Disclaimer: I'd love to own the Animorphs, but sadly I don't. You know who does, the all-powerful being who is K.A. Applegate. sighs sadly
HAHA! I figured out how to do the brackets- no I don't. False alarm.
Ok, here we have some pointless humor, that really stinks, because I can't write humor. Go figure.
It's really just a transition chapter that got out of hand. Can't resist when creative genius comes knocking.
As always, remember to review afterwards, and I will be eternally grateful.
Now read.
Chapter Six
I gasped.
We were flying through the air. There was never such freedom like this. I had thought I had fully tasted the sweetest bits of freedom...in truth; I had barely licked the surface of the concept of being free.
I was being held up by nothing but air. I was depending solely upon the red-tail hawk's experience and my courage. I was completely independent and flying away from every one of my troubles.
The Yeerks thought it was a blessed thing just to look through a human's eyes. Let them look through a hawk's unparalleled sight. They would be stunned into speechlessness. The colors, the detail at such a high altitude was incredible. There was nothing, nothing like this.
It was almost comparable to joy. Those unsuspecting young humans...they had no idea how lucky they were to have a home, a family, and friends. They had no idea how many joys their world held. The tastes, the sight, the smells...how could they want more? How could they feel diminished in anything? They took so many of these things for granted. What a waste.
Sometimes, I wonder how humans are my own species. I feel as if I can relate to the Yeerks more.
(It has almost been two of your hours, Prince Jake.) Aximili said. A prince was the Andalite term for respect.
(Don't call me Prince, Ax.) Jake responded. They did that often. Sometimes, I wondered what the point was. But maybe there was no point. Humans seemed to like to do things like that. Apparently, Ax also enjoyed the pointlessness.
(It's not our hours, Ax. You're on Earth, get used to the fact that it's everyone's hours.) Marco seemed to also participate in the pointlessness. He had mentioned this problem countless times.
We laughed as we lighted upon the ground.
Marco spoke first, as we demorphed. "It was all Rachel's idea; I just want you all to know that." He informed us.
Rachel shook her head impatiently. "Who cares whose idea it was? It's a good one."
"Says the wacko." Marco interjected.
"Shut up, Marco." Rachel rolled her eyes. "The whole point is Madi; we're having a girl's day out."
I stared blankly.
"See? She doesn't get it either."
"She's nine; she's not supposed to get it."
"A girl's day out," explained Cassie kindly. "is when a girl gets to go out with a group of her friends and-"
"-shops for her wardrobe-"
(-hangs out-)
(-obtains delicious cinnamon buns-)
"-rots her brain-"
"Shut UP, Marco."
"-and has fun." Cassie ended firmly.
"Ok. Let's do it!" I decided.
"That's my kind of girl." Rachel grinned.
"Oh, no." Marco muttered.
I acquired both Rachel and Cassie the other day to combine a whole new morph. The Yeerks were looking for me. I couldn't walk into town without a morph. And Cassie had problems with me morphing other humans.
I concentrated, and felt the changes begin.
First, I grew very tall. Not quite as tall as Rachel, but much taller than my old body.
My hair grew longer than my shoulder-length black hair. It grew brown with gold highlights. My skin went from pale to tan. My eyes went from brown to a dark blue.
I could feel myself getting older, my body developing. It was so strange. I felt familiar, yet unfamiliar in this body.
"Are you ok?" asked Jake.
"I am fine." I looked down. I had what they called a leotard. It was black with a silver stripe. Rachel had given it to me.
I looked up. They all stared at me.
(Dude, is it just me, or am I seeing a Rachel/Cassie reincarnated?)
"Th-That's my nose." Rachel said shakily. "This is so weird..."
"How do you feel?"
I considered. There was a strange pulling to do the wild and reckless, and another kinder motive that pulled me back.
"This morph completely contradicts itself." I admitted.
"What do you mean?" asked Jake.
"There seems to be a cautious side, and at the same time, a courageous and warrior side."
(Bad karma.) Tobias observed.
(What is this karma?) Ax asked.
"Great." Marco groaned. "Another Xena."
"Who is this Xena? X-eeee-na? That's a funny name."
They all stared. "Wow. You really don't get cable, do you?"
"No. Should I?" I asked, puzzled.
(Allow me to explain. Xena is a human-fiction character from the human-made films in which the humans are a backwards civilization. The film consists of gorging, sticking sharp metal objects through the body, and tearing apart other people. The heroine, Xena, is a Warrior Princess who tries to change all of this by also gorging, sticking sharp metal objects through her enemies' bodies, and tearing others apart.) Ax, though I wasn't too sure how he knew of this.
"Just like Rachel." added Marco.
"Marco, are you asking to get gorged and torn apart?"
"Well, if we're finished touring the lunacy ward..." Jake tapped his foot on the ground.
"Alright, Dad." teased Marco, and we set off.
Town was very interesting. Of course, I had seen it from a distance, both on the ship and at the edge of the tree-place. (I had still not gotten around to asking the Animorphs what a tree-place's correct term was.)
It had gray cement-like places where large vehicles would zoom by. As first, I thought they were other creatures. But on second glance, I saw they were all machines, with humans steering them. I calculated that the mass of each vehicle would be enough to crush one of us.
I decided to stay far away from it.
There were other places where humans walked on, lighter and higher cement-like place. After a while, I realized that the vehicles would not be able to maneuver onto these places, so we were safe. However, if even one vehicle managed to lose balance and fall upon the high cement...I kept a close watch on the vehicles.
