Chapter 3- A Confession Is Made
I would have started cursing under my breath, but I knew that the bird, Tobias, would hear me. I, of course, knew that hawks have superior hearing. Whenever he suspected something, I would quietly startle a bird, and he would let off the strange sound that he had heard for the bird, though of course I knew that he was still very suspicious.
I heard a sound from that bush right over there. I can't see the bush because of that tree limb, but I know it's there. There's something in it. It was the bird, making a voice in my head. I'll admit, because of this, I always thought, in the back of my mind, that these people weren't real, and perhaps were just my over-active imagination making something up to entertain me. Being alone in the woods for hours can do that to you, you know.
"I'll check it out," said Nature Girl, "So as not to scare her, I mean, whatever it is in the bush."
Wait a sec. Scare her? As in.they know I am here? But they never said anything before...
My mind struggled with the possibilities that perhaps they knew who I was. But how? When had they figured it out? I decided to grit my teeth and wait and see to find out the answers to my questions.
I heard Nature Girl whispering. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I had an idea that it couldn't be all that good. For me, at least.
From my peephole in the bush, I saw Mr. Parent, Joke Boy, Super Girl and Alien Dude walk away though the trees, and they kept going until I could see them no more. From the sound of flapping, I knew that the bird had left, too.
Just then, a face appeared above me.
"Hello," said Nature Girl, "I'm Cassie." I stared at her, unsure if she was playing some game with me. I also couldn't tell if perhaps I was going insane, what with my 'imaginative people' all of a sudden talking to me. Maybe I was already insane. Or maybe, like I really have thought all along, they are real, which it certainly would seem like, if there wasn't the talking, telepathic bird and blue centaur hanging around.
"What's your name?" she asked slowly, and I could tell from her voice that she thought I was perhaps mentally retarded.
"My name is Sarah," I said with as much dignity as I could muster, and then melting into a sour sarcasm. "And I know what your name is, so you don't need to bother introducing yourself to me." I am not usually sweet and nice to people, especially when they treat me differently because of my leg (or absence of a leg, to be exact). I guess I have just an eternal bad mood that started when I lost my leg.
Cassie/Nature Girl looked surprised. I couldn't tell if it was from what I said or the fact that I wasn't mentally retarded.
"Actually, Sarah, that's the reason I came over to talk to you," she said, "Before we talk more, let's get out of these bushes. They aren't the greatest place to have a conversation. There's an old picnic table over past these trees that we can sit at." She stood up, took a few steps, and waited for me to follow.
A little apprehensively, I stood up. This was nothing like what I had imagined when I was thinking about what would happen if they found me. I had envisioned them tying me, hanging me from a tree, and then leaving me there, or torturing me to figure out if I was from the Yeerks, whoever they are, or the CIA or something.
Cassie laughed. "I'm not going to bite you, if that's what you're thinking. I just want to talk to you. That's all."
I took a few cautious steps toward her, and then fell into step behind her as she led the way.
As we came into a clearing, all I saw was the promised picnic table. No hidden people waiting to ambush me. Actually, if they were hidden, I wouldn't have seen them anyway (no duh!) so they still could've been there.
But nope, there were no hidden people (at least none that I saw. Again, no duh!). We just sat down at the old picnic table. I sat across from her, and for a few moments we just stared at each other.
"So, Sarah," said Cassie, "I'm glad that we finally have a chance to talk."
"Say what?" I said, "What do you mean 'finally'?"
Cassie smiled. "We've known all along that you've been watching us, Sarah."
"What?" I cried, "How? What's going on? Tell me what you are talking about!"
"Calm down. Let me talk," she said. I nodded, slightly reluctantly, because I had no idea what she was going to say. And I must admit, this was turning out rather freaky.
"Well, I don't know how much you've either heard or understood when you've watched us, but I first of all want you to know this: We've known that you were watching us since the very first second. I don't know if you've caught on, but Tobias-" Here I could have intervened and said, 'Bird boy, you mean,' but this conversation was turning out oddly.so I kept my mouth shut. "But Tobias is actually a bird, the red tailed hawk who talks and is always around. He has hearing and eyesight extremely superior to that of a human, so of course he noticed that you were near us. Ax, the, uh, blue creature, whom I will explain about a little more in a minute, also has very good hearing and eyesight, although not as good as Tobias'. Anyway, they noticed that you were there, and mentioned it to us. We knew that you couldn't be a Controller because-"
"A what?" I interrupted, "What's a Controller?"
"That's what I am getting to," said Cassie. She leaned over and looked me straight in the eye. "Sarah, unfortunately, we are going to change your life. It will be a good thing in one way, and it will be a bad thing in many more, but I can promise you this: Your life will never be the same." Cassie leaned back, and sighed.
