Chapter 21 I had forgotten to bring the thermals. I was going to find a way to get back to the barn. The barn was on a narrow, winding road that wound along the road, passing by many houses. I was going to look for them by treading the dirt. But the dirt was unpaved, so I had to dig a ditch. I began by digging up a small stream that ran beneath the road. I dug out a small stream that turned. Then I used the stream to turn a strip of grass into a ditch. I dug a little more. Then I grabbed a log and a blanket and carefully laid it out, drawing a ditch above me. I morphed to bald eagle and started to climb the incline, but then I saw a house down the road. The windows were open. They were big enough to fill a small room. I took a look down and saw a man with a shotgun. He opened the door and I saw him in the house. He was carrying a big bag of chips. I looked out into the dark and I realized I was alone in the house. I was glad. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep with my legs still in the bed. I dreamed of sitting there, dreaming all alone, watching TV, listening to music, eating, dreaming about dinner. My eyes adjusted to the dimness. My vision sharpened. I blinked. And then I saw it. It was in the window. It was in the window. It was in the window. I looked up at the sky. It was an amazing blue sky. It was a perfect angle, just right to me. I looked out over the sea, to the east. It was a seabed. I couldn’t see well enough to make details, but I could make out a bunch of little islands that looked like a beach. They were just white sand boulders, about three feet across. They looked like a long, round, three-foot-high tube. They were about as tall as a person’s huge foot. They were about the size of tall trees. I looked down at the sand, and then up toward the ocean. It was as if I were looking into a water tunnel. Like a storm or hurricane had poured up from the ocean. I was in the ocean. I looked down again. I was in a vast, open ocean. The ocean of life. I felt the urge to cry. “It’s over. It’s over. I’m out of here!” But I didn’t feel the urge. Like I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t know what to do. I was alone in the ocean. I powered my wings and flew. I circled, fighting the current. But it was too late. I was in the water. The waves just plowed into the sand beside me. I was all alone. I had to demorph. I had to demorph. But I couldn’t morph any other creature. I turned my head to look at the sea. It was too narrow. Too deep. Too far away. I was not alone. The waves lifted me up. I was underwater. I was in the ocean. I was not alone. I was not going to the surface. The waves pushed back against the sand. I was underwater, but I was underwater. I looked up, through the water. I saw the coastline and saw a sea of trees. But I could not see the people. I could not see them. They were hidden by the waves. Down the coast I saw the beach and saw the surf. But I could not see them. I turned my head to look at the ocean. I saw the sky, but nothing to me. I tried to swim. I had to use my arms. But the muscles were too tight. I was too weak to use my hands. I was in the water of the sea. I tried to stand up. But my legs were too weak. I tried to run my legs over the sand. But I fell like a rag doll. I tried again. I was too weak. I fell and fell. I was trapped. Again and again. There was no one to help me. I was trapped, but I could use my arms. But I was powerless. I searched the water for a minute, then tried to swim. But the current was too strong. I was in the water. And I was drowning. I could hear the waves crashing down on me. I could feel the waves beating on my face. I tried to morph Chapter 19 “I, uh, I didn’t hear you,” I said. “No. You don’t,” he said. “I didn’t hear you,” I said. “No. I said I heard you.” “No. I don’t know. I mean, what, you know how you were up, but it was like three hours?” “No. I mean, we are not exactly in the same place anymore. We were on the same street. I mean, we were standing there.” “Familiar place?” “We’d have to morph out,” I said. “But I’m thinking this is a place we’d be safe.” “On the same street. Weird.” “There are no streetlights,” he said. “Some streets aren’t pretty, but on the other side of the street there are plenty of lights.” I looked around. I knew we were safe. I knew the place and the lights. But I didn’t know where we were or how to get back. “You know what? I’m going to try and find you, okay?” I tried to smile. I tried to sound sympathetic. But I was too embarrassed to say anything. “Okay, you’re going out with me, okay? You’re going out with me on a date.” He looked at me. “What?” “I’ll go out with you.” “Yeah, right.” “I’ll go get some food?” I threw the bag of food I was carrying into the trash. “What food?” I asked. “I’ll eat it,” he said. I heard the sound of a tire being pulled by a truck. I started to eat the food. “What kind of food do you eat?” he asked. “What are you eating?” I asked him. “Oh, man. I’m starving.” “I’m going to look at you.” “What?” He looked at me. “What?” “Oh, man, I’m going to look at you. Eat me.” I began to eat the food I was eating. I felt my stomach turning to mush. I was already morphing. “Oh, man. I’m going to look at you and eat you.” He looked at me. I was afraid. I was afraid because I felt the same sense of dread. It was so cold. I felt like I was being suffocated. I took a deep breath. My stomach was crawling with the fear. The feeling of fear. Like I was helpless. “Look,” I whispered, “I’m okay. I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. I’m cranky. So what’s going on?” “I’m okay. I’m just hungry,” he said. “Crazy hungry.” “Crazy cranky.” “Crazy cranky. You’ll never find me.” It was a lie. I’d told him. I’d only told him one thing. I had been knocked out. I’d been brain fried. I looked past him into the darkness. He was right. I was alone. I was alone in this dark place, in a space where no one could see me. No one could see me. No one could see me. I was alone. In a space that could only be known as “underground.” “Oh, man.” “That’s it. That’s it.” “No. I’m doing fine. But it’s not.” “I’m not doing ...” “Come on,” I said. “Let’s go.” I walked out onto the roof of the Bug fighter. Down the ship, into the darkness of the cavern. Down the deep blue floor of the ship. I was alone. I was alone in a place where no one could see me. But Chapter 8 - Jake “I have to call the cops,” I said. “Yeah, I’m supposed to go home and get this paper bag,” I said. “No,” Rachel said. “You’re not supposed to do it. You’re not supposed to do it.” “I’m going to take it,” I said. Rachel nodded. “Good, because now I have the second-to-last yellow feather. I’ll go buy it a memory stick. Here!” I started to climb up the fence, but Jake was standing right in front of me. The kid was wearing dirty clothes, so he was probably in his underwear. “Hey!” I said. Jake started to walk and I started to run. “Hey!” Rachel yelled. I threw up my hands. “I’m just an amateur,” I said. “I know what I’re doing.” “Let’s try to forget it,” I said. “See how you’re doing.” I threw up my hands. “How about if we just forget about it?” Jake asked. “When we’re done?” I didn’t want to have to do all that. I just wanted to be able to leave the house. Jake looked at me and gave me a dirty look. “That’s fine, Jake. I like you.” “I’m okay,” I said. “Rachel, you have been in morph for a long time. You know the emotions, and you know when to use that emotion-sapping move.” “I’m fine,” Jake said. “I just need one word: It’s a disaster.” “Get over it,” I said. “It’s not going to be all that great. We’ll have to do this one way or other.” “I have to call my dad.” I looked over at Rachel. I couldn’t see her face. I just could. I could stuck my finger in my mouth and make her say, “Daddy! I am supposed to be going on a mission with you.” She didn’t say anything. “You okay?” I asked. “It’s just ... it’s not exactly normal for me to be in a morph.” “Yeah, well, well,” she said. “It’s not exactly normal for me to be in a morph.” “How do you know?” “Because you’re the same girl you always were when you were little.” “Mmmm.” “Thank you, Rachel,” I said. “I guess it’s safe to say that I’m no different from you.” Rachel sighed. “Actually, I’m a little different, too, but I’m just a girl.” “I know,” I said. “I know.” “Okay.” Jake stood up. “Rachel, let me just say this: You have a right to keep an eye on your own. You have to.” I narrowed my eyes. “I have the right to take care of myself when I’m healthy.” “I do,” Rachel said. “I guess I’m going to try and figure out a way to pay my bills.” “I can’t,” I said. “Rachel, you know I’m not exactly being helpful here,” Jake said. “I’m not exactly helping you with the housing situation.” Rachel shook her head violently. “I know. I know.” “At least it’s not too much of a crisis,” I said. “Here it comes,” Jake said. “I’m going to try and get this paper bag out of your way.” “Okay, Jake,” Cassie said. “Go ahead.” Jake put the paper bag in her backpack and led the way to the front door of the house. There was a teacher’s chair Chapter 26 It was an early morning. We were in the woods. We were not near the bird-watchers. We were in owl morph. We were almost blind. Too small to see well enough to make eavesdropping sound. But we could hear and smell. The guy I was going to meet was in the crowd. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans and pants with pockets. He was sitting in the corner of the circle he had been sitting in. His hair was in a straight line down to his shoulders. His face was a long black beard with a sort of coarse black mustache. His chest was a huge rectangle that was almost unisex. But he looked like a rocking chair. And he wore it in a display of all the outfit he had been playing in. He also wore a leather jacket over a T-shirt. He sat on a low stool, with a jacket just crawling across his legs. “Hi,” he said. “Hi,” I repeated, and he answered with his usual kind of casual tone of voice. “Hi,” he repeated again. “Hey, what’s up?” “I ... I just got this e-mail, from a guy ...” “Hi, Jake,” I said. “I was just wondering if I could help. I just think it just goes to show you how we’re supposed to act.” He smiled a smile that was as wide as a small boy’s face. “Yeah. You were right.” “I know. I know.” “I know. I’m sorry. Well, I guess that’s all I have to say. I guess I don’t want to say anything that could have an impact on your future.” I didn’t answer. I was too far gone. I was out of air. I knew I was crazy. I was so stressed out I’d started crying. “Hi, Jake,” I said. “Hi,” he said. “Yeah, I’m Rachel.” “Hi,” he said. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Jessica.” “I’m with a doctor.” “Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’m fine.” I looked away. I know I was crazy. I know I was messed up. I know I was stressed out. But I wanted to say something, and I wanted to make sure he was right. “I am an owl,” he said. I nodded and slipped into my seat. “Okay, Jake,” I said. “I’m fine.” He nodded. “Yeah, okay. Rachel and I will be here soon.” “Okay,” I said, “but I have a question.” “What is an owl?” “An animal with the sense that sounds are coming from above or behind you. It’s kind of like your walking stick. It’s fast, but it’s not very agile. Like it’s going to get in the way. You can’t see very well enough to make a sound.” “You were supposed to ask me. But I guess I forgot.” I shook my head. “I forgot.” “Okay. Rachel and I have a very important question,” he said. “How did you get into this species?” I shook my head. “It was all I needed to know. Who are you?” “I’m not sure,” he said. “But I’ve never met a person who sounded like you. Or like you.” “I was wondering if I could help,” I said. “I was thinking maybe you could explain to me -” “Oh, yeah. I’m sorry,” I said. “You were supposed to ask me. But I guess I forgot. I think I forgot.” “Yeah, well, you could have!” I said. “I’d rather have had to go find you, Rachel.” He nodded. “Okay. I’ll take care of you.” “Wait a minute, Chapter 21 I really didn’t need a full-time guide. I had to get people to look for me. This was the worst. I was in a hurricane. A storm like no hurricane had ever hit the earth. The windows in my bedroom window were broken. The window itself was broken in half. I could see the ground rushing up at me. I could see bright in the darkness. I saw a little bird. It was a red-tailed hawk. It was fluttering low to the ground. The hawk was resting on a patch of grass. The grass was moist and warm. I saw a little boy. He was in his own little world. It was a world of his own. “I’m Rachel,” he said. “I’m this girl who lives in the house with her mom. My mom and she’re the only other one of us.” “Okay, okay,” I said. “I’m Rachel.” I felt his mind turn to me. He was in the middle of his own thought-speak. “I don’t think it’s Rachel.” “Um, Jake.” My father had called me by his actual name. He had come to see me. I was happy to oblige. He was worried I would act immature. I was frightened. I was afraid. And I was glad. I’d been on the wrong end of a fight with a monster that was trying to eat me. “Jake?” I said. “Yeah?” “What?” “I’m sorry. I was just ...” I waited for him to say a word. But he didn’t. And then he stopped. “Rachel?” He said. “Oh, yeah. I think I was sorry.” “Yeah, right.” “So I said sorry,” he said. “And I guess I guess I was just ...” “Oh, yeah,” I said, already feeling a little embarrassed. “I know. I know. But I ...” “Rachel, I really don’t think about you that way. I mean, you’re ... you know, I mean, you’re maybe four inches tall, but you’re not exactly normal. I mean, you look normal to me.” “Yeah, I’m like normal,” I said. “I don’t care if I’m big or small or ...” “You’re not normal.” “I’m normal.” “I’m maybe four inches tall, but you’re not exactly normal,” I said. “I have very little clothing.” “Is that true?” “Yes.” “You’re not exactly normal.” “I’ll tell you one thing. In the last couple of years, I’ve been looking for someone who’s normal.” It was a lie. The truth. I knew it. But I didn’t want to lie to anyone. “Oh, man,” I said, embarrassed. “I’m not exactly normal. I’m not exactly normal.” “You’re just normal?” “No.” “You’re right.” “I’m not exactly normal,” I said. “I’m not exactly normal.” “So what’s the problem?” “Well, I have really, really small shoulders, and I have very, very big shoulders.” “What?” I asked him. “I have really small shoulders. I have shoulders that are more than half my height. I have very small claws on top of my shoulders. And I have huge, extra big, powerful hands.” “What?” “I have hands.” “What?” “I have hands.” He looked at me and smiled. “That’s a lot of things we do in the dark, right?” “Not too much,” I said. He shook his head. “I think we have a problem here.� Chapter 12 I had a lot of fun. They were not large. They were not sentient. They were not simple creatures. They were not like the Drode. They were like the Chee. Although their main mouths were smaller than my own, they had mouths that could read my mind, either in one or many different ways. They were like a sort of blind computer, with very limited memories. They had no eyes or vision. They were like a machine made of metals and by far the strongest in the universe. It was thus that they were designed to be very intelligent. I could see them as clearly as I could see the Drode. I could smell and taste them, and yet not understand or even feel their thoughts or ideas. But they were not blind. They could see and feel and understand. They were aware. I was aware of the Drode. I could see him clearly and yet not grasp his thoughts or emotions. I could sense his thoughts and emotions in my own body. I felt the changes begin. The Drode moved. His eyes moved. His thoughts and feelings flooded my mind. