Title: The Twins

Title: The Twins

Author: Alexis Steele

Fandom: Animorphs

Characters: all the majors

Genre: Alternate Universe, after #23 The Pretender

Series: First story in the "Descendents of the Ellimist" Chronicles

Summary: Tobias is about to find more family than he can deal with

Notes: This fic was my first attempt at fanfiction back in 1999. It has been lying dormant in notebooks and my computer until I pulled it from the Net in 2004. Looking back on the fic about a year ago, I realized that I had a lot of interesting ideas that I wanted to portray in this fic – eventually to become a series – and that I wanted to pick them up again, but I had some major changes that needed to be done to my OC, Shayla. She was a blatant Mary Sue, and now she's become an attempt to see if I can write a competent OC without her becoming a Mary Sue.

And, while I will be following more closely to the events that occurred in the book series, I will always see the characters as their TV counterparts. Let's face it, ladies, the TV series might've deviated a lot away from the books, but it definitely gave us some nice eye candy to glance at. I will also be extending the timeline of the story to five years, instead of three. Therefore, the Animorphs have been fighting the Yeerks for over two years.

Normal speech denoted with "…". Thought-speak denoted in ((italics)). From this chapter onwards, there will also be periods of telepathy written. Telepathy will be shown by ((bold-italics)).

Each chapter heading will tell you who is narrating this part of the story. If you don't see a character's name in the chapter heading, assume that the character from the previous chapter is still narrating.

Disclaimer: With the exception of Shayla and any other minor OCs, all the other characters are the property of K.A. Applegate and Scholastic Books. All feedback is greatly appreciated

Chapter 4:

The next morning I awoke at the crack of dawn. I started out to find my next meal. I found a few field mice. I grabbed one. It never knew what hit it. I devoured it and returned to my favorite perch. After a few minutes of just sitting there, I saw her again. Shayla. She was walking towards my tree. She was also looking above her, as if she was looking for something, or someone. She walked right up to the tree I was perched on and looked up. Right. At. Me!

"You can come down now. I know who you are...Tobias," she said.

At first I didn't acknowledge her presence. I thought maybe she'd think I was just another hawk.

"Please, don't try to pass yourself off as another hawk. I can tell the difference. I can feel a human presence inside that hawk body. So, come on down. I promise I won't hurt you," she continued.

I still sat there. I was completely shocked, and scared. If she knew my name and that I was trapped as a hawk, then what else did she know about me? What frightened me more was I didn't even know if she was a controller or not. If she was a controller and could see through me, then freedom, as my friends and I knew it, was over.

Yet, somehow, I knew she wasn't a controller and I knew that I could trust her. I took a chance and flew down to the ground. Another strange feeling came over me. It told me to morph. And something told me that she wouldn't be surprised by the sight of a hawk turning into a human being.

Again, I took a chance. It took a few moments. I felt my feathers melt into the pinky flesh of my former self. I grew four times my actual height. My beak softened into my mouth and nose. In a few moments, I was human again. And, as I suspected, Shayla wasn't frightened by what she saw. In fact, she was impressed and curious.

"So, you can change into animals too?" she asked.

"Why? Can you?" I inquired.

"Yes, since the age of eight," she continued.

"Who are you? How is that even possible? And, how did you know my name?" I posed.

She began to explain. "As you probably remember from the talent show, my name is Shayla. I just moved here this weekend to live with my new foster family. Since I've been in this town, I have felt this unending urge to locate someone, someone important to me. That person, apparently, is you."

I was stunned. "Why me?"

Shayla shrugged. "I don't know. You'll probably think I'm completely out of my mind, but I've never been what one would call a normal child. I have special powers that I thought no other human possesses, until I saw you morph just now. Since I've been here, I have been feeling your presence around town. In some parts it was very vague, but it was always there.

"As such, I've been pretty distracted by what was happening around me. My foster parents took me to the talent show in hopes that it would get me out of the funk they thought I was in, as well as hoping I could meet some new people before registering at school today.

