TWENTY-ONE: CASSIE

9:04 P.M.

"This sounds like a trap," Rachel bluntly said.

It had been some time later when we returned back to the barn. In case Elle's Yeerk came back with friends. Or something else bad happened. From there, we continued the discussion about the whole interrogation.

We really didn't get anywhere with it, though. We got some answers but there were more holes in them as well. Ax soon flew in and gave us everything Elle said to them out loud.

"What does she take us for? Too clueless we'd just walk into her clutches?" Marco droned.

"It doesn't change anything," Jake said. "We got what we could out of her and we know what those Andalites are planning tomorrow."

"Really? I still feel like we're at a loss here."

"You heard her say all of this?" I asked Ax.

(Yeah, more or less. Probably paraphrasing a bit but I am not going to say we got it verbatim.)

"No, I get that, but…she was really talking to you, right?"

(She presumed we were present. We did not reveal ourselves to her.)

Something has been nagging at me after we finished interrogating Elle. "She talks to us like a normal Yeerk. She openly says all that to you guys, thinking you're there. But when she's alone, she's talking out loud."

"Yeah." Marco said. "That's all she's been doing."

"But...is she really talking to herself?"

Everyone looked at each other, then back at me. Like I had three heads.

"What do you mean 'is she really talking to herself'?" he asked, as if trying to get on the same page as me. "It's not that weird."

"It's not that weird for a human to do," I pressed. "This is a Controller. She has every reason to assume we were tailing her. And she said things out loud...?"

"Okay, yeah, it sounds a little fishy," Marco continued. "But we're already thinking this is all some kinda trap. Could've been just laying it on thick."

"Overselling that... Also, Yeerks can read minds, can't they? They can talk to their host without needing lips."

"Yeah. Does defeat the purpose of a trap," Jake pointed. "No way someone with a plan would announce it aloud."

"Well… Except Visser Three," Rachel added.

"So what I'm asking is... Does this Yeerk really have complete control over Elle?" I then asked.

Everyone looked at me again like I grew a fourth head.

(Of course,) Ax quickly rebuked. (A Yeerk has control over anyone it infests.)

"It's basic knowledge. Since when has any Yeerk let a host have free will?" Marco uttered.

"Sure but...something's different about this one," I pointed.

"Everything about this Yeerk is different that it's annoying," Rachel groaned.

"Doesn't it seem like every time she talks to herself, it's actually she who's holding a conversation with someone?" I pressed on.

"Yeah. To herself," Marco droned. "What's so hard about that?"

I glowered. Just a bit. There were times where...I wish I could just…do something every time it's Marco. But I fought myself to stay calm.

"It's not just her talking. It's her mannerisms too," I pointed. "It's like there are two people talking to each other."

"C'mon. This again?" Marco laughed.

Ax made a snort-like sound. (A Yeerk communicating with a human vocally. Now that is an interesting joke, Cassie.)

"Ax, no offense, but I don't know your average Andalite would pick up on the human subtleties," I continued. "She didn't care if we heard her, talked in different voices..."

I stopped talking then. I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Cassie?"

Sigh. "The back and forth. Talking to someone like that. It... it reminds of Aftran. When..."

"When you were a Controller."

I nodded.

"Cassie. Not every Yeerk is like Atfran," Jake pointed with concern.

"I know that. I absolutely do." I tried my best to think of something and get everyone on the same page. And there was one important detail. "...Wasn't she using sign language?"

"Sign language? The kind deaf and mute people use to communicate?" Marco pointed.

"Was that really sign language she was using?" Rachel asked, sounding unsure.

I wasn't an expert myself. And the others wouldn't know other than hearsay. But the signals Elle did looked familiar.

I snapped my fingers once I figured it out.

"Linda!" I suddenly burst that out. "From Sesame Street!"

"I'm sorry. Why are we bringing up a kid's show?" Marco asked. Nobody had any idea why I brought that up.

(The silent female human who moves her hands on that show? Yes, what about her?)

"You watch Sesame Street?" Jake said that to Ax, cutting through the conversation.

(Well, yes. Occasionally.)

"I get other shows like Friends. But Sesame Street?"

(It's rather entertainingly educational. Far more engrossing than my classes. Only, simplified.)

"Linda's not silent," I interrupted. "She's deaf. She uses her hands to communicate."

"Yeah… You're right," Rachel exclaimed, but towards me. "I remember now. That's American Sign Language she uses."

"So you're saying that a Yeerk uses sign language to talk to someone else?" Marco asked.

