~~~~~~~~~*PART TWO*~~~~~~~~~

*****************************
~~~Chapter Nine~~~ |*Jake*|
 I got up and left the room, leaving Fi in the livingroom.
I walked towards the kitchen and put an ear to the door. Eavesdropping, I know, but I had a very strange feeling about what they were talking about...
"Nikki, it can't be her, okay? She was gone a long time ago. She would have died in those woods...we never found them. We searched nearly for two years...poor Jake and Tom had no idea what it was all about...we could never tell them that they had a brother and sister that were dead!!" my father insisted.
"Greg, it's her...didn't you see how much she looks like Jake? You know they're twins. Jake never knew, of course. He couldn't. And Tom never knew," my mother argued.
I gulped. Twin? I had a twin? I leaned against the door, listening with more anxiousness.
There was a small sigh. "I'm afraid you're right," my father agreed. "Nikki, it's them...it really is..."
"Mmmhmm..it's them, Darling..." I heard a small muffled sob from my mother in the next room. "It's them..."
I raised my ear from the door, looking at the livingroom door. I looked back to the kitchen and opened the door. "What's going on?" I demanded, feeling I had a right to know.
"Jake!" my mom said in surprise. She wiped her eyes.
"A twin? What the..what else have you been keeping from me?" I demanded.
"Oh sweetie..nothing...but that girl in there...Fi...that's your twin sister," my mother said, grinning lightly.
I looked at the door exiting the kitchen and back to my parents. "She's my sister?"
They both nodded lightly, looking at the door. "How, the question is, are we going to tell her?"
"She already knows."
I snapped around, seeing Fi standing in the other doorway of the kitchen. She looked somewhat upset, but then again, her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Fi...I'm sorry you had to find out this way..." my father apologized.
"It...it's okay..." she reassured, hugging herself slightly.
My mother burst into tears and wrapped Fi in her arms. Fi hugged back and looked at me, a small smile on her lips. "No wonder," she whispered simply. "No wonder."

~~~Chapter Ten~~~|*Fi*|
 A week later, Jack and I had moved in with the Phillipses. I still remembered Molly's excited face when I told her that I'd found our family...I remembered her tears most of all.
I smiled lightly, looking at the picture of them on the side-table of my new bedroom. I sighed shakily, glad that Teresa was staying in the town and Molly would be going on tour now.
There was a soft knock on the door. "Come on in," I called, carefully setting the picture back in place.
"Fi?"
I looked up. "Christina?" I demanded, laughing with amazement. I leaped up. "You moved here??"
She grinned. "Yep," she confirmed, coming in and shutting the door behind her. "This is a great place...." She grinned. I knew something was coming. "That Jake kid is way hot."
I laughed. "Hot? He's my twin brother."
"Really now?" she asked, laughing lightly. "Well, he is hot."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay..yeah, Christina. Whatever you say, all right?"
She laughed. "Well...I can't really stick around for long," she said, opening my bedroom door. She smiled lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, hopefully...I start tomorrow."
I nodded. "Mmhmm."
"See ya, Fi." She walked out and shut the door behind her.
I smiled and sat back down on the bed. Everything was going right for me...but something still felt wrong. I felt that there was still something missing. I wasn't sure what, though.
I turned out the light and layed down, closing my eyes and falling quickly to sleep.

The next day at school, I followed Jake through the crowd of people. I'd gotten a schedule change so my schedule exactly matched his, except for my being in band.
He stopped. "Here's my locker," he explained, and looked at my schedule and narrowed his brow in concentration, squinting lightly at it.
When he saw my look of confusion, he laughed lightly. "They always put your locker number in such small print...takes forever to find -- ah, here we are!!" He looked at the locker number and back at his, smiling lightly and putting a hand on the locker next to his. "What luck." He grinned, and then slapped his forehead. "What luck..well, I'm a dummy. Duh, you're going to have a locker next to mine if they're in alphabetical order...now that you're going by Fi Phillips...don't mind me. Jake Phillips: Dummy of the Month."
I laughed. "Nah....you're probably the smartest person I know."
