Author's note: Dudes, I'm really sorry it's taken this long. For those who don't know, a couple of my script-fics were deleted and I lost uploading priveliges. But now, to make up for it, Chapter 7 will be following hot on the heels of Chapter 6... when I'm able to get it up on the Net, anyway...
...My computer and Fanfiction-dot-net just plain don't get on, do they?
The Mistake
Chapter 6
Uric walked us home. He picked the way out of my head, and I was too despondent to protest.
(Why so silent?)
He could easily have just read my thoughts, but he was trying to make conversation. Still, I didn't answer.
(Joan?)
(Shut up,) I thought bitterly.
(What's the matter?)
(Besides having some slimy alien in my head?) I responded sarcastically. (You! You're the matter. You were being all polite and 'isn't this wonderful' at first, then as soon as anything bad happened you went all 'kill the human' and smug and… aargh!) I ended on what would have been a cry of frustration and anger had I been in control of my lungs. Even so, it echoed around my skull and astonished Uric into a few seconds' silence.
(You know I didn't mean any of that,) he said at length.
(I bet.)
(No, really. You must understand: if I had shown any weakness to the Andalites, they might have killed us.)
(You were just so… arrogant.) I fell silent, or at least stopped broadcasting my thoughts. But that didn't mean the Yeerk couldn't see them.
(You're worried about your friend, aren't you?)
(I told you to stop that!)
(You're worried that we might go back on our promise to help.)
(How did you know about… oh. Yeah. I just… yeah.)
(We are going to help; you just have to trust us.) Uric sent out a sort of mental version of a reassuring smile. But that just got me wondering how a slug with no face knew about smiles, and that led right back to him picking my brains. I morosely slumped into a psychological corner, and found that I could totally relax and flop with not the slightest change to my body's posture. I was jelly, and no matter which way I wobbled I had no effect on the mould.
It was a distinctly depressing thought.
But then I had an idea. If he could read my thoughts, I could read his! Why hadn't I thought of it before? But… how to go about it…?
I concentrated. What are you thinking… what are you thinking…? But every time I seemed to be getting somewhere, I came up hard against a mental block, a sort of attention-breaking invisible wall that pushed me right back to where I'd started from. Over and over again.
Why wasn't it working?
(It doesn't work like that,) Uric piped up. He sounded amused, as if he had been keeping silent on purpose, enjoying watching me tire myself out.
(Why not?) I demanded.
(I… don't know,) he said, honestly puzzled, as though he'd always taken it for granted before. I never really thought about it.
A jolly, tinkling tune suddenly jerked me out of my sulk. It was an old pop song, played out in little dings. Why do birds suddenly appear… every time you are near? It seemed ridiculous: after a night full of aliens and shape-shifters, we were listening to a random… door-bell?
My door-bell! We were at my house. It was dark and cold outside, and Uric had to pull my coat closer to us as a chilly gust of wind blew through our front garden, but the windows were still glowing a warm yellow, lighting up the ruby curtains. I hadn't taken my key to the Sharing, as I hadn't expected to be back until late Saturday morning.
The Sharing! That was what had gotten me and Erika into this mess. If only she hadn't persuaded me to go… I hoped she was okay. She'd seemed fine when she'd come out. Maybe she'd got away. Maybe I was the only one to whom this had happened.
My mum answered the door. She was flustered and flushed, and the second she saw us she pulled us into a tight hug. "I saw on the news… I was so worried… about to come down there myself!" Then she shoved me to arm's length and glared. "Why didn't you have your cell phone on, young lady? Didn't you think I'd be worried?" Back to the hug, dragging me inside. "You must have been so scared, Joan! Come in, come in. I'll make you some hot chocolate."
We were plopped onto a kitchen chair to watch whilst mum put the kettle on and got out the powdered hot chocolate. She never took her eye off us, presumably in case a wolf broke in and ate me.
She talked as she bustled. "The newsreader said that's odd behaviour for wolves. Said they'd probably escaped from The Gardens or something. They couldn't find them, though. Said no-one got hurt, thank the Lord. Erika phoned to see if you were here. She was worried. You'd better call her back. Are you all right?" The kettle whistled.
(No!) I yelled. (No, I'm not all right! That's not even me sitting at the table and nodding politely!)
"I'm fine, mum," said Uric. "Seriously! Don't worry!" Just as I would have done.
Mum came up beside us and handed us the steaming mug. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Never better," replied Uric, lifting the mug and wincing as the drink scalded our lips -- but licking them vigorously all the same, enjoying the sensation of flavour. "I mean, it was scary and all, but… you know… I'm back! And like you said, no-one got hurt, so everything's okay in the end, really."
