Chapter Twenty:
Marco! We found Rachel.
I stepped out of the shack, and looked up. A peregrine falcon settled onto a tree just outside the door. Jake.
"And?"
I had come to the shack after making sure neither Ax nor Tobias knew where she was. Jake had immediately launched an all-points-bulletin, leaving me with Cassie. Fine by me. It meant I didn't have to be involved in whatever mess Rachel had gotten herself into.
And she's fine. She left school early to go flying.
"What?" I grated.
She said she couldn't stand another minute in school, and had to fly. She couldn't find Tobias, so she just flew out to the next town and back. His voice was a mixture of relief and annoyance.
My voice was the same. But without the relief. "Well! Gee! Glad she didn't scare us, or anything! Glad she didn't just disappear without telling anybody where she was going, or anything! What was she thinking, if anything?"
She was thinking she would fly with Tobias.
I snorted, and stalked back into the shack. I was not exactly happy.
Cassie looked up. She raised her eyebrows at my scowl. "What's wrong with you?"
"The question is, what's wrong with *her*?"
"Rachel?"
"Her. It. That."
"Rachel."
"Yes, Rachel. She just disappeared for two and a half hours with no explanation whatsoever."
An inexplicable expression of shock passed over Cassie's face, then faded away. "Where did she go?" she inquired, mildly.
I watched her curiously. Her reaction had been pretty violent. Well, my reaction was violent, too. I guess I couldn't blame her. "Flying," I grunted.
"With Tobias?"
"Nope. Alone." I didn't want to talk about Rachel anymore. I picked up my book, and dug myself into the story.
"Oh," she said.
I wasn't watching her face when she said it. I didn't see her expression. But I know how she sounded.
She sounded scared.
Rachel arrived promptly at the end of my watch, with Tobias in tow. My anger had evaporated into relief. After all, she hadn't actually done anything incredibly life-threatening. But that didn't mean I was going to let Rachel off easy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the marvelous Transforming and Disappearing Girl! She turns into a bird, and then vanishes into thin air, to the amazement of all!"
"I wish *you* would vanish into thin air," she said, closing the door behind her. Tobias was perched on her shoulder.
That would be amazing, said Tobias.
"And marvelous," added Rachel.
"Aw, are Bird-boy and Xena gonna have a guard-duty date?" I sneered.
"Marco," Cassie chided.
"Is Banana-breath gonna get a brain?" Rachel replied, mimicking my tone.
There was a moment's pause.
"What?" I complained to Cassie. "Aren't you going to tell her not to insult me?"
"But I agree with her," Cassie said, sweetly.
"I hadn't known it was Crush Marco's Self-Esteem Week," I frowned.
They declared it Friday. Where were you?
"In school," I said. "Unlike some people, I actually stay in school all day, even when I don't feel like it. Unlike some people, I don't bug out in the middle of the afternoon and scare my friends half to death."
"Aww," Rachel cooed. "He was worried about me."
"No," I corrected, "I was worried about me! Because when you disappear, it usually means that I end up losing at least one limb. The times you've vanished have given me a whole gallery of nightmares I never even imagined."
"He was worried about me!" she repeated. There was an evil, mischievous glint in her eyes. "Isn't that sweet?"
Very sweet, Tobias concurred.
"Adorable," offered Cassie.
I changed tactics. I wasn't going to win that argument. "I'll tell you what's sweet. Coming up and spending the evening with Tobias while babysitting Cassie. Now that's romantic."
"This isn't a date, Marco."
"It looks like a date. It sounds like a date. It feels like a date. Quick, Cassie, what are the words to 'Love is in the Air'?"
Rachel had a bad feeling about tonight, Tobias said. She asked me to help her keep watch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cassie suddenly stiffen in her chair, as if she had been jabbed in the back. "All evening?" she demanded. Again, there was something strange in her voice.
Something desperate.
Rachel eyed Cassie with an unreadable expression. "Yes."
Cassie swallowed hard. Then she swallowed again, her eyes wide, and slumped back in her chair. All of us saw it. There was no doubt what that expression could mean.
Does that make you uncomfortable, Yeerk?
She wiped sweaty palms on her chair, and smoothed the panic off her face. "I'm . . . I'm not a Controller, Tobias."
But it was useless to protest. There could be no doubt now.
She was a Controller.
Why in the world had she passed up the chance for escape the day before?
