Disclaimer:

Twin2: Ownership of the Animorphs is not ours. Does this take a genius to work out?!
Twin1: Down girl. Sit. Don't kill anyone.
Twin2: I'm not going to kill anyone. Maim the next person who asks me why I look so mad, maybe.
Twin1: Whoa! Down! Sit! Bad girl!
Twin2: Grrrrrrr...
Twin1: We don't own them. We're just writing stories about them as a way to calm our frustrations over the desperately annoying cliff-hanger we were left with. Excuse me. Down girl! Sit!
Twin2: Raaar!

A/N: Twin2: Sorry this is taking so long to get up. We first wrote this when we were thirteen…

Twin1: And quite frankly, it sucked. So we have to re-write entire chapters and re-weave the completely shredded plot.

Twin2: I promise! We do have a plot!

Twin1: Yes, we actually have a plot now! Anyway, enjoy.

Twin2: See you at the bottom, or else!

Rachel

"Hi, Ax."

We stared in shock, with more than one set of jaws hanging open. I noted with pleasure that fifty percent of the men in the clearing were in the same stance. I was also glad to note that we hadn't been spotted. Yet.

The man who had so firmly insisted that he was "not new" shook his head in admiration. "Y'know, Prince Aximili, sometimes I could swear you was magic," he drawled.

The "Prince Aximili" spared a second to shoot him a withering glance. The man winced.

"Hiya, Ax! I wasn't expecting you for ages and I missed you and I hope that Tobias is doing alright and oh yeah, I found some new friends in the woods." Kia was talking really fast. "They've been following me around and helping me… um, explore. Can we take them home with us? I don't think they're from around here and they look really lost. I'm not lost, though, I never get lost in these woods and I think that it would be a good plan to check some of these trees for termites because they're starting to look shabby and…" She was starting to lose momentum. Eventually she paused altogether. The Andalite's stony silence was getting to her. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Ohh yes, he said. In fact, he continued quietly, you're lucky it was me who found you and not your father. He's furious. And your mother is in hysterics.

Kia winced.

The Andalite continued in the same soft-but-deadly-serious voice. Why don't you and your little friends come with me?

Kia agreed instantly and took the hand he offered her. She waved enthusiastically for us to follow and then followed the Andalite, trotting swiftly to keep up with his swinging gait.

A man stood on the doorstep, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot tapping slowly. "Kia…" he said warningly.

"Hi, Daddy, isn't this is such a beautiful day?" Kia asked him in a bubbly voice that hinted she was avoiding the fact that she was in more trouble than she could handle.

He didn't say anything more but stood aside to let us through the door.

Inside in the living room was a pretty Native American woman who didn't say anything either, but instead turned and looked at Kia, who began to squirm within seconds.

Uh-oh, I thought. That's the Look.

The look. Cassie's specialty. That sad, mournful look in her eyes that said she was ashamed of you. That look had the power to make anyone quail in guilt, even when they hadn't really done anything. I had always hated the Look, and I could see that Kia did too.

"I…" she didn't seem to know what to say.

"Kia," sighed the woman, who I guessed was the grown-up Cassie, "What are we going to do with you?"

From behind us, the man Kia had called 'Daddy' entered the room and closed the door softly behind him. "Kiadicash," he began warningly. Kia winced at the use of her full name, and turned to him defiantly. "Need I even bother asking you what you were thinking?" he said crossly. Instantly Kia's stance changed, and she morphed from a repentant little girl to a furious teenager in seconds.

"'What I was thinking'?!?!" she mimicked furiously, "I just wanted to get out of here!" This was shot at the man, her eyes flashing and her fists clenched. The man looked equally peeved.

"How dare you run away like that?!" he demanded, "Do you realise just how dangerous that is? You could have been hurt, or-"

"Well, at least out there I'm not watched like a hawk! Or by a hawk might be a more accurate description!"

Her father looked like he was about to explode, but at look from the woman across from him, he held himself back. Instead, he began speaking in an I-hear-what-you're-saying-but-now-listen-to-reason voice, "Kia, I understand that it's frustrating, but you can not keep wandering away like that! And I know that you're mad at me because of this whole Andalite Council mess, but you still have to keep yourself safe, you know?"

Kia glared at him. "Oh, and when you were my age, you never wandered around the woods by yourself!" she snapped sarcastically. 'Jake' drew a quick breath.

"That was different," he said flatly.

"Oh, no!" Kia was yelling now, "No, you were the good children who always obeyed their parents, stayed on the safe side of things and didn't go off to fight in and win the Great Yeerk War!"

At this, the man looked like he would rather like to shout himself hoarse and then shove her into a dark room and leave her there until she turned thirty-seven. The woman moved forwards, around Kia and touched his shoulder. After looking at her for a moment, the man turned away and said to his daughter, "You, Kia, are not to leave the grounds."

"Are you placing me under house arrest?" demanded the girl incredulously, then she wilted as her father turned back to her.

"Do not cross me, girl, for I am in a foul disposition!" he snapped, "Now go to your room!" Without a word, Kia turned on her heel and stalked off through the house. As she opened the door to the hallway, I saw that the Andalite from before was standing there. He had been joined by a short, Hispanic man, and they were waiting quietly for the two adults in the room with us to finish with Kia before entering or saying a word.

The adults were silent as Kia stomped up the stairs. None of them moved until we heard what I assumed was Kia's door slam above us. Then 'Jake' sank down onto a sofa with a sigh. He glanced at us, and gave a weary smile. "Sorry you had to see that. We don't usually have screaming matches. It just…"

The two in hallway entered the room. The Hispanic man collapsed on another couch. "You do realise, Jake," he began, "That by now she is out the window and a mile away?"

'Cassie' smiled nonchalantly, reached into her pocket, pulled out a small key and placed it on the coffee table.

The Spaniard, whom I guessed was Marco, stared at the key, and then back up at her in admiration. "You locked her window."

"Yep."

A/N: Twin2: I have nothing more to say. I have too many calendars.

Twin1: Okaaay. You sure you have nothing to say? What about 'see you at the bottom or else'.

Twin2: Oh, yeah. Nice to see you all here. And now comes my sister's rant about why you should review.

Twin1: You HAVE to review. We'll stop writing this unless we get reviews.

Twin2: She's bluffing.

Twin1: Shaddup. Please review!