It was insane.
The peak of insanity, actually. This was the most insane of the insane, and believe me, I should know.
We all stared at Alanna. She had a sort of whimsical look on her face, like she was thinking of something. She blinked a little, coming out of it.
"Let me get this straight," I said slowly, disbelieving. "So you're what? Like Alexxen? Genetically made or whatever?"
She frowned at my wording but nodded.
"And now you want to be one of us. An Animorph."
"A what?" she said with a laugh. "Animorph. Is that what you call yourselves? Interesting. Did you come up with that?"
"What? Yeah- how did you know?"
She laughed again, and I tried to control an excess drool that might have dribbled down my chin. Whoa, she was hot. And she had asked me to the dance- I wondered if that-
"And no, I don't want to become one of you," she said, looking disgusted with the idea. I took that as a 'maybe' for the dance. "I just want to be able to defend myself, and in return I will help you- give you information, tell you what I know."
(And what do you know?) Tobias asked.
"I grew up with the Yeerks. With my brother. For years, I made it my business to know everything that happened around there, and I became a master at it." She paused, looking up at Tobias. "You could say I know quite a few things."
"We can't just give you the power to morph and let you run wild with it," Jake said. I nodded to myself. I knew who he was thinking about- David. The 'bad' Animorph, you could say. If Alanna had the morphing power and went crazy with it, we'd be screwed. Hell, we only managed to trap David by tricking him, and Alanna was a lot smarter than he was. Than any of us, if what she said was true.
And I believed her.
She glared at Jake. "You want to try to keep me under control?"
Rachel stood up, sticking her nose in her face. Alanna leaned back, as if repulsed. "Don't flatter yourself, Alanna. We aren't going to lower ourselves to make a bargain with a Yeerk."
Alanna's eyes flashed dangerously. "Yeerk? I'm not a Yeerk. And I'm not a human. You underestimate my brother and me. Ask your great leader, Rach," she sneered, "and he'll tell you. You can't beat Alexxen."
We all turned to Jake. His face was pale, and Cassie reached over to comfort him. He pulled away, staring at Alanna like she was a ghost. "She's right," he whispered. "You know she is."
I remembered the fight, the way Alexxen had just crushed Jake. And I remembered when we had tried to fight him- all of us.
"But we can't just give you the fucking power," I said, thinking out loud. She flashed me a smile.
"You don't trust me?"
Don't look at her chest, you ass, that'll make you lose any- oh, what the hell. My eyes strayed slightly and she saw and laughed, crossing her hands across her chest. Rachel hit me hard.
"Ow! Damn it, what was that for?"
"You know!"
"We need a vote," Jake said. "Alanna, do you think we could have a moment?"
"Ah, a democracy. I think I know how Marco's going to vote, though." Alanna turned and left the barn.
"You're disgusting," Rachel said as soon as she was out of earshot.
"Can we focus?" Jake snapped. What Alanna had said had disturbed him. "What do you guys want to do?"
There was a pause. (We stuck, and she knows it,) Tobias said. (We can't just give her the power, but she has information that could save us.)
Jake nodded. "Let's take a vote then."
"No way," Rachel said, shaking her head.
(I must agree with Rachel,) Ax said. (I don't trust her.)
I stopped myself from saying something about the Visser. "I say it's worth the risk," I said. "We've all seen Alexxen fight- she might be the only way we can beat him."
Rachel snorted and I glared at her. "What?!?"
(I'm kind of with Marco,) Tobias put in.
Okay, that was two for, two against. What would Jake say? I figured that Cassie would say yes, and Jake wouldn't let a tie happen, so-
"There might be another way," Cassie said softly.
"What?"
"Jake, call her in," she said simply. Jake frowned but called out for Alanna.
"Well?" Alanna said, looking smug. She thought she knew the vote.
"You want us to win," Cassie said. "That's why you're here, that's why you want to help. Because if we lose, you're dead too. So do this- become an Animorph. For real- fight with us, beside us. Live with Ax in the woods- it can't be safe for you out there anymore. Join us."
Hey! How was this? Do you like the way this is going, or is it getting too predictable for you? I need reviews! (Please?) Thanx for them all!