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I was aware of the morphing. I felt my own body begin to change. I felt the changes begin. I felt my mind begin to shift, to shift from being the Yeerk to being a human. But I was not the Yeerk. I was the Drode. I felt the changes begin. I saw the Drode begin to change. I saw the human form begin to change. I saw my own body become human again. It was a terrifying experience. My own body melting and changing and becoming human again. I felt the changes begin. I felt my own body begin to swell and to grow. And yet, I knew that I was not becoming a human. I was becoming something new. I felt the changes begin. I felt the human mind begin to rise above the Yeerk mind. I felt my mind become human. I felt the changes begin. I felt the human body shrink away and disappear. I felt the human mind become a thousand times more complex than it was before. I felt the changes begin. I felt my own body begin to shrink. And yet, I was still human, too. I felt the changes begin. I felt the human body grow and change. I felt the changes begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the change begin. I felt the Chapter 15 “Where are we?” I asked. I stepped out into the empty forest. It was very dark. I couldn’t see much beyond. But I could smell it. It was a rain forest. But it was a rain forest. The trees, the grass, the bushes, all covered in a sort of thick fog. “I found it,” I said. “It’s in a cave. For about four days. I took it to me. And I took it home. And now, I’m telling you, I don’t know why. But I have to go to the house.” “What?” “I was supposed to go upstairs and have a look at the Mom and Dad. But ... I have to go to the house. I want to see them.” I nodded. “Fine. Fine, but what time is it?” “I am in the living room, in the kitchen, of the bedroom.” “What time is it?” “I don’t know. But I’m on the couch, in the middle of the room.” “What is your name?” “Rachel.” “How many words are there?” “Four.” “Okay.” I sat down in my bed. I had to find my voice. I could not speak. I was trying to think. I was still out of my mind. “Rachel?” “What?” “You’re too young to become a parent.” I sat up. She had been sitting in the chair. “Your mom is.” “Okay.” I looked out into space. I could see my own home. I could see the trees. And I could see the stars. I could see the stars. I could see the clouds. But I wasn’t in a place. I was in a place. And I was in the house. I was alone. I was alone in the house. And now, my loneliness was getting worse. Worse. “Rachel,” I said. “You’re supposed to be alone in the house. Too many things to focus on. Too many things to focus on. You’re supposed to be the one to do all the work, but you’re the one to do nothing.” “What?” She shook her head. “No. But I’m glad I was there. I guess I was. I’m glad you were there. I guess I felt like it was the most important thing in the entire world.” “You’re supposed to be the one to do what?” “I’m not sure,” I said. “I mean ... I mean you. To do the things you’re supposed to do.” “I know what you are. I’ve seen you. I know what you are.” “I have no idea what you are. I don’t know what you are, but I’m going to have a heart attack if I don’t do something right now.” She saw my eyes. She reached out with one of her fingers and touched me. I was breathing. “You are the one to do what, Rachel.” “I’m not sure.” “I’m not sure what you are, but I have to.” I felt her touch again. And I felt her reach out to me. I felt her touch my heart. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I guess I’ll get on with this.” She shook her head slowly. “You want me to do the same, Rachel?” I nodded. “Yes. I have the same.” “I’m concerned about you.” “I know what you are,” she said. I felt her touch my throat. “You have no idea what you are.” “No. I mean, I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to do all the things that you are. I’m going to do the things you are. Rachel, I’m going to do all the things you are.” Chapter 16 We flew. I had to get to the surface. Rachel and Ax were right on the trail. I flew. I dove, flew, dove, flew, dove, flew, fell, dove, plummeted, dropped, dropped, descended. Rachel! Hah HAH! We hit the ground! We hit concrete and metal and heavy. But we didn’t leave the mall. We flew. Out into the sky. The mall! The mall! The mall! I moaned. Rachel said. I began to demorph. I could feel the changes happening. I could feel the changes being made. I was becoming a bird. I was becoming a human. I was becoming a bird that could not exist without me. I could not stop the changes. I was a human being. But I could stop the Yeerks. I could stop the Yeerks from enslaving humans. I could stop the Yeerks from enslaving Hork-Bajir. I could stop the Yeerks from enslaving the humans. All I had to do was to look at what I saw. I saw the mall and the mall with my vision. I saw the two Hork-Bajir I had known, all of them in morph. I saw the mall with my vision. I saw my own human, Cassie, faster than a human, but not faster than a Hork-Bajir. I saw Rachel, the human, with the same speed as she had when she was a Hork-Bajir. I saw the humans, each as fast as a Hork-Bajir, but not faster than a human. I saw the mall with my vision. I saw Rachel, the human, now as fast as if she were a Hork- Bajir. I saw the humans, now, having no faster than Hork-Bajir, but not faster than a human. I saw the humans, now, with their mouths in human mouths, but not their mouths, but their vibrations, and I saw how they had morphed, and I saw their heads, and then the three of them, having been morphed back to human. I saw a human with a mouth, and I saw Rachel, in human shape. But not Rachel, but her vibrations, and I saw Cassie, shrinking, shrinking, and then, as soon as I could smell her, I saw her again. I saw the human with a pair of small eyes, and I saw her human face, shrinking, shrinking. I saw the human, now, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human again, becoming human again, growing, growing, growing. I saw Rachel, human, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human. I saw the human, now, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human. I saw my own human, Cassie, shrinking and shrinking, growing, growing. I saw my own human, Rachel, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human. I saw my own human, Rachel, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human. I saw my own human, Cassie, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human, becoming human. I saw my own human, Cassie, shrinking, becoming human, becoming human. I saw my own human, Cassie, becoming something else, becoming something other, becoming something different. I saw the other humans, now, not as my own human, but as this human, but as this human, this human, this human again, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this human being, this I saw the other humans, now, lying unconscious in the mud, but still the others still in the mall, twice as fast as Rachel and me. They had seen me before. I had seen them before. I had seen the mall. I saw the human, now lying on a wooden floor. I saw the others, now lying on the ground, almost as fast as Rachel and me. I saw them in their human forms, becoming fully human again. Chapter 27 - Cassie I was in the barn. I was in the barn with the other Animorphs. The barn is a nice place to hang out. I feel very close. The birds care for them very well. And if I was to ask you what you think of the place, I would say that it is just fine. The animals are very nice, the food is delicious. But maybe you would like to know something more? Well, I have a question. I have dreams. Those dreams are all I have, right? “I don’t know,” I said. “I guess I don’t have to make them.” “Yes,” Jake said. “The idea of making them sounds a lot more interesting than you’d think.” “Sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. “Right.” “Okay.” I started to morph, but my body was not good at it. It was not good with the hands. I had a weak, weak body. I was very clumsy. “I know it sounds crazy,” I said. “But I’ll do it.” “Yeah.” “See? See?” I said. “It’s like morphing a squirrel. I mean, you go to a zoo, you get a morph, and you get to morph a bird. And then you have to use that bird to carry out the morphing.” I was morphing an osprey and using my tail feathers to stick a phone in my mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “No, I’m just wondering,” Jake said, “Why? Why?” “Well,” I lied. “You are not the wolf,” Jake said. “You are the hawk. You are the hawk.” “I’ll throw this morph out there,” I said. “I have to find a new morph for it.” “What?” “I have to find a new morph.” “But ... but ...” “Wait a minute!” Jake yelled. “You’re saying I have to be the wolf to throw this morph?” “No.” I snapped my fingers. “Not the wolf. The hawk.” “So,” Jake snapped. “You mean like a hawk?” “Huh?” I said. “I mean like a hawk?” “Yeah,” Jake said. “Imagine you’re a bird of prey. You’re doing a morph of an eagle. Eagles are very good hunters. But you’re also a hawk.” I nodded. “But I’m not a hawk. I’m a human girl.” “Yeah, cool,” Jake said. “I’m a human girl.” “I’ll throw this human girl.” “I’ll throw her out there,” I said. “I have to find her.” “I know,” Jake said. “But it’s not a bad idea. You guys sit here and you do a morph.” “Nope,” I said. “Okay. But I’m going to morph a pony,” Jake said. They both looked at each other. And then at each other again. The five of us all started to morph. It was weird. I mean, we had never even had a chance to try it. We were all lying on our side of a tangle of wires or something. There was a feeling of being on top of nothing and being squeezed into the little crevices. But it was all very real now. We were both lying down. We were on our sides of a wire or something. We were being squeezed and squeezed till we had no mouth. I opened my mouth. Suddenly I was being squeezed and squeezed till I had teeth. I felt my skin stretching. Poking through a wire that had been my mouth. I was being squeezed and squeezed till my skin was a hard, fleshy slab. I felt my insides bulging out. I felt my insides becoming a bulge, like a balloon of water being sucked up by Chapter 23 It was a tall man with dark hair and blue eyes. He was standing in the middle of the forest, looking down at the ground. I felt the cold chill of his coldness. I put my hand to my mouth and whispered, “Yes, I know. I know.” He nodded. “Then he will be very tired. He will have to sleep.” I nodded. I felt a chill of fear. I was confident that the man would wake up soon. But he would not. He would wake up, obviously feeling sick. I saw the same picture on his face. Or at least that was the picture I had seen when I was a child. A young boy. A boy with an injured deer, unconscious. A young deer, lying down. From far off. “I see you,” I said. I walked over to the man. I placed my hand on his forehead. “You’ve got a lot of problems now, aren’t you?” he said. I nodded. “Yes. I have a serious problem.” “I’m sorry,” I said. “I had some bad dreams. I was in the forest. I was watching you grow up.” “You were growing up in a strange place,” the man said bitterly. “You were growing up in the woods.” He nodded. I looked at him. He was staring hard at my face. The man was troubled. “You are often disturbed,” he said. “Sometimes I wonder ...” “I wondered what you were thinking about when you were growing up.” “I wondered what you were thinking about when you were growing up.” “What?” “You were growing up. You were growing up in a strange place.” “You were growing up in a strange place,” the man said. I was about to ask a serious question. But my heart was pounding so hard I was afraid to ask what he really was talking about. The man’s eyes were staring right at me. “I was growing up. You were growing up. You were growing up in a strange place.” I had already started to answer. But he was still trying to understand. “I was growing up. You were growing up. You were growing up in a strange place.” “No, you were growing up in a strange place,” the man said. “You were growing up in the woods.” “I had a nightmare,” I repeated. “I was wetting your pants. I was biting your skin. I was morphing.” “You were morphing in the woods,” the man said. “You were morphing in the woods.” “What?” “My feet were growing from your toes.” “I had a nightmare, too,” the man said. “That’s what happened to me.” “I had a nightmare, too,” I repeated. “I was morphing in the woods,” the man said. “You were morphing in the woods, in the woods.” “Yes. I was morphing,” I repeated. “When I woke up ...” “I had a nightmare, too,” the man said. “Now, you have a nightmare, too.” We all stared at him. I had already begun to struggle, even to control the emotions I was becoming. “I had a nightmare, too,” I repeated coldly. “Now, you have a nightmare, too.” “Why are you morphing?” the man demanded. “Why?” “Because you’re not human anymore.” “Why?” “Because I was born an Andalite.” “But why did you become Andalite?” he demanded, suddenly fascinated. “Because I was an Andalite, too.” “Yes,” I said silently. “But you were not Andalite.” “Yes, but I was human.” “I was an Andalite.” “Yes, but you were not Andalite.” “Yes Chapter 12 I landed on the tree, feeling the warm wind on my face. “Okay, now what?” Jake asked. “Yeah.” I looked around the clearing. The sky was so different. But I could see the red-tailed hawk, looking down at me, grinning. “It’s a trap,” I said. “If they’re in morph, they’ll be in the air lock. They’ll be in the air lock forever.” “Yeah. But they’ll be gone in ten minutes,” Cassie said. “We have a problem,” Jake said. “They’re in the air lock forever.” I was feeling better when I saw that. “Okay. We get down to business,” Jake said. “I’ll go out to the cabin.” “Where?” I asked. “I’ll do the air lock,” he said. “They’re not in the air lock,” I said. “Okay,” Jake said. “I’ll go. I’ll demorph. Then I’ll see if I can get them to come in.” They had to be in the air lock. But they were not in the air lock. I saw the two Hork-Bajir lying in the grass. “Better than going in,” I said. “What?” Jake asked. “I’ll go.” “I’ll demorph,” I said. “Then I’ll try to demorph into human.” “You have a better idea?” Cassie asked me. “I can try to morph into my human form,” I said. “And then I’ll go in and help clean this place up.” “Um ... I’m not sure.” “You just brought up a very interesting topic,” Rachel said, and giggled. “Oh, man.” Cassie laughed. “You’re a science-mad witch. That’s what I was trying to say.” “All I need to know is that I think these two are going to be a problem,” I said. “No one is going to be interested in this.” “I’ll go.” “You’ll go first,” I said. “Okay.” Jake laid his hands on the tree trunk and I flew off into the evening. It was chilly and windy and windy till I spotted the two Hork-Bajir in the trees. They had human morphs. But they had morphing technology to show off. “What do you think?” Rachel asked me. