Girl Talk, Lies and Flies

"So, what's the story?" Cassie asked.

We were at Cassie's barn now. All of us were in our human forms. As an Animorph, we're inclined to meet up and go on dangerous missions at unusual times of the day. Sometimes we'll sneak out at three in the morning, while other time we'll meet up at midnight. I still find it strange, being up so early; especially on a Saturday. Ax was in human morph, just in case one of Cassie's parents came in, wondering what the hell we were doing in the barn so early.

"There is no story." Marco said, flatly. "We were waiting around David's old place all night long. We didn't see any sign of him."

"He must have been out all night." I reasoned. "He went after Tobias. That's why he wasn't home."

"No Rachel. You don't get it." Jake replied. "David hasn't been living there. We watched the place all night. Another family is living there now."

I shook my head, stubbornly. "That's impossible." I said. "He told me that he's been scaring away anyone who shows interest in the house. He was practically bragging! He said people think it's haunted!"

"Well this family must be pretty darn brave." Jake replied. He sounded very upset. "David isn't there, Rachel. The only people living there is a small family of five. We watched them through the windows."

"They looked like a nice bunch too," Marco said. "Two little guys were sleeping in a crib; a pretty girl down the hall, and mommy and daddy makes five. They have three dogs as well; all dachshunds"

"I don't believe it." I said.

"Well believe it." Marco snapped. "I'm really starting to get tired of hearing David's name."

"Marco's right." Jake nodded. "What we really need to worry about is Tobias. He still hasn't show up."

"We waited by his tree all night." Cassie told him. "We didn't see any sign of him."

"I am beginning to get worried, Prince Jake." Ax said, suddenly. "It is not like Tobias to disappear without telling anyone."

"I agree." Jake said. He was rubbing his temple again. I think he was forming a new habit. "This is bad. Worst case scenario—he was taken by controllers who recognized him."

"Or, he's dead." Marco said, flatly.

"Shut up, Marco." Jake snapped, punching Marco in the arm and nodding slightly towards me. Marco mumbled an apology and shut his mouth.

Jake thought to himself for a few moments before he started talking again. "Alright, I want everyone to go home and get some sleep. Try not to be seen sneaking in. I'm going to head back to the scoop with Ax, to see if Tobias is there."

We all nodded. I was more reluctant, but I was far too tired to just disagree with Jake. Ax demorphed to his Andalite body and starting to work on his Harrier morph; Jake went falcon. Once the two of them were done, they took off; leaving three Animorphs standing silently in a barn.

"How did he do it?" I mumbled to myself.

"How did who do what?" Marco asked.

"David. How did David manage to convince that family to stay at his place?"

"Dammit, Rachel!" Marco snapped. "David is not back!"

"Marco he had dinner with my family last night!" I shouted. "I'll take you back to my place. We'll wake up my mom and you can ask her yourself."

"As nice as it sounds—you asking me to go back to your place—I'm tired." Marco mumbled. "I'm not going on another wild rat chase. The only home I'm going to is my own."

Marco morphed an Osprey and was back in the air in about three minutes. Cassie was silent for a long time; staring at the barn floor and avoiding my gaze.

"You don't believe me, either. Do you?" I asked.

"It's not that, Rach." Cassie sighed, chancing a glance at me. "I think Jake's right. You should really worry about Tobias; not someone who…may not be here."

I shook my head and stormed out of the barn. Cassie didn't try to stop me, either. She knew better than most to leave me alone when I was angry. And right now, I was pissed! Not only had David managed to get away, but none of my friends believed me! Tobias was…somewhere, and none of us were any closer to finding him. And I still couldn't figure out how David managed to get that family to live in his old house! Was he simply hiding out there, without their knowing? Impossible! He wasn't a nothlit anymore. Unless he could only morph a human for two hours at a time, he wouldn't be able to stay in one place without being seen for long. I mean, what kind of family would agree to share a house with a deranged, murderous teenaged boy? An odd, deranged, murderous teenaged boy at that! What person would be twisted enough to agree to that kind of a relationship? What was this, some deranged version of the Real World: Animorph Edition?

