Meeting

Shattered. That was the word that best described the state of my new host.

When I was told that I was going to leave my Hork-Bajir host for a human, I was all excited. I was finally going to be able to see something other than this cave and hear something other than the screams of humans locked in cages mixed with those of my own host.

I hadn't admitted it to anyone, but I couldn't stand hearing my host's cries of pain all day long. Then seeing his nightmares during the night. Even at night, a Yeerk cannot disconnect from its host and stop seeing its thoughts. And the risk of being accused of sympathy and executed without trial by Visser-3 was too great for me to ease my conscience with other Yeerks. Worse, to justify why my host's resistance hadn't been broken, I had found nothing better than to say that I enjoyed hearing him scream. As a result, I now had a reputation as a sadistic Yeerk. Yet it was quite the opposite. I tried to be as kind as possible with my Hork-Bajir. But no matter what I said or did, he continued to scream for his freedom. I had concluded that the Hork-Bajir were a species too stupid for it to beImpossible to negotiate with them. My host was simply unable to understand the situation and accept my presence. The only thing that had worked was torturing him, but I felt so guilty that I was almost relieved to hear him scream again, and I never did it again.

There must have been something abnormal about me. Normally, disciplining one's host was something natural and there was no reason to feel guilty about it. Some of my former teachers even said that a discipline session once a week was beneficial for the host and that one should not hesitate to apply it even if they had been obedient. But I couldn't do it.

With this new host, I hoped that everything would change. With my reputation, they would surely assign me an unwilling host (and even very unwilling). But I had been told that humans were much more intelligent than the Hork-Bajir. If that was true, then there might be a chance to reason with him and convince him to cooperate. I was ready to do anything for that. I had decided to do everything to please my future host and gain his cooperation. Even if it put me at risk of being accused of sympathy (but not too much, though).

It was therefore with enthusiasm that once the big day arrived, I entered through Tom's ear and connected to his brain in order to take control of his body and start viewing all of his memories. I specify 'start' because I had to stop quickly.

Already, because my host had regained his senses and was beginning to protest (I did not yet understand the concept of privacy at that time and found this request strange). But mostly because the memories were horrible. A memory was not only made up of images and sound, but of all the sensations that its owner had experienced at that moment, including their feelings. I could then feel the pain that Tom had felt since his infestation. Yet, Temrash114's behavior was not particularly sadistic. As one might expect from a Yeerk of such high rank, he had treated his host by complying as much as possible with the empire's recommendations. Was it this human who was particularly sensitive, or did all hosts feel that way? And in any case, how had Temrash114 managed to endure his human's suffering? Once again, I told myself that I must not be normal and felt a sense of shame. But I had tried long enough to know that I would not be able to change. All I could do was hide my flaw from the other Yeerks and try to find a place where, despite everything, I could live happily and serve the empire.

For the first time (of a long series), I broke the rules of the empire and stopped my exploration of Tom's memory (much to his surprise). I signaled to the guards that I had control and then got out of the pool. I was then astounded by the beauty of the surface. For a while, all my worries vanished, and I spent at least an hour looking at, touching, and smelling everything I found. This planet was truly magnificent, and human senses so, so, (..) there were no words to describe how incredible they were. But I had to interrupt my reverie when I heard a human asking if I was feeling unwell. Apparently staring for 5 minutes at a crushed cigarette butt on the ground was considered abnormal by humans. I didn't know what this object was for, but the colors were so beautiful (it should be noted that I was simultaneously discovering the concept of color).

I assured him no and pulled myself together. I had to follow my host's routine and pass myself off as him. But I then realized that, having failed to view all of his memories (especially the most recent ones), I didn't know what I was supposed to do. And also that my host had remained strangely silent since we left the Yeerk pool.

Tom, what should I do?

"Leave my body and go die in hell you degenerate slug," replied Tom's voice almost sobbing.

To my great surprise, I felt relief upon hearing this string of insults. I was afraid that my host had been completely broken by Temrash114. I don't know why that scared me. After all, a broken host would have been ideal. It would have guaranteed me some peace. So absorbed by my discovery of this fabulous world, I hadn't paid attention to my host's feelings and thoughts, but now, as I returned to myself, they overwhelmed me: fear, shame, pain, disgust, hatred, and above all, not the slightest ounce of hope. My own hopes of convincing him to become willing melted away like snow in the sun.

oOoOoOoOo

I had to stop losing myself in my past and dwelling on my disappointed hopes. In the end, a month had passed and things hadn't gone so badly. Even if he would probably never become a volunteer, my new host satisfied me. Well, that was until last weekend. A few days earlier, a fire caused by the Andalite bandits had led to the death of Tom's former Yeerk. We had just returned from feeding where I learned the news while talking with other Yeerks.

