The bus had pulled forwards and stopped. Walking on I wished I had my motorcycle so I could ride home but it had a problem so my dad had it in the shop. Looking around I saw it was standing room only so I grabbed a strap that hung from the ceiling and held on for the ride. I lived fifteen minutes from the Dairy Queen I worked at; pending the number of stops, stop lights and how slow the driver was so I made myself comfortable. I'll skip the rubble between now and then because there isn't much to say. Ride on a bus for five minutes. You'll figure out how it was.

It was what happened after the five minute mark that made things interesting. The bus came to a stop at a railroad crossing. And then time itself stopped. I blinked a few times to make sure that I was certain of what was going on. But it was true. I recognized this from the first and second times this has happened. I looked around and saw an old man standing up. I knew who he was. "Well, well, this is a surprise. What is the occasion?" I asked. I half expected him to say that I was getting too close to the Animorphs. I'll explain later the whole reason but first let me introduce you. The old geezer stood up and walked towards me. Walking THROUGH people mind you. He stood before me expressionless. That was usually a good sign. The first two times I saw him he was pissed at me so this is a nice change of pace. "You have been getting close to them." He stated; I figured this is what would end up happening.

"I'm staying on the sidelines" I defended. "If this is about what happened at work then…" he raised his hand. You see, this guy is called Ellimist, if you met him you would think he would be a deity in his own right although I have been told that he is nothing like a deity. And I doubt that anyone would worship a whack like him, and between you and me he has no omnipotent abilities so I just say that he is Ellimist and there isn't much else to it. But I learned during our first meeting that angering this guy can be considered bad juju so I stopped. He gave me a slight smile. "I understand your reasoning but this is not about you being on the sidelines. Now is the time. You must join them." I blinked. It had been about a year, nearing two since I had been put on the sidelines. "So you are saying I had to wait this long to keep you happy?" He shook his head. "You are an anomaly in and of yourself. I don't think you were meant to become an Animorph at all but you were meant to find the box." I gave him a look. He was going round about and I didn't want to hear it. "So tell me then. Am I supposed to jump into the fray in their next scheme or what?" He shrugged. "I cannot say" (Translation: It would be revealing the future if I told you which I am not allowed to do so. However if you believe you should go then go. "I" am only the messenger)

I nodded. "Time to get into the game eh? Alright. I'm ready to play." He held up his hand again. "I will warn you. What happened last time was always meant to be if you became an Animorph. The moment you join them is the moment you can no longer go home." I felt a lump swell in my throat again. The memories of the last time came back. I nodded. "I know the choice. I know there is no turning back." I said. He nodded. "As long as you know you are now able to choose to fight." I looked away to blink the tears from my eyes. The bus jolted back and I knew he was gone.

I took a deep breath. It was time to fight. I wasn't sure how or when I would make my appearance but for now I needed to think, to plan.

To say Good-bye.

The trip home was longer than usual, mostly because of the knot in my stomach. I decided to do my best to make their last day special. I would leave tonight. I knew where to go. The woods behind Cassie's house would be large enough to not be found but obvious enough if Tobias or Ax saw me; the headline of a runaway teenager who was lost and alone sounded reasonable enough. The story would be okay if I ever saw Cassie out there. She'd probably would take me into the barn and give me a sandwich then try and convince me to go home. I just only hope that her parents never called mine. I could stack some stuff in my backpack and run. It would be the best thing. Tobias would probably watch me for a bit to figure out what I was up to, as long as I didn't go acquiring animals at a rapid pace I should be fine. As for Ax, I just had to be careful where I went.

I got off the bus and walked the quarter mile hike home filling in the blank spaces for my escape plan. I looked at my watch; if memory served I had five hours before the show would start. I had to do the best I could. I walked inside as my mom stood over the stove. I wanted to take a picture but I hurried past. "Dinner is almost ready!" she called. "What are we having?" I asked back as I walked into the living room. Dad was outside on the grill, he couldn't see me dig into the photo album. I wanted a picture. A picture of a time when Destiny the Animorph didn't exist. When there was no constant danger. I found one of me playing my violin. I considered bringing that too. I could stick a few things into the case as well. "Your favorite. Beef stew. Be down in an hour!" she called after me. I turned on the stairs and smiled. "Yes ma'am." I nodded then went up to change. After a thought I grabbed my work clothes and everything I wore yesterday during school and pulled them into the bathroom and started filling up the tub. "Taking a bath?" She called. "Yea. Today was tiring so I'm going to soak for a little. I got my hair wet then wrapped it in a towel and dried it a little. It was hot outside; I wasn't worried about a cold.

I threw the towel and all my clothes in the tub and considered my options for smells. I got lucky last time but I didn't want to push my luck without having something in the form of a plan. I considered running head first into stuff a plan but there were steps to take. Opening the cabinets I found my moms Aromatherapy bath beads. I shook my head, reflexing at the scent. Lavender, perfect! I grabbed two handfuls and threw them into the water, after a thought I dumped in some more. I waited for it to soak as I made a mental list of things to pack. Getting changed into some comfortable clothes that I could move freely in I decided to throw on my swimsuit. It was a one piece that hung tightly to my skin. I learned the first time that skin tight was the only form of clothing you could make.

Finally, after changing I pulled the clothes out carefully and wrung them out then let the water out. I let the door open a little to ensure that there would be no scents in the air that made what I did obvious. Mostly because hate lavender. I took some grains of my bath scents and sprinkled them in there as well then let the water drain. If mom or dad went in they would see the grains and chide me for using too much instead of question. I was willing to take one last bantering.

I took the clothes and hid them in the bottom of my drawers. Looking around I emptied my books and hid them under my bed. Quickly packing I looked at the clock. 4:23 pm. I had an hour and thirty-seven minutes left. I hurried downstairs and ate dinner. Complementing my mother on her cooking and my father on his haircut, I was barely holding myself together. Finally I ended up having three quarters of an hour left before the fireworks started. Mom went upstairs and dad went into the den. I grabbed my bag, strapped my violin to the top of the bag, looked around and bid my life farewell. Finally, I pulled out the small bag that I kept in my secure box. Turning out the light the bag had a faint glow from inside it. Looking around I nodded.

I slowly made my way to the door and looked around. "Goodbye." I whispered then I was gone.

I could have said good-bye but then I would stay, then I might get caught. I didn't know it then but there was a reason I had to leave without staying to defend my family. As they say, "Second chances only work when you do things different then the first time" And I had to do things different.

It was a long walk to Cassie's, especially in the back allies and off roads where no one would see me. I remembered the areas Ax walked in and avoided any area that looked like it had deer hooves to be safe. I know Ax wasn't the only creature with hooves that looked like a deer but I wanted to be safe. If he came across me or I came across him it would be bad for both parties. I wasn't ready to say who I was just yet.

I ended up finding a small cave with no signs of animals nearby. It was too small for a bear, barely big enough for me to lie in. But until it was light again and I could see it would be best. I looked at my watch. I had wanted to leave a few hours early and it would be time for Vissir Three to pay a visit to my parents soon. I looked over at my backpack. Inside, buried under clothes and stuff was the box. I intended to take it everywhere I went from now on until I could give it to Ax himself. I walked out and carefully made my way to Cassie's barn. I peered inside the knothole to make sure Tobias wasn't there then snuck in a board. I remember that Cassie had said that a fox was getting in but she couldn't figure out how. I made a point to grab some hay and wedge it in the board after acquiring a barn owl. It was my way of thanking her for the use of her animals.

I quickly morphed and flew off; I wanted to see my parents one last time.

I made it in time to see them being loaded into the UHAL trailer.