"Yes, to Elle. Both of them were communicating to each other with sign language," I pointed.

"Uh-huuuh. Sorry. But Ax's suggestion that it's Yeerk morse code doesn't sound crazy anymore."

"There wasn't anyone there but us and her. And Elle," I said.

"If that's the case, wouldn't that make Elle disabled?" Jake brought out another crucial point. One that should have been obvious to both Rachel and me.

"Elle's not disabled," Rachel uttered.

(If that is the case, then a Yeerk would not need her. They need capable humans to fully control them,) Ax explained.

"Yeah. She talks. A lot. So she's not mute. She's definitely not deaf. And she jumped across rooftops like a squirrel when she was being chased by us," Marco said. "If she's disabled, what reason would a Yeerk have with her?"

"Other than being a sicko," Rachel mumbled angrily.

"But here's the point I've been trying to make. Why is she acting differently? If this was charades, then fine. But it's gone on for far too long to be called fake," I pushed.

"That's because she's deranged. Ax just said that."

"Maybe that sign language was a fluke. We've seen Controllers lose a bit of control now and then. This could be Elle doing it too," Macro proposed.

"You could be right. For once."

"Hey. I'm always right."

"Yeah. And it's infuriating sometimes."

I sighed. It was like a wall with everyone. And I couldn't blame them for thinking like that. It's not impossible for a Yeerk to let a host go willingly or a host to have a bit of control back. It's unbelievable if she gives her host freedom on her own body too.

But there was something about this Yeerk and Elle!

"Whatever the case is about this Yeerk, it's not our main priority. We got other pressing matters here," Jake said.

"But-" I started.

"But no. Ax said she's a criminal. And the Yeerks don't care about her. We have no reason to go after her."

"Yes, we do," Rachel uttered. "She's involved somehow."

"Which is what? I've seen nothing that she has a hand in this other than she was jumped on by Andalites yesterday. Look, I know you two care about this girl because she's from school. But she's not important."

I didn't like that. Being told that a friend in danger wasn't important. Neither did Rachel. In moments like this though, Jake has to be the leader. He has to say what needs to be said. He has to make crucial decisions in this group. Jake does it because nobody else would.

But honestly, the way I've been seeing Elle lately...it didn't look like she needed saving. It sounded horrible to think that, if I had never seen the stuff she did that day. I just couldn't let go of this gut feeling.

Regardless, we had to drop the topic.

"Right now, we have Andalites in the city, morphing as people. Including Marco. They could have taken everyone's DNA here. Except Ax and Tobias."

"Because we four have ordered from Elle's place." Rachel's eyes were wide at the realization when Marco said that. Even she was scratching her head at the question: when could our DNA have been taken?

"Right. And that's a problem for us," Jack pointed.

"Ok. Why?"

"Think about it. If they keep morphing as us, they're more likely to expose us," Marco explained. "We're not Andalites. We're kids."

Jake nodded. "We've been in the dark with what they're doing and why. But we also can't let them keep doing their secret mission if it means we'll be the ones put in danger."

"We got Ax on our side. He can talk them down."

Ax wasn't too enthusiastic about that idea. (If they are cooperative. As much as I don't like how this group is committing rogue acts…we also have to be cautious. Until we understand and elaborate on their reasons.)

"Considering the last time we met an Andalite group, it turned out to be a coup by one of their own," Rachel reminded us.

"It's not only the Andalites that could be a problem," Jake stated. "Visser Three is involved. Because of this battery."

"Of course. Anything Yeerk related is gonna go under his radar. And he has to be fuming about a device stolen by Andalites."

"Or he believes we, the Andalite Bandits, stole it," I pointed.

"Right. We shouldn't be getting credit we didn't do," Jake said.

"Can't we?" Marco droned. "We've been doing all the work on this planet."

"First thing tomorrow, we head to the nuclear plant and try to search for these Andalites." He relaxed, showing just how exhausted he was. "For now...we should get some sleep."

Marco laughed. "I'm not gonna sleep tonight. I'm keeping one eye open if that Andalite comes back to my house again."

So we were ready to call it for the night. Marco was the first to leave, morphing into his osprey form and taking off.

"Hang on a second, Ax."

(Yes, Prince Jake.)

"Rachel," Jake suddenly called out before she stepped through the barn doors.

"What's up?"

"Are you ok? You haven't been yourself today."

Rachel scoffed. "I'm fine. It's been a long day, that's all."

"It's been a long day for all of us. But you've been spacing out a few times. And you never do that," I added.

