At this time, Rachel has infiltrated Chapman's house a second time. From that point on the Animorphs are about to face Visser Three for a second time.
Dad returned home that night, strangely free of any bruises and definitely limping. Not that I was actively trying to find wounds or anything. But my eyes did cast downward as he went to the sink to wash his hands.
I was sitting at the table trying to eat a bowl of soup and going over the homework that "I" did earlier. Paul was too good at math for my teachers to ever believe I had done it. And with the mentality that I would go back to school tomorrow, unharmed, I worked at changing some of the answers so Mrs. Sparrow wouldn't give me a detention for cheating.
"How was school?" Dad asked.
No agitation in his voice, or trace that he had a bad day. Just a casual, ordinary, how was school. I thanked God that I had the sense not to blow my cover at the Church.
"Oh, the usual," I said. "Mrs. Sparrow is convinced she can take over the world. I think you should look into that."
Dad chuckled. At least it felt like dad.
For the next three days I didn't talk to Bryce. Actually, once I made contact with him. But it was a note that said, Just give me some space. Don't screw with anyone if you catch my drift, so it wasn't technically speaking.
The next three nights I slept with one eye open, expecting Kullan to drag me out of bed and up to the church. But three nights later I was still me.
What's going on in your head? I wanted to know. What do you want from me Kullan? Sorry, Visser Six.
The bottom line is that I was patently and seriously screwed, no matter what I did. And three nights I could have been trying to figure everything out were three nights I had wasted.
"B minus," Mrs. Sparrow tossed the test on the table in front of me. "Very good, Sean."
Not really, I thought as I looked over the test. Some of the problems were the same as the ones on the homework Paul had done for me that week. I remembered the answers and those were what landed me the B minus. Not a huge deal considering how badly I would suck on the next test.
When class let out, I walked with Bryce. We didn't talk for most of the way. Then Bryce broke the silence.
"You should know we've been watching you," Bryce said.
"I know." Or I at least suspected the Chee wouldn't take the chance of not keeping an eye on me. "Listen, do any of the Chee in California know anything? Anything at all about Kullan 926? Or Sestran?"
Bryce shook his head.
"Nothing," he said. "A Chee was even able to get access to a computer and hack most of the mother ship's database. Sestran was a low ranking lieutenant who is now presumably dead. And here's something you may find interesting. The real Visser Six is on a Yeerk controlled world called Kobrus, several thousand light years from Earth."
That was interesting. Not that it helped my situation, but it was something to think about.
"So maybe this guy is just a nutcase," I suggested. "Can Yeerks get schizophrenia?"
"I honestly don't know."
We stopped walking and gazed down at the river. The river was so much like my life at that moment. Constantly on the move, focusing on one direction but not really knowing where it ends. A week ago, my life wasn't nearly as complicated. And now I was stuck.
"I wish I knew what to do."
"Can I make a suggestion," Bryce said.
"Anything."
There was a pause. And then Bryce said, "Maybe you should give yourself a name for what you are. Something that reminds you that you're still a human being, but you have a purpose in all of this. Like the way US war prisoners would tell their captors, 'I am an American Soldier'."
I knew what Bryce was talking about. A history teacher made mention of it once, but I didn't know how it would help my situation. I just shrugged.
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"Just one…Animorph."