Disclaimer:
I do not own Animorphs and am not making any money off of this fanfic.

I do, however, own Amy, Jennifer, Rob, and any other character that is new. If you would like to use them, please email me for permission.
(I'll probably say yes, as long as you let me know when the story's up! :-)

Thanks to Madra, GSfreak86, Rachel, and everyone else who read the story so far and sent feedback.

I would especially like to thank Arin and Ruby who read the story and helped me to improve it. :-)

Anyway, onto the story. :-D

My name is Amy. I'm a sixteen year old voluntary host. Unlike most voluntary hosts, I actually tried to find The Sharing, which they now call Fun for Family. I have a brother with this strange ability to read codes, a normal mom, and a dad who's too insane to be considered normal.

I swear, he's like the kid from school who thinks he's funny, but has an annoying name and terrible habits that make the kids want to beat him up.

Maybe he was that kind of kid when he was growing up, and never quite got over it.

Some of my friends who know about the Yeerks ask if Dad's a Controller. I respond to that by saying that if there was a Yeerk in his head, he'd behave at least slightly normal.

You're probably wondering why I'm a voluntary Controller, since Yeerks are parasitic body snatchers who prey on other organisms and use them for their own evil means.

Of course, if you think the last part of the sentence, you've obviously fallen victim to Andalite (and Animorph) propaganda. Because most Yeerks are actually pretty decent creatures. They do not have a murderous or evil instinct, and they are usually pretty pleasant towards their host.

Except for Visser 3, I don't know of any Yeerk who actually enjoys hearing the screams of an involuntary host. Most Yeerks are willing to compromise control and limit their searching of the host's mind if it means that some kind of partnership can be formed.

Of course, when you only hear about a race from the point of view of its enemies, or the leaders who do exhibit manifestations of the "evil race" that they are supposed to be, it's hard not to believe the propaganda.

Besides, part of what happened to me was luck. I know that I got one of the nicer Yeerks, and if I had gotten someone like Visser 3, I wouldn't be defending the Yeerks.

Still, about 9 out of every 10 are generally decent creatures. I know; I've met them and I've heard stories about them. Yes, you'll find that one who tortures their host for their own sadistic pleasure, but he's a rare one. Of the ones who don't get along with their hosts, what usually happens is the host is either taunted or ignored. The host fights, and generally loses the battle. Then, the host will become one of the creatures at the Yeerk pool who screams or just sits blankly.

I have to wonder how many of these screamers are doing it for real and aren't just doing it so that they will fit in at the pool. Or, even, to protect their Yeerk from suspicion.

Even the hosts who belong to that one tenth of the Yeerk population don't usually stay with one Yeerk for very long. They'll usually be reassigned to a more sympathetic Yeerk.

And what happens when a nice Yeerk gets promoted? Well, forming a friendship with your host is frowned upon by the empire, but it's not exactly a capital offense. Still, many Yeerks try to make sure that their host will be placed with someone who they know and trust.

It's only when Yeerks like Aftran 942 come along and insist on leaving their host and letting the host go free that people get suspicious.

You're probably wondering how a sixteen year old girl can be a fan of a children's series. Well, I know that when you write stuff down, people assume it takes place the day that they read it. So, right now, it's February of 2001. Book 50 has just come out. I became a fan when book 6 came out, which was about five years ago. I was eleven years old.

My mom had bought me the first four books as a birthday gift. I had never even heard of the series before, but she thought that the covers looked interesting.

They were pretty good…nothing exceptional, but mildly interesting. They entertained me enough that I began to use part of my allowance to buy the books a few weeks after they came into the bookstores. (I was not one of those people who would check to see what day the newest book would be released and then force my poor parents to drive me to the bookstore the second that it opened.) My dad would joke that I was reading up on how to become an animal. I think he got his Animorphs and Harry Potter mixed up.

I found my brother, Rob, reading the first book one day when I was looking for my Spanish textbook. Rob's four years younger than I am, but a pretty decent reader. He must have understood enough to get the basic plot, because my other Animorph books began to disappear and reappear on my bookshelf at random.