When I announced the news to Tom, I had the pleasure of feeling joy from my host for the first time. But I barely had time to savor this moment before it was quickly replaced by panic and pleas from him. I then took my gentlest approach to say to him mentally:

It will be okay, Tom, I'm not angry. I understand that you are relieved after everything he did to you. And I promised you never to torture you. To further calm him, I gave him a mental hug (a secretion of endorphins, various other hormones, and brain signals that we could secrete to induce a feeling of comfort in our host). He pushed me away every time, but being in his mind, he couldn't hide from me that he appreciated them.

(Yes, I know)

(But you still don't believe me). It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Like every evening after each of my feedings, I took a ball and quietly left his house to head to the nearest basketball court. Once I made sure it was completely deserted, I passed the ball to Tom.

Ouch! That hurts. Exclaimed Tom while still displaying a huge smile as he regained control of his body.

(It’s your fault, if you didn’t resist so much the Hork-Bajir guards wouldn’t harm you)

Well yes, it's my fault if they hit us to make us go faster. He said with annoyance as he began trying to shoot baskets and dribble against an imaginary enemy.

(speak in your head, someone might hear you) I said panicked. (If another human-controller passes by and discovers that I am giving you control, I would be lucky if I suffer a quick death)

Sorry

(It’s not serious, you know if you stopped fighting the infestation, I could make them believe that you became voluntary and you would be treated better.)

I know and I'm really trying. But every time he takes me in front of the pool, I, I...

(That's fine, I understand. It's not a problem, we'll go at your pace) I replied, giving them a mental hug and assessing their performance.

A few days after his infestation, I was looking for a way to cheer him up (and incidentally to convince him to trust me at least a little). I resolved to search his memories during his sleep (without his permission). The advantage of doing it while he was sleeping was that he wouldn't be able to notice. I then stumbled upon the memory of the day Temrash had decided that Tom should leave his basketball team so he could devote more time to our discreet invasion of Earth. Apparently, before his infestation, basketball was his whole life and he was expected to play in the NBA. That gave me an idea.

The following evening, without telling him anything, I took him to the nearest field and surprised him by giving him control. For the first time, I knew what it felt like to receive gratitude from one's host. But as soon as he tried to dribble, the ball slipped from his hands and he fell to the ground trying to catch it. I tried to reassure him by saying that it was temporary. That it had been so long since he had control of his body that it was normal for him to need some time to adapt. But an hour later, he missed a basket he would have previously made with his eyes closed and collapsed to the ground in tears.

In just 3 weeks, he had made a lot of progress, but he probably could never be part of a professional team again. Nevertheless, now that he had accepted it, he was looking forward to the next time he could play. Once he was exhausted, I convinced him to let me take control again and sang him a Yeerk lullaby to put him to sleep. I returned home with my host asleep (retreating into his mind) convinced that that night, he wouldn't inflict his nightmares on me and I could think in peace. But after a few hours, Tom was awakened by screams coming from his little brother Jack's room.

Without even thinking, he got up and immediately went to see what was happening. I didn't like letting him move around inside the house without my control, but for once, I let him do it.

Every time I interacted on his behalf with his family members, he resented me greatly, and to be honest, I didn't enjoy the exercise much. It's not that I didn't like them. On the contrary, by spending time with them and viewing Tom's memories, I began to grow attached to them, but it was so unpleasant to talk to a human whose thoughts you couldn't read.

However, I could not let him interact as much as he wanted with his family. He had become so different from who he was before his infestation.that we would have been quickly noticed. His relatives would have immediately realized that something was wrong, talked about it with others, and a Human controller would have quickly been informed.

Once in the room, he stared at his little brother who was thrashing around in his sleep, screaming:

No! Get out of my body!

Tom approached him and grabbed him by the shoulder to try to wake him up. Immediately, he jumped out of his bed and his face turned towards Tom. As soon as he saw him, his face filled with fear. Faced with this look, Tom instinctively stepped back and raised his hands.

Calm down, dwarf. It's just me, Tom. You are safe.

