We Meet Again
By: Forlay
"Rachel, you should go. You need to go."
I looked down to the invitation I held in my hands, then back to my husband. "I don't see why. I haven't talked to anybody there for years. They probably don't even remember me."
"Of course they will. No one in their right mind could forget you," he said while wrapping me in a hug and kissing my cheek.
I laughed and brushed his sandy brown bangs out of his eyes. "You are such a sweetalker."
"I know," he said with his most charming grin. "And I'm telling the truth, hon, no one could forget you. Now, you call the number and tell them you're going. Get yourself a hotel room and have a relaxing weekend to yourself."
"And I'm supposed to leave you and the kids home for an entire weekend while I'm halfway across the country? Ha, that's a laugh."
"The kids and I will be fine. You haven't seen these people in years. Your friends, your family. When was the last time we went to see them? I know they've never come here. You'd almost think you didn't want to see them anymore. Go. Call." He shoved me towards the phone, then went into the living room where our children, Elyssa and Tom, were watching TV.
"You're closer to being right than you'll ever know," I said with a sigh, sitting down at the table. Mike didn't know anything about what had happened when I was in high school. Naturally, he didn't know about my life as an Animorph, but I'd kept quiet about anything else that had happened in school. I didn't want to re-open the old wounds memories of high school brought. But to see Mom, Sara and Jordan again...maybe, Cassie and Jake, it wouldn't even be bad to see Marco. And it'd be a weekend to myself, Mike could take care of the kids. Hopefully. I picked up the phone and dialed the number given on the invitation.
Two months long months later, Elyssa, Tom and Mike were at the airport waiting to see me off. I gave them all a hug and a kiss and hurried onto the plane, hardly able to wait until it took off. Yes, I had been apprehensive about going home, but now I couldn't wait. Even if the other Animorphs never wanted to talk to me again, I'd at least get to see Mom, Sara and Jordan, that would be worth the trip.
The three hour flight didn't help my anxiety any, I could hardly sit still in my seat. I didn't pay attention to the safety instructions and the flight attendant had to ask me three times if I wanted a snack before she got my attention. I declined and spent the rest of the uninterrupted flight staring out the window at the top of the clouds.
Not a moment too soon, though, the plane touched down. I hurried off the plane, hoping to see Mom waiting for me in the terminal. She hadn't promised anything when I'd called her the day before to remind her when I was coming in, but she was going to try and meet me and give me a ride to her house where I would be staying.
I snaked my way through the clusters of people crowding the exit, hoping to see a familiar face among them. There wasn't one. I waited in a hard plastic chair until I was the only one from my flight remaining in the terminal. With a sigh, I headed towards the baggage claim to pick up my luggage when I heard someone behind me call my name.
I turned around, scanning the crowd for the owner of the voice when I saw the trio of women making their way towards me.
"Mom! Sara! Jordan!" I ran to them, the knapsack that had been my carry on luggage banging against my side, and hugged them all. "It's so good to see all of you! I was worried you weren't going to make it."
"Traffic was awful," Mom explained apologetically. "Come on, let's get your bags and get home. We can eat and talk more there. Oh, unless you just want to rest, Rachel. I know traveling can take alot out of you."
"I'm fine, Mom. Food sounds best to me. Let's go."
My bag was the last on the carousel so I grabbed it quickly and we left the airport to try and find Mom's car in the parking lot.
It took awhile, since Mom had had to park a ways away from the entrance, but we found the car eventually and the four of us piled into it. I felt like I was a kid again, the way we divvied out the seating arrangement. I got front seat, Sara and Jordan squeezed into the back.
We chatted about a variety of things in the car. We called eachother often, but there was so much more to talk about in person, we were so excited to see eachother again.
As we pulled into Mom's neighborhood, Jordan pointed out her window. "Hey, Mom, look who's out walking. Pull over, I think Rachel wants to talk to her."
"Who is it?" I asked as I looked out the windshield to see who she was talking about. Out on the sidewalk a woman was pushing a stroller. She was dressed casually, in a wind breaker and jeans, her hair was cropped close to her head. She looked familiar, but her back was to me so I couldn't see her face. Mom pulled the car to the curb, just behind where the woman had stopped to talk to her baby.
"Go on," Mom urged. "Get out there and talk to her."
Self consciously, I got out of the car and jogged up to the woman as Mom drove off. As I got closer to her, I recognized her easily.
"Cassie?"
She turned around suddenly, wondering who had called her name. It took her only a second to recognize me. "Rachel!"
