Okay, with that out of the way, I'm SO SORRY this took so long. At first, it was writer's block, but then I just got lazy.
In case anyone was wondering, I haven't skipped Rachel, Tobias, or Ax. They're coming up. I'm not telling anyone a dang thing about the ending and what it means. You'll find out in due time. =)
And take note: Marco, Rachel, and Tobias's chapters take part during Cassie and Jake's escapde. I'm not sure if Ax's will or not yet.
Okay, I'm not gonna take up anymore time. Get to reading!
Threads of Fate
Chronicle One
"Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true." --Montaigne, Essays
Chapter Nine
-Marco-
My name is Marco Jones.
And I just might be a flaming idiot.
You see, it all started about a week ago, when I'd been called into the principal's office because my history teacher wanted me to switch classes. Guess the guy just can't take a joke. Anyway, let's just say that Mr. Chapman, my oh-so-balding principal, said some not-so-nice things about my mom. My dead mom.
After that, I left Chapman's office. That was when I had the flashback.
Yeah, you read that right. You aren't some kind of psycho. As for me? Well, I don't know. Would you call a guy who has flashbacks one hundred percent sane? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.
As if that wasn't weird enough, though, I got the grand honor of meeting Jake Berenson. My once best friend.
I bet you're pretty confused. So am I. But it turns out I'm not, as my meeting with Jake proved, the only person around here having flashbacks. There are four of us -- me, the handsome, charming, humble, and witty one.
Rachel, who I have a strong suspicion is Xena brought to life. Tobias, the shy guy who hangs around Rachel. Then there's Cassie, a cute little black girl who Jake stares at a lot, which you didn't hear from me.
Oh, and there's Captain Revelations himself, big 'ol Jake. I'm bit pissed off at him right now.
It might be because he's got me involved in a wild goose chase for well, whatever we were all chasing in our flashbacks. We don't even know who or what that could be. Speaking for myself, I'm up for never finding out.
I mean, the past is the past. Shouldn't it stay dead and buried?
My friends don't seem think so. Jake in particular, ever since he visited The Sharing with his brother.
Ever since he told me that he doesn't think my mother dead. Which is kind of funny when you think about it.
I mean, the guy's only known me for about a day and he decides one of my parent's deaths is just a big lie?
The thing that's a real riot is that I'm not sure Jake isn't the one who's wrong.
But I didn't want to think about that now. I tried to put my mind back into Biology and listen to the teacher.
"Open your books to page 190 and get cracking on Chapter 5." Droned Mr. Quirrel to our half-dead class.
We were half-dead since it was first period, you understand. Albeit those freaks called morning people.
I am not one of those said freaks, by the way. If it were up to me I'd be in bed until about noon. But is it up to me? No, of course not. Are you insane? Why, there would be decent food in the cafeteria and interesting classes if I ran the school. If I ran the school, there would be no math and school wouldn't open until one in the afternoon.
No, wait. School just plain would not open at all if I was in charge. But thanks to the Powers That Be, I wasn't.
So I was subjected to trying to force my sleep-deprived brain to soak up the details of genetics. It was horrible.
For the first five minutes, I tried. I gave it my best effort and it isn't my fault if the material was boring.
It started with my head dropping every few inches down in the pages of the book, but I managed to snap it back up. Then I was blinking a lot because my eyes didn't like the idea of staying open. Then I lay my head down.
Soon as my head hit the desk I groaned and opened my eyes. I would stay awake, I could stay awake.
I yawned and shook my head then found myself leaning up against the cool pages of my books.
It's amazing how comfy a textbook can feel when you're tired. I'm serious, see what I mean next time you drift off.
"Come on, Marco, wake up." I grumbled to myself and forced my eyes to open.
Then I looked at the words on the page again and I just gave up. Maybe I could read it in homeroom.
Before I even knew what happened, the fisherman of dreams had grabbed me with his hook and pulled me in.
The room was familiar. So was the little kid watching his parents decorate the tree.
That little kid was me.
