By: Boo
Chapter One
Aximili
I looked at the equation I had written with my tail-blade on the cave ground. It made sense, surely it did.
Marco was sleeping soundly towards the back of the cave, out of the elements and out of harm's way. His head rocked to the other side.
The equation looked reasonable. But I was just a youth, I was not sure that what I had told the others. True the pain may cut into Marco's focus not allowing him to morph. But there was the possibility that it wouldn't work. A state of paralysis settles in, signals may not make it to the brain to the rest of the body. His upper body would morph but not lower.
I wasn't sure to reveal this information to everyone. It would cause panic and possibly more distrust. On the other hand, there could be no problem and I could be worrying over nothing.
I had promised my prince that all my knowledge was his to share. To keep Marco from becoming panicced I called prince Jake and Rachel along side.
"What is it Ax?" Prince Jake asked me.
I avoided making eye contact with Rachel. I only looked at Jake. {Prince Jake, I have been thinking over the complication with Marco. But the paralysis can work to ways. It can allow him to demorph, or it can be that the nerve endings are cut off from the brain and he would not morph completely. Marco may be paralyzed for life.}
I twisted on stalk eye and looked at Rachel. Her face was turning red, as if she might strike me for my information. But in the corners of her were beginning to tear.
A horrible mistake had been made.
And it was my fault, entirely my fault.
Chapter Two
Jake
I didn't know what to do. Ax was blaming himself and Rachel looked as if she were going to cry; and kill Ax at the same time.
I didn't know what I was going to do. My best friend would be paralyzed! What could I do? It wouldn't affect our friendship, but he couldn't help up in our battle against the Yeerks. Someone would have to take his place.
And Marco's father.
He had suffered enough with the loss of his first wife. Now his second wife and he would suffer together.
Marco was awake now. Just resting but eyes open. Rachel walked past him farther into the cave to be alone.
"Xena? The great warrior princess? Crying? The Earth must be flat."
She looked at him angerly. "Don't I have permission to cry Marco? Sorry I didn't ask first."
He watched her blow by then looked at me with a sort of questioning half grin on his face. "What's her problem?"
I settled down next to him. "Marco," I began, "Ax told me, he was checking up on his knowledge. Marco, you're paralyzed from the waist down. And Ax doesn't think you can morph out of it."
He laughed, like I was joking. Once he saw I wasn't laughing and Rachel's now river of tears. He spoke, trying to cover his pain on the inside. "I guess I can't die kicking, only screaming now, huh?"
Rachel got up and pushed him back grabbing his collar. "Don't you get it you bastard? You're a dead man!"
Marco pushed back, beginning to have little shakes go through him. "Why are you so upset? You're not the paralyzed one! You're fine! Go mall-crawling air head! You can, I can't." Rachel looked away and Marco layed down. "Just, leave me alone, let me rest. I'm tired."
Rachel turned away suddenly, sending a flash of her tear streaked face. She exited and began to run away as fast as she could. I chased after her. What would she do?
Chapter Three
Rachel
I ran, and I wouldn't stop running. How dare he not be upset? He was paralayzed! Not just out of commicion for a few minutes. He was dead.
How could we even get him home? If we ever got home? What would his parents think? Sorry, but, all of a sudden your son is paralayzed. It's because a psyco Cassie look alike threw him over a cliff. The look alike actually was this dude let out by the Yeerks. Shit, who'd believe that?
I stopped and looked around at my surroundings. There was a cliff, the one Marco fell off. I'm suprised he didn't kill himself during that fall.
My life was terrible. Marco, paralyzed. Cassie gone. Ax, the Andalite idiot who caused so much of this trouble. Tobias, my boyfriend the bird. I could end all this pain so easily. Just jump off and kill myself.
What was I thinking?
Death was the easy way out, the way for wusses. I was going to take it like a man, a woman. But I could get the fuckin' problem twin. Cishtu. Heck, it was like getting Cassie. Yeah she worked on a farm and is probably strong enough, but I could take Cishtu easily.
That's what I'd do. Get Cishtu. That was the plan.
Behind me bushes rustled. I hear a voice. "Rachel?" It was Jake.
