The Second Chance
A/N: If you review my stories, I want to tell you how much it means to me! Five more reviews will make me very happy! Also, sorry if someone seems a little out of character. Please tell me, though! I accept flamers, as long as they aren't too mean. I forgot to give my disclaimer in the last one so here it is:
Everyone except Jordan (not Rachel's sister Jordan), Robyn, Nora, Michelle, Bekah, Sarah, Richard, David, Daniel, Sam, Elizabeth, Ben, Kelly, Linda, Nick, Buster, the people named as Controllers, the zoo, Jordan's house, the Wilds and the mall belong to Katherine Alice Applegate, one of the two writers to whom I bow (Turns to the corner of her room devoted to the two great writers of all time [J.K. Rowling and K.A. Applegate] and bows)
Chapter One- Cassie
"Sorry!" exclaimed Jake. He had landed on top of me when then the transport ship had crashed. We were kinda jumbled up. My head was on his hands, his right leg was wrapped around my waist and my arms were around his waist. Our faces were an inch apart and both of us were breathing hard. "That's... okay." I breathed. Jake and I started to get up. Tobias had fallen onto Rachel, who was next to Marco.
Prince Jake! Cassie! Stay down! I fear that the legs of the transport ship are not strong enough! Ax shouted in thought-speak from the cockpit. As soon as he said this, the ship jerked down. Jake and I tumbled to the floor again. Jake's head hit my stomach, but mine hit the floor and a shooting pain began.
"Ow!" I gasped, feeling a little dazed. Jake pushed off of one the chairs next to us. As soon as he was up, he pulled me to my feet. I rubbed the back of my head gently. "Thanks." Everyone else was standing up. Erek the Chee, who had been in the cockpit with Ax, came into the room. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Where are we? Has anyone noticed us yet?" Jake asked, still holding my hand.
"We're in our target area. But, we're in someone's backyard. The cloaking shields are on, but that doesn't hide the sound. Someone might come out-" Erek sounded kind of tense.
Rachel, who was looking out a window, had interrupted. "Yeah and here they come!" We all rushed to a window. A girl around fourteen had came out. She had golden brown hair, blue eyes and a confused look on her face.
"We should recruit her!" exclaimed Rachel.
"Why don't we vote?" I asked. Rachel, Tobias, Marco and Ax were all for. Jake looked at me.
"Cassie, what do you think?" I knew that my vote effected Jake's.
"Um, well, I guess that we should."
"Alright," said Jake, rubbing his hands together, "She has gone inside. We'll go in as humans, except Ax who goes as himself. Erek, project a hologram. Bring the blue box. Got it?"
"What if she's a Controller?" asked Marco.
Ax answered. From what I've heard on Yeerk transmissions, they have about a dozen people here and are expecting a large shipment in a few days. Erek has transferred the transmission code so that he can listen to it all of the time.
"Okay, let's do it!" cried Rachel.
Chapter Two- Jordan
KNOCK-KNOCK
I ran downstairs and opened the door. Five kids, some weird horse and a robot were there. I tried to calm myself down. "Can I... help you?" I asked shakily.
"We're the Animorphs. Are you home alone?" said a tall boy with wavy brown hair, deep brown eyes and some sort of aura that surrounded him, making you trust and take him seriously.
"Uh, yeah."
"May we come in?" He asked.
"Sure, I guess. I'm Jordan. Watch out for my dog, he's kind of hyper." They came in and as soon as the robot came in, Buster came rushing in. He did the "come and play with me" bow that dogs do and wagged his tail anxiously. The robot looked at me.
"Mind if I play with your dog?" I shrugged and led the others into my living room.
"Now, what is going on here?" I asked. "And who are you all?"
The boy who had spoken before answered me. "I'm Jake. That's my cousin Rachel," He pointed at a pretty blond girl, "Marco," pointing to a very cute Hispanic guy, "Tobias," a blond-haired boy, "Cassie," he said, gazing at an African-American girl, "and Ax." The blue horse. "He's an Andalite and his real name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill." Jake started the story. He explained how Prince Elfangor gave them the power to morph three years ago and ending with them going into hiding with their families. "We came here to find some people to help fight. Will you help us?"
I thought for a moment. "Yes, but I pick my team. Deal?"
Jake looked at everyone n the group. "Deal." Cassie spoke up. "You do realize that we'll have to have Chee take over for you and your team for the duration of the war?"
"I understand and I don't like it. But, if I don't help, something worse may happen. I'm in." I said firmly. "How about if Jake, Cassie and I stay here and discuss my team. Erek can project a hologram. Maybe the rest of you can go to the mall."