Mom was standing on a chair, putting a star up at the top of the tree. My Dad was laughing as he held onto the legs of the chair to keep it, and my mom, from toppling down.
Then when she was finished Mom kneeled down and climbed off the chair and gave Dad a peck on the cheek.
Mom turned to look at me and smiled. Everything about that smile was fake.
It was pretty strange, I have to admit. People have always said my mom and I look alike and now, it was like I was looking at myself. Well, okay, an older and despite might people might tell you, much more feminine version.
Then I took a step back as the little kid, the younger me, vanished.
That was when I saw the tree and the ornaments hanging down from the branches.
A little tiger, a tiny grizzly bear, a cute little wolf, a mini hawk, and a blue creature unlike anything I had ever seen.
But, and I can't explain it, I had a feeling something was missing. Or more like someone was missing.
"It isn't time." My mother said as a freezing breeze passed by and the room faded away.
I looked around and found that Mom and I were standing somewhere else. Somewhere dark and dangerous.
Somewhere that was familiar in an eerie kind of way, in particular when I noticed in the cages.
Where, I wondered, was my dad? Gone. I couldn't see him anywhere. Perhaps he'd vanished too.
Mom's smile twisted into a vicious grin. An expression I'd never seen on that face.
"It isn't time." Mom repeated, her voice calm and threatening. It sent shivers down my spine.
She licked her lips in a predatory kind of way, then laughed, the sound echoing through the dark place.
"It isn't time, Marco, my little Animorph." My mother said.
Animorph? What was an Animorph? I wondered as my steps backwards began to quicken their pace.
"You were always a clever little boy, can't you figure it out?" Mom asked me, sounding disappointed.
Her face started to melt away. It was changing into something else.
I think that's when I would've started screaming, if I could've. But I could just manage to breathe through my fear.
It was horrible, disgusting, terrifying, to watch. I stood still and shocked as Mom changed.
As my mother changed into a filthy grey slug.
"Mom? Mom!" My head snapped up from off my desk. I was breathing heavy, covered in a cold sweat.
I looked around me in a panic. Where was I? What was happening?
Mr. Quirrel coughed. "Drifting off in class, Mr. Jones?" He asked me.
Why no, I was just resting my eyes. I thought of saying, but I bit my tongue and just shrugged.
"I see." Mr. Quirrel hissed. "Well, could you explain dominant and submissive traits to me?" He asked.
"Uh...dominant are the visible traits, and submissive are the invisible?" I ventured. Mr. Quirrel sighed.
"That's good enough." He said with a clipped voice. "But you're getting detention next time, Marco." He added.
"Sir yes sir." I muttered, making certain to sit up straight.
The rest of class went by quick, excepting for Mr. Quirrel's glares, of course.
Then the bell rang and I left class like usual. Except I couldn't shake off the feeling something wasn't right.
On the way to Spanish, I ran into her.
Her being Rachel Berenson, who I swear is Xena, Buffy, Storm, and She-Ra rolled into one person. I'm serious.
Rachel's like Super Woman -- tall, leggy, blond, witty and nuts.
Not to mention being miles out of my league, but then again, I don't have much a league to start with. My only girlfriend ever was this girl named Marian. She was nice and pretty and all, but she had class, and I, uh, don't.
Anyway, back to Rachel. On my way to the room del inferno, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the crowd before I even figured out what was going on. When I turned to face my assailant, I smiled.
"Well, it's not everyday a girl risks life and limb for me, Xena." I joked.
Rachel rolled her eyes, then her face turned grave. "Have you seen Cassie?" She asked me.
"No." I said with a shrug. "Why? She still a no-show?" I pressed Rach, who nodded.
Then she looked around with her eyes of ice before leaning up close to whisper something in my ear.
I loved and hated the way that made me jumpy. Rachel didn't even notice.
"Look." She whispered. "Jake's calling her right now. Tell me at lunch if he finds anything." She added.
She pulled away from me, oblivious to the fact I almost lost my balance. I turned to her and put on my all-purpose smirk before she caught on. It was, without a doubt, not the first time my smirk had saved me.
