Diclaimer: I do not own animorphs or Melissa Chapman. Or any of their logos , ect. The great Katherine Applegate Sama does. I do own the Mendelites and Reubren. I am not getting paid for this and would prefer NOT to get sued.

Note that this story will contain allot more about the Mendelites. It would be impossible to exclude them because they do play a big role in Melissa's fate. No worries. The animorphs still show up time to time. ^^





Chapter One

" Come on Sabrina , ever since Rachel ditched me , I haven't had many people over." I said trying to convince the obviously uncomfortable exchange student to come to my house. " My dad doesn't bite , you know."

Sabrina gave a nervous laugh. " Are you sure?"

" Sabs!"

She sighed. " I dunno. It kind of bothers me that you say Rachel 'ditched you' she's a nice kid from what I can tell. What happened with you two?"

My first week of school , Rachel had been avoiding me. Sometimes when I walked up to her.she seemed so far away.sometimes she didn't even notice me until ten seconds later. Then she'd fake a smile and say hello. That's all our relationship was now. A smile and a hello every now and then in the hall. I tried to make plans with her , but their was always an excuse. That same day I asked her to the mall and she said she couldn't go , I saw her with Cassie in the food courts with Jake , Marco and two other kids. They all seemed engrossed in a very deep conversation. I'd lost her. Just like I'd lost my parents.

Maybe it was my fault. For being so distant , for not talking to her more. I had been so depressed. My dad acting like a complete jerk and ignoring me , and my mom never even being around.

But they were never like that before. It's like one day things were good , and the next day they just changed. Sometimes it would seem like they were the people I knew again , then it would go back to the same old thing. Cold smiles , tender words that I knew were a lie , and maddening silence at the dinner table. They no longer attended my gymnastics meets, no longer cared what I did at all. It was like I didn't exist. They just wanted me out of their way.

" Melissa.I - I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. I shouldn't have asked." Sabrina sounded remorseful.

I hadn't realize a tear had ran down my cheek. The bell rang. Kids sluggishly went back to their homerooms.

" No , I'm sorry." I whispered. " I haven't been feeling well lately - will you excuse me?"

I ran towards the girl's bathroom. I didn't need Sabrina to see me have an emotional breakdown. Not when she was only person besides Madison that talked to me in the hall.

I met Sabrina somewhere in the third month of my miserable existence at school. I really didn't like school much even before Rachel wasn't my friend anymore. Now it was worse.

I had been sitting by myself at the lunch table. And she walked up to me smiling shyly and asked if she could sit with me.

" My names Sabrina." she said. " I'm an exchange student."

" I'm Melissa." I said smiling back. " Where are you from?"

The girls face flushed. " U-u-u-m , a really far away place that you probably couldn't pronounce."

I laughed. It felt so good to laugh. " Okay , I'll take your word for it."

" This place is really big." she fidgeted with a piece of her hair. " And me and my friend Madison have different classes. I have art with Lavender , but I can't find my other classes. Could you help?"

" Sure." I said. " Just show me your schedule."

" Thanks!" she looked relieved.

" So , um , can you say something in your own language?" I asked.

She looked nervous.

" Really." I coaxed. " I like different languages."

" O-okay. I guess it can't hurt." she stuttered. " Lathashi ata asuran Earthana."

" What's that mean?" I asked. " It sounds pretty."

She smiled shyly. But the other half of her expression suggested that she felt like kicking herself. " I really like Earth."

And that's how my our strange friendship began. If I had had more time to think about it , I could have gotten suspicious , it was a strange thing to say. But then the lunch bell rang.

As Sabrina moved towards her art class I could have sworn I heard her muterring , " Sabrina you fool! Idiot , idiot ,idiot!"

But maybe it was my imagination.

Present time

I splashed cold water on my face

" Hey you okay?" Sabrina had followed me.

" You'll be late for class." I sniffled. My eyes were red.

" So will you. Come on , answer my question."

" Yes , and no." I answered.

She nodded like that made perfect sense. " I know the feeling."

I laughed. " I'm a little embarrassed. I didn't mean to cry in front of you."

She shrugged. " When it's time to cry you cry."

Another weird statement from Sabrina.

She handed me a piece of toilet paper. I blew my nose.

Lavender walked in. Lavender supposedly moved from some one place or another. She had short black hair and brown eyes with green lining.

" Darn it you two , if there was a party in here , I should have been invited," she joked.

She checked her reflection. She was skinny and about a foot shorter than me.

" Wanna cut with me?" she asked me and Sabrina like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Sabrina scowled. " Cutting classes again?!"

" But this other stuff is so boring!" Lavender began to wash red paint off her hands. Obviously she had just had art class.

All Lavender ever does is draw.

" Lavender you cannot - " Sabrina began but she was already out the door.

Sabrina took off after her. I followed.

But Lavender had halted in her tracks , because in front of her stood none other than my dad.

" H-iya there." Lavender said smiling nervously. " I-Iwas just going - "

" -out the front door!" my dad barked finishing it for her.

" Ah - ." Lavender exchanged a glance with Sabrina.

" Go back to you class!" he ordered.

Lavender walked away looking resentful.

My dad glared after her. Something about it scared me. My dad had never looked at a kid like that. Like.....he wanted to hurt her.

Don't be silly! I thought.

He looked at Sabrina like she was something that he had stuck to his shoe. " And what kind of trouble were you planning?" he accused.

Sabrina just looked at him steadily. I had to admire her. If somebody had looked at me like that........

" Aren't you supposed to be in your math class?" he demanded.

" No. English." she said coldly.

" Then get moving!" he shot her a withering look and walked past me like I wasn't even there.

Sabrina sent him a backwards glance that wasn't nice. She muttered something in her language I could have sworn was a curse.

I had an unpleasant feeling that something had just gone , way , way , over my head. What did my dad hold against Sabrina?

Yay! The first chappie is complete! I read over it and liked it okay. Feel free to comment on the Mendelites as the are my characters. Do you like , not like?