Chapter 37 – Anne's Theory

5 years later...

The college students sat impatiently in the lecture hall, pretending to listen to what the professor was actually saying. However, this task proved impossible for them, so they resorted to time-passers such as texting or restlessly tapping their pencil on whatever hard surface they could find.

Not that they could really be blamed. The professor had a tendency to make anything he talked about boring. But even so, things could be worse. At least they were stuck in Psychology and not Z-Space Physics. If it was bad enough listening to the Professor ramble on, then it would be worse listening to an Andalite Professor.

Once the lecture was finally over, the students filed out in a disorderly manner – meaning they all rushed through the door at the same time.

One student was particularly relieved by the end of the lecture. She was now off for the day, as all her classes had finished. When she took a left exit out of the main building, she stopped in her tracks as she heard the familiar voice of her professor.

"Miss Everest, wait up!"

The student sighed to herself and turned around to greet the professor.

"You forgot your book." The professor handed the book back to the student.

Embarrassingly enough, the book was titled "Psychology for Dummies."

Sometimes she had to wonder why she was even in this class. She had may as well picked random subjects to study at college. Unfortunately for her, there was a long, long list of career paths she knew she would never succeed in. This included cooking, anything athletic, doctor, police officer, astrologist (strangely enough) and many more. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder why she just didn't follow the advice of her old drama teacher and become an actor.

"Thanks," she muttered quietly, as she took the book.

"No problem," replied the professor. He then looked at her seriously. "Now, about your essay on Stockholm Syndrome..."

She had been dreading this. When she had written that essay, it was 3:00am and she had no cup of coffee by her side. Obviously, the result wasn't Shakespeare standard.

The professor smiled. "I must say, it was certainly an improvement from your last essay."

She blinked. "Sorry?"

"Honesty, I would have never have thought to give Animorph's infamous acquaintance Taylor as an example."

She felt a pang of guilt. Using that example wasn't something she had wanted to do. Back then, she hadn't known about what Taylor had done to Tobias. Only recently, when the truth started to come out written in certain novels by the Animorphs, did she find out.

It felt so immoral to her. She had been one of the people to have actually known the Animorphs before the war was made known. But Tobias of all people...given their relation...it was betrayal. That was the only definition.

But the essay had been the last straw. If she got another fail, she would have been in hot water.

"Thank you..." she muttered quietly, not really believing that she deserved such praise. Without giving the professor another second to say more, she quietly said goodbye and walked away to a free afternoon.

&&&

She returned home to her apartment in that afternoon to her best friend/boyfriend of five years sitting on the couch and watching TV. Which was typical, to say the least. Everybody in his family had some obsession with TVs.

Not that it really bothered her.

"I'm back."

She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek, then went to sit beside him on the couch.

He grinned. "How was class?"

She frowned. "Boring. Could have been better. How was your day off?"

His grin disappeared. He motioned to the TV.

That article was on again.

She sighed and massaged her temple. "They're still...?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Normally, she would be careful where she treaded regarding this topic. Ever since Jake had blackmailed him roughly three years ago, Erek had tried to ignore anything in the media Animorphs-related. But Tedahko, of all people, knew that this wasn't true. Even after what Jake had done, Erek would still be concerned for him and the others.

But lately, his concern had become more clear. If there was no explanation for his concern, then that

would have been unusual. But there was.

About a month earlier, Jake, and Marco had disappeared in to thin air. There was no reason as to why or how. They were just...gone. Naturally, there was a big media hype about this. Now, the only Animorph with a location that could be confirmed was Cassie.

Rachel had died in the final battle on the Blade Ship. Tobias disappeared soon after her death. Ax's ship had been supposedly captured. And now Jake and Marco were...god knows where.

When Tedahko was constantly reminded about this in any way, shape, or form, she felt herself converting back to her insecure, childish self. The element of shock, that people she had once known might now be dead, continued to get to her and made her want to cry.

It hadn't been this bad since her parents had died almost six years ago.

It didn't take long for Erek to notice that she was upset, and he gently took her hand in his own and gave it a squeeze.

She sniffled, and used her opposite hand to wipe the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

"I know...I know..." she said, "I shouldn't be crying. They're going to come back. We'll just wait a few months, and I'm sure they'll be fine."

When she looked at Erek, she saw a glum smile and the uncertainty on his face. And secretly, she knew just as much as he did that there was a very slim chance that either would ever see them again.

All of a sudden, Erek asked abruptly, "Why do you smell like orange fizz?"

Tedahko removed her hand from Erek's, and looked down at her T-Shirt.

"Ugh," she commented, "I forgot about that. Earlier this morning, I got drenched in orange fizz."

"...Why?" asked Erek slowly.

"It's a prank the sophomores enjoy playing on the freshman. You haven't been drenched yet?"

"Nup," Erek replied smugly, "Guess I'm just lucky."

Tedahko stuck out her tongue at him and got up off the couch.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower. Unless I want to smell like orange fizz for the rest of the day." And with that, she strolled off.

