Author's Note: Whee! More online time for me! Fortunately, this chappie's a bit longer than the last one…Probably going to be a couple days until my next update because of the whole New Year's thing. Funfun. *sarcasm*
Chessrook44: Daniel's another sucked-in character…He was introduced in Chapter 11, I think…Maybe Chapter 12?
Ojichristian: Danny was in before. :P And I'm updating…Soon enough?
Sharina: Yay! More cupcakes! O.O Ouchies…Cupcake on head not good…*offers brownies*
SD: lol! Yes, Danny is very crazy…Almost as bad as Sammie. ^_~
Lady Aura: I know it was short…. Bad me. Holidays are evil…Sorry for the abruptness, as well.
DH: *nodnod* I'll try my best with Danny…Hopefully, his character will flesh out a lot more now that he's going to actually be in most of the chapters.
Liaranne: HeeHee. Hyperness is fun!! And that last one was from the League, too…*sweatdrop* Heh.
Disclaimer: "That still only counts as one!"
Chapter Twenty-one – Rachel
a.k.a. Happy Meals and Alternate Dimensions
I'm going to backtrack a bit. I was furious while we were waiting for Samantha to show up at the Gardens. Who did this girl think she was, calling the secret number like she was expected to? And I certainly didn't buy her story that Tobias told her to. She had to be a Controller.
After about ten minutes of waiting, (we had gotten there really early) I heard Tobias's voice.
Hey, guys? You there? He called.
Yes! Tobias, are you okay? What happened? Where are you? I asked. Despite how it sounds, I was not worried.
I'm okay, just a broken wing. An osprey and I had a run in while I was watching Sam. She set it, though. We're in the park right now, headed for the bears. Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don't think Sam's a Controller. She claims to be from an alternate dimension where she read books about us. Tobias replied.
Oh….kay…. Cassie commented.
Tobias, are you sure you just broke your wing? No concussions? Marco asked.
Very funny. Really, though. She knew stuff…About us. About Andalites and Yeerks and how we got the morphing power. Heck, she even knew about David.
There was silence after he said that. My thought was, she was a Controller, she had been watching us, and now she was going to trap us all.
"Ask him why he doesn't think she's a Controller." Jake requested.
Why do you not believe Samantha is a Controller, Tobias? Ax asked.
She knows all about us, Ax-man, where we live, our names, our families…Why wouldn't she have gone to Visser Three with that? Or higher up, even? She could get so much power with that. But instead, she fixed my wing. And called you guys to come get me. Tobias replied.
I could be a trap, Tobias. I yelled. How could he not think of that?
For what? For more information? She already has everything she needs. To get the rest of you? She knows your names and houses, she could get you whenever you want. What could she gain by helping us? Tobias asked. Besides…she knew about Elfangor. And me.
More silence. I didn't have a good comeback to that.
Look, she's seen you guys. Let her explain, okay? You'll see. Tobias said.
So I went along with it. I didn't like it, but I listened. By her little display with the animals, I couldn't help but thinking maybe she wasn't lying. Ax? I asked privately. Is it possible?
Trans-dimension travel? Yes, of course, the same way travel into the past or manipulating time and space is possible. It would require a being of immense power, however. Ax replied. Ahh…
Yeah, I thought it might be the Ellimist, too, Ax. Tobias agreed.
"Um, Reese, maybe you should show them your thing." Samantha commented then.
Her thing? Marco asked.
"Why'd you bring me into this, Sammie?" Reese asked.
"You wanted to come." Samantha replied.
"Did not." Reese argued.
"Just show them." Samantha said.
"Fine. I suggest you all cover your ears." Reese told us, so, of course, I didn't. Reese opened her mouth and let out a sound halfway between a scream and a song. My eardrums shook with pain and I clamped my grizzly paws over them, trying to shut out the sound. It stopped quickly, though, and I looked around. A crack had appeared in the concrete and Erek was staring at Reese.
