Better than giving up the World The early autumn wind blew Rachel's hair around her head as she trudged up the hill where she had agreed to meet Jake.
It was a forlorn hill, with dried brown weeds covering the surface. Jake was standing at the crest, looking out over the crashing ocean.
"Jake..." Rachel said.
Jake spun around. "Rachel," He asked. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"No."
"You're endangering the group, Rachel, and I want you to stop."
"How?" Rachel asked, amazed.
"Tobias. We need him morph capable, Rachel. You're wearing him down slowly. One day you'll ask him to morph for you, and he won't be able to say no. He loves you Rachel, you're letting him down, and you're letting us down."
Jake sucked in a breath. "You're being damned selfish, you know that? God Rachel, we only have 6 Animorphs. SIX, against an entire race of aliens who have captured whole worlds. We won't win with five, we both know it. Endangering the whole world so you can go on a date? I didn't think you would stoop to that level."
Rachel felt cool silver tears flow down her face, forming small rivers on her pale skin. "Do you know how hard it is, Jake? Of course you don't. You can see your girlfriend for more than two hours at a time. Two hours, two hours, and he has to turn back, has to give the life of humans up."
"Better than giving up the world. Wait, Rachel. Live each day, hoping that it will be the day that we win this war, and you can be with him for more than two hours. Use that to fight, for your edge. But wait. Just breathe. In, and out. Each breath brings you closer to him. Patience is a virtue."
Rachel was silent. Jake cast her a look, and left, leaving a trail in the grass.
When he was gone, she looked to the sky, and raised her arms. Her cry echoed down the beach, but Jake's words echoed in her head.