He smiled lightly at me. "Really?"
I nodded. "Oh, for sure...Jake, you don't realize that you're way too smart for your age."
He laughed. "I hear it from Marco all the time. Don't worry about it." The bell rang as he began his com. He pointed to a place on my schedule where the combination would be, and I started twisting it in, looking worridly at the empty hallways.
"Hey, don't worry. We have a tardy pass," he explained, holding up a slip of paper. "Since I have to show you around and stuff."
I nodded in understanding, pulling out the books I needed to, and shut my locker, tossing my brown hair over my shoulder and waiting for Jake.
He soon finished, shutting his locker and smiling at me. "C'mon...you know your way to Mr. Wattnobbi's class by now, I'd say."

~~~Chapter Eleven~~~ |*Marco*|
 "But Mr. Wattnobbi...if we were to...oh, I don't know...make the numbers --"
"Quit stalling, Marco," Mr. Wattnobbi snapped. "Some people in this room would like to learn."
I scoffed lightly. Whoever wanted to learn in his class belonged locked safely into a rubber room.
I slumped in my chair a bit and looked back to the mathbook with boredom. But what else could I do? I'd had enough warnings from Wattnobbi. He was on the verge of expulsion.
I gulped. My dad would murder me if I ever got expelled.
There was a soft knock on the door and the class erupted into low murmers.
"Ah, yes, Jacob...we were expecting your sister to be switching schedules," Mr. Wattnobbi said.
Sister? I looked up and saw a petite girl standing beside Jake. Her eyes avoided the remainder of the class and blushed a little, tossing her long wavy brown hair back.
I sat up in amazement. She was gorgeous...
The only weird thing was that she looked like Jake.
Eeeee...that's kinda like saying Jake is gorgeous... I thought, shuddering. Never.
 Mr. Wattnobbi took a slip of paper from Jake's hands and nodded slowly. "Yes...okay, Fiona, you can take a seat over there," Mr. Wattnobbi said, pointing to a seat across the room from me. A seat in front of Jeff Kenter...basically the most popular guy in the school.
He was looking pretty smug about it, too. That stupid perfect blond hair...those stupid brown eyes that no girl had forced herself to resist...
I looked away, angry. I didn't have a chance with the Fiona girl. But I could try.
I found it hard to keep my eyes off of her for the rest of the period. What was going on in class, I wouldn't know. Couldn't know.
Jeff tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around and looked at him, smiling lightly.
"Oh no...no..." I murmered. "Jeff, don't give her the Killer Kenter Smile..." I held my breath. The Killer Kenter Smile was Jeff's trademark; no girl could resist those two dazzling rows of perfectly straight, sparkeling white teeth.
Jeff smiled the smile.
"No!" I hissed, slamming a fist on the desk.
"Mr. Jameson..is there a problem?" Mr. Wattnobbi asked, lowering his spectacles in my direction.
I gulped. When he lowers his spectacles, you're in deep trouble.
"No, Mr. Wattnobbi...just one of those Jameson spasms you see so much of," I said with a smirk. That was bad...that wasn't funny...
 That got laughs from most of the class. A small smile from Fiona. She wasn't even noticing Jeff.
I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back the best I could.
"Well, then get back to paying attention. Goggle at the new student later," Mr. Wattnobbi snapped, going back to his lesson.
The class laughed again. Except this time, I didn't want the laughter. I'm not a person easily embarrassed, though. Or at least I can hide it. Most of the time.

At the end of class, I leaped out of my seat to catch up to Jake and Fiona.
"Who is the total babe, Jake?" I demanded in a whisper that Fiona couldn't hear.
Jake looked at me. "My sister, you dolt." But he looked a little hurt that I'd called her a babe. I shrugged it off.
"Sister?" I asked.
"Yes, twin actually," Jake said with a small smile.
"Oh great. Now you're hiding your siblings from me, Jacob," I scolded, shaking a finger in his face.
He pushed my hand out of his face. "Knock it off, shorty."
I rolled my eyes. "More short jokes. You know, one day you're going to be sorry when I grow up to be a big muscular guy." I smirked.