Rachel's eyes lit up at the word 'mall'. But Ax had other things on his mind. Do they have cinnamon buns? And chocolate?
"Yeah, they do." I said, laughing. Rachel, Marco, Tobias and Ax morphed birds to fly out and Erek projected a hologram over my room.
"Okay, Jordan. Who do you have in mind?" asked Cassie.
I thought for a second. "My best friend, Robyn, and my other good friend, Nora, cause they are really thoughtful and practical. My friends Linda, Elizabeth, Kelly, Michelle and Sarah cause they're cheerful."
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Any guys?'
"I was getting there. My friends Sam, Daniel and Nick, and cousin's David and Ben. That's about it."
"Erek, can you get a hold of the Chee and see if they can send 13 Chee? Also, see if you can get a little money so that we can buy some stuff." ordered Jake.
"Sure. Why don't you give Jordan the morphing ability now so that she can demonstrate the morphing ability to her recruits?" said Erek, handing the cube to Jake.
"Alright, let's do this." said Jake and he held out the cube. I reached my hand out slowly.
Chapter Three- Jake
Jordan carefully touched the cube. As she closed her eyes, I saw that fateful night at the construction site, when we had been given the power to morph by Elfangor. I too had touched the cube tentatively. I glanced at Cassie and saw that she too was remembering.
By now, Jordan had removed her hand from the cube. She was smiling and inspecting her hand. "It tingled." she whispered, her blue eyes reflecting what I'd seen in our eyes that night at the construction site... but not in David's, our ill-fated Animorph.
Cassie snapped out of her trance. "Why don't you acquire your dog and morph him? Then you can pack a few things and we'll leave. 'Kay?"
"Alright. BUSTER! Here boy!" Jordan shouted. The dog that had greeted us at the door trotted in. Jordan knelt down beside him and began scratching his head. She closed her eyes. A few seconds later she stood up and opened her eyes. "Okay. I'm ready. We should put Buster in the hall. He would freak out if he saw me morphing him."
"Good point." said Cassie, leading Buster out of the room.
Jordan began morphing. Black and white fur spread over her and she shrank rapidly. Her ears slid to the top of her head and nose shot out. The last changes were her legs and arms. Jordan fell forward onto her arms, which were transforming. Her clothes fell to the floor and she was a dog.
"Jordan, the instincts will now emerge. Remember: You are Jordan _____. You are 14 years old. You are an Animorph." Cassie instructed
I've got it. Wow! I can smell things! Everything! This is awesome! Jordan jogged in circles, then stopped. Okay, this is cool, but we need to get down to business. I'm gonna demorph.
I had to admit, she was on task. "Wait!" exclaimed Cassie. "You weren't wearing a morphing suit! Jake! Get out!" I walked out of the room and stood in the hall with Erek.
"How's it going?" I asked Erek.
"Um, well we, uh, kinda have the names of the people who are Controllers. And, um, two of them were named by Jordan. Elizabeth and Michelle. Also, three of them have the same last name as her. Oh, and, the shipment of Yeerks is ahead schedule. In fact, it will be here in two hours and Jordan is on the top of the infestation list. Seems that her parents think that a strong-willed girl like that is a threat." I groaned.
"Erek, when will the Chee be here?"
"An hour."
"Okay, good. Can they give us any money?"
"Yeah. Twenty thousand dollars. That's for this year. Will that be enough?"
"Yeah. That should be. We can each spend $500 on clothes. That's 19 people, 18 not including Ax. Plus the people back in camp. Cassie's parents, Marco's parents, Rachel's mom and sisters and Loren. So, 26 people, times 500, that's.... uh, 13000. That leaves 7000 for food and other stuff! Perfect! Thanks Erek!"
"You're welcome. I'll go call the recruits."
Cassie poked her head out into the hallway. "She's dressed. Come on in."
I bustled in and explained the situation to Jordan and Cassie while Jordan packed some things that wouldn't be missed into a duffel bag like leotards, tights and photos. She also threw in her dance shoes. When I was done explaining, she looked at me.
"Alright. My family, two of my friends, and principal are all Controllers and I'm next. We need to act fast. I was wondering if the Chee can control Yeerks." she said pointedly.
"Oh... Jordan _____ will be a Controller and recruit some of her friends. No suspicions. Okay, that should work. Erek's calling your recruits. We'll pick them up in an hour. Right now we need to pick up everyone else from the mall. Then we'll go to some stores for about an hour. After that, we need to acquire some animals. Where can we do that?"
Jordan looked thoughtful. "Well, the Wilds, the zoo and the Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Of those, the Wilds and the Raptor Rehabilitation Center will be the easiest to get in and out of."