Erek turned off the TV, and sat there in silence.

It had been many years now, since he and her had kissed. He deeply cared about her. He did back then, and he still did now. But Erek knew that he couldn't keep such a sin from Tedahko, if they were going to be together.

He told her about the night – the one where he slaughtered the controllers. Even now, he could still recall the fear that flashed in her eyes, when she found out that her best friend was a murderer. She ran off. That time, she was gone for a month. Erek had some idea of where she might have been – Cassie's perhaps, or maybe with Tobias. Either way, he didn't dare pursue her. He was in deserving of it, and all he could do was sit back and watch the consequences that were wreaked.

Eventually, she came back. She told him that she could never forgive him. But, but...while she hated what he had done, she said that she didn't hate him.

Things were never the same between them again, with neither their friendship nor relationship.

Tedahko had chosen to still be with Erek, but simply for the fact that they cared about each other. Both of them were aware of the hollow gap, the missing piece that was once there.

However most days, they pretended that gap didn't exist.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Erek sighed, hoping it wasn't another door-to-door salesmen. There had been quite a few around lately, most of them trying to sell off cheap, poorly made toy Escafil Devices.

But when he opened the door, he realized that he was in fact mistaken.

"Hello, stranger."

Standing before him was a woman, perhaps in her mid twenties. She had long, blond hair, pale skin and green eyes. Her accent was very peculiar, as if it was a hybrid of many different accents. Her clothing was very laid-back and casual.

"Anne."

Anne smiled, "Haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"Not too bad," Erek replied, "You after Tedahko?"

Anne shook her head. "Nope. A matter of fact, I was actually looking for you."

Erek looked at Anne with puzzlement. "Really, what for?"

"Feel like going for a walk?"

&&&

Erek and Anne walked side by side through what had once been a town, but had long since grown into a towering city since the war had ended.

"So how have you been?" Erek asked.

"Good, good. Not sure if Tedahko has told you this yet, but Trevor proposed to me the other day – with a cinnamon bun."

She hadn't.

"Did you say yes?"

Anne laughed, "Well, obviously. I love him. Though, I'm not sure how I'd be able to wear a cinnamon bun on my finger. I don't think Trev is up with the Earth Traditions."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

About nine or so months ago, Tedahko and Anne ran in to each other while walking through a busy street in the city. The odds were amazing, considering how the population of Santa Barbara had boomed dramatically. At first, Tedahko had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't as it turned out, Anne was as real as the very air Tedahko was breathing.

Later, Anne went on to explain what happened after her contract with the Ellimist had ended those many years ago. She had awoken somewhere in the countryside, having no idea where she was. The thought of such a thing would have been quiet daunting, but Anne was personally just glad she was alive. She wandered around stretching planes and paddocks for awhile, and eventually came across a dirt road.

As luck would have it, a car made its way down the road, heading towards her. Anne waved it over. She wasn't one to hitchhike, but it didn't look like she had much of a choice.

Well, the car pulled over, and the window rolled down. Only problem was, the driver didn't speak English. In fact, Anne was pretty sure he was speaking French. Even though her marks in French at school had been far from perfect, she was able to distinguish it from Spanish or Italian.

The driver looked very confused. What would an English speaker being doing all the way out here in the countryside? But still, the man motioned for her to get in the vehicle and they set off together.

Eventually, they came to a city. There was no Eiffel Tower in sight, so Anne had to presume she wasn't in Paris. There was really no way to tell if she was even in France. She could have been in French-speaking Switzerland as far as she knew. The only clue to wherever they were was a sign that read in French,

"Bienvenue à Lille."

The man parked the car on a main road, and the two of them walked up a side street, all the while sharing an awkward silence. The side street was full of old houses and small cafes, and shared a shocking resemblance to something that would have been seen on a post card.

The man and Anne entered a small bakery. The woman at the counter had dark, curly hair and brown

eyes. Her and the man exchanged a few words. The woman nodded. She then turned to Anne.

And you could imagine Anne's relief when she spoke English. Even though it was only a little, at least she was finally getting somewhere.

She explained that her English wasn't very good, but explained that one of the staff could speak fluent English. She called out to the back, and out came a man with messy dark hair.

Only, she recognized him, and as it turned out, he recognized her in return.

"Anne?"

That had only been the short version of the story. When Anne was explaining it to Tedahko, she explained it in rich details excitedly, a dreamy smile on her face. Anne had said to Tedahko that she had apparently never believed in in miracles, but her fate had been restored.

"You're not just here to chat, are you?" Erek asked.

Anne looked alarmed for a second, but then smiled softly. "Very observant."

"Why are you really here?"

She sighed, and looked off into the distance. "I have a theory," she stated, "hear me out?"

"It's not like we have anything better to do."

Anne closed her eyes for a moment, and if she was trying to recall something. She then opened her eyes and began speaking.

"Ever since I was revived, I've been having this dream...the same one each time. At first I didn't think it meant anything. Just another piece of junk my head made up. But given what I saw..."

"What did you see?"