What are you doing in my room? Jack vociferated with a look full of hatred towards him.

I could feel that it upset Tom. I saw in his memories that before his infestation, Tom and he were very close. But after Jack firmly refused to join the sharing (much to Tom's relief), Temrash had decided to neglect him and only do the bare minimum so he wouldn't suspect anything. Thus, they had drifted apart significantly. At the time, Tom was so lost in the personal hell his life had become that he barely noticed it. But when I allowed him to interact with his brother and he was pushed away, he was depressed for the rest of the day. I then had to take full control again (despite his protests) to avoid taking any risks. But Jack had never looked at him with hatred. It seemed like Jack hated him from the depths of his being.

Uh, you were having a nightmare so I wanted to help you. Is everything okay?

Everything is fine now, so get out of my room.

(Go back to bed Tom, the Grouchy Smurf will be calmer tomorrow morning). I asked him, but he ignored me.

You know, I'm here if you want to talk to me. You can tell me anything. You screamed 'get out of my body.' What did you dream about?

All of a sudden, I was interested myself. I was so focused on what Tom was doing and on being ready to take back control at any moment that I hadn't really thought about what Jack was saying. I shivered at what it could mean and the implications it would have. But I made no comment and simply observed Jack through Tom's eyes. On Jack's face, hatred had been briefly replaced by deep fear.

To nothing. You must have misheard. I was dreaming that I was drowning. I must have shouted get out of the port. Now, get out.

Ok, I'm leaving. Calm down. Good night, dwarf. I'm here if you need me. Even if I'm asleep, you can wake me up.

Tom decided to lie back down on his bed, but he did not fall asleep. He was furious.

Thévenin, can you explain to me, what is this mess? Why is my brother dreaming that he's infested by a Yeerk?

I have no idea. And for all we know, he told us the truth. He might have just dreamed of ...

He interrupted me:

(Replay the memory now)

Are you sure? It might not be a good idea.

(Do it!)

I should probably have been outraged that he dared to give me orders, but I complied without a word. We replayed the memory and it was clear that Jack had lied to us. The more I reviewed the memory, the clearer it was to me that my worst-case scenario had come true.

What did you do to him? You took advantage of my sleep to hurt him, bastard. To think I was starting to trust you.

(What? Tom, I swear I didn't do anything to him. You have to believe me. What interest would I have in doing that?)

(I don't know another of your sadistic pleasures. And then you never liked my brother)

I don't hate him. And even if that were the case, I know how much you care about him. I would never do anything to harm him. And then you heard like me, he dreamed that something entered his body, how could I have done that without leaving your head?

(Do you think another Yeerk has infested him?) he said, feeling dread.

(No, I would know if that were the case. Not to mention that if he had a Yeerk in his head, it would have stopped him from screaming. He is free and aware of the invasion. Aware of us).

NO! He screamed as he understood the implications.

I regained full control so that he wouldn't wake his parents or his brother.

Calm down, Tom. It's not that terrible. If I take care of his infestation, I can make sure he gets a decent Yeerk. One of those who stay at the bottom of the ladder because they are too gentle with their hosts.

(No, maybe we misunderstood. He might have just secretly watched Alien and was dreaming that a xenomorph was laying eggs in his mouth.)

Tom, you know the rules as well as I do. Even if there is still a doubt, I must organize its infestation to ensure that the invasion remains secret. If it is discovered that I have...

I beg you, don't do that. I will do whatever you want, but please not that.

It was pointless to reason with him any further. I decided to forcibly put him to sleep (this was something we were only supposed to do very rarely to avoid damaging our host) and to remain alone to think. But very quickly, I was besieged by nightmares where, because of him, his family was infested then tortured before becoming one of those empty shells we increasingly encountered in the line at the pool. This irritated me greatly. So he couldn't leave me alone, even for a moment. Since I couldn't think about it calmly anyway, I might as well postpone the decision. And he was right. Maybe we were worrying for nothing.

But during the rest of the week, Jack began to make discreet hints that seemed intended to give Tom hope of being freed. Moreover, while observing him, I noticed that he was extremely stressed. Far too much for a human teenager. To the point where I wondered how it was possible that he didn't fall ill.

