Disclaimer:
Twin1: We do not own the Animorphs, and we frown upon
slavery.
Twin2: And for the dimmer amongst you, 'frown' is a
metaphor. (cracks knuckles)
Twin1: Uh-oh. (Steps out of range).
Warning: Twin1: Warning! Someone does die in this chapter!
Twin2: And no, before you close the document in disgust, it isn't Kia.
Twin1: Or her father. Or Rachel.
Twin2: Why would we bring Rachel back to life just to kill her again?
Twin1: If we did, we would as bad as, or WORSE than K. A. Applegate.
Twin2: Now, before we give away anything else (elbows Twin1 in ribs), on with the story!
Kia
Breakfast was… peaceful. In other words, boring. Yet another boring section of my life out of the way forever.
Sigh. Why couldn't I have been born a generation earlier?
After breakfast, I returned to my room to change into some more… suitable clothing, as my father put it, or the Garments of Hell as I put it.
I was shocked to see a completely strange woman kneeling in the middle of my room, studiously flicking a duster under my bed.
"What are you doing in my room?!" I demanded loudly, ready to dash out the door if something turned out to be wrong. Not to mention what you're doing under my bed.
"Oh! Princess!" The woman dropped her duster with a squeak. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Who are you are and why are you here?" I asked in my most diplomatic voice.
"Princess, your regular maid, Stephanie, had a bit of an accident. I'm her replacement, at least until her leg heals up, but that shan't be for a while. It was really a nasty break. My name is Melanie."
"I don't like you," I spat at her. I really didn't.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure we shall become good friends," the woman returned mildly as she recollected her duster and scurried out of the room. "Good day, Princess."
I glared after her. I had no reason for such instantaneous distaste, but I hated the woman after seconds in her company.
I plunked myself down onto my bed with a groan, and I began to plot the best ways to force the woman to resign. It was something I did whenever someone came into service that I didn't trust.
Kovu followed me into the room. I smiled at him and returned to my schemes.
Stranger
Curses!
That brat of a girl just had to walk in when she did! Another thirty seconds and my job would have been done!
My host was weeping uncontrollably. Why can't you just leave her alone? she wailed in my head. She's only a child!
"Oh shut up," I muttered.
"Excuse me?" said a voice from behind me.
Oh crap.
I spun around to see Prince Jake standing behind me, his hands on his hips. Uneasily I remembered the stories that he could sense Yeerks and their hosts – willing or no.
"Y-yes, Prince Jake?" I said nervously.
"Jake," he said distractedly. "Who were you talking to?"
I smiled prettily at him. "Me? Oh, no, sir, I was just talking to myself." Internally I was locked in a furious battle for control with my host. She was shrieking wildly, trying to wrest control from me and divulge my plot; warn him of the danger his damned offspring was in.
Slowly the fight subsided, and I realised Prince Jake had wandered off. Good, I thought. I need a second shot at the second step. Him hanging around wouldn't help one bit.
Kia
I stormed out of my room, pausing only to lock the door and carefully stow the key in my pocket. Making as much noise as possible, I stomped across a landing and down a flight of stairs, before I banged into my father.
He steadied me where I might have fallen over the railings. "Geez, Kia, what's wrong?" he asked me.
"I don't like the new maid!" I exclaimed.
"Who? Melanie?" he said, looking confused. "Why not?"
"I don't know!" I wailed. "I just don't like her! She doesn't feel safe and she shouldn't be here! Get rid of her! Please?"
My father surveyed me seriously. "Kia, I'm not going to fire the girl just because you don't like her. I can't: it wouldn't be fair."
"But-"
"No buts. You'll just have to get along until Stephanie comes back. And that's final." With that, he walked off. I glared after him, furious. He knew I had good instincts when it came to people, and I just knew that this woman would come to no good! Kovu, standing beside me, sensed my frustration and licked my hand. I glanced down at him, and then back at the door through which my father had disappeared.
"Stuff my conscience," I declared, "Let's go exploring, boy."
Stranger
I glanced behind me, checking that I was alone in the corridor, and reached towards Kia's door. It was locked. I almost smiled.
"How childish," I murmured as I deftly picked the lock. The door swung open easily, and I sauntered in as though I owned the place. Looking around, I had to admit that it was a nice room. The girl herself seemed to be a reasonable example of her race. She had some fire in her too, unlike most of the snivelling fools that humans seemed to be. It was almost a pity… well, not quite.
Cleverly, I did what I came to do, and then left. I closed the door behind me and looked at my watch. Not long now…
Kia
I was almost at the back gate again when I was approached by the four humans and one Andalite that I had bought home with me. I winced; I had forgotten they were even here. I forced up a cheerful smile as they reached me.
"Hey, Kia!" said the Hispanic one. I realised suddenly that I didn't even know their names. And yet, somehow, in a way that I couldn't quite describe, I felt like I knew them, and had indeed known them my whole life. My mind flicked back to the way they had introduced themselves initially: as the Animorphs, and I grinned in amusement.
"Kia?" said the other boy. He definitely was their leader. And he looked so familiar… "Kia!"
I jerked back to the present, and gave myself a mental slap on both cheeks. "Yes?" I said cheerfully. Snap out of it, Kia!
"Are you alright?" the dark-skinned girl asked concernedly.
"Fine, fine," I murmured, "I was just a million miles away, is all. How are you?"