Mum looked relieved, but didn't leave our side. She drew up a chair and sat right next to us. "As long as you're all right. I'm sorry this had to spoil your evening – I know how much you'd been looking forward to this."
Uric stood up and hugged my mum – and I hugged her too, no matter that it had no effect. It was something I'd wanted to do since the second I'd seen her: run up and hug her, and tell her how much I loved her. But of course, that desire only came once it was impossible for me to do so. "It's okay. I got something good out of it anyway."
I, knowing the full story, could see the irony in that comment. Mum just assumed I was making the best of a bad situation.
Later, Uric phoned Erika. I listened hard to her voice: the inflections, the remarks, the kind of weird off-key humour that Erika uses when she's been scared. They were all indistinguishable from the ordinary, just like her, with not a thing to indicate that anything might have happened to her.
I knew that this meant nothing.
We lay in bed not long after, eyes open. The landing light was on – my little brother Jack hates the dark, and he'd broken his nightlight – and it sent faint beams through the misted glass above my door, casting long grey shadows throughout my room. I felt tired; more tired than I'd felt in at least several months. (If you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep,) I said moodily.
(Speak for yourself,) retorted Uric: no doubt a phrase he'd stolen from my vocabulary. (Your eyes are amazing. I can't understand how you'd ever want to close them.)
(I'm sure I'll appreciate the compliment more when I'm not flat-out exhausted,) I yawned. I never realised that you could think a yawn, but there you are.
I tried to raise my head and look at my clock. Hah. I should be so lucky. (What time is it?)
Uric aimed my eyes at the green, glowing digital display. (Four minutes to midnight.)
I groaned mentally. (This is going to be a long night.)
Still, I must have managed to go to sleep even with Uric propping my eyelids up, as I dreamed. I was running through a forest, pursued by hundreds of massive wolves with sharp claws and long, yellow teeth. I sprinted as fast as I could, but the further I went the harder it was to move.
"TSEEEEEEEER!" The shriek of a bird rang through the forest, and I saw it hovering overhead. Then it vanished and I was surrounded by the wolves, all howling and tossing their heads. They grew and changed into rank upon rank of huge, blue-skinned centaurs, with wicked hooks for tails and cruel, sallow eyes. Andalites! The ground fell away and I was sculling desperately in the Yeerk tank, with finned green slugs the size of sofas squirming and diving all around me. The nearest Andalite reached down and tore off my head; another attached long strings to my arms and legs and moved me like a puppet. And all the while they were chanting. "Voluntary. Voluntary. Voluntary. Voluntary."
I woke up. My eyes were already open, and I was sitting at the breakfast table, golden sunlight streaming through the blinds.
(Yaaah!)
(Ah, you're awake. You have very strange dreams.) Uric sounded bright and alert; presumably he'd slept last night, despite his protest.
(You shouldn't have been watching,) I said without much venom. I'd thought for a second that I'd merely imagined last night; but here I was, still a prisoner in my own body.
(Don't think of it like that,) said Uric conversationally. (Think of it as a change of pace.)
(Have I mentioned "don't read my mind"?)
(Repeatedly.)
(Well… don't,) I rejoined weakly. Uric didn't reply: my mum had come in, and he was concentrating on pretending to be me.
Breakfast passed uneventfully, and afterwards Uric asked me: (What do you want to do today?)
(What?) I was surprised. I'd sort of assumed there would be some big alien meeting. Then lunch at McPluto's, as Erika might say.
We were in my room again, Uric pacing up and down and occasionally doing a little jig. He couldn't seem to get over having limbs. (No, there's nothing planned. Gosh, did you see that leap? Of course you did. No, the day's plan is up to you.)
I didn't hesitate. (Can we look for Tobias?)
(I had a feeling you might say that.)
Mum was reluctant to let me out of her sight after last night, but she relaxed her vigil slightly when Uric told her that I'd be meeting Erika. For some reason, mum seems to think my friend is more sensible than me. Anyway, this wasn't exactly a lie: we could phone Erika, and rope her into helping us look for Tobias.
So phone we did. She would meet us in town in a quarter of an hour. I spotted her halfway down the main street, and Uric focused my eyes on her. He waved, and she waved back. They walked towards each other.
"Hey! How're you doing?" she asked with a smile and a best-friend-hug.
"Oh, fine. Just a little wolf-baiting. You know, the usual." They both laughed.
"Okay, what are we doing here?" Erika asked.
Uric told her.
She frowned. "Why?"
That's when I knew. (Oh, my God,) I whispered. (They got you, too.)