"During the performance, for the first time, your presence was nearly blinding, which meant that you had to be somewhere close by. As I was watching the different acts perform, my foster sister kept urging me to perform a song since she knows that I like to sing. At first I wasn't going to, but I thought it might be a way to see if you were in the audience somewhere. That's when I went up to the stagehand and asked him if he would accept a really late entry. At first he hesitated, but when my foster sister intervened, he changed his mind. As the fixture came down, I was frozen in place. If it wasn't for you, I would've been killed. After the fiasco was over I tried searching the audience for the person who had yelled the warning, but was rushed off-stage before I could find you. Before people could start asking me questions, I slipped out the backstage exit.

"Then yesterday, I was walking through the woods, trying to get some fresh air and clear my thoughts, when I sensed your presence again. This time it was vaguer, but as I continued further into the woods, it became stronger. It led me to this tree. Then I started walking home and felt the presence grow stronger as I walked along. I knew you were following me, but didn't want you to know I knew you were following me. So when I reached my foster parents' house, I casually walked inside, but then ran as fast as I could to the window, just in time to see a hawk fly away. I decided last night that I would seek out this presence.

"Then, while I was sleeping, a man who looked like an elderly grandfather came and spoke to me in a dream. He told me to search out a boy named Tobias and that my future depended on it. Haven't you felt the same strange urging in the back of your mind all weekend?"

"Yeah, especially since the night of the talent show, but I usually just pushed the feeling aside. Why is this happening to us?" I inquired.

PERHAPS I CAN ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

At that point, the Ellimist appeared.

"That's the man from my dream," Shayla interjected.

YES SHAYLA. I'M GLAD YOU FOLLOWED MY DIRECTION.

"I should've known it was you who was in her dream. What do you want now Ellimist?" I demanded.

I JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOMEONE. TOBIAS, MEET YOUR TWIN SISTER, SHAYLA.

"Twins!" we both shouted at the same time.

YES. NOW WE MUST HURRY.

"Why? How can you be certain we are related?" I asked.

ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU.

In a flash, we were no longer in the woods, but in another dimension. The Ellimist showed us a section of the dimension filled with millions of golden strings.

THESE THREADS REPRESENT THE LIFELINES OF MILLIONS OF SPECIES. HERE ARE YOURS AND SHAYLA'S.

We were shown a section of the lifelines. There were two lifelines. They could only be my parents. First, I saw my father's lifeline separate from my mother's. Then, shortly after the two new lifelines were created, they, too, were separated from each other.

AS YOU CAN SEE, YOUR LINES WERE SEPARATED SHORTLY AFTER YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY.

"Why?" Shayla asked sadly.

I'M AFRAID THESE TIMELINES DO NOT GIVE EXPLANATIONS, THEY ONLY SHOW WHEN AND HOW LIFELINES ARE CONNECTED. I'M SORRY.

"I want to see more proof," I demanded.

VERY WELL. CONTINUE WATCHING YOUR LIFELINE TOBIAS.

I did. I watched as my lifeline continued to journey forth. Then, I saw what the Ellimist wanted me to see. Five lines united by a far-away line.

"Holy..." I started.

YES TOBIAS. THAT IS THE NIGHT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS MET ELFANGOR. CONTINUE ON.

The lines intertwined with each other and picked up another. Ax. Then, one more line joined together and separated again. David. Again, another line joined, but this one stayed, and I looked back at the lines that formed at our births, and it was the same line. It was true. She was my sister.

"Okay, I'm convinced. Wait. What's that?" I interjected.

I was just able to catch a glimpse of the future. I saw three more lines join with our group. I couldn't identify who though. Suddenly we were back in the woods again, and it looked as if no time has passed at all. I couldn't say I wasn't surprised.

FOR SHAME, TOBIAS. NO PEEKING INTO YOUR FUTURE.

"Okay, so you've reunited us. What else are you up to?" I demanded.

"What do you mean Tobias?" Shayla asked.

"I know the Ellimist all too well. What else do you have up your sleeve?" I continued.

WE HAVEN'T MUCH TIME.

"Much time for what?" I asked.