"Um, great," said the leader uncertainly. "Where are you going?"
I grinned impishly. "Oh, I was thinking of following my nose," I said, chuckling evilly. The panicked look on their faces was enough to coax a real laugh out of me. "Of course, you are welcome to come, and we could just have a picnic on the grounds or something."
"It's a deal," said the Spaniard cheerfully. He slipped his arm through mine, just as Marco or even Dad have done so many times before. I couldn't help noticing the blonde girl glaring at him, and chuckled, taking her arm with my free one. Together, with Kovu in tow, the six of us started our walk through the grounds of my home.
Stranger
I had barely slipped out of the child's room when I bumped straight into Jake the Yeerk-Killer himself, for the second time that day. I gulped, my mind flashing once again on all the myths and legends I had heard about him. My host was screaming in my head. Oh, no, he was looking right at me, frowning. Daspen, he knew! He knew who I was! My host was going nuts, and I was going to lose control-
"Melanie?" Prince Jake said, "What-"
"I'm sorry, Prince, I have to go!" I gasped. I ran out of there as fast as I could, and collapsed on the floor as soon as I was out of his sight. I was shaking: that had been terrifying! I wanted nothing more than to run, leave the house and run until I was a hundred thousand light-years from the dreaded Prince Jake. But I had to stay, and see this assignment through to the end. I looked at my watch once more. It was nearly over. The end was in sight. Climbing to my feet, I wiped my steaming eyes and started down the corridor once more.
He knows who you are, my host sang in my head, he'll tear you out of my head and squash you like the slug you are, Yeerk!
You've been saying the same things over and over for the last three days! I snapped, You need to either think up some new material or shut up. You act tough, but I know you, Melanie! You're just a scared little girl, so why don't just leave war to the warriors?
Hey! It wasn't me sobbing on the floor, terrified of Prince Jake's physic ability! The human was furious. And I'm twenty-three; hardly a 'scared little girl'!
"Oh, shut UP!!" I snapped, unable to take it any more. "You have got to be the most infuriating host in the history of hosts! Just SHUT UP, you daspen!!"
Temper, temper.
I was spared reacting when I heard voices coming from a room off the hallway. The door was ajar, so I crept up and peeked through the crack. Price Jake and his wife, Cassie, were standing in it.
"Where is Kia?" asked Prince Jake, "She hasn't run off again has she?"
"No, Jake," laughed Cassie, "Look." She gestured out the window to where Kia and her group of friends sat on the grass, eating a picnic. I hoped that she would return to her room soon, or my plan might not work. No, if she stayed in the grounds… it would work. Yes, it would work.
I crept away again, and looked at my watch. Yes, again. Just a few more seconds…
BOOM!!
A deafening bang…
The wall shook violently…
The roof crashed down on my head…
Excruciating pain…
Then darkness.
Kia
We were eating our picnic, when suddenly there was a huge explosion coming from the house! Bits of rubble and sparks flew out towards us, but I didn't care. I was up and running, running towards the house, one thought on my mind: to get to my parents.
I barely heard the shout "Kia, stop! It's dangerous!" from the leader-boy, and ignored it, racing back home. Let them chase me!
Then I was tackled to the ground by the blonde girl, who said as she pinned me, "Oh, there is no way I'm going to let you be that stupid!" The others had reached me, and the two boys grabbed my arms and began to drag me backwards towards the woods. The blonde pushed my chest and kicked at my feet when I dug them in.
"No. No!" I whimpered, looking at my smouldering ruin of a house, "No! Mum, Dad! Dad!" I stopped shouting and screamed. A long, high-pitched shriek of pain and loss. "No! Daddy! Answer me!"
But no-one did. I stared at the crumbling, burning house that held my parents in horror, and then went limp. My sudden lack of resistance startled the boys, and I fell to the ground. I collapsed in a ball, weeping, not even caring that someone picked me up and began to carry me away from my home.
Stranger
I opened my eyes in surprise, astounded that I had survived. What I saw when my eyes adjusted, however, made me realise that I probably wouldn't stay that way very long. Prince Jake stood over me in his tiger morph, his wife by his side. Grouped around me were Marco, Prince Aximilli, even Tobias! I was in terrible pain, and a quick glance revealed that the explosion had removed both my legs. I nearly passed out then and there, but the tiger – Jake – growled, baring his fangs.
((What have you done?!)) demanded the human Prince, ((Where is Kia?!))
"Dead!" I spat, "And good riddance!" The tiger opened his mouth and roared, a noise which made my host's blood run cold. I, however, sneered at him, finally showing my hatred. "You don't scare me, Prince," I snarled, "Feel the pain of loss! The pain we all felt so long ago, when you murdered hundreds of my brothers and sisters to win your war!"
((You're a Yeerk!?!)) he yelled.
"Ah, the penny drops," I growled, and then coughed, spraying them all with blood. I had obviously sustained serious internal damage as well. "But wherever your daughter is, however she died, Jake, know this: I hope she suffered!" With that, I closed my eyes and passed forever into darkness. I could go peacefully to my death. My job was done.
A/N:
Twin1: (rubbings ribs) That really hurt.
Twin2: Oh, build me a bridge. No, on second thoughts, I'll do it myself. (Wanders away looking for timber.)
Twin1: She doesn't get that saying, does she? Anyway, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Runs after Twin2) Hey, come back here! It's a figure of speech, for crying out loud!
