A/N: Alright, I know that this sounds really, really, really weird, but please try to imagine it: Chapman is the one singing this, and it's about Melissa. I know, I know, I can't imagine Chapman singing this either, but it works. This is the real Chapman singing, not his Yeerk. He also kind of has this all-knowing, omniscient thing going on, but please stick with me.
Disclaimer: Nine Days owns the song. K. A. Applegate owns the series. I own nothing.
Absolutely (Story of a Girl)
The song begins with Melissa in her room, crying on her bed. Fluffer McKitty, actually Rachel in morph, is sitting next to her. A ghostly form of Chapman stands in the background, singing.
This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
The scene freezes, turning black and white, like a picture. Chapman has disappeared.
And while she looked so sad in photographs
The photo falls away, showing Melissa opening her gymnastics locker to find the note Rachel left inside. She smiles faintly when she reads the words, "Your parents love you. More than you could ever know." The ghostly form of Chapman has appeared again, still singing.
I absolutely love her when she smiles
The scene cuts to Melissa in bed, asleep. Rachel's note is clutched tightly in her hand. Chapman, still see-through, is bent over her, pushing her hair out of her face and basically just being a good father.
How many days in the year she woke up with hope
The real, solid Chapman, the Controller, bursts into the room, shaking her brusquely to wake her up. He leaves abruptly, having been very rude. Melissa looks sadly at the note, and rips it up.
But she only found tears
Free Chapman, the ghostly one, looks at his Controller form sadly, shaking his head. Melissa, crying, picks up the unfinished homework Controller Chapman had promised to help her with the night before, and stuffs it in her backpack.
Actin' so insincere
Making the promises never for real
Melissa looks at a tiny, framed picture of her with her parents when she was younger. All three people are happy and smiling, and Melissa is hugging her father. Free Chapman goes and stands next to her, unnoticed. They both smile at the photo.
As long as she stands there waiting
Wearing the holes in soles of her shoes
Controller Chapman opens her door again, urging her to hurry up, his face twisted in a scowl. Melissa does not turn to face him, but instead looks up into the mirror, seeing Controller Chapman. She then looks down again, seeing the smiling, free Chapman in her picture.
How many days disappear
You look in the mirror so how do you choose
Melissa turns to Controller Chapman, waving her hand to show that she heard him. He leaves, and she quickly changes, throwing on the first things she finds. Free Chapman politely averts his eyes. Melissa is so upset that she does not even bother to brush her hair. She looks horrible, and tears leave wet trails down her cheeks.
Your clothes never wear as well the next day
And your hair never falls out quite the same way
The scene cuts to her on the bus, busily writing in her diary. A single tear splashes onto the page, and Free Chapman sits in a seat nearby, watching with concern.
You never seem to run out of things to say
The bus finally pulls up at school, and she walks out, sniffling. Chapman remains on the bus, looking at her through a window.
This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
The scene freezes again, turning black and white.
And while she looked so sad in photographs
The picture falls away, showing some of Melissa's friends greet her. She forces a smile as she says hello. Chapman grins through the window as the bus pulls away.
I absolutely love her when she smiles
The screen flashes white for a moment as Free Chapman flashes back to the first night that Rachel snuck into their house. Controller Chapman and his wife, also a Controller, are fighting about Yeerk policy.
How many lovers would stay
Just to put up with this shit day after day
Free Chapman looks from himself to his wife, shaking his head sadly. He stands in front of his Controller self, mentally willing his Controller self to gain control.
How do we wind up this way
Watchin' the mouths for the words I would say
When Controller Chapman and his wife finally gain control of small parts of their bodies, Free Chapman slaps his Controller self's back, then pumps his fist into the air, excited by the Chapman couple's slight conquest.
As long as we stand here waiting
Wearing the clothes of the soles I would choose
The Yeerks finally gain control of the bodies again, and Free Chapman stops celebrating. He slowly turns and walks upstairs to check on Melissa.
How do we get there today
If we're walkin' too far from the price of the shoes
The scene goes forward a few years, and an older version of Melissa returns home, holding Fluffer McKitty who was at the vet, and sees her house after Marco and Tobias destroyed it. Gasping, she drops the cat and looks at her home, picking up her favorite shirt, which lies in the ruins. It is dirty and torn, totally ruined.
Your clothes never wear as well the next day
And your hair never falls out quite the same way
Free-Chapman looks at her sadly as she screams meaningless words into the sky because of the mess her life has become at nobody in particular.
You never run out of things to say
Exhausted and terrified, Melissa falls to the ground, sobbing. Free Chapman goes over to comfort her, though she cannot see him.
This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
The scene freezes, becoming a picture.
And while she looked so sad in photographs
The photo falls away to reveal Melissa picking something up out of the wreckage. It is the framed snapshot of her with her parents that she had had in her room.
I absolutely love her when she smiles
Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, the Controllers, drive up, running out of the car when they see the remains of the house. Scowling, Controller Chapman pretends to comfort Melissa, who is now dirty and bedraggled from sitting in the debris.
And your clothes never wear as well the next day
And your hair never falls out quite the same way
Melissa starts demanding answers from her parents, asking why this had happened to them.
You never seem to run out of things to say
In the hotel the Chapmans are staying in while they find a new house, Melissa absently pets her cat while she cries and watches the news.
This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
The scene freezes in a picture.
And while she looks so sad in photographs
Suddenly, footage of the destruction of the Yeerk pool and the Pool ship appear on television. She starts bawling, seeing the devastation of her town. Free Chapman pats her on the back.
I absolutely love her
Melissa keeps her face glued to the screen, unable to tear her face from the violence, and also wanting to learn about this new danger: the Yeerks.
This is the story of a girl
Whose pretty face she hid from the world
Abruptly, Controller Chapman appears in the background of the scene they are showing of the town, talking to a Hork-Bajir. Melissa's face twists in horror as she realizes why her parents had been so horrible for over three years.
And while she looked so sad and lonely there
Free Chapman nods at her, affirming her suspicions, but happy that she finally knows the truth.
I absolutely love her
As Melissa continues to watch, news about the Animorphs comes onto the screen. Seeing the faces of her classmates who she had thought were dead, Melissa becomes more and more horrified. Then, an old picture of Rachel appears on the screen, and Melissa learns that Rachel has died fighting the Yeerks. Hugging Fluffer tightly, she cries and rocks back and forth.
This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
The scene freezes in a picture.
And while she looked so sad in photographs
It falls away, showing a scene from a few days in the future. Both Melissa and Free Chapman stand, excited, and Controller Chapman is forced to a temporary Yeerk pool, and the Yeerk drops out of his head. Free Chapman and Controller Chapman become one, and they turn around, enveloping Melissa in a hug. They are both smiling.
I absolutely love her when she smiles
