" Hey, Jake! Father!" I called out to my best friend.
" Oh, hi Marco." He said. We were at the mall. We were supposed to be waiting for Rachel and Cassie.
" Well, they'll be here in about twenty minutes. Watcha wanna do?" He asked.
" Um, girl watch man!" I said. He laughed.
" Cassie will kill me."
" You two are not official!" I said.
" Ah, yes. I know. She probably doesn't know I exist."
" Dude! She dreams about you every night!" I said.
" Yeah…whoa!" He said. A red headed girl was walking. Walking very fast. Right past us.
" Um, hi." I said.
" Hi and we can chat later! Bye!" She said.
" Where are you going in such a hurry?" I asked.
" About ten seconds…" Her voice trailed off.
" What about ten seconds?" Jake asked.
" Um…nothing…just…nothing. Um, well, can I hang with you guys for a while?" She asked.
" Uh, one second." Jake said and motioned me to come forward.
" Look, we don't know this girl!"
" Yeah, but she is fine!"
" Okay, okay Marco. Have it your way."
" Uh, sure!" Jake said, speaking in a louder voice so the girl could hear.
" Great. My name is Robin." She said and I felt this…this feeling come over me. Like I was nervous. Like the place was closed in around me. Like I was going to faint…no not faint, just dizzy. I felt overwhelmed. I wanted to shout these certain words to celestial heavens.
Either I was going to die or I had a major crush on Robin.
" Hi guys! Hey, are you new?" Cassie said as soon as they approached us.
" My name is Robin and I'm just hanging with these fine men till my ride arrives." She said.
" Oh, look at the time. I'll just go see if my…the car is here." She said. We followed her out. Sure enough, a long, black car was parked out front, engine still running.
" Is that…" Rachel started.
" Um, could I have your phone number?" I asked.
" Sure" She said and quickly scratched it on a small piece of paper.
" Here! Bye!" She said and piled in the car and we watched as it sped away.
" Oooh! Marco has a CRUSH!" Rachel said.
" Do not!"
" Do too!"
" Do not!"
" Do too!"
" Guys! Please, we'll discus this later. Right now, let's go back into the mall and have a normal afternoon." Jake said.
" He's right." Rachel said as we trooped into the mall.
" Do not!"
" You do too have a crush! Why would you ask for her phone number?"
" Cause I ain't got nothing better to do!"
Excuse me Marco, but the sentence should be 'Because I do not have anything better to do.' Ax pointed out.
" Shut up Ax!"
Anyway, Marco, what exactly is a crush?
" You're in love or like someone for a period of time." Cassie explained.
Ah, so Marco has a "crush" on this Robin?
" Ax! I don't have a crush on Robin! Now leave me alone!"
" That's what he wants us to believe!" Rachel said, barking out a harsh laugh.
" Shut up Rachel or you'll regret everyday of your life!" I spat.
" Come and get me shorty." Oooh! She made fun of me?
" Okay, that is it blondie!" I said.
" Hold it! Both of you, apologize and Rachel stop teasing Marco, and Marco, stop making phony threats." Jake said, getting between the two of us.
I was behind the school, preparing to morph. I focused my mind to osprey. A tattoo sort of outline appeared and I could hear the sound of my bones changing and eternal organs pushing into the organs of the bird.
My face bulged out, forming a beak where a human mouth was. My eyes changed, turned to osprey eyes. My legs got shorter and changed colors. I got smaller and was soon a full osprey. I flew.
I saw people down below. I saw a man coming out of grocery store, I saw a woman backing out her car and I saw buildings and roads. When you're up in the air as a bird of prey, there are very little things you miss. I tried to control the osprey brain. I kinda had gotten used to it, but now and then (and especially when I have a new morph) I tend to get caught up the animal mind. I soared, riding a thermal up into the air.
Then a familiar face caught my eye. It took about three seconds for me to remember that face. It was Robin. It was Robin being chased by about five men and she was screaming. What did they want with Robin? I wasn't sure, but I had to act fast!
I flew down, talons forward, ready for anything that got in my way. Then a blinding pain. I knew that pain and what it was. It was a Dracon beam. I had to demorph. I had to find a place… the bushes. I flew down, tumbling almost to the ground. As soon as I was on the ground, I demorphed. I had to morph into something with power. Oh, yeah baby. I was going gorilla. To make a long story short, I was now a gorilla.
