Author's Note: It's rushed. I know it's rushed. But here's the deal -- I have three days to finish the last three chapters of this part of the story before I'm out-of-town, and after that, practice starts. So that's that. I know it's all very sudden, but I hope you guys like it and I'll have it all better explained later. Except Cassie's and the mystery character's chapter by Thursday! Enjoy!
Chronicle One
"A coward turns away, but a brave man's choice is danger." -Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)
Chapter Seventeen
-Rachel-
I was shaking.
In rage.
It made me want to hurl seeing them talk to that, that bitch, the stupid slug whose bright idea it was to mess with my planet in the first place!
I knew it wasn't them doing the talking. I knew it was the parasites inside.
But it still looked like them.
It still looked like Mel and Tom.
Mel was the one with the beam last night. She was the one who shot Marco.
Tom was the one who just stood there and watched.
"Jake, what now?" Cassie whispered. She, Jake, and I were hiding in the parking lot about a block away from the construction site.
The plan had been for the three of us to sneak in and try to get some info out of Tom and Mel. But with Visser One here, things were complicated.
Jake licked his lips. "Go roach. We're gonna join the others."
"Let's do it." I hissed.
Morphing is freaking scary, but it's also kind of cool. I mean, there is nothing more awesome than seeing your soft human flesh turn into the sleek, diamond-hard shell of a roach. The feeling as your body shrinks is like being strapped to a 'coaster on a fifty-foot drop.
It's amazing.
The only thing I didn't like about the roach was that it wasn't big enough for me to rip the Yeerk slugs out of their heads. But beggars can't be choosers.
In a few minutes we had morphed and speed-scampered to the others.
They're not doing much talking. Jake griped.
What'd you except? They'd tell us everything about them? Marco quipped.
His voice (or thought-voice) sounded odd to me. Kinda bitter.
But I had to be imagining it.
Are you sure we're in hearing range? Cassie asked.
Abso-fucking-lutely. Marco said. His voice was acid.
Marco, that was totally uncalled for, you little midget! I shouted. What the hell is your problem? I demanded.
I don't have a problem, Xena. He mocked me.
But, lucky for him, he shut up after that.
"How's the construction of the new pool?" Asked Visser One.
"Splendid, Visser." Said Tom's Yeerk.
Melissa's Yeerk had plastered pride all over her mug. "More than 'splendid'."
Visser One raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate, Iniss 666."
"The Pool Area is about twenty-five percent complete. Temrash here," Mel gestured over at Tom, "Thought we should test it."
"Meaning?" Visser One asked.
Melissa's face lit up in a full-teethed grin. "We infest."
"Just a few, maybe two or three, to see how ignorant these humans are."
"Remarkably." Commented Visser One, her face tight and controlled. "But they aren't all idiots." She added. "Unlike that glorywhore you work for, I'm sure you're both aware of that. Which is why I want to know, how are you hiding this?"
"The thickest walls known to man or Yeerk." Tom said. "Soundproof."
"A couple layers of them surrounding the whole Pool. No one's going to be able to hear a thing. Not even the loudest screams." He added.
Visser One folded her arms. "Well, I'm impressed."
"It was my--it was inspired." Tom admitted, acting sheepish.
Visser One nodded. "I understand, Temrash. Won't stop me from throwing a good word in for you and Iniss. It'd be a shame if Visser Three let your heads roll." She said. Then I heard the click of heels.
"Where are you going, Visser?" Asked Iniss 666. She got a hearty laugh.
"To try and find a decent hotel in this town!"
She's leaving! I cried. What now?
Now we leave. Jake ordered. We know enough, no need to cause trouble.
I felt like I'd been slapped in the face.
Are you kidding me? Jake, that's your brother out there! How can you just turn away when you have a chance--
A chance to do what, Rachel? He demanded. To crush the slug in Tom's brain? Yeah, right! There's no way I could hide him, Rach. They'd know. Or do you not remember what Erek said? The Yeerks are everywhere! There's nothing we can do. So just shut up, okay?
You did not just tell me to shut up, Jacob John Berenson. I said.
Yes, I did, Rachel Mary. So shut up before I do something stupid. He said.
Like what? I challenged.
Like saving my brother. Jake whispered.
It was the tone in his voice that did it for me. That made me realize he was right. There was nothing he could to save Tom. Nothing we could do.
Tom was trapped. Melissa, too. And I couldn't do a thing about it.
"So, which one?" I asked Cassie.
