I'm hoping you've never been to a party like this, so you may not know exactly what it was like. I should warn you before I describe the scene that this was not a place for kids. Aside from the Yeerk pool, it was the most unpleasant place I've been in a long time. Everywhere people stumbled around like blind beasts. Everywhere I saw things I didn't want to see. And everywhere, over everything, was the so-called music. I found out that the band was called Animal Abuse. That was a completely appropriate name. Eight guys were building the Wall O' Beer. The stack of empty beer cans was six feet high, four feet wide when I passed it the first time. A few minutes later, it had added a foot in each direction. I almost sliced my feet open on broken glass scattered around. And all that was only inside.

Animal Abuse was playing outside, but I think that the house was actually being used as one giant speaker. They actually seemed quieter outside. But that's not to say it approached quiet. When I say "quieter," I mean as in your ears only felt like they were going to fall off, instead of like knives were being driven through them. Outside, if possible, the scene was even more chaotic. A snack table had lost a leg, and trays full of food were smashed into the grass. Somebody had saved the punchbowl, setting it lovingly in the birdbath. That same somebody was kneeling, with her face submerged in the punch.

I was edging towards the spite fence that bordered the house. It was quieter there, less packed with staggering, flailing bodies. I looked up at the sky. Could Tobias just find Jordan from the air?

I didn't even want to look at the pool. The pool was the focal point of all the activity. Everything else I've mentioned was tame, compared to the twisting mass of bodies and alcohol that was the pool. This was a party to celebrate the lifting of the water restrictions. I guess you could call it celebrating. But it only took a quick glance at the pool to make me start to suspect that the Yeerks weren't involved in this. I didn't think they would waste their time with anything so senselessly idiotic and damaging to their host bodies.

"Hey, cousin!" I whirled to see Tom smiling at me. "I didn't know you were coming tonight!"

Okay, so the Yeerks were involved. I can think of a couple people I would have been less happy to see than Tom. People like Visser Three. The Drode. David. Crayak. But Tom was right up there on the list. "Oh. Hi," I said. "I'm looking for Jordan. Have you seen her?"

He shook his head. "You seem tense, Rachel. Aren't you having a good time?"

I frowned. "No," I said. There was no point in telling a blatant lie that wouldn't help me. "This isn't my kind of party."

His smile became more knowing than ever. "Mine either. Me, I like the Sharing. Camping, beach parties, community stuff . . . this is just so out of control," he said, gesturing towards the pool.

Yeah, Yeerk. That's right. The Sharing is about control. I know all about that. "I guess," I said, looking over Tom's shoulder for Jordan. Where was she?

"You should really come out to the Sharing some time, Rachel. Hey, maybe we can get our families together and go out to a cookout one of these Wednesdays!"

And maybe then, as a follow-up act, we could all take lethal injections and play volleyball until we died! Wouldn't that be fun? "I dunno," I said. "I don't think the Sharing is for me."

"I think it's more for you than you realize," Tom said.

What was that supposed to mean? Was that a threat? Did he suspect? "Oh?" I asked guardedly.

"Sure. We've got a gymnastics group, and a bunch of our full members are honor students like you. You can get some great scholarships with a recommendation from the Sharing."

I guess I might have been more tempted if I didn't know that wrapped around Tom's brain was a slug that had made my cousin his prisoner and slave, and was just using Tom's mouth and eyes to harvest me as yet another body for their silent invasion. But I did know, so that killed any attraction the idea might have held for me.

"Thanks, but I like to get ahead by myself. Sorry, Tom. The Sharing just isn't my thing." I forced myself to add, "I guess it's cool for you, but I'm not into it."

Tom gave me a wise look. "You're missing out. At least when you drop Jordan off next weekend, stick around for a couple minutes. You might like it."

My blood froze. "When I drop Jordan off?"

"She's way ahead of you, Rachel. She's going to start coming out when she can. She promised me she'd be at the next meeting. She said you'd probably walk her over to our house. Then I could drive her to the meeting. She's a smart kid. Bet she'll be a full member in no time."

I might have attacked Tom right there and then. For a split second, all I could think of was ripping the slug from his head. For a split second, I wasn't sure I even cared if my cousin got hurt or killed, just so that Yeerk died. I might have lunged at him.

I might not have. I'll never know. At that second, somebody screamed my name.

"Rachel!!" shrieked Megan happily. She sidled up to me. I eyed my old friend warily. Her eyes were bleary. Given the bottle in her hand, it wasn't hard to guess why. She was spiked, squeezed, and painted to the full extremes that her punk style allowed. "You're here? No way! It's so good to see you!" She reached out and squeezed me. Her hands were cold and clammy. I could smell the booze on her breath. I pulled away instinctively. She stared at me. "You look great! Did I invite you? I can't remember." This apparently struck her as very funny, and she laughed unnaturally long and loud. In my face.

"Get sober," I snapped.

"I'm sober," she protested.

I snorted. "Right."

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time, Rach," she said. "I don't know how it happened, but we stopped hanging out." I saw tears reddening in her eyes. "Sometimes I really miss all the fun we had together, you know? I mean, I know you're doing your gymnastics thing with Melissa, and that's great, too, but . . . " Her voice faltered.

"No," I said curtly. "I haven't hung out with Melissa for a while now. I'm not really into gymnastics anymore."

Megan turned to wave at some kid who was falling off of the diving board. Then she turned her attention back to me. "What I'm saying is, we should get together, you know?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"Rachel . . . " the Yeerk in Tom's head soothed.

"I don't think so," I repeated, louder. "You've chosen your friends, Megan. You like getting hammered together. Okay. I've given up trying to stop you. But I don't want to ruin my life with you."

She stiffened, as if I had slapped her. And, to be honest, I had wanted to do just that. I had invested a lot of my life into this girl, years ago. Now, she was a hole. And I wasn't even going to pretend I could climb down into her. Her eyes, momentarily lit with interest at my arrival, went dull again. "Okay," she grunted, lifting the bottle to her lips. "Sure. Whatever." She took a long drink, called me an unprintable name, and slinked away.

I glared after her. I clenched my fists at my side. I was so angry. Angry at Megan, angry at Tom, angry at Jordan, angry at myself. I was angry at Tobias, angry at all of the other Animorphs. The only person I wasn't angry with was Mary Sue. And I had locked her in a broken mailbox.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Tom began.

I whirled, barely controlling my desire to lunge out at something, somebody. "Yeah," I snapped. "It sure is hard. It's hard to find Jordan at this party. Seen her?"

He gave me a long look, like he was disappointed in me. Jake has given me the same look. Big difference: Jake gives me that look because he really is disappointed in me. This Yeerk was using it to guilt me. I glared back. Worked my jaw slowly. Finally, he shook his head. "When I talked to her about the Sharing, she was over in that corner." He pointed across the yard.

I stalked off without another word. I refused to feel guilty for what had just happened. I hadn't killed anybody. I being a saint, considering my mood.

I found my sister trying to blend in with the wall, staring in horrified fascination at a young guy who was having vivid hallucinations a few feet away. Jordan was pale, and looked very small and young. I swear she almost cried from relief when she saw me.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she sniffed.

"Having fun?"

She wiped her nose, and looked down at her punch. "Oh, yeah," she grimaced.

I grabbed the punch, and tossed it on the ground. "You drink any of that?"

"One sip."

I nodded. "Ready to go?"

The hallucinating teenager rolled over, and began to moan. "Yeah," she said, her eyes not moving. "Yeah, sure."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Okay." I smiled grimly. "Let's get outta -- "

Just then, I was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek. "Oh, SICK!! Slugs! The Jacuzzi is full of slugs!!"