It was extremely dangerous for humans to have such vehicles so close to other humans. Humans have such fragile bodies, so easily killed. It all is a matter of trust, in the end. Trust that the humans in the vehicles know enough not to swerve onto the lighter cement area, and trust that the humans walking do not walk upon the gray cement area.
Such trust can result in others death. I've seen it before. No matter whom it is trust shall always break apart in the end.
Inside the mall was like nothing I could ever experience. The lights were dizzying. The many small and large hollow areas filed with merchandise were called stores. The main goal of the mall seems to be to buy one's merchandise. And it seemed quite popular.
There were so many different types of humans. They were all different shades and colors. And there were so many of them. It was insane!
"Ok," I heard Rachel say. "We'll go into Gap first, because that's got the widest selection. Then I have to go to Victoria's Secret to buy something for Cassie."
"Ooh, I love Victoria's." grinned Marco slyly. Jake hit his shoulder. Rachel ignored them, and started listing half a dozen other stores.
"Are there always this many people?" I asked Cassie.
"Yeah. It's a Saturday. Haven't you ever been to a mall before?"
I considered lying. "Not really." I finally admitted.
Cassie frowned. "That's right. You've never really been on Earth before, have you? Well, Rachel knows the place the best. I swear, she's got the whole place memorized like the back of her hand."
"How can she?" I gasped. "It has so many people and possibilities! Does she have some sort of emitter that will inform her of where to go? Or some sort of photographic memory?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out for years." laughed Cassie.
"We'll meet you at the food court, Madi." Tobias, who had morphed human, along with Ax, waved as he towed Ax away.
"You must try Earth's selection of foods." Ax grinned like a three-year old. "It is beyond amazing. Ah-maay-zing." He seemed to have warmed up to me, since I had morphed human. Maybe it was I'm-on-an-unfamiliar-planet-you're-on-an-unfamiliar-planet thing that we both had.
Rachel grabbed my hand, as we went shopping.
Forty-five minutes later, I managed to stagger back to the table at the food court under several heavy packages. I sat down heavily, and let go of the packages with loud thumps.
"Are all these quite necessary?" I asked Rachel.
"Hmm?" She asked, busy looking through her purchases. "Yeah, they are. Listen, do you mind if I go to the bathroom first?" She left as Marco and Tobias came by.
Marco slid into the seat across from me. "Having fun yet?"
I grimaced, and they laughed.
"You'll get used to it," Tobias reassured me.
"No, no it was fun. There were so many different things to see, places to go, and clothes to shop for." I waved my hand around. "Amazing."
Marco raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're a true mall rat."
I wondered what that was, but decided it was best not to ask.
"Ok, Ax gets his cinnamon bun, Cassie gets her tortilla, Marco gets a burrito, Rachel get a tortilla, and I have a hamburger. Anything for you, Tobias?" Jake was balancing a large flat plate with many different items on it.
Tobias shook his head. "I already ate in the meadow."
Jake looked at me. "What about you, Madi?"
"I-er-" I didn't know what to say. What were they talking about? Tortillo buns? Cinnaburgers? Was this some new Earth concept I should know?
Ax was busy gobbling his food, but he took a breath to answer me. "Mmaevy Mgy erd hry zeinavan hrun."
"Huh?" Marco laughed. "What was that, Ax?"
Ax swallowed. I could see the big gulp go down his throat. "I said, maybe Madi should try the cinnamon buns. Bun-zuh."
Marco nodded. "Yeah, and maybe we should just give Madi a couple cigarette butts and popcorn boxes while we're at it. She's already pretty good at swallowing candy bar wrappers."
I wanted to prove I could eat more than that. "I've also eaten grass." I pointed out. "And I almost ate a small six-legged creature that has mandibles."
Everyone stared. Marco, who had taken a big bite of his food, started coughing. Jake and Cassie put down their food. Only Ax commenced chewing. "That sounds reasonable." He said sensibly. "Given the circumstances." No one even listened. They were all too focused on me.
"You ate an ant?" Jake asked weakly. "An ant?"
"Ant." I said trying out the name. "Yes, I ate an ant. Almost."
Everyone looked slightly green. I was puzzled. "What?"
"Good timing," Marco complained. "Great thing to share with your friends when they're eating lunch: Hey, guess what? I ate an ant!"
Rachel suddenly came back, and sat down. "Hey, what'd I miss? Anyone got anything to share?" She took a bite of her tortilla.
"Hey, guess what?" I told Rachel. "I ate an ant."
Rachel made a strange sound in her throat and gasped. "Oh." She held her hand up to her mouth and said again. "Oh." Then she ran away.
"Will Rachel be fine?" I asked, trying to figure out why she had the same look the others did when they heard that I ate an ant.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about." Marco again. "She's probably blowing chunks outside. You know, spewing her guts. No worries. I'll tell you when she decides to make her Xena: Warrior Princess- killer grizzly- terminator move on us. I'll just use you as a shield."
I honestly didn't know what he was talking about.
And we'll be back, after Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese Messages!
Sorry. I'm hyper.
Before I scare you all, I'm gonna log off.
Oh wait. I'm forgetting something.
No I'm not.
Yes I am.
No, I most definitely am not.
Yes, I most definitely-oh screw it. I'll remember later
Wait! Got it.
Don't got it.
No, there it is.
Now I've lost it.
Got it!
Review! (That didn't take too long, did it?)
Now, I'm gonna sign off, before I scare away whoever stayed behind to witness this.