I could no longer ignore the problem. The more time passed, the more likely it became that Jack would try something stupid to free his brother or warn the other humans. If that happened, the whole family would be forcibly infested (and there was little chance it would be by gentle Yeerks). And at best, I would be reassigned to a Hork-Bajir for incompetence (I dread to imagine what would happen if the case was deemed serious enough for Visser-3 to personally handle choosing my punishment). As unpleasant as it was going to be, I had made my decision. I just had to decide how I was going to go about it.

During the rest of the week, I planned my move as much as possible to leave nothing to chance. When I learned that Jack's parents would be away all Saturday afternoon, I decided that would be the time to act and adjusted my meal days so I could go to the pool on Saturday morning. That way, if something went wrong, I would have time to find a solution before having to return to feed at the Yeerk pool. Tom fought harder than ever before against the guards. Both to try to escape (to warn his brother) and to make me suffer from his injuries when I would regain possession of his body. And even now, even though he knew it was hopeless, he fought with all his strength to regain control.

This is how I found myself full of apprehension entering the kitchen, trying to ignore Tom's screams and the numerous injuries the Hork-Bajir guards had inflicted on him that morning. Jack was there doing his homework. Alone and completely vulnerable. I would have no trouble controlling him with Tom's body (even if he hadn't practiced in a long time, it was still the body of an exceptionally large athlete).

I say in a voice hoarse from the cries that Tom had made for two hours in the cage:

Hi Jack.

Hi Tom, he replied, looking at me as if I were a particularly disgusting stain on his shoes.

Can you come to my room, please?

Why? He said suspiciously.

I have to show you something.

I am busy, I have to do my homework.

Go on, dwarf. You're not going to tell me that you're going to spend your Saturday doing your homework. That's not like you. What are you hiding from me? I said as I approached him, but he stepped back.

Okay, I'm following you. He finally said with visible regret.

I headed towards Tom's room, but despite his words, Jack remained seated.

Come on, are you coming?

Yes, it's fine, I'm coming. Replied the Grouchy Smurf in a drawling voice.

Finally, he got up and followed me. Very slowly, but he followed me. Tom's screams intensified, I told him as gently as possible.

(Courage. Soon, it will all be over) I paid no attention to her response, suspecting that it contained nothing pleasant towards me.

Once he finally entered Tom's room (the path was short, but it felt like it took him hours to get there) I took a breath before starting and then took a few seconds to observe him. He looked around anxiously as if he expected a monster to jump out at any moment. Poor kid. I looked once more at the memories Tom had of Jack. How at 6 years old, he came to ask his big brother to check under his bed for monsters after secretly watching a horror movie without his parents knowing. An afternoon they spent playing video games together. They looked so happy back then. They loved each other so much. More than any Yeerk had ever loved me. The silence dragged on.

Well, what did you want to tell me? he asked after a moment.

I'm playing. Listen, don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you. Don't run away, okay. You see, I sit down and put my hands on my head. Even if I wanted to hurt you, you would have plenty of time to run away.I said, full of apprehension, telling myself that I was making the biggest mistake of my life.

He remained silent and for once, I had trouble reading his emotions on his face. I continued.

I know that you are aware.

Aware of what?

I had a doubt.

Do you know what a Yeerk is?

His expression at that moment taught me that I was not mistaken.

What is a new rock band?Well listen, I'm fed up with your riddles. I'm leaving.

Stay here! If I had wanted to, your head would have been plunged into the pool a long time ago.

"liar," Tom told me, half laughing. Powerful waves of relief emanated from him.

But I can still change my mind. I say this for both Tom and Jack.

You want to talk? Free my brother, bastard, and then maybe I'll take the time to listen to you before crushing you.

"(That's a lion your brother) I commented, then I let Tom take control."

It took him a few seconds to realize he was in control, then he rushed towards his brother to try to hug him, but he dodged and started running towards the stairs.

(Course, what are you waiting for. We need to catch him. Imagine if he tries to talk about it to the police. It's full of inspectors. But what was I thinking to do that)

Wait, it's me, Tom.

He stopped short in front of the house door.

You think I'm going to believe you, you filthy slug.

What can I do to make you believe me?

Get out of my brother.

But it's me your bro(...).

I didn't let Tom finish his sentence and took back control. I thought Tom would know what to say to make him obedient (and incidentally, I hoped he would be grateful enough to forgive me for considering handing over his brother) but obviously, that wasn't the case. It was absolutely necessary to convince him to stay at home.

It's me Thévenin 7-8-9. Your brother's Yeerk. I agree to leave his head.

