Oh, and, of course. Lawyers, take note. COPYRIGHT 2000 (Hah! It feels funny typing in three zeroes!)
As always, read and review. Hope you enjoy! There's a sequel called "The Return" if you like this.
Chapter 4
It wasn't that hard, really. I got the morphing power, then decided on the basic morphs. To spy: the cockroach. I told them a bit about the cockroach while I morphed it for the first time and tested it out. Things that I had read about it. Hardy had apparently already told them that I did a lot of animal research. I told them that less than one percent of all cockroaches are actually pests. Then I told them which ones were pest, or at least the major ones. I could have sworn they laughed a bit. Marco called me "Tree hugger." I told him, {That's Miss Tree Hugger to you.}
To fly, I chose the kestrel. I had to explain two or three times that because it was small, it could get closer without being seen and it had the same vision. They still didn't seem to comprehend why. I guess that small isn't well known in a world where you either fight or die.
To fight, I chose my all-time favorite animal. The cougar. I raved about it in the woods, while Ax was standing by, ready to fight me if I got out of hand, and the others were in bird morph in the trees. I jumped onto the tree limb next to Rachel and she freaked.
They said they were surprised by how easily I gained control. I said it was no big deal, embarrassed. Hardy seemed so pleased and cocky that I pushed him and said, "Too bad it doesn't run in the family."
Then we talked to Erek the Chee and Jake let me tell Erek what I was hoping for. I told him. He seemed kind of happy about doing it, too. Who wouldn't?
At home, things were getting worse. My mom was going out to interviews and was being told that it looked promising. She and Dad were fighting more and more. I started getting out whenever I could. And then it happened.
My dad had gone out to the computer store with granddaddy. They're into technical stuff big time, I guess. My mom was sitting at the table in the breakfast room, holding a paper that looked official. I had just come back from the zoo with the others.
"Cat, sit down a sec. I need to talk to you."
I sat down. There wasn't anything I could do to get out of it.
"Cat, I've been thinking, and you know how I couldn't get a job back home, right?"
I nodded silently. Then I swallowed and prayed that she hadn't seen that my fingers were intertwining again and again.
"Well, I've found the perfect job. Really. I think I'll be happy there. And it will bring in plenty of money for us."
"Us?" I echoed. I just wanted to get this done with.
"Well, you and I. Your dad and I talked and we decided that he should keep his job there. We'll visit each other whenever we can. But we've agreed that you should come live with me since your dad isn't home a lot..."
It didn't really bother me that I hadn't had a choice. I would have reached the same decision. In court, if it would ever go that far, which was extremely unlikely, my mom would have gotten custody."When do you start?" I asked quietly.
"Next week."
"What about high school? Remember? I'm going to that great school, and all of the teachers like me, and all of my teachers from elementary school said I'd do great there?"
"I talked to them. They're sending back all of the money. Thankfully, they hadn't cashed the checks yet. You'll be going to the same public school that I went to when I was young. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, great." I got up and left.
"Where are you going?"
"On a walk."
"Be careful."
So it was final. My parents were separating. I would be living here. Forget my life back home. Forget family values. Forget the fact that I actually had friends. Forget that I had a chance of getting a scholarship at the high school I had been about to attend. This was better for me. I could still write to my friends. Even though we would eventually lose touch.
You see, I'm not some sort of ordinary kid. I think. A lot. Sometimes I think it's a curse. But I know how most people tick. It was like I could read them like a book. Me? I don't know who I am, really. But I can tell you almost everything about other people I know. And I knew what was going to happen.
I walked out of town. My grandparents lived on the edge so it really wasn't that far. I walked into the woods. I didn't really intend to run away or anything. I just needed to think. A lot. After all, that was what I was good at, I thought with a slight laugh. I was helping to win a war that not many people knew about and fewer believed was actually happening. That was going great. I had come up with a great plan, or so everyone said. They had even found the Kandrona. We had made plans to destroy it tonight.
But then there was my other life. The one that was falling apart. My parents, on the road to divorce. Both having close friends in both areas. Me, stuck someplace without a say. I probably would have even felt better if were in the middle of it all, but instead, I was just left out on a limb.
