We had set up search parties to look around the forest for Jake. No one had found anything. That was pretty obvious, because if he was going anywhere, he would morph.
It was nearly dark. The sun had set, and the stars were beginning to show up in the sky. The search teams would have to come back soon.
"Where would Jake go?" Cassie began. "I don't think there's any reason why he would just run off."
Me, Tobias, Marco, and Cassie were all seated around a campfire. The parents and the free Hork-Bajir were off, still searching for Jake. Ax and Alloran were using the Z-space transponder for something.
"Maybe he was hungry, and wanted to go-" Marco started to say.
"Shut. Up," I said angrily. "We don't have time for idiotic ideas."
"But it's a remote possibility," Marco persisted.
"I don't think so."
"His parents," Tobias whispered, staring into the flames. "They're Controllers. He went to go see them."
"That's it!" I declared, standing up. "So why don't we just go over to his house?"
"Could be a trap," Marco said. Although the kid could be severely annoying, when he used his brain, he was very smart.
"Yeah. We should stay here and wait for Jake to come back," Cassie said. "There's no need to rush into this."
"Jake might need help. What if his parents are still Controllers? Two of them with Dracon beams against him aren't good odds," I argued.
"We're not even sure he's there," Tobias said.
"You're the one who brought it up, though," I told him.
"It was a suggestion. It is the most logical place for him to be, but…you can never be sure." He looked up at the stars, coming out in the night sky.
"Okay, I'm outnumbered. You guys win. So we just sit here and do nothing?"
"I guess," Cassie answered quietly. I could tell she was worried about Jake.
I'm the most reckless of the group. I'll jump right into a fight if there's one. I have to add the planning part in afterwards. Everyone assumes I'm brave. A part of me is strong, one that held me through the terrible, horrifying battles we fought. The other part of me is scared, wanting to hide from the horrors we have seen.
I started walking. Sitting down was making me restless. Tobias got up and ran over to me.
"Hey, Rachel," he said, slightly out of breath.
"Hey Tobias," I said back, looking at his face. It had been long past two hours since he morphed. He was trapped in his human body. I'm not sure whether he thought it was a good thing or not.
"I just tried doing something. It's weird," he said, the faint outline of a smile appearing. "Just watch." With that, orange-yellow fur began sprouting out from his skin.
"You're morphing? From your human form?" I asked, my mouth open in surprise.
"Yeah. I don't know why." He reversed the morph, and became fully human. "I can still morph all the animals I acquired."
"That's cool." I couldn't think of anything else to say. We started walking, towards the fire the Hork-Bajir had built.
"I was thinking, Rachel," Tobias began, an awkwardness in his voice. "Up on the Pool ship, seeing you on the Blade ship…I was, you know, scared. I mean, I was about to see you die…and then you're on the Pool ship, with us…" His voice trailed off.
I turned Tobias to face me. "I know. I was scared, too. Everyone is scared when their time comes, I guess. But I got lucky. I'm still here. And I have you, Tobias. You're more important to me than anyone else."
Tobias looked into the fire, his face flickering with the shadow of the flames. "I was mad at Jake…he never told us where you were, until Cassie asked him. He hid you from us," he said accusingly.
"Jake did the right thing. He knew that either Cassie or you would have stopped him. And if I had died, you-"
I stopped talking. Tobias was shaking, remembering what had almost happened. I took his hands and brought him to me.
"It's okay, Tobias," I said, putting my arms around him. "We really can't think about what could have happened. I'm alive, and that's what counts."
Tobias pulled back a little. "I never told you, but I probably should have, a long time ago. I…I…" He took a deep breath. "I love you, Rachel," he said, exhaling deeply.
"I know, Tobias. I love you, too," I answered.
Tobias took a step forward, and kissed me. It seemed to last forever. For as long as I live, I will never forget that moment. So many emotions were present at the same time, no words could describe it.
"Excuse me," Marco said, breaking into my bliss. Immediately, Tobias and I both looked at him, innocent looks painted on our faces. Cassie was looking intently on a place on the ground.
"What do you want?" I demanded, trying to change the topic quickly. I could feel my face turning red. I glanced at Tobias. His face was that of a hawk, an intense stare that could drill holes.
"The parents and the Hork-Bajir are back. No sign of Jake," Marco said. For a change, he didn't have a snide remark to make. "I'm thinking about changing my mind. Maybe we should look for him."