Fiona laughed lightly. "You've got quite a character of a friend here, Jake."
I smirked again. "Marco Jameson," I stated, with an exaggerated bow.
Jake cleared his throat lightly. He knew when I was hitting on somebody.
But Fiona didn't. She laughed and said, "Fi Phillips."
I smiled. "Fi. That's a cool name, you know..."
"Yes, it is, and that's why she's with me," a voice behind me said.
I snapped around. Jeff Kenter slipped an arm around Fi's shoulders. She smiled blandly and removed his arm. "Charming," she said sarcastically.
He smirked smugly. "Well, Fi? What do you say? Movies later?"
She gave him a strained smile. "No thank you."
He looked at her and slipped his arm around her waist. "You sure there? We could have some -- fun afterwards..."
I turned away. Nobody could resist the smile. Soon Jeff would have Fi in the back of a car. It was his reputation. I wasn't planning on standing by to watch.
She pushed his arm away. "You can have fun with yourself, Jeff. It's obvious that it's something you like to do."
I laughed, but quickly shut up when Jeff shot me a glare. It was amazing that she so easily resisted that Kenter smile...weird.
She turned to face us again, smiling lightly in apology. Jeff stood behind her and smiled. I couldn't see what he did, but it must have been something bad, because Fi cleared her throat, spun around, and shoved Jeff into the wall with ease, violently holding him there.
"Wow..she's strong," I murmered to Jake.
He nodded in amazement.
She brought her face close to Jeff's. "You touch my ass again, Kenter, and you'll be damn sorry. Capeesh?"
He nodded, but smirked, unphased by her violent reaction. "Capeesh, babe."
She ignored him and shoved him hard, turning back around and ignoring our presence, grabbing her books and quickly walking away.
Jake shot Jeff a glare. I was afraid I'd have to hold him back, until Chapman stepped into the hallway.
"Jake," I whispered. "Chapman...not now, okay?"
Angered, he turned around and began walking way. I ran to catch up to him. "Hey, Jake, Jeff always touches every girl's butt, okay? It's no big deal -- I mean! -- not that it's not a big deal that he did that to Fi, but -- do you get what I'm saying here?"
I could tell he was ignoring me, but I continued to walk quickly beside him. I sighed. I couldn't believe that asshole Kenter did that to Fi. Jerk. Hopefully Fi would make him sorry later.

~~~Chapter Twelve~~~|*Fi*|
 After school, I grabbed my stuff and hurried home, trying to avoid Jake.
That jerk Kenter...how could anybody in the school like him? It seemed humanly impossible--
"Hey, Fi!! Hold up!"
I turned around. It was Marco. He jogged up to me and stopped at my side as I began walking again.
"Don't worry about Jeff...he's -- he's a jerk. But you don't deserve to be treated like that..." he said sincerely, patting his hair back, thinking I wasn't looking at him.
I glanced over at him, and back ahead. He was a sweet guy...but I'd had my share of bad boyfriend experiences. "I don't worry about Kenter. I can handle him if I need to."
He nodded slightly. "I see."
I stopped and looked at him. He stopped in his tracks.
"What? Do you think that just because I'm a girl I can't show Kenter who has a higher IQ? Glad to know you think so highly of me."
I snapped my head back ahead and continued walking.

Later at dinner, I hardly touched my food.
"Fi...you just gonna poke it or are ya gonna eat some of it?" Tom asked, laughing.
Jake laughed. I could tell it was an extremely fake laugh, but I didn't say anything because the rest of the family seemed to think it was real.
"I was thinkin I'm just gonna poke a bit at it."
Jack smirked. "Jake's friend Marco has a thing for her...I saw him walkin with her back here after school."
I snapped my head up. "Jack," I hissed. "We were just talking about--"
Dad looked over at me and cut me off. "Really? Jake and Marco are really good friends, Fi. Nice guy, he is..." he said thoughtfully.
I looked back at my food, murmering.
"Aww...so adorable, isn't it?" Jack asked sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes. "Jack...try getting a life. I've never seen a girl liking you, hmm?"
