Sleep would not come. I sighed and rolled over. I looked around my room. Did I mention my name? My name is Cora. Just Cora. No, no, no. I'm kidding. Unlike the other Animorphs, I will tell you my name. I'm embarrassed by it. It's too sweet. Coral S. Monsalls. Yep. That is an odd name, isn't it? Anyway, to get back to the subject. I was trying to sleep. I looked around my room. I saw my dresser with my fish tank. I saw my other dresser with my big radio. I saw my desk and Morgan's desk and her dresser, her, her bed, our TV and my ceiling. Morgan (if you haven't noticed) is my older sister who is sixteen years of age. I closed my eyes and focused on the silence, which was filled in by the sounds of my fish tank. Hmmm, maybe I should get a Mandy Moore or Ricky Martin fish? I'll bet N Sync and Britney are getting pretty lonely. I thought. If you haven't noticed, I've named my fish after N Sync and Britney Spears. No, no, I can't even tell apart the fish I all ready have. It's enough to make you grab a fish out of mid swim, take a Magic Marker and wildly print their name on their side.
I looked away. I won't tell you my middle name. I don't like it. So there. I looked at the wall and turned, holding Mr. Teddy Bear in my arms. I'd had it. I was getting up. I got up and got dressed. Not including my shoes. I walked out into the hall, onto a clean floor. I glanced at my parents, (Donna and David) and at my brother's room. My brothers are four year old Austin and six year old Sam. I like my family, but maybe it was time for an eternal jog. You know, run away. No shoes, no rules… yes, yes, I'd bring my morphing necklace with me.I was also going to get something to eat. I came in the kitchen. What had I came in here for? Oh, well. I walked through my home, my clean home, since my entire family is made up of neat freaks.
I walked outside. It cool and kinda warm. Was I really ready for this? I mean, I couldn't leave my friends; Jake, my eternal enemy, Rachel, my brave friend, Tobias, the odd one, Cassie the Animal Lover, Marco, my cousin, Ax, the Andalite, Reggie, my cute boyfriend, Maryanne, one of my best friends, Amanda Mrs. I didn't know I was an Andalite, and her twin brother Mr. I'm eleven and act like I'm five, (when his real name is Shad)
Ann, our psychic blonde girl and my friend. And my non Animorphs friends: Aimee my best friend, Raquel, my red headed friend, Flare, her cousin, Emily friend of my other enemy, April (shudder, shudder) the snot of all snots, Veronica, my oddball cousin who is so strange, and Emma, my supermodel friend. That's all of them and I didn't want to leave them. I walked, walked past Aimee's house, past Raquel's house, past Maryanne's house. I saw the light's off. That's how it had been since Maryannes's dad was murdered. Her mom works late since her dad is gone and Maryanne is always up stairs doing something. I feel sorry for her. Keep walking, keep walking. Don't have any
Shoot! Stupid fence! I almost screamed. Someone was here. Ah, well, they couldn't make me go back. What if, nah.
" Ah hah! Here we are!" I was at the beach. I climbed to a large rock. It looked over the ocean. I was about to jump when:
" Hello!" Said a voice and I almost lost my balance.
Ann
" Don't do it!" I cried. " Think of your future, your friends, your… your… Reggie! Think of him! Think of marrying him and becoming billionaire! Just don't jump!" I was talking Cora out of jumping.
She narrowed her dark eyes. She stood there, moonlight shining off her dark black hair.
" Hmmmm! Maybe you're right. Then again, maybe you're wrong in a way." Cora boggles my mind sometimes. Why would I be wrong?
" Tell me in two sentences or more, why am I wrong?"
" I never said you were wrong or you were right. It's in a matter of opinion. Are you right? Are you wrong? It all is based upon what my future actions are." Now that wasn't what I had in mind, but good point.
" Um, well, come on." I looked at Cora again She looked like Marco, maybe a faint girl version only prettier. You can't call Cora ugly. It's a crime almost. She is a model. She has her hair cut up like a boy's, above her ears. So I guess she does resemble a boy, only from behind.