I grinned and quickly eliminated the last few steps between us. Cassie looked like she was in shock and gave me a tight hug, like she didn't believe I was real.
"What are you doing here? How long have you been here? Where have you been?"
"Whoa, Cass, hold up!" I said with a laugh. "Whatever happened to 'Hello'?"
Cassie laughed too. "I'm sorry, Rach. It's just...I didn't expect to see you around here again any time soon."
"Neither did I," I admitted. "Mike had to force me here kicking and screaming."
"Your husband, right?"
"Yeah. Hey, I'm really sorry that I wasn't here for your wedding.
She shrugged. "It's okay. You were pregnant, I wouldn't have made the trip, either. How are your kids, anyways?"
I smiled, as I always did when I was given the chance to talk about my kids. "They're great. Elyssa's nine and Tom, the one I was pregnant with during your wedding, is six." I was about to say more when the baby in the stroller interrupted with a shriek. Cassie bent over the stroller, cooing to the baby.
"Who's this?" I asked gently, bending over to see in.
The kid wouldn't stop crying so Cassie lifted it out. "This is Mia. Mia, say hello to Aunt Rachel." Mia cried in response.
"I think she likes me," I joked. "May I?" I held out my arms for the squealing Mia. Cassie handed her over to me and promptly started digging through the folds of the blanket in the stroller to find a pacifier.
I talked softly to Mia and bounced her to calm her down. She was just sobbing a little by the time Cassie found the pacifier and gave it to her.
" I think that's my cue to get home, don't you think? I'll have to catch up with you more at the reunion tomorrow." She paused. "You are going to the reunion, right?"
"Why else would I be here? I'll see ya' tomorrow, Cassie."
"See ya', Rachel. It's great having you back, even if not for very long."
I walked up the driveway of Mom's house while Cassie and Mia continued on their walk.
Despite the fact I'd stayed up late talking with Mom, Sara and Jordan, I woke up around six the next morning. The actual reunion wasn't starting untill 10.
Knowing that going back to sleep was impossible, I got up and showered as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Mom.
It took nearly half an hour to finally decide on what outfit to wear. I may be the 30 something wife and mother of two kids, but I still love clothes. And that's how everyone remembers me. Might as well live up to the memories. Those, at least.
All morning I was fidgety. Mom had to tell me to relax countless times, but I never quite could. I couldn't stop asking myself silent questions. How would everyone react? Would they expect the warrior who had helped the end of the war with the Yeerks back in the beginning of high school? Would they even recognize me? Marriage and motherhood change a person. I'd seen it in Cassie yesterday. She wasn't the mild girl I'd left behind, she was a talkative woman with a perfect daughter.
Finally, Mom couldn't stand me anymore. She pushed me out of the house, giving me directions to the bus stop, which I reached just as the bus was pulling up. I dropped my fare in the box and settled into a back seat for the half hour ride to the high school.
I was one of the first to arrive. Apparently, not everyone was as anxious as I was. By now I just wanted to get this whole thing over with. Say hi to old friends, do some minimal catching up, then hole myself up in Mom's guest room untill I left for my flight tomorrow afternoon.
Wandering around the gym, I was assaulted by both greetings from long forgotten acquaintances and the memories I'd had in this room. Practically destroying the place in one of the final battles, torturous gym classes, senior prom, where I was crowned queen and my date, Tobias, king.
Yes, Tobias had graduated high school with us. The ever non interfering Ellimist had aged his human morph, but required him to become a nothlit again. He'd been studying with me for years, so he was even with us. He got records from somewhere, no one knows for sure, but my money's on the Ellimist.
I shook my head at the prom memory. How naive I'd been! I'd thought life couldn't be any better. The Yeerks were gone, I was a teenager in love, and I had just gotten my college acceptance letter. Then I'd left for college, leaving Tobias behind, met Mike, and never looked back.
Why had I abandoned everybody? Those last two years of high school were heaven for us. We could spend the last two years of our lives as kids, and we did. Cassie and Jake were happy, Tobias and I were happy, Ax had gone back to his people and even Marco had a girl friend, as hard to believe as that is. The world knew the Yeerks had come and gone, thanks to the Andalites, but also an anonymous group of human rebels who'd been fighting for four long years before eradicating the Yeerks. No one knew who the rebels were, and that's how the other Animorphs and I wanted to keep it.
"Rachel?"
I froze. I knew that voice anywhere. Stay calm, Rachel, I ordered myself as I turned around to face the tall, handsome man who'd said my name. I hadn't left him on very good conditions, but maybe he was willing to forgive and forget. I hoped he was.