WITHIN SHAYLA ARE CERTAIN ABILITIES THAT YOU ARE DESTINED TO HAVE AS WELL. IF YOU DON'T PERFORM THIS CEREMONY TODAY, BOTH YOU AND SHAYLA WILL LOSE YOUR ABILITIES, FOR YOURSELVES AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, FOREVER. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?

"Sort of. Shayla was starting to explain it to me when you interrupted. Why must we perform the ceremony now?" I said.

BECAUSE THE CEREMONY MUST BE PERFORMED BEFORE YOUR SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY.

"That's in three days," Shayla announced.

I quickly looked away as I blushed. I'm glad she knew when our birthday was, because I had completely forgotten when it was. Probably since the last birthday party anyone had for me was when I was five.

YES. NOW YOU SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS MEETING.

"Wait a minute. Just what sort of abilities are we talking about here?" I inquired.

"Since the age of four, I have been receiving different abilities," she began, "As of now, I am capable of reading and projecting my thoughts into other people's minds, changing into animals, and I'm able to heal people just by touching them with my hands."

THAT SHOULD BE THE EXTENT OF YOUR ABILITIES.

"Why us? What's so special about us that we possess these abilities?" I inquired.

YOU TWO ARE THE PROGENY OF A VERY SPECIAL LINEAGE. YOUR MOTHER WAS ALSO BORN WITH THESE ABILITIES. NO ONE, EXCEPT FOR HER, KNEW OF HER CAPABILITIES, NOT EVEN YOUR FATHER. PLUS, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE SHAYLA FORGOT TO MENTION. ALONG WITH HER MORPHING POWERS IS THE POWER FOR AN UNLIMITED MORPHING PERIOD, MEANING YOU CAN BE MORPHED AS LONG AS YOU WISH WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING TRAPPED EVER AGAIN.

"But that's impossible. No one can return for a morph after two hours," I shouted.

"I can. I do it all the time. My average time in a morph is three to four hours. And I've always returned to my natural form," Shayla announced.

YES. PLUS YOU MUST ALSO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A NATURAL ABILITY FOR SHAYLA, NOT A TECHNOLOGY-BASED CREATION LIKE YOURS. BUT PLEASE, YOU CAN DISCUSS THIS LATER. WE MUST PROCEED WITH THE CEREMONY NOW.

"All right. I'll go along with it...for now. What do I have to do?" I agreed.

FIRST YOU MUST FACE EACH OTHER AND PLACE YOUR HANDS, PALM TO PALM. NOW, SHAYLA, REPEAT AFTER ME. I, SHAYLA, DO HEREBY TRANSFER THE POWERS OF HEALING, TELEPATHY, AND UNLIMITED MORPHING TO MY TWIN, TOBIAS. MAY HE ACCEPT THESE POWERS WITH HONOR AND WITH THEM, THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS BEFALLEN ME. MAY THESE ABILITIES PROTECT AND GUIDE HIM THROUGH LIFE.

"I, Shayla, do hereby transfer the powers of healing, telepathy, and unlimited morphing to my twin, Tobias. May he accept these powers with honor and with them, the responsibility that has befallen me. May these abilities protect and guide him through life," she repeated.

GOOD. NOW, BRACE YOURSELVES. AT THE MOMENT OF TRANSFER, ALL OF YOUR MEMORIES WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE OTHER SIBLING. TOBIAS, REPEAT AFTER ME. I, TOBIAS, DO HEREBY ACCEPT THE POWERS OF HEALING, TELEPATHY, AND UNLIMITED MORPHING FROM MY TWIN, SHAYLA. WITH THESE GIFTS, I ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS BEFALLEN HER. I HEREBY PROMISE TO UPHOLD THE RESPONSIBILITY MY TWIN HAS TAKEN ON.

"I, Tobias, do hereby accept the powers of healing, telepathy, and unlimited morphing from my twin, Shayla. With these gifts, I accept the responsibility that has befallen her. I hereby promise to uphold the responsibility my twin has taken on," I repeated.