I was a good distance away from Cassie's barn now. I didn't bother to morph and fly home. I wanted to think. Usually, I'm calm when I'm in morph. But right then—at six in the morning—I wanted to go for a walk. I had to really try and think about the situation at hand. David—gone and at large. Tobias—gone and possibly at the mercy of David. I had a vague sense of what David was planning, and that was revenge. He wanted revenge! He wanted to get back at the Animorphs for ruining his life. He also had his morphing powers and human body back, which meant that we couldn't just take him lightly. He was serious; just as he had always been. We were the enemy, and he wanted to dispose of us.

But we weren't his only enemies. The Yeerks were the ones who ruined his life; we just made things worse for David. And Visser Three was the one who infested David's parents; so things between he and David were personal. Sure, David hated us—me and Jake especially—but he also hated Visser Three. And, if I knew David—and I'm sure I did—then he would use one enemy to destroy the other…

"So that's what he's doing!" I said, stopping. "So he's working with the Yeerks now."

The Yeerks would do anything to get rid of the threat of the Andalite Bandits! They despised us just as much as we despised them. We were a thorn in the side of the Yeerk Empire. And if some strange, morph capable human was offering the Yeerks a solution, why wouldn't they accept? With such a powerful ally, the Yeerks may actually succeed in the enslavement of the human race. David knew enough about us to be of use to the Yeerks. And if the Yeerks were ever to double cross David—which the most definitely will—David will be strong enough and smart enough to defend himself. They didn't scare him anymore; not when he's seen what hell really looks like. If anyone other than us Animorphs should be afraid, it's the Yeerks.

But David wouldn't just forget about the hell the Yeerks put him through. Sure, he'd use the Yeerks to get back at us but would he be able to keep himself from hurting them? David always struck me as the guy who was determined to get what he wanted. He did try very hard to eliminate each of us one by one. David wouldn't think twice about double crossing the Yeerks. For now, David is an ally of the Yeerk Empire. But once we're out of the picture, he'll turn on them.

What really concerned me was that my friends weren't taking me seriously. They think I'm just distressed about Tobias. Jake thinks I'm feeling reckless because the Yeerks haven't been up to anything lately. Yea, right; as if I just imagined David inviting himself into my house for dinner. But I had proof! My mother served him a meal! My little sister was flirting with him all night! That intense look that burned in his eyes whenever he looked at you—that was real! Nobody could just imagine something as real as David. And yet, my friends think I'm crazy!

I walked into town. Cassie's barn was about a mile or so from our high school. So Cassie usually had to take the bus to school. I kept looking over around, knowing full well that David could be just about anywhere now. And, even worse, he could be just about anyone! That thought scared the hell out of me!

We Animorphs have a rule about morphing other humans. Sure, we're technically only morphing into genetic copies of the person, but it still feels wrong. We all agree that it's something a Yeerk would do. There have been only a handful of moments when one of us who morph a human, and that was only when we couldn't find an alternative.

But David wasn't one for rules. He broke practically every rule that we abided by as Animorphs. He morphed for personal gain. He attacked other Animorphs. And he morphed not just one human, but several—including my cousin Sadler and Marco. So I just had to assume that everyone I passed by was David in disguise—or, at the very least, a Controller. I jumped every time someone I knew said hello to me. Hell, I caught a glimpse of a stray dog and nearly jumped out of my skin.

I had to sneak back into my own house, which meant I would have to hide in a bush or something, morph, and fly through my bedroom window.

Once I was back in my bedroom, and after I demorphed, I crawled into my bed and tried to go to sleep.

You'd think that after crying all night under some tree in the middle of a meadow that sleep would come easy to me. But you'd be wrong. I had my eyes shut for a good hour before I finally gave up at any attempt at a sleep. I couldn't help but picture David standing above me while I was asleep; wearing that awful lion-like grin of his and wrapping his hands around my throat. And it didn't help that I kept picturing the bloody remains of a red-tailed hawk lying at the foot of the bed.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." I groaned.