I found a nice spot. There were trees overhead everywhere, blocking the view to the sky. Even better, blocking the view from the sky. There was a small clearing. Very small. And perfect for feeling sorry for yourself. I sat there, leaning against a tree. Doing nothing. I tried not to concentrate on anything. But I kept seeing everything at once. The risks involved in going to the Yeerk pool. My parents. The Kandrona. Blood. My friends. My room. Victory. Loss. All of it was all meshed together, and I had no idea how to get all of my thoughts organized.
After a long time, they came. Just like I knew they would. Slowly at first, but then faster. I let them fall. I only brushed them away when they tickled my cheeks. I cried. For the first time in a long time, I cried.
Tobias had been right, when he had called me tough. I was very tough. I made it a rule not to show my weaknesses. I had only just now discovered that I had friends back home who actually were real friends. Pals, you know? Jen, Marie, Brandy, Brittany, Renee, Allison, even the guys. If I were ever in big trouble, they would probably help me out. Like the time I kind of kicked Renee. Well, we'd gotten into a fight, and we were both good friends. We defined our friendship as "an odd, weird, friendship." Anyway, Renee hadn't told the teachers who'd kicked her, and when the teachers asked the class, all of whom knew who was to blame, they said they didn't know and hadn't seen. Those were friends I wanted to keep. And who did I know here? Laurel, Hardy, and the Animorphs, and Ax. Who was I technically allowed to hang out with? Hardy and Laurel. Period.
I sat there. And I guess I sat there a long time. Only moving when I had to brush away a tear. Every once in a while, I'd hear things. Cars honking in the city. When the wind was just right, I could hear a river from somewhere. And then it happened.
{Cat? Cat? Are you there?} I sat perfectly still, praying that he'd go away. {Ah. There you are.}
By now, I had stopped crying. I was dried up, I guess. I wiped my eyes as Tobias landed. "Hey, Tobias. What are you doing here?"
{Looking for you. You've been gone for hours now.}
"Wow. That long?"
{Yeah. Cat, are you okay? I mean- Oh. What's wrong?}
I shrugged. Caught red-handed. My eyes must have been red. "Nothing major."
Tobias demorphed. "Tell me the truth. After all, you pretty much know everything about us."
I nodded. After all, they did have a right to know. For more than that reason. "It's final."
"You mean..."
"Yeah. My mom has gotten a job here. My dad is going back home so he can work. I'm living with my mom and going to the same high school she went to when she was a kid. I just found out today."
"You just found out today?"
I nodded.
"No wonder you ran out. So what was the deal? Did they just go against everything you said because it was for your own good, or what?"
I shook my head. "No. I just found out today. About everything. I mean, I knew my parents were fighting a lot, and that my mom was looking for a new job here, but it was kind of like HI, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT, OR NOT." By the way, in capital letters? I was imitating my mom on that.
"Ouch. Well, it's been five or six hours. I think you'd better get back. I'll tell the guys you're okay. Think you can make it tonight?"
I shook my head. "I don't think so. But if I can, I'll meet you there."
Tobias looked at me. I thought he was going to say something like "Not as tough as you thought, huh?" Instead, he pointed past the tree I was now standing by, and said, "It's that way. Straight on."
I kind of smiled and thanked him. Then I stopped. "Tobias? Call off that thing tonight. We'll destroy the Kandrona after we download the virus. That way, they can't order another one before we jam the signal. I just thought of that."
Tobias laughed. "Good thing you thought of it. Everything would have been wasted."
I smiled. "Yeah." Then I went home. I had a feeling that the guys had already known that it wouldn't do any good to destroy the Kandrona tonight. Tobias can act, but not that well when he's a hawk. He gave a little start and preened his feathers when I had told him to call off the raid tonight.
At least they cared.
That night, the guys came, one by one, to check on me. They hadn't destroyed the Kandrona after all. I didn't have any trouble with it. I was glad for the distraction. I didn't feel like sleep.
