs of people, she spotted the girl entering a class room and she hastily scurried after her. Bursting in to the room, she looked around finding just an empty classroom.

This unsettled her.

She let out an audible hurmph as she scrunched her face up in frustration. The events of the last few days had been too weird for their own good. Disappearing girls, voices in her head and the nightmares of the previous night were taking their toll on her.

Home and rest, was all she thought as she threw her backpack over her shoulder and marched off in the direction of her safe place.

* * *

Throwing her bag on the sofa she sighed feeling happier to be alone and in the sanctity of her own space as she mooched into her bedroom. The confusion in her mind had gotten worse as she had walked home, the strange events running over and over in her head like a tornado.

Okay Melissa, pull yourself together, she ordered herself looking at her reflection in her full length mirror. There are no voices in your head. That is just crazy…

She paused and gave herself a questioning look, Am I crazy?

She stared for a moment hoping not to hear an answer.

Good, then I'm fine and things have just been a bit weird. Best to just forget it and get some rest.

She looked at herself in the mirror again, almost wanting to justify what had been happening to her.

Nothing. Not a peep.

Her shoulders slumped and she turned around to be greeted by a woman sat on the bed as she jumped out of her skin with a scream. As she pulled herself together, she realised it was the mysterious woman in red.

Who are you and how did you get in here?! she barked angrily, backing away a little.

The woman looked up at her with a gentle if almost sad expression.

I did not mean to startle you. As I have been saying I just wish to talk, the red head purred in a voice so seductive it made her skin tingle. My name is Kelhoria, but you can call me Kel.

She considered her for a moment, her eye flitting around the room looking for something to defend herself with.

There seems to be no violent intentions, she thought to herself scanning the stranger's gentle and relaxed demeanour.

Of course not, I am very peaceful and mean you no harm. In fact, I wish to be of service to you, the woman continued in her soft, gentle voice.

How on earth did you know what I was thinking? she question rather unnerved.

That is why I am here. I wish to talk with you and explain my existence.

There was something in her voice that made her relax, something familiar and yet so out of place. She frowned at the woman anyway.

I am going to hazard a guess that you know what's been happening to me. Who are you and what happened last night? she asked defiantly as the woman looked into her eyes and smiled, abet weakly.

What you see is not really here. I have projected this form into your mind. You see it and hear it, but no-one else will, she responded cryptically, I am really with you. However, I need to ask your permission to remain. It is the way with my people.

She scrunched her face up in confusion, trying to make sense of her words. This really didn't feel right in the slightest. A strange if astonishingly beautiful woman was in her bedroom and for reasons she couldn't explain in any rational way, she wasn't running or panicking in the slightest. In fact she felt curious which was far too odd, but looking at her she knew she didn't have anything to fear.

Okay, she frowned taking a leap of faith, Let's talk.

* * *

Sipping her tea, she settled down on the aged and somewhat battered sofa. She needed to relax and she had a feeling that this would take a while. Sitting opposite was the mysterious Kel, an attractive woman in her own rights who seemed to be fixated on her to the point of breaking and entering. However to go to such lengths she must have had something important to say.

So, what do you want to talk to me about? she questioned, shuffling a little to get more comfortable.

The woman sitting opposite her seemed to ponder for a moment.

Perhaps I should firstly explain who, and perhaps what I am, she began, Many millennia ago, there were two races where I come from. There was the Usha and my own race, the Vu'kno. The Usha were a race similar to humans however they were primitive by your standard. My own race, the Vu'kno had evolved the ability to be a bonded species. We require other creatures to survive.

She seemed to think for a moment, her mind continuing its deep thoughts.

Many species on your world which are completely unrelated provide each other with benefits that help both species to thrive. We are somewhat more involved though.

Melissa considered what she had said and let out a laugh.

So what you are saying is you are not from Earth? she retorted flippantly.

Kel frowned and continued without answering.

According to the legends, one day an Usha found a Vu'kno, injured and near death. The Usha helped nurse her back to health. She was grateful to this gentle woman and provided her with protection in thanks. Once word reached the Usha communities, other Usha took Vu'kno and bonded with them and our bonded species was formed. In time, as our species developed, so did our intellects and our world changed, much like yours has. Our cities reach for the skies and an era of peace and harmony reigned for twenty millennia.

