I am so not going into the details of what happened the next day. The
really short version is that Mary Sue and I came back to the Gardens alone,
acquired the octopus, and bugged out. And, just for the record? Octopus
bites are painful, and Helmacrons don't seem to understand the words, "No,
Mary Sue, you can't knock an angry octopus out with a corn dog."
We were walking to the skateboard park near the Gardens. Cassie and I were meeting up there, to take Mary Sue down to the ocean. There we would spend two hours with her before releasing her into the wild. Jake and I were fine with my doing it on my own, but Cassie felt she had a moral obligation to be there.
Cassie feels she has moral obligations about a lot of things.
I was feeling cranky. Cassie, on the other hand, looked positively chipper as she joined us.
"I get it," she said as she walked up.
"Hi to you, too. You get what?"
"Andalite. Anda - *light*. Where there's a lot of light, it's bright, right?"
"That dumb Sharing code?"
"That dumb Sharing code."
Ah. A wordplay. I had suspected as much.
"Hi, Mary Sue," Cassie said. She looked at me for a second. "Um . where are you?"
I am seated inside of Rachel's right ear, she announced.
"Oh." I saw a look of distaste cross Cassie's face. I could understand. Actually, I felt the same way. Aliens in ears kind of have bad connotations for us.
"Beach, ho!" I sighed. "You know, we could be driving now."
"If," Cassie said.
"Yep."
Fortunately, the beach isn't too far from the Gardens. We had decided not to fly, since it was so nice. I mean, yes, the thermals would have been spectacular, but some days you just have to be human.
The beach was crowded. When you've got weather that nice in March, you can't help but have crowded beaches. "You know, Cassie," I sighed, "we should be out here. Landing some sun. Catching some surf. Listening to some KrayZ."
"*You* listen to KrayZ and the Loons?" Cassie gasped.
"Don't you dare tell Marco," I warned her. I shook my hair in the breeze. The magic of the spring air was starting to help me forget about the little scene at the octopus tank. "Today is a seriously nice day. Whaddya say that after the two hours is up, we grab our bathing suits and sun out for a while. I even promise I won't make you . what?"
Cassie was shooting me panicked looks. "You mean, after the five hours is up, right? Because it takes five hours to become a nothlit, remember?"
"Oh." I would have cursed, but Mary Sue *was* sitting in my ear. I had spaced out, and forgotten our little deception. "Yeah. Right. Five hours. You know me, always getting 'five' and 'two' mixed up."
"Um, yeah," she bluffed. "You always have had trouble with that."
"Yep. Always."
Cassie forced a laugh. "Mary Sue, there was this time in eighth grade where she flunked a whole math class because she got those numbers mixed up. The teacher didn't figure it out until the last week of school!"
"Yeah," I chuckled. "Old Mrs. Withers sure was mad at me."
"Mmhm," Cassie nodded. "Sure was."
Ah. Mary Sue said.
I exchanged a look with Cassie. I'm not a religious person, but I definitely prayed at that moment. If Mary Sue figured out that it only took two hours to become a nothlit, and then decided she didn't want to be one, Cassie and I were in some deep Taxxon filth.
Cassie and I tried to keep up a normal conversation, but we were both worried about whether or not we had fooled Mary Sue. Eventually, we reached a rocky spot on the beach, solitary enough to let Mary Sue morph. I took her from my ear and held her over the water.
"Okay," I said. "Go octopus."
She looked up at me. I swear she smiled.
I will, she said. But not for longer than two hours. I have decided not to permanently become an octopus.
Cassie and I exchanged a long, agonized look.
"What do you mean?" I blustered. "It isn't two hours, it's five hours until you become a nothlit."
Simple human, I am a Helmacron! We are awesomely advanced beings! You glory in your bloated brain, but it is no match for our intellectual agility! Do you not suppose that I can see directly through your paltry falsifications? I know it only takes two hours in order to be permanently confined to one shape. And I have made my choice to refuse that life. Instead, I will graciously assist you in the defeat of the Yeerk Empire.