"So if Jake gets nothing, what are you gonna do?" I asked. "Play Recon Girl?"
Rachel laughed. "Maybe. You can stay and be Sit-on-my-Butt Guy, though." She joked, flashing me a smile.
"Oh, ow!" I gasped and even faked a wince. "That one hurt. I swear. You've just broken my heart." I said.
Then I paused to think about Rachel's words. "Hey!" I protested. "I have important learning to do!" I shouted.
"Maybe you should hurry to class and learn, then." Rachel said, giving me a shove back into the crowd.
I turned around to see her heading for the gym, but ready to rush in and save someone she still didn't quite know.
She was crazy, but God, she was beautiful.
In Spanish I learned exciting things about reflexive verbs. But since I'm guessing you don't want to hear about all that, though, so never mind. It's kind of funny in a way, now that I think about it, that I'm learning the language now.
Because my mother could've taught me, you see.
My dead mother, no matter what Jake says. No matter how many nightmares I have.
This morning wasn't the first time I've had a nightmare about her, I admit. When I was a kid I had dream after dream about her drowning again and again. This was different, and I didn't want to admit it. I couldn't.
So I marched my butt over to History to see Jake. He's a nice, funny, guy from what I knew of him but I won't lie that I felt pissed at him. He had the gall to tell me my mother was alive. He was the one who put all these weird thoughts in my head. If we'd never met then maybe, just maybe, I could've moved on.
I mean, it's normal for someone to want a loved to come back, right? Because if it isn't, I'm a super-freak.
I'll admit I was also a little worried about Cassie. It's not like we're more than acquaintances, we just met this week.
The thought of something happening to that cute little black girl bothered me, though. Almost like she was a friend.
I turned down the hall and stepped into class, ready to have a few words with Jake about the whole thing.
What I found was going to at least make Rachel very PO'd.
Jake wasn't in class.
If it wasn't for my common sense telling me not to, I would've bolted out of class then and there. I didn't.
I ran out of class as soon as the bell rang. It was as if I were sprinting for a marathon.
This was a marathon more important than any I ever could've ever run in my whole life. Something was wrong here, I knew it. Cassie and Jake, both gone? We talked about Cassie's disappearance, Jake, Rachel, and I.
It was obvious in our flashbacks we had enemies. Tobias and Cassie had mentioned weird bladed aliens.
Both Rachel and I recalled being animals, and Jake had a memory about some things called Controllers.
This couldn't all be real, could it? I mean, sure, Jake's brother has an unexplained heart attack.
That didn't mean a thing. Maybe Jake was just some paranoid freak. Cassie, too. This was insane, all of it.
I stopped in front of the cafeteria to catch my breath. Then I saw Rachel walking by with Tobias.
"Rachel!" I panted. "Rachel!" I shouted this time.
She and Tobias both turned at the sound of my voice. Then they ran up to me.
"Marco, what'd you find out?" Rachel pressed me for info. "Where's Jake?" She asked me.
Tobias guided me over to a bench nearby while I tried to breathe again. He's a good guy, even if he needs a life.
As soon as I could breath again, I told Rachel what I knew. "Jake isn't here." I said.
"Then where is he?" Rachel asked me as a worried look spread across her face.
"I have no freaking idea." I told her. "I don't even know what he found out, since he ditched class." I added.
"Um, he did what?" Rachel asked me, her voice filled with fake sweetness. I wilted under it.
"Jake ditched class." I mumbled. Rachel nodded to herself, a dangerous gleam in her blue eyes. It was scary.
"Rachel, what are you--" Tobias started saying, his voice wavering a little before Rachel put a finger to his lips.
"I'm going to find out what's going on here." Rachel said. "You two will stay and be backup."
I started up at her. Backup? Since when? I got back on my feet. "Rachel, are you insane?!" I shouted.
"Jake and Cassie have already ditched. Never mind whatever the hell might be after them, they'll have to deal with Mr. Chapman first and foremost." I told Rachel. She looked ready to say something, but I interrupted her.
