Chapter 8
Illarim
The next few days past uneventfully. Often, Katie still had an uneasy feeling of being watched, but I would look around repeatedly and assure her there was no one in sight. I even allowed her enough control to look around on her own several times. For the most part, I tried to ignore Katie's qualms.
I did not tell her this, but at times, I had the same uneasy feeling. Frequently, I looked around not merely to calm Katie's fears, but my own as well.
After three days, I of course, had to feed. I walked Katie to the Yeerk pool after school. Normally she would practice soccer after school, so she would not be missed at home.
As we were walking home from the Yeerk pool, that usual uneasiness came over us both very strongly.
Katie said, Can you please look around again?
I did. But I saw no one. Just a few birds and a squirrel. I started walking a little faster. I knew that those animals could be Andalites. Why they would target *me* I didn't know.
What is it? Katie demanded.
Nothing, I tried to assure her, but my thoughts were tense and nervous, and Katie saw through my lie.
Illarim. What. Is. It?
It's nothing, I said again, a little calmer and more convincingly. It's just that your parents will become concerned if you are not home soon. It's getting dark.
She was not entirely convinced. But it was obvious I wasn't going to tell her any more, so she let me alone.
Katie
Illarim was as nervous as I was. He made me look around, but there was no one in sight. There were just some birds and a squirrel. When Illarim saw these, he got really scared for some reason and started walking faster.
He looked around again, and, coming off of a side street was a teenager whom I didn't recognize. I knew I'd never met him, but somehow he seemed almost familiar. Illarim walked even faster, and turned off onto a different street.
He made me look around again. And the kid was still there. He was following me.
Illarim made me break into a trot. The kid started to run. He was faster than I was. He was gaining.
Illarim turned me off the street and into the woods. He made me run for some time, and it seemed we had lost the kid. He stopped me to catch my breath.
Then, in approximately half a second, someone grabbed me from behind. I would have screamed, but a hand was clamped firmly over my mouth.
"It's all right, Katie," Emily said, stepping into view. "We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help. But you need to come with us."
"Besides, it's not exactly as if you have a choice," the kid who was holding me said.
They dragged me about a quarter of a mile further into the forest, where there was a small, rotting shack with half the roof already missing. It was so rotted, it was probably even the same one they used when Jake became a controller in #6. There were a couple other kids standing outside.
"Katie?" Emily said. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Rachel, Cassie and Marco and Jake."
I didn't know what to think. It was one of those things where I'd always wanted to meet them, and I couldn't believe I actually got to. Although, it would have been much more enjoyable under different circumstances.
The kid took his hand away from my mouth so I could speak. We were already so far into the woods that no one could have heard me if I had screamed.
"Is this like a joke or something?" Illarim made me ask. He decided to keep pretending I was not a controller.
I saw a flicker of doubt in Emily's eyes. She still wasn't completely sure I was a controller.
"No, it's not a joke," Jake said. (Once I knew who they were, it was easy enough to figure out who was who.)
"What are you going to do to me?"
"We're going to starve that Yeerk right out of your head, Katie," Emily said softly.
Chapter 9
I felt Illarim's fear, but he recovered quickly and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Come on," Marco said. "We're wasting time. We can talk more once she's safely tied up and in the shed."
Cassie and Emily tied my hands behind my back and led me into the shed. There was a pile of blankets on the floor in the corner. I was told to sit down there. Once sitting, they tied my feet as well.
"Why are you doing this?" Illarim made me ask. "What did I ever do to you? Come on, Emily. I thought we were friends. You guys, if this some sort of practical joke, it's not funny. It's getting dark. I need to get home."
He tried all sorts of things; imploring, demanding, appealing, begging- but nothing work. It became increasingly obvious that they were not going to let me go until Illarim had starved to death.
Someone stayed there all the time to make sure that I didn't escape. When Jake had been made into a controller, he could just morph and escape that way, but I couldn't. There was no way to get out. Rachel took the first shift.