"Sarah, we, and by 'we' I mean Jake, Marco, Rachel, Ax, Tobias and I, *A/N: in case you are a grammar nut, I never know whether to put 'and I' or 'and me' because it always changes, so if you are an expert, and it is wrong, I am sorry about that! Ok, back to the story* all have the power to morph, or to turn into any animal that we touch. We-"
"Wait a second," I interrupted, "I know that this all sounds right from what I've heard you say when I was watching you, but this could be a figment of my imagination or maybe I'm insane or maybe you are just playing a big trick on me!"
"Sarah, I am telling the complete and honest truth. You have to listen to me," said Cassie, and I could tell that she was being honest because the ring of truth echoed in every word that she said. "We are not mutants or have magic powers. All we have is technology from a very advanced race called the Andalites." She continued to talk and explain everything to me about her strange and dangerous life. When she was done, I still had a few unanswered questions.
"Cassie, does this mean that I will become an, an, um, Animal.uh.goof?" I asked.
Cassie burst out laughing. "It isn't Animalgoof. It's Animorph. You will be able to turn into animals. Sadly, we are changing your life."
"And also, you never finished your sentence, when you told me that you knew that I wasn't a Controller. You also left out what was going on when you knew that I was in the bushes."
Cassie looked pained. "Yes, I forgot to mention that sentence. Let me start over." She took a deep breath. "Tobias knew that you were watching us from the very first second. He told us all in private thought speech. We..." she paused, pretending she need to take a deep breath, but it was obvious that she was struggling to find the words for what she wanted to say. "We knew that you weren't a Controller because you were missing a leg." At this, I almost jumped up and left because the thing that I hate most is to be treated differently because of my leg.
"Wait, wait!" cried Cassie, "Don't leave! You're luck that your leg is missing. The Yeerks don't infest people who are permanently injured. So we knew that you were not a Controller. And.and we.well.felt sorry for you. So we kept quiet and decided to let you continue watching us while we decided what to do about it. Finally, we knew that we had to make you an Animorph. To protect you, and to protect us."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Ok, I hope this answers any questions, like the one that L had. I'll work hard and hopefully get chapter 4 up, but I'm pretty busy this week, so who knows. PLEASE REVIEW! *begins to snarl, but then catches self and smile innocently*
I would have started cursing under my breath, but I knew that the bird, Tobias, would hear me. I, of course, knew that hawks have superior hearing. Whenever he suspected something, I would quietly startle a bird, and he would let off the strange sound that he had heard for the bird, though of course I knew that he was still very suspicious.
I heard a sound from that bush right over there. I can't see the bush because of that tree limb, but I know it's there. There's something in it. It was the bird, making a voice in my head. I'll admit, because of this, I always thought, in the back of my mind, that these people weren't real, and perhaps were just my over-active imagination making something up to entertain me. Being alone in the woods for hours can do that to you, you know.
"I'll check it out," said Nature Girl, "So as not to scare her, I mean, whatever it is in the bush."
Wait a sec. Scare her? As in.they know I am here? But they never said anything before...
My mind struggled with the possibilities that perhaps they knew who I was. But how? When had they figured it out? I decided to grit my teeth and wait and see to find out the answers to my questions.
I heard Nature Girl whispering. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I had an idea that it couldn't be all that good. For me, at least.
From my peephole in the bush, I saw Mr. Parent, Joke Boy, Super Girl and Alien Dude walk away though the trees, and they kept going until I could see them no more. From the sound of flapping, I knew that the bird had left, too.
Just then, a face appeared above me.
"Hello," said Nature Girl, "I'm Cassie." I stared at her, unsure if she was playing some game with me. I also couldn't tell if perhaps I was going insane, what with my 'imaginative people' all of a sudden talking to me. Maybe I was already insane. Or maybe, like I really have thought all along, they are real, which it certainly would seem like, if there wasn't the talking, telepathic bird and blue centaur hanging around.
"What's your name?" she asked slowly, and I could tell from her voice that she thought I was perhaps mentally retarded.
"My name is Sarah," I said with as much dignity as I could muster, and then melting into a sour sarcasm. "And I know what your name is, so you don't need to bother introducing yourself to me." I am not usually sweet and nice to people, especially when they treat me differently because of my leg (or absence of a leg, to be exact). I guess I have just an eternal bad mood that started when I lost my leg.
Cassie/Nature Girl looked surprised. I couldn't tell if it was from what I said or the fact that I wasn't mentally retarded.
