Chapter 3
I continued to run as fast as I could to the predetermined meting place. It was an old run-down church. It wasn't exactly falling apart, but it was dirty and useless. There was a small clearing from the trees and a nice little meadow. Cool little place. I walked in the front door. I saw Sam there with a little pile of sticks in front of him. As soon as he looked down from them, they crumbled and his eyes dimmed from a bright glowing red.
"Back so soon?" He asked. "I heard a gunshot."
"Yeah, that was me. I got shot down. I guess that will be the last time I fly for fun. I got them though." I explained.
"I hope you didn't hurt them. Jake will be mad."
"I don't care. Chances are, you could go out in that bush and find a small piece of bird wing. Pretty bad."
"Well, good luck to you." he said. Just then I heard a fluttering in the old bell tower.
{What happened to you?} Tobias demanded. {We were looking for you, and why did you attack those guys?}
"I was teaching them a lesson, we are endangered animals." I said, quoting Rachel.
{Maybe so, but it was a little severe.}
"You try being shot, it makes you mad, I guarantee it." I told him.
{Whatever. Anyway, everyone is coming back now, they should be here any time.}
"Hey Gordon, I was thinking," Sam started, "Maybe we should live here. We could fix it up and call it home. We wouldn't be stealing, and nobody would come around here to see us. Plus, there is no risk of anyone following us to Cassie's place. It would be safer there and, well, it pretty much speaks for itself."
{I don't see why you would want to do that. I mean...never mind.} Tobias said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, then I figured it out. "You are worried about how we will take care of ourselves. Isn't that sweet. But don't worry, I will get a job if I have to. No problem, I can work somewhere that doesn't ask too many questions. Sounds good to me."
"Are you still talking?" Sam asked.
{He tends to talk even after you are done listening.} Tobias added.
I heard a group of birds fluttering in the bell tower. The great thing about the bell tower is that although you can fly in through it, even though it doesn't let rain in. I guess it would be a good place to stay, for a while.
{Gordon, are you here?} I heard Jake call in.
"I'm here." I answered. "Don't worry about me."
They all came in and fluttered to the ground. {When did you get here?} Rachel asked. {We were looking for you.}
{Yeah, why did you go psycho?} Whitney asked. {those guys were drunk.}
I couldn't believe even Whitney didn't understand what angle I was coming from. "Look, if I didn't teach them a lesson, you guys would just steal their beer cans or something."
{It doesn't matter. We would have dealt with it.} Jake explained. {It was not your place to decide.}
"I was the one who suffered their wrath. I lost a wing and was barely conscious for a while. If it wasn't for luck, I would be a pile of bird right now. I was mad at the time." I tried to explain rationally and slowly.
{I see where you are coming from, but please, learn to control your temper.} he said as him and all the others began to demorph.
"I will try, but it isn't always easy. I lost my family, my friends, and my life. I am a little on the edge."
{I understand that. I lost my family two years ago.} Marco said as he demorphed. {My dad went into a slump and didn't care about anything but me. Don't worry, you will get over it.}
His words made sense to me, but I was too pre-occupied. "Sam and I have decided that we are going to live here for a while." I told them.
Cassie had just finished her morph, "Why don't you guys stick around the barn for a while? I can bring you guys food and such until you can afford a place to rent."
"I appreciate your offer Cass, but I think it would be safer for us to stay out here for a while." Sam explained, then went on. "We are currently on the Yeerk's most wanted list, and if we are seen in any way, they will follow us. If we live at the barn, they will follow us to your place, they catch you and that is the end of us."
Cassie nodded thoughtfully as Whitney responded. "But I don't think we can get a job for food any time soon. I know you Gordon. You eat like a horse."
I looked away nonchalantly. "I guess, but I can find a way to eat until you get me a licence. Don't worry. Plus, I have to acquire somebody so I can go around safely in public."
The rest of them had just finished demorphing and were getting their real clothes. These morphing suits were horrible. Thank god I had an extra couple of pairs at Cassie's.
"Anyway, we will be staying here for the night. Come over tomorrow and we will be trying to fix up as much of this as we could." Sam told them.
{I will stay here for a while. See what I can do to help.} Tobias said.
"That may be hard for me and Whitney, but we will try. We have a gymnastics practice around noon, but we will try to make it out here and maybe help." Rachel said.
"I have some family stuff this weekend. I should probably be home right now." Jake said. "Anyway, good luck. I hope you two make it out here alright." He said as he left, Marco by his side.
"Yeah, good luck." Marco added.
As the last of them left, I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god, they are gone. Let's get started." I said to Sam.
"Why now? I mean, can't it wait until tomorrow? We have to get all our stuff from Cassie's first." He said.
{Won't that be a little dangerous in the broad daylight?} Tobias asked from the bell tower.
"Nope." I said easily. "Sam has his trench-coat and I can morph. We won't be seen."
He just hind of thought-speak sighed. {Look, we are not worried about being noticed, we are worried about being seen. If Cassie's dad sees anyone suspicious, then he will investigate. You need to go at night.}
"He has a point." Sam said.
"Well, what are we going to do? Neither of us particularly want to do any work here right now and we have nothing else to do." I said. "And any plans I would have made are now delayed to tonight."
"Let's go to town and see who's hiring. You can scope for a job, but you can't go in." Sam said. "You might as well get a start on things."
"Alright, thank god the clothes I have are really baggy. The hoody is a good touch." Sam gave me a funny look. "What? I'm not allowed to call it a hoody?"
"Let's go." Sam said. "I need a walk." He started to leave. I followed him.