Kel's expression changed slowly, her features seeming to drop in to sadness.

Then without warning something changed. Our star became unstable threatening to collapse. We realised this awful fact almost too late and struggled to find a way to escape. However with victory in our grasp, everything went horribly wrong. Our world burnt in the cataclysm, rendering lush forests to desert, and stripping our oceans away and only a handful of my kind escaped. Alphius Prime is now nothing but a poisonous husk of a world, the grave yard of my people.

She had a horrible flashback to the nightmare feeling nauseous for a moment.

So the dream I had last night was real?

Kel looked at her with tears welling in her eyes.

You experienced an afterimage from my mind. You were privy to the end of Kolen Thuy, my dear friend and life host. She died making her way to the ship we escaped in. I too would have perished if not for the others.

She paused for a moment, seemingly somewhere else and she felt a strange wash of emotions flood her mind, awful feelings of pain and loss. After a few moments, Kel's face changed and her attention returned.

I was placed in a synthetic life giver and along with a handful of survivors we left our world to drift in the endless expanse of the void. We searched for worlds in the hope of finding a race which could support us. Our existence had nearly ended when we found your world. Only a selected number of your species are capable of accepting us though.

Kel paused as if realising she needed a moment to soak this up. Suddenly fantastical appeared to be hauntingly real. With a frightening calmness, she put the facts together in her mind.

So if this is right, I am one of the select few who can act as a host for you. Last night, it was you that attacked me in the park and then somehow brought me home.

You are correct to a degree however I did not bring you home. You did. Kel replied looking pleased that she had deduced this.

This again confused her. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was missing something.

Okay, forgive me for being sceptical, but I need to address a few points. While the story you have told me is entertaining, it doesn't explain a thing. For example, you look human. Surely you should be an alien! And of course, if this was true you should have joined with me, which means that I should have something attached to me.

Kel's face looked bothered by this and she shook her head slightly.

As I said, this is not here, she announced waving her hand over her body, This is something I have placed in your mind so we could talk.

That was enough. Today had been too strange and all she wanted to do was to get rid of this person in her house whose only intention was to make her question her sanity. She jumped up from the sofa and moved over to Kel.

I'm sorry, but I am tired and I think that it is time you left, she snapped, moving her hand to grasp Kel's arm, but her hand never made contact, passing through Kel's arm to the sofa below. She tried again, this time her hand flailed through Kel's chest.

She stepped back for a moment in shock, her mouth open only managing to mutter a soft But….

As I said, this illusion is in your mind. I am with you. Now if you would so kind as to sit down, I need to explain a little more, Kel said with a calm look on her face.

Okay, she thought, If I am going mad, then perhaps if I finish this conversation, everything will be alright.

She slumped back down into the sofa again and picked the now cold tea up off the table. Kel considered her for a moment, her face turning solemn and sincere.

We are a peaceful species who only wish to co-exist with our life givers. We do not believe in forced co-existence. To do such a thing would be very bad for us as our life giver could starve us. We are not, I think your word is parasitic. We are symbiotic. At this moment, although I am with you, we are not bonded. I can only do this with your permission.

Melissa considered this for a moment. She could be rid of Kel and get her life back.

So if I don't give my permission, you leave?

Yes, Kel sighed with a saddened look in her eyes, However I would beg you to consider what our bonding could offer.

* * *

Melissa entered the living room again confused and concerned. Yesterday she had been an average college student. The most she had to worry about was getting bad grades and how to make her budget stretch for a whole term. Today, she was considering whether to share her body with an alien who wanted.... well, she really did not know what she wanted.

For the last hour, she had sat alone in her room thinking this over, or at least she hoped she had been alone. This alien could read thoughts, so what had stopped her reading her mind! It was something she just had to take that on faith.

Across the room Kel was still sat on the sofa where she had left her. Kel lifted her head, her gaze meeting with those soft brown eyes.

I take it you wish to converse? she enquired quietly.

I actually need some answers, she replied sitting down on the sofa and took a long hard look at Kel.

That is understandable.

Firstly, what do you want? What's your purpose here?

Kel seemed to