I stared at him angerly, "What are you doing here?"
"Rachel, you got up and left. I was supposed to wait for you to come out here and get lost and be next on the bitches list?"
I looked away. he was right.
He walked in a circle around me to see my face. "So are you coming back?"
I knew Jake wouldn't let me get Cishtu alone, but I didn't want Jake's help or anyone elses.
I looked from the ground to him. "I'll be back in a few minutes Jake. I just need a few minutes."
Chapter Four
Cishtu
The boy. In front of my very eyes ws changing. He was going from a boy to a bird. A bird!
Strangly enough, I felt as if it weren't a normal thing to do. He was just like me though. Coudln't I do it too?
I focused on a bird. A bird like the boys, an owl, I think.
First my arms and legs grew feathery patterns on them. My eye sight changed. I could see everything clearly in the night sky. I felt I was dropping, falling towards the ground. But I flapped my wings and took off into the night. It worked!
I had finally gained the upper hand.
Chapter Five
Grace
I rode on my horse. "Cassie. How can you possibly find out where your friends are?"
She looked up at me. A normal girl. She told me morphing was tiring and she would walk as long as she could. "In Rusty, the two boys got lucky and saw Sarah from atop a plateau type thing. If I morph a bird and they were anywhere near here I'd see them. The vision is incredible."
I stopped.
"What's wrong?"
I looked at the night sky. Dark storm clouds had rolled in and in the distance I could hear faint thunder. "It's late and looks like it's going to thunder and lightning."
Cassie looked up at the sky. "We should find some shelter for the night. Have you ever been out this far?"
Had I ever been out this far? I'd never been more than seven miles around the house. This was at least eleven. "Um, yeah," I lied. I scanned the area quickly trying to find a place for us to stay the night. "This way."
The storm rolled closer and the rain began to fall. First in a light drizzle, then--
CRACK!
Lightning struck and knocked down a tree branch about four feet from us. She grabbed the reins of the horse and began to lead me. "Come on!" She yelled over the storm.
My stubborness began to set in. Cassie knew I was lost. I pulled in the other direction. "No this way!" I screamed.
I pulled toward the river. It was to the west. But which was west I didn't know. "Where are we going?" She asked, now loose from my grasp.
I kicked off from over the horse. She whinnied and began to rear up on his hind legs. My mind was racing wildly now, making little sense. "In the tree! Up there, get up in the tree!"
She looked at me like I was crazy, her medium length hair was plastered to her face. "What d'you mean, 'Up in the tree?' It could be struck down at any moment!"
She continued to run and reluctantly I grabbed the mare's reins and pulled forward. We reached the river, there was a big wooden danm ahead about to break. "We have to keep moving!" She yelled. The damn was on the verge of breaking and tons of water would come rushing at us.
My horse broke free of my grasp and ran through the muddy and now flooding area. "No!"
She grabbed my wrist. "Come on! We have to move!"
I looked back at her. Then at the damn.
I have a question. Have you ever had it? That deer-looking-into-headlights feeling? And you know something horrible is going to happen but you are stunned and can't move?
That's what happened.
And the water came rushing toward us.
Chapter Six
Ellemist
I looked at this situation. In the nothingness of space I stood, on nothing, looking into nothing and seeing Earth.
There were the six that I tried to help while staying in the limits I had to. They were in peril, Cassandra, in a position. Looking forward into certain death. Could I save her without her dying? I could only aide her. Looking into the certain future, I learned I needent worry about her. Rachel was looking for the one that had put she and her friends in such the position. I feared the worst.
Jake was with the other three. The paralyzed one, Marco. The alien was in distress, depressed. The other Tobias was worried about Rachel, his love.
I could save them, return them home. But they're adventure would not be over. Although one would have to stay behind. And in a way, I knew who would want to stay, and who would.
**Next installment** So who has to stay behind? three guesses! Everyone else is going home, that includes non animorphs . . . i can't think of much more to say about it though. mainly cause im talking to my boyfriend through ims and am sort of, preoccupied. the next one in called 'Gone Again'. some might think that once they get home thats the end, but you far from correct my friends . . .