Chapter 17-Cassie
The shuttle left the Pool ship, the scene of our final battle. All of us-five kids, two Andalites, and the free Hork-Bajir-were barely able to fit in. It was like a ride on the public bus. There was hardly enough room to breathe. Since Andalites only stand, there were no seats. It was very uncomfortable.
As we flew down, towards Earth's surface, I looked back at the Pool ship. There was a gaping hole somewhere in my soul. I didn't know why, but at that moment, I wondered what I would do for the rest of my life. Since that night in the construction site, we had never lived normal lives. Now that the war was over, what would we do? It wasn't as though we could go back to school. We would be huge heroes, the saviors of the human race. Our lives would never be the same.
"What do we do now?" I asked to no one in particular. It just didn't feel right. I felt an urgency that shouldn't have been present.
Nobody answered. I looked around. Ax was standing with Alloran, and looked preoccupied. Marco was sitting on the floor, twiddling his thumbs. Tobias and Rachel were holding hands, silently looking out the window. Jake was standing, hands on his hips. His eyes were staring at something distant. I knew the look. He was remembering what he had just done, going over his every action, judging his every move.
I felt bad for him. He had Rachel kill Tom, and although it was the only way to win, it didn't seem right. Jake had always wanted Tom to be free. In his worst times, that hope, that dream, is what kept him going. Now, his brother was dead, and his parents still had Yeerks in his head.
We flew down through the Earth's atmosphere. I could see all of North America and South America, and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. As we got closer, I saw California, the state where we all lived. It was here that the brunt of the war had been fought.
Our town had been decimated. It was a mess. The mall had been destroyed when we blew up the ground-based Yeerk pool. Many buildings had been vaporized by Bug fighters just days ago. Our old homes had been torn down, barely hours after we had evacuated.
The high school we had attended was slightly damaged. Since the Yeerk pool had extended under the school, half of the south wing and the entire east wing had been demolished. Marco might have made a joke about blowing up algebra class, but he, along with everyone else, was in their own world.
Finally, we reached the Hork-Bajir valley. We had lived there since we had to leave our homes. Fortunately, it is very hard to find the valley, and the Yeerks never were able to find us. Although life had not been as luxurious as it had been before, it held us long enough to win the war.
The shuttle landed in a clearing, near the log cabins that we had constructed as living quarters. Everyone's parents were looking up at us, except for Jake's.
His parents had been taken by Tom and made into Controllers before we could rescue them. Since then, Jake had become this dark, mysterious person that none of us knew. I wondered if he would ever be the same.
"Look! There's my mom!" Rachel said, breaking the silence. "You know," she continued, speaking softly, "I never thought I'd see her again. That moment on the Blade ship, staring at you guys, I thought I was gone. But-"
"Talk about it later," Tobias snapped suddenly. He nodded towards Jake. He was looking out the other window, arms crossed. Rachel understood, and didn't say more.
The hatch opened, and we all walked out. I saw my parents, relief washing away the fear that had been on their faces. I ran to them, arms outstretched. For what seemed life forever, the three of us hugged, tears running down our face. The emotions were rushing through me, after I had concentrated on the mission for so long.
"We won, Mom and Dad. We won. It's over. We can go back to our homes," I said.
"That's good, honey," my dad said. "Let's say a prayer."
We held hands and put our heads together. My dad recited a prayer I had heard many times. This time, it meant something to me. I had never paid much attention to prayers. Maybe Rachel being saved rekindled my faith.
"You know, Rachel almost died up there," I said. "She was about to be killed, and suddenly, she was standing next to us."
"It's a miracle," my mother gasped. "See, I told you that your prayers are heard. The Lord does not forget those who pray."
"Yeah. Maybe. Maybe." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I got up and looked around at everyone else.
Tobias and his mom, Loren, were talking. She had amnesia, and didn't remember much about Tobias. Still, there was that special bond between mother and son that can't be broken, no matter what the barriers are. She was crying, thanking God that her son was alive.
Rachel was being touched all over by her mother and two sisters. I'm sure she had told them she had nearly been killed. I guess they had trouble believing in supernatural occurrences. Rachel was crying, something that didn't happen often. Her mother was looking up at the sky in disbelief, shaking her head.
Marco was over with his parents. They were crying as well, listening as their son told his story. Marco's mother had been the former Visser One, so she knew a lot about the war. When Marco told her about Ax killing Visser One, she smiled grimly. I didn't think it was right, but I wasn't in a mood to be Miss Morality, as Marco called me.
Ax and Alloran were working with the Z-space transponder, setting up a transmission with the Andalite home world. No doubt Ax was anxious to speak with his family, as well as Alloran. He had been enslaved for years, and hadn't seen his family at all during those terrible years. There was a glittering look in his eyes, eyes that had been filled with hate when he had been Visser One.
The free Hork-Bajir were busy. They had made a unique structure out of tree limbs and twigs, something that resembled a teepee. Under it, they set a fire. I ambled over to Toby and asked what it was for.
"It is to remember the Hork-Bajir that died in battle today," she replied solemnly. "Each stick represents one of our number that didn't make it back. When the fire consumes it, the smoke that floats up symbolizes their souls, free from their bodies." She choked up. Tears were in her eyes. Her father had died in the battle on the Pool ship.
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," I said incoherently. The fire began to lick at the limbs. I stood there, and watched as the teepee-like structure burned. The smoke floated into the evening sky, away from our little camp.
Something was tugging at me. It felt like someone, or something, was missing. I looked around. Everything seemed alright. Except…
"Where's Jake?" I shouted, above the sounds of crying and talking.
Silence fell over the camp. Marco looked around. "I don't know," he said, concern coming over his face. "Where is he?"
"Jake!" I yelled into the forest. There was no answer.