We never actually discussed the books or anything, but, at one point, I did ask him to pay for half the price of each book, since we were both reading them. Mom took my side on the issue, but said that since Rob's allowance was only a dollar a week, it wouldn't be fair to make him spend nearly all of that on the books. So, he would contribute a dollar, I would contribute three dollars, and Mom would pay the extra, plus tax.

This worked out pretty well until the question came up of who should be allowed to read the books first. I claimed that since it was my hobby and I was giving three times more than Rob was, I should have dibs. Mom, not wanting to buy another copy of each book for Rob, agreed with me. It helped that I was a fast reader and would be finished with the book within a few hours of buying it. It took Rob maybe a week to read the whole thing through, but whether that was because he was a slow reader or savoring it was beyond me.

In all other ways, we were normal siblings. He pulled my hair, I pinched him. He hit me, I hit back- usually twice as hard. We fought, on average, seventy-five times a day. Fortunately, we were never in middle school or high school together, so we even went on different buses. Of course, this became a problem when Rob wanted to take the Animorph books to school, while I insisted that they stay at home.

(Mom intervened, and Rob got his way. She pointed out that if other people saw them, we could increase their popularity, and therefore, increase our status.)

With the exception of one of the pages getting a little torn of book 32, the Animorph books survived the trip to school relatively unscathed.

I got some of my friends interested in the books when I was thirteen. Though I would probably be considered a little old for the series, I did manage to capture a few people's interest. Tom, Sandra, and Carol made it until now, when the series is about to end. We all buy our own books, since we use them for discussions and debates. It's actually quite interesting to hear us talk on the bus about the series.

Our main issue was with the Yeerks. I was convinced that they were generally pretty decent and could even be made useful. My friends adopted the Andalite view.

"They're scumbags," Carol insisted one day. "They steal people's bodies and then look into their private thoughts. You have no control. None. And when you finally do, you're stuck in a cage with others and all you can do is scream or cry."

"What about Aftran?" I shot back. "She saved Ax's life, for crying out loud. Without her, Ax wouldn't be alive. If someone is near death and only a Yeerk can save them, how can you see harm in that?"

"But, Amy, most Yeerks aren't like Aftran! And she didn't start off so good in the beginning," Tom pointed out.

I glared at my friends. "Okay. What about Temrash? There were moments when he definitely had, if not empathy, at least some kind of understanding. He didn't taunt Jake all of the time, after all."

"No creature can be cruel all the time," Carol remarked.

"I thought you said that Yeerks were," I contradicted.

Carol thought for a minute. Then, she replied, "Okay. So Yeerks aren't always evil. Explain how come the Peace Movement has so few members."

I rolled my eyes. This was easy. "Just because not every Yeerk is bad doesn't mean that every Yeerk is part of the Peace Movement. That's a dangerous group to be a part of. Look at what almost happened to Aftran—"

"Aftran was interrogated, or almost interrogated, because she insisted on letting her host go free instead of being sensible about the whole thing and letting her host have control. Visser Three probably hates the movement, but it doesn't seem like it would be a capital offense to be part of it," Tom interrupted.

"Remember reading 1984? No real crimes, except there are. Certain things cause punishment, even if it's not explicit. Those are the rules, you have to follow them. Maybe the movement isn't a big enough threat to crush, but people…Yeerks…will do anything they can to stay alive under Visser Three," I pointed out. "You can support something and follow its ideals without necessarily being involved. Also, remember what Illim said? The movement's growing."

"Okay, so even if we accept the possibility that some Yeerks are decent, you still can't deny that they take hosts against their will."

"They have to in order to actually have a life. And some involuntary hosts end up becoming voluntary. Besides, if you're going to have some of the hosts go on to live decent lives after being an involuntary Controller, they're probably going to need a Yeerk at some point during the adjustment period. Not to mention, if you want to save an involuntary host from one of those cruel Yeerks, how else can you do it and save their social life except for putting in a less cruel Yeerk?" I retorted.

