Chapter 3
The next few days passed by normally. I went to school, came home and did homework, practiced the french horn, did chores and went to Sharing meetings.
"Bye Mom!" I shouted, pulling on my sneakers and jacket. Despite the fact that it was spring, and fairly warm, I knew Ian would kill me if he found out I'd been outside without a jacket. He can be slightly overprotective at times.
"Wait a minute! Where are you going?" My mom called from the kitchen where all afternoon she'd been cooking a big meal. Amy was going to be coming home from college for the weekend for her birthday. Mom had been cooking like a madwoman.
"I have a Sharing meeting," I reminded her. "I know Amy's coming, I'll try to be back by the time she gets here, but this meeting is really important, and I'm late!"
"Well, get a move on then," My mom said. "Bye Sweetie! Have fun!"
"I will! Don't worry!" I reassured her as I ran out the door.
At least, I *hope* we'll have fun... I muttered. I wish we at least had a clue about what this meeting's about.
I know, Illarim said. I guess all we can do is hope for the best.
"Bye Ian! Bye Jason!" I called as I ran past them. "I have my jacket, I'll be careful, and I won't talk to strangers."
"Actually, I was just going to say, have fun," Ian said, snatching the basketball from Jason to shoot it through the hoop.
"Hey! That was my ball!"
I heard some small scuffle arise before they were out of earshot. I knew what the outcome would be... Ian would probably have Jason in a headlock once he had gotten tired of the inevitable banter, and Jason would then shout and struggle until released. It was definitely not an unusual occurrence.
It didn't take long before the tan bricks of the high school came into view. Many other Controllers were pouring into the building.
Illarim had me stop one of them, Trallik 4-3-3. Also know as my friend, Joey. We had found out that he was also in the Peace Movement, although Joey had not been a voluntary Controller at first. They had worked out a peace after a while and joined the Peace Movement.
"Hey, Joey!"
"Hi Katie!" He waited for me to catch up to him. "What's up?"
"Well, I was hoping you might know something about this meeting... All I know is that Chapman said it was something 'really big' and we all had to be sure to come." Illarim had me pause for a second. "So. *Do* you know anything?"
Joey shook his head. "I wish I did. Even Tidwell didn't have a clue." He lowered his voice in case someone else might be near enough to overhear our conversation. "We know a *little* more than you do, but not much. Apparently, this is kind of like Taylor's pet project, you know, a way to get her back into the Visser's good graces. Tidwell thinks it probably has something to do with a way to get more hosts."
My voice laughed a harsh, croaking sort of laugh. "What's new? Taylor's always trying to do things like that. Next to the Visser, I'd say she's probably the most power-hungry Yeerk out there."
Joey nodded. "Well, Chapman's definitely up there among the power-hungry, but I think he bungles so much that he's well-nigh given up on being a Visser or Sub-visser. Taylor however... Well, she's ruthless and her position as a Sub-Visser is threatened. She needs this to work if she has any hop of getting more power."
My head nodded. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Hope for the best. I'll see you in there."
We walked into the school building and from there into the gymnasium where the meeting was being held. As the Sharing grew, they had to keep moving their meetings into larger and larger spaces in order to let everyone fit.
And, as they grew, the security risk grew too. Having the meeting in the school was one of the greatest security risks Chapman and the Visser had taken. The entrances to the school were bolted, and at each of the gym entrances there were Hork-Bajir guards armed to the teeth with Dracon beams.
I took a seat next to a girl who only looked to be about eight years old. I couldn't help but wonder what sorts of things she was saying right now. Was she crying for her mother? Begging to be set free? Insulting the Yeerk? I would never know. Then I noticed the two people sitting next to her. Adults, a man and a woman.
*Probably her parents,* I thought in disgust. A whole family of Controllers.
*That's what Yeerks do,* I imagined someone saying. Was it a quote from one of the Animorph books? Something I'd heard someone say, or something I'd imagined? I didn't know. *They destroy whole families, make them slaves. Yeerks can never change.*
*Yes they can,* I thought grimly. *Not every Yeerk is a bad Yeerk.*
The next few days passed by normally. I went to school, came home and did homework, practiced the french horn, did chores and went to Sharing meetings.
