May 19, 2000              6:30 PM

Cassie

            The six of us were at Peter and Nora's wedding.  The six of us.  David had left us.  He left Ax's scoop and had taken all of his belongings to the Hork-Bajir colony.  When Tobias told us this, Jake told us to do nothing.  He was hoping David would blow off whatever steam he needed to and come back.

            But, that night when David told us he was no longer an Animorph, he meant it.  Completely.  He was still our ally, but he was no longer one of us, and despite all the headache David has caused us in the past year, we felt a loss.  

Oddly enough, Marco was the first to admit it.  He said he was going to miss "that sarcastic, whiny bastard."  Jake and Rachel agreed.

            Ax and Tobias were generally worried about David.  All of David's stuff was at the Colony, but David was rarely there.  Toby said that David is usually there for only a few hours at a time.  The Chee have spotted his human morph "Terry Stevens" at various places, but they can never trail him.  Ax has said that David will only be found if he wants to be found.

            So it was only the six of us at Peter and Nora's wedding.  Marco was best man.  It was a beautiful ceremony, but bittersweet.  Peter doesn't know that his first wife is still alive, but we tried not to think about that as we sat reverently in a Roman Catholic Church, watching Marco's dad marry someone who is not Marco's mother. 

            At the reception, the six of us sat together.  It still felt empty without David's presence.  A little less dark, but empty nonetheless.

            "I wonder how I would feel if one of my parents got remarried."  Rachel said.

            "Why haven't they?  They've been divorced for a long time now." Jake said.

            "Eh.  There both such workaholics, they never have time for anything else.  My father was seeing this one girl seriously for a while, but it didn't work out."

            "I am surprised that marriages can be broken so easily on this planet.  Marriages.  A-jezz.  Not so much on mine." Ax said.

            "Divorce rates are so high nowadays."  Rachel said.

            "Well, I'm getting married once and only once, and it will last forever." I said daydreaming.

            I noticed Jake jitter uncomfortably.  "Who said she means you?" Rachel quipped.

            "Dude," Marco said, leering at two pretty blonde girls and whispering to Ax.  "Nora's cousins are totally checking us out."

            "Actually, it look's like Nora's cousins are totally checking Ax out." Tobias clarified.

            "Whatever.  Ax, come with me." Marco said, as he was about to make his way to Nora's cousins.

            "Marco, don't you remember what happened last Halloween?" Jake warned.

            "He was sick then. Ax isn't sick now.  He's not going to do anything stran―Ax, don't eat the flowers!"

            "But I thought I could dip them in chocolate.  Dip.  Dip-PAH!" Ax protested.

            "That's not a strawberry, that's a rose!" Rachel clarified.

            "Ah."

            "Let's go, Ax.  Now, do you remember what I told you?" Marco said as he led Ax toward Nora's bridesmaids.

            "Yes, you do all the talking."

            "I need to use the restroom.  I'll be back."  Jake said as he got up and left.

            The DJ started playing "Zoot Suit Riot", and Rachel announced that she wanted to dance, subtly hinting to Tobias.

            "Oh, I can't dance.  I have two left talons." Tobias protested, but Rachel dragged him on the floor and attempted to teach him how to swing dance.  I was left alone at the table, so I watched Rachel and Tobias.  I then looked to Marco and Ax who were chatting it up with Nora's cousins.  Ax almost stuck another flower in his mouth before Marco stopped him.  It was very entertaining to watch.  "Zoot Suit Riot" ended, and "I Swear" by All-4-One started up.  I watched Tobias sigh with relief as he was allowed to stop swing dancing and start slow dancing.  Marco and Ax were dancing with Nora's cousins, so I guess Marco's charm actually worked this time.  I was afraid for Ax though.  He's never danced before. 

            "Hi." A voice said.  I looked up and saw a very attractive boy about my age.  A very attractive black boy.   "Would you like to dance?"

            "Oh, uhhhh, I have a boyfriend." I stammered. 

            "And I have a girlfriend, but she's not here, and I want to dance."  The boy said.

            I don't know why, but I got up to dance with him.  He was very handsome.  Other than Jake, all the boys I ever thought were cute were members of my own race.  While I thought they were cute, I had always had a thing for my best friend's cousin.  It was a big part of my life.  This was the first time a black guy flirted with me and it felt . . . strange. 

            My hands were resting precariously on the guy's shoulder.  His hands were firmly on my waist.  He looked at me with pretty brown eyes, and I found it hard to look away.

            "Listen, ummm, my boyfriend.  He's here.  He's in the bathroom." I stammered.

            "Oh, is he going to kick my ass?" the Boy said, teasingly. 

            I couldn't imagine Jake getting into a fight with someone (who wasn't a yeerk). "I don't think so, but just to be safe, maybe you shouldn't hold me so close."  I said.

            "Ah, keeping me at a distance, but still caring for my safety.  Classic Cassie." The boy said.

            He knew my name.  "Do you know me?"

            "I know that sometimes you like to gallop around your farm lands.  Sometimes on Tierra.  Sometimes as Tierra."

            Tierra's my horse.  "David."  I realized.

            The boy/David flashed a smile and wiggled his eyebrows.  "Can't put anything past you, can I?"

            "What are you doing here?  In morph, no less." I whispered. 

            "What?  I said I'd come to Marco's father's wedding and here I am."

            "Jake's going to have a fit."

            "Enough about Jake already!  Aren't you going to ask me what I've been doing?"

            "Why? So you can rhetoric your way out of a real answer?"

            "Ha Ha Ha.  You sound like Melissa."

            "You are dating Melissa Chapman.  Did you tell her about us?"