"Hello, Tobias."
He lifted me up in a hug and spun me around a few times while I laughed and beat him on the shoulder playfully, forgetting any apprehension I'd had. "Put me down! I'm a married woman, stop that!"
"You heard her, bird boy, put her down. For all you know, she has that husband of hers ready to pound you."
"Oh, look, it's a midget," I joked as Tobias set me down beside Marco. "This is a high school reunion, not a midget convention."
"Funny, Xena. Okay, where's the guy nuts enough to marry you? Anyone I know?"
"He's halfway across the country with the kids."
"Kids? I'm disappointed. I figured you'd be a Navy SEAL by now, or something like that. Not a mother."
"Glad you approve," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Hey, Marco, and...Tobias?" another person said, coming up behind Marco and Tobias. I couldn't see him, Tobias and Marco were blocking my view, but the owner of the voice elbowed his way into our circle and nearly fainted with shock when he saw me.
"I'm your cousin, Jake, not a ghost," I said after a moment. "Get a grip. Did you expect me to miss my high school reunion?"
Luckily, Cassie saved him from answering by joining us. "Tobias! Wow, two surprises in one reunion."
"You knew Rachel was here already?" Jake asked, getting over his shock.
"I saw her last night on a walk with Mia as Mom was bringing me from the airport."
We started catching up on what we'd all been doing the last 15 years. Cassie, along with being a wife and a mother, was a veterinarian at the Gardens, having taken over her Mom's job. Marco was single, big surprise there, and a fairly successful computer programer. Jake was married, had three kids, and was a CEO at some company I'd never heard of before. Tobias had moved away, too. He was now married and his wife was expecting their first child in about a month. As for work, he was an airline pilot. He'd flown with the air force for about a year before it was dissolved. The world leaders had figured out that the planet needed to be led harmoniously. The Yeerks had been able to infiltrate us easily due to our petty differences. Once everyone realized we really had no reason to fight, armies had been rendered obsolete.
"Geez, I've had a boring life compared to all of you," I said once they'd told their stories.
"What have you been doing, then?" Tobias asked.
"I spent four years in college, majoring in middle school education, but as soon as I'd finished the basics, instead of going on to finish my education, I married Mike and had kids. Now I pass my time teaching gymnastics at the local YMCA and occasional do some modeling for a friend of mine who's a photographer."
As we continued to talk, we were occasionally interrupted by other friends. Lots of people just had to see if the prom king and queen had stuck together since we "had looked so in love that night." We were in love then-with being kids again, not with eachother, although I don't think I realized that untill I met Mike.
Around noon, the gym was nearly filled to capacity. Music, what was now considered oldies, blared from speakers. People were talking, eating and dancing. If you looked beyond the fact that the attendees were the age of school dance chaperones, it could have been one of the dances we'd had in high school.
Abruptly, the music switched off and Melissa Chapman, the senior class president, took the stage. Yes, there was a stage in the gym, don't ask me why.
"Hi everybody," she greeted cheerfully. "It's great to see so many old friends here, isn't it? Isn't it weird how people you thought would do one thing once they'd graduated did something completely different?
"We have five people here today who need to be recognized specially for doing just that. As all of you know, from about the time we were in 7th grade to our sophomore year, Earth was under a silent attack by aliens. And they were repelled by the Andalites, but also a group of humans."
I nearly panicked then. I looked at the rest of the Animorphs. Cassie, Jake and Marco were acting as if nothing was happening, while Tobias' face was white. .He was gripping my arm so hard I was sure I'd have a series of bruises later. I couldn't blame him, though. I was doing the same to him.
"No one knows who these brave people were, or how many of them fought," Melissa continued. "That is, until now.
"We're lucky enough to have the five human members of this group with us today. The majority decided they'd hid the truth long enough and wanted to tell the world who they were in front of their closest friends. So will the Animorphs please come up here?"
I looked at Cassie, Marco and Jake frantically. "What did you three do?!"
"C'mon, Xena, your adoring public awaits," Marco said, pushing me towards the stage.
Reluctantly, I climbed the short stair case leading up the the stage and faced the applauding audience. Jake, being the leader he always was, took the mic. Cassie and Marco looked pretty smug. Obviously, they'd been the ones behind this and hadn't bothered to tell Tobias and I about it since we lived out of state.
"I know we waited a long time to make ourselves known," Jake said. "But we wanted to see how Earth adjusted to the knowledge of the Yeerks before we said who we were."