He looked at me and gave me a smug look. "It just so happens...that there's this girl that likes me."
"Oh yeah? And who would that complete and total psycho be?" I asked with a smirk.
Jack laughed lightly but stopped. "Hey..that wasn't funny!"
"Well, I saw you laughing," I said, laughing.
Tom rolled his eyes. "The two come from the woods...then they come from a home of a singer...what else can you expect except them making fun of each other? It comes with the so-called privelege of sibling company," he said with a laugh, poking at his food a bit.
"Mmmhmm," I grunted, going back to my food. "Hey..steak."
Dad laughed. "You didn't see that your mother cooked steak? Fi, you really haven't been on Earth for the past few minutes, have you?"
I laughed lightly. "Guess not..."
Jake looked at me and cleared his throat. "Well...Fi had that jerk Jeff Kenter bugging her today...makes sense she needs a little time to chill.."
I shot a look at him. I didn't want anything started...especially not some sort of sexual harrassment discussion.
He looked at me with sympathy, but understanding.
I breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't tell them exactly what Jeff had done. I looked back down at the plate of food and cut a small piece off the steak. In the woods, I'd been a vegetarian..but after being with the Andersons and with the Phillipses, meat didn't seem so bad if you didn't have too much of it.
Jack smiled lightly at me and looked away, laughing lightly at one of Dad's jokes.
Dad.
What a great thing to be able to say...
But still, it was painful. Jack and I hadn't really bonded since the night after Molly took us in. Approximately six years ago. I looked down at the food, sighing lightly.
"Fi, honey...you okay?" Mom asked sympathetically.
I nodded. "Please excuse me," I murmered, pushing my chair back and walking out, and up to my room.
Soon enough, as I had expected, Jack soon followed me, looking pissed. "Fi, what the hell is wrong with you? Can't you appreciate ANYTHING we get?? We've found our family!! I can't believe you're still acting like this!"
I looked at him. "Jackson, I know! But mocking me isn't going to help, either, you know. Some people get upset by it. Jack, we never talk anymore. We never tell secrets. We never open our hearts to one another. We're brother and sister, damn it...we should at least be able to talk..."
He looked at me and took a deep breath, trying not to lose it. "Fiona, that is not the point."
"Then what is?" I demanded. "I am glad that we're in our true home...with our true family...I'm glad that we have a place where we belong...I'm glad we're not living in the woods off of berries and plants. But Jack..I'm not glad that I don't even know who you are anymore. Not at all.."
He seemed taken aback. He cleared his throat and looked away from me, leaning against my door. "Fi...thi--things have...changed..." he explained, looking down. "I'm sixteen now, Fi...I'm getting my drivers liscense next week...I'm not going to --"
"Not going to what?" I demanded softly, turning away. "Not going to have time for me anymore? Like you ever did.."
"Like I ever did...Fi! I did all I could to make sure you survived in those woods. Fi, you nearly died when you were seven years old," he said, stepping close to me, face near mine. "The only reason you're alive right now is because I was there for you. I was there to feed you. I was there to make sure the winter didn't take your life. I'm sorry if you're feeling ungreatful."
He turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

~~~Chapter Twelve~~~|*Fi*|
 The next day at school, I walked into first period with all my stuff, sitting down at my desk and sighing lightly.
"Fi?"
I turned to my right. Jenice Freindrick; somebody who befriended me on the first day. I wondered how she didn't have to ward guys off with a machine gun. She was really pretty. Well, not that I know if she didn't have to ward them off. I'd only known her for a day.
"Hi," I said softly, opening my binder and saying nothing else.
"Fi..is everything okay?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yes. Everything is peachy."
She seemed skeptical, and opened her mouth to reply, but the bell rang. She sat back down and continuously eyed me.
"Okay, class, we--"
Marco and Jake opened the door at that time. Jake cleared his throat and looked at Mr. Wattnobbi. "Sir...Marco was having some -- um..personal problems."
Marco nodded and tried to look hurt or something. It wasn't too believable...he wasn't exactly the best actor. I figured Marco didn't need another detention and that was why Jake was making up some phony excuse.