After the last word was out of my mouth, I felt a strange surge flow through my body. Was it possible? Could this little trick of the Ellimist's be working? For each ability I felt a different energy flow through me. When it reached the unlimited morphing stage, I felt the same sensation that flowed through my body when I first became a nothlit and then a few moments, I felt the same sensation again. After five minutes, the process was complete. I opened my eyes -- not realizing I had closed them -- to find myself lying on the ground with Shayla staring at me.

"Ow. My head. What's wrong with me?" I asked.

YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A TEMPORARY SENSORY OVERLOAD FROM YOUR NEWLY ACQUIRED ABILITIES. WITH TIME, YOUR SISTER WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH YOU HOW TO SUPPRESS YOUR ABILITIES. MY WORK HERE IS DONE. YOUR LEGACY HAS BEEN PASSED ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION AS PROMISED, BELOVED.

And with that, he disappeared. After he left, I looked over to see Shayla sitting on a stump, sobbing.

"Shayla, what's wrong?" I asked.

Without warning, Shayla bolted up from her seat and hugged me, hard. For the longest time, she kept mumbling into my shoulder, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey," I soothed her as I wiped away the tears streaming down her face, "Whatever it is you suddenly feel the need to apologize for, it's forgiven."

She looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Why are you always so calm? How could you live like that, being shuffled back and forth between an uncle who abused you and an aunt who used you as a slave?" she demanded.

"You learn to survive," I told her. "Besides, is it any different than being shipped around from foster family to foster family? At least you weren't rejected by family."

She hesitated. "Well, I guess not. I never thought the life I've had would be more preferable than yours."

"It's gotten better," I contended.

"Living as a bird was more preferable to living as a human?" she asked in wonder.

I nodded. "At first it was. Then, when the Ellimist gave me back my morphing powers, I could've given up the morphing power, and stayed human, but then I'd be leaving my friends in danger, and that's something I'd never be able to forgive myself for, if anything were to happen to them."

"That's another thing we have to deal with now," she said.

"What?"

"What are your friends going to do to me? Are they going to accept me after what happened? I take it this Ellimist, whoever he is, isn't going to show all of them that dimension to reassure them about me," she continued.

I realized that Shayla was talking about our recent encounters with David.

"That's up to them to decide," I replied.

"This may seem hard to believe, but...I sort of knew about the invasion before today."

"How?" I asked.

She nodded. "I think my last foster parents were controllers."

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"Well, I came home from school early one night, and heard them talking on the phone to their superiors. I snuck back out the door, and tried to pretend that I hadn't interrupted their conversation. I thought I had convinced them, but the next thing I knew, they announced that things weren't working out and sent me back to the children's home," Shayla explained.

Shayla looked down at her watch. It was 6:45. We had spent the last hour just talking to each other.

"Oh no," she interjected.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to start school today. My foster parents have already left for work. If I don't show up at school, my foster sister will rat me out. She already has it in for me. We have to go right now," she explained.

"Hey, relax. We'll figure things out," I calmed her down. "C'mon, let's get you to school."

"Do you really think your friends will accept me, whether they believe us or not?"

"Why wouldn't they? You're a nice, caring person. Besides, they accepted me with open arms. What makes you think they won't for my little sister?" I said.

"How do you figure you're the eldest?" she demanded.

"I don't, but I've always wanted a younger sister to protect. And until we find out otherwise, you're the youngest. Oh no."

"Now what?" she returned.

"Look at me. I can't show up to school like this."

I was wearing the morphing outfit I'd managed to incorporate when I first regained my morphing powers back from the Ellimist. It consisted of a way-too-small t-shirt, spandex shorts, and no shoes.

"You can't morph clothing?" she asked.

"No, why? Can you?"

"Yes, it took me a couple of years to learn, though. I'll show you and your friends later. Until then, we'll just have to return to your uncle's house and get you some clothes, unless you have a stash somewhere else?"

I shuttered at the thought of returning to my uncle's house. But, at the same time, I could finally get my stuff and get out of that house forever.

"All right...let's go," I decided.