I opened my eyes to see my little sister, Jordan, standing above me. She was wearing sweat pants and a pink top.

"Mom made waffles." She said. "Are you alright? You look out of it."

"I'm just a bit tired." I mumbled, faking a yawn.

"You couldn't sleep, eh?" she said, sitting at the foot of my bed; where I imagined Tobias' lifeless body.

Suddenly, a question popped into my head.

"David was over for dinner last night, right?" I asked.

Jordan gave me a weird look. "Yea, of course."

"So you definitely saw David?" I pressed.

"Yes, I saw David." She repeated. She looked worried now. Jordan was always able to tell when something was bothering me. My own mother could hardly tell what I was thinking about most times. Jordan, Tobias and Cassie were the only ones who knew we more than I knew myself. Tobias…

"Rachel, are you alright?" She asked, visibly concerned.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I assured her. I even faked a laugh just to convince her. I don't think she bought it completely. Like I said, Jordan knew me well. "Trust me. There's nothing wrong." I added.

Jordan nodded, but still looked as though something was on her mind.

"Is everything alright with you?" I asked.

"Yea." She said. "Yea…well…you know."

"What is it?" I said, giving a genuine laugh. "Or should I ask who is it?"

"What makes you think it's a boy?" she asked, blushing.

I loved teasing Jordan; especially when she was blushing. Especially when there was a boy involved. Little things like that—girl talk amongst sisters—provided a distraction from the life of an Animorph. I guess that's why I'm always at the mall, shopping.

"So, what's his name?" I demanded, poking her in the shoulder.

"I don't want to say," she said, blushing some more—if that was even possible! "You're going to laugh at me."

"I swear I won't laugh." I assured her. I placed my right hand above my chest and raised my other hand in the air. "Scout's honour."

"You were never in scouts." She told me.

"It's an expression. Just spill the beans…that's another one."

"He's too old for me anyways." Jordan said, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. Let's just go downstairs and eat."

I grabbed her by the arm. "Not until I get a name. Tell me it's not Marco!"

"Of course not…well, not any more, at least. I'm over him now." She answered.

Suddenly it dawned on me. A voice ringing in my head. A girl's voice, asking a question: "you must have a lot of girls chasing you."

"Please tell me you don't have a crush on David."

"I can't help it!" she cried.

Well, I kept my promise. I didn't laugh.

"Rachel he's so cute. And he was so nice to me last night." She hesitated. "And…ok, you're going to laugh. But, when he was talking to me…I don't know; I felt…things." Her face turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Things—what things?" I asked, sharply.

"Things, things!" she repeated. "You know; the things they talk about in school." She rolled her eyes and mouthed the words Sex ed.

My sister had the hots for David! I could barely keep myself from throwing up just at the thought of someone in my family being attracted to David. That was like me dating Marco! Of all the boys Jordan had to have a crush on, why did it have to be the one who tried to kill me and my friends? I was actually starting to wish that she had a crush on Marco! I mean, sure, Marco was a dork, and sure he was annoying and unfunny and putrid and short and lame and arrogant and corny and moronic and jumpy and snarky and…did I already say annoying? But at least he wasn't David!

"Please don't say anything to him!" Jordan begged. "I like him a lot…Please Rachel, not even as a joke!"

"I won't tell him." I promised. I gave her a really serious look right then. "But I don't want you going near David. I'm not bringing him over anymore."

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything." She said.

"It has nothing to do with what you said." I told her, truthfully. But what could I tell her, that he was dangerous? I couldn't tell her the truth about David, because that would involve telling her about the Animorphs, and I couldn't tell her about that. So, instead I lied. "He fools around with a lot of girls."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. Maybe she couldn't picture David dating a lot of girls. Neither could I.

"He's too sweet." Jordan said, shaking her head. "He was so nice last night."

"Listen, I know you have a little crush on him," I told her. "But I've known David for a while. I've seen him at his worst." That wasn't a lie. I don't think a person could get much worse after you've seen them kill, or even attempt to kill another human being. "You have to trust me when I say that David doesn't care about any of the girls he dates. He's a heartbreaker. He just moves from one girl to the next."

