Interlude: Cassie
My name is Cassie. And for the past few days, I haven't been able to shake off this sense of ... wrongness.
It all started one Friday night at the mall.
I was there with Rachel, my best friend.
She was forcing me to walk through the shopping mall with her, and she was picking out clothes for me.
I love Rachel. I really do. She's like a sister to me. But I can't believe how obsessed one person could be with shopping.
We decided to call it quits and head home.
That's when we ran into Rachel's cousin, Jake, and his best friend, Marco.
Jake is the tall, athletic, basketball player type. Which is no surprise, really, since his whole family is into basketball.
Marco is short, like me. He doesn't like to have attention drawn to the fact that he's short.
Jake turned to Rachel. "You guys going home? You shouldn't go through the construction site by yourselves. You know, being girls and all."
That was a mistake. Jake should never have suggested to Rachel that she's weak or helpless.
"What. You think you can protect us, you big, strong, maaaaan? You think that just because—"
"Actually," I put in, "I don't really think anyone should go through the construction site. That place creeps me out. I know the thing about the ax murderers probably isn't true, but I don't want to take my chances. I know you're not afraid, Rachel, but I guess I am."
Rachel didn't have any sort of comeback for that one.
As we took the long, sensable route home, I couldn't help but think that there was someone missing from our little group.
When I concentrated really hard on that thought, the name Tobias popped into my head.
That was weird. Who was Tobias? I didn't know a Tobias.
I think that was when I began to notice something wrong.
When we got home, I felt like something should have happened, but it didn't.
I wondered what it was.
When I fell asleep, I had all these weird dreams.
I was in the construction site, watching this blue alien, that I somehow knew was called an Andalite, get eaten alive by another creature, Visser Three in his Antarean Bogg morph.
I was in this giant, underground cavern. The Yeerk pool.
I watched as people had their heads shoved into some weird sludge, and these slugs, Yeerks, began crawling into their ears.
I felt myself morphing.
FLASH! The polar bear morphed Controller killed Rachel with a single blow. Her body lay lifeless on the deck of the pool ship.
[You fight well, human.] said the voice of the morphed Controller.
FLASH! A giant creature, sitting high up on a throne. It was made of part organic and part machine components.
At its very top, was a single, blood red eye.
The eye seemed to stare into my very soul, my very being, as it radiated evil.
It spoke five words. "You don't belong here, Cassie."
And that was it.
I sat bolt upright in bed.
The next few days were a blur of time that didn't seem real.
On Wednesday, I did the unthinkable.
I skipped school.
I had to clear my head, and get to the bottom of this.
I was wandering aimlessly through the mall, when time stopped.
And I remembered.
The Animorphs, the Yeerks, Visser Three, Ax, Elfangor, that dying Andalite Prince.
The Ellimist.
Crayak.
It had to be one of them who stopped time.
"Relax, Cassie. It is I, the Ellimist. I am here to tell you of your new situation. The team who fights the Yeerks are called the Morphalites. They are lead by David Parker, the one who betrayed you Animorphs. But that was when Crayak manipulated his mind. David's greatest goal now is to defeat the Yeerk Empire and save his parents, while leading his team into battle. He is no longer so evil anymore."
"Why do I remember?" I asked.
"Because you are still needed. You will help David's Morphalites. You can no longer morph. You will not be one of the main fighters. But you will be there ally."
I nodded.
"How can I find them?" I asked.
"In three days, they will make their way to the Yeerk Pool. Be there, help them. I will give you temporary morphing abilities. I will give you all your morphs from your native timeline."
"Okay." I said. "I will do it."
"You are going back to school." The Ellimist said. "I can not allow my champion to be grounded on the day."
And just like that I was back at school.
I remembered everything from both timelines.
I realized that Tobias didn't exist in this timeline.
I set off to resume my normal life.
But in three days, I would meet these Morphalites. And I knew I would meet the evil Visser Three again.