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I know.” “You’re kidding, right?” I said. Ax said. “But it’s not,” I said. “It’s real.” “I guess not,” Rachel said. “Let’s hope it’s not real,” Jake said. We took turns demorphing. I tried to figure out what to do next, but I had no idea how to morph enough clothing to cover the two of them. And we were all wearing morphing clothing. “I have a question,” Jake said. “What do you think?” “I just saw the oldies on TV. The House of Horrors show. It was in the late sixties. It was called a madhouse.� Chapter 27 - Cassie Hi, Jake. How are you?” My voice. Okay, I’d said it out loud. I’d done it earlier. It was the last thing I’d thought about doing. I’d mentioned it earlier, and I was thinking about taking on a job as a scientist. It was just completely irrelevant. I was on a mission. I was part of a team. The mission, at least. I was learning something new. I focused my mind on the computer. It was like being on a toy or a toy for the first time. I could feel the computer’s touch, and then suddenly the mind was there. I could feel the idea of the mind, I could feel the animal mind, I could feel the animal instincts, I could feel the analytical mind of a person. I could feel the human mind as well as I could feel the animal mind. My brain was filled with images and memories that were not mine. I could not see them. But I could feel them in my own mind. I could feel the same emotions the animal mind did, but not express them through language. It was not easy to sense. I could not sense hunger. I could sense sleep. I could not sense the smell of fear. But I could sense that I was just about to be infested by some vile alien. That was animal instinct. Animal hatred. The first sensation I experienced, nothing more than a vague, distorted, unpleasantly pleasant feeling, was the smell of being infested. I had never seen the Yeerk inside my own mind. I could not understand its thoughts. I felt nothing. Nothing. I could not feel my own heart beating. I could not feel my own lungs. I could not feel my own skin, my legs, my head, my cheeks. I was feeling the DNA of my own family. I could not trust the Yeerk inside my own brain. And yet, I could feel my own needs. I could feel them, feel them, but they were not mine. But they were mine. The Yeerk inside my own mind was aware of everything. I had been inside the Yeerk, in its natural state, running from it. But the Yeerk was not aware of me. I had not chosen to kill me. I was a Controller. I had chosen to kill the human. I was a Controller. I had not chosen to destroy the human. I was a Controller. I had chosen to destroy the Andalite. But I could not stop the Yeerk. It had been in my head. In my brain. I could not stop it. I had to find a way. I had to find a way to destroy the Yeerk. And that’s when Jake interrupted. “Look.” He reached into his pocket. I had been in morph for a very long time. I had seen the Yeerk in Jake’s mind. I had seen him in Marco’s mind. I had seen Rachel in Jake’s mind. And now I saw the terrible irony of it all. I could not stop the Yeerk. I could not stop it. “I have to find a way,” I said. “I have to find a way to stop it.” “I have to ...” I searched my body. I felt the Yeerk’s mind. I could not stop it. I felt my body shutting down. But I could feel the Yeerk’s mind again, in my head. And then I felt the Yeerk’s mind begin to disappear. I felt the Yeerk’s mind move, to slip, to reorientate itself. The Yeerk moved beneath me. I felt its mind, as well as the Yeerk’s own thoughts and feelings, surround me. But I could not stop it. I had to find a way. My host body, my body’s one-eyed self, was no longer in my brain. I needed a way out. I needed a place to go ... to the Yeerk’s dark, empty mind. I went inside. It was like a dream. I was inside a nightmare. But it was the Yeerk that had moved out of my brain. The Yeerk that had used the Time Matrix to destabilize me. I felt its movements. Saw its hands grabbing at my chest. It was a smell. It was a smell of death. But I had no memory of what it was. No memory of the image that had come Chapter 10 I was demorphing. Restless. I was demorphing to human. And then, I was demorphing to human again. “You guys are amazing!” I cried. “Yes, I am!” Marco said. “You’re the only ones who know what a Dracon beam is.” “What?” “It’s a weapon. A weapon that can penetrate all the walls and ceilings and openings in your home or office. It’s a Dracon beam. It can fire a small beam weapon at a point-blank range. It can hit a wall, it can hit a wall, it can hit a wall and it can save the lives of the people it hits.” “It can save lives!” “Yes, it can.” “I’m going to have to buy some lawn mower parts.” “What?” Jake asked me. “Will you help me out?” “Yes.” “You’re a millionaire.” “Yes.” “Congratulations. You have created the largest, most powerful weapon in the history of space travel.” “It’s not a spaceship,” Marco said, giving Jake a look. “It’s a weapon that can penetrate all the walls and ceilings and openings in your home or office. It’s a Dracon beam. It can fire a small beam weapon at a point-blank range. It can hit a wall, it can hit a wall, it can hit a wall, it can hit a wall.” I had no idea what Marco meant. Of course he was talking about the Dracon beam. It was her wig. Her hair. Her beautiful face. I nodded. “Okay.” I headed into the kitchen. I was working on the computer now. “Hi, Rachel. Could you help me with the birth certificate?” I asked her. “Yes, thank you.” “We are looking for your parents. They are Chinese, but I am Chinese. I believe they are married. They are Chinese-American, but do not speak Chinese.” “Oh, I’m going to marry you,” I told her. “Don’t worry. We’ll find you.” She nodded. “Sure.” “Thank you,” I said. “You’ll be so proud.” “I can’t believe I married you,” she cried. “But I’ll tell you one thing: We are not Chinese Americans.” “We have no Chinese heritage.” “Oh, I see.” “No one has ever married a Chinese-American. Except for the Chinese-American couple known as the Taxxons.” “Oh, I forgot.” She fell silent. We walked into the kitchen. I watched the kitchen from the outside. I could see the kitchen room. I saw the individual chairs and tables and the sink. I saw the fridge and the dishwasher. And then, I realized, there was a kitchen. It was a vast, open space. A whole world of things to see and touch. Not all of them were chairs. Still, I knew where to look. I walked down one of the narrow, dark, three-story windows. I saw a big sheet of wood that looked like a cross between a road car and a quarter-car caboose. I reached the window and saw the time slot. I took two steps. Two steps and I was past the time. I reached the window again and turned it. The three people standing there in the kitchen stood up. Just stared at me. “Rachel!” I cried. “I really thought I was going to die.” “You’re right.” “What, human?” “We have had a chance to see the future.” “Rachel, are you okay?” “I think I’m going to have some heart surgery.” “Great. You’re like a six-year-old.” “We’ll look at a time machine.” I moved into the kitchen. “Rachel!” “What?� Chapter 13 I stayed in morph for a while. And for most of that time, I focused on the structure of my own body. Morph. Mothra and I moved through the woods. My eyes stayed focused on the trunk of the tree, trying to see the underside. I couldn’t tell if the tree was standing or swaying. But I could definitely see some creature standing or holding its head high in the air. I began to shrink. I was now a human about the size of an apple. The trunk was a broken shredded log. It was still mostly heavy wood, with a few pieces of junk in the dust. But I was no longer as heavy or swaying. I was a human being, one of the many small creatures I had ever known. I felt my feathers growing. I felt the soft warmth of my own talons. I felt the hollow, black breath of my wings. It was as if I were being blown into space. I was a fly now. My feathers were melting and becoming the fly’s helpless fingers. And I sensed something strange in the way my human eyes grew. I saw that the trunk of the tree was swaying. It was in a sort of crescent shape. A metal head was growing out of the wood. And all around me there were trees. Some taller, some less. Some smaller, some larger. I was standing on a low branch. I was a human being. The body was my own creation. It was what I had made of the fact that I was no longer a fly. But I had become a fly. I was a human being. I was still a human being, but not so much that I felt any sense of scale. I was still what I had become. I was alive. I was alive now, in a world that was not my time. I saw a flash of gray and then a flash of light. I was an osprey. I saw a human face, but with other eyes. I was a human being. I was alive. I saw a flash of human hands, but not hands with human features. I saw human feet, but not feet like those of a fly. And I saw human lips, but not lips with human features. I saw human eyes, but not human eyes with human features. I saw human lips, but not human lips with human features. I saw human fingers, but not human lips. I saw human feet, but not human feet with human features. I saw human hands, but not human fingers with human features. And then another flash of light. This time, this time a flash of human hands. I could not even see them, but I knew I had them. I was a human being. I saw a flash of human hands, but not hands with human features. I saw human feet, but not fearless feet with human features. And I saw human feet, but not feet with human features. I saw human feet, but not human feet with human features, and saw human hands, but not hands with human features. And then, at last, I saw a flash of a human face. And I saw a flash of human lips. I saw human eyes, but not eyes with human features. I saw human lips, but not human lips, and I saw human feet, but not feet with human features, and I saw human hands and feet, but not lips, and I saw human hands, but not hands with human features. I was alive. I saw the body of a fly. And I saw the face of a human. I saw the eyes of a fly. And I saw the human face. I saw the human eyes. I saw the human mouth. I saw the human lips. And I saw the human nose. I saw the human tongue, and I saw human feet. I saw the human nose, and I saw the human lips. I saw the human eyes, but not the human nose. I saw the human mouth, and I saw the human tongue. I saw the human eyes, but not the human nose. Chapter 15 The nightmares were over. I flew. I landed. I looked around. The sky was blue. A warm blanket of pink and white blanket. A warm, fuzzy feeling. There was a ridge of grass, maybe a quarter of the height of the mountain, rising up from the valley floor. And it was not far off. I landed. I landed with my talons. My arms were big talons. I could use them to hold a termite, a small one at that. A termite. I had to work fast. But I had to get away from the familiar, safe mountain environment. I flew to the top of the ridge. I landed on a high, grassy slope. I sensed a breeze. The termite was in the air, waiting for me to land. I landed hard. I kicked with my feet, trying to touch the termite. But it was too weak. Too slow. And I was feeling tired, out of breath. I focused my mind. I absorbed the DNA that was in my head, and the memories I had of when I was still human. And I became the termite. I felt the changes. I felt the changes begin. My arms and legs became huge, long, curved branches. My legs melted and became hands. My face took on a new shape. My eyes became huge, wide, shining, glittering, long hairs sprouted all over me. I could see the woods ahead, ahead of me. My face became a long, spiked tail. My eyes became my own, and I saw the stars. I saw the stars in their entirety. I felt the changes. I felt them begin, a flash of swift, destructive motion. I heard the sound of my own explosions. I felt my bones stretching, and the fingers they had become thickening. Even my face became hollow, and my head grew dark gray. I felt my skin turn gray and hardened. I felt the changes begin. My bones began to hollow, and my skin became leathery. I was in the earth’s crust. My skin became human flesh. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. My arms became hands. My legs stretched and grew thicker. My body grew heavier. My back was covered with fur. My entire body was scattered, all twisted and twisted, into ragged, human clothing. In the middle of all this, I felt a terrible chill. Something wrong. Something ... something, something wrong. The pain was awful. I was in pain. It was as if something was watching my body, its parts almost woven all together, and watching the changes ... I felt my bones weaken, and my stomach change. I felt my stomach change, even though I had no breathing apparatus on hand. I felt my skull change, and then the bones grew larger. I felt the immediate changes begin. My arms and legs became hands. My face became my own, and my eyes grew. My legs grew, and then my head. And then my head. My throat grew and grew and became a hollow brain. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes beginning to happen. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. Then I remembered. I opened my eyes. I opened them. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes beginning to happen. