SEVEN: JAKE
5:36 P.M.
(Welcome to the Quarter, everyone,) Marco declared once we flew over to the area.
The Quarter is a hodge-lodge of Asian cultures in this part of the city - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and some Indian and Arab. It's not big enough to be a Chinatown but close enough to stand out differently from the rest of the city.
(What is this 'Quarter'?) Ax asked.
(It's our version of a Chinatown,) Rachel explained.
(What does that mean?)
(Right. We've never taken you to that part of this city before,) I said.
(A Chinatown is its own subzone for Chinese people. The Quarter, however, is a remnant of culturalism,) Marco answered. (New immigrants that didn't speak English were basically forced to live outside town. Later, the city grew to the point that it absorbed the old district. What we have here is that. The Quarter.)
Ax didn't quite get the whole definition. But he is an Andalite. To us, Andalites didn't really have a vast amount of differences, unlike humans. And it's not just physical appearances, it's also cultures. We are all different across the globe.
(There it is,) Tobias said.
The restaurant was a narrow two-storey building, smaller than the other buildings it was cramped between. What made it stand up was the large golden Chinese characters with a sparrow symbol as its logo. I couldn't read those characters but there was the English translation below the big text.
Yan Fú Wok.
(Are you sure this is a good idea?) I asked Cassie. (If Elle is alive, won't she recognize us?)
(She might pretend she never met us. We did try to take her down,) Rachel said.
(It would also mean she won't be willing to explain how she got that device. Or why the Yeerks were after her,) Ax added.
(Y'know, that's a good point,) she then continued. (The Yeerks were after her until they got the device. If she isn't a Controller and she lived after that accident, they would see this just as suspicious as we do.)
(Then her life could be in danger,) Tobias said. (It could be a matter of time then.)
(Oh no,) Marco uttered. (We are not doing that again. We've already learned just how bad it all went last time we tried to save a kid from the Yeerks.)
(We also don't know what's her connection with them.)
Too many "we don't know"s. It was giving me a headache. And I wasn't convinced with some of our assumptions.
(One step at a time. One step at a time,) I said.
(It would be a lot easier if we just have Elle out somewhere alone and get the answers out of her,) Rachel offered.
(Bigger risk than what we're gonna do.) I then said to Cassie, (Are you sure about this? Walking right into the restaurant?)
(We have nothing that says she's dangerous or in danger,) she said. (But here's the thing, I agree with Marco.)
That was a first, coming from Cassie. She and Marco almost always clash heads.
(Rachel and I know Elle enough the kind of person she is. She's not like David. But how we handled things with him was what got us into trouble in the first place,) Cassie explained. (So we can't do the same thing we did before. We can keep an eye on her until something happens again that's beyond our control. Or we go up to her and ask. Discreetly.)
David.
Even if it was nearly a month passed, the memories still came rolling back to us. All too fresh on our wounds.
We went through a horrendous matter almost a month ago because of one kid named David. He lost everything and we took him in, making him the seventh Animorph.
Then he backstabbed us. He was ready to throw us into the jaws of the Yeerks, including all of humanity. He almost won.
Now we had another kid involved in this Yeerk invasion. This time with a Yeerk device. There were too many similarities between the two incidents. I really wondered if the Ellimist and Crayak were playing some new game on us.
(And what if she turns out to be another David?) I asked her.
She didn't reply right away.
I didn't know enough about this Elle girl. I did know about the nickname Marco said: Debbie Darko, a girl who spent her afternoons in the darkroom at school. It sorta grew into a bit of a ghost story.
But I didn't know anything past that. She might not be the person the girls knew. David only showed his true colors later...
(I dunno… But it's a risk we should take,) Cassie said.
I heaved a sigh. It's never a dull moment with what we do.
(Alright. Here's the drill. Marco and Tobias, you're our eyes. Like always.)
(Roger that,) Marco droned. With this 'Elle' having already seen him at his house, she would be suspicious of why one of her customers was at her business after ordering takeout.
(Rachel and I will go in. We act as two kids grabbing takeout for our families,) I explained.
(I want to in too.)
I glanced at Cassie. If we were humans right now instead of birds, I knew what her expression would be. (Cassie. Having three is too risky.)
(Then let me take Rachel's place.)
(Cassie-)
(I need to see it for myself,) she cut me short. (She somehow survived that accident. That kind of trauma she had...chances like that for anyone are just too slim.)
I could only imagine. What Cassie and Marco said? It sounded unbelievable, even when we have aliens and morphing powers. They're not liars - well, Marco can stretch things for a joke but not that far.
Moreso, I would be lying to myself if I said that the accident didn't affect Cassie. It wasn't like a Controller or an innocent human who got dragged into the battlefield. All of this happened out of nowhere. An accident. Something none of us could stop from happening unless you could, I dunno, reverse time or had the ability to predict the future.
(Alright,) I said. (But the moment Yeerks are around, we bail. No stopping for anyone.)
(I know,) she said.
(Ax. Rachel. You're our backup inside the building. Anything happens, you know what to do.)
(Got it.)
(Affirmative, Prince Jake.)
(And Ax.)
(Yes, Prince Jake?)
