Marco
I thought I'd seen everything. Humans dying, aliens, massacres, my friends turning into animals. I thought I'd seen it all, that nothing would surprise me, but I was surprised with what just happened. I had never seen my best friend completely break down in sobs, but I had then. If there was ever a time that I felt completely depressed it was then. I tried to comfort Jake, I really did, but I don't think he can be comforted. Too much was going on in his head. Too much pain, suffering, anger, confusion. I had left him alone in the bathroom; give him a minute by himself. Now I was thinking I shouldn't have left. He might not come to class.
I ran down the hallway to my classroom. It was well into first period and I knew I would be in trouble. I opened the door and Ms. Smith stopped her talk about the wonderful world of algebra to look at me. The whole class was looking at me. I put this goofy smile in my face.
"Marco, where have you been?" Ms. Smith asked me.
"I've been smoking pot," I said, promptly. "Would you like a taste?"
"Sit down," she said icily. "Detention after school."
I gave her a charming smile and spotted Rachel at the back of the class, giving me a death stare. I smiled as I noticed the spare desk next to her. I sat down and opened my book.
Rachel started scribbling fervently on a piece of paper. She handed me the paper and I opened it.
How is he? was all she had written. I got out a pen and scribbled back.
Oh, he's fine, I gave him some of my pot, was what I wrote back.
Rachel continued to give me a death stare. She was in the middle of writing something back when the door opened again and Jake walked in. He didn't have red eyes or a tear stained face.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said, quietly to Ms. Smith.
"Oh, it's alright Jake, take a seat," then she looked at me and then back at Jake and I think she got the gist of it.
Everyone in the classroom was staring at Jake. Some were whispering and some were even pointing. Jake was aware of this and when he reached the seat next to me, he sunk as far down as he possibly could.
"Now, everybody turn to page 187 for today's exercise," Ms. Smith said.
Period one went by fast after that. Period two I had English with Rachel. Jake had Gym, which he sat out on and Cassie had Maths. By the time recess came around, I had enough of school. We had a sub for English so all that period the whole class talked. Rachel and I were at the centre of the attention. Everyone knew Rachel was Jake's cousin and I was his best friend. Rachel told all of them where to stick their questions and I just ignored them, occasionally throwing jokes that only Rachel found funny, for the first time ever.
Rachel and I went straight to the cafeteria after period two and found Cassie already seated at a table eating some sort of goo.
"You shouldn't be eating that," Rachel said, sitting down beside her, while I sat opposite them. "It can't be good for your skin."
"Oh yeah," I said, sarcastically. "You have a perfect complexion. Absolutely fabulous. You wouldn't want to get a pimple, so don't worry if it's bad for your stomach, just think about your skin!"
Cassie laughed, but Rachel gave me her death stare again.
"Where's Jake?" Cassie asked, stifling the laughter and looking worried.
"I don't know," I said. "He had Gym. He'd be all sweaty like animals, just the way you like it."
Cassie blushed, but continued to press me for information. "What happened before? Why was he in such a rush to get to the bathroom?"
"Bladder problems?" Rachel shrugged.
I leaned forward and motioned for the other two to follow my lead. "Chapman gave him a Discman."
"Lucky him," Rachel said. "That's really expensive."
"Yeah, that's what I said," I laughed. "He broke it."
"What did he do that for?" Rachel exclaimed.
"He was thinking ahead, our leader was," I smirked and lowered my voice. "There was a Yeerk in it."
"What?" Cassie said, a little too loudly.
Several people looked up.
"Shush," I said, as the people turned back to their food.
"Yeah," I continued. "They're trying to infest him."
"This is like a terrible nightmare," Cassie said. "It's as if Jake's done something so horrible and he's being punished for it."
"Anything else happen?" Rachel asked, as she unwrapped her lunch she brought from home.
"No," I said. I wasn't about to betray Jake's trust.
"You sure?" Cassie said, she had this penetrating stare.
"Yes," I said. "Can we drop this?"
"Hey," someone said behind me.
I turned around and saw Jake standing there. He sat down next to me. I don't know if I was imagining it, but he seemed different.
"Where's your food?" Cassie asked, quickly.
"I'm not hungry," Jake said, smiling at her.
Cassie had a worried expression on her face. "You should really eat."
Jake gave her a puzzled look. Then realisation crossed his face and he looked at Rachel.
"You told them, didn't you?" he said.
Rachel looked up. She was going red, but she stared him straight in the face.
"Yes, I did," she said. "Do you blame me? Especially after we heard what would happen to you in one of the futures."
"You had no right to tell them," Jake said.
"And what would have happened to you if she had not?" Cassie asked.
"I'm eating," Jake said. "It was just for a couple of days. I've started eating again so you can all stop acting all parental."
"Oh, like you act?" I teased.
Jake gave me a friendly punch that might just give me a bruise.
"Ouch," I said, rubbing my arm. "You hit like an ox."
"That'll teach you."
"So you are eating?" Cassie pressed.
"Yes,"
he said. "I'm eating. My mum was overreacting."
Cassie
seemed to deflate.