I guess after a while she got tired of Illarim's begging. "Listen, Yeerk. There's no way to escape, and we're certainly not going to let you go. Now quit your whining."
"But what about my parents? If I don't get home, they'll flip!"
"There's a Chee at your house right now. They'll never know the difference." She answered.
"What's a Chee? And why do you keep calling me a Yeerk?"
"You know what a Chee is, and I call you a Yeerk because you are one. Now would you please shut up? I have homework to do."
Illarim was going to say something more, but I asked him not to. Listen, I said. Rachel will get really mad if you keep bugging her. And a really mad Rachel is not good. We're going to have to tell them I was a voluntary controller, but don't do it yet. That would make probably Rachel go ballistic. Wait until Cassie is on guard. She'll understand.
May I search your memories to find out all you know about the Animorphs? Illarim asked.
Go right ahead, I said.
I felt Illarim search my memories of the books. Pay special attention to #19, I said. That's the one that will be most helpful.
Understood.
Illarim
After I had found out as much as Katie knew about the 'Animorphs,' I realized she was right. If there was any hope of my escaping safely, it lay with Cassie. She would be the most likely to understand.
After three hours, a new guard came. It was not Cassie. Another three hours, another new guard. Not Cassie. This continued happening until it should have been Cassie's turn because she was the only one who had not stood guard. But it was not Cassie. It was Rachel again.
"Where's Cassie?" I asked.
"My, aren't you perceptive," Rachel said. "Why do you want Cassie? So you can try to convince her that you aren't a controller and we need to let you go? I don't think so."
I said nothing, realizing my mistake.
"Oh yes. Almost forgot to answer your question, didn't I? Well, Cassie went to a vet seminar thing with her parents. Now if you'll excuse me, I have homework."
No, Katie said suddenly. She's lying. Cassie's parents wouldn't let her skip school. It's evening. Maybe she had to baby-sit or something. She definitely seems like a babysitting sort of girl. Just wait. I'm sure she'll be here sometime.
I hope you're right, I said.
If I'm not, we'll just have to figure something out.
Illarim
The next few days past uneventfully. Often, Katie still had an uneasy feeling of being watched, but I would look around repeatedly and assure her there was no one in sight. I even allowed her enough control to look around on her own several times. For the most part, I tried to ignore Katie's qualms.
I did not tell her this, but at times, I had the same uneasy feeling. Frequently, I looked around not merely to calm Katie's fears, but my own as well.
After three days, I of course, had to feed. I walked Katie to the Yeerk pool after school. Normally she would practice soccer after school, so she would not be missed at home.
As we were walking home from the Yeerk pool, that usual uneasiness came over us both very strongly.
Katie said, Can you please look around again?
I did. But I saw no one. Just a few birds and a squirrel. I started walking a little faster. I knew that those animals could be Andalites. Why they would target *me* I didn't know.
What is it? Katie demanded.
Nothing, I tried to assure her, but my thoughts were tense and nervous, and Katie saw through my lie.
Illarim. What. Is. It?
It's nothing, I said again, a little calmer and more convincingly. It's just that your parents will become concerned if you are not home soon. It's getting dark.
She was not entirely convinced. But it was obvious I wasn't going to tell her any more, so she let me alone.
Katie
Illarim was as nervous as I was. He made me look around, but there was no one in sight. There were just some birds and a squirrel. When Illarim saw these, he got really scared for some reason and started walking faster.
He looked around again, and, coming off of a side street was a teenager whom I didn't recognize. I knew I'd never met him, but somehow he seemed almost familiar. Illarim walked even faster, and turned off onto a different street.
He made me look around again. And the kid was still there. He was following me.
Illarim made me break into a trot. The kid started to run. He was faster than I was. He was gaining.
Illarim turned me off the street and into the woods. He made me run for some time, and it seemed we had lost the kid. He stopped me to catch my breath.
Then, in approximately half a second, someone grabbed me from behind. I would have screamed, but a hand was clamped firmly over my mouth.
"It's all right, Katie," Emily said, stepping into view. "We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help. But you need to come with us."