"How do you think they'll explain all this? 'Oh, Mr. Chapman, we just went off on some wild goose chase involving these weird flashbacks we've been having, and please don't suspend us?' We're screwed as is!" I shouted.
"Who said anything about leaving school?" Rachel asked me. I blinked in confusion.
"Look, I think this all started with Mr. Chapman." Rachel said. "He called Cassie in, and now she's gone."
Rachel bit her lip as she continued with a guilty look on her face. "Melissa Chapman's one of my best friends, and she told me her dad's been acting weird. Robot-like. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but I think he's part of this."
Tobias and I looked at each other, then we both turned back to Rachel. Why hadn't she mentioned this?
Rachel sighed and flashed us a smile. "Look, I'm gonna try talking to Melissa." She told Tobias and I.
"What should we do, then, oh fearless Xena?" I asked Rachel. She laughed at little. It was kind of nice.
"Why don't you talk to...oh crap, what is that guy's name?" Rachel said, her brows creasing as she thought.
"Ax?" Tobias said as he looked at Rachel. I gaped at him. I already did not like where this was going.
Rachel snapped her fingers. "Yeah, Ax!" She cried. "Why don't you guys see if he knows anything?" She asked.
I would've made some sarcastic comment right about then if Rachel hadn't run off inside the building.
Tobias and I looked at each other.
"I'm not doing it." I said to him, and I meant it. I refused to play spy-boy as far as Ax Isthil was concerned
Tobias shrugged. "I don't care either way." He said.
"So why aren't you going to find him?" I asked Tobias. A look of embarrassment flooded his face.
"Because of last time. The things we said. You know we shook that guy up, Marco." Tobias told me.
I frowned. What Tobias meant by "the last time" was when he and I had been sent, on Jake's suggestion, to see if Ax Isthil was a member of our little gang of crazies. The whole operation didn't go over all that well.
I'll admit a lot of that was kind of my fault. I can't explain why, but something about Ax made me edgy.
Something about him drove me to keep my guard up and told me to be careful around him. It also led me to being a complete asshole, looking back on the whole thing. Still, it made me mad the way he'd called us nuts.
I do think he's one of us and I think he knows it, too. But he won't accept it, hasn't accepted it.
It cuts a little too close to the bone.
"I'm still not gonna do it." I told Tobias.
"Fine, then." Tobias said. "We'll just settle this like mature adults." Then he pulled out his fist.
I started down at it and then looked back up to Tobias. "You've lost me." I said.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors." Tobias said. "That's how we're going to settle this." He added.
I couldn't help it, I busted up laughing. "This is your idea of a mature solution?" I asked him.
"Do you have a better idea?" Tobias asked me.
"Um, well, no." I admitted then I drew out my fist. Tobias and I looked each other in the eyes.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" We both shouted, then we examined the results. I got Scissors, Tobias got Rock.
"Looks like you're interrogation man today." said Tobias. I scowled at him. "I hate you so much right now."
"Good for you." Tobias said. "Now, I'd say he's either in the cafeteria or the computer lab." He added.
"Words can't express my joy." I said. Then Tobias glared at me, so I shut up and set off on my mission.
And for the thousandth time, everything that happened afterwards is not my fault.
Of course, things can't be easy for me. Ax was without a doubt in the computer lab, which meant I had to trudge around to the whole other side of the school to talk to a guy that just pissed me off, even though I don't know why.
So it was about six minutes later that I found myself in the GWHS computer lab surrounded by geeks. Joy.
I spotted him quick enough, over in the corner, typing like mad. I have to admit the guy is kind of easy to pick out of a crowd. Must be because I've never seen a guy that looks so girlish in my entire life.
Yes, I'm aware that was a cheap shot, and I don't care. It's just not right for a guy to look that, well, pretty.
Nobody even looked up from their monitors as I grabbed a chair and parked myself down next to Ax.
To tell the truth, I felt a little creeped out. The room had bad lighting at best, with the windows and monitors compensating for dying overhead lights. Add that to the fact no one was saying a dang thing and it gets weird.
"Hey." I said.
