Well, we're here.Let me know when the award ceremony is over and when you've done gloating. I don't want to ruin your fun, Aurora added a minute later as an afterthought.Armine smirked slightly. Either way, you will see it. This is your body, after all. You can't just imagine that you're away from it.I can try, slug.

Armine didn't say anything else- it wasn't worth arguing about. The Yeerk made its host body get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head to the school.Aurora protesting the whole way, of course. Threatening to starve Armine of kandrona starvation until just before she died, where she would be tortured severely. This was Aurora's favorite way of spending her time.Armine, of course tried to tune her out, but having heard the rant so many times, she could say it in her sleep.

School wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Do not forget about tonight," a Controller warned Armine as the last class ended. "Or your head will be extracted from your body by force."

Lovely, chirped Aurora.

Armine hid a giggle.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, Adsoan five-three-two. I will not forget."

"I will see you in class tomorrow, then. I must go to my host's house to prepare for a ridiculous guitar lesson."

"Goodbye." The two departed, both to their separate homes to play the role of their hosts while the world remained for the most part was not invaded.

Armine had already prepared for how her host's parents would react to her going out at night. She knew that they would be annoyed, and certainly never grant her permission. That's why Armine would do something drastically out of character from her shy, obedient host. But she felt that she had no other choice.

She was going to sneak out. The girl was silent as Armine opened the window to climb out of the house. She had gotten a ladder earlier and lined it against her window. Armine had tested it before and it was steady enough. Armine planned to acquire as soon as possible so she could just fly inside the window for night missions and feedings.

Once they were at the Yeerk pool, Aurora could hear some of the screams. Rather than go directly to the pool, however, Armine went into a side room where a few other hosts were sitting.

The boy who had been free just yesterday was now standing, Yeerk controlled. He told them that they had done well and to place their hands on the box when he came around to them. Armine felt a spark when she touched it, but by the looks on the faces of everyone else, that was normal.

"There's a few caged animals here, including a skunk, a crow, and a snake. We removed its poison, but of course you'll have it in you when you morph it." He laughed evily. "And of course you can acquire anything else you want to. When you go to feed, if you have an involuntary host, let the Hork-Bajir guards know if they're to be stunned or placed in a Ramonite box. Otherwise they could be placed in a cage and escape. The very last thing we need.""Yes, sir," the others replied. Armine included, since she was lower than him."Dismissed. Report to your sub-Visser, or Visser," he added quickly, seeing that there were a few sub-Vissers there, "tomorrow."

I'm not getting within ten feet of the skunk, Aurora informed Armine stubbornly. Knowing your kind, it still smells, if not even worse.

Ten feet? I'm not even setting eyes on it. I'll acquire the crow for now, and get the major animals at the Gardens after school tomorrow.

She walked to the cafeteria where the animals were placed. The skunk was the farthest away from the food. Armine put the girl's hand out and concentrated on the DNA of the crow. Once she was finished, they both hurried out of the pool area. Once they were in the woods, Armine stripped and began to morph.

Aurora had began to complain, but Armine pointed out that not only did no one know how to morph clothing, but those clothes would be the only pair there when Armine went back to feed in two days.

If anyone sees me…

Armine sighed. It's dark, and even if it weren't no one would be here.
Aurora tried to think about something else, anything else, when the morphing began. While it didn't exactly hurt, it was extremely weird and downright unnatural. Aurora's family and church was one that would condemn morphing as a satanic practice, but luckily Aurora had no say in what the Yeerk did and did not do while in her head.Eventually the process ended and Armine flew, a little confused for a moment, but able to control the instincts without much trouble. Perhaps she had been warned in the pool by Yeerks who had already gotten the power that hosts might try to take control. At any rate, Armine was obviously not going to be added to that number of Yeerks.Flying was pretty cool, but the crow's eyes were ones that saw in daylight. In the nighttime both Armine and Aurora were almost blind. It was only Aurora's past knowledge of which way to go that allowed them to get home before long.

Once inside, Armine demorphed, and saw that it was only 9:40. No one had noticed that Armine had sneaked out. Both could hear the sounds from the TV.

Completely naked now, Armine ran to Aurora's closet and got some pajamas. Armine had already brushed Aurora's teeth, but did so again (the bird's mouth had tasted terrible). The host and Yeerk fell asleep at the same time.

Armine woke up on the early side the next day. Her host's mind was still sleeping, and she didn't bother to wake her up. She stretched and got dressed, thinking about the morphs she would acquire and how she would kill the human rebels and be made a Visser.

When Aurora did wake up, Armine was already leaving for school.

I want to get some more morphs today. Any suggestions? Armine asked.

Aurora was always grumpy in the morning, and being a host to a power hungry Yeerk only made her more irritable.

Yeah. A nice bunny rabbit. They're cool.

I suppose so. It might be a good morph for escaping, Armine replied, considering the idea.

Yeah right, you Yeerks are real hiders. Give me a break, Aurora snapped sullenly.

Shut up.

No, you shut up.

Armine snapped. Do not tell me what to do! You are the slave, you will shut up when I tell you to do so, or I will make you!

Then, she realized that she had crossed the line.

There was a world of difference between the bickering that went on between Aurora and Armine, which could almost be considered friendly, and what Armine had just said.

Aurora? I didn't mean it. I- I'm sorry, she said timidly.Aurora gave no immediate response. Finally, she spoke.

Maybe it's time I told someone about that Andalite you saved.

Armine's mouth dropped open.

Aurora was, in many ways, ruthless. No, ruthless was the wrong word. Aurora had no desire to kill anyone, not even Armine. She wasn't one of those violent, rageful people who hated the world. Aurora was actually a very peaceful sort of girl, struck by incredibly bad luck at a young age. But Aurora was learning. Learning to take knowledge that she had and trade it in, always getting the better deal.

If reincarnation was possible, Armine would have swore that Aurora had been a Yeerk in a past life. For one thing, Aurora was quick to seize control. During the half second that Armine stood in shock, she had loosened her hold on Aurora. Aurora saw this and took advantage.

At first, Armine considered protesting but then realized that it would probably be the most advisable to just ignore it. For now. Aurora was already ticked off, and doing something else to annoy her would probably result in her doing something extremely risky. Like screaming about the Yeerks or something.

Aurora started walking again towards the school- they had been walking aimlessly while arguing. Luckily they hadn't gotten off route.

You are the worst, most annoying, most stubborn host I have ever had, hissed Armine.

Thank you.