Just then a group of girls walked past our table. When they saw Jake, they started whispering. They actually stopped in front of our table.
"Yes?" Rachel said loudly. "Did you want something, because otherwise we don't want you around."
The girls moved on, now whispering about Rachel.
Jake sighed. "I am getting sick of this," he said. "Do you know that wherever I walk, people stop and stare at me."
"Hey, I wouldn't complain, the girls think you're hot."
"Is that all you think about, Marco?" Rachel asked.
"Yep," I said, cheerfully.
Rachel and Cassie didn't laugh. They stared stonily at something behind us.
"How were your first two classes back at school, Jake?" a voice said.
I twisted in my seat. Vice-principal Chapman was standing there, looking down at Jake with false concern.
"Fine," Jake said, staring back at Chapman, emotions concealed.
"Did you try out that Discman yet?"
Jake still didn't show any emotion.
"Isn't it against school rules to have Discmans at school?" Jake said, innocently, although I could tell he was trying to tell he was thinking up a good excuse.
"I think we can make an exception," Chapman said happily. "Why don't you try it out now? I've got a CD right here."
From his pocket he pulled out a CD. Jake looked trapped. Chapman extended his arm and then… he froze. I jumped. He just froze. I looked around me and the only people moving were my friends. Jake slowly got to his feet and looked around.
"Hey guys," Tobias and Ax had popped out of nowhere. Tobias in human form, Ax in Andalite.
"Alright, Ellimist," Jake said loudly, walking around Chapman and into the centre of cafeteria. "There's no need to play around."
"Very good Jake," an old man appeared right before Jake. "You're learning."
"Spare me," Jake said. "What do you want this time?"
"You are all now aware of the possible futures you face," the Ellimist said, now turning to the rest of us. "Unfortunately for you in the other timeline, Cassie had no knowledge of what lay ahead and in turn none of you did. In that case, Jake chose a decision at that moment and life continued."
"Your point?" I said, faking a yawn.
"My point is by now the events in the two possible futures would already by occurring," the Ellimist turned to Jake. "The future has already changed."
"That's a good thing," Jake said, and putting on the first true smile I had seen in ages.
"For you, yes it is," the Ellimist continued to look at Jake. "But what I neglected to inform Cassie was that this was a deal with Crayak. Crayak was certain that your knowledge of the two futures would drive you out of your mind."
"It hasn't," Rachel said fiercely. "Jake is still Jake."
"That was my point," the Ellimist now turned to Rachel. "But there was another part of the deal." He turned back to Jake, now with pity all over his face. "You only have a limited time to decide."
Jake went pale. He rubbed a hand over his face, as though waking from a nightmare. I looked at the others. Cassie was still seated next to Rachel. She looked worried. Rachel looked furious. Tobias showed no emotion, as with Ax. I felt like strangling the Ellimist.
Jake was the first to recover. He gulped and looked at the Ellimist.
"How much time do I have?" he asked.
"By the end of the day."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Cassie demanded. "I could have prepared them for this."
The Ellimist didn't answer. He looked at Jake, who started pacing, deep in thought.
"Have you made a decision?" he asked.
Jake stopped pacing and looked at the Ellimist. I could see the hatred in his eyes. It scared me.
"What did I choose?" he asked, barely a whisper.
"That could effect your decision …"
"What did I choose?" Jake repeated, still barely a whisper.
"You declined Rachel's offer," the Ellimist said.
"Is this another one of your tricks?" Tobias asked. "Is this just a cruel joke on us? On Jake?"
The Ellimist looked at Tobias for a minute. A strange expression came over his face. Then as if realising he had shown too much he said, "This is no trick on your behalf."
"But now that we know what's happening, won't that mean that we can change the future?" Cassie inquired.
"You will not remember anything of Jake's choice and your glimpses, but you will remember everything else" the Ellimist replied. He turned to Jake, who had started pacing again. "Have you made your choice?"
Jake didn't stop pacing and he didn't answer the Ellimist. He had this concentrated look on his face, like he was imagining something, or picturing something in his mind. For a minute I thought his skin rippled, as if changing colour, from white to blue, but that illusion disappeared and I was staring at an un-rippling Jake.
"Jake?"
Jake looked up, with a disappointed look on his face. "No," he said. "I haven't made my decision yet."
"Well, you have to make haste…"
"What so I can decide if my friends live and become depressed or if they live and become controllers?" Jake sneered, which was very unlike him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that Rachel dies because I rip out her throat. And I stay free but am being tortured by Cassie? So what exactly is it you want me to choose?"
"We always have more than two choices," the Ellimist said softly.
"Will you stop with all the riddles?" Jake shouted. "Is that all you're good for? Can't you stop being cryptic for one minute and tell me what the other choice is, because I'm out of ideas."
"You already know."
I thought Jake would chuck a mental right then, but all he did was smile.
"You know what?" he said, and I saw this strange brightness in his eyes. "I've made my choice." He turned to Rachel and looked her dead in the eyes. "I accept your offer. Prepare to die, cousin."
And he turned around, walked out with his bag over his shoulder and the cafeteria was full of life again.
