The next day 'I' did my chores then waited by the window seat in my room
for Emily. When she finally arrived the Yeerk made me run outside and greet
her excitedly.
"I thought we might go over by the lake," my mouth said. "All the trees are turning colors and it's really pretty."
"Sure. Let's go."
I pulled on my blades and equipment, then we started off for the lake. "What have you been up to lately?" the Yeerk asked. "I never see you around any more! Do your parents lock you up in your closet or something?"
Emily laughed. "Oh, you know. I've just been really busy what with school and stuff and haven't really had time to get together. High school is not exactly the easiest thing in the world."
I shrugged. "Yeah, well. School happens, I guess. Have you decided about coming to the bonfire tonight?"
She hesitated. "I guess I'll go, but I don't want to stay long."
"Cool."
After that, we just bladed for the most part and didn't talk very much. I guess the Yeerk had gotten from Emily what it wanted: her to say yes to the Sharing bonfire.
After a while, Illarim made me say, "You know what? We've been blading for a long time, and I'm getting tired. Do you want to go to the mall for a while?"
She grinned. "I would *love* to go to the mall."
My mouth grinned back. Emily's something of a shopping freak. "Let's stop at my house, get some sneakers, then go."
We bladed back to my house. My dad even volunteered to drive us (yes!) and we went to the mall.
We wandered around for a couple hours. Emily bought some very fashionable, very expensive leather boots. She talked me into buying a denim purse from Claire's, though I didn't really see any need for it. Then we went to the food court and got soft pretzels from Pretzel Time.
As we were walking towards the benches, I saw a group of kids about ten yards away. They were acting like normal teenagers, teasing each other about some book one girl was holding. She stuck her tongue out at those who were teasing her, then put the book back into her bag.
One of the boys laughed and yelled, "The Yeerks are here! They're going to kill us all! Aaaahhh!!!"
The rest of the group started snickering, and the girl punched him smartly in the shoulder.
Obviously people who don't have enough imagination to know that even something unlikely could be real, I muttered.
My eyes kept watching, scanning the crowd to see if anything would happen. A couple of men slowly pulled Dracon beams out of their shirt pockets and aimed at the kids. I wanted to scream to the kids to look out, but of course the Yeerk didn't let me. Luckily, the girl who had been holding the new Animorph book yelled it for me, and they started running towards the parking lot.
Tseeewww! Tseeewww!
What in the WORLD?? I demanded of Illarim. Is it normal for Yeerks to just randomly fire at human kids like this?
No, Illarim answered, his voice 'sounding' strained. It most assuredly is not.
Illarim made me run after them. Emily didn't say anything. Her face was white and she looked like she had just seen a ghost. She got up and followed me.
Fools, Illarim muttered. If Visser 1 finds out they have been firing weapons in a public mall. Then we'd best not tell him, I said. What he doesn't know can't hurt them.
I could feel Illarim smirk in my mind- rather difficult to describe, though, so I'm not going to try. Quite an interesting change in the expression. But you're right. We won't tell.
We had reached the parking lot. The kids were no where to be seen, leading me to believe they had somehow escaped, particularly since the men were swarming around the lot searching for them.
One of them came over and tried to grab me, I suppose because he assumed I was either one of the kids or that I had seen everything and therefore had to be infested.
Illarim gave an exasperated sigh and said, "There's no need to imprison me. I'm Illarim 7-4-6 of the Teth Gorash pool. You should be glad the Visser wasn't here to see what you just did. He would be very displeased."
The man nodded abruptly. "I am Tedor 3-7-8. Where is the girl who was with you?"
Illarim looked around, startled. "I-I don't know. She was here a minute ago."
"You should be glad the Visser wasn't here to see that you let a girl get away after seeing what she did. He would be very displeased," Tedor said, smirking.
I felt my cheeks grow hot, but Illarim said nothing. Tedor's number was lower, meaning he held a higher rank than Illarim. He had to be careful not to seem disrespectful.
"I have a suggestion to make," Tedor said. "You will say nothing of our firing weapons in the mall, and I will say nothing of the girl. Agreed?"
"Agreed. I wouldn't have told the Visser anyway. He likes those who tell him of mistakes about as much as he likes those who made them."
Tedor rolled his host's eyes knowingly. "Then I suppose we will now go our separate ways." His tone changed as someone came out into the parking lot. "Well, bye then! Thanks for your help!"
"Bye! Glad to be of assistance!"
Let's hope the Visser doesn't find out about this, Illarim muttered to me. Then he walked me back in to the food court. Emily was nowhere to be seen. I searched some, but finally left and walked home.
