Chapter 20 (Joe)
The first thing I heard when I finally came to, was an ominous tick tock, tick tock. It took me a few seconds to realise that I had my ear on top of my wristwatch. It had – somehow – survived this whole ordeal.
I lay where I was for a while, to get myself orientated. I was lying face down on a bare, concrete floor. And, let's face it, it did not smell all that good.
"I can't believe he's still out cold." That voice! I knew it from somewhere. Where did I know it from?
"Well, you weren't exactly too careful were you?" A girl's voice, she sounded about my age. Did she go to my school?
"We were in a hurry," protested the owner of the first voice. "Subtly wasn't exactly an option I had open to me."
"At least you got him out at all." I knew that one too! A girl this time, again, she sounded around my age. A slightly more no nonsense sound to it, but I still knew it.
Finally gathering my wits, I pushed myself to my elbows and looked about. There were animal cages everywhere. I should have heard the animals earlier but I forgave myself. I was having a rough day. I was in some kind of barn. And around me were six kids. Three girls and three boys. I suppose the two things that surprised me most were Marco and Leanne. If I'd expected anything it was not seeing those two here.
One of the guys, a tall boy with brown hair, stooped down next to me. "You okay?"
I nodded dumbly. "Yeah." After a moments pause I continued. "What's going on here? Who are you guys?"
"I'm Jake," said the tall boy, indicating each person as he told me his or her name. "That's Rachel, Marco, Lee, Cassie, Ax, and the hawk's Tobias."
A hawk? I glanced above my head into the rafters, and sure enough, there was a hawk watching me. Not just looking at me, not trying to decide if it could eat me or anything. Watching me – with an intelligent interest.
It's a lot to get your head round, but you'll work it out eventually.
I instinctively recoiled. I'd had nothing but bad experiences with thought speech.
"It's okay." That was Cassie, a dark skinned girl with short hair. "It was just Tobias."
"He talked to me inside my head."
She nodded. "I know. I heard him too. But that's okay."
"No Cassie, I don't think you understand. He talked to me inside my head. How can that be okay?"
"You're just going to have to trust me."
I must've looked like a scared rabbit. I suppose I acted that way. Come to think of it, I felt exactly like a scared rabbit.
I glanced overhead warily. The hawk was still watching me out of those predatory eyes. Sharp, fierce and calculating. Whether he talked or not, he was definitely intelligent. "Sorry Tobias." I spoke slowly, still wondering whether I'd get an answer back at all.
No problem.
I looked round again. "So what is going on here? I mean, last time I checked birds do not talk. Nothing talks to people inside their heads. Those people are classed as being totally nutso!"
The girl with the long blond hair – Rachel – spoke. "I know this seems a little confusing right now Joe. But, trust me, it can be explained."
"How?" I was starting to loose my rag now. "Aliens? Is that it? Aliens came and infested my mind?"
They all looked at each other uncomfortably. Ax, who was a disturbingly pretty guy and looked a little like each of them except Lee and Tobias, spoke. He didn't seem to realise that I had been trying to be sarcastic. "Exactly."
He looked like was going to say something else, but Jake looked to him sternly. "Not now Ax. Try not to play with the only word you've said all evening."
Ax looked slightly sheepish.
I slowly got to my feet and looked about at them. They looked like they could be anybody I knew. One of my friends at school, anyone. "You do realise that what you're telling me is absolutely crazy, right? What you're asking me to believe here is absolute lunacy."
"What's crazier?" asked Marco thoughtfully. "Things talking to you inside your head? Crazy purple things knocking you cold? Yeerks? Or – us?"
"You want the truth?"
"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
"Okay. I don't know which is crazier. But I have a feeling I like this side of crazy better than that side of crazy. Does that make sense to anybody?"
Nothing ever made better sense. I glanced up at Tobias and smiled at him. He was an all right kid… hawk… whatever.
"Thanks."
There was a lengthy pause. Then Ax said, "What do we do now?"