Leave the human girl alone! I said.
" Andalite." They all muttered, almost comically.
" Get him you idiots!" The human controller that seemed to be in charge said. They went after me, Dracon beams ready.
WHAM!
I knocked down the first guy.
SLAM!
The other two flew.
Tseew! The Dracon beams! I forgot! I had knocked down three, that left two. SLAM! Well, one.
And he seemed to be the one firing. I felt pain. I had to get Robin. I picked her up, and walked with her in my arms, although I felt as it I were dying.
I came in the barn, gorilla with a terrified Robin in my arms and found out everyone was there
" So, you do like Robin." Rachel said.
Now is not the time! I said. Robin stared at me as I demorphed.
" Oh my Gosh." She said.
" Oh, no!" Cassie cried.
" Robin, leave for a minute, but stay right out there." Jake said as she walked out.
" She saw Marco demorph. What should we…" We just considered the thought. Another Animorph? What if she turned into a beautiful female version of David? I felt sick.
" Well, maybe we should." Rachel said.
" I agree!" Cassie said. As Rachel and Jake retrieved the Blue Box, we called Robin in.
" Robin, prepare for story of your life." Jake said and told her everything.
We had a mission. Stop the Yeerks from deploying their new sea vessel, the Visser 2000. It thought that was a funny name. Everyone just told me to shut up. Of course, we had to do this mission Sunday, since Thursday we had a big test to study for, Friday I had a date with Robin, Saturday Jake had to go somewhere. It was Friday and I was all set. I had hired some friend of mine to drive us somewhere. He was glad to. All I needed now was Robin.
" So, Marco. Is she beautiful?" Hank (the friend) said.
" Oh, words cannot express my true feeling." I said and we both laughed. The door opened and out she came.
" Oh my…" His voice trailed off. She got in.
" Hi Robin!" I chirped.
" Um, hi Marco."
" Where to kids?" Hank asked.
" A romantic walk along the beach." I said.
" Oh Marco!" she said as if I said we were going to Hawaii.
We were there. I was excited. I got out and breathed in the warm night air. It was warm, but not hot. Just perfect. We walked for a while. We were down by the ocean, by the calm, crashing waves. She picked up a lovely seashell and admired it.
I picked up a flower that happen to wash up and stuck it in her lovely red hair. We strolled along the beach, both of us wishing this moment would never end. I looked at her. Her beautiful, green, eyes, her soft smiling face, her red hair, beautiful in the moonlight. I leaned over and we kissed. For the first time, I was truly happy.
We walked back up to where Hank was. We sat down on a red bench and Hank turned on the radio. ' My Heart Will Go On' was playing.
" Oh, Marco, our song." Our song? Yes, our song. Our, I liked the sound of that.
We sat there, in the night, listening to waves crash and wind rustle the grass.
It was Sunday. We were on the beach, morphs ready.
Go! Jake ordered and we attacked.
Jake, taking down a whole bunch of un-armed controllers. Rachel, tearing up everything. Cassie, gently taking down critter after critter, Robin, staying by my side. Tobias, dive bombing on the human controllers and pulling their hair. And Ax, insanely slicing and dicing everything. I was also kicking BUTT!
Tseew!
Who was hit? Jake asked frantically.
I… I was. Robin said. Oh no! Oh my Gosh! Noooo!
I'll be okay! She said.
No, you better demorph. Rachel said.
We went to a private part of the beach and we demorphed.
" I'm okay!" She said and then a girl, about my age, jumped out and shot Robin. Robin went down in a cloud of sand. I knocked the girl out and drug her away.
" Robin?" I said.
" M-Marco?"
" You'll be okay Robin. Just morph!"
" Can't hold on!"
" No, please, don't leave me alone!" I cried. I held her hand. She squeezed it. Then, I felt her grip loosen and I knew my Robin had left me.
I went to the graveyard. It was right by the ocean. I sighed as I walked. I came to her grave. I looked around. There was no one around. I set the roses right by her picture. Then, I dropped to my knees and cried. I cried as I remembered my happy moments with her. At the mall, the beach and then the beach again. Why had I ever even saved her? She had gotten herself in trouble, why not let her get herself out?
No, I loved her. That is why I did it. With blurred tears in my eyes, I looked out at the ocean. The cool, calm waves crashing against the shore. The gray sky. I stood up. The breeze picked up. And in the wind, our song played.