Marco! We found Rachel.
I stepped out of the shack, and looked up. A peregrine falcon settled onto a tree just outside the door. Jake.
"And?"
I had come to the shack after making sure neither Ax nor Tobias knew where she was. Jake had immediately launched an all-points-bulletin, leaving me with Cassie. Fine by me. It meant I didn't have to be involved in whatever mess Rachel had gotten herself into.
And she's fine. She left school early to go flying.
"What?" I grated.
She said she couldn't stand another minute in school, and had to fly. She couldn't find Tobias, so she just flew out to the next town and back. His voice was a mixture of relief and annoyance.
My voice was the same. But without the relief. "Well! Gee! Glad she didn't scare us, or anything! Glad she didn't just disappear without telling anybody where she was going, or anything! What was she thinking, if anything?"
She was thinking she would fly with Tobias.
I snorted, and stalked back into the shack. I was not exactly happy.
Cassie looked up. She raised her eyebrows at my scowl. "What's wrong with you?"
"The question is, what's wrong with *her*?"
"Rachel?"
"Her. It. That."
"Rachel."
"Yes, Rachel. She just disappeared for two and a half hours with no explanation whatsoever."
An inexplicable expression of shock passed over Cassie's face, then faded away. "Where did she go?" she inquired, mildly.
I watched her curiously. Her reaction had been pretty violent. Well, my reaction was violent, too. I guess I couldn't blame her. "Flying," I grunted.
"With Tobias?"
"Nope. Alone." I didn't want to talk about Rachel anymore. I picked up my book, and dug myself into the story.
"Oh," she said.
I wasn't watching her face when she said it. I didn't see her expression. But I know how she sounded.
She sounded scared.
Rachel arrived promptly at the end of my watch, with Tobias in tow. My anger had evaporated into relief. After all, she hadn't actually done anything incredibly life-threatening. But that didn't mean I was going to let Rachel off easy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the marvelous Transforming and Disappearing Girl! She turns into a bird, and then vanishes into thin air, to the amazement of all!"
"I wish *you* would vanish into thin air," she said, closing the door behind her. Tobias was perched on her shoulder.
That would be amazing, said Tobias.
"And marvelous," added Rachel.
"Aw, are Bird-boy and Xena gonna have a guard-duty date?" I sneered.
"Marco," Cassie chided.
"Is Banana-breath gonna get a brain?" Rachel replied, mimicking my tone.
There was a moment's pause.
"What?" I complained to Cassie. "Aren't you going to tell her not to insult me?"
"But I agree with her," Cassie said, sweetly.
"I hadn't known it was Crush Marco's Self-Esteem Week," I frowned.
They declared it Friday. Where were you?
"In school," I said. "Unlike some people, I actually stay in school all day, even when I don't feel like it. Unlike some people, I don't bug out in the middle of the afternoon and scare my friends half to death."
"Aww," Rachel cooed. "He was worried about me."
"No," I corrected, "I was worried about me! Because when you disappear, it usually means that I end up losing at least one limb. The times you've vanished have given me a whole gallery of nightmares I never even imagined."
"He was worried about me!" she repeated. There was an evil, mischievous glint in her eyes. "Isn't that sweet?"
Very sweet, Tobias concurred.
"Adorable," offered Cassie.
I changed tactics. I wasn't going to win that argument. "I'll tell you what's sweet. Coming up and spending the evening with Tobias while babysitting Cassie. Now that's romantic."
"This isn't a date, Marco."
"It looks like a date. It sounds like a date. It feels like a date. Quick, Cassie, what are the words to 'Love is in the Air'?"
Rachel had a bad feeling about tonight, Tobias said. She asked me to help her keep watch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cassie suddenly stiffen in her chair, as if she had been jabbed in the back. "All evening?" she demanded. Again, there was something strange in her voice.
Something desperate.
Rachel eyed Cassie with an unreadable expression. "Yes."
Cassie swallowed hard. Then she swallowed again, her eyes wide, and slumped back in her chair. All of us saw it. There was no doubt what that expression could mean.
Does that make you uncomfortable, Yeerk?
She wiped sweaty palms on her chair, and smoothed the panic off her face. "I'm . . . I'm not a Controller, Tobias."
But it was useless to protest. There could be no doubt now.
She was a Controller.
Why in the world had she passed up the chance for escape the day before?