"Okay, let's get going." I said and we headed out. Jordan hugged and kissed her dog goodbye, then walked right into the ship.
"Wouldn't you like something to remind you of your home?" Cassie asked. Jordan's reply will always stay with me, for it shows how she changed in just a matter of hours.
"That building is home to the Yeerks. My home is with the Animorphs." The ship took off, with Erek steering. He took us to pick up the others, than we went to a grocery store, where we bought cans of food, powdered milk and nutritional supplements. We made sure that we had enough food to last everyone at least a year. In the end, we spent over one thousand dollars.
We loaded all of the food into the back of ship.
Chapter Four- Jordan
We flew to the first stop: Robyn's. What everyone on the outside saw was a Jeep Cherokee with me and my "mom" inside of it. Robyn came running out, carrying a small duffel bag and a photo album. Erek had told everyone that we were going to make scrapbooks and to bring pictures. He also told the girls to bring leotards. The guys would just have to buy the skin tight clothes at the mall.
Robyn "opened" my car door and hopped inside. She looked around and shrieked. "Oh my goodness! What the hell? Jordan what's going on?" Robyn looked extremely pale and seemed to be on the verge of totally freaking out.
"Calm down," I said softly but firmly. "I'll explain everything in a few minutes." Robyn calmed down and sat on one of the benches. "All right, Erek and Ax! To the next house... Nora's."
We flew down the block to Nora's. She too saw a Jeep Cherokee pull up. She came running out with a sports bag. She climbed in.
"Hey Jordan! Hey Robyn! Wha- What is this?"
I answered plainly. "A Yeerk transport ship, of course! I'll explain everything later. Just sit down beside Robyn, we have eight more people to pick up."
Nora sat down shakily beside Robyn. I called to Erek, "Kelly's next, then Sarah, then Linda, Nick, David, Ben, Sam, and lastly, Daniel."
We everyone else reacted in various ways. Most freaked out, but some were curious. Finally, when everyone was seated, I spoke up.
"Hey everyone. Listen, I know that you're wondering why you all are here and now I will explain: Earth is being invaded by evil alien parasitic slugs called Yeerks that are from another planet. They enter through your ear canal and take over your mind. Absolute slavery. You can't walk, talk, sleep or even hug your parents goodbye. They are attempting to take over Earth like they've taken over other planets. Three years ago, five kids took a shortcut home, through an abandoned construction site. There, they met Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, who had come to help us. He was dying, but he saw hope in these five humans teenagers. Thirteen year olds. So, he gave them a weapon: the power to morph. Until about a month ago, these kids, the Animorphs, fought a pretty quiet battle. They lived regular lives, or at least attempted to. But, while trying to figure out what to wear to school, they also had to fight a battle against the Yeerks. They couldn't trust anyone. But, about a month ago, Marco's mom, who had been the highest ranking officer in the Yeerk military, was being punished as a traitor. Marco and his father had just recently been forced to go into hiding. So Marco saw this as a chance to reunite his family, which hadn't been together for five years. So they rescued her. But doing so enabled a more evil person to take over. He wanted all out war and now he's getting it. The Animorphs can't fight alone anymore, so they came here to recruit some people. In one hour, one thousand Yeerks will come here. My entire family is taken over, as well as some of our friends. In one hour, I am supposed to become a Controller, as are all of you. Your families may soon be Controllers. We can't do anything now but fight. So, are you with me? Actually, you don't have a choice, so, any questions?"
Nick spoke up. "How do we know that this is not a hoax? Prove to us that this is real: show us morphing, show us an alien." I nodded. "Very well."
Jake and Cassie, who had been in the background, stepped forward. We all began to morph: me to Buster, Jake to a falcon and Cassie to a skunk. When done, I barked, Jake shrieked and Cassie jumped on Kelly's lap. We morphed back. "Ax? Erek? Can you leave the cock pit for a second?"
Yes, Princess Jordan. answered Ax. I looked at Jake. He mouthed "You'll get used to it."
Ax came out and my friends gasped. Sam totally freaked. "What is that? Is it radioactive?"
Cassie answered. "Calm down, he's totally safe. His name is Ax. His brother was Prince Elfangor. Ax is an Andalite."
They calmed down a little, then Erek came out. "Hi. I'm Erek the Chee. The Chee are going to send people to replace you."
