Chapter One
My name is Jessica. I can't tell you my last name. Because there are people looking for me.
No. Not people. They aren't people anymore...
There are creatures looking for me. And if they ever find me, I'll be better off dead, anyway. But I should probably start from the beginning.
I was walking in the forest. It was dusk. I was completely alone, as usual. I guess that was my first mistake.
I had gotten cocky and decided to cut through the woods on my way home, instead of taking the path. That was my second mistake.
I curse my stupidity now, looking back, because in hindsight it would have been easy to prevent what happened next.
I began to hear voices. Deep, growly voices, but human voices as well. And voices that sounded more like hissing and screeching than anything else. Curious, I crept closer, wanting to make out words. It was unusual for anyone to be deep in the woods at this hour. I overheard the following conversation:
"What are my orders, Visser?" A teenage boy's voice inquired.
What's a visser? I wondered in confusion.
"Starsin 689, you are to befriend the young humans of this neighborhood and convince them to join the sharing. We're still on the lookout for...well, you know. If you can't do that, at least get them back here. We will take care of the rest." A deep voice growled. No human sounded like that.
"Yes, Sir. Understood, Sir."
Starsin 689? What's that, a spy name? I thought to myself. I had heard about the sharing, but since I had no friends, I felt no motivation to join up. Do they have to force people to join now?
The prospect of a group being that desperate made me chuckle. That was my third, and definitely worst, mistake.
"What was that?" The deep voice snarled. There was the sound of something big moving through the undergrowth. The thing stepped out in front of me. I screamed, all laughter gone.
It was definitely not a human. It was about eight feet tall, and looked like a combination between a hawk and a dragon. It had legs that were bent back, and it had big taloned feet, a bit like a T-rex. It had two very muscular arms, and a long, strong tail lay out behind it. It had a beak, and a snake-like neck. Its eyes were hard and glittered gold. But the worst part was that its whole body was covered in razor-sharp blades. The blades ran down its arms and legs, down its back and tail, and it had three large forward-swept blades on its head.
The creature seemed to snarl when it saw me and clenched its hands into fists. "What the..." It rumbled. And then it reached forward to grab me.
I was frozen, screaming, unable to move. There was no way I could run, I was too scared. So I put all my fear into my voice. I screamed so loud I started getting hoarse. The creature picked me up easily, holding me under one arm, and covering my mouth with its free hand. "Shut up, human girl."
I was carried into the clearing, still unable to move. I felt tears streaming down my face. It was going to kill me. I knew it.
"What's this, Visser? An Andalite spy, possibly?" The human voice said. It had taken the form of a teenage boy, maybe a year or two older than me. He had fairly short brown hair and a cold look in his big, dark green eyes. And, I'll admit, he was extremely cute. But that didn't matter to me, now. The sight of a human face, any human face, was enough to shut me up.
Half crying, I appealed to the boy. "Help me...please help me..." I whimpered.
I fixed my eyes on his, and for a second, his face twitched. The cold expression switched to desperation, and his hands jerked, like they were trying to reach for me. But then he shook himself and clenched his fists, and was back to normal. I was unnerved. What had I just seen?
"Let me go..." I moaned.
"I'm afraid you've seen too much, human," The boy said, harshly.
Human? But he's human too...isn't he?
"We'll have to take you..." He smiled in a disturbing way and chuckled slightly. "My host is making quite a fuss about you. I think he finds you appealing in some way. And he's worried and scared for you."
What? Host? He sounds like a talking...parasite...
And I couldn't help but do a mental check through my features, sad as that is. I wasn't all that remarkable, just long, straight ginger hair and icy gray eyes.
"Host? What are you?" I whispered.
The creature holding me captive answered. "You'll see, won't you, little girl?"
They took me over to a huge tree and typed some kind of pass code into a hidden keypad. The tree, to my surprise, slid to the side, revealing an underground passage. They took me into it, walking down a long flight of stairs. I was getting more and more terrified, because I began hearing screams and crying. Some human, some not, but they gave me chills. There are no words to describe the agony and despair reflected in those wails.
We came out into a huge cavern. In the center was a giant pool of what seemed to be gray sludge. It moved and frothed like a bunch of things were writhing below the surface. Surrounding the pool were cages. Many, many cages. They were filled with creatures similar to the one carrying me, and lots and lots of humans. They were the cause of the screams. On one side of the pool, a sort of dock jutted out, and there was a line of people and creatures being dragged, also screaming, to the edge, where their heads were thrust under the surface. When they came back up, they walked calmly away, like nothing had happened. On the other side, there was another process going on, seeming like the opposite. They would come up and put their heads close to the water, and then when they stood up they started to struggle and were dragged away to cages. I was put into the first line, and I began to panic again. What was that water doing to them?
"It'll all be over soon..." The human boy crooned in a silky, menacing voice.
"What are you going to do to me? What's going on? What's in that pool?" I shrieked, eyes fixed on the water.
"You'll know soon," my captor growled. "Don't worry."
I went all too quickly through the line. And when it was my turn, my head was also thrust under the murky water. I felt something slimy brush against the side of my head, then push its way into my ear. I was lifted from the water, coughing, spluttering, and screaming.
There was something crawling down the inside of my ear. It felt numb, not painful, but oh, it felt wrong. This shouldn't be happening! And then my world really fell apart.
I found that I could no longer move my own body. My screams were cut off abruptly. I couldn't even move my eyes on my own, breathe on my own. My mind was the only thing left in my control. So I screamed inside my head.
No! No! Help! Help me!
Hush, now, Jessica...It's pointless to struggle. A strange voice soothed in my head. I couldn't quite tell if it was male or female, but I settled on male. I'm in control of you now. I have access to every memory...every thought...every feeling...
What are you? Get out of my head! I wailed, feeling hysterical. Why are you doing this to me?
Please, don't be so upset...it's unnerving. I am sorry you don't appreciate being a host, but that's not my problem. The voice said. My name is Extass 135. My species is called Yeerks.
You're just an alien parasite, aren't you? Why should I listen to you? I'm going to scream all I want to! I yelled, but I didn't.
Smart girl. Yes, I am a parasite. But it doesn't bother me if you scream.
I hate you! I hate you! I screamed, and cried silently.
Such fear...No reason for it. I'm not going to hurt you, you know.
I just cried, and the Yeerk sighed.
Fine, be silent. I know it's hard the first time. You'll get used to it. They all do...
The Yeerk made me stand and turn to my captors. "I'm in control now. She put up no fight. She's just petrified." I said, but it wasn't me saying it.
"My host is crying," The human said, almost mockingly. "Silly, isn't it? He blames himself for what happened to this girl."
My voice laughed. "Yes, very. These humans are strange."
I retreated into my head, feeling numb. I hate you...