We were in the halls on the way to second period. It was the day after the mission at the mall, which I did a pretty good job hiding from my mom and the brats, if I may say so myself.
"But I don't know them well enough." Cassie pouted.
"Oh, come on! So what? It's not like you're really gonna go out." I said.
Cassie blushed. "Okay," She relented. "But promise you won't tell?"
"Pinky swear." I said.
"Jake." She said. "Out of all the guys, I'd probably date Jake."
I tried to look surprised. "Why?" I asked.
"Well, he is really nice." Cassie admitted. "And cute. And I don't know, I just--there's something about him, y'know?"
"Well, not really, since he's my cousin." I said, then shrugged. "But okay."
"What about you?" Cassie asked me.
"I don't know." I said. "Jake's my cousin, so that's just bleugh, and while Ax is a nice guy and all he's a bit of a prick, so that just leaves Marco and Tobias." I said. "Marco's usually the kind of guy I'd date, except for the short part. I mean, he is cute and I love funny guys, but I just don't have date-y feelings for him. Then Tobias--we're just friends." I said.
"Which is why you held his hand for an hour?" Cassie asked.
"Hey!" I shouted. Then I gave up. "Okay, I guess I'd date him, but I like the friend thing. It's been a long time since I've been friends with a guy."
Cassie smiled like she understood. I loved her for that. She made me feel almost like I had my best friend back.
And maybe I did.
"See ya!" I said, giving Cassie a wave goodbye as she went into her class.
Then I sprinted off to Gymnastics.
Only to find myself whisked away to Chapman's office moments later.
Where I was now busy applying my evil eye. "You say you don't know."
"I really don't, I'm sorry." I said, turning up the innocent-little-girl voice. "If there were any way I could help you, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Chapman rapped his fingers against the desk. "It's not me you'd be helping."
"It's your friend. He needs support now. Level with me Rachel, isn't that what you kids say these days? I mean, aren't you worried?" He asked.
Worried what? That you'll infest him, you Yeerk slug? That you'll try and trick him like I know you tricked Mel? "Nope." I said.
I'd decided to play tough-girl for Chapman. Even though, to tell the truth, I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. Hit something. Someone.
"It doesn't concern you that your friend ran away from home?" He asked.
I shook my head. "I told you no, didn't I? He's got his own reasons, don't you think? Why bother asking me, 'cause I don't know, Mr. Chapman."
"We want to help him any way we can. I want to help him." Chapman said.
By putting a slug in his head? "That's great but I don't care."
I got up out of my seat and started walking to the door.
Chapman jumped up after me. "You don't have to act brave, Rachel."
"I'm not." I said loud enough for him to hear.
"All right, I'll believe you." He said. "But you know, you've sure changed from the girl that used to come over every day for Soda and Fruit-Rollups. I remember you sleeping over every other weekend. You and Melissa would stay up and paint each other's toenails and whatnot, but I guess that's done with, isn't it? You've got a whole new group of friends now and you've dropped my daughter like a bad habit." He said.
I felt my nerves turn to steel. "Why the hell does that matter?" I asked.
Chapman took a step back. Surprised, I guess, by what I'd said.
"I've told you what you ordered me here for, so shove off! And since when is a student's personal life your business? Tobias has his own reasons for what he did, why don't you ask him what they are? And what's between your daughter and me is between me and your daughter. I sure don't remember you ever being this nosy, Mr. Chapman. This is job-losing nosy, if you don't watch your back." I said. Then I slammed door on my way out.
I didn't start to cool off until lunch and even then I was stewing.
But that wasn't because of all the buttons Chapman pushed. It was because of what he'd told me. What I should've known in the first place.
"You could've told me." I whispered, stopping to fill my cup.
Tobias got confused-face. "What are you talking about?" He asked me.
I paid the lunchlady and went out to our table with Tobias trailing me.
By the time we were there, I'd stopped with the whispering. The others weren't there yet and I really wasn't in the mood to be meek about this.
"You ran away from home." I hissed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Tobias' eyes went wide in shock. "How'd you find out?"
"Chapman. Chapman was asking me if I knew why you ran away, and you know what? I had to tell him I had, frankly, no freaking clue!" I was yelling now.
And I didn't care. I felt hurt. "Rachel, I didn't want you to know."
"Well, I think it might be too late for that." I said.
I put down my tray and started to storm off. "Rachel, wait!" Tobias cried.
I marched my butt right out of the cafeteria and pushed open the door to the commons, where all the kids were filing in, wanting to get inside and grab a bite to eat. Then without warning Tobias grabbed my shoulder.