Mr. Wattnobbi didn't buy it either. "Two tardies...Marco, that's your third tardy of the month...that's a detention. Jake, your first--watch out or you'll suffer the same fate as Jameson, got it?"
Jake nodded and sat down silently.
Marco slapped his forehead. "Detention...wonderful..." he muttered, going to his seat across the room.
"Okay," Mr. Wattnobbi continued. "Now. We're waiting on our friend Kenter."
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Kenter came strolling into the room, smirk on his face. "Continue, Watty," he said, sitting down at his desk behind me.
"Terrific," I muttered. I didn't need Kenter adding to my stress today. Not at all.
"Mr. Kenter, that is your seventh tardy of the month. That's a two-day suspension."
Jeff sat down behind me and shrugged off the punishment, sitting back in his chair.
But what was going on with Jake and Marco?...I mean, they were both tardy...and Jake obviously had a reputation on being prompt.
"Class...page 122 please."
I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I ignored it and turned to page 122.
"Hey, Fi...seems as though your brother broke his streak of being on time for class. Maybe he's hiding something from you..."
"I don't need your crap right now, Kenter," I whispered, biting my lip and choking back a sob.
"Him and Marco are probably planning some sort of revolt against you or something. Jake has always been a perfect little son of a bitch...and you never know with that worm Jameson...he's always been a bas--"
I stood up, turning around and throwing my book down on Kenter's desk, trying to maintain the little of my dignity that was left. The whole class turned to us. Even Mr. Wattnobbi. I didn't care anymore, even as the silence sat so everybody could hear what we said. "Shut the hell up right now, Kenter. Nobody talks that way about my brother and his best friend. You've got something to say to them," I said, pointing towards Jake and Marco, "then you say it to their faces. Not behind their backs."
I felt a hand on my arm. Jenice. She looked concerned. "Fi...sit down and--"
"No," I said, shaking my head. I put a hand to my forehead and closed my eyes as I felt the warm trickle of tears on my cheeks. "No," I whispered again. I stood in front of the class, looking into their probing eyes...looking at them as they stared at me with question.
I gasped, unable to take any of it anymore, I ran towards the door, throwing it open.
I ignored Jake and Marco and Jenice calling my name. I had to get out of there. There wasn't anything I could do to keep the tears back anymore. I let them out as I sobbed and ran down the hallways of the school. The sound of my name rang throughout the halls...my name echoed in my ears. I ignored it and threw open the front doors of the school, sucking the fresh air into my lungs and running off.
I turned around a little and saw Jake throw the doors open and look around outside, not spotting me.
I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't see me and continued through to the woods, running through. I didn't care anymore. The branches snapped in my face and my legs were feeling weak now. It didn't matter that I was on the track team right now; I was stressed. And that was going to add to my exhaustion.
I practically collapsed when I got to the dock. I looked around, trying to steady my heavy breathing, and sat down on the edge, looking down into the water.
The woods were silent except for the soft sloshing of the water as the waves crashed upon one another. I looked up into the blue sky and at the clouds. What was wrong with me? It couldn't have anything to do with Jack...
I sucked in a deep breath and looked back down at the water. I heard a branch snap behind me.
I whipped around, seeing Marco standing there. He laughed lightly. "This dock was recently reconstructed. It used to be down here...an old old dock...they had to rebuild it...nice place to think...heh..even for a guy like me..." He gazed out at the lake. "This lake leads out to the ocean, you know."
I nodded lightly, looking back at the water. He cleared his throat and sat down next to me, trying to meet my eyes. "Fi...look, I normally don't..get so close to people. But you're an amazing person, Fi...Jake's really lucky to have a sister like you."
I looked at him in slight surprise, wiping the tears from under my eyes. He turned away and looked at the woods. "What did Kenter say to you that got you so upset?" he asked softly.
Shaking my head, I looked at him. "It doesn't matter..." I whispered.
He looked back at me, gulping lightly. "Fi..." he said softly.
We were both leaning forward slowly.
"Marco..." I whispered.
"Shh," he said, as his lips met mine.