(It is a concern. Because of your daze, you nearly revealed us to this Yeerk.)

"And I screwed up. Don't rub it in," Rachel warned Ax.

"We're not pointing fingers on what happened. We know you, Rachel. You're always careful." Jake broke down the serious leader look and looked genuinely concerned. For his cousin. "But if something's wrong, you gotta tell us. We're a team."

"And I always will. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Rachel was out the door, looking like she planned to walk the way back home instead of morph.

I exchanged glances with Jake. He knew something but wasn't sure what.

"I'll walk her down the road."

I caught up with Rachel. We didn't talk at first but she didn't tell me to go back either.

The night was pretty dark. Relaxing and cool for an evening stroll too. But between us, it was stiff silence that sorta made the walk awkward.

So I started the conversation.

"Wanna talk?"

She glanced at me with a bit of irritation. But she knew I had good intentions. "I'm fine. Really." She sighed. "Here I thought I could relax at the beach after what happened."

"Something happened?"

Her stern face softened. "Eh, same, annoying routine. Siblings fighting over stuff… Jordan had the idea that she could borrow a camera without me knowing."

"Camera?"

"I bought it for beach day, actually. Then she used up all the film and lied to me that I gave her permission."

"Wait. Jordan, a liar?"

"Right? I dunno where she got the idea from! Seriously. Sometimes, I'm jealous you're an only child, Cassie."

I smiled. "Really? It looks fun to me. You and your sisters."

"Oh, yeah? I'll loan them to you for a day."

"Hmm, nope. Raincheck."

We chuckled softly.

"...I wasn't talking about you," I said meaningfully. Rachel was Rachel. The toughest out of all of us. "I wanted to talk about Elle."

"Yeah... Weird, right? The delivery girl and schoolmate we know is a Controller… Cuts a bit too close, huh."

"Really does."

"...She's in your class, right? Do you talk to her?"

I shook my head. "Not often. Only if it's homework or projects. You?"

"Just a hello when we pass by at school. We chat a bit but nothing much."

We were silent for a while. "...It's still a shock. Kinda pathetic too," I admitted. "We say we know Elle but...we really don't."

"How is it that we've seen her so many times but we didn't know she was a Controller?"

"Elle always put her family business first. I've never heard her talk about The Sharing."

"That's why it's all unfair for her. More unfair she's stuck with a crazy Yeerk."

"I dunno… Would have been worse if it was like Tom's Yeerk. Or Visser Three's."

Rachel frowned. She didn't like any of that all the same but in retrospect, if she were to pick Yeerks, a crazy one would make the better choice than a wicked one.

"Maybe but it's still unfair. That Yeerk's putting off a show because she gets a real kick out of it."

I could tell. Rachel hated it - that someone you know was taken by the Yeerks. And it's not just Elle. Jake's brother is one. Marco's mother is one too. And they can do nothing about it. Not without risking our secret.

So she couldn't help but feel angry about it. She could do nothing.

It made me wonder if Elle reminded her of Melissa too. She and Rachel used to be friends. She's not a Controller, but her father, Mr Chapman and our vice principal, is.

Since we became Animorphs, the two of them drifted apart.

Rachel then stopped walking.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter either way. She's just another host we can't save."

"Of course, it matters. This is Elle we're talking about."

"You've heard Jake. We can't save her because she's not important. Because her Yeerk's some outcast. We have these great powers but we still can't do anything! What's worse! This Yeerk's playing Elle like a marionette and we can't stop it!"

She shook her fists, wanting to do something. But with how tired she was, she gave up being furious.

"I'm going off."

"Rachel-"

She didn't listen. She morphed into her Bald eagle form and flew away.

A/N: Hello everyone again. And here is a new chapter! Starting to open a bit more of the box and seeing some contents spill out. Sign language, Andalites preparing something at a high-security place, Animorphs still not see far past the leaves and the buildup to something coming.

That said, I'd say this chapter gives more insight of them trying to figure Elle out, mostly with Cassie though. Since she is the most observant in people's motives. Emotionally. The next uploads are gonna be taking a bit slow as 1, I'm currently trying to finish a chapter for another fanfic so my focus has to be on that and 2, there are some edits and the 30th chapter to go over for this fanfic. So I hope you can be patient and for the meantime, enjoy this new chapter. See if you can spot some little hints the Animorphs haven't poked at or brainstorm theories of how this will go. :) I've left quite a number of breadcrumbs everywhere so far. Thank you again for following this fic even to now.

18/7/21 - First upload.