Chapter 7: Oliver

             Author's Note: Hey! Twilight here! To answer the question on Red-Ruby and Fred's reviews: They are joining the original gang, and this only covers the first book.

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            Hello. It's me, Oliver, again.

            Tomorrow we are going to spy on a group known as the Sharing. The whole thing's my idea; I saw a commercial for it on TV, and the spokesperson was our Hellth teacher.

            Our Hellth teacher who just happens to be a pretty well known Yeerk.

            You already know the whole plan since Cristina told you. We're all pretty nervous about the whole thing.

            Yesterday, however, made everything worth it. What can I say? It's not everyday you get to make out with the girl you love.

            I would like to talk about yesterday, or yesterday night (to be precise), but that isn't really important right now. You, our faithful reader, are probably more concerned about what our plan is for today.

            You can relax; our plan is nothing too exciting.

            After school, Sarah and that new kid…Tobias (I think that's his name. I haven't been paying much attention to him. He's somewhat of a loser by the school's standards.) are going to take us to pick up some bird morphs. She keeps prattling on about how great flying really is, and how awesome the bird morphs are. I always ask her where she got hers, but all she does in reply is stare at the ground and blush. I swear, that child can get really annoying sometimes.

            After I've finally heard enough of her ceaseless talking about birds, I decided to go ahead and get a bird morph. Andrew and Cristina had decided to get one long ago, and were waiting for me to give in.

            To be honest, birds kind of freak me out. They have those small, beady eyes, or those huge, fierce eyes that literally can drill holes through you. They also have those beaks and claws that could scratch your eyes out in a heartbeat.

            Have you ever seen the movie The Birds? I saw that when I was little, and I've been terrified of the feathered scum ever since.

             I couldn't seem to take my mind off of the bloody birds through Show choir, Hellth, Advanced Mixed Chorus, and Genetics.

            Scenes from The Birds flashed through my head all day. I knew my fears were ridiculous; when you acquire a morph all you have to do is touch the critter and think about being it. The creature always goes into a sort of trance as soon as you touch it, so whatever bird I may decided to acquire will pose no threat to me.

            The idea of just touching it weirded me out, I guess.

            When school was dismissed, a large knot had formed in my stomach, and it felt as though my heart had leapt into my Adam's apple.

            As I walked out to the parking lot, our meeting place, I could feel that my face was paler than a ghost's. The others were already there.

            I grew even paler, if such a thing were possible.

            "Are you alright, Oliver? You're looking kind of pale." Cristina asked with a hint concern in her voice.

            I inwardly grinned.

            Just hearing Cristina filled me with a courage that I couldn't explain, even if I tried.

            I nodded. Cristina smiled at me, and I felt the color return to my face.

            "Let's go then," spoke Sarah. Tobias, who I just noticed was standing beside her, nodded.

             I had agreed to drive everyone to Cassie's barn, since Andrew's car was being borrowed by his parents and I was the only other one with a license instead of a permit. I drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse and was envied by quite a few of my classmates.

             I hopped into the driver's seat; Cristina hopped into the passenger seat beside me. I glance in the review at Andrew, expecting to see a look of jealously or anger at Cristina's choice of seats. Instead Andrew met my stare with a smug smirk that unnerved me.

            Did he know what happened last night?

            I half-heartedly started the car and drove towards Cassie's barn. The same barn which had become so familiar ever since we'd figured out we were Animorphs. The same barn in which we would be acquiring our bird morphs.

            I shuddered.

            Like I said, even thinking about birds freaks me out.

            The car trip ended all too soon, and we arrived at the barn. Cassie was still at school making up a test or something, so she wasn't there to help us.

            It was Sarah and Tobias that would assist us in acquiring our morphs.

            They led us into the barn towards the cages where most of the birds were kept. I couldn't help but gasp at the vast assortment of birds that Cassie and her parents were rehabilitating.

            The Audubon Society could've made a whole book solely about the birds in Cassie's barn. They made awful noises, smelt horrible, and created an awful mess. I honestly have no clue how anyone would want to save such disgusting creatures (Twilight's Note: I love birds, actually. It's just Oliver who doesn't like them.).

            "Take your pick." Sarah said calmly. She went to look at the other animals since she already had a bird morph.

            I strolled along the bird cages, casually peering in one every now and then. I admit it: I was trying to avoid touching a bird as long as possible. It's stupid, I know, but for some reason I'm powerless against my fear.

            I glanced at Cristina, who had already picked a bird. She had chosen a fierce Peregrine Falcon. A fine choice, I must say.

            Of course, anything that Cristina picked I would like.

            Further down the row of cages, Andrew was acquiring a bald eagle. I was the only one who hasn't decided what to be.

            I continued to pace the cages. Five steps and three cages later, a lone small hawk caught my attention. He was, perhaps, the fiercest looking of them all, which was surprising since he was also the smallest.

            Big things come in small packages, I suppose.

            "That's a Cooper's Hawk," Cristina informed me. "They're almost as fast as my falcon."

            "I saw one catch a Cardinal once. I was watching the cardinal, when suddenly I saw a blur, then a poof of feathers, and the cardinal was gone. I knew it had to be the Coopers." Sarah, who had evidentially been eavesdropping, piped in.

            Well, I told myself, it was this guy or no bird at all. I opened the cage and touched its wing. It squawked in protest and made to bite my finger, but it was in a trance before it could move to do so. As soon I acquired it, I pulled my hand out and slammed the cage shut.

            I couldn't believe it. I had actually acquired a bird!

            "Well, should we try out our new morphs?" asked Andrew.

            Cristina glanced at me and winked.

             "Not today. I have to help Oliver with his homework again."

            I grinned at Andrew, hoping that he found my smile convincing. I have a feeling that he didn't believe it in the least.

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A.N.) Alright, sorry about the short chapter, but not all ideas come easily. ForensicFreak14 has the next chapter, so until then, R&R please!