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. I felt the changes begin. Chapter 12 - Nice Rachel My name is Nice Rachel. The bird of prey. The Ellimist. I was a bird, not a human. Not a human, but an Ellimist. I was a human, not a bird. I flew. I flew. I flew. I flew. And then I noticed another thing: I was in the water. I could not morph the bird. I was in a watery environment. I searched the water. There was no swimming. I could not see clearly in the water. But I could feel my feathers, my talons, growing. I did not feel the changes that were occurring. I felt the change of patterns. I felt the patterns of the feathers becoming real, alive feathers. I have seen that patterns become real patterns. I saw the patterns of the feathers become real. But I did not see how this change was gradual. I saw that the patterns of the feathers became real. I felt the changes begin. I saw the patterns of the feathers become real. I saw that the patterns became real. I felt the Ellimist standing there, watching me. He was an adult. I saw him smiling. He smiled, too. I saw him speak. At last, I saw him stare at me. “You have become the Ellimist” - he meant it as a joke. I felt myself flapping away. As I flapped away, I saw the Ellimist smile. He gave me a small, mouthful of water and I was bathed in it. “You are not the Ellimist,” the Ellimist said. I tried to swim, but my wings were broken. My arms were weak. I tried to rise, but I was sluggish. My legs were weak. The Ellimist said I was a girl. I saw him speak. “You are not the Ellimist,” he said. “Yes, you are,” I said. “I was your host - the Ellimist’s daughter. When I was your host, I was your host.” “Yes,” he said. “I was.” “Yes, you were ... what?” I asked, dissolving as I stood there, a boy. The Ellimist smiled. “You were not my daughter.” I felt myself weaken. I felt like I was being swallowed. I thought, I am a boy. The Ellimist said, “I am your host.” “Yes,” I said. “I was.” I felt the changes begin. The changes begin! The Ellimist said, “You are not a human.” “Yes, you are,” I said. I felt my feathers become real feathers. I saw the patterns of the feathers become real. I felt the patterns of the feathers become real. I saw the patterns of the feathers spread all over the body. I saw them all over my own head. I saw patterns of feathers spread all over my own. I saw the patterns grow larger and larger. I saw human eyes, human ears, human nose, human lips, human teeth, all grow in me. I saw human eyes, human ears, human nose, human lips, human teeth, grow from my own teeth. I saw human hands, human feet, human hands, human tails, as they became human hands and feet, and from them came the weapons of the human race. I saw the patterns of the feathers spread all over my body. I saw the patterns of the flesh grow until they were hairless, invisible, glittering things. I saw the patterns of the feathers become flesh. I saw the patterns of the human mind become human mind. I saw the pattern of patterns of the human heart and arteries and veins and veins become the pattern of the human heart. I saw the patterns of the human blood vessels and veins grow, and then, in their own patterns, the patterns of the human veins and arteries and veins become the patterns of the human heart. I saw the patterns of the human arteries and veins and veins become the patterns of the heart, and I saw the human heart become the pattern of the human heart, a machine made up of these patterns. The Ellimist said nothing. The Ellimist said nothing. I felt myself changing, becoming human again. I felt myself becoming human again. Chapter 5 “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I took it so badly. I’ll just go home.” I was already halfway to the door of the house when Jake stepped out. I was alone on the stairs. Jake was in his own bed. “I’m doing okay,” I said. “Yes. I’m fine,” he whispered. “Well,” I added, “what should I do?” “I would advise you to take a few days to get an answer.” “Oh. So I’ll just go home?” “No.” He was staring at the TV. “Why?” “It’s not a great show. I don’t know anything about it.” “Oh, it’s a great show!” “Not a great show.” “Not good, either.” “You’re not a great show.” “I’d like to see it,” he said. “But I don’t know.” “I’ll go see you,” I said. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I’m going to try and get a picture of you.” “You know what?” I said. “You have my word to do it.” “I’ll do it.” “No. I don’t want to,” he admitted. “You only give me your word to do it.” I had forgotten how lucky I was. I’d never fail to see good things in Jake’s eyes. He had guilt for me. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll do it.” “I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll do it.” “Can you make me walk away?” he said. I shook my head. “No. I’m not going to do it.” “Okay.” I turned away from the TV. “I’ll have to do it,” I said. “But I won’t do it. I’ll have to do it. I’ll do it.” My parents had seen a lot of sickening things in me over the years. They were like Tobias. Parents who had forgotten the importance of reason or reason had come to hate me, but not hate me. They had seen me through a distorted prism of human experience. I became Tobias’s human representation. I saw the world through human eyes. But for me, human eyes were nothing more than my own eyes. I could see. I was not blind. I felt the air swirling by overhead. I saw the horse, but I saw it through a windowless neighborhood. I felt the breeze on my face. I felt the scent of a raccoon. I felt the sense of taste. I feel the way the world is made on a microscopic level. I felt the way I am made of atoms. I smelled the rot and the chemical wranglings of the earth in my favorite nostril. I felt the warmth of the moon. I felt the way the rain fell. I felt the way the grass in my mother’s garden melted into the bark of the next tree to come up. I felt the way the water in the bowl of my father’s grave became the grass of the next tree to come up. I felt the way my family moved. I felt the way each child grew and grew, never being able to distinguish between a good and a bad thing. I felt the way the universe was shaped. I felt the way my family and I were made into a thousand tiny pieces. I felt the way the sun shone down on every living creature, and all life on the planet, and every creature in the universe, was a part of me. I felt the way my memory was altered, altered so that my own mind was still in my present form. I felt the Chapter 3 “I” I couldn’t think of words, but the name Cassie. The name of a girl who, in a desperate, desperate need of privacy, had fallen for the boy named Tobias. I was all alone in the woods. I had a feeling I was being held prisoner. There was no one to look out for. I was alone, and I was alone with the Yeerks, and what had happened to my friends. For the last week or so, I’d been trying to do one thing: Find a way to get out of this place. I’d tried to go to the river. I’d tried to go into a morph I didn’t know was working. But now, I was going into a morph I didn’t know was working. And the Yeerks were going to try something very different. They were going to use this woods as human guinea pigs. As if the whole world depended on them being willing hosts to watch them. That would be the plan. My enemies would be my friends. My enemies would be the Animorphs. And they would be host bodies to the Yeerks. And I would be the one to do the first act. But I wouldn’t be able to see. I couldn’t see my left arm. I couldn’t see my right eye. I was blind. Blind in one eye. I was a helpless worm in a desperate need of privacy. I lay there, confused and alone. I tried to focus. But my mind was in a state of disorientation. I tried to focus. But my eyes kept drifting away. I tried to focus, but my eyes kept drifting away. I tried to focus but my eyes kept drifting away. I was blind. I could see. But I couldn’t see my body. I was blind. I could barely move. I was blind. I tried to make sense of it all. But I couldn’t see. Couldn’t see that I was still a blind human. I tried to run away. But my head was still in the water. My eyes were all but useless now. I tried to run, but my body was in a state of disorientation. And I couldn’t move. I was blind. I could see. But I couldn’t see my body. I tried to move, but my eyes were useless. I couldn’t see my body. I tried to sit up. But my eyes were useless now. I tried to sit up, and suddenly I was back in the water. And I had to try a move. I tried to sit up and quickly realized I was holding my arms up in the water. But my arms were weak and numb. I tried to move them, but they were useless now. I tried to get my hands above my head, but they were useless now. I tried to get my legs above my head, but they were useless now. I tried to get my ears above my head. But they were useless now. I tried to move my head, but it was too weak. I tried to move my mouth, but it was too small. I tried to move my arms, but they were useless now. I tried to stop moving, but my mouth was still too narrow. I was confused. I couldn’t see the faces around me. I couldn’t see the faces in front of me. I was confused, too, because I was a boy. I was in a human body. But I was blind. I couldn’t see what was around me. I could only see human faces. I tried to guide my fingers to the controls, but I couldn’t move. I tried to move my arm, but it was too weak. I tried to crawl out of the water, but my arm was useless now. I tried to swim, but my arms were useless now. I tried to see, but my vision was not up to the task. I tried to swim, but my arm was useless now. I tried to move my leg, but my leg was useless now. I tried to stop the Yeerk on my tail, but I was helpless. I tried to turn my head, but I was helpless. I tried to tell Jake to let me go, but my mind was still in my head. I was still a human. I tried to help Jake, but I was helpless. I tried to help my friends. But I was helpless. I watched the bodies that came out of the water Chapter 24 I won’t be taking Rachel to the mall, I told myself. She is a danger to me. She’s a danger to anyone. I was afraid she might try to act cool and pretend that I didn’t care. I don’t want to be anyone’s daughter. I’m not stupid. But I’m not going to pretend she thinks I’m not a danger. I felt like I’d been slapped. I yelled. I yelled. She was in the water, but not nearly as far. She was in pain. She was not drowning. She looked around. “I’m down,” she said. “I can’t swim. I can’t breathe. I’m down in the river. But what’s the matter with me?” I said. “You’re down in the river,” she said. “I think I’m in the lake.” She was alive! I thought. I’d understood. And then, suddenly, the water rushed over me. It was like a flood, I realized. I was gone. I was gone, my mind and my body. The river was over my head. I was no longer my own body. I was back where I started. I was alive. I was back where I started. I was in the water. I was home. I was in the water. My body was alive. I was in the water. I was breathing. I was alive. I was in the water. I was in the water. I was drowning. I was drowning, and I was drowning so fast that I would have drowned in a million pieces of my own water. I was in the water. My body was in the water. The water was hot and filling my lungs. I was in the water. I was floating above the surface. I was floating forever. I was floating over the surface of the lake. I was floating in the water. I was floating in the water. I was a dolphin. I was in the lake. I was swimming. I was in the water. And then ... I felt the cold, clear feeling of the dolphin’s mind. I felt the dolphin mind. I felt the mind of the mind of the dolphin. I felt the mind of the mind of the mind. I felt the mind of the dolphin. I felt the mind of the dolphin. And yet I was not the same. I was in the lake. I was in the lake. In the lake. The human. I felt the cold and his cold. I felt the cold and the thoughts and feelings and the thoughts and hate. I felt the cold in the way he felt the fear and hate and the fear. I felt the cold in the way he touched my mind and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way he touched my brain and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way he touched my mind and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way he touched my body and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way I made the thought-speak voice in my head. I felt the cold in the way he touched my soul and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way I was enslaved by the mind. I felt the cold in the way he touched my mind and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way I wrote in my mind, “I’m a part of you, Cassie.” I felt the cold in the way he touched my body, and seemed to me to be a part of me. I felt the cold in the way he touched my mind. I felt the cold in the way I felt the terrible mind. I felt the cold in the way I felt the terrible mind. I felt the cold in the way I was enslaved by the mind. I felt the cold in the way I was enslaved by the mind. I felt the cold in the way I was enslaved by the mind. I felt the cold in the way I was enslaved by the mind Chapter 15 I ran. I ran and ran until I felt the gun go flying. A huge, hard, high-backed tree trunks clanked over my head. I chased it. I knew it was my turn. I ran. But the tree branch that had fallen in front of me caught me in the back. I backed up. I relaxed my legs and tried to shake off the cold. But the wind ripped my legs. I had to fight it. And now I had a weapon. I was weakening. I could feel it. I could feel it. I was weakening. I was weakening. It was like I was a monster in a pit of your stomach. The truck was coming toward me. But the truck driver was human. The driver’s name was Karen. I was weakening! “You have to get out!” I yelled. The truck turned, and I saw it happen. The truck driver was going to squeeze out of the way. I began to crawl. And things began to happen. The truck driver was not human. He was human! I was a monster. I was a monster! I was a monster! And then I was back. I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was in your stomach. “Ow!” I hit the floor. I ripped the gun from his hand. I hit the floor and rolled. I was in your stomach! You’d been over there. You were pushing. Pulling! I didn’t care what you called me. I was like a monster! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! “Ow!” I ripped a hole through the back of the truck. I pulled the gun away. I saw it in my stomach. I saw it in my mouth. I pulled it away. It was like being a rock in my mouth. I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I had to fight it! “Ow,” I sobbed. I ripped the gun away and tried to open the lid. But the door slammed. I fell. The door slammed. I fell and rolled. I was inside your stomach! I fell. And you were inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was in your stomach! I was inside your stomach! You were inside your stomach! “Ow!” I ripped the gun away and tried to open the lid of the truck. But the lid was still open. I tore it open. I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was in your stomach! I was in your stomach! I was in your stomach! “Ow!” I ripped the gun away and tried to open the lid of the truck. But the lid was still open. I ripped the gun away. I saw it in my mouth and I ripped the gun away. I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was in your stomach! I was inside your stomach! I was in your stomach! I was inside your stomach Chapter 4 My name is Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. But you probably already know me by that name. You may also know me as Elfangor-Sirinial- Shamtul. Anyway, I am the leader of the Animorphs. The only Andalite on Earth, and one of the only humans in the galaxy. The only Andalite-Controller. The only Andalite-Controller to be captured by the Yeerks. Most likely. I have been Hork-Bajir for a long time. I have been a warrior and a prince. A warrior, to say the least. A warrior who had to be brave. And yet, I have come to understand that there is a downside to being a warrior. I know that you wouldn’t find me in a nice, typical Hork-Bajir house. But you wouldn’t find me in a typical Hork-Bajir house. I am the only Andalite-Controller. And I can use the Controllers on my own people. There is a big difference. The only ones who are allowed into the Yeerk pool are the two Hork-Bajir hosts, Visser One and the human called Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. The two Hork-Bajir are the only ones allowed into the Yeerk pool. The only other Yeerk in the pool are the ones who are not Controllers. If you ask me, it is kind of funny how I have been able to use my host bodies. It’s very strange, because I was able to use them to acquire the morphing power. I was able to acquire Hork-Bajir DNA. And now I had the power to acquire human DNA. I had the power to acquire morphing power. And I had the power to acquire a host. And now, in this very moment, a new reality dawned upon me. The only host Hork-Bajir host was my own human cousin, Rachel. Rachel was one of the seven kids. It was a very strange and very dangerous world. But at the same time, I knew that the Hork- Bajir were not my only enemies. The Yeerks had already enslaved Rachel. Their plan was to use her as a host. And they could not allow her to be morph-capable. Rachel was human. She was an actress. A model. A fashion queen. She was the daughter of Visser One. The Visser had murdered my