"Why is he like that?" she asked. "I mean, I really like him!"

"David's…David is an odd guy." I said, lamely. "He has issues."

"I know you really liked him." I sighed. "But you're still very young. You think that you have all these feelings building up inside you just because David was a little nice to you. Believe me when I tell you that you are not in love with David. Trust me; you'll have to go through a lot of guys before you meet that one special guy who makes your heart fly…"

"Fly?" Jordan repeated, eyebrow arched.

"I didn't say fly." I lied. "I meant beat. A guy who makes your heart beat fast."

"But I felt…weird when I was talking to him yesterday." Jordan said. She was blushing again. "He made me feel…excited. I kept hoping that that he would kiss me."

"Ok, hold up!" I said, quickly. This was going to be one of those conversations. This was going to be the sort of talk that a mother should give to her daughter. "Maybe you should ask mom about this…or a teacher…or somebody else…"

"Rachel, I can't ask mom about something like that! She would get all weird and giggly; she'll refer to books and start using the word hormones every five seconds. And come on! You want me to ask the teacher?"

She did have a point. I mean, who better to talk to about puberty than an older sibling or cousin? I still felt very uncomfortable. But I couldn't just leave her in the dark.

"Alright, for starters," I began. "What you're feeling is definitely not love. You were…excited, because you're at an age where seeing boys makes you…excited…And the hormones…" I hesitated. Clearly I shouldn't be having this conversation with anybody. "And a lot of boys are going to start showing interest in you now that you have…things…But you have to remember, they're boys! They don't think with their brains where girls are concerned. The one who really cares about you is the one who stares at these," I said, pointing to her eyes. Jordan laughed a bit.

"Alright, I think you said something about waffles?" I said, trying to get off this very awkward topic.

"Yea, mom told me to get you."

"Then we'd better hurry." I said, rising to my feet. "Before Sara eats all the waffles."

Jordan laughed. Halfway through the door, I realized that I still had to get dressed. I was under the covers, so Jordan didn't notice that I was still wearing the same outfit from last night.

"Tell mom that I'll be down in a bit." I said, smiling. "And be sure to save me a plate."

Jordan nodded and made her way down the stairs. I went back into my room to change. I usually spend a great deal of time selecting my outfits, and today would not be an exception. So, I started raiding my drawers for something that would make me look stunning, as Tobias would have put it.

I closed the bedroom door and stripped out of my morphing outfit. I changed into some black lingerie and put on a pair of jeans and a top. I was almost out the door when I heard something that sounded like laughter…

Laughter in my head!

((Damn, Xena! Where have you been hiding those?))

I turned on the spot. Nobody was there. He was in morph, obviously.

"David, where are you?" I snarled. "Don't hide. Come out and face me."

((Let's play hide and seek!)) David suggested. ((I'll hide. You start counting.))

I scanned my bedroom, looking for the slightest trace of an insect. If I couldn't find David, that would mean he morphed into something tiny; like a cockroach or a flea.

((I was very hurt by what you said to Jordan.)) David said, pretending to sound upset; like he had been insulted. (("David's a heartbreaker. He doesn't care about the girls he dates". Really, Rachel. It's like you don't know me at all!))

"You're all talk!" I snapped. "I want to fight you. Let's go! Grizzly and Lion!"

((I'm not in the mood.)) David said, pretending to yawn. ((I think I might go down stairs for some waffles!))

I turned around in a complete circle. I looked at the walls, the furniture, the mirror…But I couldn't see any sign of David. I would have definitely seen David on the wall; even a beetle or a cockroach would be visible to the eye in this room!

"You aren't going anywhere." I said. "We're going to have a chat. Where were you last night?"

((I was out, mom!)) David answered. ((But don't you go thinking that I didn't notice Jake and his little bodyguards hanging around my parent's place. Marco wouldn't quit whining about how creepy the place looked.))

"How did you get those Controllers to cooperate?" I asked. "How much do they know?"

((Controllers?)) David repeated. He was trying to sound innocent; like he really didn't know what I had been talking about. ((I have no idea what you're talking about.))

