Rachel

Jake was ranting. I knew I did a mistake, but he never went on like this before.

"What were you trying to do? Get yourself killed?" he went on. "Did you consider the fact that it was an obvious suicide mission? Going by yourself! No backup, no cover! If it was a spy mission, that would be fine. I'd be okay with that…"

"Jake, I'm really sorry," I pleaded with him.

"What were you trying to accomplish?" he suddenly asked me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Look, I'm not the leader type like you alright? I don't know what to do in a crisis. I just thought I could do your job for once. But obviously I can't."

"Don't ever do something like that again," Jake snapped and suddenly I realised why he was always angry at one of us when we do something so stupid or reckless. It was because he was worried about us and he'd continue to worry about us until this war was over. "Don't any of you do anything so stupid again or I'll kill you personally. Life is a very special thing. Don't throw it away. I couldn't handle if one of you died…"

He said it. I knew at once that he hadn't meant to say it. He went all red and looked away.

((Don't worry, Jake,)) Tobias said softly. ((We're not going anywhere.))

"Yeah, man," Marco chimed in. "Nothing's going to happen to us."

((Prince Jake, I refuse to die when you are still in need of my service,)) Ax said proudly.

"You know you'll always have us," Cassie said. I looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face.

Everyone looked at me expecting me to say something. But I got up and walked towards him. I put my arms around him and squeezed him tight. He was obviously taken by surprise. I mean I'm not the kind of person to just hug someone or show any kind of emotion, but he did and I thought I'd repay the favour. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear as I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"I forgive you," he whispered back. "Just promise me that you won't do anything so stupid again."

"I promise."

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be disgusted in myself, but today I was. It was the day after that disaster with nearly getting Jake killed and before Tom's funeral (which made it Thursday). I was sitting on my mum's bed watching the morning news. The news lady was reporting on the Sharing. They showed many helicopter footage of a "out of control" grizzly as they put it and many more images of a half dead tiger dragging it's body into the patch of trees and out of sight. I just stared at myself going crazy. Was I really that nuts? Then I watched as the replayed images of Jake, limping. I knew he had come off bad, but they really made it look horrible. He had blood all over his body and his forehead had nearly been blown away by the force of that dracon beam. I wonder where he got that from. It certainly wasn't there when I was with him. What I was surprised about, was nobody reported about a strange creature with four eyes, a spiked tail and blue.

"Poor tiger," my mum said as she came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around herself. "I bet that awful grizzly did that to him."

Yeah, I did.

"You know they haven't found that poor tiger yet," my mum continued. "They think if they don't find him soon he could die. And they haven't found that grizzly yet, either. I don't fancy the idea of that monster wandering the streets while the children are out playing."

I sighed. The whole world hates me. Although they don't know it.

"Oh, Rachel, by the way, the funeral's on tomorrow," mum said. "You need to find something nice to wear."

"Okay, I'll do that later," I said, distractedly as my dad entered the room.

"Hey, sport," he said punching me on the arm. "What are you watching?"

"Nothing," I replied.

"Excuse me, who told you could come into my bedroom?" my mum asked, now fully dressed.

"I'm talking to my daughter if you don't mind," my dad snapped back.

"You have two other daughters," my mum said. "Speak to them out of my room."

"Snappy, isn't she?" dad said to me as he walked out.

"Jake's started to eat again," mum said to me.

"He has?" I said full attention on her. I had almost forgot he wasn't eating.

"Yes," mum said. "His mum's relieved. He started speaking again too. She said they'd take him to a psychologist, I think that helped him."

I laughed. I was relieved. Jake was getting better! I couldn't have asked for anything more.

"I'm going up to change," I said. I was still in my pyjamas.

When I had a quick shower and walked to my bedroom where I noticed a red tailed hawk waiting patiently on my bed.

"Tobias!" I said, closing the bedroom door behind me.

((Hey, thought I'd drop by,)) Tobias said. ((Want to fly?))

"Sure, just wait one minute," I said. I opened my bedroom door again and shouted out to my mum. "Mum, I'm going out."

"Alright."

I closed the door and began to strip down to my spandex. I began to morph to eagle.

When I was finished, I flew out the open window with Tobias.

((So how's it like to be normal again?)) Tobias asked sneakily.

I laughed. ((Better. I don't know what I was thinking when I said those things to Jake.))

((Well, at least everything's all right now,)) Tobias sighed.

((Not really,)) I admitted. ((Tom's funeral is tomorrow. Are you going?))

((I thought about it and I think I am,)) he said. ((I mean after everything Jake has done for us and for Tom, it seems right. Ax said he wanted to go too, so I suppose I'm going to have to baby-sit.))

((Well, Marco's going and I think Cassie's going. You know that whole thing she has with Jake.))

((Is it just me or do they seem to be growing apart?)) Tobias asked.

((I know,)) I said, angrily. ((I mean I get him, but she hasn't said anything to him about Tom. I should speak with her.))

((And say what?)) Tobias asked. ((Hey Cassie, why haven't you cracked onto Jake yet?))

((I thought Marco was supposed to be the idiot,)) I joked.

((Picking up some hints.))

((You know I hope we don't become like them.))

((We won't,)) Tobias promised.

((How do you know that?)) I persisted. ((How do you know we're not going to grow apart and stop speaking to each other? How do you know?))

((Because I love you, that's how I know.))

((I love you too, Tobias.))