My name is Kevin. And that's all I can tell you about myself. It's too dangerous to say anything else. I could tell you my last name, or my city or school. But I won't, because the Yeerks are everywhere. They could be anyone. I could say my last name, or my school, or address, but then they would find me. They would find my family, and my friends. And they would-well, let's just say I need to stay hidden. What the Yeerks do to people who resist… I don't like thinking about it.
I don't think of what I'm doing as writing. I think of it as recording. Writing down what happens so that future generations can know what horrible things happened. And maybe people in this time can read this and learn. Maybe then we'll be able to hold on until the Andalites rescue us, like they promised. Just maybe.
I remember the night my life changed forever. It all started while I was walking home from Radio Shack. I was kind of jumpy, and I really wanted to get home. If I wasn't in such a hurry, then I might not have cut through the abandoned lot. Might not have met him. Might not have had everything I know radically changed. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
It was the evening, and the sun was going down. I'd been desperate to finish my robot. But my parents had said that my annoying little sister and my brother Max had to come with me, Max because I was "too young to be out without an older sibling" and Betsy because she was too too young to be out without an older sibling.
"For the last time, no, I'm not going to pay for your candy. You were the one begging to come with me, and it is your fault you forgot your last dime."
"Pleeeeeease, I promise I'll pay you back."
"Okaaaayyy, but I need to get my parts first; I'll give you my change."
It took fifteen minutes of arguing before I finally went to Radio Shack. When I got there, it took an hour to find the parts I needed, and another ten minutes to buy them. After I had finally bought my stuff, the sun was setting, and by the time I got to Betsy and started walking home, it was nearly pitch-black and I won't deny it, the night creeped me out. I jumped at the slightest sound, the shadows looked sinister, and the rare flash of light looked like dancing flames.
I was shaking, shivering, and terrified. Finally, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. When Betsy and I passed this abandoned old lot in our neighborhood, I grabbed her arm and said, "We're going through the lot." I could tell she was scared also, so I was surprised when she said:
"B-but , M-m-mom said n-never t-to go through it."
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, would you rather go the long way, and make it take that much longer? I gotta get home!"
"A-all right. Fine, let's go."
As I walked through the lot, I was so scared, I was starting to think I should have just gone the long way. Chunks of rubble looked like body parts, oil-stained machinery looked like bloody weapons, and cinder blocks looked like bombs. I could have sworn we were being followed, and I was about to say "Let's turn back," when it happened.
Out of nowhere, it was a big, silver, flying thing, hurtling towards the ground. I knew exactly what it looked like, but I didn't say because I knew Betsy and Max would call me crazy. Actually, thinking that was not quite true, because five seconds later, Betsy yelled, "It's an alien spaceship!"