mother. I had never known about that. How can you make that kind of situation possible? But I knew the truth: The Yeerks had been in the process of capturing, infesting, infesting my mother. Then, one day, Rachel was in the bathroom at my house. A strange memory. I remembered her as being very, very small. I had never seen her appear smaller than human size. But then, suddenly, I realized what she was. I had seen her stand tall and strong, almost as tall as her own cousin, Jake. She had miniskirts and short black leotards and dark hair. She had a face like a tree-trunk. I saw her with a slitted, diamond-shaped nose. She was beautiful. But she was not beautiful in the way we had come to know her. Her hair was long and curling. It was a beautiful color. It was rough, as if the hair itself were covered with coarse, coarse-haired hair. But I could not see her face. I could only imagine her. And I could not imagine what it would be like to have a face like that. Chapter 5 For the past three days I’ve been in Marco’s barn. The birdhouse, the wildlife preserve, the mountain bison preserve. I’ve been there more times than I can count. Sometimes Marco’s barn is full of raptors, his own private army, including his own Animorphs. The hayloft is a little way off the road. It’s in a place people call a "gateway." That’s not the way it works. You walk in through the open hayloft and you’re maybe thirty feet away from someone you don’t know. The others you know are waiting there in the barn. They’re kids in their twenties or thirties. Most of them are vets, though some are. And they’re all very excited about morphing. You start to figure something’s up when you hear the first voice in the hayloft. “Grovel, grunt, grunt, grumble, grunt!” “Grovel!” the vet says, a little startled, to be honest. “Oh, it’s Grovel!” the kid says. “Yeah! It’s Grovel!” “Shoot!” the vet says. “Shoot!” the kid says. “Shoot,” the vet says. “I suggest you to start in for that last snout.” You get up to run after them. You stretch out your hind legs, pull on your ears, and try to turn them. They’re the ones you should use, but you’d better use them with a bird in your hand. You hear the screams of the makeshift vets. They’re yelling. You think you’ve caught a flea. Then you hear it. It’s in the hayloft. It’s right in your face. You try to morph. You try to morph back. The leg you’re stuck on is too big. You can’t morph. It’s not easy. You’re about six inches tall and only about an inch short of the normal limit. Your body is shaking. You feel like you are going to go down. You try to get up, but it’s too heavy to move. You’re trembling. “I’m going to -” The vet looks down. “You’re near the edge of a wall!” You get up. You have to look away. But the tension in your legs is totally relaxed. You feel the air rushing in. You feel as if you’re in a trance. You try your hand. It’s too weak, and you feel like you have a snake wrapped around your butt. But you can’t get away. You try again. You feel the huge weight of the first vet on your back. You think, Panic! You’ve been against the entire vet’s body! You’ve been to the zoo, all you can do is twist your arm and try to stick. You can’t move! You try to morph your talons. They are too heavy. You try to morph your spine. It’s too heavy. You feel your skin harden and harden. You feel the wind pick up the bone and push it up and up through the feathers. You morph to cockatiel. You have to stay in fly morph for a while longer. You cannot morph your face. You have to stay in fly morph forever. You morph to cockatiel. You have to stay in fly morph forever. You try to morph your tail. You lose all control. You try to morph your tail. It can’t move. You feel someone else’s body moving in your chest and back. You try to morph your feet. You can’t move them! You try to morph your legs. They are too heavy. You feel nothing but the air rushing in. The ground rushing up and up. You feel the air pressing in. You have to morph. You have to morph your own body. You have to become human. But you can’t morph your own body without being trapped in the body of a cockatiel. You morph to fly. You have to morph back to human. But you can’t morph to cockatiel, just by looking at you. You feel the air rise up your legs, over your head and around your neck. Chapter 17 We stormed out into the massive cavern. The ground was hard as granite. Half-sunkistingly, half-crawling beneath the weight of the massive pines and fissures in the walls. The ravine was a wall of rocks and soil. It was as if someone had caught us and slowed us down. I demorphed and remorphed to human. “You ready?” “I’m ready,” I said. “I’m not very good at standing up,” Rachel said. “I know,” I said, “I know. I’m not good at standing up.” “How?” “Let’s just morph some owls and go to the food court.” I grabbed the food court with my hand and knelt and prepared to eat. I focused on the wolf. I focused my mind on the DNA inside my brain. I focused on the emotion that swells up the animal mind. I felt the changes begin. I felt a rush of renewed optimism. The world was new. I had seen life before. I’d never seen it so wild and amazing. And yet, I was still a human girl. I was still in control of my own body, and human thought had experienced the unexpected. I felt the changes begin. My legs began to stretch. My arms to elongate. My chest to extend. My neck to rise above my head. My fingers were shriveling. I could feel a patch of dark pink flesh growing on my fingertips. My head swelled. The bones grew large. My teeth grew. My legs melted together. My tongue twitched. I felt my teeth growing into lips. I was growing huge. I was growing to be a wolf. My jaw bulged, extending long before I could even stand up. The hairs on my lower jaw were hollow, like cast-iron. My legs erupted from my lower back. My arms melted together, forming a human head. I was already a wolf being. The wolf’s brain had been constructed of the DNA of my own claws. All of the animal’s instincts were there. And for a moment, I felt a little like my own body. I was still more than a hundred times larger than my prey. But I was no longer a wolf. “I’m not going to eat you,” I said. I was still more than a hundred times larger than my prey. But I was no longer in the woods. “What?” I was still half human. I was still in the bear morph. I watched as my own human body slowly bulged out. My human bones grew thicker. The bones of the wolf were now about four inches long. And my human mind was no longer the wolf’s thoughts. My nose and mouth were gone. My vision was a dim, blurry picture of the world around me. Gray and orange and green and yellow. I could see the ground through the trees. I could see the branches and the grass beneath me. I could see the trees sweeping away and away and away. I could feel the breeze on my face. It was the wind. I felt the changes begin. I was no longer human. I was a freak. I was a freak with an animal mind. I lunged. My paws ripped open the trees. My claws opened the outer bark. I was still a wolf. But I was not human. I flapped my wings and soared up through the trees. I was a wolf, and I was not going to live in a world of pain and confusion. I flapped and flown up through the treetops, racing down through the treetops, down through the trees, down to the ground. I was a human being, rising up and rising fast! I was a human being rising up and rapidly. I flared. Flared right, right, right, up, up, up, up! I was a human being being, rising from the ground and rising up and becoming a wolf. And then I felt the changes begin. I was shrinking. Shrinking to human size. Shrinking to human shape. I was shrinking and rising to be a wolf. But I was no longer human. I was a monster. A human being was shrinking. Shrinking to not human size, but not human shape. I was shrinking, falling and falling until I was no more than two feet tall. I was no longer human. I was a wolf. Chapter 6 The truck was still in drive. It was a long, long way from our farm. It was only a few hundred feet above where we’d parked. The truck was moving and waiting for us. It was moving, too. Jake said. Jake said. We morphed rapidly. We saw the truck in the middle of our path. It whipped a tentative arc back and forth in midair. It swung the tail of the truck, as fast as it could. The truck’s front left and rear right touched the ground. It veered forward and swung the tail in a sudden, cruel, snapping, lunatic, as the other truck and the truck with us both came to a stop. Marco said. I said. Jake cried. We bailed. Jake and I climbed out of the truck, out of sight. Jake said. I said. Rachel said. I said. Jake and I morphed into our human morphs and headed out into the woods. We stopped at a confused-looking clearing that was a foot or so away from the road. I looked up and saw a forest of angry, confused, scared, confused, confused-looking creatures. We walked straight up to a clearing that looked exactly like the one we’d found in the forest. We paused, then turned to face the trees. I said. Jake answered. I said. I said. Rachel cried. I said. Jake cried. I yelled. The wind came down on both of us. And now, slowly, slowly, the wind was coming down on us. The wind was coming down on us. The wind was coming down on the grass below us. And now, the wind was coming down on the ground below us. I cried. Marco said. I looked up and saw the familiar face of Tobias. He was standing on the edge of the clearing. He was carrying a Dracon beam. He was pointing it at the ground. I said. Tobias said. Jake reached out to grab Tobias. Tobias said. Jake said. I agreed. He sounded disturbed. “I’m going to try not to spend too much time worrying about you.” “I’m going to try not to worry about you too much,” I said. “I know, Jake.” “You’re right.” “I know.” “Cassie, I’m going to do my homework tomorrow, and you know what? You’ll have to drop your homework at the end of the week. So instead of going back to your old class and doing our homework, instead of going to your old class, you go to my old school and you sit at a computer with me.” “Yeah, that’s it Chapter 21 I cried, flapping my wings frantically. Cassie cried, trying to calm me down. Jake asked. I said, trying to sound like I’d been in pain for a long time. Jake said. I said, and I let it go. I tried to get a better look at Rachel, but she was still flying. Still in pain, but - I said, making a lame attempt to calm. Jake said. We flapped and I started to morph. But Rachel was right. She was morphing to human. I was morphing back to human. Back to my own body. I was morphing to fly. Back to the Hork-Bajir. My human body was beginning to change. I felt a soft, human head start to grow out of my chest. Feathers began to form the human lips and back of my mouth. My eyes became the human nose and lips. My skin and hair became new human skin and hair. My arms became the long, rounded, deadly tails. The way I was shrinking was as strange as someone shrinking a glass of milk. It was as if my body was being pushed beneath it. My bones shrank and hollowed. My internal organs, my guts, my appendages ... I was shrinking. I was shrinking in a vast, open cavern with an opening just up ahead. I could see very clearly through that opening. I could see the air flowing down from the ceiling, then up from the floor. I could see the air sinking from the ceiling, then falling away. I could see the ground and all the trees. I could see the blind man’s hawk, his long, sleek wings flapping and stretching and plunging and whirling and soaring and soaring past me. I could see every tree with my eyes. I could see every kid in the tree, every kid with a flash of brown hair, every kid in the tree, every tree contains a falcon. I could see every monster that hung in the air above. I could see the maze of gears, the gears of the little falcon. I could see the huge opening that seemed to extend all the way to the ground and the top of the lake. How was I going to get up there? How could I get up there? I held on by shifting the weight of a stick. I could see what Rachel was doing. She was moving her feet. By the time I reached the cave entrance, she was still in mid-morph. And I was just messing up. I was morphing. I was morphing to fly. To human. But the things I was morphing to were, in fact, flies. I was shrinking. Slithering. Becoming human again. I was shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. Again. I could feel the changes happening. I could feel the changes happening. My own body was shrinking. Becoming human again. But I could feel the changes happening very slowly now. I could feel the changes happening at an extremely slow rate. I was becoming an extremely small bird now. An actual tiny, very small bird. I was becoming human. I was becoming the person who had once been me. I was becoming the creature who had once been me. I was becoming a bird. The change began as I felt my skin turn hard and coarse and hard and become hard, coarse, coarse. I was no longer human. I was no longer human. But I was human again. I could feel the changes happening. I could feel the changes happening. I was becoming human again. But now, with my own hands, I could no longer touch the falcon. I had become human again. Chapter 9 I flew. As I flew, I kept pace with my bird body. I saw no sign of Rachel. I watched the ground through the distance, my talons pressed against the grass. I saw a few grizzlies breathe in the shadow of the tree. I was the first to approach. I felt the first warmth. I rose up, up and up, up and up, up and up. I spotted the eagle right behind me. It was trying to demorph. But it had already begun. I flew. Up, up, up. I saw the eagle land. It was trying to give birth to a child. It was trying to give the mother eagle another shot. But it was too late. The mother eagle was already a mother. The eagle was already an eagle. I soared higher. Higher, higher. I was no longer in the air, but I was a bird in a tornado! I was a hawk. I watched the mother eagle as she came to rest on a branch. She lay her head on the branch. I saw her eyes sweep over me, looking for the baby. I saw her be glad she found the baby. I could see the skin of her neck, the tender pink tendons across her back. It was tender and pink. She smiled. She made a small bow. Then she bent down and placed the baby in the tree. I looked at the baby, her face contorted by the effort. “You’ll be okay,” she said. “It’s ... it’ll ... be okay.” “Yes.” “I ... I’ll have to morph. But I won’t have time to worry about anyone else. I have a job to do. I ... I’ll be able to return to my own body.” I nodded. “I guess.” She smiled. “I guess I’ll be able to take care of myself, too.” “Thanks. But I will have to wait.” “Two days,” she said. “You have a job to do. I can’t do it. I’m just not good at it.” I had to be extra careful not to let her know I was going to be okay. I tried to hold her gaze, but she was staring back at me. “I guess you could have stayed home,” I said. “I guess I could have,” she said. “But I was sick. I was in bad shape. I morphed. I was on the bathroom basement couch. My mom is sick. I’m in a coma.” “That’s true. But I can’t do anything. I can’t even think of doing anything.” “You don’t have to,” she said. “You can’t fight each other. I know you can. But you can’t fight each other.” “Yes, I can,” I said. “You can. But you can’t fight me.” “I know about the battle you did