"I thought we might go over by the lake," my mouth said. "All the trees are turning colors and it's really pretty."
"Sure. Let's go."
I pulled on my blades and equipment, then we started off for the lake. "What have you been up to lately?" the Yeerk asked. "I never see you around any more! Do your parents lock you up in your closet or something?"
Emily laughed. "Oh, you know. I've just been really busy what with school and stuff and haven't really had time to get together. High school is not exactly the easiest thing in the world."
I shrugged. "Yeah, well. School happens, I guess. Have you decided about coming to the bonfire tonight?"
She hesitated. "I guess I'll go, but I don't want to stay long."
"Cool."
After that, we just bladed for the most part and didn't talk very much. I guess the Yeerk had gotten from Emily what it wanted: her to say yes to the Sharing bonfire.
After a while, Illarim made me say, "You know what? We've been blading for a long time, and I'm getting tired. Do you want to go to the mall for a while?"
She grinned. "I would *love* to go to the mall."
My mouth grinned back. Emily's something of a shopping freak. "Let's stop at my house, get some sneakers, then go."
We bladed back to my house. My dad even volunteered to drive us (yes!) and we went to the mall.
We wandered around for a couple hours. Emily bought some very fashionable, very expensive leather boots. She talked me into buying a denim purse from Claire's, though I didn't really see any need for it. Then we went to the food court and got soft pretzels from Pretzel Time.
As we were walking towards the benches, I saw a group of kids about ten yards away. They were acting like normal teenagers, teasing each other about some book one girl was holding. She stuck her tongue out at those who were teasing her, then put the book back into her bag.
One of the boys laughed and yelled, "The Yeerks are here! They're going to kill us all! Aaaahhh!!!"
The rest of the group started snickering, and the girl punched him smartly in the shoulder.
Obviously people who don't have enough imagination to know that even something unlikely could be real, I muttered.
My eyes kept watching, scanning the crowd to see if anything would happen. A couple of men slowly pulled Dracon beams out of their shirt pockets and aimed at the kids. I wanted to scream to the kids to look out, but of course the Yeerk didn't let me. Luckily, the girl who had been holding the new Animorph book yelled it for me, and they started running towards the parking lot.
Tseeewww! Tseeewww!
What in the WORLD?? I demanded of Illarim. Is it normal for Yeerks to just randomly fire at human kids like this?
No, Illarim answered, his voice 'sounding' strained. It most assuredly is not.
Illarim made me run after them. Emily didn't say anything. Her face was white and she looked like she had just seen a ghost. She got up and followed me.
Fools, Illarim muttered. If Visser 1 finds out they have been firing weapons in a public mall. Then we'd best not tell him, I said. What he doesn't know can't hurt them.
I could feel Illarim smirk in my mind- rather difficult to describe, though, so I'm not going to try. Quite an interesting change in the expression. But you're right. We won't tell.
We had reached the parking lot. The kids were no where to be seen, leading me to believe they had somehow escaped, particularly since the men were swarming around the lot searching for them.
One of them came over and tried to grab me, I suppose because he assumed I was either one of the kids or that I had seen everything and therefore had to be infested.
Illarim gave an exasperated sigh and said, "There's no need to imprison me. I'm Illarim 7-4-6 of the Teth Gorash pool. You should be glad the Visser wasn't here to see what you just did. He would be very displeased."
The man nodded abruptly. "I am Tedor 3-7-8. Where is the girl who was with you?"
Illarim looked around, startled. "I-I don't know. She was here a minute ago."
"You should be glad the Visser wasn't here to see that you let a girl get away after seeing what she did. He would be very displeased," Tedor said, smirking.
I felt my cheeks grow hot, but Illarim said nothing. Tedor's number was lower, meaning he held a higher rank than Illarim. He had to be careful not to seem disrespectful.
"I have a suggestion to make," Tedor said. "You will say nothing of our firing weapons in the mall, and I will say nothing of the girl. Agreed?"
"Agreed. I wouldn't have told the Visser anyway. He likes those who tell him of mistakes about as much as he likes those who made them."
Tedor rolled his host's eyes knowingly. "Then I suppose we will now go our separate ways." His tone changed as someone came out into the parking lot. "Well, bye then! Thanks for your help!"
"Bye! Glad to be of assistance!"
Let's hope the Visser doesn't find out about this, Illarim muttered to me. Then he walked me back in to the food court. Emily was nowhere to be seen. I searched some, but finally left and walked home.