I looked out the window. "Now, we are almost to the mall, so let me explain the rules: You're going to each get $500 to buy clothes. Get as much skin-tight stuff as you can, but also some sweaters and warm stuff. Okay?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, now I'll split you all off into groups. Robyn and Nora, go with Cassie, David and Daniel, go with Tobias and Ax, Kelly, Linda and Sarah, go with Rachel, Nick, Ben and Sam, with Jake. I'll go with Marco."
Jake nodded. "Erek, stay here. We'll meet back at the ship in half an hour. Let's go!"
Chapter Five- Cassie
I handed Robyn and Nora money. "Hi, I'm Cassie... um, I hate the mall, but I love animals. As we walk, we can get to know each other. So, where do you want to start?"
Robyn looked around. "Contempo Casuals. So, do you have a boyfriend?" We entered the store.
"Kinda. Jake. Not official yet." I answered, picking up a sweater.
"Cool. So, what's the war like? I mean, how does it feel?" asked Nora, looking for a pair of black pants.
"Well, at first you feel guilty for killing people. You have nightmares. You learn to live without sleep. You learn to bury your scars. You learn how the line between right and wrong isn't so clear. You learn who you and your friends really are. Take Rachel, for example. She used to be a mall rat who loved shopping and gymnastics, with an occasionally sharp tongue. Now, she's addicted to war. She loves the blood, death, adrenaline. I can hardly recognize my best friend anymore." I said softly.
Robyn nodded. "Jordan's kind of a ditz, fair, loves shopping and dance. She's very serious, but knows when to laugh. But, if she's changed this much in a few hours, imagine in a year. What will she be like? What will any of us be like?"
I nodded thoughtfully. "Jake used to kinda be like that. He was fair, loved basketball and video games, was extremely serious, but knew how to have a good time. Now, he's kind of depressed and withdrawn. He acts like he's okay, but I know that he isn't. He lost his family, just like Jordan." I shook my head. "Okay, enough of that. Let's buy our stuff."
We paid for the stuff we wanted, then went to Payless. On the way, they told me more about how their life had been and I told them about mine.
At Payless, we bought some jazz shoes. A few days ago, I had discovered that you could morph them, which was extremely helpful. When we were done shopping, we'd spent over three hundred dollars. We headed back to the ship, which was parked on the future site of Nordstroms. The three of us got on. Everyone else was already there and were sitting around. Jordan and Marco were deep in conversation, as were Linda and Daniel and Sarah and Nick. Kelly was seated next to Sam.
Once we were on the ship, Jake stood up. "Good, everyone's here. Now we're going to the Wilds to acquire some battle morphs. After that we'll head to the raptor center and back to the camp. The Chee have arrived now, so anything that you want, just ask Erek and he'll have the Chee send it to camp with the two extra Chee. At the Wilds, we'll split up into two groups: Rachel, Tobias and Marco's groups will go together and Cassie and my groups will go together. Ax and Erek, please stay here to watch the ship. We'll meet back here fifteen minutes after arriving. We'll be there in a minute."
After landing, Jake and I walked off behind our group. He smiled at me. "Marco and Jordan hit it off well. I'm glad."
I grinned back, happy that he was happy. "Me too. Jordan and Marco both need each other. Robyn and Nora told me about her. I couldn't figure out her emotions. But they say that she's kind of secretive, very serious, rarely cries, rarely really looses her temper, but can be very nice and playful. Sounds like someone I know." I winked as we came to a stop. Ben looked at the animal on the other side of the fence.
"Jaguar." I said.
"I'll take it."
Jake looked at the fence. "Okay, we'll need a distraction, an excuse to go in, maybe. Cassie, come with me. Robyn and David, stay here. Nora, you acquire the jaguar also. Got it?" We all nodded. I went over with Jake to a rock that went over the fence and into the preserve.
"What's the distraction?" I asked.
Jake jumped up onto the rock and I followed. "This." He said and leaned over to kiss me. I was so shocked that I just kissed him back. Jake gave a discreet thumbs up to Robyn, who shouted.
"Hey you guys!" Jake jerked away from the kiss and 'fell' into the preserve, pulling me with him. I saw Ben and Nora jump in and begin to acquire the jaguar.
Jake looked at me nervously. "Did you mind my kissing you?"
I grinned. "Not at all. Anytime you want to provide that kind of distraction, I'll gladly comply. Even if it's not necessary." I whispered.
A/N: Okay everyone, I hope that you all are happy. It took me a while to type this up. I'm writing about five or six stories right now and three series', so it takes a while to finish a story! Oh, and to those who wanted to know who died in the Prologue, I can't tell ya until book #54 comes out. But I do have someone in mind... You'll just have to wait!
Tell me what you think! And while you're waiting for the next part, please read my Harry Potter story, The Marauders! R/R!
