Disclaimer: I know Miss Applegate not. She knows me not. I own the
Animorphs not. She owns Erilas-Petori-Winya and the Bloyd family not. You
are confused not.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
We met the others at the beach, just like we planned earlier. Jake was pleased that Erin had followed his plan. At least, that's what Rachel told me. I had to demorph high up in a tree. It had not been a good experience.
"I don't see why we're so happy about having a bubble blower." Cassie said. 'Bubble blower' was our code word for 'dracon beam' and 'clowns' was our code word for 'Yeerk'. All Marco's idea, of course. He loved to make light of our missions to keep himself from getting all nervous.
"Because now we can blow bubbles back at the clowns when they blow bubbles at us." Jake explained.
"We're going to hurt them?" Cassie asked, looking perturbed.
"From what I have read about bubbles, they are balls of soap containing air less dense than the atmospheric air, which float and burst on contact with anything." Ax pointed out. "How would they hurt?"
"Ax-man, we aren't saying bubbles per se. We mean like... Super bubbles. Of the painful, searingl laser variety." Marco said.
"I have not heard of those. Where can we purchase such bubbles?" Erin asked.
"In Bubble Land, where the bubbles roam free and never burst, and the super bubbles are ostracised." Marco replied with a straight face.
"I have never heard of Bubble Land." Erin turned to Ax. "Have you?" Ax shook his head. "Perhaps we might visit it one day. Super bubbles might prove to be an excellent morph."
Cassie was the first to giggle. Rachel couldn't hold in a snortle. Jake, seeing the way Cassie kept trying to swallow her giggles, burst out laughing. Marco was the only one who didn't even smile. "Oh, wait till you hear about the Spider bubbles." He said. "They climb, they spin, they aren't just your average, ordinary bubbles. Spider webs sold seperately."
"What are average, ordinary bubbles?" Ax asked. "And how would inorganic matter like bubbles manage to spin spider webs?"
"Aximili, I think I realise what the situation is." Erin said. "We are being subjected to human humour."
"Human humour is nonsensical at times." Ax said, sounding disapproving.
"I have yet to understand it." Erin agreed.
Can we get back to the bubble blower at hand? I asked. We don't have much time before The Sharing begins. All these people milling around are making me nervous. They're either controllers or controllers-to-be. And Charlotte's one of them. That sobered them up, Erin especially. She began to scan the crowd for any sign of Charlotte.
"Erin, even if we do see Charlotte or Mr. Bloyd, you'll have to stay out of sight. They think you're at home. They'll be suspicious if you just turn up." Jake said.
"I know." Erin replied. She turned and faced the tree I perched on, careful to keep her face away from the crowds. I saw her features blend together, and she grew by a few inches. "There," She replied, turning around. Her blue eyes were now brown. Her skin slightly fairer. Her eyebrows, previously thin, were now bushy. Her nose was shorter, her chin, rounder. She looked different, yet the same.
"Who have you morphed into?" Ax asked.
"I have mixed the DNA of Erin and another girl named Pat. I believe they were once Shorms." Erin replied. "Pat consented to it. She died in a car crash about a year ago."
"You seem to have told many people about your true self." Ax said.
"When you wish others to trust you, it is essential that you trust them first." Erin replied.
"Isn't that what they say about respect?" Jake asked. Erin turned to him.
"It is not necessity for me to respect you. You are not my prince. If you wish me to respect you, you would do well to respect me first." She replied.
"Before we blow up, Prince Jake," Marco cut in. "I think the meeting's started."
Sure enough, most of the crowd were seated in a huge circle around this fire. From where I perched, I could see Tom addressing them, and making them laugh. I searched for Charlotte, and found her seated next to Mr. Bloyd, who in turn was seated next to a very familiar man.
Target sighted. I reported. And someone extra.
"Who?" Jake asked.
Someone we don't like at all.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
We met the others at the beach, just like we planned earlier. Jake was pleased that Erin had followed his plan. At least, that's what Rachel told me. I had to demorph high up in a tree. It had not been a good experience.
"I don't see why we're so happy about having a bubble blower." Cassie said. 'Bubble blower' was our code word for 'dracon beam' and 'clowns' was our code word for 'Yeerk'. All Marco's idea, of course. He loved to make light of our missions to keep himself from getting all nervous.
"Because now we can blow bubbles back at the clowns when they blow bubbles at us." Jake explained.
"We're going to hurt them?" Cassie asked, looking perturbed.
"From what I have read about bubbles, they are balls of soap containing air less dense than the atmospheric air, which float and burst on contact with anything." Ax pointed out. "How would they hurt?"
"Ax-man, we aren't saying bubbles per se. We mean like... Super bubbles. Of the painful, searingl laser variety." Marco said.
"I have not heard of those. Where can we purchase such bubbles?" Erin asked.
"In Bubble Land, where the bubbles roam free and never burst, and the super bubbles are ostracised." Marco replied with a straight face.
"I have never heard of Bubble Land." Erin turned to Ax. "Have you?" Ax shook his head. "Perhaps we might visit it one day. Super bubbles might prove to be an excellent morph."
Cassie was the first to giggle. Rachel couldn't hold in a snortle. Jake, seeing the way Cassie kept trying to swallow her giggles, burst out laughing. Marco was the only one who didn't even smile. "Oh, wait till you hear about the Spider bubbles." He said. "They climb, they spin, they aren't just your average, ordinary bubbles. Spider webs sold seperately."
"What are average, ordinary bubbles?" Ax asked. "And how would inorganic matter like bubbles manage to spin spider webs?"
"Aximili, I think I realise what the situation is." Erin said. "We are being subjected to human humour."
"Human humour is nonsensical at times." Ax said, sounding disapproving.
"I have yet to understand it." Erin agreed.
Can we get back to the bubble blower at hand? I asked. We don't have much time before The Sharing begins. All these people milling around are making me nervous. They're either controllers or controllers-to-be. And Charlotte's one of them. That sobered them up, Erin especially. She began to scan the crowd for any sign of Charlotte.
"Erin, even if we do see Charlotte or Mr. Bloyd, you'll have to stay out of sight. They think you're at home. They'll be suspicious if you just turn up." Jake said.
"I know." Erin replied. She turned and faced the tree I perched on, careful to keep her face away from the crowds. I saw her features blend together, and she grew by a few inches. "There," She replied, turning around. Her blue eyes were now brown. Her skin slightly fairer. Her eyebrows, previously thin, were now bushy. Her nose was shorter, her chin, rounder. She looked different, yet the same.
"Who have you morphed into?" Ax asked.
"I have mixed the DNA of Erin and another girl named Pat. I believe they were once Shorms." Erin replied. "Pat consented to it. She died in a car crash about a year ago."
"You seem to have told many people about your true self." Ax said.
"When you wish others to trust you, it is essential that you trust them first." Erin replied.
"Isn't that what they say about respect?" Jake asked. Erin turned to him.
"It is not necessity for me to respect you. You are not my prince. If you wish me to respect you, you would do well to respect me first." She replied.
"Before we blow up, Prince Jake," Marco cut in. "I think the meeting's started."
Sure enough, most of the crowd were seated in a huge circle around this fire. From where I perched, I could see Tom addressing them, and making them laugh. I searched for Charlotte, and found her seated next to Mr. Bloyd, who in turn was seated next to a very familiar man.
Target sighted. I reported. And someone extra.
"Who?" Jake asked.
Someone we don't like at all.