~~~Chapter Thirteen~~~ |*Marco*|
It was like a punch in the face.
But a good punch.
My lips touched her's, and they locked onto mine. I slipped my arms around her waist. My first kiss ever like this. And I loved it.
She slid her hands up my chest and to my shoulders, kissing back.
Finally. I'd wanted this ever since I first saw her. She was beautiful, smart, wise, generous, caring...and have I listed beautiful? Yes. Beautiful.
I felt her trying to pull back. Nooo...not yet...! I thought fiercely. Just a minute more...
But I couldn't stop her. She pulled away and smiled lightly. I smiled back. She pointed down at my arms.
"Hmm?" I asked softly, grinning like an idiot. I looked down at my arms. "Oh! Oh yeah.." I laughed, releasing her.
"Thank you," she whispered, turning away from me and looking back at the water.
I looked at the water, feeling somewhat embarrassed. But my heart was beating at a million miles per hour. But if Jake was mad when I called her a babe, he would definitely hate to have seen this.
I looked down at the water. How could I keep this Yeerk war from her now? How could I keep anything from her? Those blue eyes that matched the sky just made me want to melt. That was it. I was telling Jake: We needed to make her an Animorph.

It was later that day. I returned home, throwing my backpack onto the couch. "Home, Dad!" I called.
"Hey," he said, walking into the living room. He stopped and studied me. "You look happy."
I grinned. "Yep."
He smiled. "What's the occasion?"
"Nothing much.." I replied, walking up the stairs and into my room. I sat down on the bed and picked up the portable phone, punching in Jake's number.
Phone rang once. Twice.
"Hello?"
"Jake...that thing we were talking about earlier?...We have to do it," I explained carefully, in case the phones were being bugged.
"Marco...not yet. We'll have to work on it another day...but I haven't decided on whether I want to do the project on the history of Germany or of Egypt..."
I sighed. "Okay. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow."
"Okay...bye."
I hung up the phone. Damn it...how could he not be sure? Fi wasn't a controller. She couldn't be. It wasn't possible...
I sighed again, walking back out the room and shutting the door behind me. I grabbed my coat off the couch, explaining to my dad that Jake I had to meet somewhere, and walked back outside towards the woods.
"She has to still be there..." I murmered, stepping into the beginning of the line of trees. "She just has to--"
"Who?"
I turned around and my eyes met the tall figure of Jake. He looked suspicious.
I laughed. "Nobody...I'm just talking to myself...I was eh..singing that new song!! Yeah...Nine Inch Nails recorded a new song that's called "She's Just Gotta Be There"...great song, really!!"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Really."
"Mmhmm," I confirmed. It was a useless attempt; Jake knew when I was lying. But oh well. Worth a shot.
He nodded, understanding.
Woo...nice save, Marco, I thought silently.
"Do you wanna go for a walk?" he asked.
I stopped in my tracks. "No! No...I mean...I have to do some thinking alone.."
He nodded suspiciously. "Okay..." he said, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay," I whispered, going off on my own, I started my way to the dock. The sun was setting now...and it was starting to get chilly.
I heard voices. I stopped and pressed my back against a tree.
Tom.
And Chapman.
"I don't care! Visser Three says that this girl could be a threat to our invasion, according to the information you've delivered. She's too strong. Too suspicious...your host's new sister is too smart. We can't allow her to roam free and uncontrolled..." Chapman said.
I froze. "Fi," I whispered, darting off.
"Hey..who was that?!? Stop right there!" Tom yelled after me.
But I was well ahead of them, running to the dock. I had to at least warn her...
I stumbled onto the dock, finding it completely deserted.
"No.." I whispered. I looked back at the woods. I no longer heard the voices calling after me. "Oh my God..."
I darted over branches and logs, trying to get out of the woods. I tripped over a large limb, falling to the ground and getting the breath knocked out of me.
"Oof," I breathed, as a cloud of dust rose up around me. I coughed and tried to get to my feet. "Got...to warn Fi..."
But I knew that I had to be too late by now. I burst out of the woods and ran down the street towards the Phillips' house.