"Next time you do that, warn me. It almost broke down my hologram." He said.
Reese saluted. "Yes, sir, Mr. Android."
"And if you can talk to animals, can you talk to dogs?" Erek asked Samantha.
Fortunately, I was a bear and couldn't roll my eyes. Of course Erek would ask about dogs.
Samantha smiled. "Yeah, I can. Dogs are some of my favorites to speak with…One of my best friends is a wolf. He lives with us if you'd like to meet him sometime."
Erek's voice sounded awed. "I could actually get close to a wolf?"
"He'd probably let you pet him. He's tolerant of stuff like that." Samantha replied.
Erek nodded. "Yes. Yes, I'd like that." He looked over at Jake. "They have my vote."
That's only because you're. Marco paused in whatever he had been going to say. Uh. Never mind.
About then is when I heard someone coughing. I whirled in that direction and saw a guy about our age standing there, staring at us.
Who the heck is that? I asked.
Wait…I know him. He's in my math class. Marco replied.
Wonderful. What's he doing here? I demanded.
How should I know? Marco said.
You know, uh, we could ask him. Cassie suggested.
"Danny? What are you doing here?" Samantha asked.
Or she could. Cassie added.
"I…um uh…wanted to talk to Cassie." Daniel replied.
"Join the club. Sammie dragged me over here." Reese muttered.
"Did not. No one said you had to come." Samantha protested.
"What exactly did you want to talk to Cassie about?" Jake asked.
"Umm…Happy Meals?" Daniel offered.
Happy Meals. He wants to talk about Happy Meals. Marco commented. Unbelievable.
"Hey, some of those toys are pretty cool," Daniel shot back. "Unless you're ages 6 and under or whatever. Then you could possibly choke on them."
"Is it bad that I choked on one of those?" Samantha asked.
"Yes, Sammie, it's bad." Daniel replied.
"Hey, Sammie, ya know what? He looks a lot like the Danny from our world." Reese commented.
"Wonderful, Reese, now there's another person who thinks we're insane." Samantha said.
"You know, to be fair, Jake has said he doesn't really think you're insane." Erek said.
I glared at him, then back at Reese, Samantha, and Daniel. So, what, is this guy from your 'alternate dimension' too?
"Wait, what?" Daniel asked. "You guys are from an alternate dimension?"
"….Possibly…." Samantha replied.
"Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to Cassie about. You see, I'm sort of from one, too…Only in mine, there were Animorph books…" Daniel said.
Great! Now there's three of them. I muttered.
Well, isn't this just getting saner. Marco commented.
"So, wait, you're from an alternate dimension, too?" Samantha asked. "What was your name there?"
"Uh…Daniel." There was a pause while everyone looked at him. "Oh, leave me alone, apparently fate has given me unoriginality in all forms."
"Hah! Told you it was him. Dani and Bri." Reese said, pointing to herself and Samantha.
"Dani, Bri, my world Dani, Bri?" Daniel said, sounding happy.
Samantha nodded, and Reese rolled her eyes. "No, another world Dani and Bri."
This was a little too much for me, I admit. I take it back. You all are insane.
"Am not." Samantha replied, sticking her tongue out at me.
"I am," Daniel began to say. "But just a little."
"How'd you know we were here?" Jake asked Daniel.
"Cassie's mom told me," he said. "Can someone reimburse me for the ticket?"
Jake, we're not getting anywhere with this. I think we should take them back to Cassie's place and tie 'em up for three days. Marco said.
So, what, they just go missing for three days? Tobias asked.
The Chee could help… Cassie said, glancing over at Erek, who nodded.
Jake nodded, then sighed. "Well, I think we've established you're not Controllers. And if you are, well, there's not much we can do about it, seeing how much you know. I think we should go back to Cassie's barn and discuss it there."
I don't know, Jake, my parents are home. How about Ax's scoop? Cassie suggested.
Jake shrugged. "Okay with everyone else?"
Daniel raised a hand. "It gets cable, right?"