"If you're so sure, then find the Yeerks," Tom challenged me. "Find The Sharing. Join it. Become a voluntary host. Then you'll see how it is."

I smirked. "Number one: the books are fiction. Number two: how can I plan to tell you if you're right if I get a nasty Yeerk? And if I do, how do I make sure you guys won't become Controllers?"

Sandra laughed. "We're just teasing you, Amy. You're so gung-ho about it all."

"Well, if I'm right, and if the Yeerks are real, I do want to become a host. Because I think I'm right on this. I really don't believe that all Yeerks are bad."

"Hey, if you can prove it, sign me up, too," Tom laughed. "I could use the help studying in math."

We all grinned, but I knew then that I was going to become a host. Maybe not then and there, since I needed some time to think about it, but eventually.

I waited for awhile before I actually joined the Yeerks. Over two years, to be exact. Partly because I didn't think that they really existed, and the embarrassment of it all being a little too much to bear. Sandra, Carol, Tom, and I stayed friends, but I was definitely the biggest fan of the series. They lost interest around book 40 or so, but I wanted to stick it out to the end.

I knew that the quality was going down, of course. My favorite books had been 19, 29, and 34. They dealt with the more complex issues of control and power. The other books just seemed to be like, "And we did X to hurt the Yeerks and this happened." Or, "This is how the Yeerks tried to beat us and how we succeeded/failed." I was much more interested in the aspect of the human Controllers, and the Yeerks in the Peace Movement. Or even just an average Yeerk. It didn't seem like KAA had that planned, though.

Rob took the side of my friends. He even dressed up as an Andalite one Halloween (I wanted to go as a Yeerk, but couldn't find a costume that looked like it would work). I don't think the neighbors knew what he was, but they liked his stalk eyes.

It was my opinion that Andalites were power hungry jerks who held an opinion of themselves which was much too high. They needed to be taken down more than a few pegs.

Finally, I decided that I was going to find The Sharing. I wouldn't tell anyone, of course. But since the universe was so huge, there must be life on other planets. Who's to say that they weren't visiting us right now, and wouldn't the form of slugs be perfect? Less suspicion from the government, and all of that.

I searched the phone book for something resembling the Sharing. I found a few listings, and decided to check them out. I asked about membership.

One of them said that only adults could become members. And when I say adults, I mean people who are at least fifty years old. So I could count that out. It was probably a bingo agency.

The other one was actually a help center for recovering alcoholics. They explained on the phone that they called it a different name so people going there wouldn't feel as weird about it. I asked if it was only for alcoholics and if it was ever hosted as a club for kids and adults or something along those lines. The lady must have been confused at my question, because she replied that if it had been used as one, it was long before she and the others had bought it. I thanked her and hung up.

I glanced at the last name on the list.

Fun for Family and All.

The name was unusually long, but I couldn't very well expect the group to be called The Sharing. I checked the address. About fifteen minutes from my house, if I took my bike.

Naturally it would take less time with a car, but I didn't have a license yet, just my permit.

I dialed the number.

"Fun for Family. We would like to help you momentarily." asked a semi cheerful voice. Somewhat mechanical sounding, now that I thought about it.

"Um, yeah, hi."

"Please hold for further assistance. Your call is very important to us, but all lines are currently busy. Please hold, and we will try to find someone to help you shortly," he interrupted, static cutting us off.I realized then that it was a machine.I cleared my throat and tried to relax.A few minutes later, a recording came on again in that semi-friendly voice that's always used."Welcome to Fun for Family, where we specialize in numerous activities and are interested in improving the world. If you want to ask about our next camping schedule, please press one to hear a recording. If you want to talk to one of our managers about an allergy issue for our next cookout, please press two and wait for directions. If you want to know more about us, please press three to hear how we operate. If you want something that has not been listed, please say, 'pound,' and wait for someone to come on the line. Thank you."

