Sorry for my …tardiness! I just got in trouble with my math teacher for tardiness, too…crap. Anyway, here is when the story gets a little more twisted, so pay close attention to our lil' demons!(Gasp! Did I just say "demons"! SPOILER!) Thanks for the reviews; you all are more awesome than my math teacher!

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own the Animorphs or any of their characters…the question is why…

Beneath Her Smile

Cassie's POV

Please don't think of me any differently when I say I was jealous. I was, though, because I really like Jake and it took us forever to get as close as we were. But that girl, the Animorph Annihilator as Marco said, was his main concern when I have been around for much longer! Sorry, but watching him pace the floor of my family's barn when I left Addie for a second to share the news of her condition, I couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever paced that way for me. It left me a little sad, and undoubtedly envious...why couldn't I have been as pretty as my enemy? However, I shook that out of my mind when Jake stopped his pacing, which was scuffing my floor, and turned to me. My heart fluttered when he looked at me, just a force of habit I suppose, but I spoke as strongly as I could.

"She's going to be fine. The blood was just her body's natural cycle," I explained. I grew a little bit sadder when Jake sighed in relief, every one in the room relaxed conciderably, even Ax! What magic was this girl working on them? We have known her for all of barely three hours, and all we know is that the Yeerks have had her for who-knows-how long, experimenting, and she is meant to totally destroy us. I wonder if this is what the others were thinking when I was companions with a Yeerk myself...That's when I noticed Marco in the corner of the room. He just leaned against the wooden wall and watched us, separate from the rest. In his own, isolated world, he glared at nothing, but I was glad that it wasn't me. The look on his face could make grass wilt and trees die. I felt a shiver go up my spine for a moment, and listened to Ax as he stated his question in his Andalite form.

((This menstruation is a natural occurrence among many mammals, correct?)) he asked, thinking as he talked. That definetly broke the stressful tension in the room, though it made the boys cough, embarrassed.

"Oh, grow up, all of you!" shouted Rachel. Jake blushed and avoided her eyes, probably knowing that his cousin had already gotten her period.

I just laughed and turned to Ax, smiling reassuringly. "Yes, it is. Why do you ask?" People have said I looked like my mom when I used my "vet voice" mainly Jake...Jake. I shook my head and asked Ax to repeat what he said once more.

((I was saying that this means the girl is, theoritically, able to reproduce. Assuming there exists any males like her, it could be that the Yeerks are planning on creating a new race of soldiers to infest.)) he informed grimly. The tension returned with family, and everyone was back on red alert. we had to remember that, as sweet and innocent she may seem, Addibelle was still a dangerous, killing machine that we were meant to destroy. Now, there could be more, less innocent "Anni"s and maybe a few "Andy"s left to fight. What if there were more of them? What would we do, and how soon until we all...

"I doubt that that was his purpose," remarked Marco. It was the first time he even spoke since Addie first showed up. We all jumped at hearing his low, sarcastic voice again, drifting out from the shadows. "I think that Addie is just, like what Erek said, a pet project. He wouldn't go so far as to make a race of them when he can't even control one." We all agreed internally, but were still on edge. Now, it was more because of the way Addie had seemed to change in our eyes so suddenly. We knew virtually nothing about her, not even her real name, and, now even with me, it became a priority to protect her. Jake glanced at his best friend nervously, as if he knew something he didn't want us to worry about, carrying the weight of the burden on his own. It worried me that he did this so often, suffering from migraines and nightmares, just for our peace of mind. Wierd how it's a cycle of stress. Then, When I looked at Marco again, for myself, I realized that he was back to normal, joking, grinning, sarcastic Marco. That, I think, is what worried me the most. How can anyone change so suddenly, from something so innocent and kind to something so dangerous and frightening. Like a smiling doll to a dead-eyed monster. Like a laughing companion to a chilling observer. From a shy vet's daughter to a growling wolf...how is that possible, if we don't want it to be?

And that's when I heard the screams, Addie's terrified shrieks from the depths of her nightmares...what was she so terrified of? What was she hiding beneath her smile?

--

Marco POV

She had to be killed. That is the final decision, wat we all agreed upon: when the time came, we Animorphs would come together and destroy her for everything she stood for. She stood for the Yeerk imprisonment of humans and the danger to our families. She stood for the loss of my mom, and the loss of Jake's bro. She stood for my future being thrown to the dogs and us six teenagers being stamped to die. She stood for all of that in one little body, pale and lithe, and in black eyes so dark they can steal your soul. Loss, Death and everything Worse were the ingredients in this evil ass Powerpuff Girl. But...what was the X factor, that mysterious last ingredient that made her so beautiful? What was it that made the others see innocence when I saw clouds of acid smoke and rivers of blood. What made me different?

Then I heard her screams and I knew what she was dreaming about. I have had the smae nightmares, and have screamed the same, terrified way. I have made my father rush to save me just like Jake was doing right then, as if he were meant to protect her. But he wasn't, and he can't. Just like he couldn't save me...but maybe...

I ran as ast as I could into Cassie's living room, where Addibelle lay thrashing on the couch. I took her in my arms and held her head in my chest, letting her sob and claw at my back. It hurt more than anything, and her fists hit like wrecking balls, but I held on. I didn't crumple or collapse, my breathing didn't hitch and my heart didn't race. I was doing my job, protecting her from her dreams. When her eyes opened and she looked at me, I knew I was right with what I did. She eyes teared up, and I wiped them. My shirt was shredded but my skin was unscathed...why? My thoughts were confused but I was all too clear to think...why? And when she reached up to touch my face, I didn't see a hurt, scared girl like the others did...

I leaned in a little bit closer...

No, that's not what I saw at all...

She tightened her grip on my back, begging to never be let go, eyes understanding...

This was meant to happen...this meeting, at this time...

Our lips touched for the slightest moment when I realized what was happening. When I gasped in her mouth, taking a bit of the air from her lungs, she only held tighter, kissed harder. And when Jake and the others rushed in the room, I was in another place. It was dark there, and it was cold...freezing. But right next to me was Addibelle, and I knew she was in this place for a long time...it was the nightmare. She only smiled sadly and walked ahead, knowing I was following, there to guard her. and you know, just in case you ever meet a demon, it's always easier to see them from the corner of your eyes. That's what I did rom then on: I always made sure I could see her from the corner of my eye, so I would never fall into her illusion of innocence.

She had to be killed. That's the final decision the universe made for her, for us. That I would have to lose a battle, some day, in which, this demon will be dragged into the deepest rings of Hell. However, with her holding my hand, leading me threw the darkness, I was no longer confused. And, lucky me, I now had the mental clarity every true warrior knows, and the patience of a thousand years. Sure, one day she was eternally damned, but now I knew, so am I.

She turned and smiled at me, bringing me back to the livimg room, her hand in mine. Yeah, I was just like her, now I knew why she smiled so much. It was just like that Mona Lisa painting everyone knows about: she smiles ike she knows a secret. Addibelle knows a secret, and smiled at Jake, standing in front of us. He was facing her, but was watching me...from the corner of his eye...damn...