Any Means Necessary
By: Forlay
It was the middle of the night, and Mom was trying to sneak Jordan and Sara out of the cabin. Presumably to run away. Again.
I let them get out the front door before I began following them. I signaled to the Hork-Bajir on guard duty that I'd take care of them and began to morph grizzly. If Mom wouldn't deal with her slightly annoyed daughter, she'd have to deal with a very pissed off grizzly bear.
With the bear's murky vision I couldn't see Mom and my sisters, but I could smell them and hear them. Mom was trying to keep them quiet while nearly running, a task that's next to impossible when you have two young girls in tow.
Despite their huge size, grizzly bears can be incredibly fast. So I was in front of Mom and my sisters before they even knew I'd been following.
And just where do you think you're going? > I asked while letting the bear growl softly. I wanted to roar, but the others needed their sleep and roaring in the middle of the night wouldn't endear myself any more to them.
"We can't stay here, Rachel!" Mom insisted.
Oh yes, you can. You can and you will. Want to know why? Because you love your daughters. You don't always act like you love me anymore, but I like to think you really do, and I know you love Sara and Jordan. But you leave this valley and you're going to be snatched up by the Yeerks. They'll infest you and they'll get the location of the valley from your brain, and then the rest of will be dead, too. That includes Sara and Jordan, Mom. And me. And Jake. And everyone else in this valley. >
"You have no proof to substantiate your claims."
This isn't a freaking trial, Mom! A grizzly bear is talking to you, isn't that proof enough? You're living in a valley with eight foot tall bladed aliens. Eva has given her first person account of being a controller. Do I need to find a Yeerk and shove it in your head to make you believe?! >
"This set up may be ideal for you - "
It's not ideal for anyone! > I roared, both in thought speak and as a bear. This is a life and death situation! The life of every living creature on Earth is in my hands and the hands of 22 others. Trust me, if I had it my way, I wouldn't be waiting here in this valley, biding my time before the next mission. I'd be out there, fighting every moment of the day, and I know I have the will inside of me to do just that. But do you know why I wait in here, following Jake's orders even when I think he has a screw loose? Because I don't want everyone I care about to die. I know that if I strike out on my own, the Yeerks will capture me and infest me and come after you. I would only be able to pray you were killed in the attack. > I could only imagine my mother's face at that statement.
Yes, I'd hope you'd die, Mom. I'd hope everyone in this valley was killed just so they wouldn't have to know Hell on Earth. Now, I hate to say this, but I'd even take it into my own hands if I had to when it came to you, Sara and Jordan. If I thought one of you were going to jeopardize the integrity of this valley, if you were going to be infested, I'd stop it in the most direct way possible. I'd.... > I trailed off, there was no need to say anymore. I heard Sara and Jordan's sobs, they'd been crying all through my tirade, I guess, but I hadn't heard them. I heard a strangled sob from Mom, too. I'd scared all three of them. Hopefully into submission.
Go back to the cabin, > I told them. Now. >
I followed them to the door then demorphed. I was panting as I stumbled to the small corner of the cabin that served as my room. I felt as if I'd fought a huge battle when I hadn't raised a paw.
I curled up on my cot, fighting my own sobs. I'd just done it again. Just weeks ago David had reminded me of the time I'd threatened him and his family, and history had just repeated itself, only I was such a monster now I had threatened my own family. What kind of person was I?
"Why, Rachel?"
I didn't respond to the voice for a moment, I honestly thought I'd spoken, but I gradually became aware of ragged breathing besides my own. I turned over on the cot to face Jordan.
"Why?" she repeated. "Why do you hate Mom so much?"
"I don't hate her."
"She thinks you do. So do me and Sara. And know what? I hate you too."
I jerked back as if Jordan had slapped me across the face.
"Yeah, I hate you, because you aren't my sister anymore. And you aren't the cool super hero you try to be. You're not Bat Girl or Wonder Woman. To me and Sara and Mom you're no better than the Yeerks you Animorphs fight, because it seems like a very Yeerk-ish thing to do to threaten the lives of your family. The only family you have left."
"You think I enjoyed it?" I asked. "Jordan, if you understood in the slightest how huge this really is, you'd understand why I had to say what I did, why I had to keep Mom from taking you away. She doesn't understand that the Yeerks are a real threat and if one person leaves, that puts us all in a really dangerous position." I paused for a moment. "Do you understand why you can't leave?"
"You're convinced these evil slug things are going to capture us and make us slaves."
I sighed. Jordan and Sara had started out believing what I told them, or at least willing to do what I told them, whether they thought I was a nut or not. But Mom had gotten to them, Jordan, at least. Now it'd be impossible to keep them here without a constant guard, unless Mom finally got it through her thick skull that everything I'd told her is true.
"Why don't you believe me, Jordan? You used to."
"Because none of this makes sense. And it'd be alot easier to believe if I didn't have to worry about my sister killing me in my sleep. Good night, Rachel." She spun on her heel and went to her cot across the cabin from me.
Dear Lord, what have I done? I asked myself, burying my face under my pillow to muffle my crying. My sister, who just days before this had started was all set to go to a gymnastics meet, my sister who used to gossip with me over TV shows and confide to me her deepest secrets - when I actually had time for her -was now convinced I was a cold blooded killer out to get her. And perhaps she was right about the killer part, but how had things gotten to the point she thought I'd kill her?
Duh, when you all but said you would.
"Genius, Rachel," I told myself. I truly had no one to blame but myself for this sorry state of affairs. Mom would probably double her efforts to get out, just to get away from her psychotic, sadistic daughter.
And maybe it'd be better for them outside. Have Erek get them out of the city, out of the state even. That was no guarantee they wouldn't be captured, but it wouldn't be my fault. And perhaps if the Chee blindfolded them while smuggling them away, they wouldn't be able to betray the location of the valley to the Yeerks. We'd be safe for another day.
My sleep deprived mind latched onto that phrase. Another day. Yes, I'd just leave these crazy thoughts for another day. Keep what little sanity I had left for another day. And protect my family, by any means necessary, for another day.