" Okay you win. I got one question. You were follin' me weren't ya'? You was, wasn't ya'?" She asked. Cora has a southern accent. She can be proper and use correct English. She can be serious one minute and really funny the next. She turned to start to get down and she tripped. And before I could get her, she dropped and fell. Her scream alone could make your blood run cold. Her scream pierced the cold, silent night air. It echoed. She screamed as she dropped to her watery death.
Reggie
" Wake up and go to school just to impress the girls. And Cora." My alarm clock went off. I rolled out of bed and went to my closet. One of those closets you press a button and the clothes rotate. I chose something to wear and put it on. I went and- wait a second. Do you think I hold up bathroom? Ha, Ha! Then I was holding up one of our sixty bathrooms. Let's see, it's hard to hold up sixty bathrooms at
a time. I came down and piled into my limo.
Ah, my shiny limo. You haven't experienced luxury till you've rode in a limo. I was at school. I got out and went into the school.
" REGGIE!" Marco cried as soon as I got in there.
" What? What? Who died? Did Jake die? Please God please. What?" I cried.
" Cora is missing."
" Oh ****!" I said.
" Yeah, I feel your pain. No one knows what happened to her. And Ann won't use her 'ability' either. M. A. believes that Ann knows something we don't and she won't tell."
Cora
I woke up. I was wet. I was cold and tired and… who was I?
Was I a person? Where was I? Huh? What? Did I have no past? Was this even the same year? What day was it? What time was it? What millennium was it? I got up and walked and almost fell. Under me was water. I sat and let my feet hang in the water, trying to figure out a plan.
What in the world was this oddball necklace doing here?
What the heck was a necklace anyway? Who was Cora? The name kept playing over and over in my head like a man that was obsessed with music and playing a certain song over and over. What was a song? I got up. Could I swim? What in the heck was 'swim' anyway?
" Oh well, you live only once." I said and said my motto. What was a motto? I jumped into the water. Faintly I remembered how to swim. I just er… cough, cough, couldn't remember. I was drowning. What was drowning? Heck, I didn't even know my name or anything so what was I doing in the water?
" Hey, little girl!" Little girl? How old was I? He pulled me out.
" Thanks!" I said.
" Aren't you supposed to be in school?" The boy was no older than I was.
" Why aren't you in school? What is school?" I asked.
" Um, I asked you first. School is a place for learning."
" What is learning? I can't remember."
I said.
" Who am I? Where am I? Who are you?" I asked suddenly.
" Learning is where you learn stuff like math, science, history, and the list goes on. Did you bump your head or something?" He asked.
" I can't remember. The name Cora is of some meaning to me. Maybe it is my name?" I asked.
" Well, while you figure that out, I'll tell my name. My name is David." He said.
Marco
I got through the day okay. As soon as I got home, I went M. A.'s house. That's Maryanne's nickname. I knocked on her door. She came to it.
" Oh hi! Come in! Quick!" She said. I came in.
" So, what's this theory?" I asked.
" That Ann knows something. That's what." She said.
" Why would Ann be hiding something from us? Darn it! Where is Ashley when you need her?" I asked again.
" Cause she might have murdered Cora."
" Why Ann?" It took about a second to click in. "Jake! Jake hates Cora. Once when we were about eleven, Cora came to visit us. She was a nightmare. She fought with Jake. Even though Jake didn't live with us, I saw him about everyday. And it was horrible. No, he wouldn't do that. Amanda and Shad had no grudge against Cora, you're her best friend, I didn't do it, Cassie didn't do it, Rachel didn't do it and Reggie
didn't and Ax didn't and Tobias didn't so I guess I does leave her."
" How do we know it was an Animorph? How do we know she's dead?" Maryanne had a very good point. How did we know?
" Well, we should get up a search."
" Right. Animorphs on the job. Who will lead…" I asked.
" Reggie will. He's second in command." She was right. I sighed and didn't look forward to going home.
" Mom! I'm home!" I called.