The peak of insanity, actually. This was the most insane of the insane, and believe me, I should know.
We all stared at Alanna. She had a sort of whimsical look on her face, like she was thinking of something. She blinked a little, coming out of it.
"Let me get this straight," I said slowly, disbelieving. "So you're what? Like Alexxen? Genetically made or whatever?"
She frowned at my wording but nodded.
"And now you want to be one of us. An Animorph."
"A what?" she said with a laugh. "Animorph. Is that what you call yourselves? Interesting. Did you come up with that?"
"What? Yeah- how did you know?"
She laughed again, and I tried to control an excess drool that might have dribbled down my chin. Whoa, she was hot. And she had asked me to the dance- I wondered if that-
"And no, I don't want to become one of you," she said, looking disgusted with the idea. I took that as a 'maybe' for the dance. "I just want to be able to defend myself, and in return I will help you- give you information, tell you what I know."
(And what do you know?) Tobias asked.
"I grew up with the Yeerks. With my brother. For years, I made it my business to know everything that happened around there, and I became a master at it." She paused, looking up at Tobias. "You could say I know quite a few things."
"We can't just give you the power to morph and let you run wild with it," Jake said. I nodded to myself. I knew who he was thinking about- David. The 'bad' Animorph, you could say. If Alanna had the morphing power and went crazy with it, we'd be screwed. Hell, we only managed to trap David by tricking him, and Alanna was a lot smarter than he was. Than any of us, if what she said was true.
And I believed her.
She glared at Jake. "You want to try to keep me under control?"
Rachel stood up, sticking her nose in her face. Alanna leaned back, as if repulsed. "Don't flatter yourself, Alanna. We aren't going to lower ourselves to make a bargain with a Yeerk."
Alanna's eyes flashed dangerously. "Yeerk? I'm not a Yeerk. And I'm not a human. You underestimate my brother and me. Ask your great leader, Rach," she sneered, "and he'll tell you. You can't beat Alexxen."
We all turned to Jake. His face was pale, and Cassie reached over to comfort him. He pulled away, staring at Alanna like she was a ghost. "She's right," he whispered. "You know she is."
I remembered the fight, the way Alexxen had just crushed Jake. And I remembered when we had tried to fight him- all of us.
"But we can't just give you the fucking power," I said, thinking out loud. She flashed me a smile.
"You don't trust me?"
Don't look at her chest, you ass, that'll make you lose any- oh, what the hell. My eyes strayed slightly and she saw and laughed, crossing her hands across her chest. Rachel hit me hard.
"Ow! Damn it, what was that for?"
"You know!"
"We need a vote," Jake said. "Alanna, do you think we could have a moment?"
"Ah, a democracy. I think I know how Marco's going to vote, though." Alanna turned and left the barn.
"You're disgusting," Rachel said as soon as she was out of earshot.
"Can we focus?" Jake snapped. What Alanna had said had disturbed him. "What do you guys want to do?"
There was a pause. (We stuck, and she knows it,) Tobias said. (We can't just give her the power, but she has information that could save us.)
Jake nodded. "Let's take a vote then."
"No way," Rachel said, shaking her head.
(I must agree with Rachel,) Ax said. (I don't trust her.)
I stopped myself from saying something about the Visser. "I say it's worth the risk," I said. "We've all seen Alexxen fight- she might be the only way we can beat him."
Rachel snorted and I glared at her. "What?!?"
(I'm kind of with Marco,) Tobias put in.
Okay, that was two for, two against. What would Jake say? I figured that Cassie would say yes, and Jake wouldn't let a tie happen, so-
"There might be another way," Cassie said softly.
"What?"
"Jake, call her in," she said simply. Jake frowned but called out for Alanna.
"Well?" Alanna said, looking smug. She thought she knew the vote.
"You want us to win," Cassie said. "That's why you're here, that's why you want to help. Because if we lose, you're dead too. So do this- become an Animorph. For real- fight with us, beside us. Live with Ax in the woods- it can't be safe for you out there anymore. Join us."
Hey! How was this? Do you like the way this is going, or is it getting too predictable for you? I need reviews! (Please?) Thanx for them all!