(I swear to everything, you better behave in there.)
(An Andalite is always in control, Prince Jake.)
If I was human, I'd be cocking up an eyebrow at just how blatant that was from him. (Oh, really? Were you 'in control' at the McDonald's?)
(Or the Dairy Queen,) Cassie added.
(Or the food court,) Rachel chimed.
(And how many Cinnabons banned you? Three?) I pointed.
(While I do not deny I had some 'lack of control' in those establishments, I have grown aware of the customs during my time on this planet,) Ax stated sprucely. (I will not jeopardize us for the sake of my pleasure.)
(Yeah. You sure sending him in is a good idea?) Marco asked me. (No offense, Ax-man. But I don't trust you around food.)
(I do not understand why you have that level of doubt towards me.)
(Because you're you.) I said. (Let's go.)
We split up, with Cassie and I taking to an alleyway across the street and demorphing.
Now the next step. Acting normal. We've never gone to this part of the city so we were unprepared and in the open this time. If it were elsewhere, we made ourselves ready for anything. Fly into an area with just our morphing clothes and find our hiding spots that have a change of clothes.
So we just improvised a little with what we could find around. Like clothes hanging out to dry or shoes left outside apartment doors.
Once we both were ready, we just walked casually to the restaurant.
Kinda hard to act normal. Not because it's a mission. The Quarter was such a busy place that we both really stuck out like sore thumbs. It wasn't like the mall where we could blend in. You could call us tourists in this area.
So it was dangerous. That's why I volunteered to do it. I chose Rachel because, well, it wouldn't be that suspicious. We're cousins and we're buying food. And if Elle did recognize us, then I knew Rachel would handle things.
That wasn't the only reason, by the way. Why did I choose myself to do this? It was more to confirm it for myself. That this girl was alive.
But when Cassie jumped in to join me...I was worried. I knew why she did that. But I didn't stop her either. Her reason was the same as mine.
Ding!
Immediately, the rush of rich smells hit my nose. It's been...well, I don't think I've ever gone to a restaurant like Yan Fú Wok. It was like we left America and ended up somewhere in Asia. It wasn't rush hour yet so it wasn't crowded inside. Oriental decorations and old photos of another country decorated the worn-colored walls. The place was cramped with round chairs and tables.
"Welcome to Yan Fú Wok! Give me a sec," a Mediterranean-sounding voice called out from the back.
It was my first time visiting the restaurant. I only knew the place from the brochure on my fridge.
"Wow," I gasped.
"First time?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah. It's very...traditional," I said before noticing a cat statue at the counter. I've seen it on the Internet before. It was a calico cat statue, standing on its hindlegs and holding up its one paw, with large painted eyes gleaming at us. You know, those special charms that brought good luck to Japanese stores.
(We're in,) I heard Rachel thought-speak.
I forced myself not to look about. Ax and Rachel had to be something small, easy to crawl in without anyone noticing. Like cockroaches.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," the voice said again.
A tall tan-skinned girl with black hair and black eyes came to us. Around the same age as Tom. At first, I thought she was another customer but she had an apron over her lean body, notepad and pen in hands. So, a waitress at the restaurant.
"So, table for two?"
"Actually, uh," Cassie started off warily.
"Hanan," she introduced herself. "What can I do for you?"
"Hanan. Is Elle...in today?"
I gave her a disapproving glance. It was a risky thing she just did. What if Elle wasn't here? What if everyone in the restaurant already knew about the accident?
"Elle? She came in half an hour ago."
I looked at the tall girl like she had grown a third eye. Cassie...I guess at this point, she was used to it.
"Elle," Hanan called out. "Some friends are here to see you."
"Friends? Coming."
We stiffened up when we heard that voice. Even more when she came from the kitchen and to the reception, wiping her hands with a wet towel.
We couldn't believe it.
I couldn't believe it.
"Hey, Cassie. What brings you here?"
I replayed that accident in my head. Over and over again. It was...too hard to grasp it once I saw her up close and personal. That after the car crash, she walked away scot-free. Marco was right - the bandage's placement on her forehead was so uncanny.
The Asian-American girl just smiled at us. She was...fine. Alive. And it was...honestly creepy.
So I couldn't help but say, "no way."
"What?" Elle asked. "Something on my face?"
A/N: Next chapter up and more original than its previous version. I admit, my previous versions felt a bit out of place to fit with the flow of the story. With the major changes and edit in what the Animorphs' motives would become, this chapter actually fitted altogether - it gave them a legit reason to visit a place they presumed has a Controller and wouldn't go forward with it if it meant endangering them.
Next chapter is gonna be an enjoyable one to show. For the humorous parts at least. :) And yes, the cute parts too.
Additionally, I'm open to constructive criticism in the writing. I'm no way the best writer and I've grown most of my life writing in UK writing so I've been told few times by my USA friends of how off-putting my phrases are, especially switching between USA and UK writing (and most of all, growing up in Singapore so despite researching a lot, I do see me writing a mush of things and not an American book writing. I think I get my Singlish snaking in at times too :U ). So let me know anything wrong and I'll do my best to edit.
19/10/20 - Initial upload.