"Besides, it's not exactly as if you have a choice," the kid who was holding me said.
They dragged me about a quarter of a mile further into the forest, where there was a small, rotting shack with half the roof already missing. It was so rotted, it was probably even the same one they used when Jake became a controller in #6. There were a couple other kids standing outside.
"Katie?" Emily said. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Rachel, Cassie and Marco and Jake."
I didn't know what to think. It was one of those things where I'd always wanted to meet them, and I couldn't believe I actually got to. Although, it would have been much more enjoyable under different circumstances.
The kid took his hand away from my mouth so I could speak. We were already so far into the woods that no one could have heard me if I had screamed.
"Is this like a joke or something?" Illarim made me ask. He decided to keep pretending I was not a controller.
I saw a flicker of doubt in Emily's eyes. She still wasn't completely sure I was a controller.
"No, it's not a joke," Jake said. (Once I knew who they were, it was easy enough to figure out who was who.)
"What are you going to do to me?"
"We're going to starve that Yeerk right out of your head, Katie," Emily said softly.
Chapter 9
I felt Illarim's fear, but he recovered quickly and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Come on," Marco said. "We're wasting time. We can talk more once she's safely tied up and in the shed."
Cassie and Emily tied my hands behind my back and led me into the shed. There was a pile of blankets on the floor in the corner. I was told to sit down there. Once sitting, they tied my feet as well.
"Why are you doing this?" Illarim made me ask. "What did I ever do to you? Come on, Emily. I thought we were friends. You guys, if this some sort of practical joke, it's not funny. It's getting dark. I need to get home."
He tried all sorts of things; imploring, demanding, appealing, begging- but nothing work. It became increasingly obvious that they were not going to let me go until Illarim had starved to death.
Someone stayed there all the time to make sure that I didn't escape. When Jake had been made into a controller, he could just morph and escape that way, but I couldn't. There was no way to get out. Rachel took the first shift.
I guess after a while she got tired of Illarim's begging. "Listen, Yeerk. There's no way to escape, and we're certainly not going to let you go. Now quit your whining."
"But what about my parents? If I don't get home, they'll flip!"
"There's a Chee at your house right now. They'll never know the difference." She answered.
"What's a Chee? And why do you keep calling me a Yeerk?"
"You know what a Chee is, and I call you a Yeerk because you are one. Now would you please shut up? I have homework to do."
Illarim was going to say something more, but I asked him not to. Listen, I said. Rachel will get really mad if you keep bugging her. And a really mad Rachel is not good. We're going to have to tell them I was a voluntary controller, but don't do it yet. That would make probably Rachel go ballistic. Wait until Cassie is on guard. She'll understand.
May I search your memories to find out all you know about the Animorphs? Illarim asked.
Go right ahead, I said.
I felt Illarim search my memories of the books. Pay special attention to #19, I said. That's the one that will be most helpful.
Understood.
Illarim
After I had found out as much as Katie knew about the 'Animorphs,' I realized she was right. If there was any hope of my escaping safely, it lay with Cassie. She would be the most likely to understand.
After three hours, a new guard came. It was not Cassie. Another three hours, another new guard. Not Cassie. This continued happening until it should have been Cassie's turn because she was the only one who had not stood guard. But it was not Cassie. It was Rachel again.
"Where's Cassie?" I asked.
"My, aren't you perceptive," Rachel said. "Why do you want Cassie? So you can try to convince her that you aren't a controller and we need to let you go? I don't think so."
I said nothing, realizing my mistake.
"Oh yes. Almost forgot to answer your question, didn't I? Well, Cassie went to a vet seminar thing with her parents. Now if you'll excuse me, I have homework."
No, Katie said suddenly. She's lying. Cassie's parents wouldn't let her skip school. It's evening. Maybe she had to baby-sit or something. She definitely seems like a babysitting sort of girl. Just wait. I'm sure she'll be here sometime.
I hope you're right, I said.
If I'm not, we'll just have to figure something out.