"What happens now?" I wondered out loud.
Charlotte cannot return to her home. Ax replied. But I hadn't been asking about her. Nevertheless, I responded.
"No, she can't. Do we make her one of us? You know how risky that had been with David."
"Let's not have another David, please." Rachel had been the one most affected by David. She'd seriously questioned her aggression then.
"I don't want to become like you guys." Charlotte said softly. Her face was streaked with tears. She looked so forlorn. Cassie had an arm around her, comforting her. "I don't want to go back... there. Ever."
"It's not safe for you out there. Visser Three knows how you look like. They can find you. and you know about us. We can't risk having you captured." Jake said.
"I wish..." Charlotte was beginning to sob again. "I wish I could just fly away from all of this. I hate myself. I hate being who I am!"
"Don't say that, Charlotte." Cassie soothed.
"But it's true!" Charlotte fixed her eyes on Jake. "Please, I know you can do it. Make me a bird. I'll never come back. I'll fly away and disappear!"
Jake looked really uncomfortable. He looked at me. The first few weeks I had been trapped in hawk morph without the power to morph back had been hell for me. I had felt so out of place, trapped in a world I could never be part of. But I'd adjusted. Even now, I was more comfortable in my hark body than my human one. I knew Jake was comparing how I felt to how Charlotte would feel.
"I say we let her do it." Marco said. "As a bird, which Yeerk's gonna be able to squeeze itself into her head? For one the ears? Too small. And brain? Too tiny. Right Tobias?"
"Hey my bird brain may be small, but it works better than yours." I retorted.
"Please?" Charlotte's eyes were pleading. Jake relented.
"You have to be stuck in the morph for the rest of your life. You can't ever use thought-speak to communicate with anyone but us, and you have to fly to another state." Jake said. "And never come back."
"I don't intend to." Charlotte replied.
In a way, I guess living with an Andalite refugee had influenced Charlotte. She'd decided for herself that being human isn't all it's hyped up to be, and sometimes animal life is better than human life. I stayed with her while we waited for the two hours to pass. Ax was with us, counting the minutes.
You'll have to trust your bird's instincts. Try not to fight them too hard. I said. We were perched together on the same branch. And even if your bird wants to eat worms, don't stop it. You need to eat whatever you can get, because you don't know where your next meal's coming from.
It's a lot like being at war, isn't it? Being a bird? Charlotte asked me. Having to look out for enemies all the time, being hungry when you can't find anything to eat...
There's fun times too. Ride the thermals any chance you get. It's the upside to having wings. I said light heartedly.
It has been two and a half of your hours, Tobias. Ax said. Charlotte spread her wings, preparing for flight.
Well goodbye, Tobias. Charlotte said one last time. Thank you.
Goodbye Charlotte. I watched her flap her wings and lift off from the branch we perched on. She soared in the sky, a small white dove against the infinite blue.
Fly free.
Charlotte cannot return to her home. Ax replied. But I hadn't been asking about her. Nevertheless, I responded.
"No, she can't. Do we make her one of us? You know how risky that had been with David."
"Let's not have another David, please." Rachel had been the one most affected by David. She'd seriously questioned her aggression then.
"I don't want to become like you guys." Charlotte said softly. Her face was streaked with tears. She looked so forlorn. Cassie had an arm around her, comforting her. "I don't want to go back... there. Ever."
"It's not safe for you out there. Visser Three knows how you look like. They can find you. and you know about us. We can't risk having you captured." Jake said.
"I wish..." Charlotte was beginning to sob again. "I wish I could just fly away from all of this. I hate myself. I hate being who I am!"
"Don't say that, Charlotte." Cassie soothed.
"But it's true!" Charlotte fixed her eyes on Jake. "Please, I know you can do it. Make me a bird. I'll never come back. I'll fly away and disappear!"
Jake looked really uncomfortable. He looked at me. The first few weeks I had been trapped in hawk morph without the power to morph back had been hell for me. I had felt so out of place, trapped in a world I could never be part of. But I'd adjusted. Even now, I was more comfortable in my hark body than my human one. I knew Jake was comparing how I felt to how Charlotte would feel.
"I say we let her do it." Marco said. "As a bird, which Yeerk's gonna be able to squeeze itself into her head? For one the ears? Too small. And brain? Too tiny. Right Tobias?"
"Hey my bird brain may be small, but it works better than yours." I retorted.
"Please?" Charlotte's eyes were pleading. Jake relented.
"You have to be stuck in the morph for the rest of your life. You can't ever use thought-speak to communicate with anyone but us, and you have to fly to another state." Jake said. "And never come back."
"I don't intend to." Charlotte replied.
In a way, I guess living with an Andalite refugee had influenced Charlotte. She'd decided for herself that being human isn't all it's hyped up to be, and sometimes animal life is better than human life. I stayed with her while we waited for the two hours to pass. Ax was with us, counting the minutes.
You'll have to trust your bird's instincts. Try not to fight them too hard. I said. We were perched together on the same branch. And even if your bird wants to eat worms, don't stop it. You need to eat whatever you can get, because you don't know where your next meal's coming from.
It's a lot like being at war, isn't it? Being a bird? Charlotte asked me. Having to look out for enemies all the time, being hungry when you can't find anything to eat...
There's fun times too. Ride the thermals any chance you get. It's the upside to having wings. I said light heartedly.
It has been two and a half of your hours, Tobias. Ax said. Charlotte spread her wings, preparing for flight.
Well goodbye, Tobias. Charlotte said one last time. Thank you.
Goodbye Charlotte. I watched her flap her wings and lift off from the branch we perched on. She soared in the sky, a small white dove against the infinite blue.
Fly free.