Ax looked up at me for a second, then turned back to his monitor. Then he almost fell out of his seat when he recognized me. It's a good thing to know people freak when they know who you are, though he had a reason.
"Hello. Marco, wasn't it?" He said, trying to look like he hadn't just lost his cool.
"You know my name, Ax." I hissed. "Stop fooling around, I need to talk to you." I said to him.
"Why?" He asked, pressing the ENTER key on the keyboard. I tried to lean over to see what the heck he was doing, but I couldn't see over his head. Did I ever mention how much I hate being short?
"It's about Cassie and Jake." I whispered, careful to not lift my voice above minimum hearing level.
Ax stopped typing. He turned away the monitor to look at me. "What's happened?" He asked me.
He looked freaked out, kind of like a kid caught stealing a cookie before dinner, but this was worse.
All of the sudden I had a feeling maybe he knew what happened better than I did.
"Cassie ditched school and we don't know where Jake is." I told him, wondering if my suspicion was right.
"Cassie ditched?" Ax asked me. His eyes turned upwards while he spoke. "I have no idea why."
Bullshit, I thought. You know exactly why she ditched today.
I stared at Ax for a long time. I noticed his tense, slouching posture. The way he refused to look me in the eyes.
I happen to know when people are lying to me, and Ax Isthil was a fountain of lies and half-truths.
"Rachel says it might have something to do with Principal Chapman." I whispered.
His whole body seemed to stiffen. He laughed, though. I noticed the laughter didn't reach into his eyes.
Eyes which, for a split second, looked a lot like Rachel's, even though they were a lot more like Tobias's in color.
"Rachel's nuts." Ax scoffed. "Chapman doesn't have any reason to be after Cassie. It's not like..." Then he paused.
"It's not like what, Ax?" I pressed him. He started and started at me. "What doesn't Chapman know about us?"
"It's not like he knows, you know, about everything." Ax whispered. This time he couldn't even try looking at me.
I didn't want to admit to what I knew, deep down, must be true. Sure, I didn't like Ax, but I didn't want this.
I patted him on the shoulder as I got out of my chair. "You're right." I said. "Thanks, Ax-man." I added.
He turned to me again, his eyes wide. "What did you call me?" He asked.
I frowned. I didn't want to spend another minute in this room if I could help it. "Ax-man." I said. "So?"
Ax shook his head, then gave me a thin-lipped smile. "Nothing, I suppose." He said, turning back to the keyboard.
It was as I was leaving that I noticed the golden eagle outside the window.
Flash!
I watched, helpless. I was an osprey. There wasn't any way I could catch him.
Golden eagles are fast. Jake, in his peregrine falcon morph, could've intercepted the eagle.
But he was too far away. With my osprey eyes I saw the eagle talons rake forward.
It was then that any doubts I had were erased from my mind. I had to get out of that room.
We had a traitor in our midst.
I wasn't thinking straight as I plowed my way down the hall. You might not believe me, but I didn't want it to be true.
I didn't like the guy, he was irritating and stubborn at best. But I was sure he was one of us.
Or at least, he had been, at some point. Before he decided to turn tail on us, figuratively speaking.
There was no doubt in my mind that Ax had given us up to Chapman, up to them, whoever they were.
And I was afraid that in our flashbacks he'd done much worse than that.
I guess that maybe I was kind of to blame, I could've been more tactful. Still, to decide and turn us all in?
That's blowing things way out of proportion. I don't think even I would've done something like that.
It was just two teachers arguing that ended my train of thought.
"Illim 136, don't play games with me." One of the teachers, a tall man dressed in gray, said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Niar 253." Said the other teacher, a short fat man in green.
"You withheld information from Iniss 666." Said the Gray Suit Man. "You're a traitor to the cause." He added.
"I'm no such thing!" Protested Short Fat Guy. "Niar 253, you're misunderstanding the situation!" He pleaded.
What the hell is going on? I thought as I hid behind a wall, watching the two men in the empty hallway.
"I'm misunderstanding a deliberate information withdrawal?" Asked Grey Suit Man.
