A/N: wow, guys, I'm so sorry! I thought I posted this chapter days ago!For that mistake, you guys luck out and get two. Again, sorry for the mix up and I'll try to post more sooner!

Chapter 4:

Cassie

Jake and I were walking back to my farm alone. He shyly took my hand and I felt slightly self conscious but happy at the same time.

"Did Tobias seem…distracted earlier?" I asked him. Jake shrugged.

"A little…but you know me. I can't read people if my life depended on it." He laughed slightly and I smiled. Jake was right. He was a typical guy when it came to figuring people out.

"I don't know. When he came back from remorphing, at the mall, he seemed like something was bothering him."

"Cassie, you know I like Tobias, but sometimes…I don't know. It's probably nothing. He isn't the most talkative person in the world when he was human and it's not like he's never spaced out before." Jake pointed out to me. I agreed with him. He did make sense, but something wasn't sitting right with me.

"It's just, something doesn't feel right."

"If Tobias has something to say, he'd tell us."

"Even if Rachel doesn't want to hear it?" I asked. That stopped him. He frowned and stopped walking, looking thoughtful. I stopped beside him.

"You think that Tobias"

I nodded and Jake frowned. He started to mutter under his breath.

"So, what should I do? Force it out of Tobias?" Jake asked me.

"No, but maybe you could talk to him. Maybe tomorrow." I love Jake dearly, but sometimes, he's so clueless.

Jake didn't say anything more on the subject and we continued to walk in thoughtful silence. Jake had a slight frown on his face that he got when he was trying to figure something out. I just walked beside him, wishing Jake and I could be a normal couple without having to be the only people standing against the yeerk invasion.

Rachel

Tobias and I watched as Cassie and Jake walked off. Tobias turned to me with a grin on his face that actually made it to his eyes. His wild grin reminded me so much of myself before a battle that it actually creeped me out a bit. was this a sign that my insanity was rubbing off on him?

"You ready?" He asked me.

"Lets do it." I said like I always do?. We walked to a secluded place and hid our clothes so I could get them later.

Tobias demorphed and I morphed into my bald eagle morph. You should know by now that morphing is unpredictable and never pretty. Unless Cassie is doing it, then it's all artsy and oddly beautiful.

Marco once morphed to a bird and his bones shot out without any feathers. I'm sure that was disgusting. Thankfully, nothing too gross happened today as I shrank and grew feather patterns on my arms that looked like tattoos until they rose up and became three dimensional feathers. My dull human vision became the sharp gaze of an eagle. My feet became talons and my lips hardened and stretched into the hooked beak. My ears disappeared but I could hear better than ever. My bones and insides crunched and squished then finally stopped.

Gone was my blonde hair and tall body. In it's place was a bald eagle with a six-foot wing span, and a sharp beak and talons for ripping apart prey.

Ready? Tobias asked me.

Let's fly! I said, feeling giddy. I opened my wings and let the eagle's mind let me fly. The eagle brain knew how to fly, I didn't, so I let it take over slightly to get me off the ground.

People daydream all the time about spreading wings and flying away; but no amount of daydreaming can prepare you for the feeling.

So, where are we going? I asked.

It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it? Tobias taunted. I tried to think of a good come back, but before I could, Tobias started barking out the flight plan. You see that 7-11 over there? There's usually some good thermals over there. We'll ride it up a few hundred feet and then

We'll turn the altitude into distance, yes Captain Hawk, I know. I teased. Tobias is obviously the best flier of the group, but after hearing the same kind of directions from him every time we fly, it becomes obvious on what we're going to do.

We flew in comfortable silence but not actually together-together. Bald Eagles and Red-Tailed Hawks do not fly together. It would look suspicious to anyone and attract unwanted attention to ourselves.

I watched Tobias as he made slight adjustments with his wings and turned toward the woods. I made the appropriate adjustments myself to keep on track.

Little more left Rachel. Tobias advised.

I made the correction without a complaint.

Thanks. So, the woods hu?

You'll see. Tobias stated, and I swear that if he was human, he would have had one of those big grins on his face.

Have I told you that I hate surprises?

You'll like this one. Tobias insisted.

Tobias, I'll like anything as long as you're there beside me.

Tobias was silent and I knew it was because he wasn't used to feeling wanted or cared for. He never really knew how to react when someone showed him a lot of emotion.

Tobias started to descend and I followed, feeling curious on what he had planned for us. He finally landed neatly on the ground by the edge of a cliff. I tried to follow as gracefully, but I haven't had the practice Tobias has had and ended up a tangle of feathers. I heard Tobias laugh at me and I turned my eagle glare at him.

You ok Rach? He asked me, though he was still laughing alittle, I knew he was genuinely concerned.

I'm fine. I said, as I untangled myself and started to demorph. Tobias followed my lead and remorphed to his human self.

So, what are we I started to ask, but my thought speak was cut off when my mouth returned. I waited until I was finished morphing to finish my sentence. "So, what are we doing here?"

Tobias just smiled at me.

"You'll see." Was all he said as he took my hand and lead me over to the edge of the cliff. He sat down and I followed suit, not quite sure what he was doing. I glanced over the cliff and noticed the beautiful scene before us.

I was never one to appreciate nature and all it's beauty. That's Cassie's job. But sitting there with Tobias, looking out over the cliff and seeing the forest trees stretch to the horizon and the stream that ran through the forest, it was beautiful.

"Wow," I said, looking out at the view.

It was a calm night. The water barely moved and the sky was in the middle of a perfect sunset. The golden sun was half hidden by the horizon which created glittering light on the top of the water, making it seem as if it moved when it was perfectly still. The sky was in colors of blue, gold, red, and orange and had no clouds in view.
"I know. It's beautiful. I come out here almost every night, just to watch the sunset." Tobias commented, his voice sounding far away.
I glanced over at him, and watched him studying the sky. I leaned over and layed my head on his shoulder. He tentatively wrapped his arm around me and laid his head down on mine. We sat together at the edge of the cliff, our feet dangling over the edge, just watching the sunset. There were no sounds except for the occasional hoot or howl. Once in awhile, a rustling of tree leaves, but then all would be silent. It seemed that here, at the cliff, time itself stood still.

There was no confusing thoughts, no worries, absolutely no thought of the outside world. It was as if civilization itself did not exist and if it did exist, it didn't matter here. The outside world was not able to see or intrude on this moment.
I did not want to leave this place. All expectations of me were gone, all the secrets, the frustration, the battles, and the yeerks themselves didn't matter. It was as if we had stepped into an alternate universe were these problems did not even exist.
We watched together as the last sliver of sun disappeared behind its nightly hiding place and looked back up at the sky. It was now a dark velvety blue towards the top and got lighter as it approached the horizon which still glowed from the suns lasting light until it finally gave in and changed to the same velvety blue as the rest of the sky. The stars had begun to show and the half moon shone brightly in the sky.
Tobias sighed and stood up, stretching his arms over his head.
"I know why you come out here. It's not only beautiful, it's as if the whole world just…"
"Slips away." Tobias finished, and we smiled briefly at each other. "Come on, we have to get out of here or I'll never find our way through the woods." Tobias added and started to demorph.

I stood and took another glance at the horizon and followed his lead reluctantly aswe left our little piece of paradise and headed back to reality.