"The war," Anne said quietly, "I saw the end of the war. The exact moment that Rachel died...who was blackmailed, who was blamed..."

If Erek was human and had a spine, he would have felt a chill go up it.

"Did Tedahko tell you?"

It was the only possible way she could have known. Nobody else but the Animorphs, Tedahko, and Erek himself knew about what Jake did to Erek. Anne shook her head. "No. I'm telling the truth. But it was what I saw after...I saw you, Erek. You looked older. A little bit older than the Erek I had seen on the blade ship. I saw you talking to an old man. Well, not really an old man..."

"Ellimist."

"Yes."

The two now stood on the steps of a large building. A library or a town hall, maybe. Whatever it was, judging by the exquisite architecture of the building, it was without a doubt important. The two faced each other, taking no notice of the people that walked passed. This city had become just like New York, where nobody as so much cared and just walked on.

"You were angry," she continued on, "You asked him why he had damned the Earth."

Erek laughed sardonically, "That would be right."

"But then you asked him, 'What now? Rachel is dead. Tobias is missing. The others are all famous. I'm still here. So where are we now?'."

Anne looked Erek straight in the eyes. For a moment, he felt intimidated that she knew what he really was, and how she could see so easily past his disguise. The sounds of the city, the talking people, the noisy traffic was all droned out.

"He offered to repay you," she said, "You asked him how he could possibly do that. Everything was already lost. Nothing was going to be changed... and then he said..."

She sighed, "he said nothing. I saw the lips of his form move, but nothing came out. And at every time, that's always when I wake up."

The two were silent for a moment. Erek broke that silence.

"Did I appear younger than I am now? When I was with the Ellimist, I mean."

"I think so," Anne recalled. "It's difficult to tell, but I'm pretty sure."

It was a lot to take in for Erek. Here they were, Anne talking about some strange dream and himself listening. He knew Anne wouldn't lie about what she saw, but it didn't mean that he was obliged to see anything in the dream himself.

As far as he was concerned, what Anne had seen was just fiction. After all, Erek hadn't seen the Ellimist in years and years. Five and a half, six at the most. What Anne saw couldn't have possibly been real. The conversation she spoke of had never happened.

"So," Erek said, "What does this all mean?"

Anne shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, really. But there was one thing I noticed." Her eyes darkened. "Not once in this dream did I see Tedahko."

Erek froze. "That doesn't mean anything.."

"Are you sure?" Anne asked. "Think about it Erek. If Tedahko is here now, but wasn't in this suspicious dream of mine, what do you think it means?"

"Why don't you ask the dream that..." Erek muttered.

Anne stared intensely at Erek, prompting him to speak.

Something dawned on him. "What the Ellimist was talking about...the..."

"Repayment," Anne finished off.

At last they were both thinking the same thing.

"Tedahko was the repayment...?" he shook his head. "No. He wouldn't do that. Why would he even bother altering the whole time line?"

"Oh, he would," Anne said, sounding very sure in herself, "I hung around with the old guy for a while. I know the crazy stuff he's into."

"But doing that is practically against everything he stands for," Erek pointed out. "Using a life for repayment. It's wrong. It's immoral. He'd never do it."

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't bring himself to believe in the possibility.

"Maybe..." Anne muttered, "but in case you haven't noticed, the lines between right and wrong have become increasingly blurred."

They both went silent once more. To passers by, they would have been no more than two people, staring at each other with blank expressions that couldn't be decoded, as strange remainder of finality seemed to drift through the air around them.

"So here's how it is," Anne concluded, "Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. Either way, I guess we'll never know for sure. Even now, there's a lot things that don't make sense...But it has to makes you wonder, huh?"

Erek laughed bitterly, "Yes," he agreed, "It certainly does."

END

***


Author's after word:

Wow. I'm really done. Honestly, it seems like yesterday that I begun writing this story. Though really, it has taken about 16 months to complete. Woah...

First of all, I would like to thank my two awesome and dedicated beta-readers, Tsaukpaetra and Mimi-dudette. Both of them have done a splendid job, and without them my work would have been a jumble of spelling and grammatical errors. Thank you so much!!!

Also, I would like to thank all my reviewers for all their support and advice. Considering how long ago I started this story, I was actually a little surprised that I still have reviewers after all this time.

Lastly, I would like to thank the readers. Reviewing is a personal choice, so even if you didn't review I hope you had as much fun reading this story as I did writing it.

Heh, well that's enough of my sappy acceptance speech already.

Well everybody, looks like the stories over. But don't worry, I'll still be working on the Visser Humiliation Club, and hopefully I'll even get to finish a few of my old abandoned fics.

But sadly, I've got another announcement. Though I am going to try to do as much writing and submitting to FF next year as possible, I'm afraid I won't be doing as nearly as much as I used to. You see, I've actually be granted a scholarship to study abroad for a year. Considering I'll be overseas for a year, this may make it difficult for me to update stories regularly.


But don't worry, I'll still pop in every now and again.

Again, thank you everybody!

-Riza-san