"Not. Good," Cassie said.
"Nope," I agreed. "Not good."
We were walking to the skateboard park near the Gardens. Cassie and I were meeting up there, to take Mary Sue down to the ocean. There we would spend two hours with her before releasing her into the wild. Jake and I were fine with my doing it on my own, but Cassie felt she had a moral obligation to be there.
Cassie feels she has moral obligations about a lot of things.
I was feeling cranky. Cassie, on the other hand, looked positively chipper as she joined us.
"I get it," she said as she walked up.
"Hi to you, too. You get what?"
"Andalite. Anda - *light*. Where there's a lot of light, it's bright, right?"
"That dumb Sharing code?"
"That dumb Sharing code."
Ah. A wordplay. I had suspected as much.
"Hi, Mary Sue," Cassie said. She looked at me for a second. "Um . where are you?"
I am seated inside of Rachel's right ear, she announced.
"Oh." I saw a look of distaste cross Cassie's face. I could understand. Actually, I felt the same way. Aliens in ears kind of have bad connotations for us.
"Beach, ho!" I sighed. "You know, we could be driving now."
"If," Cassie said.
"Yep."
Fortunately, the beach isn't too far from the Gardens. We had decided not to fly, since it was so nice. I mean, yes, the thermals would have been spectacular, but some days you just have to be human.
The beach was crowded. When you've got weather that nice in March, you can't help but have crowded beaches. "You know, Cassie," I sighed, "we should be out here. Landing some sun. Catching some surf. Listening to some KrayZ."
"*You* listen to KrayZ and the Loons?" Cassie gasped.
"Don't you dare tell Marco," I warned her. I shook my hair in the breeze. The magic of the spring air was starting to help me forget about the little scene at the octopus tank. "Today is a seriously nice day. Whaddya say that after the two hours is up, we grab our bathing suits and sun out for a while. I even promise I won't make you . what?"
Cassie was shooting me panicked looks. "You mean, after the five hours is up, right? Because it takes five hours to become a nothlit, remember?"
"Oh." I would have cursed, but Mary Sue *was* sitting in my ear. I had spaced out, and forgotten our little deception. "Yeah. Right. Five hours. You know me, always getting 'five' and 'two' mixed up."
"Um, yeah," she bluffed. "You always have had trouble with that."
"Yep. Always."
Cassie forced a laugh. "Mary Sue, there was this time in eighth grade where she flunked a whole math class because she got those numbers mixed up. The teacher didn't figure it out until the last week of school!"
"Yeah," I chuckled. "Old Mrs. Withers sure was mad at me."
"Mmhm," Cassie nodded. "Sure was."
Ah. Mary Sue said.
I exchanged a look with Cassie. I'm not a religious person, but I definitely prayed at that moment. If Mary Sue figured out that it only took two hours to become a nothlit, and then decided she didn't want to be one, Cassie and I were in some deep Taxxon filth.
Cassie and I tried to keep up a normal conversation, but we were both worried about whether or not we had fooled Mary Sue. Eventually, we reached a rocky spot on the beach, solitary enough to let Mary Sue morph. I took her from my ear and held her over the water.
"Okay," I said. "Go octopus."
She looked up at me. I swear she smiled.
I will, she said. But not for longer than two hours. I have decided not to permanently become an octopus.
Cassie and I exchanged a long, agonized look.
"What do you mean?" I blustered. "It isn't two hours, it's five hours until you become a nothlit."
Simple human, I am a Helmacron! We are awesomely advanced beings! You glory in your bloated brain, but it is no match for our intellectual agility! Do you not suppose that I can see directly through your paltry falsifications? I know it only takes two hours in order to be permanently confined to one shape. And I have made my choice to refuse that life. Instead, I will graciously assist you in the defeat of the Yeerk Empire.
"Not. Good," Cassie said.
"Nope," I agreed. "Not good."