"Bye Mom!" I shouted, pulling on my sneakers and jacket. Despite the fact that it was spring, and fairly warm, I knew Ian would kill me if he found out I'd been outside without a jacket. He can be slightly overprotective at times.
"Wait a minute! Where are you going?" My mom called from the kitchen where all afternoon she'd been cooking a big meal. Amy was going to be coming home from college for the weekend for her birthday. Mom had been cooking like a madwoman.
"I have a Sharing meeting," I reminded her. "I know Amy's coming, I'll try to be back by the time she gets here, but this meeting is really important, and I'm late!"
"Well, get a move on then," My mom said. "Bye Sweetie! Have fun!"
"I will! Don't worry!" I reassured her as I ran out the door.
At least, I *hope* we'll have fun... I muttered. I wish we at least had a clue about what this meeting's about.
I know, Illarim said. I guess all we can do is hope for the best.
"Bye Ian! Bye Jason!" I called as I ran past them. "I have my jacket, I'll be careful, and I won't talk to strangers."
"Actually, I was just going to say, have fun," Ian said, snatching the basketball from Jason to shoot it through the hoop.
"Hey! That was my ball!"
I heard some small scuffle arise before they were out of earshot. I knew what the outcome would be... Ian would probably have Jason in a headlock once he had gotten tired of the inevitable banter, and Jason would then shout and struggle until released. It was definitely not an unusual occurrence.
It didn't take long before the tan bricks of the high school came into view. Many other Controllers were pouring into the building.
Illarim had me stop one of them, Trallik 4-3-3. Also know as my friend, Joey. We had found out that he was also in the Peace Movement, although Joey had not been a voluntary Controller at first. They had worked out a peace after a while and joined the Peace Movement.
"Hey, Joey!"
"Hi Katie!" He waited for me to catch up to him. "What's up?"
"Well, I was hoping you might know something about this meeting... All I know is that Chapman said it was something 'really big' and we all had to be sure to come." Illarim had me pause for a second. "So. *Do* you know anything?"
Joey shook his head. "I wish I did. Even Tidwell didn't have a clue." He lowered his voice in case someone else might be near enough to overhear our conversation. "We know a *little* more than you do, but not much. Apparently, this is kind of like Taylor's pet project, you know, a way to get her back into the Visser's good graces. Tidwell thinks it probably has something to do with a way to get more hosts."
My voice laughed a harsh, croaking sort of laugh. "What's new? Taylor's always trying to do things like that. Next to the Visser, I'd say she's probably the most power-hungry Yeerk out there."
Joey nodded. "Well, Chapman's definitely up there among the power-hungry, but I think he bungles so much that he's well-nigh given up on being a Visser or Sub-visser. Taylor however... Well, she's ruthless and her position as a Sub-Visser is threatened. She needs this to work if she has any hop of getting more power."
My head nodded. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Hope for the best. I'll see you in there."
We walked into the school building and from there into the gymnasium where the meeting was being held. As the Sharing grew, they had to keep moving their meetings into larger and larger spaces in order to let everyone fit.
And, as they grew, the security risk grew too. Having the meeting in the school was one of the greatest security risks Chapman and the Visser had taken. The entrances to the school were bolted, and at each of the gym entrances there were Hork-Bajir guards armed to the teeth with Dracon beams.
I took a seat next to a girl who only looked to be about eight years old. I couldn't help but wonder what sorts of things she was saying right now. Was she crying for her mother? Begging to be set free? Insulting the Yeerk? I would never know. Then I noticed the two people sitting next to her. Adults, a man and a woman.
*Probably her parents,* I thought in disgust. A whole family of Controllers.
*That's what Yeerks do,* I imagined someone saying. Was it a quote from one of the Animorph books? Something I'd heard someone say, or something I'd imagined? I didn't know. *They destroy whole families, make them slaves. Yeerks can never change.*
*Yes they can,* I thought grimly. *Not every Yeerk is a bad Yeerk.*