wanderer or 'wanda' for a nickname - a parasitic alien soul who is inserted into melanie stryder's body. she received her name because of the number of planets she has lived on, having never settled on one she truly liked. she is later nicknamed "wanda" by mel's uncle jeb. initially only interested in enjoying her new life, melanie's love for her brother and boyfriend spills over to wanda and she finds herself abandoning her kind to seek them out in the desert. she slowly develops sympathy for humans, eventually acknowledging that they have a right to their own lives, and attempting to sacrifice herself so that melanie can have her life back. like all souls, she is naturally altruistic, horrified by violence, and finds it difficult to believably lie (to humans). she hates upsetting people and so suffers endlessly trying to be as little of a burden as possible.