A/N: This chap was a little hard to write. It's kinda difficult to figure
out what Jake's reaction would be to seeing Rachel again, but I did my
best. Tell me whatcha think.
Chapter Four
*~Clarissa~*
I stepped quietly into my living room. My dad was lounging in the large navy arm chair, reading a book with only the dim glow of a small lamp illuminating the room.
"Dad?" I spoke softly. He looked up from his book and smiled at me.
"Hi, Honey. Have a good time at the mall? Did you buy out the store again?" he joked.
I laughed a little forcedly. "Yeah…um, Dad? Can I ask you something?"
Putting the book down, he looked at me hard, prepared to give "fatherly advice." "Yes?"
"Well…I know you don't like to talk about…her…but, I mean…w-what if…what if you…" I couldn't find the words. What do you say to your father right before he in reunited with his dead cousin? One who he had blamed himself for killing for the past twenty something years? I hadn't exactly had experience in this area. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What if you could somehow…see Rachel again?"
My dad looked shocked. Shocked, a little hurt maybe, and mostly guilty. He seemed to understand though, like he figured that I'd start asking questions about her at some time or another. "I guess…I guess I would tell her how unbelievably sorry I am. It was my fault that she died. I sent her to Tom. It was my fault…all my fault…" he stared off into space and muttered the last words distantly. His lips parted again and he whispered, to no one in particular, "Would she forgive me?"
I signaled to Nick and the others with a slight wave of my hand.
"I do forgive you Jake. I wish you'd stop blaming yourself for this already. How many times must everyone tell you that it wasn't your fault and you did what you had to do before you start believing it?" Rachel demanded.
My father spun around immediately.
"R-Ra…Ra…Rachel?" he stuttered, rising slowly from his chair. He found that he was too weak from shock and plopped back down, slumping. "Rachel! How…how did you…what's…Ellimist? Rachel?" he couldn't form sentences. His face was shocked into an expression of surprise, fear, excitement, and terror.
"Jake! Jake, calm down. It's just me. I know this is weird. I don't really know what's going on. But you need to calm down. Now," Rachel coached.
"Rachel…" my dad began again. "I'm so sorry!"
"Didn't I already forgive you? Like 10 times?"
"Rachel…what are you doing here??" my father exclaimed again.
"We don't know!" the rest of us answered at once.
Shawn spoke up, which doesn't seem to happen often. "This is scary, Mr. Berenson. But we don't know any more than you do. And it would be best if we all calmed down and tried to figure this out." We all turned to look at him. He blushed a little and shrugged.
"Okay, okay…" my dad said, his forehead crinkling in thought. "Maybe it was the Ellimist."
IT WAS NOT ME. WELL, NOT IN ITS ENTIRETY. A voice…or something…broke through the confused silence.
"Ahhh! What was that?" I screamed. The "voice" had seemed to explode in my head. Like fireworks, they burst and the words had become clear. I can't even find the right words to describe it. My friends had heard it too. They were turning their heads around the room frantically, searching for the source of the words.
"That was the Ellimist. In the war he gave us a few hard times," my father explained. His tone of voice told me that this Ellimist wasn't his favorite person…or whatever…to be around.
"Yeah, nice hearing from you again, Ellimist. But could you tell me why this has turned into the Night of the Living Dead?" Rachel snapped.
I'LL DO MY BEST TO EXPLAIN, RACHEL. I'LL EVOLVE TO MY HUMAN FORM FIRST. The voice again.
Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was human- like, but it was glowing blue. It had pointed ears, like an elf, and long white hair.
"Yoda come in peace," Jamie muttered.
"I'd like to explain what is going on, but it is somewhat difficult to comprehend. I request that all of you are together. This concerns the other Animorphs as well. Including Aximilli," the creature called Ellimist said. "I will take you to them."
"I know this is a mistake. I just know it. But I'm going along with it. I know you wouldn't go through all of this for no reason, Ellimist," Dad reasoned. "I'll follow you to get Cassie. Clarissa, Honey, go with a friend and the Ellimist will take you to Ax. Your other friends will find Marco. And Rachel?"
"Yeah, Jake?"
"Tobias."
Despite all that was going on, Rachel smiled. "Wow, Jake. You've still got it," she teased, referring to his leadership skill.
"Thanks," he replied.
I looked over and saw that Jamie, Nick, and Alexia were already in a little group.
"Well, I guess it's you and me, Shawn. Going to find an alien."
"Yeah," he echoed. "You and me."
******************************************************************
A/N: okay, being that I'm a hardcore Rachel/ Tobias fan, I totally needed to work some of their adolescent sap into the story. But since Tobias is no longer an adolescent (yet…hint hint) I'll have to use Clarissa and Shawn for now. Mwahahaha. Lol. Review! Thanx.