"Let's do it!" I said instantly.
"Look!" Cassie pointed up at the sky.
An Andalite ship was descending right above us. We all ran to the far side of the camp, waiting for it to land.
War-Prince Alloran and I called for transport, Ax said, joining us. I hope you find Jake. Right now, I have other duties to attend to. I would stay, except the fleet command wishes to debrief the two of us extensively. Hopefully, we will meet again soon.
"Later, Ax," Marco called out. Tobias walked up to Ax, and for the longest time, they stared into each other's eyes. In some way or another, they were communicating with each other. They were actually related. Weird, long story.
The hatch to the ship opened. Alloran and Ax walked inside, and another Andalite came out. I didn't recognize him.
My name is Glappan-Morrath-Bothir, officer on the Dome ship SilverBlade, the Andalite said.
"Nice to meet you," Marco said.
Is the human named Jake here?
"No, he's not here. If you need to tell him something, you can tell us, and we'll tell him as soon as he comes back," Cassie responded.
I have orders to deliver this message to only Jake, the Andalite thought-spoke sternly. Until he arrives, my orders are to wait.
"Who's this guy?" my mom asked. The others had joined us.
"He's an Andalite, Mom," I told her with a sigh. She worried too much. "Don't worry about it."
A bird rocketed out of the sky and landed in front of us. I recognized the bird as a peregrine falcon. It was Jake, finally back from wherever he had gone. He started demorphing.
"Where have you been?" Cassie asked quickly.
I need your help, Jake answered, in midmorph.
"This Andalite has something he needs to tell you in private," Tobias said.
Jake didn't say a single thing as he finished demorphing. When he was fully human, he asked, "What is it?"
We didn't hear anything, because the Andalite was thought-speaking to Jake privately. I watched Jake's face, as it moved from hope, to despair, and finally, to complete sadness. He was crying, something we rarely saw Jake do.
The Andalite turned and walked slowly back to ship. It rose slowly, and flew off into the distance.
"What happened?" Marco asked, in a gentle tone I had never heard before.
"The Andalites, they…got all the codes to the Yeerk ships…from…the Pool ship," Jake said, in between sobs. It was a very depressing scene. I had never seen my cousin like this.
"Most…of the Yeerk…ships surrendered, but…some of them…fought…back," he continued.
I saw it. I knew what happened. Jake couldn't have had so much bad luck in a single day. It was impossible.
"No," I whispered. "No."
"My parents…were on one of the ships that…that…resisted," he finished, gasping for air.
"Oh my god," my mom said, her voice choking up. "Steve…it can't be." My mom was close to Jake's dad, her brother-in-law, my uncle.
"Their ship…fired at the Andalites…and they had to…destroy the ship." Jake shed tears freely now, hands on his face. The war had changed Jake in ways we couldn't see. Now he had lost his entire family.
"It's okay, buddy," Marco said, wrapping an arm around Jake. "It's okay."
"WHY IS LIFE SO UNFAIR TO ME?!" Jake yelled out, startling the birds nested nearby. He continued crying.
Cassie mumbled something under her breath. I couldn't understand what she was saying. I asked her.
"There may be unseen consequences due to your actions," Cassie repeated. "I've heard that somewhere before, but I'm not quite sure where."
"You got that right," I replied darkly. I went back to Jake. The parents were comforting him. Tobias was standing, shaking his head in disbelief.
It was kind of ironic. At the beginning of the war, Jake had a perfect family, while Tobias was all alone. Now, Tobias had his mom back, but Jake had lost his brother and his parents. In a single day, too. Reality can be cruel.
"Elfangor told me something before he died," Tobias said, looking at Jake's tear-streaked face.
"What?" Jake looked up, his eyes wet. Never before had he looked so small, so helpless. We were used to seeing a big, responsible leader. But this served as a reminder that we were mere mortals. None of us were superhuman.
"He told me, 'Go to your friends, Tobias. They are your family now'," Tobias said in a low voice. "During the war, you guys were my family. The only ones I had. Now you're the one who's alone, Jake. We're your friends. We're your family."
Jake stood up. "Thanks…I really mean it. But right now…I need to be alone." With that, he got up and walked away, into the thick forests around the valley.
I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.