A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed. And DH and Tabatha, thanks for pointing that out about the sonic boom. I was going to have them see the ship, but then I realized that the Andalites wouldn't be so dumb to leave their shields off. So they had to hear something- they have to realize that something's landing for the story. Maybe Zak has super-sensitive ears or something, so he can tell the difference between a plane and a ship- oh well. I guess there's no excuse. You'll just have to live with this mistake unless anyone can give me advice on how to fix it. And DH, Bri does have an attitude. I think I made her that way because Zak is so slow and cautious, so they kind of balance each other out.
* * *
"Oh," Bri said. She was politely quiet for a few minutes, which was nice because I really needed to think. Was that a ship landing? And an alien ship? When I heard the noise, it was like my heart gave this jump inside me. And then a little voice inside my head said, Don't get your hopes up, Zantar. It was probably just a plane. Most of me hoped it wasn't, but I couldn't ignore the fact that it was very improbable.
"Sooo… what now?"
Leave it to Bri to want to make a decision on the spot. Me, however, I like to think about things before I come to a conclusion. It comes from having a lot of time to think, and few instances where I need to make a decision immediately.
We keep going. I said.
"What? You're going to ignore a big boom like that, which was probably an alien ship, and just keeping riding like nothing happened? You aren't the least bit curious?"
It probably wasn't a ship, anyway. It was probably a plane or something.
"Oh, come on! We didn't see anything."
Maybe it was behind the clouds.
'There are no clouds out today, Zak!"
Oh.
"So, aren't we going to check it out?"
Even if it was an alien ship, it would have landed farther away, from the sound of it.
Bri's eyes widened, and she grinned. "Right near your house! Okay, it has got to be an alien ship. Come on, let's check it out."
And waste our whole day here? I don't get to come our here that often, you know.
"Tomorrow, then."
Fine. We'll check it out tomorrow. Can we go now? This conversation was making me uncomfortable, and I didn't want to get my hopes up because of Bri's optimism.
"Oh, fine spoilsport. Let's go."
* * *
The next morning, bright and early, Bri came knocking at my house in the woods. I live in a little open-air shed not too far away from my parents' house, since they have guests sometimes who aren't allowed to see me. Plus, I like it better in the woods. There's more open space.
Bri stood there, her hiking boots on, hands on her hips. "Ready to go?" she asked.
Sheesh, Bri, I barely woke up. I haven't eaten breakfast yet.
"You can eat while we hike. If it is an alien ship, it might not stay that long. We need to get there before they leave."
You mean while I hike, you ride. And anyway, there's still the possibility that you're overestimating this whole thing. It could have been just a plane!
"You'll never get anywhere in life if you use that attitude. Come on. For me?"
Well, I couldn't say no to that. So off we went. At first it seemed like we weren't going to find anything. We hiked for about two hours, and completely searched the area where my parents' ship had crashed. Nothing. So we stopped for a break, and Bri ate her lunch. For some reason she was already hungry. Then we set off again.
We were riding along a ridge near the crash site, and I was about to suggest that we stop searching and have some fun, when I heard a noise behind me. I instinctively turned around and put my tail up. I'd never had to use it before, but it was like some kind of habit I did automatically. And what I saw made me rear up, and Bri almost fell off. For there, in the clearing, stood another Andalite.
* * *
A/N- Another cliffie. I know you all love 'em!