When he was finally able to sit on his bed as a human again, Marco spread out and flopped bonelessly down on it. He didnt know quite when Shara was going to come, but he didnt feel up to dealing with anyone right at the moment. He was sure she would respect that, if she did choose to come now.

Finally feeling rested enough to haul himself up and out of bed, Marco headed for the shower. He wanted to get the smell of seawater out of his hair, and his clothes, before his dad got home to wonder about it. The man might not have been the most observant of people, but he was far from stupid, and Marco didnt want to end up having to explain the weird scent on him if he could avoid it.

Closing the bathroom door behind him, Marco stripped down to his morphing outfit and turned on the water so it could heat up. Tossing his clothes into the back of the tub, directly under the main force of the spray from the angled showerhead, he removed the last of his clothes and tossed them into a pile at the edge of the bathroom rug.

Climbing into the steaming shower, he adjusted the water until it was at a more comfortable temperature, and then started to wash up.

XXX

Once theyd both been fed, and Slade had fallen asleep, Shara mentally debated about whether or not she would go talk to Marco today. His father would probably be home, though, and it wouldnt do at all for the man to come in during their conversation. Still, there were other ways to do things than the two of them meeting up at his house.

She didnt think the barn was an option; at least, not for very long. No need to confuse Slade by talking about things that he not only didnt remember, but also seemed to have no interest in. Not so much for his benefit as for hers; she didnt think she could deal with her own brother reacting with such confusion while she talked about their shared past.

Maybe it was best that she talked to Marco before she, well, talked to Marco.

Morphing into her Swallow-Tailed Kite form, she made a running takeoff out of the hay-loft and winged her way into the sky. Passing over the fields and roads on her way to the home of one of her fellow Animorphs, Shara considered what was beneath her. All of the houses looked pretty much the same from so high up.

Shed need to be a bit more creative if she was going to find who she was looking for.

(Marco,) she said, not wanting to rely on the short-ranged thought-speak that she was granted by morphs. (If youre down there somewhere, stick your hand out of a window. Im in the air; Ill see you just fine. If youre in a position to talk, wave; if youre not, just let your wrist hang loosely.)

Out of one of the many windows she glimpsed during her flight, a dark-skinned hand appeared; waving enthusiastically.

(All right,) she said, with a mental smile. (Ill be down there in just a minute. Wait for me.)

Marco gave her a thumbs-up, then withdrew her hand as she folded her wings. Diving for as long as she felt she needed to do so, she flared and swooped into the room. It was a bit messy, she couldnt help but notice; something that Marco most definitely did not have in common with Cain.

The boy himself was sitting on his bed, an expectant look fixed on his face.

(Hey, Marco,) she said, hopping down off the window sill and alighting on the desk. (Do you know any places, other than the barn, where we could talk without being overheard by anyone?)

Grabbing a notepad from the drawer of his nightstand, Shara watched as he searched in vain for a pen, before bending over and plucking one out from under his bed. Even her father at his most absent-minded hadnt been one for leaving stationary under his bed; it was kind of funny. Looking over at what he had written, she cocked her head slightly: Shouldnt you be demorphing now?

(If you insist,) she said, with an amused chuckle.

Demorphing swiftly from her small, helpless-feeling bird form, Shara stretched a bit, before settling herself down in the chair by his desk. (Is this better?)

A bit weirder, but yeah. Considering the alternative, came the quick response. Why dont we just talk here? Its not like anyones going to overhear us.

(I didnt think youd be particularly interested in conducting a conversation entirely in writing,) she said reasonably. (And, theres always the chance of your father coming in, isnt there?)

Youd hear him before he got halfway up the stairs, though, right oh great and mighty shark-slayer? He was smirking as he showed her the message, and she found herself rolling her eyes at his antics.

(Yes, I would,) she said, and sighed. (But Id rather not have to spend the entire conversation on alert for someone who might or might not come into the room. Thats why I wanted to set up a meeting with you at someplace thats not so occupied.)

Makes sense, he showed her, then flipped the pad back up so he could write out something else. But, Dad told me that he was going to have to go to work for awhile tomorrow. Something about a big project or other, so Id have the whole house to myself. Id say thats the perfect time for you to come and have that little chat of ours, dont you think?

(I think thatd work out very well,) she said, with a nod. (Ill see you tomorrow then, Marco.)

XXX

See you tomorrow, Shara, he finished writing out, just as the girl herself finished morphing back into the white-and-black bird whose name he didnt remember. Nodding to him a last time, she flew out of his window and powered her way into the sky. At least, that was what she probably did.

He didnt see that part, since he was too busy scribbling out his part of their conversation, and then shredding it into unreadable pieces before throwing the scraps into his trash. Flopping back down on his bed, he stretched. He was still curious about what Shara was keeping from the rest of the group, but hed find out all of that tomorrow.

He could wait until then.

Walking over to his window, he stuck his head out and looked up into the sky. Shara was long out of sight by now, and the sun was beginning to set. He wouldnt be able to see the sunset, not from his room, anyway, and for a few moments he was almost tempted to go out to watch it. Just for a moment, though, since he wasnt really interested in that kind of thing.

Sitting back on his bed for a moment, he decided to head down for dinner.