A/N: If you review my stories, I want to tell you how much it means to me! Five more reviews will make me very happy! Also, sorry if someone seems a little out of character. Please tell me, though! I accept flamers, as long as they aren't too mean. I forgot to give my disclaimer in the last one so here it is:
Everyone except Jordan (not Rachel's sister Jordan), Robyn, Nora, Michelle, Bekah, Sarah, Richard, David, Daniel, Sam, Elizabeth, Ben, Kelly, Linda, Nick, Buster, the people named as Controllers, the zoo, Jordan's house, the Wilds and the mall belong to Katherine Alice Applegate, one of the two writers to whom I bow (Turns to the corner of her room devoted to the two great writers of all time [J.K. Rowling and K.A. Applegate] and bows)
Chapter One- Cassie
"Sorry!" exclaimed Jake. He had landed on top of me when then the transport ship had crashed. We were kinda jumbled up. My head was on his hands, his right leg was wrapped around my waist and my arms were around his waist. Our faces were an inch apart and both of us were breathing hard. "That's... okay." I breathed. Jake and I started to get up. Tobias had fallen onto Rachel, who was next to Marco.
Prince Jake! Cassie! Stay down! I fear that the legs of the transport ship are not strong enough! Ax shouted in thought-speak from the cockpit. As soon as he said this, the ship jerked down. Jake and I tumbled to the floor again. Jake's head hit my stomach, but mine hit the floor and a shooting pain began.
"Ow!" I gasped, feeling a little dazed. Jake pushed off of one the chairs next to us. As soon as he was up, he pulled me to my feet. I rubbed the back of my head gently. "Thanks." Everyone else was standing up. Erek the Chee, who had been in the cockpit with Ax, came into the room. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Where are we? Has anyone noticed us yet?" Jake asked, still holding my hand.
"We're in our target area. But, we're in someone's backyard. The cloaking shields are on, but that doesn't hide the sound. Someone might come out-" Erek sounded kind of tense.
Rachel, who was looking out a window, had interrupted. "Yeah and here they come!" We all rushed to a window. A girl around fourteen had came out. She had golden brown hair, blue eyes and a confused look on her face.
"We should recruit her!" exclaimed Rachel.
"Why don't we vote?" I asked. Rachel, Tobias, Marco and Ax were all for. Jake looked at me.
"Cassie, what do you think?" I knew that my vote effected Jake's.
"Um, well, I guess that we should."
"Alright," said Jake, rubbing his hands together, "She has gone inside. We'll go in as humans, except Ax who goes as himself. Erek, project a hologram. Bring the blue box. Got it?"
"What if she's a Controller?" asked Marco.
Ax answered. From what I've heard on Yeerk transmissions, they have about a dozen people here and are expecting a large shipment in a few days. Erek has transferred the transmission code so that he can listen to it all of the time.
"Okay, let's do it!" cried Rachel.
Chapter Two- Jordan
KNOCK-KNOCK
I ran downstairs and opened the door. Five kids, some weird horse and a robot were there. I tried to calm myself down. "Can I... help you?" I asked shakily.
"We're the Animorphs. Are you home alone?" said a tall boy with wavy brown hair, deep brown eyes and some sort of aura that surrounded him, making you trust and take him seriously.
"Uh, yeah."
"May we come in?" He asked.
"Sure, I guess. I'm Jordan. Watch out for my dog, he's kind of hyper." They came in and as soon as the robot came in, Buster came rushing in. He did the "come and play with me" bow that dogs do and wagged his tail anxiously. The robot looked at me.
"Mind if I play with your dog?" I shrugged and led the others into my living room.
"Now, what is going on here?" I asked. "And who are you all?"
The boy who had spoken before answered me. "I'm Jake. That's my cousin Rachel," He pointed at a pretty blond girl, "Marco," pointing to a very cute Hispanic guy, "Tobias," a blond-haired boy, "Cassie," he said, gazing at an African-American girl, "and Ax." The blue horse. "He's an Andalite and his real name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill." Jake started the story. He explained how Prince Elfangor gave them the power to morph three years ago and ending with them going into hiding with their families. "We came here to find some people to help fight. Will you help us?"
I thought for a moment. "Yes, but I pick my team. Deal?"
Jake looked at everyone n the group. "Deal." Cassie spoke up. "You do realize that we'll have to have Chee take over for you and your team for the duration of the war?"
"I understand and I don't like it. But, if I don't help, something worse may happen. I'm in." I said firmly. "How about if Jake, Cassie and I stay here and discuss my team. Erek can project a hologram. Maybe the rest of you can go to the mall."
