I am a genius even if no one else can see it, sorry but I'm going to skip the whole 'my name is Marco' thing, I mean it makes me feel like I'm at one of those AA

meetings, you know Animorphs Anonymous. Besides right now I am basking in the glow of my own intellect. Not only is everyone excited about the new uniforms, my

idea, (though Rachel says she's not, but I know she secretly is, she's just is jealous, that she, the queen of fashion, didn't think of it), but I was also just coasting off

my great play with Lydia, and explaining to Ax why it was so well played. Ax naturally in his human morph, a mixture of all the Animorph DNA, except for Tobias, was

walking next to me, in what I took to be a confused look on his face.

"I don't understand," He said once more

"She just digs me," I explained.

I had been hanging out with Ax a lot more, ever since that incident in which a future Cassie destroyed the Escafil device, Jakes been

too busy doing 'guy stuff' to hang out with me. Which naturally translated into hanging out with Cassie, I guess the incident has upset her or something.

"But I she has no excavation instrument embedded in you." Ax pointed out.

Now don't get me wrong, its great hanging out with an alien and all, but I just never now when Ax is kidding. I mean either the guy is a comic genius for putting us in

this awkward position with his so called 'misunderstanding' of human euphemisms, or he is about in touch with our frame of reference as Spock is with his emotions.

"Dude, she likes me, that's all I'm saying."

"If she liked you why did she why did she insight, Cite, Sight, In-sigh-tuh, such a fun word, insight violence on you."

"Yeah, Ax insight is quite the rage in Europe these days," I said automatically. "I guess you just don't understand the adolescent human female. Its ok, most people, humans and aliens included don't. The reason she called me a pig, and slapped the backside of my head is her fear. That's right, her fear that someone may realize that she likes me, and due to her insecurities, she can't display such vulnerability."

Ax still had his face contorted in a weird expression after I explained to him in full detail why he and the rest of the Animorph society were wrong about Lydia's

feelings for me. Although he assured me he understood, but I wasn't convinced. I was going to continue our discussion on how a good wing man would act in such a

situation that we were going into, when I spotted Erek.

Erek King looks like a normal boy, the same age as me, but I assure you he is older than the pyramids of Egypt. He's not even human, and I am not entirely sure he'd

be a guy either, or whether or not the Chee had genders or not. But one thing was for sure when ever you saw Erek you could be sure there was trouble a foot.

"Remember in grade school, when you used to be fun?" I asked as he approached

"Remember when your jokes used to be good? Besides I was never fun." He quipped

"Hey, my jokes are good."

"Well not immature and childish I guess."

"So what brings you here, besides spoiling me and the Ax-man's fun?" I said, rubbing my hands together, putting on my best Jake impression.

A shimmer went up, and Erek was no longer in his human form, but five foot Pemalite made of what appeared to be steel and ivory, a Chee. An android of the

Pemalite, and all that was left of their extinct ancient race. Because Erek had dropped his hologram I could tell he had raised a larger one encompassing both Ax and

I.

"I have a message for all the Animorphs." He said.

"Great and just when I got my driver's license, I always had a feeling that I'd never use it."

"It is for all of you," he continued "you must all see it together."

"Yeah no problem, we'll just send around a flyer at school announcing the next Animorph meeting at the Barn so all controllers know where to apprehend 4 kids, a

hawk, an alien and an android," I said sardonically.

"Don't worry we've got it covered, in case you haven't heard, which I assume you haven't there is a pool party at my house this weekend. Marco, I am surprised with

circles of friends as prestige's as yours you haven't heard about it."

"Ha ha, I didn't know you guys had a pool."

"Just got it"

"You put in a pool for a cover, just for a meeting?"

"You'd be surprised what a platoon of androids can do in a day."

I was about to make a crack about Skynet, but thought the better of it, see the Chee are peaceful and non-violent, their programming would never allow them to

hurt a fly. None of them have ever committed anything as heinous as a murder that is until Erek used the Pemalite crystal to reprogram himself. He killed over a

dozen Hork-Bajir and probably thirty humans, in less time that it takes you to blink your eye. It was so awful that he changed his programming back and had us

dispose of the crystal. He said the memory will remain fresh in his mind for all eternity. So I figured it would be best not to rub salt in the wound by to bringing up

homicidal androids.

Erek filled us in about the details of the pool party, and then we parted ways. Luckily it was the beginning of the week so we'd have plenty of time to insert a party

into our schedules. Sadly due to the very strange nature of our meeting at the King's place we ended up having a meeting at the Barn anyways. The barn actually is

the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic Cassie's dad runs, she helps out too. It has come in great for giving us a place to meet, as well as acquire new morphs for various

missions. Plus it was always full of hay furniture.

"I just don't understand," Continued Jake, "why wouldn't he just come here and tell us what's going on, like he normally would." He continued pacing back and

forth, rubbing his temples vigorously, like he was trying to figure out a Rubik's cube. Tobias was over head, in the rafters in his hawk morph, or his 'normal' body I

guess.

Ever since he got his morphing powers back he always returns to his nothlit form of a hawk. I don't think he feels bad about it either, before when he still was a

human, he could hardly stand to be one, he would always be enjoying his hawk morph. And it has come in handy for us, because he is trapped in his hawk morph, he

stays up in the rafters looking out for approaching people, as we have our exciting meetings. Ax was also present at this meeting, normally he isn't involved with

every little meeting we have, and it's just too hard for him. But because of the extreme nature of the situation he was also present. So we were all there at the barn

planning our next save the world adventure, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, I couldn't stand it.

"You know," I began, "I have no idea what lolling in the hay is, but I think I do it every time we come here."

"That's about all you do." Rachel shot back.

Seeing Rachel take the bait, I figured I would continue our banter for a while.

"Look all I'm saying is, there's always a pink one, in every superhero team, I mean look at the Power Rangers." I said indicating Rachel's morphing uniform, "And

since you're the girliest I just think it makes since that you should wear it."

I saw her pupils dilate as the last words slipped off my tongue. It was the last thing I saw for awhile, since my head was being held inside a hay bale for the next

minute or so.

"What!" She cried in mock horror, at least I assume it was mock horror. She then proceeded to plant my head in the hay bale and ask "Who's the girliest now?"

"Your right Xena," a muffed cry sprang from the bale "your suit should match the color of your heart." She had kept her suit black, like her old morphing uniform.

Eventually we ended up finishing up the meeting without actually accomplishing anything except giving everyone a big case of the willies. I just was hoping Erek was

over reacting to something. Of course he wasn't … he never does.