A/N: Just for the record, I do NOT own the following: Animorphs, Jess, Lora, Tapioca and Ashley
As you may already know, Jess and Lora are two of my best friends (albeit very deranged)
Tapioca is owned by San the Insane and Ashley is owned by remnants_2011
Both these authors can be reached through my favourite authors page

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"I don't believe this. I really don't believe this."

"Quit whining, Jake." I hushed my voice as Chapman stalked past. "At least they haven't pinned it on us."

"Yet," he said darkly, gesturing at the queue in front of and behind us.

Maybe I should back up a little here. The whole Helmacron episode was Friday, when Lora was…killed. Over the weekend, Mr Maxwell had grilled me and Jess, and Jake, Rachel and Cassie to a lesser extent concerning Lora's whereabouts. We told the truth - or, should I say, the truth that wouldn't immediately result in our immediate execution by alien parasites. So, now the cops were involved. And they were going through all the people in all Lora's classes. Which included Rachel, Jake and me.

So the three of us were now queued outside Chapman's office, two girls in front of us, a couple dozen behind us. All missing chem. It was boring, but no way was I complaining. I was supposed to have written a paper on rates of reaction. Emphasis on 'supposed'.

"Oh boy, it's us next. Ash, I can't do this - I can't!" one of the girls in front of us moaned in a low voice. I didn't know her name - wait, Tapioca something-or-other. I think maybe her mom was a hippie or something.

"Tapioca," the other said firmly. "Did you kill Lora?"

Pause. "No."

"Did you cause her serious or even any bodily harm?"

"No."

"Did you even know her at all?"

"No."

The second girl sighed. "Then what have you got to worry about?"

Tapioca paused again. "Oh…thanks, Ash!" she cried, and hugged her friend.

"Women," I muttered to Jake in an undertone.

"Are you complaining?" he asked with a grin.

"Me? Nope!"

Rachel turned back to me and Jake. She'd been staring absently down the corridor. "Jake, I don't feel right about any of this," she said quietly.

"The mighty Xena feels worry and guilt?" I mocked.

"No, furball. I just seem to remember saying that if anything were to happen in regards of the two girls, then it would be your scrawny butt paying for it."

Jake's face took on that macho leader look he gets. "She has a point, Marco. The cops know that we were the last people to see Lora alive."

"Emphasis on 'alive'," Rachel muttered darkly.

"Thank you for that morsel of optimism," I replied.

"Always there for you."

The door to Chapman's office opened. Some kid named William came out and wandered off in the vague direction of the little boys' room.

The principal stuck her head round the door. "…Ashley Ashford, please."

Ashley Ashford went inside.

I couldn't hold it in. I looked at Jake. "What a name! Poor kid," I commented. "Wonder who got to name her?!"

He didn't smile.

"Lighten up, big Jake."

He didn't even deign to respond.

I rolled my eyes. My boy Jake will probably become an army general in later life. But he has no sense of humour. Neither does Rachel. Her idea of fun is poking it at poor defenceless little me.

It's a tough life.

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!"

A shriek echoed down the corridor. "That was painful," I said to nobody, looking to my left.

Tapioca the eternal weirdo was kneeling down on the floor. She stood back up, clenching one of her fists, as if nothing had just happened.

The principal poked her head round the door again. I gave her my patented Adam Sandler dopey grin. She sighed, and the head withdrew again.

Rachel strode over to Tapioca. "What was that about?"

Tapioca refused to be intimidated by Rachel (who, by the way, was a good couple inches taller than her). Instead she held up a nickel. "See a penny, pick it up and all day you'll have good luck," she recited. Then she caught my eye. She looked me up and down before handing me the nickel. "Here you go, little Marco. Maybe now you'll get a girlfriend."

Rachel smirked. So did Jake.

Like I said, no sense of humour.

"I have a girlfriend," I hissed to Jake.

"Oh, you mean Jess?" he said, still smirking. "The one who called you a pervert in front of half the school?"

"She apologised."

"Anyway, I don't think she wants much to do with you at the moment."

My witty yet oh-so sarcastic reply was interrupted by the principal. Ashley came out of Chapman's office. The principal watched her wander off in the vague direction of the girls' room and then consulted a list in front of her. "Tapioca Citri next, please. The rest of you can go home; there are only ten minutes left of the school day."

I looked at Jake, mouthing Citri to him. He rolled his eyes.

Did I mention that boy has no sense of humour?

"We should get to the barn," Rachel suggested.

"Why?" I asked.

"To try and work out what we are going to do next, featherhead," was the reply.

"Fair enough," was my reply.

"We should wait for Cassie," Jake said. "What has she got now?"

"French," Rachel supplied.

Two minutes later we were waiting like the good little boys and girl we were (supposed to be) outside Cassie's French room. Eight minutes later (it's so useful having a watch) Cassie emerged. Along with a pale-faced Jess. I went up to her.

"You okay?"

She didn't even look at me. "Oh. Hi."

"We're going to the barn. You want to come?"

"Why?"

Jake was about to say something, when a flash of brown and red shot past the window.

Jess! I have to show you something!

She sent Jake a quizzical look. "Tobias?"

Jake nodded. He had an odd look on his face. "Come on. We better get to the barn."

Eventually we arrived at the barn, as smelly as it ever was and probably ever will be. Tobias was up in the rafters, preening himself.

"Well?"

He fluttered down and landed on a rake, at about eye level with Jess. It's Lora.

"What about her?" Jess asked, going pale.

She's alive.

Jess strode over to him and managed to catch him by the scruff of his neck. He started flapping his wings.

Hey! he protested.

"You'd better not be messing with me," she growled. "Me, Mum and Dad have been through hell and back the last three days."

She's alive. I've been talking to her for three days.

"Fine. Assume that this is true. Then where is she?" Jake started pacing. He was as worried about Lora as the rest of us, but still…

"Well?" Jess started shaking Tobias slightly. "If you've been telling the truth, then I'm sure you won't mind telling me WHERE THE HELL MY SISTER IS!"

Where is Lora? Now that's the million-dollar question…