My parents had been careful not to fight when I got back. And I think everyone understood that I had only needed to think. My grandparents were nicer. I stayed in my room most of the night, writing stories, drawing, working on my research. I wasn't tired until four AM, when Cassie left. She told me to get some sleep because the next that night, we were going to plant the virus.
After that, I slept. I woke up at one in the afternoon, with Hardy knocking on my door. I told him he could come in, because I have a habit of sleeping in my clothes in case of emergencies. He came in, and I could tell that he had heard.
"So who told you?"
"Aunt Maggie. She seems happy."
"Yeah, I guess. So do you know what school our parents went to?"
"High school? I'm not sure."
"Huh. So I heard about tonight."
"Yeah. Apparently, Laurel's really sick, so my parents are staying with her in the hospital, and I'm spending the night at Jake's, I think."
"You know Jake?"
"Yeah. His dad's a doctor, remember? My dad is an insurance business owner."
"Ah, yes."
"We'll pick you up tonight about one."
"In the morning?"
"Yeah. From what I hear, you were up that late last night anyway."
I smiled. "What, did you think I would actually be able to get some sleep?"
Hardy looked at me and smiled back. "Guess not." We did that, just kind of sat there for a while. "So, uh. Marco wants to go to the mall to see how many cinnabons Ax can eat before he explodes again. Want to come?"
"Sure."
We went to lunch and then caught a movie. After which, Rachel dragged me and Cassie around the mall, showing me the dos and don'ts. I had fun. I know it sounds weird, but for some reason, after my stuck up friends and the friends who always took things seriously, it was nice to kick back. And I honestly had fun.
That's my loyalty to my friends. One minute they're fine, the next I don't like them that much. They were true friends, I know. But it's not like I can't change my mind about them sometimes.
Chapter 5
That night, I slept in the leotard I had gotten while shopping with Rachel and Cassie. Not that day, of course. Hardy and Jake came and picked me up, then we met the others in an old house that was for sale.
We morphed moles and crept down to the bat cave, then changed to flies. All the bats had left the cave to hunt by then. The others had decided that bats were too big and flies were harder for the hunter robots to hit. Erek was waiting inside with the virus.
We got to the Yeerk pool without too much trouble, and the demorphed in one of the side halls. After that, we got some spare clothes that Erek and the Chee had left for us. We met up with Erek who gave me the disk. He gave us directions. Us, because Ax and Marco were going to come with me while Hardy and the others would cause a distraction. Ax told us which way to turn until we reached the control room. Just then, we heard screams and Dracon beams firing.
"They can't even get a simple fire right," Marco muttered.
"Should we fight?" Ax asked, in human morph.
"They'll need help, probably," I offered.
Marco nodded. "Cat, you stay here. Ax and I will go help. We need you to load the virus. After that, morph to fly and get out of here ASAP. Got it?"
"Yeah. Are you sure you don't need my help?"
Marco shook his head and then smiled. "Are all blondes like Xena or something?"
"Hey, Rachel and I have not gotten our swords and little round disk things yet."
Marco laughed and then he and Ax ran off to help. I watched them go.
And then suddenly, "What's happening?" A Controller, standing in the doorway of the control room. He was speaking to me.
Stay calm, I commanded myself. "A fight."
"What? Fights don't happen here."
"Not unless there are Andalite bandits around," a man behind him said.
Before I knew it, I was being rushed to go help by all of the men that had been hanging out in the control room. They even gave me a Dracon Beam. But by the time I got there, it was too late. The fight was over. Ax was tied up, along with the others. They were all bleeding badly with Dracon bean wounds and Hork-Bajir wounds. I looked after them. None of them tried to look at me, but I could feel Hardy in my mind. He and Marco were both gorillas, and he was the one that nearly had his leg ripped off. Then they were all gone, led away by a bunch of cheering Controllers. I was alone. All around me Controllers were celebrating the last of the Andalite bandits.
"The Visser will kill them! And then Earth will be ours!" People sounded so happy, so excited. What few people there were, at least. At one in the morning, not many people were here.
And then I got an idea. No, not and idea. A plan. A brilliant plan.