He turned to Tobias and I. "Two members of the group didn't have a say in the announcement, and judging from the looks on their faces, they aren't too happy about it," I could feel myself blushing at that point as the audience laughed. "But they'll survive. We always did.
"I want to keep this short, but thanks for putting up with us through school. Fighting took alot out of us, and we weren't the most pleasant company sometimes, but it was for our friends we were fighting, and that's why we won."
The gym erupted into another round of applause again as we left the stage. The local newspaper was there, just to write up a quick blurb on the reunion for tomorrow's paper. They had been lurking in the shadows before, but now they had shoved their way up to the front of the crowd, begging for quotes and pictures.
Surrounded by the mass of classmates, I turned accusingly to the instigators of this. "Why did you do that?! You could have warned us at least!" Tobias nodded in agreement.
"What's the fun in that, Xena?" Marco asked. "If you had kept in touch, perhaps we would have told you."
"Now I remember why I moved away, to get away from you," I said, giving him a shove.
We were being swarmed by people. People thanking us for freeing them or family or friends. Trying to guess who had what morph, (everyone thought I had been the tiger, Jake the bear, we both laughed at that.)
Then came the media. Microphones and television cameras were shoved in our faces, questions were fired at us. Someone must have called every paper and TV station in the city. We moved out into the hallway of the school so our classmates could continue the reunion while we held an impromptu press conference.
I didn't get back to Mom's house untill 10 o'clock that night. When I did get there, I found her glued to the TV, watching CNN. They'd already gotten a tape of the conference. Or maybe they'd been there. I couldn't keep track of everyone there.
Mom noticed me watching the screen over her shoulder. She had tears in her eyes. "Rachel...I...oh, hon, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For...well, I don't know. I'm sorry you had to go through the hell that must have been. I'm sorry I didn't realize anything was happening with you..."
I hugged her, "Mom, it's okay, really. It...it wasn't as bad as you imagine. Not for me, at least," I added grimly. "And what would have happened if you had noticed something? I couldn't have told you anything, I didn't know if you were a controller or not."
"What do you mean..."
"That it wasn't hell for me?" I shook my head. "I don't want to go into that right now. Let's just say it was a contributing factor to my never coming to visit. The rest of the Animorphs knew things about me I didn't want to face." I gave her another hug, more for my own comfort that hers, "And now I'm going to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."
Or maybe I wouldn't.
The lawn was swarming with reporters the next morning. Everyone wanted to talk to Xena. Marco had probably told them that. I called the others and the same was happening to them. No one could leave their house. And I had a place to catch that afternoon.
"That's not going to happen," Cassie told me when I explained my problem to her. "I suggest calling Mike and tell him you're not going to be home for awhile."
"I guess that's what I'll have to do," I said resigned. "But my kids are probably freaking right now. Elyssa has always been interested in the rebellion. Always tells me that she would have had the grizzly morph...and now she knows she's the daughter of that rebel. She's probably going to beg to move here."
"Why don't you?"
"Why don't I what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"Move back here. We've all missed you Rachel. You should move back here."
"I don't know...I mean, my family's entire life is based there...I don't know if I could move it all here..."
"If Elyssa suggests it, promise me you'll at least consider it?" Cassie pleaded.
I sighed. "All right. But I won't guarantee anything."
Cassie paused before answering. "I've gotta go, Rachel. I hear Mia waking up. See ya'."
"Bye." I hung up and dialed the number for my place.
"Hello?"
"Elyssa? It's Mom--"
"Mom! Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me? Or Dad? You were the grizzly bear, right? I knew it! You are definitely a bear person--"
"Elyssa!" I interrupted, trying to sound stern but I couldn't keep the laughter out of my voice. "Is Dad there? I need to talk to him."
"Sure, Mom. What ya' gonna be home?"
"That's what I'm going to talk to Dad about. Go get him for me."
"'Kay." I heard Elyssa set down the phone and faintly heard her running away shouting for Mike. A moment later, he picked up the phone.
"Rachel? Are you okay? What's happening?"
"I'm fine, Mike. I don't think I'm going to be getting home tonight, though. Mom's house is surrounded by press people."
"Any idea when you'll be home?"
"I'll try to leave tomorrow night, even if I have to get a police escourt to the airport."
"All right." A pause. "Elyssa's begging to talk to you again, so's Tom."
"Put one of them on."
Elyssa probably fought the phone away from Tom, I heard him complaining in the background. "So, who were you, Mom? The bear?"
