A/N: This is set about the same time as the confrontation between Jake and Jane. I apologize if I've used the same names as another AU fanfic, but I wanted names that were close to each other. Oh, and I've used a little bit of each character's book in the beginning, but I've tweaked it. Sorr it took so long to update.
Disclaimer: K.A. Applegate owns the Animorphs.
(Marcia)
My name is Marcia. I've never actually liked my last name. I'd like nothing more than to be able to tell you my name is Marcia Jones or Williams or Vasquez or Brown or Anderson or McCain.
Marcia McCain. Has kind of a nice sound, doesn't it?
But seriously, Marcia McCain is not my name. My actual name is Marcia-
I heard a sound from upstairs. The very noisy shower that takes five minutes for the water to warm up. The very noisy shower that you can hear all the way across the street probably. The very noisy shower THAT DOES NOT TURN ON BY ITSELF!
"What the hell? Didn't mom just leave for work?" I said to myself. If mom was there, I would have been punished for my language. Come to think of it, her boyfriend might have punished me too. My dad died in a boating accident a couple years ago, but she seems to finally have gotten over it. She's now dating the math teacher Mr. Robbinette.
I reluctantly went over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. I think mom said something, but the steam was clouding up the voice so it was hard to hear what she said. I guess my curiosity got the best of me and I thought my mom might have said something important. Our bathroom door doesn't exactly lock, but our house is usually a house of girls, so it's nothing we haven't seen before.
Not that we want to see it.
I pushed open the door a little bit so I could hear mom a little better. I breathed in a lot of hot steam and I could barely see anything. The mirrors were all fogged up. So was the shower door. All I could see was a general figure. In the shower, from what I could see, was a guy about my height!
I slammed the door, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything! I'm so- Wait, what's a guy doing in our shower?!" Mom's boyfriend doesn't stay overnight or take showers here and if he did, I'd be damaged for life.
A Latino guy an inch taller than me stepped out (with a towel around his waist, thank god!). We both said the same thing at the same time.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
(Marco)
Is it really a crime to take a shower? I was groggy and all I wanted to do was let literally boiling water pour down my back. But then a girl comes into the shower just when I begin to indulge. I mean, I know I'm cute and charming and just plain irresistible, but I think she could refrain herself long enough for me to finish.
Then again, maybe not.
"Well, I'm Marcia," she said, "I'm cute, I'm funny, I'm witty, I'm very modest, and I LIVE HERE!"
"My name is Marco and I'm cute, funny, witty, very very modest and I LIVE HERE!" I replied.
"No you don't." she argued.
"Yes I do." I argued back.
"Do not."
"Do to."
Do not."
"Do to."
"Do to."
"Do not."
"Ha! I've got you!" she yelled triumphantly. I hung my head down in shame. She had my exact shade of skin, my eyes, my hair which was cut at the shoulders like I used to have it, and was within an inch of my height. Then I noticed she was cute, as cute as…me? But that's not possible. No one can be as cute as me except…
"You're me!" I exclaimed as I pointed at her.
(Marcia)
Okay, first I find a guy in the shower (it's not what it looks like, I swear), then he says it's his house, and then he goes into some nonsense about how I am him.
"No, I'm me and you are you." I exclaimed.
"Tell me, are you the lord of the playstation?" he asked.
"There is no one better," I told him. I've always been rather proud of my gaming skills. Now, if only they taught playstation at school… I'd be willing to give up math for it.
"Why are you asking me these questions?" I asked him. He just sort of nodded his head.
"Does your best friend's name sound like Jake?" he questioned.
"My best friend is Jane." What did he know about Jane? We've been best friends since forever, but we're complete opposites. She's responsible and authoritive and I'm funny and charming.
"So that's a yes."
"I guess. They do sound sort of alike." I said.
His face turned very serious, "Listen to me, are you an Animorph?"
(Marco)
"Listen to me, are you an Animorph?" I asked her, even though it was possible that she was actually a Controller.
"Animorph…sounds like something I'd come up with. What's it for?" she said, cocking her head a bit. Okay, so she probably wasn't a Controller. But I still had to check with one word that would make any Controller bolt up and then call dozens of Hork-Bajir from the basement to capture me and put a slug in my ear.
Come to think of it, maybe I didn't have to ask.
"Do you know what a Yeerk is?" I asked her.
I expected to hear her say "Of course, I am one," or "How do you know about Yeerks? Oh my gosh, I actually do know what an Animorph is, I was just acting," But the answer I got shocked me.
"Nope, never heard of them." It sounded genuine, but you never know.
"I see. Then you wouldn't mind if I turned into a…gorilla!" I challenged.
Her face turned confused, "Should I be calling the police or rubber room on you?"
"Oh, you don't believe me, well, I'll prove it," I smiled and then I let it fade, "But first, I need to get my clothes on." I was still wearing a towel around my waist. I stepped into the bathroom and pulled on my dirty skin tights. When I got out, I saw she was gone. I took a guess and looked in the living room to see that she was dialing 911. We really are alike.