He stopped.

Really?

(Really?)

Stop talking at the same time, both of you.

Aren't you a little crazy? I mean, even by Yeerk standards. The runt dared, but I couldn't disagree with him. You had to be crazy to even consider for 5 seconds getting out of the head of your unwilling host.

(If you do it, I promise to return it to you after an hour. Two maximum)

(Tom, I know you will never voluntarily let me back into your mind) I replied

I swear to you that I mean it, I am sincere. Anyway, if I don't do it, the other Yeerks will realize in 3 days and my whole family will be infested.

(Yes, you are sincere, I conceded. But without wanting to offend you, I don't think you'll be able to do that. It's much too soon.)

Hey! Thévenin. How are you?

I am talking to your brother. And incidentally, I am thinking. Let's go back up.

Without waiting for a response, I returned to Tom's room. I saw Jack follow me with even more reluctance than the first time. He must have been convinced it was a trap, but he had to be ready to try anything to free his brother. Outwardly, I displayed an Olympian calm. But inwardly, I was in a complete panic. I had managed to prevent him from escaping, but at what cost. How to convince him to cooperate? Maybe I should just go back to my initial plan? After all, the infestation was probably not as horrible as Tom said for the hosts. In any case, that's what all the empire's courses said. Tom must have just been an exception. Like me, he was probably far too sensitive and weak. I tried to buy some time.

How did you find out?

I don't see why I would answer you. You said you would release him and I won't forget it.

Bravo bro. You have no chance Thévenin. When he has an idea in mind, it's impossible to make him change his mind.

If you want me to do it, I'm going to need to trust you at least a little. I would like a bit more guarantee than: "If you free my brother, maybe I won't crush you."

I will PROBABLY not crush you.

It's better, but I'm still not convinced. I continued in a more serious tone: you know today's Tom is very different from the one you knew. You probably don't know, but I only acquired Tom very recently. Before, he belonged to another Yeerk.

It’s not an object, it’s a person. It doesn’t belong to you. And it would be much better if you left it alone.

Yes, okay, if you want. I said, not very convinced. But even if I wanted to, I couldn't free him. I'm willing to consider getting out of his head for a few hours in private, but after that, you'll have to put me back in.

He said nothing, but I had no trouble guessing that he didn't consider for a moment allowing me to reinfect, Tom. I continued.

What exactly do you know? Do you know that there are other Yeerks and what they will do to us if they realize what you know? Or if I freed Tom? How do you plan to hide it from them once I'm no longer here?

I saw him hesitate.

I had thought about making people believe that Tom was dead. To stage a car accident and ask others (..). He immediately stopped.

The others, what others? I exclaimed.

If he had already talked about it to other people... Unless it was they who had taught him about the existence of the Yeerk. Maybe there was a whole group of human resistance forming in the shadows to fight the invasion. They had to be made to understand immediately that it was completely futile before they got captured. And I had to report them. Letting a human be free was one thing, but indirectly participating in a rebellion against the empire was another. I was not a traitor.

We are thousands and we are going to kick your ass. He said aggressively.

Whew. So they are only a handful. No doubt other children like him. That reassures me. They are harmless.

Listen, I understand that you told your friends, but it was really a very bad idea. This is not a game. They must not repeat it to anyone. I assume you only told Marco and Rachelle. Are they still your closest friends? They need to be very careful. There are controllers everywhere. For example, the deputy principal of your school is a controller. I revealed it in the hope of gaining his trust.

No, they are not aware at all. He said, panicked. Far too much for me to believe him. I ignored him and continued.

And your plan has no chance of working. At the slightest doubt, the procedure is to forcibly infest the entire family. And then, they will immediately see in your memories where Tom is hiding. And you will never manage to convince your parents that the invasion is real and that they need to flee. And anyway, Tom would have nowhere to hide. We are everywhere. He would inevitably end up meeting another Yeerk and getting recaptured. No host has ever managed to escape the empire.

That's what you say.

Listen, if there were an alternative that didn't put me in too much danger, I promise you I would release Tom (what was I thinking saying that). But for now, there is no other choice. And I promise you that I treat Tom well. You can ask him yourself.

I opened the nightstand drawer. Pushed the handcuffs and the GHB into a corner hoping he wouldn't notice them and took a water bottle. Although on second thought. I took them and threw them in Jack's direction.

Here, you might need it.

What?