Spun me around. Made me look him in the eyes. "He hit me." Tobias whispered.
"My Uncle Rodney ripped me up with his belt. That's why I ran away. And I-I was going to tell you, but with everything that's happened, I didn't."
He looked me right in the eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered.
Then I just plopped down on the grass. Tobias sunk down next to me.
"You don't need to apologize." I whispered, staring at my hands.
"I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. It's just--you remember that creepy girl last night? That was Melissa. My ex-best friend has turned into that thing and it's because of me! If I'd never gone off on her, she wouldn't gotten infested. Then I find out about you, and-and Tobias, you're like the only friend I have right now. I know that's still no excuse for me to go off on you, but..." I shut my mouth.
I was almost crying. I didn't want to cry in front of Tobias.
But then I felt him pull me close. Felt him hug me.
Felt him kiss me.
And felt me kiss him back.
We pulled back as quick as we'd pulled in, shocked at ourselves and each other.
Tobias was the one to break the ice.
"We should go back inside." He said, avoiding my eyes.
"Yeah." I agreed. "The others are probably wondering where we are."
Tobias nodded. "Uh-huh. And we shouldn't mention this to them."
"Oh, of course not." I agreed. "On my dead body."
"On our dead bodies." Tobias amended. "Our deaddity dead bodies."
Tobias raised an eyebrow. "I don't get points for emphasis?" I asked.
"Only if I like the emphasis." Tobias said.
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Well screw you." I said.
"Isn't that moving a little fast?"
"Not compared to Romeo and Juliet."
The rest of the day sped by. It wasn't long before I found myself in my room, scribbling out answers to my Algebra homework.
Not the easiest thing in the world when my head was filled with anything but equations. The second I decided to give myself a little break, I heard a loud knock crash against my door.
"Jordi, what is it?" I yelled.
"You've got a phone call! Oh, and Mom wants to know what you want from Chinden." My biggest little brat told me.
I climbed out of my rolling chair and opened the door. "Sushi." I said.
Jordan made a face. "How can you eat that stuff?" She asked.
"A little wasabi, a little hot sauce..." I murmured.
"You are so gross." Jordan said.
I ruffled her hair. "You don't know the half of it." I said.
Then I raced her downstairs to see who could nab the phone first.
Which was me, of course. I had years' experience with phones.
"Hello, who's there?" I asked, watching as Jordan went to color with Sarah.
"And old friend." Whispered the voice on the other line.
I gripped the phone so tight I almost broke the receiver.
"Mel, why the hell are you calling me?" I growled into the mouthpiece.
"Je-sus, PMS much?" She exclaimed. "I just wanted to, y'know, talk."
I took the deepest, calmest breath I could manage and tried to remember I wasn't talking to the real Mel anymore. I was talking to the bug, the one that went mad with joy at one of its comrades dying. The insect that almost killed us all last night. "Talk about what?" I asked her.
"An invite," Mel cooed. "To the new mall."
"Mel, that mall won't open for another month." I said.
"Not to the finished mall, dummy! To the construction site. Dad told me the construction workers and the suit-and-tie crowd want to see what teens think of the place. So he said I could invite some friends." Melissa said.
"No offense, but since are we friends again?" I asked.
There was a pause. Just like Mel would've done.
"I thought maybe we could, you know, make up." Melissa whispered.
Or, I should say, the slug whispered.
Still, it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart with a cold ice pick.
'Cause I had no doubt how Mel had gotten her pet slug. Because of me.
"Yeah, maybe." I whispered. Another, shorter, pause.
"You could bring some of your new friends, too, I wouldn't mind. The more the merrier, right? Plus, if you didn't want to hang with me--"
"Yeah. Yeah, maybe." I told her, feeling every inch of my body shake.
"So is that a yes?" The Yeerk asked me, with Mel's happy voice.
"I-I don't know!" I shouted. Then I pulled the phone from my ear.
"But, Rach!" Melissa cried. I hung up on her.
I could see my reflection in the mirror. I was pale. Still trembling.
I didn't want to know why.
I started back upstairs to my homework when all of the sudden it hit me.
I ran back to the phone and speed-dialed the newest number on my list.
"Hello?" A voice asked me, tired and disgruntled. A boy's voice.
Or so it sounded.
"Erek?" I asked. "I need you to contact the others and tell them to get to the Gardens now. Big duty morphs, the worse the better."
"Okay, okay. I'll do it." Erek promised. "But why?"