" Hi hon. We're going out tonight with Cora's family, to calm them. Don't worry." My mom, if you didn't know, was back.
" You have to baby-sit Laura." Oh man! I forgot! We had to search for my stupid cousin and I forgot all about having to baby-sit Laura!
Rachel
I was in my bedroom, trying comfort Sarah, my little sister. Jordan had told her something that scared her and I was playing peacemaker.
" Now, what did Jordan say?" I asked Sarah.
" She…she said that if I was alone, a troll would take a pencil and a piece of paper and write a creepy message and then after it scared me, it would eat me!" She said, through sobs.
" JORDAN! That was not very nice." Then, I noticed she wasn't watching me. She was staring at the pencil and the piece of paper on my night- stand. We got up and stared. It was writing it's self. It wrote:
Watch out Rachel, cause David is back!
I watched it and heard a large sound as Sarah fainted and fell to the floor.
Jake
I came into Rachel's house. I heard Rachel upstairs and I went into her room. Jordan was staring at a piece of paper, Rachel was crying and Sarah was out cold on the floor.
" What happened?" I asked.
" It came true." Jordan said. Rachel got up and whispered something to me.
" Jake, oh my Gosh! Jake, he's back. David is back." I looked at her.
" But that doesn't explain." She told me why everything was like this.
" Oh." Was all I could think to say.
Cora
" Well, there are other words too." I said. We were sitting on a large rock.
" Like what?"
" Um, Reggie, Limo, date, Morgan, karate, singing, piano, And Animorph." I said. His face went pale.
" What did you say?"
" Animorph. Animorphs. Morph. Animorphs." I said, trying to remember.
" Do you know where they are?"
" Who?"
" The Animorphs!!!"
" Um, maybe I'll…" Flash! I was in a barn. Animals were everywhere and an Auburn haired girl and a short dark haired boy were there. We were in there with other's, but I didn't know who they were.
" Good. Good." Oh no! I'd said that out loud!
" Now, let's go find those Animorphs and we'll get your memory back." He said and smiled. He was nice.
Ax
Now, tell me Ann, where were you on the September seventh, 1884? Who is president? Am I an Andalite? Will answer my idiotic questions? I asked.
" What does any of this have to do with Cora?" I asked.
" To answer your questions. She wasn't born, Bill Clinton and yes." Reggie said. I looked puzzled.
" Now, Ann, you say, you have or know the whereabouts of Cora? Is this true?" Reggie asked. " Tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you dictionary." He said, setting a large book on a table.
" My name is Ann, I'm fourteen years old, I am psychic,
I am a blonde, No, I don't like cheese, and I think that humans are stupid." She said.
I agree. I said to her privately.
" Hey! I resent that!" Reggie said, outraged. " Besides, I didn't mean that kind of truth. I meant the truth!"
" Oh. Um, well she…was abducted by a man named Sherman." Ann said.
" What? How do you know that?" Cassie asked.
" Um, I heard him?" Ann tried.
" Nice try kiddo, but it ain't gonna make the cut. Now tell us, do you know of Cora's whereabouts?" Reggie asked.
" Why are you all over me?" Ann cried.
" Because, you said " I think I know", but really you don't. So why did you say that?" Cassie asked. " But do you know where she was last night, so to give us a clue?"
" Um, no."
" Then keep ya' mouth shut!" Reggie said. " You got us all hyped up thinking " Oh, we're going to find Cora", we ask you, you say " Oh dear Reggie, I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about" when everyone knows you have so big secret and you're lying to us about to probably save your own hide!" When Reggie said it, he got really mad I guess, because he was flinging his arms around.
Cora
" Well, I'm not exactly sure where."
" Are they in a barn? Do they live in this town? Is Rachel still alive? What?" He said.
" Um, what question should I answer first?" I asked. " David, I just don't know!"
" Fine, fine. Think Cora! When was the last time you saw them? What is your last and maybe only memory of any of them?"
" Uh…" I thought. FLASH! " I was on a rock, preparing to jump, when this girl, with light blonde hair comes up and talks me out of it. I say okay and trip and fall."