Short Fat Guy started trembling as Gray Suit Man pulled out what looked like a laser beam.
"Maybe, but I'm misunderstanding the Visser's orders. Goodbye, Illim 136." Said Gray Suit Man.
Then he fired. There was a flash of red light and then a man was gone. Wiped away like he never existed.
I turned away and pressed my back to the wall. I just dared to breathe. I listened through the quiet as I heard footsteps. As, second by everlasting second, the footsteps grew fainter and fainter.
It was a whole three minutes later that I had the balls to check and see if Gray Suit Man, or Niar 253, had left.
As I looked down the empty hallway, there was just one thought in my mind.
Jake had picked one hell of a day to skip school.
To My Minions (just kidding! - reader response)
Neri, Princess of the Oceans - Gah! I updated! Don't hurt me! Thanks for the Happy Birthday, and yep, I did get kittens. 7, in fact, because it turns out all three of my girl cats were pregnant and now they're having fights over the babies. Oh well. You know, I think Tobias was with Spiderman. =P Haha, that'd be a cool story. But seriously, though, Tobias rides a different bus ruote than the other three, who get to school the quickest. (Next to Ax, who has Loren to drive him.) And he doesn't know where they meet up yet. I liked that quote last chapter too. Homer's alive, dun worry! And Jake and Cassie aren't quite dating yet. **winks** I WILL get funny parts in this story, I swear.
**stands up behind a flag** Someday, there will be funny parts in this fic. Someday, I'll update on time. Someday...
Yeah, Tom is being nice, ain't he? Wonder why. And as for Jake's Mom's name, it says Jean on the Anibase, so I dunno which one of us is right. And Jake'll get more sad stuff about his parents and I want HP5 too!
MysticAnubisOFtheRING - Glad you've liked the story so far.
Lavenderangel - Here's a secret: I don't care WHEN you review, so long as you do it. And it's okay, I'm really lazy, too. =P
Mr. Snape? Having something to do with Harry Potter? Why, I have no idea what you're talking about! Yep, I love my Potter. **huggles Daniel Radcliffe** I want Order of the Phoenix...heehee, glad you liked the J/C stuffs.
And I didn't skip over Rachel, she's coming next, as a matter of fact. Poor Ax gets the shaft again, though, he's still last. Heh...and there's a new chapter. It's not soon, but it's here!
Stormwing - It's all right if your review took a while. Believe me, I understand. (Away, evil French homework, away!) You dissected rats? I never got to dissect nothin'. I hear this year's freshman at my school are dissecting baby sharks, though. Isn't that scary? Glad you liked the last chapter.
As for why Ax doesn't just, say, hack into Chapman's or his own files, I meant to address that in this chapter, but I think it'll fit better in Ax's. There is a real explanation, don't worry. Why does Cassie have feelings about the Sharing in MM4? I have no idea. But in this fic, it's because she's still an anomaly (is that the word?), and...well, that's not all, but no spoilers! The Horks should show up, biut that's probably gonna be in Part 2 or 3, which is quite a ways off. I have no idea how to pronounce Hork-Bajir, sorry. Go HP! Whaddya mean, where's Tobias? He's right here! **holds up the poor birdie** I got California, New Jersey from Augustine Quill's awesome fic One Least Likely. You should check it out. David will show up and probably have his own chapter or two.
As for Rachel and Jake's parents, they're sisters who married brothers. Seriously. I'll explain in Rachel's chap.
As for Jake's Dad's name, again, I got it from Anibase, so I'm probably wrong.
Luvya - Glad you like the story. And Ax isn't quite all that human, but that's all I'm gonna say about that. And if you wanna know, it's spelled Andalite. Once again, glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing!
Doctor Strangelove - You know, I know a guy named Jefferey. Anyway, glad you Jake so far. I'm finding a lot of people who didn't like Jake in the series like him in this fic. Weird. And Cassie is da man, no contest.
