Okay, I know we haven't updated in a while, but we had writers block! -Faith & Star

Chapter Twenty-One: Josh

"Josh!"

"I AM LEAVING!"

"Then why are you still here?" Audrey shot back.

"Because you guys keep talking to me!" I rolled my eyes.

"Well then ignore us and leave!" Alex exclaimed.

Aly whopped him on the head. "Shut up, Alex!"

I rolled my eyes - while laughing - and left the room. I wasn't even close to being caught by any Chee. Which made me even more cautious. I entered Cassie's room, she was asleep. I didn't have to blend in, but I did. I had a feeling something would go wrong. But, as Kat once told me, 'you always have bad feelings when it comes to girls you like'. She didn't know how true that was. I understand the girls being able to do this, they're girls, but me? Well, it wasn't my idea. But Aly had put a lot of effort into writing this song. And I knew Alex would do it. Which made me feel like a wimp.

So I sung the stupid song (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. Aly's song was actually very nice) and sighed in relief when I was finished.

I started to leave, but she barely opened her eyes, and I stopped. She gave a small smile, then drifted back off to sleep.

Which was definitely worth the humiliation of singing.

-::-

"I'm bored." Was the first thing I heard as I entered the room.

"Let's go to the Yeerk pool! KICK SOME BUTT!" Audrey proclaimed. "I can morph! I wanna use it!"

"It's harder than you think." Carman said. We all stared at her. "Raiding the pool."

"Don't tell me you've done it." Cady said.

"Once." Carman said. She looked down, obviously recounting painful memories. "Once."

"What I wanna knnow is..." I sat down across from Carman. "Where did you get the blue box?"

"It's not Elfangor's blue box, if you're asking. It belonged to my dad." Carman said. She looked up at us nervously. "My parents, actually."

"Where did your parents get a blue box?" Alex asked.

"Well, my mom was working on the time limit, this was in the early days of morphing, and my dad was usually the test subject." She said. She laughed to herself on the last part. "Which is how they became human nothlits."

"Whoah!!!" Aly and Audrey exclaimed.

"You're an Andalite!" Audrey said breathlessly.

"Technically, yes."

"Carman, you rock." Aly said.

Carman shrugged, blushing just a little.

"How did you know all this? You said your parents died when you were three." I asked.

"They did." Carman said. "They left me some stuff. Stuff that the Harris' can't take away. Or ever even touch."

"Nice." Kat commented. "So how long have you been morphing?"

"Since I got the cube." Carman answered. "I was ten."

"Wow. You must be good." Cady said.

"Practice doesn't make perfect with morphing." Carman said. "But it helps you get used to it."

"Okay, Audrey, you want a mission? I've got one." We all turned around. Erek was in the doorway, he nodded toward Carman. "I'd have to say I never thought you'd tell them."

We all looked at Carman.

"Ever wondered why the Yeerks couldn't find me, my parents, or the cube?" Carman asked.

"Under the full protection of the Chee." Erek nodded. "So are you six, and the Animorphs."

"Nick, Emma, and Karen?" Aly asked.

"Them too. They know, they can't become controllers."

"So what's our mission?" Audrey asked.

"The Yeerks have a new security system." Erek said. "One that identifies controllers."

"Which means the Animorphs can't sneak in as humans." I said.

"But you can." Erek said. "This is one of the reasons you guys became controllers. Remember your Yeerk's names?"

Our expressions, and voices, became cold and hard.

"Saris 279." Audrey said.

"Essilas 436." Kat answered.

"Tunrin 804." Cady said quietly.

"Ilias 562." Alex said.

"Acan 931." Carman's voice was filled with the hatred that came with being an Andalite.

"Larin 874." I said.

"Fadrin 946." Aly answered. "He's Sub-Visser 34."

"Oh, come on!" Alex exclaimed. "She gets the resistance and a Sub-Visser? Next thing you know she'll have Marco, Tobias, Jake, and Ax all falling in love with her!"

Aly gave him a look that said 'what thecrap are you talking about?'.

"Keep going, Erek." I said.

"You guys have to shut it off from the inside." Erek said. "See how well it works."

"We can do that." Cady said.

"But just in case." Kat said. She looked at Carman. "Could the rest of us borrow the morphing cube?"

"You won't need it." Erek said. "Besides, we just put it up."

"He's got a point." Carman said.

Kat sighed. "And I wanted to morph."

"You'll get to eventually." I said.

"Yeah, eventually." Kat said. "Alex, Audrey, and Carman can morph. Josh and Cady don't care, Aly's not saying anything, am I the only one?"

"I guess." Aly shrugged.

"Watcha thinkin' bout?" Audrey nudged her best friend.

"The Animorphs." Aly said.

"They're your back-up." Erek said. "All they know is, you're Chee they've got to cover so we can figure out what the Yeerks are doing."

"But they don't know it's usexactly?" Cady asked.

"No."

"When are we going?" Alex asked.

"Whenever the Animorphs say they're ready." Erek said. "It all depends on them."

"Okay, thanks for telling us." Aly said quickly.

Erek nodded. "I'll tell you if anything else comes up." He left.

Aly jumped up, peeking through the small hole in the door. "You think he's far enough away?" She asked anxiously.

"Aly?"

"It's three forty!" Audrey cried.

"Oh!" Kat jumped up.

Cady screamed. We turned around. There wasn't anything.

(Sorry)

"Carman! Warn us! That was nasty!" Alex exclaimed.

(Cockroaches are that way, naturally.)

"Carman, where the crap are you?" I asked.

(I just fell off my bed, don't move or you'll step on me, Kat."

Kat adopted a scared expression as Carman motered her way across the room.

"It's a cockroach, Kat." Audrey rolled her eyes. She shot a nervous look at Aly.

"It's okay, I know it's Carman, I'll be fine." Aly said quietly. Despite her words, she was breathing heavily as Carman zoomed under the door. Right past her foot.

Carman was back not to long ago. (Okay, I'm morphing)

We all looked away. Especcially Aly.

"Aly, I know you hate cockroaches, but if you wanna be an Animorph, you've got to morph one." Cady said.

"You're scaring her!" Carman protested. "Coast's clear, go on, Aly."

Aly nodded, and left the room.

"Now she'll wake up in the middle of the night screaming about cockroaches and the Yeerk pool." Audrey said.

Alex shook his head. "You people just don't know where to draw the line."

"Wanna bet?" Kat asked hotly.

"No thanks, I don't have any money left."

"After all that betting you did, I didn't think so."