I’m nervous about staying in you for too long.
It was a bit late to think of that now! Anger surged and Kaden clenched his fists. Joe had nearly killed him entering his body, and maybe the same would happen when he came out. When Joe didn’t respond to that, Kaden’s throat closed up.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Joe kept repeating the same thing over and over, and hearing him upset made Kaden upset too. But gradually, he calmed. He could guess why.
Back in his bedroom, Kaden sat on the edge of the bed and waited. The silence stretched until Joe finally spoke.
The longer I stay inside you, the more I bond and blend with you. I don’t know enough to be certain that I’m not changing you in some way. That worries me. I never meant to put you in danger.
“You need to come out of me.”Now!Fear lurched inside Kaden, then settled again.
Yes. Not now but soon.
“What will you be like when you come out?”
Like you, same age, probably skinnier.There was a hint of excitement in Joe’s voice.I can adjust my features so we’re not identical.
Kaden nodded, trying to picture it. “I’m worried about how you’ll manage. You’ll need food, clothes, a place to stay. Money. An identity.” He chewed his nail then pulled his finger away from his mouth. “The world can be… complicated.”
Dangerous?Like on television? People with guns? Things blowing up?
“Sometimes,” Kaden said carefully. “But it’s not always obvious danger. Most people are good—really good. They help each other. But there are some who don’t. And they don’t always look like villains.” He paused, choosing his words. “You’re kind and open. That’s a good thing. It’s just something people might try to take advantage of.”
Joe was silent, listening.
“We spend our entire lives learning how to read people. When to trust, when to step back. Even then, we don’t alwaysget it right.” He gave a small, self-aware laugh. “I want to believe the best in everyone. Even Harris. I should have known better, but…”
You have a kind heart.
Kaden smiled despite himself. “Thank you. I just want you to be safe when you come out of me. You won’t be alone, okay? I’ll help you. We’ll figure this out together. I can help you learn—not just facts, but how humans feel. And you can ask me anything. Anytime.”
After a moment, Joe replied,Then I think I’ll be all right.
And for the first time since the conversation began, Kaden felt something steady settle in his chest—not fear, but hope.
Why didn’t your friends warn you about Harris?
“Because I didn’t tell them he’d hurt me. What they saw, they didn’t like. I should have finished with him that first time. But I believed him when he said he’d never do it again, said that he was sorry. He begged me to forgive him and I did. More than once and I’m ashamed of that. I made a mistake.”
He could have killed you.
Kaden felt Joe stroking his back.
“He wouldn’t have.” Kaden tried to keep his thoughts positive. “But it does happen. People getting bent out of shape and rage consuming them. They lose control.”
What chance do I have if you can’t see the truth in people?
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to desert you. You’ll have to stay with me. But only one person is supposed to live here. The landlord’s flat is on the top floor so if he sees two of us coming and going, I’ll be in trouble. I can’t afford to rent anything larger at the moment. The bigger problem is that if the police stopped you, for whatever reason, you wouldn’t be able to prove you were entitled to be in this country. If they thought you were British,you’d have no explanation for where you’ve been living and why you have no ID. I don’t know what they’d do.”
Would they eliminate me?
“No, we don’t do that. Not anywhere in the world that I know of. You haven’t done anything wrong, but they’d want to know where you came from. They’d expect answers they could believe. If you said you were from another planet, they’d think you were being deliberately awkward or maybe that you had a mental illness. You could claim to have lost your memory but that probably happens a lot. People claiming that, I mean. They might put you in a hospital. Or prison. They’d definitely take your fingerprints and check databases.”
My fingerprints need to be different to yours?
“Yes. Everyone in the world has different fingerprints, even identical twins. Would your DNA be the same as mine?”
