Marco

Ax and I walked back toward the mass of kids. I hadn't realized before now how panicked most of my classmates were. A lot of people were crying. Someone was trying to start a campfire. Most had given up on the cell phones. Some had broken up into their cliques from school. A few just sat despondently on the ground. It was completely dark out except for the light coming from the half-moon.

"Marco, how are we going to convince your peers to follow us? I have observed the types of humans your people choose as leaders, and neither you nor Cassie fit the typical description," said Ax.

Ok, I know I'm short, but c'mon! I don't need an alien who goes to pieces at the sight of a Cinnabon telling me that.

"Watch and learn, Ax-man. I can lead like the best of them," said jumping up on a tree stump.

"Yo! Listen up people! There's a town fifty miles to the south of here. I vote we head for that. Tonight."

About ten kids looked in my direction.

"Shut up, Marco," muttered Adel, this kid from my calculus class.

"No seriously! We could walk it in a few days," I tried again.

"How the hell do you know where there's a town in this God-forsaken place?" yelled someone from the darkness.

Hmm. Good point.

"I saw it when we landed!" I countered. Brilliant. But at least people were listening to me now.

"Whatever, dude. We're not in the mood for your lame jokes," Adel said. Some people muttered their agreement, and he turned back to his circle of friends. I sat down on the stump a little crestfallen. Lame? My jokes are NOT lame. Ignore my wilderness advice if you want, but don't insult my comedy. Ax walked over.

"That did not appear to be effective," he said in his annoyingly straightforward way.

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed." Ok, this was no good. I should have thought this through. I wouldn't listen to someone my own age. Except Jake. Ax had his Jake morph, but he could never pull off his personality. We needed some kind of uniting figure. Someone people could really get behind. Suddenly it hit me.

"Ok, Ax. New plan. Just play along." I ducked back out of sight in the woods and morphed an Irish setter. Jake and I used dog morphs to sneak into an outdoor concert once. I was even more of a chick magnet than usual, and where chicks go, the guys will follow.

I bounded out of the woods barking and leaping like a happy, fun-loving idiot. That's all dogs are, really: goofballs who want to play all the time. A few kids jumped up startled. I guess they were still wary about the wolf ordeal from earlier. I barked and jumped in a circle. I reared up on my hind legs and leg my tongue loll out of my mouth. I was the cutest, happiest, cheeriest thing on four legs. No way could they resist. And sure enough, my classmates came toward me with "aw, what a cute doggy!" faces.

Soon I was surrounded by adoring fans. Girls who wouldn't look my way at school were rubbing my belly.

(Marco, I do not understand this plan so far,) Ax said in my head.

(Watch and learn, Ax-man.)

(You said that before,) he pointed out.

I was waiting for someone to put two and two together. Where there are dogs as gorgeous as me, there are people. Where there are people, there are houses and towns and phones. But no one was getting it—just tons of "good dog!" and "aw, he's a sweetie!"

(Maybe he belongs to someone!) I broadcasted in thoughtspeak. In all the talking and darkness, no one would realize they hadn't actually "heard" it.

"Yeah!" said some girl. I squinted at her with my poor dog eyes. I vaguely recognized her as Meghan, captain of the girls' lacrosse team. Good, one of those straight-As, popular, leadership types. "Maybe he can lead us out of here!"

Bingo! I barked and yipped and danced around. I ran a few yards away and turned back to face them. New game! said the dog in me. Everyone got up and started to follow. Follow the leader! I took off into the woods. A rabbit! I definitely smelled and heard a rabbit. I bounded away, leaving the people in the dust. I'd take them to the rabbit later. This is what my breed was built for!

(Marco! That direction is not south, and some of the slower humans cannot maintain your speed,) Ax yelled.

Whoa. I halted and got control. The dog had taken over. So embarrassing. And I'd done this morph before.

(I know, I was just…) Ah screw it. I could swallow my pride this once. (Ok, Ax, which way's south?)

(Watch and learn,) he replied.

Wow, if that had made sense, it almost would have been a joke.