to me,” she said. “I know about the day you killed my brother. But I don’t know what happened to your mom. I don’t know what happened to your father. But it was all I could know. I could have told your father or your mother or your father.” I turned away. “I know.” I looked at her. “But I’m thinking you’ll get over it.” I let it go. “I’ll have to take care of myself,” she said. “I’ll have to live with this. I’m not good at it.” I smiled. “You think you’re tough, aren’t you?” She laughed. “Oh, yes. I have a job to do. I’m just not good at it. Have I mentioned this recently? I’m just not good at it. I can’t open my eyes or speak. I can’t open my mind. If I do, I’d be dead.” She looked at me. “But you’re human. You can morph. You can take care of yourself. You’ll never have to worry about anyone else.” “But I Chapter 14 I met Marco’s gaze. He was staring at me. I stepped forward first, my face pressed into his. he said. He was right. I was afraid. He was a predator. A predator’s instinct. It was self-defense. I was to chase the prey. To kill him. I was a predator. I was a predator’s perfect human disguise. I was a predator’s perfect human disguise. I was a predator’s perfect human disguise. He moved at breakneck speed. He was fast for a human. Fast for an Andalite. Fast for an Andalite prince. I felt the same fear. Stop! I had the feeling I’d been paralyzed. He stopped. He stopped moving. I was frozen. He stopped moving. I was in a vast, open cavern. A vast, open cavern full of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. I looked down at the ground. The ground was alive, alive, with life in every inch of it. I had never been a true predator. I had never been a true predator. And yet, I felt the same fear as I had before. I had never felt fear before. But this time I felt fear. “You’ll kill us,” Rachel said. “Yeah,” Marco agreed. “I will.” “You’ll kill us,” Jake said. “And then you’ll know, like I did, that we have no chance of survival.” “Are you so sure?” Cassie asked. He nodded. “Yeah. I know. I’ve been a predator for so long I don’t even remember what I did before, back when I was human.” “I’ve been a predator for so long I don’t even remember what I did, back when I was human,” I said. “So what if I’m not a predator, too? What if I’m the one who breaks into the Yeerk pool?” Cassie laughed. “Rachel’s right. There are so many more lives in our world than predators could possibly imagine.” Jake nodded. “So long as we’re all on the same page, we’ll be able to fight the same battles. But this time, the battle will be a lot more personal.” Marco and Ax exchanged a look. Jake smiled. Ax’s face was more human than Andalite, and his eyes were more human than human. Jake started to say something, but he stopped his face from moving. “I have a question,” he said. “How about some of the other questions?” “Okay,” I said. “I’m in.” “Okay,” Marco said. “You have about three weeks,” Jake snapped. “And you have to do this. Just one.” “I know.” I looked at Jake. “You have to do this.” Jake nodded. “Okay.” Marco was still staring at me. “So how do I know what I’ve seen?” “Well, here’s the thing. You saw me.” “What?” “I was in Aftran.” “That’s what?” “I mean, I was in that area.” “I know what you saw,” I repeated. “But I didn’t see what you saw.” “What?” “I saw her. But I didn’t see her.” “You have to do this.” “Okay,” Jake said quietly. “Okay. You have to do this.” I stared at Jake, unable to stop the rage that came with the question. “No,” I whispered. “This is the best I can do. I don’t have to do this.” “Okay,” Jake said. “But you have to do this.” “I have to do this,” I repeated. “I’ve been in morph, in morph-” Chapter 5 “I can’t -” A new voice. In my mind. No, I couldn’t ... I was too far away. Too far away to focus. I heard the noise of Leera. The Leeran. Impossible to do anything to stop that voice. I felt the Leeran’s mind and body, as it were, growing. Becoming harder and harder. It was like being in a vacuum. I was growing a new kind of mind. I was growing from the very atoms that had been my own atoms. From the very atoms that had been my own atoms. I was a being that was being each, each as different as the smallest atoms. I was a being that was being a split second later. I felt the power I had been holding. I felt the Leeran’s mind and body draining away. I felt it become irrelevant, irrelevant to the Yeerk. I felt the power itself become irrelevant. I felt the Leeran’s mind become irrelevant. I felt the Yeerk mind and body becoming irrelevant, irrelevant. I felt a new mind, a new mind soul. I said, The voice. It was not human. Not human. It was the voice of a Leeran. I said. The Yeerk. Who was right. I said. she said. I said. I had already given the order. she said. I said. We raced along the edge of the valley. Jake and I were on a rocky outcrop that was almost a hollowed out of the valley. It was a craggy plain. A hollowed out lake. And it was a place I knew well. As much as I was interested in the fact that, as I was about to lose my life, I was about to lose my humanity. I saw the edge of the lake. It was a beautiful plain. A perfect lake. In the middle of it was a small valley. I could see into the valley through the valley walls. There were three tall trees, each three feet tall. They were planted on either side of the lake. They were dead leaves. I tried to focus. To see through the trees. But they were blind. I tried to swim, but the water was so thick it made my vision difficult. I tried to swim, but the water so thick it made my eyes dry out. I tried to jump. But my weight was useless. I was too heavy to be able to move. I tried to stand, but mine were too heavy. I collapsed on all fours. I fell forward, face first, and hit my head on a flat rock. I tried to rise. But my head was already buried by rock. I tried to rise, but my head was now buried in rock. I tried to stand, but my head was too heavy. I fell to the stone floor of the valley floor. I tried again. But my head was no more than three feet tall. I fell and rolled. I was no more than three feet from being buried alive. I tried to dig my face out of the rock. But my mouth was no more than three feet wide. I tried to crawl, but my head was almost useless. I tried to stand up. But my legs were useless. I falled against the rough stone floor and fell. I lay there on my side, gasping and gasping, helpless. Chapter 12 “Are you all right?” My mouth just banged open. “Not well,” I said, squinting at the distant updates of the Yeerks’ net. “You know, maybe you’re a little nervous.” “Marco’s right,” Cassie said, “but I’ve been thinking about something much more. About the fact that I’ll be back in the barn in a few days.” I looked down at the ground. I guess it was a long, long walk. It had to be, to be sure. We’d walked sometimes together, but only by the same name. That’s the way we’d always been, anyway. Cassie’s knees bumped into my chest. I had to try to stand up and say yes, up. But I was too shaky to even try. “Cassie,” I said. “What’s up?” “We’ve been going to our meeting,” she said. “Yeah, this is what it’s like,” I said. “I know what it’s like. I mean, I know what it’s like.” “Yeah, well, we came to a meeting,” she said, “and our meeting was canceled. We were not invited.” I looked at her. “What did you say?” “I said, we’re not invited.” “But you’ll be.” “No.” I shook my head. “I don’t know.” “You know what, Cassie, I don’t really think of myself that way.” “I don’t think of myself that way. I mean, what do I do, really?” “I don’t think of myself that way. I mean, you know what?” “I guess I think about myself the way I do about someone who has a mouth and a leg and a mouth and a leg and a leg and a leg and a leg and a leg.” I felt a cold chill. It had been a long time since I felt any kind of affection for her. “She is very cute,” Cassie said. “Yeah, well, she’s cute, too. She’s got a beautiful body and as sweet a heart as you can create.” “But she’s also all pierced,” I said. “Yes, but the way she looks is wonderful.” “Possibly because I am very old and I have a very strong sense of taste. I know what I am. I know what I am. But I don’t really know what I am. I see myself as a one-eyed, seven-legged, red-tailed hawk. I’m actually a red-tailed hawk.” “Yes, but you are young,” Cassie said. “I mean, you have wings. You have wings. But when you morph, you have to work harder. You have to be more agile than you are. You have to work hard.” “I’m not young,” I said. “I have wings!” “Yes, but the size of your body is irrelevant,” she said. “Yes, but you have wings.” “Yes, but you have to work harder. You have to be more agile than you are. You have to work harder.” “Yes, but you have to work hard.” “Yes, but you have to work harder.” “Yes!” she cried. “I’m not young, I’m old.” I stopped fighting her words. I was afraid she would laugh. I knew it was wrong. I knew I had to fight hard. But now I was older, and I was feeling sick. I was scared. I was sick with fear. I was cold. And I was afraid. I met Tobias’s eyes. He was far away. He was a hawk’s eye. I saw the horned owl in his own sky. I felt the power of his voice. I felt the way the world filled with fear. I felt the fear that lives inside me now, Chapter 11 I was bald. I was at least partly covered with feathers. Tanned skin and stubby fingers. My body was now mostly a gray, tan, or tan-stained osprey body. I cried. Jake said. Tobias said. I looked up in the sky. I saw the sun rising over the mountains. I saw a single red-tail, sitting on a branch high in the air. A bird that could only mean one thing. Tobias asked. I said. Jake said. I morphed to human. I saw two human eyes: one on the front of my face, one on the back. I looked down at my hands. They were brown and not very good-looking. My fingers were just wet from the morph. I could feel the wind blowing. It was beating in my face. It was beating fast. I looked around. Jake was right. I was in a field of wild, wild animals. But I was in a field worth fighting. The others were all right. Marco was in a tree, Cassie was in the clearing, and Ax was perched above me. I asked. Jake said. I said. Jake said. I agreed. I morphed to human. I felt my face stretching out before my human eyes. I was mostly still human. But now I was still mostly a fly. I began to change. I was a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. I didn’t have wings, but I had a tail. And I was growing. My legs bulged out of my chest. My arms stretched out and grew horns. I had small hands, but they were a lot bigger than I was. And I was becoming ... a boy. I could feel the changes starting. I could feel my bones expanding. And soon they were hard bones. My mouth became hollow. I could relax and focus. My tongue no longer worked. My teeth grew. I could slowly flatten them. They grew into three long, deadly staves. My nose and mouth became a long, hard, plump, nasty-looking proboscis. My eyes became a wicked, deadly stent, almost like an octopus. I could hear everything. Everything. I could smell. I could taste everything. My human mouth was small and round and covered with rough, gray hairs. I could see them, seeing them with my sensitive, sensitive compound eyes. I could see the bark of the tree. I could see the thick, heavy branches wrapped around me. I could see the thick, heavy branches that would come down from the sky. I was a boy. A boy with a mouth that was a long, deadly whip. I could hear everything. It was like being in a movie. But I didn’t know anything. I was blind. Chapter 23 The window of the room slid open, revealing myself. My flesh covered the lamp. I was human, of course. As much as the concept of morphing scares me, I was still human. I was wearing a small, high-visibility vest. I was wearing the same clothes I’d been in the room for a long time. I had no shoes. I had a pair of muddy-water thermals running from ear to ear. I was in the bathroom, but it was in the middle of the room. I was in the bathroom and no longer in the bathroom. I was in the bathroom and no longer in the bathroom. I could see, but I couldn’t feel, the light that was coming from the lamp. And I felt the heat, too. I was in the room, but not in the bathroom. I was in a dark room, other than my own. I could see a dark, whipping, churning steel beam coming down from the ceiling. I could see a shaping, shifting pattern of tiny cracks and creases. It was like nothing I had ever seen on Earth. There was a steel beam inside my clothes. I had broken my ankle, but they had taken it out. I had no shoes, no artificial feet. I was a bird. I had no mouth. I was barefoot, wearing a slippery, tattered shirt and jeans. I was in the bathroom, but I could see the floor below, and I had no shoes. I was in a dark room with a single slit. I could see a steel beam, going down, going down and sinking silently into the space. I was sitting on a sloping, rough-textured floor. I was barefoot, and wearing a blue wool shirt and jeans. I was in the bathroom. I was barefoot and wearing the same blue wool shirt and jeans I’d been in the room for two hours. I was in the room with the light and the sound. I was barefoot, and wearing jeans and a blue wool shirt and jeans in a way that made my feet look like they were just ripped out of my body. I was barefoot, and wearing sneakers that were just barely covering my bare ankles. I was in the room with the light and the light. I was in a dark room with a single slit, a slithering beam that slithered across one wall and down another. I was in a dark, noisy room with wet, dusty air, and the sounds of hooves against the tile floor. I was barefoot, and wearing a pair of muddy-water thermals that were more than a foot long. I was barefoot, and wearing a pair of muddy-water thermals that were more than a foot long. I was barefoot, and wearing shoes that were just barely covering my ankles. The first time I had ever tried morphing into a bird, I had never succeeded. But now I was sure I knew what was happening. I knew what I had been trying to do. I knew what I was going to do. I felt some kind of itching, like something was itching. It was like something was itching. I knew it was itching. I felt the wet, dusty air from the ceiling. I felt the electricity in my bathroom. I felt the warm sound of the lamp in my head. I was still in the bathroom. I could still hear the sound of the sound. But the sound of the sound was in my head. I could hear the sound through my ears. I was still in the bathroom, breathing, but I could no longer hear the sound of my own breathing. I was still in the bathroom. But the sound of the sound was not my own breathing. It was the sound of something in the water. I was breathing hard. Harder still. Harder. I couldn’t believe it! I hadn’t thought of it. This had to be the Yeerk pool. The Yeerk pool was my only hope of survival. Not a crying dog. I was human, and wearing a very human outfit. I was wearing a small, very light-colored peppermint green leotard. I was barefoot, in a very human bathroom. But I was wearing shoes. And I wanted to stand there and cry. I was barefoot on the floor of the bathroom, in the bathroom with the light. On the floor was a slit. I could see the hole. No way was that a slit. There were steps at the back of the bathroom. And there were two men’s clothes strewn all around the bathroom. One of the Chapter 12 Ax said, Cassie’s face shimmered, then became a human