"Save it." I snarled. "Jake told me that some family has been living at your house the entire time. I want to know how you did it."

((Yeerks tend to do whatever you want when you have something important to tell them.))

"You've contacted them?"

((I've spoken to a few higher ups.)) David replied. ((You could imagine how surprised they were when I walked into the Yeerk Pool. The Yeerks are under the impression that I'm dead. Chapman nearly had a heart attack when he saw me. It was hilarious!))

"You've spoken to Chapman?" I repeated. "So you've told him about us?"

((Rachel, think about this for a second.)) David said, annoyed. ((Do you think your family would still be downstairs, eating waffles, if the Yeerks knew that the great Andalite Bandits were a bunch of kids?))

No…I hadn't thought about that.

((For now, your secret remains safe with me.)) David assured me. ((I don't want to have all my eggs in one basket.))

"But they'll make the connection." I argued.

((That's very true.)) David agreed. ((They're still convinced that you guys were Andalites who kept me around because you felt bad about killing an innocent bystander. I convinced the Yeerks that I gained the power to morph when I first touched the cube. I told them that I wasn't wanted amongst the Andalite Bandits and left town. But I don't know how much longer the Yeerks are going to go along with it. Chapman seems to think that at least some of you guys are human."

"So, the Yeerks agree to help you keep a low profile in exchange for information?"

((Some information,)) David agreed. ((And maybe a little more.))

"Don't make promises you can't keep, David," I jeered. "You'll find yourself in some pretty hot water if you can't deliver to Visser One."

((Oh, but I've already found what I wanted, Rachel.)) David said, pleasantly. ((I'm keeping it safe for the time being. I'm not ready to hand it over to the Yeerks; not just yet.))

"Tobias!" I said. "You kidnapped Tobias.))

David didn't say anything.

"I'll kill you!" I cried. "I'll kill you for taking Tobias!"

((You should keep your bird on a leash!)) David sneered.

I grabbed something from my desk—a paper weight, an electric sharpener…who knows—and chucked it at the wall.

((You missed by a long shot!)) David laughed in my head. ((But I'm closer than you think.))

I grabbed a book and threw it at the floor; only to have David laugh even harder. I started picking up things at random; sending them flying across the room, hoping one of those hard objects would meet its mark and crush David in whatever pathetic form he was using. The last thing I had thrown put a hole in my wall.

((Hey Rachel, look down!)) David said, laughing.

Suddenly, I felt something crawling against my skin. David was crawling on a part of my body. He was on my top!

I started swatting at my torso. A fly flew into the air, heading towards the wide open window. I started to chase after the putrid insect; clapping my hands in hopes of trapping David. If I managed to catch him, I would put him in a jar and I would watch him for two hours. If he thought the rat was hell, wait until he spent a lifetime as a fly. And if he tried to demorph, I would smash the jar with my foot and kill him.

((Yea, good luck catching a fly!)) David sneered, buzzing around my head. ((It would be far more productive if you tried to catch the air in front of your face; or maybe a paramecium! I'm too fast for your clumsy old…))

I caught him in my hands! I kept them cupped together, careful not to squash him. No, I would trap him. I just had to find a container to put him in. There—the music box on the vanity.

The fly in my hands buzzed around madly. It tickled my hands. It felt like touching the special cloth that you use in the laundry; fuzzy. David's constant buzzing was making my teeth tingle.

"You're going to spend the rest of your life as a fly, David!" I laughed. "You shouldn't have taken Tobias. You should have stayed on your Island. You should have…"

"Rachel!" My mother screamed. She had chosen that moment to walk into the room. She looked around the room, staring in awe at the multiple holes and cracks in the wall, and the various objects scattered across the room.

"What was all that noise?" She demanded. "I heard you talking to someone…And you sounded like you were throwing things!"

"Nothing mom!" I snapped. "Just go—I'll be downstairs in a minute." David was buzzing around in my hands. I had nearly let him go!

"Rachel, what's that in your hand?" My mother asked.

She stepped towards me.