            "Why don't you ask her?"

            "If you haven't told her, she'll be confused.  If you have, she'll just pretend to be confused."

            "Then I guess, you'll never know."

            "David, what have you done?"

            "Don't worry.  You guys aren't in any danger."

            "What about her?  Don't you realize the position you've put her in?  If she knows about her parents, how can she live with that?"

            "I'm doing just fine in the same boat."

            "You can do something about it.  She can't."

            "What's going on here?"  said a voice.  Jake.  "Who are you?"

            "Relax, General Berenson.  The song is over.  Can't you hear the rockin' 80's song?" David joked.

            "David?"

            "2 for 2.  I'm not fooling anyone, am I?"

            "What are you doing here?"

            "I was invited."

            "Leave."

            David stepped in closer to Jake. "Why?"

            "If you're going to morph for foolish reasons, you're a danger to us." Jake whispered in close.

            "Really?  Because the only one who's in any danger right now," David said as put his face (which in his morph is level with Jake's) about two inches away from Jake's, "is you."

            "Was that a threat?"

            "No.  A prophecy.  Look at you.  Jake, the clear-headed.  Yet, someone comes a little too close to someone you love and all your great leadership abilities go to Hell in a handbasket." David said, delivering one of his famous rhetorical speeches that solve nothing except allowing David to avoid the question at hand.  Classic David.  "It's a serious problem, Jake.  I hope you'll fix it or you're never getting your brother back."

            That's when Jake did something I didn't expect.  He threw a punch and hit David square across his jaw.  David staggered back, took his hand to his lip, and looked at the resulting blood.  "What'd I say?" David said.  "Hell in a Handbasket."

            With that, David delivered a punch to Jake's gut and a swift backhand to Jake's head.  Jake staggered back and launched himself at David.  David backed up into the buffet line and potato salad went everywhere.  They got into grapple as they continued to punch each other.  I stood there shocked, not knowing what to do.  One of Nora's male relatives yelled "Fight!" and all the wedding guests had now drawn their attention to Jake and David. 

            David freed himself from Jake's grasp and delivered two quick blows to his head.  Jake could not protect himself from David's karate moves.  David gave two more punches to Jake's face and capped it all with a tornado kick to Jake's chest.  The kick sent Jake flying into the punch bowl.  Jake rolled over the table onto the floor on the other side.

            Two of Nora's brothers came to throw Jake and David out.  I and the rest of the Animorphs followed them. I told them that the black boy fighting Jake was David.  Only Tobias was unsurprised.

            Outside the reception, there were benches.  Marco and Rachel helped Jake sit down.  I gave his face a once-over.  David had beaten him pretty badly; it was disconcerting.  Rachel and Marco seethed.  I was pretty mad at David too, but I was also mad at Jake.  Why would he fight David?  He knows David is a better fighter.  He wasn't acting logically, very un-Jake-like.

            David walked away without looking at any of us.  I think he felt pretty stupid.  He didn't mean to get into fisticuffs with Jake, and it looked like he felt pretty ashamed for letting his ego get the better of him.

            I prevented Rachel and Marco from trailing David.  They would only get into another fight with him.  I didn't think to stop Tobias.  He seemed pretty mad as well.  Ax walked with Tobias, shooting worried looks at his prince, Jake.

            "David, what the fuck was that?" Tobias yelled.

            "Leave me alone, Feathers."

            "No!  Get back here!"

            David actually obeyed Tobias and turned around.  "What?"

            "What the fuck was that you just pulled in there?"

            "Look.  I didn't mean to start a fight.  I didn't start the fight."

            "You sure as shit ended it."

            "Look, Jake's the one with jealousy issues, okay?" David shouted back increasingly angry.

            "No.  Don't feed me a line of shit and call it mouse-guts, all right?  Don't pin this on Jake.  It's you and your jealousy of him that drives you to constantly get into a penis measuring contest with him."

            "Oh grow up!"

            "No, you grow up, David." Tobias said as he assertively grabbed David's arms. "I realize you lost something that August night, but you've been taking it out on us and especially Jake ever since.  Now, I'm sorry that the yeerks have taken everything from you, but we've all paid prices for this war.  Myself especially, but I'm dealing and Jake's dealing, and everyone else is dealing, so don't put your shit on Jake because you don't have something that he does."

            "Who says I don't?"

            "Melissa will never be Stephanie."

            "Motherfucker!!" David yelled as he grabbed Tobias by the collar of his dress-shirt.  He raised his arm to punch him, but hesitated. 

            "David, I know you never liked Jake, but I'm your friend." Tobias said calmly to the mad teenager that had him by the throat.

            David released Tobias and said.  "You're right.  Violence never solves anything.  That's why the whole lot of you will never defeat the Yeerks!  Not without destroying yourselves in the process.  Just wait and see.  Or don't.  Because I got a plan.  I'm going to pull a 'Cassie'."

            "Pull a 'Cassie'?" Rachel repeated incredulously.

            "You all can try to defeat the Yeerks, but I!  I'M going to save them." David ranted.

            "Save the Yeerks?" Marco said.  "From what?  Us?"

            "No." David said as he turned away.  "From themselves."

            "Who will save you from yourself, David?" Ax said, speaking for the first time in a long time.

            David turned back around and gave a stone gaze to Ax.  David demorphed and his real face kept the stone gaze.  David turned back around and walked away.

            "Jake, we have to do something." I said.

            "Let him go." Jake said.

            "He's going to do something crazy.  We have to get him back." I protested.

            "It's too late, Cassie." Jake said calmly, rubbing his scabbed nose.  "David's gone."

            I refused to believe it, but somehow, I knew Jake was right.