I sighed, surprised the press hadn't found out who was who. "Yes, Elyssa, I was the bear."
"I knew it! Hey, think we could move there? It would be so cool!"
"I figured you'd want to. When I get home, I'll talk to your dad. Put your brother on, will you?"
"But..."
"Elyssa. Please? Don't make me come home and enforce punishment as a grizzly bear."
She sighed. "Fine." A pause, then Tom came on. "Mom!"
"Hi, Tom! How ya' doing?"
"Bad. When will you be home?"
"Tomorrow night. What's wrong?"
"When you get home, can you morph and beat up Ben an' them?"
Ben was a kid in our neighborhood who belonged in juvie, not sulking around the neighborhood harassing smaller kids. "Why?"
"They're being mean again."
"They're just jealous, Tom. Only four kids in the world, including you, can say their parents are the Animorphs."
"Who else can?"
"Well, your sister, and my cousin, Jake, has two kids who can talk. His youngest and Cassie's daughter can't talk yet."
"Oh."
"I've got to go, Tom, I don't want to run up your grandmother's phone bill too high. Love you, see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Mom."
I hung up and sighed. Elyssa was probably trying to convince Mike with all her nine year old charm to move here so she could meet all the Animorphs. Tom would be hanging in the background. He'd always been quieter than Elyssa, more like his dad.
"What'cha thinkin' about?" Mom asked, entering the kitchen where I'd been on the phone.
"Oh. Nothing. Just got off the phone with Mike and the kids telling them I wouldn't be getting home 'till tomorrow?"
"Did I hear someone mention moving?"
I nodded. "Both Cassie and Elyssa suggested it. Well, Cassie suggested, Elyssa begged."
Mom laughed, "She reminds me of another girl I used to know." She stopped laughing and sighed, as if remembering. "It happened around 8th grade, didn't it? You became so much more serious then. I thought you were just growing up."
"That when it began to get real bad, yeah." I paused, debating whether I should say what I was planning on saying. "Remember how I said the fight wasn't hell for me? I loved fighting, Mom. I got a natural high every time I went into battle. That's what the other Animorphs knew about me that I didn't want to be reminded of. By moving away, starting a new life with Mike without them kept most of the memories out." I blinked quickly a few times, trying to keep the tears from flowing, but Mom didn't miss them. She handed me a tissue.
"And I suppose that love of fighting was what gave you the name Xena?"
I laughed a little. "That was Marco's doing. I was Xena, Jake was Fearless Leader, Tobias was Brid-Boy."
"Cassie, Marco and Axim...Axam..."
"Ax. Just Ax."
"Fine, Cassie, Marco and Ax didn't have names?"
"Cassie was everything from Ms. Manure to Dr. Dolittle and Ax was just that, or Ax-man, occasionally, but that was mostly what Tobias called him. And I dubbed Marco midget, or any other name I could think of that would poke fun at his...lack of height."
"Sounds like you had a pretty tight group."
"We did," I said with a wistful smile. What had happened to that group? And, more importantly, would we ever get it back?
Three months later, as I was standing with the Animorphs at the airport, I had the answer: almost.
I was exiting the plane with Mike and the kids. Waiting for us in the terminal were all the Animorphs-Tobias had moved back, too-and their families.
It almost felt like old times. There was a bit of underlying tension in the air that had never been there before, but maybe it was nervousness, maybe it was all the time spent apart, or dark memories were dredged up with us all being together. Whatever it was, we weren't the happy-go-lucky group we once had been. Sure, we put on a pretty convincing act, but I think everyone knew things would never be the same between us as a group. Between Cassie and I, it was as if nothing had changed, even between Marco and I it wasn't too different, we teased eachother endlessly, but I don't think I could have been alone with Tobias for a substantial ammount of time. His happiness to see me at the reunion must have been an act, or maybe he'd just forgotten what had happened between us when he saw me. The same with Jake. Too many dark memories were shared between us that we didn't want to re-live.
But at the moment I stepped off the plane and saw my friends again, I wasn't thinking of that. I was thinking how great it was to see them again, and how could I keep Elyssa from making too much of a scene. She'd gotten off the plane, seen the Animorphs, and headed straight for them, chattering away as if they were old friends.
Mike gave me a 'she's your daughter' look and laughed, picking up the incredibly shy Tom. Hand in hand, we walked towards the group, ready for anything, so long as the ones I loved were with me.
Author's Notes: There ya' have it, the re-written We Meet Again. My eternal thanks go out to Allie for critiquing the first half of this in her column.