Chapter 1
My name is Jake.
I can't tell you much more than that, because we can't risk this falling into the wrong hands. More spacifically, Andalite hands.
If the Andalites knew my full name, and where I live ... Well, lets just say we don't want that to happen.
I'm writing this down so that humanity will know the truth.
Maybe if someone finds this and they aren't one of the replaced, then maybe they could defend themselves until the Yeerks return.
It all started when I was at the mall with Tobias, my best friend.
Well, I guess he's kind of my only friend.
I actually met Tobias when I had my head in a toilet, and these two big guys were laughing as they held it down and flushed.
Tobias saw that and he told them that if they didn't stop picking on me, then they would have to deal with Tobias's uncle.
His uncle has a reputation around here as being the town tough guy.
He wouldn't usually hesitate to beat someone up if they were messing with Tobias or his friends. But underneath that he is a nice man who cares a lot about Tobias.
Anyway, we were just looking at comic books and we decided to leave.
That's where we ran into Marco, his girlfriend Rachel, and her best friend Cassie.
Marco is kind of the popular guy in school as well as the class cloun.
He's actually funny, and he always lets everyone know about it.
"You guys going home?" Marco asked.
"Yeah. Maybe we should walk together."
"Yeah." Rachel said.
She's my cousin.
Her and Marco have been going out for a little over a month now.
"Maybe we should cut through the construction site." Cassie said.
She's Rachel's best friend, and she's really into taking risks.
Tobias kind of likes her.
It turned out to be one of our biggest mistakes ever.
To get home we had to either take the safer, but longer way, or we could cut through the construction site that was rumored to be home to lots of less than friendly people.
We were walking through it when we saw something that looked like some kind of spaceship. I know that sounds ridiculous, but that's what it looked like.
We watched as it landed.
It looked almost like a cockroach.
I walked toward it.
"We're not here to harm you. You can come out."
"We are coming out. Do not be frightened by our strange appearance."
Something came out.
It was about seven feet tall, and it had blades on its wrists, elbows, knees, and head.
"What are you?" Marco asked.
"That's kind of rude." Rachel said.
"I am a Yeerk in the head of a Hork-Bajir. My name is Esplin 9466 of the Sulp Niar pool. My rank is Visser Three. A Visser is a military rank. My host's name is Jara Hamee."
"Why did you come to Earth?"
"To warn you about the Andalites." Esplin said.
"The what?"
"The Andalites are a species that have invented the technology that gives you the power to morph into any creature whose DNA you acquire."
He told us that the Andalites were taking over the world by replacing people.
They would acquire their DNA. They would then use a device that would transfer the memories of the human into the Andalite so they could successfully impersonate the humans.
Every three days they would have to go to an underground Andalite park, demorph, and eat the grass from their home planet.
The Andalites would then morph human again, go to their houses and repeat the process. Esplin gave us the same power to morph using a device the Yeerks created.
But the device had one major difference.
You can only stay in morph for two hours, and then you will become trapped forever.
Then we saw the Andalite ship land, and Esplin told us to hide.
The Andalites began coming out.
They parted to make way for one Andalite who seemed to be the leader.
I got a bad feeling from this Andalite.
"Elfangor." Esplin growled.
Then the Andalite spoke, but we heard him in our heads.
[Look what we have here. A stupid Hork-Bajir and a Yeerk slug?]
"Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. We meet again. I should have killed you back on the Taxxon home world. But I was a fool and I did not want to kill a child, even an Andalite. Tell me, are you still under the control of that Dapsen Alloran?"
[How dare you disrespect War Prince Alloran. I will kill you.]
He began to morph.
Marco puked at the sight of his bones rearranging and the crunching noises they made. Elfangor picked up Esplin and his Hork-Bajir body, and he put him in his huge monstrous mouth. He bit down, and Visser Three, Esplin 9466 died.
We began to run.
When I got home I really hoped it was just a dream.