CHAPTER 4

Rachel

EVENTUALLY, WE PARTED FROM CASSIE'S HOUSE. I was hoping that Tobias would offer to walk me home. It would be nice to talk with him about everything that was going on. But because he had been in human-morph so long and he needed to demorph, he just figured that it was best to go home. Home to the forest with Ax, that is.

It's hard when the guy you like is a red-tailed hawk. I used to believe that one day, when the Andalites returned to earth, they would change Tobias back to his human form and we would live happily ever after. I'm beginning to reconsider.

I ended up walking home by myself because Jake stayed with Cassie, and I didn't want to crash their party, and also because Marco and Allie lived in the same direction, which was the opposite of mine.

I wondered about what Ax had said. Who, or what, would the Crayak choose for the new member of his evil army? The last thing we needed was more evil on this planet. And if Allie had never even morphed before, how would she become such an "asset" to our team like the Ellimist said?

I was about to walk up into my driveway when thunder boomed overhead. An evening storm was brewing, I thought.

I was wrong.

The sky grew pitch black as lightening lit my pathway. It took a moment for me to register what was in front of me. It was the image of a person, like a druid or the grim reaper, in a hooded cloak.

Ah Rachel, just the heartless warrior I was looking for.

The Crayak's voice was so loud the ground below me shook. I ignored him.

You can ignore me for as long as you like, but I guarantee you will want to listen to what I have to say.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "What is it? Let's get this over with."

Ah, your impatience fuels your anger like a match to gun powder. Be careful Rachel, or you may explode. He laughed.

I tried to appear unaffected by his words and tapped my foot.

I have a proposition for you.

That was when the first warning bell went off in my mind. I should have walked away, but I kept listening.

The Ellimist, as clever as he may be, has chose Allie for his new soldier. I would not trust her. She may be the key to the end of the animorphs, as you so call your small band.

"What do you mean you wouldn't trust her?" What was he getting at?

She isn't being completely honest with you. Wouldn't you like to know the real story behind your new warrior?

Before I knew it, I caught myself nodding. I knew I was fooling around with the enemy, but there was something about Allie, something that was in the back of mind that worried me. Something that made me very uneasy. I was almost certain there was something she wasn't telling us, and the Crayak was just confirming my conclusions.

But it comes at a price.

Oh no. The last time something came with a price it was the death of an animorph. Jake had died, but with the help of the Time Matrix, we managed to save him. We were lucky.

"What price?" I asked.

The new member for my team. You, Rachel. The cold-blooded killer hiding behind the innocence of a young teenage girl. Looks are deceiving you know."

"I am not a cold-blooded killer," I responded.

No. But you could be.

Chills ran down my spine. There was a part of me that knew he was right.

You see? Can't you feel the evil thriving inside of you? It's a boiling pot and soon it will boil over. That is why I want you. You are about to lose control and I am the only one who can control you.

No, Rachel, I thought. You can't actually be considering it. I turned and began to walk away.

Maybe you'll change your mind in the next few days. I'll give you fifty-two hours to decide. The choice is yours, but saying no to this opportunity is a risk not even I would take. He laughed and vanished. The storm cleared, but my mind didn't.

I had one of two choices: A) I give into the Crayak and turn against my friends, or B) I get Allie to be straight with me at some point in the next forty-eight hours.

To tell you the truth, "A" sounded a lot easier.

By & © 1999-2002 kel@twilightlost.net