"Actually, Sarah, that's the reason I came over to talk to you," she said, "Before we talk more, let's get out of these bushes. They aren't the greatest place to have a conversation. There's an old picnic table over past these trees that we can sit at." She stood up, took a few steps, and waited for me to follow.
A little apprehensively, I stood up. This was nothing like what I had imagined when I was thinking about what would happen if they found me. I had envisioned them tying me, hanging me from a tree, and then leaving me there, or torturing me to figure out if I was from the Yeerks, whoever they are, or the CIA or something.
Cassie laughed. "I'm not going to bite you, if that's what you're thinking. I just want to talk to you. That's all."
I took a few cautious steps toward her, and then fell into step behind her as she led the way.
As we came into a clearing, all I saw was the promised picnic table. No hidden people waiting to ambush me. Actually, if they were hidden, I wouldn't have seen them anyway (no duh!) so they still could've been there.
But nope, there were no hidden people (at least none that I saw. Again, no duh!). We just sat down at the old picnic table. I sat across from her, and for a few moments we just stared at each other.
"So, Sarah," said Cassie, "I'm glad that we finally have a chance to talk."
"Say what?" I said, "What do you mean 'finally'?"
Cassie smiled. "We've known all along that you've been watching us, Sarah."
"What?" I cried, "How? What's going on? Tell me what you are talking about!"
"Calm down. Let me talk," she said. I nodded, slightly reluctantly, because I had no idea what she was going to say. And I must admit, this was turning out rather freaky.
"Well, I don't know how much you've either heard or understood when you've watched us, but I first of all want you to know this: We've known that you were watching us since the very first second. I don't know if you've caught on, but Tobias-" Here I could have intervened and said, 'Bird boy, you mean,' but this conversation was turning out oddly.so I kept my mouth shut. "But Tobias is actually a bird, the red tailed hawk who talks and is always around. He has hearing and eyesight extremely superior to that of a human, so of course he noticed that you were near us. Ax, the, uh, blue creature, whom I will explain about a little more in a minute, also has very good hearing and eyesight, although not as good as Tobias'. Anyway, they noticed that you were there, and mentioned it to us. We knew that you couldn't be a Controller because-"
"A what?" I interrupted, "What's a Controller?"
"That's what I am getting to," said Cassie. She leaned over and looked me straight in the eye. "Sarah, unfortunately, we are going to change your life. It will be a good thing in one way, and it will be a bad thing in many more, but I can promise you this: Your life will never be the same." Cassie leaned back, and sighed.
"Sarah, we, and by 'we' I mean Jake, Marco, Rachel, Ax, Tobias and I, *A/N: in case you are a grammar nut, I never know whether to put 'and I' or 'and me' because it always changes, so if you are an expert, and it is wrong, I am sorry about that! Ok, back to the story* all have the power to morph, or to turn into any animal that we touch. We-"
"Wait a second," I interrupted, "I know that this all sounds right from what I've heard you say when I was watching you, but this could be a figment of my imagination or maybe I'm insane or maybe you are just playing a big trick on me!"
"Sarah, I am telling the complete and honest truth. You have to listen to me," said Cassie, and I could tell that she was being honest because the ring of truth echoed in every word that she said. "We are not mutants or have magic powers. All we have is technology from a very advanced race called the Andalites." She continued to talk and explain everything to me about her strange and dangerous life. When she was done, I still had a few unanswered questions.
"Cassie, does this mean that I will become an, an, um, Animal.uh.goof?" I asked.
Cassie burst out laughing. "It isn't Animalgoof. It's Animorph. You will be able to turn into animals. Sadly, we are changing your life."
"And also, you never finished your sentence, when you told me that you knew that I wasn't a Controller. You also left out what was going on when you knew that I was in the bushes."
Cassie looked pained. "Yes, I forgot to mention that sentence. Let me start over." She took a deep breath. "Tobias knew that you were watching us from the very first second. He told us all in private thought speech. We..." she paused, pretending she need to take a deep breath, but it was obvious that she was struggling to find the words for what she wanted to say. "We knew that you weren't a Controller because you were missing a leg." At this, I almost jumped up and left because the thing that I hate most is to be treated differently because of my leg.
"Wait, wait!" cried Cassie, "Don't leave! You're luck that your leg is missing. The Yeerks don't infest people who are permanently injured. So we knew that you were not a Controller. And.and we.well.felt sorry for you. So we kept quiet and decided to let you continue watching us while we decided what to do about it. Finally, we knew that we had to make you an Animorph. To protect you, and to protect us."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Ok, I hope this answers any questions, like the one that L had. I'll work hard and hopefully get chapter 4 up, but I'm pretty busy this week, so who knows. PLEASE REVIEW! *begins to snarl, but then catches self and smile innocently*