Chapter Four
*~Clarissa~*
I stepped quietly into my living room. My dad was lounging in the large navy arm chair, reading a book with only the dim glow of a small lamp illuminating the room.
"Dad?" I spoke softly. He looked up from his book and smiled at me.
"Hi, Honey. Have a good time at the mall? Did you buy out the store again?" he joked.
I laughed a little forcedly. "Yeah…um, Dad? Can I ask you something?"
Putting the book down, he looked at me hard, prepared to give "fatherly advice." "Yes?"
"Well…I know you don't like to talk about…her…but, I mean…w-what if…what if you…" I couldn't find the words. What do you say to your father right before he in reunited with his dead cousin? One who he had blamed himself for killing for the past twenty something years? I hadn't exactly had experience in this area. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What if you could somehow…see Rachel again?"
My dad looked shocked. Shocked, a little hurt maybe, and mostly guilty. He seemed to understand though, like he figured that I'd start asking questions about her at some time or another. "I guess…I guess I would tell her how unbelievably sorry I am. It was my fault that she died. I sent her to Tom. It was my fault…all my fault…" he stared off into space and muttered the last words distantly. His lips parted again and he whispered, to no one in particular, "Would she forgive me?"
I signaled to Nick and the others with a slight wave of my hand.
"I do forgive you Jake. I wish you'd stop blaming yourself for this already. How many times must everyone tell you that it wasn't your fault and you did what you had to do before you start believing it?" Rachel demanded.
My father spun around immediately.
"R-Ra…Ra…Rachel?" he stuttered, rising slowly from his chair. He found that he was too weak from shock and plopped back down, slumping. "Rachel! How…how did you…what's…Ellimist? Rachel?" he couldn't form sentences. His face was shocked into an expression of surprise, fear, excitement, and terror.
"Jake! Jake, calm down. It's just me. I know this is weird. I don't really know what's going on. But you need to calm down. Now," Rachel coached.
"Rachel…" my dad began again. "I'm so sorry!"
"Didn't I already forgive you? Like 10 times?"
"Rachel…what are you doing here??" my father exclaimed again.
"We don't know!" the rest of us answered at once.
Shawn spoke up, which doesn't seem to happen often. "This is scary, Mr. Berenson. But we don't know any more than you do. And it would be best if we all calmed down and tried to figure this out." We all turned to look at him. He blushed a little and shrugged.
"Okay, okay…" my dad said, his forehead crinkling in thought. "Maybe it was the Ellimist."
IT WAS NOT ME. WELL, NOT IN ITS ENTIRETY. A voice…or something…broke through the confused silence.
"Ahhh! What was that?" I screamed. The "voice" had seemed to explode in my head. Like fireworks, they burst and the words had become clear. I can't even find the right words to describe it. My friends had heard it too. They were turning their heads around the room frantically, searching for the source of the words.
"That was the Ellimist. In the war he gave us a few hard times," my father explained. His tone of voice told me that this Ellimist wasn't his favorite person…or whatever…to be around.
"Yeah, nice hearing from you again, Ellimist. But could you tell me why this has turned into the Night of the Living Dead?" Rachel snapped.
I'LL DO MY BEST TO EXPLAIN, RACHEL. I'LL EVOLVE TO MY HUMAN FORM FIRST. The voice again.
Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was human- like, but it was glowing blue. It had pointed ears, like an elf, and long white hair.
"Yoda come in peace," Jamie muttered.
"I'd like to explain what is going on, but it is somewhat difficult to comprehend. I request that all of you are together. This concerns the other Animorphs as well. Including Aximilli," the creature called Ellimist said. "I will take you to them."
"I know this is a mistake. I just know it. But I'm going along with it. I know you wouldn't go through all of this for no reason, Ellimist," Dad reasoned. "I'll follow you to get Cassie. Clarissa, Honey, go with a friend and the Ellimist will take you to Ax. Your other friends will find Marco. And Rachel?"
"Yeah, Jake?"
"Tobias."
Despite all that was going on, Rachel smiled. "Wow, Jake. You've still got it," she teased, referring to his leadership skill.
"Thanks," he replied.
I looked over and saw that Jamie, Nick, and Alexia were already in a little group.
"Well, I guess it's you and me, Shawn. Going to find an alien."
"Yeah," he echoed. "You and me."
******************************************************************
A/N: okay, being that I'm a hardcore Rachel/ Tobias fan, I totally needed to work some of their adolescent sap into the story. But since Tobias is no longer an adolescent (yet…hint hint) I'll have to use Clarissa and Shawn for now. Mwahahaha. Lol. Review! Thanx.