As I told you, Tom has changed a lot. He was greatly damaged by his first Yeerk. The first time I gave control to Tom he (...)

(DON'T TELL HIM!)

(Why? If you attempt suicide again, he needs to be able to stop you.)

Things have changed. I no longer have any desire to do that. Look into my mind.

(You didn't want it either before I gave you control. It hit you suddenly when you saw an opportunity.)

Do you think I would do that in front of my little brother?

The argument was convincing, but I wasn't completely convinced.

(Please)

Okay

In short, GHB will help him/her cope with the re-infestation.

He was wringing his hands hesitantly, but finally said while I was trying to muster the courage to take the plunge.

How come you have that in your room?

Ask Tom, I don't understand anything about human sexual preferences.

He dropped the handcuffs in disgust and I left Tom's brain amid his insults, laughing (yes, Yeerks can laugh).

I fell into the gourd that I had pressed against Tom's ear. There, it was done. All I had to do was wait and hope that Tom would keep his promise and that his brother would be reasonable.

oOoOoOoOo

After two hours, I began to worry. After three hours, I was in total panic. And by the fourth hour, I was resigned to dying of hunger.in this gourd. But finally, I felt the gourd move and I saw that it was now stuck against an ear. I rushed over and found that it was indeed Tom.

Finally, what took you so long? I was panicked.

(Sorry)

"Is that all you have to say?" I replied aggressively.

What else do you want me to say? And at least this way, you know what it's like to be at someone else's mercy.

(Me, I am a Yeerk)

(And then)

I gave up trying to make him understand that the Yeerk were a superior race and that it was not natural to reverse the roles like that.

I tried to move Tom's body, but I couldn't. I then noticed that he was handcuffed to the heating pipe and that Jack was holding the canteen pressed against my ear.

It's okay, I have control. You can release me.

He looked at me with disgust.

I'm not sure I want to.

But he nevertheless untied me. Once I was on my feet, I began to search Tom's memory to find out what had happened during my absence.

(Please, don't look. It's private.)

(I need to know what happened. How could I know if he won't get us into trouble otherwise)

(If it won't get you into trouble, you mean?)

He was much more aggressive towards me than before. Was it because I had planned to deliver his brother or because of what Jack had told him during my absence? I was even more determined to view his memories, but I replied to him:

I am not your enemy, Tom. Okay, I won't look at them.

(And don't look either while I'm sleeping)

(How do you know? I mean, you can't realize it anyway. What you don't know can't hurt you?)

So Jack was right. How many times have you lied to me to manipulate me and make me your obedient little dog?

(It was necessary, Tom. I knew you would suffer if you knew, but I needed his information. I didn't want to hurt you.)

(It is not enough to have good intentions for it to be right. How do you expect me to trust you after that?)

(Sorry. I promise that from now on if I have to see one of your memories, I will do it when you are conscious. Or if it's painful, I will ask for your permission to do it at night.)

Why should I believe you?

I had nothing to say to that.

I heard their parents come home. They had undoubtedly handed me over only because they were about to return. Considering how Tom welcomed me, I should probably consider myself lucky that he didn't throw me in the toilet. I went downstairs and, to Tom's great dismay, I played his own role in front of his parents better than he could now. I felt his burning desire to take control. Apparently, his few hours of autonomy, far from satisfying him, had only intensified his desire for freedom (and his resentment towards me). To think that before this story, he had started to appreciate me and trust me.

During the meal, we had gotten into the habit of exchanging a few words, and I often repeated what he wanted to say, but now he flatly refused to speak to me. And he flatly rejected my attempts to give him a mental hug. Good God, what ingratitude. After all I had done for him. But despite all the bitterness his attitude inspired in me, I missed him. I wanted us to put this horrible week aside and regain our closeness. He is the only person who truly appreciated me.

Tom, now that your brother is aware, there's no need to hide your nightmares from him anymore. I could sleep outside your head, and in the morning, he will put me back inside you. That way, you'll be sure I'm not reading your memories without your consent.

And I don't say it, so as not to upset him, but sleeping separately would also be a real delight for me. He responded with enthusiasm.

(Really? Thank you very much. Jack will no doubt say that I shouldn't thank you for giving me the right to use my own body, but I suspect it must not be easy for you)

Don't thank me. It's just a way to get back at Grouchy Smurf. Now, he's the one who will be woken up several times a week.

Jack sneezed.