Tom? Evil? Nah. Unfortunately, he's not gay in this fic. But I'll probably have Marco coming out to Jake, so does that make up for it? And I think you should have Adventures in Clubbing on your mind all the time. =P
Woohoo! Go Restless fic! **cheers** Go Jason! **cheers** Go singing Rachel! **fireworks**
I'm not sure how I can realistically pull of a OMWF-type chapter for this fic, though, so I might just have to do a seperate series in that case, but I really wanna try. And, um, go skunk babies. But they can't beat SQUIRREL POWER. (Inside joke. No, I'm NOT crazy, where'd you get that idea?) On a Buffy/Animorphs slashy cross, all I can say is that the idea of Marco/Spike has me laughing my ass off. Aside from that, I'm gonna lie and say I had nothing to do with it. =P Yay, I'm loved! Back at ya, again. Woohoo, more Boys Will Be Boys! **does the happy dance**
And I will pay you money (ignore the fact I have none) if you do the Ax/Shaft parody.
Rachel's a very influential force on the future of slashiness. And two periods sucked, but they're over, so all's good. Thanks for the belated birthday wish, too.
Alara-Sirinial-Amalon - Glad you liked and thanks for the birthday wishes. Lots of people seem to like the Ax-as-a-human idea. And I've continued, so um, be happy!
Puar Briefs - Jakeman? I like that. And I'm finding that a lot of people are liking Jake in this. Why?
I agree with you, the last chapter did drag. I had to cram a lot in. I think this one's a lot smoother, though.
Cassie will relate to Antigoine and Ismene, but if I revealed more, I'd be ruining a lot of the story. It is a shame they forgot Ismene, I liked the way she was willing to die with her sis, that was brave. See, she did have a backbone! (Ignore me, I'm thinking of English class right now.) Creon's smelly feet? I'm...scared now. Go OOP!
Glad you liked the Jake-Tom stuff, too. See ya later!
DawnOfEast - Oh, wow! You didn't have to go and re-review, but thanks! Anyway, I thought it was time the Ellimist gave the Animorphs a break. 'Sides, he was always pretty fond of them, wasn't he? Glad you liked the Cassie chap, and the Ismene stuff is a ways off, so don't worry. Yeah, thinks are taking a while, but I think the plot's speeding up now. As for Ax, don't worry, lots of angsts twists there.
Patrick Blah - Don't worry, I'm not planning on giving up on this! There's tons more to write!
Glad you liked Ax and everybody else. Oh, and Loren's gonna have a role in all this, so don't worry.
And yes, Loren was blind. I did change that. And yeah, it is a lot like MM4, huh?
RasberryGirl - Glad to impart Jewish info. =) I'm glad you liked the chapter too and it's always fun to give the readers a little chill. Cassie's dream was really vague and I'm sorry 'bout that. I'm going to try and make the dreams not so vague from now on. Thanks for the happy birthday wishes, too.
PS: Update Trust soon! Please?
Freak Apple - Gah. I hate computers and the freaky not-working thing they do. Wow, that Sweet Sixteen you went to sounds horrible. Mine was a lot. 'Course, it was mostly my friends stealing my PS2 and all, but it was fun. And MM2 is pretty, mm-hm. So was MM1, because trashcans are funny. =P
Jake has heard your warning about Tom is now running to Timbuktu. And Xena kicked butt! So did Rachel!
I wish it were June 21st, cuz then I wouldn't have to worry about finals. And DAMN YOUSE, Visser 3!
Gee, I wonder if I could get paid everytime someone compares this to MM4...hmmm...and FERRETS ROCK!
Alikat - S'okay, I understand the too-much heat thing. I live in Texas. And sure, you can have a puppy/kitty/ferret...what is that, exactly? A Pupkiterret?
Lisa-Ann - Yep, I'm just sixteen. And I can't even drive yet. **sulks** Nah, you're not old!
Periods suck, though I have to admit I'm lucky enough not to get cramps. I just bleed WAY too heavily for any woman, especially one stuck in a tweleve-year old's body like me. Yes, you are loved! And Chapter 9 is up!
DJ Eagel - Silly Cassie, Trix are for kids! Sorry, couldn't help it. And I'm glad you liked this chapter!