Rachel's eyes lit up at the word 'mall'. But Ax had other things on his mind. Do they have cinnamon buns? And chocolate?
"Yeah, they do." I said, laughing. Rachel, Marco, Tobias and Ax morphed birds to fly out and Erek projected a hologram over my room.
"Okay, Jordan. Who do you have in mind?" asked Cassie.
I thought for a second. "My best friend, Robyn, and my other good friend, Nora, cause they are really thoughtful and practical. My friends Linda, Elizabeth, Kelly, Michelle and Sarah cause they're cheerful."
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Any guys?'
"I was getting there. My friends Sam, Daniel and Nick, and cousin's David and Ben. That's about it."
"Erek, can you get a hold of the Chee and see if they can send 13 Chee? Also, see if you can get a little money so that we can buy some stuff." ordered Jake.
"Sure. Why don't you give Jordan the morphing ability now so that she can demonstrate the morphing ability to her recruits?" said Erek, handing the cube to Jake.
"Alright, let's do this." said Jake and he held out the cube. I reached my hand out slowly.
Chapter Three- Jake
Jordan carefully touched the cube. As she closed her eyes, I saw that fateful night at the construction site, when we had been given the power to morph by Elfangor. I too had touched the cube tentatively. I glanced at Cassie and saw that she too was remembering.
By now, Jordan had removed her hand from the cube. She was smiling and inspecting her hand. "It tingled." she whispered, her blue eyes reflecting what I'd seen in our eyes that night at the construction site... but not in David's, our ill-fated Animorph.
Cassie snapped out of her trance. "Why don't you acquire your dog and morph him? Then you can pack a few things and we'll leave. 'Kay?"
"Alright. BUSTER! Here boy!" Jordan shouted. The dog that had greeted us at the door trotted in. Jordan knelt down beside him and began scratching his head. She closed her eyes. A few seconds later she stood up and opened her eyes. "Okay. I'm ready. We should put Buster in the hall. He would freak out if he saw me morphing him."
"Good point." said Cassie, leading Buster out of the room.
Jordan began morphing. Black and white fur spread over her and she shrank rapidly. Her ears slid to the top of her head and nose shot out. The last changes were her legs and arms. Jordan fell forward onto her arms, which were transforming. Her clothes fell to the floor and she was a dog.
"Jordan, the instincts will now emerge. Remember: You are Jordan _____. You are 14 years old. You are an Animorph." Cassie instructed
I've got it. Wow! I can smell things! Everything! This is awesome! Jordan jogged in circles, then stopped. Okay, this is cool, but we need to get down to business. I'm gonna demorph.
I had to admit, she was on task. "Wait!" exclaimed Cassie. "You weren't wearing a morphing suit! Jake! Get out!" I walked out of the room and stood in the hall with Erek.
"How's it going?" I asked Erek.
"Um, well we, uh, kinda have the names of the people who are Controllers. And, um, two of them were named by Jordan. Elizabeth and Michelle. Also, three of them have the same last name as her. Oh, and, the shipment of Yeerks is ahead schedule. In fact, it will be here in two hours and Jordan is on the top of the infestation list. Seems that her parents think that a strong-willed girl like that is a threat." I groaned.
"Erek, when will the Chee be here?"
"An hour."
"Okay, good. Can they give us any money?"
"Yeah. Twenty thousand dollars. That's for this year. Will that be enough?"
"Yeah. That should be. We can each spend $500 on clothes. That's 19 people, 18 not including Ax. Plus the people back in camp. Cassie's parents, Marco's parents, Rachel's mom and sisters and Loren. So, 26 people, times 500, that's.... uh, 13000. That leaves 7000 for food and other stuff! Perfect! Thanks Erek!"
"You're welcome. I'll go call the recruits."
Cassie poked her head out into the hallway. "She's dressed. Come on in."
I bustled in and explained the situation to Jordan and Cassie while Jordan packed some things that wouldn't be missed into a duffel bag like leotards, tights and photos. She also threw in her dance shoes. When I was done explaining, she looked at me.
"Alright. My family, two of my friends, and principal are all Controllers and I'm next. We need to act fast. I was wondering if the Chee can control Yeerks." she said pointedly.
"Oh... Jordan _____ will be a Controller and recruit some of her friends. No suspicions. Okay, that should work. Erek's calling your recruits. We'll pick them up in an hour. Right now we need to pick up everyone else from the mall. Then we'll go to some stores for about an hour. After that, we need to acquire some animals. Where can we do that?"
Jordan looked thoughtful. "Well, the Wilds, the zoo and the Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Of those, the Wilds and the Raptor Rehabilitation Center will be the easiest to get in and out of."