A definite machine. I pressed three. Another recording came on.

"We at Fun for Family are interested in creating a safe environment for our children. We want to make the world a better place and improve communication with others. We specialize in peer mediation and offer an excellent baby-sitting service. To join Fun for Family, please go to your nearest Fun for Family and All center on Monday thru Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. To get directions from our various locations, please press 1 for more assistance. Thank you and have a nice day." Click.

I put down the phone. All right, so it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it was better than nothing. After thinking for a minute (since I hate using the phone), I decided to redial the number and ask some basic questions. Before the machine had finished all of the instructions, I practically shouted, "POUND!"

"...Thank you. One of our well trained members will assist you shortly." There was some static as the recording ended.

"Fun for Family. How may we be of assistance?" A teenage sounding boy had just come to the line.

He sounded almost as perky as the original machine had.

"Uh, yeah, hi. My name is Amy. I was wondering about Fun for Family," I began awkwardly.

Did I ever sound like a geek…not to mention it was hard not to add, "I can't tell you my last name or where I'm from…"

"Hello, Amy. What kinds of questions do you have?" he asked kindly.

"Well, you see, er- I found your name in the phonebook. Um, I'm new here and I was looking for a sort of club to join. The only others I found were for seniors and alcoholics...I mean, recovering ones," I added quickly, wondering why I just said that. I must sound like a total freak! I quickly asked my question. "Is Fun for Family sort of a, um, club for all ages that specializes in. . .well, in improving the world?"

"That's what it's all about, Amy," the boy replied, acting as though he was talking to someone intelligent and not a teenager who couldn't go a whole sentence without saying "um" "uh" or "er" on the phone. "We've been around for a few years, but many people have heard of us. Where do you go to school?"

I gave him the name of my school district, wondering why I had lied about moving here.

"Oh! I know a few people who go there. How old did you say you were?"

"I'm 16. Er, I'm in eleventh grade," I added.

"Yes, there's another person in your grade who's a...a member. Her name is Amanda. You might want to speak with her about it."

I suddenly noticed something that he had said. Maybe this was it! Maybe this was my first stop in the wonderful journey of becoming a host. . .

"You said she's a member? What, does like everyone who joins become members automatically or is it more like, well. . .like just a few people become members?"

He laughed. "Well, now, Amy, after you've gone to a few meetings, you'll be asked if you would like to be a full member. Technically, everyone who goes is a member, but there are people who are full members. Full members are the ones who are in charged. For example, they now belong for free and get certain privileges. Not everyone is always asked to become a full member, because you need to have certain qualities to be one. That's what we look for when we're considering asking you to become a full member."

"Well, it's just that it sounds as though full member doesn't sound that much different from a regular one," I said cautiously. "Is there a big difference?"

You know, aside from the whole Yeerk deal.

His answer, I noticed with delight, was somewhat guarded. "Well, a full member has some more responsibilities and can be trusted more than a regular member. But everyone can be a regular member at Fun for Family. We want to improve the world and help others, and anyone can do that. If that's what you're interested in, why not come to a meeting and see?"

"When did you say the meetings are?" I asked, scrambling around to get a piece of paper and a pen, knocking over some paper in the process. I reached down to pick it up while frantically writing down the times he told me.

"Meetings are on weekends from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and on weekdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. We meet on Monday and Thursday."

I finished writing it down a minute after he ended.

"Ok, um, well, thanks. . ." I trailed off, realizing he hadn't told me his name.

He laughed. "I'm Jeff.""Yeah, well thanks again! It sounds cool.""Glad I could help you, Amy. Hope you'll become a member."

"Yeah, same here," I replied, trying to sound noncommittal.

We said goodbye and then hung up. Today was Wednesday. I could go tomorrow.

So, Fun for Family was probably The Sharing. I guessed that the part about full members and normal members had been changed in the books. One thing the TV show had gotten right…

Well Amy, I told myself, Looks like you found the Yeerks.