THE DIMENSION CHRONICLES

# 2: You Can't Change the Past

*Note* Yes, the first part of the second Dimension Chronicle, which is also the second book of the Caimara Trilogy. Confused? Thought so! :) Anyways, sorry for the confusion. I think I finally have the complete order of the Dimension Chronicles. So here goes:

1: The Messenger (Caimara Trilogy #1 as well.)

2: You Can't Change the Past

3: Blind Faith (Last book of Caimara Trilogy)

4: Possession (Really weird about...well, I'll warn you that it'll have a new Animorph in it.)

5: Not Afriad to Die (Also weird. Numbers 4 and 5 have to do with the supernatural...)

6: Final Judgement (This is a temporary title, kay? I may do more than this, depending on whih side wins the final war. So stay tuned for interesting developments in the order of the series!)

And without further adu, here's the story!

Prologue

I was sitting at home at the time, suffering through the most boring few weeks of my life. Clicking off my 5-year-old about-to-break-down-again TV, I stood up and looked around my small room. Everything was in its place. Strange, because for the only time in my life I could see my whole floor. I always was a messy person.

I walked over to my door, pausing to look at the wall calendar that hung there. I noted today's date just as my cat -Tabs- rubbed against my leg. The small black-and-gray tabby was the only thing that kept me sane in my completely unrealistic world.

"Can you believe it, Tabs? It's been over a month," I told the kitten. She ignored me, purring and stretching out over my bare feet. She let out a soft meow and closed her eyes. "Tabs, I swear! If you didn't seem so...so helpless, I'd throw you in the street! You worthless hunk of fir!" Laughing, I picked her up and rubbed her forehead, a little above her eyes. She purred louder now, and she opened her green eyes to look at me.

"What? What're you looking at?" I asked. She meowed again in response. She wanted her dinner. "Okay, fine, I'll feed you," I said.

As I got out the canned food that miraculously sustained her life, (although I didn't know how. It's processed, filled with chemicals, and shipped off to be stored for months at a time. Plus, I'm a vegetarian. Why? Because the system of a Netteril doesn't digest or like meat. ) I heard a voice.

CAIMARA.

It was the Ellimist.

Chapter 1---Jake

It had been over a month since any of us had seen Caimara. Marco was getting a little...tense. I mean, she was about the only person who had ever laughed at his jokes. I noticed that Ax was acting a little weird, too. After our encounter with those...those books...who wouldn't be? The most unnerving thing was that they were completely true. Every last detail, from the first time we saw Elfangor to when Cassie and I kissed. Maybe this is being made into a book right now. I'll never know.

I never want to know.

"Jake? JAKE!" Marco snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"Huh?"

"I asked you a question, man," He said.

"Oh, what was it?"

"I was wondering if maybe we could have a Yeerk-free day? I mean, it's a Sunday! My dad expects me to spend a little time with him on Sundays! I should be asleep right now, but instead I'm...why are we here? I mean, don't we have meetings in Cassie's barn?" He stopped.

"Cassie said that her dad's doing a little painting in there. So we're here. And we can't go until I tell you this: Erek spoke to me yesterday."

"Now can I go?"

Marco, would you just shut up for a minute? It's got to be important if we're in the middle of a place where people can hear us, Tobias snapped. Rachel nodded. Ax and Cassie weren't there. Cassie was helping her dad paint. I assumed Ax was out not getting into any kind of trouble.

"As I was saying," I glared at Marco, "I talked to Erek yesterday. He said that the Yeerks are building this new device that can travel through time."

"Like the Time Matrix?" Rachel asked. I nodded.

"Perfect. This is just perfect, isn't it?" Marco asked gravely.

"They're beginning testing it in a week."

"And this was supposed to be a good day too."

Chapter 2---Caimara

CAIMARA. THE ANIMORPHS NEED YOU AGAIN.

"Oh goody," I mumbled. The Ellimist appeared in his strangely familiar blue human form. I continued dishing out my kitten's breakfast.

LISTEN TO ME! THE YEERKS HAVE A WEAPON MORE POWERFUL THAN WE HAVE IMAGINED NOW. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING B-

"Yeah, yeah, because you don't mess with the lives of creatures. What else is new?"

YOU MUST HELP THE ANIMORPHS. AT ANY COST.

"What does that mean, that I'm supposed to put their lives over mine? Sure, they're the only resistance Earth has but I mean, you can get that blue box of theirs and make new Animorphs. I am not going to be their bodyguard. I am the only one left of the Netteril!" I stopped for a minute.

CAIMARA, YOU-

"Sound selfish? Yeah, I know. But I'm sick and tired of being self-less! I've been running around the Universe doing odd jobs for everyone you think needs them, just because you can't interfere with the damn affairs of others! You seem to be bending the rules as is, so why not break them?! I'm tired of breaking them for you! And one more thing, after so long, haven't you realized that I hate-"

Things went black. I winced and then screamed flat-out as the pain of space-hopping tore me into a million and one teeny-tiny pieces and then put me back together. Over and over again. It is not a nice thing to go through. Space-hopping is different from what I do. When you space-hop, you travel through Z-space in a few thousand pieces and then get reassembled over and over to make sure no pieces go missing.

What I do is much simpler. I envision the place I want to go to. My subconscious mind finds a shortcut way of how to get there without actually having to move. Then I travel through non-space instead of Z-space, getting there about 5 times faster in the process.

And 5 times less painful.

"Space-hopping!" I finished, and then was staring at the Animorphs. "Uh...hi everyone. I guess I'm back."