I checked to make sure my sisters were out of hearing range.
"The Yeerks are going to test their new Pool."
Bother, bother, bother...(Reader's Response)
Patrick Blah - Glad you liked the chappie...and hey, hey, Marco doesn't have a longing for Ax. **coughyetcough** Glad you liekd the "monkey boy" joke too, and I hope you like the mystery character!
Loony Lovegood - Gah! You haven't reviewed in ages! I was wondering if you'd dropped this fic like, to quote Chapman "a bad habit". Glad it didn't disappoint -- and no comments about the R/M and A/M. **whistles innocently** And hey, what other language could Rachel take? Most American school don't teach Hebrew -- but, hey, maybe she and Jake are German Jews. I'm part Greman Jew. And I can safely tell you that I'm not telling you a thing about the mystery character. =)
A.S. Amalon - Wow, like, a bazillion reviews! **does the happy dance** Either way, glad you liked the chapter and the pairing fun.
Early - **HUG!** I haven't heard from you in ages! And yay, I got you to read a little of this, even if it was just the first chapter. Go me! Now, to find someway to convince you to read the whole thing...hmm...
Tinnuelenath - Hate to break it to you, but Marco's still gonna have the Rachel jones (get it? Jones?) for a while, birdboy kissage or no. And I thought Spandexed!Jake was funny too.
DH L'Orange - Yep, good 'ol V1 is back in action. And, oh, what concidence about the bird morphs? =P And someday, maybe over X-Mas Break, I will fix the immense amount of grammar/spelling/plot/etc mistakes in this fic. I really will, I mean it. But I have, like, no time anymore. Plus I'm lazy. That never helps.
Bird1111 - Glad you like it and welcome to the growing Club of Human-Ax Fans.
RasberryGirl - Ditto, glad to see you. =) **hugs** And oh yeah, the deleted chapter was a bitch. I don't want to think about it. (Almost led to a broken laptop, that did.) And yeah, I can't believe the whole fic took place in six days (eight now, I think), especially since it's taken me about six months to write it. And, hey, if I can almost surprise you with Marco's mom, that awesome. And I do think Marco/Rachel is cute, but I also doubt they'd last...but I think that's just me, so never mind.
freak_Apple88 - Where. The. Hell. Are. You?! You've been off FFN for ages, I'm getting worried...swear, I'm gonna email you when I get back. Yep yep. Anyway, glad the fic roxed your sox and I hope you pick THE HOSPITAL back up someday.
Lavenderangel - I'm not dead. Very tired, yes. But not dead, yay! You're right, Marcie needs a boyfriend...er, girlfriend. Yeah, that's what I meant. **pretends to be innocent** And Tobias gave Rachel a hug, does that count? Though I think Rachel kissage beats a hug any day. And yeah, I gotta start working in Toby--soonish, I promise!
someone - Well, I updated. That's kinda like updating now, right? Maybe? Glad you like the fic, though.
Doctor Strangelove - Very glad to have you back on the readin'-n'-reviewin' boat. I really missed having someone to trade strange M/A fic ideas with. =( And I do know the Tobias-abuse this is cliched -- but I also think it's probably true, and I wanted to explore that. But don't worry, this fic won't turn angst-a-rific. For a while. And it's mostly not Tobias angst by then. And, yeah, everything's going sucky for the characters (minus the fact Tobias fianlly got some Rachel-nookie), but isn't that the best thing?
Neri - She is converted to Buffy! Yay! **hugs** Good to know I'm not the only one who fell head-over-heels for it. =) And I don't like Spike dying either. But he's back on Angel now (which is also really, really good, by the way) so woohoo! I kind of liked the ending, 'cept they killed my Anya. **sniffs** I really loved Anya. And now she and Xander will never get to have weird kids and...waaah. =( And I miss Tara, too. And Oz, now that I think of it -- but I have to admit that I **gasp** have not been able to watch, like, any of season six or seven. My stupid TV channels won't show it...I'm so mad about that. Heehee, but I want Buffy to show up on Angel, so Angel and Spike can get all grr argh again -- even though, and don't hit me, I want Angel to win. It's just...he's so sweet with Buffy and so wrong with Cordelia! She should be dating Wesley! (Angel-babble. Ignore it.)
freak show - Well, I hope I gave you a bit of a look into Rachel's brain. Glad you liked the chapter!
Marduk42 - Glad you like it and I can only hope the story stays good. (I really do mean that in a more postivie way.) Keep reading!