A/N: Animorphs don't belong to me. This is in Rachel's POV, taking place after Marco reunites his parents. He's living in the Hork-Bajir valley. Please R/R!
Cassie was in trouble. Big.
She and Jake had gone... where? To the movies? The mall? No, not the mall. They both hated shopping. I knew it all too well.
"Our best bet is either the movies or the forest. Or, maybe, Cassie's barn," I semi-confidently told Ax and Tobias.
Tobias, Ax and I were at my house, in my room. I had called them there ten minutes before for an urgent meeting.
Tobias, perched on the window sill, glared at me with his dangerous eyes. Rachel, what is going ON? You told me and Ax to come here. You tell us where Cassie and Jake are. Why do we care? Tell us. he sounded angry, almost hurt. Please. That confirmed it. Tobias was too sensitive-- why had I called him? Oh well, dwelling wouldn't help anyone.
"Okay, listen," I said firmly, standing in front of them. "First of all, no one else but we three can know this. All of our lives depend on it."
As Marco would say, what else is new? Ax even sounded annoyed. He was next to Tobias, in his Harrier morph.
Guys definitely were not the ones to call when you needed to be serious, I decided. But what else could I have done?
"Stop it, please," I pleaded, "This is serious. I have reason to believe--" I lowered my voice, "that Jake has been taken. By them. And Cassie is with him, alone."
Tobias stared. Ax's expression remained neutral. I didn't believe it. "Hello? Jake, taken? As in our leader, Jake?!"
Ax thought-spoke even more softly than normal. He looked me in the eye. And what makes that so different from any of the rest of us?
Now it was my turn to stare. What was he getting on to? "Ax, what the hell are you talking about? I'm saying that Jake is a Controller and you two just stare. What is your problem?" I said impatiently.
Tobias and Ax were quiet, but I had the feeling they were privately conversing because of the way Ax's eyes were unfocused and Tobias was avoiding my eyes. Finally they both looked at me.
Tobias looked flustered and awkwardly avoided my eyes. Rachel, we, uh, have to go now.
"What?! You're LEAVING? Did you even hear me? What are you doing this for... you know I'm going to find you! Hello?" But they were gone, out the window.
I flopped on my bed, frustrated. I had just told them our leader was a Controller and they didn't care. What did they know that I didn't? I had to find out. I sighed and climed out onto the roof from my screenless window. After watching the stars come out, I took a deep breath.
I was going owl.