Disclaimer: Not mine, scholastic's :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I had no idea how long I was unconscious, but I was brought out of my sleep by the feeling of hitting water.
Startled, I tried to open my eyes, only they wouldn't open. It was like they were sealed shut. I was definitely under water, but strangely it didn't feel cold, but comfortingly warm instead. I began to panic though, if I was underwater and couldn't see, where was air? I would run out of air soon, and I might die.
Somehow subconsciously I had the vague idea of what direction up was and tried to move my arms, only they weren't there. I tried feeling for them, but it was like my arms didn't exist anymore. My legs too, were gone.
Air! I panicked again, only... I didn't seem to need air. I had been underwater for at least a minute yet I didn t even feel that burning feeling your lungs gave you when you hold your breath.
Was I dead?
'Oh, I know!' I thought to myself. 'Maybe I'm in morph already.' Maybe somehow I had ended up in the body of a trout or a lobster while I had been asleep, although it didn't explain my eyes. Still guessing I was in morph I focused on the mental image of myself and waited for my body to change.
Nothing happened. I tried moving my arms or legs, they still weren't there. I tried again, beginning to panic again, was I in a morph that I had been trapped in, going over the two-hour time limit?
I was roused out of my panic when something bumped into me. I was too pre-occupied to give much thought and said absently to whatever bumped into me ((Hey watch it.)) I didn't even think what I was saying, too wrapped up in fear.
((Oh, sorry Eslin One-Oh-seven.))
I stopped cold.
That was a yeerk name.
((Ex... Excuse me?)) I stuttered. This had to be a mistake, maybe I misheard. Or maybe this was a dream, a very bad dream.
((Yeesh, I said I was sorry Eslin.))
((Eslin?)) I repeated. And then it hit me. ((I'm ... you're...)) I was talking to a yeerk.
No, worse I WAS a yeerk
((NO. NO. NOOOOOOO)).
((Oh dear, it still seems you're still confused.)) The other yeerk said absently, almost to himself. ((Looks like we'll still have to continue the treatment.))
I only paid so much attention to him, I was too busy wrapped up in my own horror. What had happened? Had I been in morph somehow and had gotten trapped? How?
I felt something large gently take a hold of my body. I was dragged up from the warm liquid I was in and my skin felt dry air. Then I was placed in more liquid, only feeling around I was in some small container. I touched one nearby wall, and then, strangely, I could see.
Only it wasn't quite sight. Everything seemed pixelated like an old computer screen. Yet I could see I was in a laboratory of some sort. Some men in white lab coats moved around looking busy, while a hork-bajir stood patiently, probably a guard.
"Who are you?" Stupid, question, they were yeerks of course. "Where am I? What have you done to me?"
Strangely enough I could speak, because one of the men looked up and approached where I was. Probably some mechanism of the container I was in.
"Oh good, you're finally acknowledging us. You've been quite a concern lately, Eslin."
"What are you talking about? What have you done to me?"
"Hmmmm." The man, a doctor of some sort I guessed, frowned then looked at an electronic pad. "Okay then would you like to tell us who YOU are?"
"Me?" I felt a chill. I couldn't tell them who I really was, the other animorphs might be at risk. My mind raced to some up with some andalite-sounding name but before I could, the doctor looked up and answered for me.
"Let me guess, you believe you are a human male child called Jake Berenson, leader of a band of five morph-capable humans and one andalite aristh that call yourselves the animorphs, who are trying to fight our yeerk take-over of Earth?"
If I had a jaw I would have dropped it.
"No." More horror (if it was even possible at this point) swept over me. If they knew who I was, what about the others?
"I'm afraid the reality is quite different. You are not human, you are a high-ranking yeerk, Eslin One hundred and seven. You had an unfortunate run-in with some instant maple and ginger oatmeal and have been out of it for some time. You have been in a delusional state for over two months now, and appear to believe you are in fact your host."
"My host?" I echoed, this couldn't be real. I refused to believe this could be real.
"Yes, your host, Jake Berenson. If you please..." He spoke the latter part to the hork-bajir, who dragged out a gurney with a restrained person on it, who seemed to be unconscious. It was a teenage boy, tall, with short brown hair and a serious expression on a very familiar face.
No it couldn't be.
"NO."
"Eslin, this is important, you and you alone know the secret details of the remaining animorphs and their plan."
"NO! Get away from me you filth! I'm not helping you! Let me go! Let let Jake go!"
"So you finally acknowledge that you are not Jake?" The Doctor prodded, noticing my slip.
"Oh please no..." I WAS Jake wasn't I? I remembered, I was a human, a boy who liked basketball, comic books, video games, hated school...
"Do you finally know who you are?"
I was an Animorph, I fought the yeerks, turned into animals. My friends... Cassie, Marco, Rachel, Tobias, Ax...
"I think it's finally time for you to proceed to the next step." The Doctor moved towards me.
"No! Stay away! Get away from me! I'm not a yeerk! I'm NOT one of you!"
I wanted to curl up, get away from this scene. In a way, I could. I moved my body away from the wall of the container I was in and curled up my short small limbless body.
I couldn't see, but I preferred darkness.
It couldn t be real. It just couldn't.