Chapter 3
I felt a final tug as Ax finished tying the rope around my hands with thin, agile fingers. It was tight enough that I couldn't get free, but loose enough that it didn't cut off my circulation.
Erek the Chee would be taking my place at home. That might be a little embarrassing, but I'd deal.
Bored out of my mind, I busied myself by counting ants.
One, two, three, four, five... two hundred and fifty six, two hundred and fifty seven... nine hundred ninety eight, nine hundred ninety nine...
After hours, darkness fell. What was I supposed to do now? Not that counting ants had been particularly fun anyway, but...
Marco came to take Rachel's place inside the shack, while Tobias watched from outside, in his normal hawk body. In Marco's hands was a clear plastic Tupperware container of cold pizza. Better than nothing.
He unbound the rope from around my wrists, struggling a bit with the knots.
"That Andalite sure knows his ropes," he said, finally tugging out the last knot. "Eat up." He handed me the Tupperware and I pried open the lid, my hands slightly stiff from being still so long. I ate quickly and handed the container back to him, then reluctantly put my hands behind my back to be tied again. Marco didn't tie the ropes quite as tightly as Ax had, or maybe I was just imagining things.
He sat down in front of me, setting the container to the side.
"So, how do you know so much about us?"
"Books. There's fifty-four of them."
"All about us?"
"Yeah."
He seemed to be struggling internally for several seconds. Finally he blurted, "Do we win?"
I dropped my gaze to the ground. "I haven't read quite that far yet." But the truth was, I'd read spoilers, and I knew what happened.
"Oh."
We were silent then.