"Okay, let's get going." I said and we headed out. Jordan hugged and kissed her dog goodbye, then walked right into the ship.
"Wouldn't you like something to remind you of your home?" Cassie asked. Jordan's reply will always stay with me, for it shows how she changed in just a matter of hours.
"That building is home to the Yeerks. My home is with the Animorphs." The ship took off, with Erek steering. He took us to pick up the others, than we went to a grocery store, where we bought cans of food, powdered milk and nutritional supplements. We made sure that we had enough food to last everyone at least a year. In the end, we spent over one thousand dollars.
We loaded all of the food into the back of ship.
Chapter Four- Jordan
We flew to the first stop: Robyn's. What everyone on the outside saw was a Jeep Cherokee with me and my "mom" inside of it. Robyn came running out, carrying a small duffel bag and a photo album. Erek had told everyone that we were going to make scrapbooks and to bring pictures. He also told the girls to bring leotards. The guys would just have to buy the skin tight clothes at the mall.
Robyn "opened" my car door and hopped inside. She looked around and shrieked. "Oh my goodness! What the hell? Jordan what's going on?" Robyn looked extremely pale and seemed to be on the verge of totally freaking out.
"Calm down," I said softly but firmly. "I'll explain everything in a few minutes." Robyn calmed down and sat on one of the benches. "All right, Erek and Ax! To the next house... Nora's."
We flew down the block to Nora's. She too saw a Jeep Cherokee pull up. She came running out with a sports bag. She climbed in.
"Hey Jordan! Hey Robyn! Wha- What is this?"
I answered plainly. "A Yeerk transport ship, of course! I'll explain everything later. Just sit down beside Robyn, we have eight more people to pick up."
Nora sat down shakily beside Robyn. I called to Erek, "Kelly's next, then Sarah, then Linda, Nick, David, Ben, Sam, and lastly, Daniel."
We everyone else reacted in various ways. Most freaked out, but some were curious. Finally, when everyone was seated, I spoke up.
"Hey everyone. Listen, I know that you're wondering why you all are here and now I will explain: Earth is being invaded by evil alien parasitic slugs called Yeerks that are from another planet. They enter through your ear canal and take over your mind. Absolute slavery. You can't walk, talk, sleep or even hug your parents goodbye. They are attempting to take over Earth like they've taken over other planets. Three years ago, five kids took a shortcut home, through an abandoned construction site. There, they met Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, who had come to help us. He was dying, but he saw hope in these five humans teenagers. Thirteen year olds. So, he gave them a weapon: the power to morph. Until about a month ago, these kids, the Animorphs, fought a pretty quiet battle. They lived regular lives, or at least attempted to. But, while trying to figure out what to wear to school, they also had to fight a battle against the Yeerks. They couldn't trust anyone. But, about a month ago, Marco's mom, who had been the highest ranking officer in the Yeerk military, was being punished as a traitor. Marco and his father had just recently been forced to go into hiding. So Marco saw this as a chance to reunite his family, which hadn't been together for five years. So they rescued her. But doing so enabled a more evil person to take over. He wanted all out war and now he's getting it. The Animorphs can't fight alone anymore, so they came here to recruit some people. In one hour, one thousand Yeerks will come here. My entire family is taken over, as well as some of our friends. In one hour, I am supposed to become a Controller, as are all of you. Your families may soon be Controllers. We can't do anything now but fight. So, are you with me? Actually, you don't have a choice, so, any questions?"
Nick spoke up. "How do we know that this is not a hoax? Prove to us that this is real: show us morphing, show us an alien." I nodded. "Very well."
Jake and Cassie, who had been in the background, stepped forward. We all began to morph: me to Buster, Jake to a falcon and Cassie to a skunk. When done, I barked, Jake shrieked and Cassie jumped on Kelly's lap. We morphed back. "Ax? Erek? Can you leave the cock pit for a second?"
Yes, Princess Jordan. answered Ax. I looked at Jake. He mouthed "You'll get used to it."
Ax came out and my friends gasped. Sam totally freaked. "What is that? Is it radioactive?"
Cassie answered. "Calm down, he's totally safe. His name is Ax. His brother was Prince Elfangor. Ax is an Andalite."
They calmed down a little, then Erek came out. "Hi. I'm Erek the Chee. The Chee are going to send people to replace you."
