Sibling Bond II:
The Decision
A/N: This is dedicated to the three whole people who actually asked for a sequel! *sniff* They made me feel special. And those people are…Gem, Brat Girl (a very good writer) and Kyra, my manager, client, and person as close to an on-line friend as I'm ever going to get, considering the fact that my dad won't let me near a Chat Room. Anywho, on with the show! J
Marco: Everything was going great with my "new" sister around. She had a sense of humor, like me; she was fun to hang with; Dad had been really happy ever since they found her; Nora liked her; heck, even Euclid liked her. And she kept the mutt outta' my face. Plus, true to her word, she'd gotten me a date with a really cute girl from our homeroom. Her name's Trisha, and she's one of the most popular girls in school.
Like I said, everything was going great. Then one day it took at turn for the worse.
One Saturday morning, while I was in my bed, where you should be 11:07 am on a Saturday morning. Then, Miss Up-At-The-Crack-Of-Dawn Debbie decides to pounce me, jarring me out of my dream about…well, you don't really need to know what it was about.
"Up and at 'em! Come on sleepy head, the day's wasting away!" She yelled in my ear, yanking off my blankets.
"Shut up. And give me back my blankets, it's cold." I muttered. If you couldn't tell, I am not a morning person.
"Oh, don't be such a baby! Come on, Dad wants to tell us something at breakfast." With that, she left the room, taking my blankets with her. Urg.
I trudged downstairs without even getting dressed. My sleep-clouded mind thought it was still just me and my dad, so boxers and a white tee shirt were perfectly acceptable. Imagine my surprise when I find my sister and math teacher/step mom sitting at the table.
I decided to play it cool, pretending I knew they were there the whole time, and sat down at the table where a bowl of already soggy cereal awaited me.
"Morning." I mumbled. The others repeated this greeting.
"So, Dad. What did you want to tell us?" Debbie asked.
"Well, there's two things. The first is that I've signed us all up for this club, called The Sharing. Nora says that it's really a lot of fun, in fact, she's already a full member! The second is," He rushed on before I could say a word about The Sharing. "Nora and I are having a baby." He finished.
I fainted.
Call it overdose of traumatic information. Call it starvation. (I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast the day before.) Call it the heat. I don't care what you call the reason, it was downright embarrassing.
I woke up a minute later. I couldn't believe it! Nora was a controller, and pregnant with my dad's kid. Ew. I don't even want to think about how that happened. Plus, if she got her way, this time tomorrow my whole family would be controllers. Not good, considering what I do in my free time.
"Um, I have to go to Jake's house. I'll be back in a little while." I told them, running upstairs. I stripped down to my morphing outfit and morphed to osprey.
I barely even noticed the changes, only when they were done. I flew out of there as fast as my wings would take me.
Jake! I "screamed" as I flew by his house. He was in his room, surfing the Net. When I called, his head jerked up.
Out here. I told him. It's me, Marco.
He looked out his door, up and down the hall, then closed and locked the door. He opened the window and stuck his head out.
Morph now and meet me at the creek. I told him, then I flew off.
The creek is a place Jake and I used to play in when we were younger. It's in the woods; not Cassie's woods, but close to them. There's a small creek, and a makeshift bridge we made when we were eight. I landed on the bridge and demorphed.
A few minutes later Jake landed and demorphed beside where I was sitting, shivering in my morphing suit even though it was 80 degrees outside.
"What up?" He asked, also sitting.
"Jake, you are not going to believe this. I got a big bundle of bad news this morning. First, Nora and my dad are having a baby. Second, Nora's a controller." I blurted out.
"Whoa, man, are you sure?" Jake asked, his eyes wide.
"Yep. Dad said he'd signed us all up for The Sharing, and that Nora is already a full member. Geez, Jake. What am I going to do? We're going to the meeting today! If Nora gets her way, we'll all be controllers by tomorrow. And by 'all' I mean, my family; me; through me, all the Animorphs; through you guys, your families; and even Trisha and her family. Basically, we're doomed." I flopped onto my back, exasperated.
Jake looked thoughtful for a minute, then looked up. He looked extremely troubled.
"Well, Marco. The only thing I can see for you to do is refuse to go, or fake illness. But that won't work either because then you'll have three controllers in your house, and one of them is bound to catch on sooner or later."
"There is one other way." I said.
Debbie: Debbie,
I'm going away for a little while. I just can't take it here anymore. I want you to come with me after a while, when no one while notice for at least an hour or two. Jake will come get you and bring you to where I am. But, until then, whatever you do, do not join The Sharing. They're dangerous. I'll explain when you come. Look out for Dad and don't trust Nora. I know that I've never really liked her, but you have to trust me on this one, okay? I'll see you in a little while. Love,
Marco
P.S. Don't show this note to anyone.
I read my little brother's note half a million times. He had, by that time, been gone almost twenty-four hours. Dad was going nuts! The Sharing meeting had been long forgotten in the search for Marco. Dad had called everyone he could think of.
Dad took half a list of people and gave me the other half, telling me to call the people on it on my private line. The people on my list were: Jake; Cassie; Rachel; Trisha; and Melissa Chapman.
I called Jake first.
"Hello?" He answered after the phone rang three times.
"Hi, Jake? This is Debbie. Where's Marco?" I demanded.
"Um, I don't know. Is he missing?" He stuttered.
"Cut it out, Jake. He said you knew where he was. I want you to take me to him, now." I hissed through clenched teeth.
"Okay. I'll come get you in a half-hour. He said he has some business to take care of first."
"Fine. But hurry."
"Okay, bye. Oh, and Debbie?"
"Yeah?"
"Pack a bag." With that, he hung up. I started packing.
Marco: "Trisha, I have to go away for awhile, okay?" I told her gently.
"No! You can't leave!" She cried, holding my hand a little tighter. I took a deep breath.
"I have to. It's life or death."
"Then take me with you." She asked, tears forming in her beautiful green eyes.
"I can't." She started to cry openly. "Oh, Trisha. Come on, don't cry. I'll come back…someday."
"Marco, please…don't leave. I need you. Please." She buried her face in my chest.
"I love you, Marco. I've never told anyone that before in my life. Please, don't leave me alone."
"Trisha, I can't take you! Your parents would be worried, and I wouldn't be able to promise that you'd ever see them again." She looked up at me.
"Marco, my dad left three years ago and my mom's a drunk who barely ever remembers to feed me and my little brother. My brother was even sent to a home! No one will even notice I'm gone. I'm going to ask you one more time, please take me. And I swear, if you say know and walk out of my life, I'll kill myself."
To Be Continued…
A/N: Just thought I'd leave 'ya hangin'. Besides, if I don't get off the computer right now, my mom's going to hang me! I'll probably upload the rest tomorrow. (Gotta' love winter break!)