" And what happens after that?"
" Uh, I wake up, find you, we are on the beach and you say…" I started but he looked mad.
" Fine. We'll morph and find them." He said and morphed into some bird. So did I.
Well, if I can recall, the barn is over this way. David said.
Okay! Maybe I can lead you there!
Great!
Jake
I called everyone to the barn. All eleven of us. It was horrible, Rachel was rambling on how David was going to kill her, Cassie was trying to calm her, Reggie was shouting at Ann and Ann was crying, Ax was in a corner and kept shouting about Primitive human beings!
" Okay, everyone, CHILL!" I said. Almost as if by magic, they automatically stopped.
Hah hah! I voice called out. I recognized that voice. It was the voice of David.
Rachel
" Noooo!" I cried as he demorphed and was finally human and so was… Cora?
" Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha. I have found you my little Animorphs!" He morphed back and flew.
" Get him!" Jake shrieked.
" Heh, heh, heh." I said. I looked at Cora. She looked confused.
" Who are you?" Cora said as Reggie hugged her. " Get off me!"
" I'm Reggie, remember?"
" No, I don't." I was fully morphed now. I winged to the sky, flying up, up, up and never stopping.
Ahhhhhh! He yelled as I raked him with my talons.
Heh! Thought you were tough, eh?
Yeah, I am! Now prepare to die, Rachel. He said,
Noooo! Tobias said as he flew at me.
Cassie
Cora looked at Reggie.
" Who are you people?" She said.
" I'm Reggie…duh Cora. You should know that." He stared at her. Then, I guess it clicked.
" Oh, my Gosh! You…oh, I'm sorry Cora. I'm sorry." He hugged Cora again.
" What? Why are you hugging me?" She asked.
" Cora, you lost your…" I began.
" Mind?" Marco inquired suddenly. I glared at Marco.
" You lost your memory." I said as simple as it was.
" Oh, my Gosh. I did? Oh, and I led that evil person here, didn't I?" I nodded. " Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know…I remember I used to hate you." She pointed at Jake.
" Oh, well." He said. " Odd, the only memory the poor girl has is of hating me." I laughed
" To make it up, I'll stop David myself. I finally figured out how to work this necklace." She used the necklace to morph faster. She flew out of sight as I saw Jake morph.
Jake
Noooo! Cora! Don't! Whoa. What am I saying? Go, Cora! I said.
" Jake!" I heard Maryanne say. Maryanne is one of Cora's friends.
Hey! Maryanne, Amanda, Shad, Reggie, come with me. Who ever is left behind, go another way. We'll catch him there. Besides, where is he going? I said.
" I think the beach!" Maryanne cried as I flew out of sight.
Cora
I followed that horrible beast called David. He was going to the beach.
Hey, butthead! He looked at me. Yeah, you.
Cora! I heard Rachel say. Or who they called Rachel.
Yes?
This is my mission.
Can I help?
No! I sighed. I couldn't do anything but demorph. I did. I was on the beach, in the sand, running. I climbed on a big rock. Then, I heard something. It was David, running at me.
Amanda
Hey, isn't that Cora? I said as we came to the beach. We flew down and demorphed.
" Yeah. Oh, my Gosh! Look!" Reggie cried. She was falling, well teetering, on the edge of a rock. He was coming for her.
" Noooo!" I cried. He pushed her. They both fell. David, to the water, and Cora, to the sand.
Reggie
She hit the ground with a little thud. Unconscious, maybe alive, I didn't know. I ran to her. Her eyes fluttered open.
" Reggie, what is going on?" I heard a scream. Then everyone ran up to see it. Rachel.
Rachel was on the rock with him. David was holding on.
" Had enough?"
" Yeah." She kicked him. Just kicked him. He flew back, hit a rock, and sank.
" Good, justice has been served." She smiled wickedly.
" And Cora got her memory back." I said.
" You know what? I still don't know what I came in the kitchen for." She said as we walked away.