I looked out the window. "Now, we are almost to the mall, so let me explain the rules: You're going to each get $500 to buy clothes. Get as much skin-tight stuff as you can, but also some sweaters and warm stuff. Okay?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, now I'll split you all off into groups. Robyn and Nora, go with Cassie, David and Daniel, go with Tobias and Ax, Kelly, Linda and Sarah, go with Rachel, Nick, Ben and Sam, with Jake. I'll go with Marco."
Jake nodded. "Erek, stay here. We'll meet back at the ship in half an hour. Let's go!"
Chapter Five- Cassie
I handed Robyn and Nora money. "Hi, I'm Cassie... um, I hate the mall, but I love animals. As we walk, we can get to know each other. So, where do you want to start?"
Robyn looked around. "Contempo Casuals. So, do you have a boyfriend?" We entered the store.
"Kinda. Jake. Not official yet." I answered, picking up a sweater.
"Cool. So, what's the war like? I mean, how does it feel?" asked Nora, looking for a pair of black pants.
"Well, at first you feel guilty for killing people. You have nightmares. You learn to live without sleep. You learn to bury your scars. You learn how the line between right and wrong isn't so clear. You learn who you and your friends really are. Take Rachel, for example. She used to be a mall rat who loved shopping and gymnastics, with an occasionally sharp tongue. Now, she's addicted to war. She loves the blood, death, adrenaline. I can hardly recognize my best friend anymore." I said softly.
Robyn nodded. "Jordan's kind of a ditz, fair, loves shopping and dance. She's very serious, but knows when to laugh. But, if she's changed this much in a few hours, imagine in a year. What will she be like? What will any of us be like?"
I nodded thoughtfully. "Jake used to kinda be like that. He was fair, loved basketball and video games, was extremely serious, but knew how to have a good time. Now, he's kind of depressed and withdrawn. He acts like he's okay, but I know that he isn't. He lost his family, just like Jordan." I shook my head. "Okay, enough of that. Let's buy our stuff."
We paid for the stuff we wanted, then went to Payless. On the way, they told me more about how their life had been and I told them about mine.
At Payless, we bought some jazz shoes. A few days ago, I had discovered that you could morph them, which was extremely helpful. When we were done shopping, we'd spent over three hundred dollars. We headed back to the ship, which was parked on the future site of Nordstroms. The three of us got on. Everyone else was already there and were sitting around. Jordan and Marco were deep in conversation, as were Linda and Daniel and Sarah and Nick. Kelly was seated next to Sam.
Once we were on the ship, Jake stood up. "Good, everyone's here. Now we're going to the Wilds to acquire some battle morphs. After that we'll head to the raptor center and back to the camp. The Chee have arrived now, so anything that you want, just ask Erek and he'll have the Chee send it to camp with the two extra Chee. At the Wilds, we'll split up into two groups: Rachel, Tobias and Marco's groups will go together and Cassie and my groups will go together. Ax and Erek, please stay here to watch the ship. We'll meet back here fifteen minutes after arriving. We'll be there in a minute."
After landing, Jake and I walked off behind our group. He smiled at me. "Marco and Jordan hit it off well. I'm glad."
I grinned back, happy that he was happy. "Me too. Jordan and Marco both need each other. Robyn and Nora told me about her. I couldn't figure out her emotions. But they say that she's kind of secretive, very serious, rarely cries, rarely really looses her temper, but can be very nice and playful. Sounds like someone I know." I winked as we came to a stop. Ben looked at the animal on the other side of the fence.
"Jaguar." I said.
"I'll take it."
Jake looked at the fence. "Okay, we'll need a distraction, an excuse to go in, maybe. Cassie, come with me. Robyn and David, stay here. Nora, you acquire the jaguar also. Got it?" We all nodded. I went over with Jake to a rock that went over the fence and into the preserve.
"What's the distraction?" I asked.
Jake jumped up onto the rock and I followed. "This." He said and leaned over to kiss me. I was so shocked that I just kissed him back. Jake gave a discreet thumbs up to Robyn, who shouted.
"Hey you guys!" Jake jerked away from the kiss and 'fell' into the preserve, pulling me with him. I saw Ben and Nora jump in and begin to acquire the jaguar.
Jake looked at me nervously. "Did you mind my kissing you?"
I grinned. "Not at all. Anytime you want to provide that kind of distraction, I'll gladly comply. Even if it's not necessary." I whispered.
A/N: Okay everyone, I hope that you all are happy. It took me a while to type this up. I'm writing about five or six stories right now and three series', so it takes a while to finish a story! Oh, and to those who wanted to know who died in the Prologue, I can't tell ya until book #54 comes out. But I do have someone in mind... You'll just have to wait!
Tell me what you think! And while you're waiting for the next part, please read my Harry Potter story, The Marauders! R/R!