I continued to run as fast as I could to the predetermined meting place. It was an old run-down church. It wasn't exactly falling apart, but it was dirty and useless. There was a small clearing from the trees and a nice little meadow. Cool little place. I walked in the front door. I saw Sam there with a little pile of sticks in front of him. As soon as he looked down from them, they crumbled and his eyes dimmed from a bright glowing red.
"Back so soon?" He asked. "I heard a gunshot."
"Yeah, that was me. I got shot down. I guess that will be the last time I fly for fun. I got them though." I explained.
"I hope you didn't hurt them. Jake will be mad."
"I don't care. Chances are, you could go out in that bush and find a small piece of bird wing. Pretty bad."
"Well, good luck to you." he said. Just then I heard a fluttering in the old bell tower.
{What happened to you?} Tobias demanded. {We were looking for you, and why did you attack those guys?}
"I was teaching them a lesson, we are endangered animals." I said, quoting Rachel.
{Maybe so, but it was a little severe.}
"You try being shot, it makes you mad, I guarantee it." I told him.
{Whatever. Anyway, everyone is coming back now, they should be here any time.}
"Hey Gordon, I was thinking," Sam started, "Maybe we should live here. We could fix it up and call it home. We wouldn't be stealing, and nobody would come around here to see us. Plus, there is no risk of anyone following us to Cassie's place. It would be safer there and, well, it pretty much speaks for itself."
{I don't see why you would want to do that. I mean...never mind.} Tobias said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, then I figured it out. "You are worried about how we will take care of ourselves. Isn't that sweet. But don't worry, I will get a job if I have to. No problem, I can work somewhere that doesn't ask too many questions. Sounds good to me."
"Are you still talking?" Sam asked.
{He tends to talk even after you are done listening.} Tobias added.
I heard a group of birds fluttering in the bell tower. The great thing about the bell tower is that although you can fly in through it, even though it doesn't let rain in. I guess it would be a good place to stay, for a while.
{Gordon, are you here?} I heard Jake call in.
"I'm here." I answered. "Don't worry about me."
They all came in and fluttered to the ground. {When did you get here?} Rachel asked. {We were looking for you.}
{Yeah, why did you go psycho?} Whitney asked. {those guys were drunk.}
I couldn't believe even Whitney didn't understand what angle I was coming from. "Look, if I didn't teach them a lesson, you guys would just steal their beer cans or something."
{It doesn't matter. We would have dealt with it.} Jake explained. {It was not your place to decide.}
"I was the one who suffered their wrath. I lost a wing and was barely conscious for a while. If it wasn't for luck, I would be a pile of bird right now. I was mad at the time." I tried to explain rationally and slowly.
{I see where you are coming from, but please, learn to control your temper.} he said as him and all the others began to demorph.
"I will try, but it isn't always easy. I lost my family, my friends, and my life. I am a little on the edge."
{I understand that. I lost my family two years ago.} Marco said as he demorphed. {My dad went into a slump and didn't care about anything but me. Don't worry, you will get over it.}
His words made sense to me, but I was too pre-occupied. "Sam and I have decided that we are going to live here for a while." I told them.
Cassie had just finished her morph, "Why don't you guys stick around the barn for a while? I can bring you guys food and such until you can afford a place to rent."
"I appreciate your offer Cass, but I think it would be safer for us to stay out here for a while." Sam explained, then went on. "We are currently on the Yeerk's most wanted list, and if we are seen in any way, they will follow us. If we live at the barn, they will follow us to your place, they catch you and that is the end of us."
Cassie nodded thoughtfully as Whitney responded. "But I don't think we can get a job for food any time soon. I know you Gordon. You eat like a horse."
I looked away nonchalantly. "I guess, but I can find a way to eat until you get me a licence. Don't worry. Plus, I have to acquire somebody so I can go around safely in public."
The rest of them had just finished demorphing and were getting their real clothes. These morphing suits were horrible. Thank god I had an extra couple of pairs at Cassie's.
"Anyway, we will be staying here for the night. Come over tomorrow and we will be trying to fix up as much of this as we could." Sam told them.
{I will stay here for a while. See what I can do to help.} Tobias said.
"That may be hard for me and Whitney, but we will try. We have a gymnastics practice around noon, but we will try to make it out here and maybe help." Rachel said.
"I have some family stuff this weekend. I should probably be home right now." Jake said. "Anyway, good luck. I hope you two make it out here alright." He said as he left, Marco by his side.
"Yeah, good luck." Marco added.
As the last of them left, I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god, they are gone. Let's get started." I said to Sam.
"Why now? I mean, can't it wait until tomorrow? We have to get all our stuff from Cassie's first." He said.
{Won't that be a little dangerous in the broad daylight?} Tobias asked from the bell tower.
"Nope." I said easily. "Sam has his trench-coat and I can morph. We won't be seen."
He just hind of thought-speak sighed. {Look, we are not worried about being noticed, we are worried about being seen. If Cassie's dad sees anyone suspicious, then he will investigate. You need to go at night.}
"He has a point." Sam said.
"Well, what are we going to do? Neither of us particularly want to do any work here right now and we have nothing else to do." I said. "And any plans I would have made are now delayed to tonight."
"Let's go to town and see who's hiring. You can scope for a job, but you can't go in." Sam said. "You might as well get a start on things."
"Alright, thank god the clothes I have are really baggy. The hoody is a good touch." Sam gave me a funny look. "What? I'm not allowed to call it a hoody?"
"Let's go." Sam said. "I need a walk." He started to leave. I followed him.