"Please don't do that," I said and she slammed down the receiver with a short scream. She turned towards me with a sort of horrified look on her face like she was talking to a madman. Then again, she might have been.
"Just calling Jane," she tried to make up an excuse.
"Yeah, I call 911 first too whenever I call Jake, just to make sure." I joked.
"She is the daredevil type. Who's Jake?"
"My best friend who is exactly like your best friend." I explained.
"Okay, you promised me you would turn into a gorilla, so do it," she said while cocking an eyebrow skeptically and inching towards the phone.
I sighed, "Okay, but I'm warning you." And then the changes began.
(Marcia)
The first thing that happen was that his skin turned black and rubbery. Then his jaw swung out. Coarse hair grew all over his body and he gained some serious muscles. He grew larger and before I knew it, he was a gorilla. An actual live gorilla. I was right when I thought I should be calling the rubber room, but I was thinking of the wrong person. So, you know what I did when he turned into a gorilla, imagination or not?
I fainted.
When I regained consciousness, the same Latino guy from before that turned into a gorilla was hovering over me, trying to get me to wake up. He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but they were a bit dirtier. I started to gingerly rub my head because I had unfortunately fainted on hardwood floors. I was surprised I hadn't fainted before he turned into a gorilla.
"Have I just gone insane?" I asked him. He thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Welcome to the club. Would you like the gold or silver package?" Marco joked.
"What's the difference?" I don't know, we just seemed so alike and I had an inkling that he was going to make a very joke. I can't explain it, but it was almost like we were one.
"The gold package includes running and screaming bloody murder. It's very popular," Marco smiled. I smiled too, but somehow I felt like there was a deeper note of seriousness in his joke.
"So, what's an Animorph?" I asked. He just sighed. Right about that time, the phone ringed. I picked it up.
"Hello." I said. I heard Jane's voice on the other side. "Hey Marci. It's Jane." She said. "Great to talk to you again so soon." I replied. "Yeah, listen, do you want to meet me at Cassidy's barn?" she asked. "I can't." I answered. "Why not?" she asked. "Look, something weird is up." I told her. "What do you mean something weird is going on? Please come, please, it's important." I looked at Marco and he nodded. "Okay, I'll come, but it better be important," I answered. "Okay, bye." Jane hung up the phone. I shrugged and put the receiver down.
"That's weird, Jane seemed panicked." I told Marco. I felt like I could trust him. It was almost like we were the same person…
(Marco)
I thought for a moment before the answer hit me, "Maybe Jake's over there with her."
"Huh? Okay, what exactly is going on?" Marcia asked while putting her hands at her hips.
"Uh, well, I can't really explain it, but you better meet Jane at Cassie's- Cassidy's barn. I have to go somewhere first. Uh, promise you won't faint on me this time, okay?" I told her. She nodded. I looked at her skeptically before I morphed to osprey.
Morphing is creepy. I don't blame Marcia for fainting. The first thing that happened was that my arms grew so I could have a six foot wingspan. I started shrinking until I was two feet tall. My toes melted together and separated to reveal four deadly talons on each foot. Bones hollowed, snapped, and readjusted and I distantly felt my organs shift and disappear. Lastly, feathers grew and my hair shrank back into my head. I was fully osprey.
"Okay, that was freaky," Marcia said after a minute.
You're telling me. I've been doing this for who knows how many years and I'm still not used to it! I thought-spoke to her. She let out a small scream.
"How…voice…in head…how?!" she stuttered.
Oh, sorry. This is thought-speak. It's the only way we can talk in morph, I explained. She nodded, but looked very pale, We kind of need to hurry this up, I only have two hours.
"Or what? You'll never be human again," she joked, but I didn't find it funny.
So you read the instruction manual. I replied.
"Oh my god, has anyone else ever got stuck before?" she asked.
Yeah, I know someone personally. Anyways, could you open the window? Marcia opened the window and I flew out.
You better get going, I said as Marcia got on her bike. However, she didn't know that this bike ride might be the final bike ride of her life as a normal kid.
Sorry, I told her once she was out of range.
(Marcia)
I had about half an hour to figure out how I was going to explain this all to Jane. Cassidy too, it's not like we're friends or anything, but I was still going to his house. If I was lucky, Jane already knew what was going on. Although, how many people turn into gorillas or birds?
"This is insane," I said to no one.
"You're telling me," no one replied. I turned around to see that no one was Jane.
"Oh, hi Jane," I said. I didn't mention that I met a guy who could turn into animals. Neither did she.
"So, how's it going?" she asked, looking uncomfortable.
"Fine, want to talk about stuff?" I asked her. I couldn't remember the last time that we had talked about truly meaningless stuff. One day, it just seemed unimportant.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I have a feeling that after this, we'll never be able to again," I sighed.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one will either be Rich/Rachel's POV or Cassidy/Cassie's POV. Probably Rich/Rachel. I'll try to update this ASAP. I hope I captured the essence of Marco.