mouth. The vague, indistinct smell of her own parents - kids - filled my nostrils. The sounds of strangers - the faint, loud voices of those closest to us - the stifled, panicked cries of people I should know were all around us - the threats and curses of our own parents - we had the power to morph. Jake yelled. Jake was in human morph. The only way to morph in the open field. We’d lost track of him. Cassie was in human morph. She had spotted him, but it was too late. Jake had morphed. And now he was wearing a mask. I could see him clearly, but he was no longer human. I could see shapes and movements, but I could not see him clearly with my human eyes. I could see the human-Controller, a human-Controller who, by the way, was not my actual enemy, but rather a Controller in my own body: Cassie. Someone I had never felt before. I saw him staring up at me. And I felt the fear that still lurked within me, growing within me, growing inside me. And then he looked at me. I felt the fear from that face. I felt the fear, too. he asked me. I was confused. Ax said. Ax said. I said. Ax and Cassie were on the same side of the path the Andalite had gone down. I felt a chill of dread. The tiger was scared. The human was scared. And I felt sorry for the wolf. I said. The tiger was running. It ran, but it was faster than me in the air. Faster and faster, but it was still scared, too. The human was running. It was faster, but it was slower than me. I could feel the tiger’s fear. All it had was an eagerness. An eagerness to run fast and be ready for attack. It was a feeling that came from within me. I said. “Come on, let’s get going!” I rushed forward. Jake and Cassie were right beside me. It was me, in this world. It was the world I had made myself. I saw the tiger. I saw the human. I saw the human trapped in my body. “Yaaahhhh!!” I yelled, too late. I was in the middle of a pack of wolves. I was out of range of the human. I was panting. I was in the middle of a pack of wolves. I was in the middle of a pack of wolves. I was so scared I knew I was insane. I cried. Cassie cried. Jake asked. I said. Jake said. I cried. Cassie cried. And then I saw it. The Yeerk in her head. It was like picking a flower apart. The Yeerk in her mind. It was there. It was a human. It was alive. It was more than I could know. I felt it in my bones. My insides. My DNA. It was the Yeerk. It was all alive. It was as if I had been inside her when she was in me. Chapter 6 The two Hork-Bajir I was chasing disappeared. Marco said. I said. Marco said. We skidded onto a ridge all around us. A rock face at the end of a long, rocky canyon. The Hork-Bajir had to close all but their talons to the rock face to get back in. But Ax was right. The Hork-Bajir had plenty of room. Cassie yelled. I flapped my wings and turned toward the canyon. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! A tree branch struck me! I hit the ground hard. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! A second branch, from the same direction, struck me again. I raked my talons into the dirt. Screeching, I fell, twisting and falling. I was all the way back to the Pemalite crystal. Ax was right. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! Cassie yelled. I flapped hard, but it was hopeless. The trees had all disappeared. My talons were still there. My wings were flapping altogether. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! I cried. Cassie! I was close. I could see the branch that hit her. I could see her talons. She was dead still there. I said. she said. I said. Cassie said. I was in a tree branch. I flapped my wings and flapped hard, trying to free myself from the tree. But the branch hit me. I was up. I was up in the air. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! The tree branch hit me. Tobias, I thought. The tree branch hit me. I remembered that Tobias was in the woods. Tobias had seen me fall. He had been right in front of me. And now he was behind me. I cried. I had fallen into a pit of despair. she said. I flapped my wings and flapped, but my wings were useless. I was too weak. I was falling across a pit of despair. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! I was falling down into the pit of despair. Down, down, down, down. I flapped hard, but the wind was against me. The wind was beating down on me. I was falling, but I was falling fast. I couldn’t lift. I was falling along the bottom of the pit, falling, falling, falling! I flew up and down and down, and up and down, and into the empty sky. I was just spiraling down, spiraling, spiraling. Down! Down, down and below. Down and below! I flapped hard and suddenly, I was up. I was falling, and I was falling fast. TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! The air was filled with sparks. But I could see the ground through the hole in the tree branch. I flapped hard and now, a silent voice in my head shouted, TSEEEWWW! TSEEEWWW! The ground was spinning me out of control. I was spinning out of control. I was spinning to and fro as I fell. I was a falling tornado of splinters and strands of falling wood and fallen leaves. I felt the wind touch me and push me down into the sloping pit of the canyon. I flapped hard, but the wind Chapter 9 I am a bird of prey. The prey is me. I flew up and up and up and up. From the tall grass high above me, the first of the Hork-Bajir, I felt the heat of the Hork-Bajir’s head on my shoulders. I could see the Hork-Bajir’s eyes. If he had a mouth, he would have them. They stared at me, but they were not interested in me. I was still about three feet away from the Hork-Bajir. I could see them, but not in any detail. I was aware of the Hork-Bajir’s presence, but not of any human presence. I was in the same valley the Hork-Bajir was in. I saw no humans, only Hork-Bajir. I did not see any of the Hork-Bajir. I saw him, but not at this very moment. He was human. I was trying to understand how he had arrived. “Oh, man! I’m doing okay,” I said. “This is not like the Yeerk pool.” “I’m okay, man,” the Hork-Bajir said. “But you okay?” I looked at my hands. I saw that the fingers were red. I saw that they were wet, but not unable to see them. I saw the Andalite’s face. “We got him!” I cried. “He looks scared, man. He looks scared.” “What?” he said. “He looks scared?” “I don’t know, Jake,” I said. “He’s here. He’s supposed to be here. You know, I guess they’re supposed to be here.” I could feel the heat of his forehead. I could feel the pressure of the air-conditioning system in my palm. “He’s here!” I looked down at my hands. I saw that they were shriveling. They were an inch long. “What?” “I ... I’m an Andalite.” “A human,” I said. “That’s it.” “The Andalites?” “No.” “The Yeerks?” “They are a strange race,” the Hork-Bajir said. “We are not normal Andalites.” “Ah,” I said. “I see. But I see them.” “What?” “The Andalites. We have no mouths. They use our own mouths. They have no taste. But we have mouths. But they have no sense of humor.” “Oh, man!” Marco said. “What’s the matter with them?” “I’m here,” the Hork-Bajir said. “I think I know you.” “Yeah,” I said. “You kind of like me.” “I’ll be around when you need me,” the Hork-Bajir said. “You know, if you need me, I’ll be around.” “You mean, I’ll be with you when you need me.” “Yeah. I’ll be around when you need me.” I was already morphing to human. I felt the changes begin. I felt the temperature of the air-conditioning system rise in my lungs. I felt the air-conditioning as it was being pumped through my body. My eyes moved to adjust. I had a sort of polar vortex as my vision adjusted, but it was weird. I could see the air-conditioning pump through my eyes. It was like seeing through a glass as I shifted my weight from human to Hork-Bajir. My bones changed, too. They stretched forward, and I could see through the insides of my belly. I could see that my arms and legs were becoming hollow, as if they had been brushed with polished steel. I felt them growing in and out of my body. My legs were shrinking in size. My arms were ending in flattened pouches. My face had dis Chapter 3 “Rrrr-WHUMPF!” The school bus lurched forward and out of control. The doors slammed shut. The bus lurched forward and out of control. The driver caught a flash of pale gray and tried to pull up. The bus lurched forward by a few inches. I let go of the door handle and flung it open. I’d been in morph a long time. I needed to be able to morph. I could not morph normally. I knew I was trapped. Not in a morph, but a hard shell. I stood up on my hind legs. I was fully human. I could see the blood in my eyes. I could see the whitening of the bus’s crumpled-up covers. I could see the bus’s manhole cover. I could see the bus door. I was a human, but in a hard shell. I pushed the door open a second time. “Hey! You’re screaming!” I cried in my human voice. “I’m okay! I’m okay! I’m awake!” I was alone. I no longer had a mouth. I was trapped in a hard shell. I stood up and ran to the window. I saw a man lying on a cold, blackened floor. He was sitting on a dirty table. I pushed the door open and stood over him. I swung my head around and looked at the man. He was the one who had called the police. He had been lying on the floor. I had seen the blood drain into the bus’s blood. “Don’t call the cops,” I said. “They’ll come.” “Aria” Jake.” “Yeah, that’s what they need.” “They need someone to call.” “Cassie,” I said. “I can’t do it alone.” “I don’t know how. But I’ll be glad to help.” “That’s good,” I said. “I think I’ll do it with you.” We walked together to the police station. The first thing I did was pick up a piece of cardboard. It was wrapped around the bottom of the bus. I flipped it over and used my finger to squeeze the hole. I looked up inside a glass cylinder at the far end of the bus. There were two other doors. In one I could see a small, metal door. “I’ll call a doctor. Then I’ll take you to the operating room.” “Am I the doctor I used to be?” “Yes. I have a history of physical problems. I am very frail.” “You’re not really old enough to call a doctor?” “No.” “Don’t worry.” I placed the card on the door. I tried not to look at it. But my eyes were still faint from the instant I looked at it. I heard a faint gasp. “I’m good,” I said. “I’m good.” The doctor looked up from the door. He had two huge, furry, scaly claws extended for killing. The other doctor was a thin, leathery man with dark hair and a short, stubby tail. “I know you have a history of heart problems,” the doctor said. “I know you have a history of anorexia. I know you have a history of depression. But you have some sort of mental health problems.” “Well, I’m a doctor.” I didn’t answer. There was no point in trying to argue. I had to be sure. But there was no point in trying to explain. “I’m a doctor,” the doctor said. “I know you. I know what you are. You are what you are. You’re my cousin. Your cousin.” The doctor looked thoughtful. Then he smiled. “Look, I know you. I know the way you used to be. I’m your cousin.” I almost laughed. It was a close call. We never talked about our problems. Not even in public. Chapter 35 Now that I had the picture of the Yeerk pool, I was ready to get serious. The Yeerk pool was a huge, underground lake where the species called Hork-Bajir lived. The Hork-Bajir were a strange race created by a long, slow, and very hard-to-read Andalite file. It was a very small lake, well stocked with Taxxons. The Hork-Bajir were very docile, but by the time they were human, they were fully Andalite, and the Andalites had already enslaved the Hork-Bajir. I saw a huge Hork-Bajir fighter, roaring its massive wheels, racing across the dirt. And it was a big, powerful ship decorated with a red “Andalite” tail. The Andalites were armed with machine guns, but there were no weapons on the level of a Bug fighter. The Andalite fighter was powered down the narrow, narrow valley, and the Hork-Bajir were gunned straight into it. I saw the two big Hork-Bajir at the foot of the ramp. They were moving. It was a breeze, but they were moving fast. I saw the two big Hork-Bajir over on the opposite side of the ramp. They were in their own trenches, but they were moving. Moving with amazingly swift speed. I saw them move in a line, and look out through the trees behind them. I knew what they were doing. They were moving in a line. I saw the two huge, hairy Hork-Bajir being pushed aside by the two tiny, hairy Hork-Bajir creatures. And I felt the pain of their bodies being pushed aside by the other two. One, two! The two new and completely alien creatures were being pushed aside as they began to make their way down the ramp. Then I saw it happen. The two new creatures were being pushed aside by the big Hork- Bajir. The two big monsters just fell through the air, bursting into a huge creation half-human, half- human, half-Hork-Bajir. I had an idea. I ran out into the middle of the woods, looking around. The Hork-Bajir were always so quick to make trouble. If they saw me, they would rush forward and squeeze their jaws open. The two new creatures, having been taken by the two Hork-Bajir, began to make their way down the ramp. They were just fast enough now, and I was on my way down. I stopped suddenly. I was on the far side of the ramp. It was in the woods. The Hork-Bajir had stood up and looked around. They were standing in a line of trees. Something was wrong. Not another tree. Something was wrong. I looked down. I could not see them. There was nothing to see. Nothing to see. I looked down and saw the two huge Hork-Bajir standing on either side of me. They were twitching and growing larger. I guess the Hork-Bajir had been afraid of me. I don’t know why. But I could see the thing that was wrong with them. They were moving in a line. They were moving in a line of fear. “Hake!” the Hork-Bajir cried. “Hake!” the Hork-Bajir yelled back. Suddenly, a huge tree trunk came down and sliced open the ground. “Aaaaah!” the Hork-Bajir screamed. “Aaaaah!” the Hork-Bajir screamed again. The trunk of the tree came down like a tree trunk. It came at me. I hit the ground. The Hork-Bajir came at me. I was still frozen. I was half-human. Half-Hork-Bajir. I felt the ground go flat. I froze. I was in a sort of box. The only things that moved were my eyes, my tail, and the wood. The Hork-Bajir came after me. He was taller than me. He had brown hair and a face like an Andalite. He had a cold, calculating look. But he was bigger. He had a mouth like a Hork-Bajir. He had a huge grin on his face. His severed teeth were moving in a kind of tongue. “Heee Chapter 14 - Marco I made it home and left you a message in the mail. It said “Hi,” but it didn’t say anything about where you were or what time. “Hi,” I said. “Oh, I was just wondering about you.” I took a deep breath. “You have been a long time since I last saw you.” “It’s been a long time since I last saw you,” Marco said. “You’ve been my best friend forever. But I never even knew you.” “We met when you were a kid,” I said. “The first time I saw you I thought you were an Andalite.” “What?” “I guess I guess it was the two years you were enslaved by the Yeerks. See, I guess you know about the Yeerks.” It was a lie. I knew about the Yeerks. It was a lie. All right, I thought, I’ve told you about the Yeerks. About all the things I’ve told you about them. But I’ve never known you, Marco, or even Cassie or Tobias or Jake or David or Rachel. The last time I saw you back there in Cassie’s barn, you said you had been lost in a box. And you said you had seen David. “If I knew you, I’d never ask you to come along with me,” I said. “David?” Tom repeated. “What did you think about me going with you?” “You’re just the nicest guy around. You know, I really like him. I mean, he’s my cousin.” I shook my head. “I guess you know how I feel about David. We do take bets on his future. We bet everything weget.” “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying,” Marco said. He was listening to me say all I had to say. “I think I know what the deal is,” I said. “I know what you’re going to do. I don’t even know what to do with you, Cassie.” I felt bad about Marco. I felt bad. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to let Tom get away with anything. I’d been feeling guilty lately, feeling guilty because I didn’t like the way Marco was wanting me to help. But I wasn’t going to let him hurt me. I was going to hurt him. “Cassie,” I said, “you’re going to hurt me?” She nodded. “I know. You were terrified that you’d do anything to get us both killed.” “Yes, that’s right.” “I know.” I squirmed and took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. “You think David likes me?” “He hates me?” “He’s a Controller. He’s a Controller with the Yeerk in his head.” “Exactly. And you think he’s going to do anything to get us both killed?” “Yeah.” “I know. I mean, I’m not exactly the coolest person in the world, but I’m not exactly the nicest or the best friend I ever had. But you know what? I’m not David.” “No. But I know what you’re going to do.” “Yeah. Okay. Okay. But what are you going to do?” “I’m going to break you.” “What, what are you going to do to me?” “I’m going to kill you.” “Yeah. So, what are you going to do?” “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me.” “Yeah. Right. Right.” “You think you can save me?” “Yes.” “I think I can save you, Cassie.” That was an awfully close call. But I had to make the call. I had to Chapter 7 “Here.” A red-tailed hawk, circling the cabin. Like the prey it was, it flew. Pteranodon from its home world. Its stalk eyes snapped open. “Ahh!” “I’m hungry. I’m hungry!” “Ahh!” I tried to laugh. “I’m hungry! I’m hungry!” “It’s a pteranoderm!” “A pteranoderm?” “Of course.” “There’s no pteranodon outside the cabin. I’ll help you out.” “Okay.” I swung the cage open and around. I buzzed a little more vigorously, and I exploded. The pteranodon snarled and knocked another red-tail from the cabin. “Go for the throat!” I yelled. I went for the throat. “I’m telling you, go for the throat,” he said. “Go for the throat!” “Go for the throat!” I yelled. “Go for the throat!” I repeated. “Butterfly!” “A butterfly!” “A butterfly?” “Yes,” I said, staring up at the sky. I dived down into the air. I squeezed the air out through my wings and skidded, falling totally straight down into the water. I was a butterfly, floating in the water. I was a butterfly, flapping my way up from the water. My feathers melted together to form my wings. My beak burst into flame. I saw a huge squid at the edge of the water. I flapped my wings and I dove for the squid. I was huge! The largest creature I had ever seen. And I was not going to let him see that I was right, that I was a huge, long-necked beast. I landed on a pebbled banana tree and snatched it with my talons. I was very fast. I dropped the Banana. I spilled it into the water and waited. I waited till the squid was no more than a foot away from me. I waited till he was more than a foot away from me. And then the squid - or something - began to rise up from the water. I tumbled forward and down the tree. It was a monster, an ant-sized creature. It was like some monster I’d seen in my dreams. But it was not a caterpillar. It was a huge, long-necked thing. Just a monster. And it was moving. I tumbled down and up, up, up, up. I was nothing. Nothing but a watery, wet mess - I was a squid. I broke free of the water and began racing toward the squid. I was in a dark cave. I was alone and utterly alone. I dove, down, down, down, down, down, down. I was a squid. “A dove,” I whispered. I was out of the water. Out of the water. I was going to die. I dove for the squid. But that wasn’t the end of it. I had to get away. I couldn’t let him see. I flew, down, down, down, just like I’d come to land without a trace. I was in a cave. A cave full of moving parts. I took a deep breath and tried to focus. I tried to focus and compose myself. Oh, my God. I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream and then sit up and breathe again. I was alone. I felt the water rushing up from behind me. It was as if someone was holding me up and trying to make me fall. I was in the water. I tried to work out a plan. I tried to think of what I could do to help. But I couldn’t figure it out. I was drowning. I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t. I tried to move my fingers. But my arms were weak. My fingers were falling away. I tried to act, but my arms were not even formed. I tried to get myself out of the water, but my hands were still there. My arms were broken, but I was free. Now I had a body. I could swim. I could see. I could Edelman explained that we were a small, very experienced group. The human part of us was in charge. But there were changes we had not yet realized. I saw that familiar face in my memory. It was me. The human. The Yeerk who had once questioned me. The human who had warned me about the Hork-Bajir. But the Yeerk who had not realized that I was the leader was Visser Three. Visser Three! Visser Three, the main enemy. The only real Andalite-Controller. Visser Three, the leader. My face. My fingers. My nose. My mouth. My tongue. I did not have an Andalite tail. Visser Three was in a morph. Visser Three, the main enemy. I felt a sickening, sickening sensation. A feeling unlike anything I had ever known. Something wrong. Something wrong with me. Something wrong with my mind. All of it wrong. Not a feeling you would ever get back. Not a feeling of guilt. Not a feeling of fear. No fear. Fear was nothing. No fear. No fear. Fearless. Fearless. No fear. No fear. The Yeerks. The evil, evil, evil mass. The Hork-Bajir. The Taxxons. The human-Controller. The human-Controller. Visser Three was in a new morph. At first, from more than a thousand feet, I saw that I was standing on four legs. But the taller I got, the more I became aware of the Hork-Bajir standing behind me. I began to change. The Hork-Bajir had me in the middle of a cage. I was now a human. Chapter 18 The Time Matrix was a hologram of a large, open, transparent sphere. It was formed using a process of gradual, constant rotation. The sphere was filled with a transparent core. The core contained many components, including the Time Matrix itself. However, the central piece, the sphere, was very different from the simple array of components that forms a part of the simple system. The core contained many smaller components, each more complex than the component parts of a single system. The components of the empty core contained the structure of atoms and molecules. The Time Matrix contained many new elements, but very few new ones that the structure of elements in the Time Matrix simply did not allow. The elements in the simple core were all new: light, water, water, air, and so on. I looked at the Time Matrix, and I could not help but see the placement of these new entities. It was larger than the entire Pool ship, with its many Hork-Bajir warriors. This large ship contained a number of orbiting Taxxons. Each Taxxon was larger than the Pool ship, with its many Hork-Bajir warriors. But the Pool ship was different. It was a smaller, protected ship. I felt strange about the placement of the new elements. I was too far away to be sure. But I was sure of the location of the time line. I felt the Time Matrix begin to move. I felt it move away from me, away from me. I felt the creature move toward it, away from it, away from it. I felt the Time Matrix then return, away from me, away from me. I felt the creature move toward it. I felt it move away from me, away from me. I felt the creature move toward it, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time Matrix become a part of me. I felt it move away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving toward it, away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving toward it, away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving toward it, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time Matrix and the Time line disappear. I felt the larger ship disappear and disappear away. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the Time line reappear. I felt the creature moving away from me, away from me, away from me. I said, I felt the Yeerk inside the Time line move toward me. I felt it move away from me. I felt the Time line move toward me, toward me. I felt the Time line move toward me, toward me. I felt the creature moving toward me, away from me. I felt the creature moving toward me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line move toward me, toward me. I felt the creature moving toward me, away from me, away from me, away from me. I felt the Time line move toward me. I felt the creature moving toward me, away from me, away from me. I felt the creature moving toward me, away from me, away from me. But my time line! I saw, I saw, I saw, I saw. I was a Time-line creature. Not a Time-line creature. I was a Time-line creature. I was Chapter 11 I was high on cinnamon buns when I spotted the big cinnamon buns. The cinnamon buns. These were the ones I’d been hunting for the entire day. I was hunting them. Two of them were in a swimming pool. The third was in the water. I looked down and could make out the tip of the binder. In one corner were the words “HOLIDAY!” in a dark, bloodred corner. In the other corner were the words “BONK! BONK KNOK! BONK! BONK!” The words were in a small brass keypad on the side of the big keypad. I took the keypad and held it out to the cinnamon buns. The buns don’t have a right to be afraid of me. I reached down and touched one of the big cinnamon buns to his head. The big one whined sometimes. I saw the same thing happen to the cinnamon buns. They said they were losing their minds. They went to their knees and tried to scream. The big one said, “You can’t do that.” I looked at the big cinnamon buns. They looked at me with blank, confused eyes. Then I saw the big cinnamon buns, smiling and laughing. The two big buns were talking to each other. The words came out loud, almost like they were spoken in the middle of a game of thunder. The two big buns glanced at me, then I saw them go to their knees and try to reach for one of the big buns. They said, “You can do this.” I looked at the binder and I saw their mouths tense. I saw a look of pure, absolute terror. Then I saw the words in the big binder. They said, “You can do this.” “Help me,” I said. “Help me!” The cinnamon buns all spoke English. “I’ll help you!” the big binder said. “NO!” I yelled. The cinnamon buns screamed, and I heard the sound of their hearts beating. I looked at the big binder. He was talking to me. He was trying to help. I didn’t have a right to feel sorry for him. “Don’t hurt him,” the big binder said. “No!” I yelled. “NO!” the big bun yelled. “Help!” I yelled in a rage that increased in volume as my heart beat stopped beating. “NO!” I yelled. “NO!” he pleaded. “I can’t do this! Help me!” He squeezed my hand. I pushed him away, and now he was yelling. “Help me! I can’t do this!” It was all over. I had lost my mind. I had had enough. I had lost everything. I was a bad person. I was going to do my best to help. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. I had to help. I had to stay alive. “NO!” I yelled, and I punched him in the face. “Don’t do it,” he screamed. “Don’t take me alive!” I screamed, and he practically flinched. “NO!” I cried in pain again. “Don’t take me alive!” I yelled. “Don’t take me alive!” I yelled again. “No!” I was mad. I was addicted to the pain. I was mad at him. “NO!” I yelled again. And then I had to get away. “NO!” I screamed again. “I have to stay alive! I have to go to the doctor!” “I have to stay alive!” he cried. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. “Help me!” I cried and he was right. I had to get away. I had to get away from him. He was right. He was wrong. He was wrong. I saw a flash of disbelief on his face and I knew what was coming next. I knew I had let him down. I knew I had let him down. I was sick with grief. I knew I was wrong. I Chapter 10 Marco said. Jake nodded. I said. Cassie said. I said. Jake said. I said. The others were all there, all in formation. I saw Jake, Cassie, and me. Rachel, Cassie. I saw Ax. Tobias was there. Jake said. Marco agreed. I watched the group from above. It was just me, Cassie, Jake, and Ax. I guess we’d have liked to say “Look, we’re not flying a spaceship,” or “Guys, I’m Not Going To Take A Picture Of Myself,” or whatever it is. But we’d have had no idea what it meant. I mean, we knew we were there. But that’s not what really mattered. Jake said. It was late the night of the twentieth. A full moon. A very dark night. The sun was rising high against the clouds. The low clouds were not high enough for us to see the Bug fighters. But we could see that they were larger than a football field. The fighters were spread out over three large areas, one behind us, one behind us. There were tanks, too. And over the fighters, at least three, I could see. They were moving fast, more than a hundred miles an hour. They were low-flying Bug fighters. Cassie said. She sounded determined. Jake said. Marco said. Rachel said. I argued. Jake asked. I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t ask them. But I knew I had to trust them. So I said, Jake said. I said. Marco countered. Jake said. I said. Jake said. I said. Jake went on, Ax said, he said. Jake said. I said. We were in a small area. This was not a heavily defended area. Most of the trees were undeniably high up over us, but the bushes and prickly trees were about the same height. A quarter of an acre of fallen trees was a very easy target. I said. We were Chapter 13 We demorphed to birds, then climbed into the trees. The others followed. Rachel, Tobias, Ax, and me, still mostly human. Here and there, we saw the Taxxons. They were big, but not far behind us. They seemed to be building up their speed. I spotted Marco, sitting on a branch high in the ground. He was staring at us. His shaggy green-and-black hair was in a wavy ponytail. I shouted. Rachel said. I said. Rachel was right. I was a Controller, a person who could not be used. I asked her. she said. I was very puzzled. I could not answer. I explained. I said. Rachel asked. I explained. Rachel said. I said. Tobias said. I continued. Rachel said. I said. Ax said. I said. I had been in owl morph for only two hours. I had no idea what to expect. Then I saw the backwash of the ground. It was a tall cliff. There were crags and ridges of some sort. I looked upward. Trees and grass ran beneath me. My vision was dim. But I could see the miles ahead. I saw nothing. I was no longer in owl morph. And I was no longer strong enough to use my wings. But I was strong enough to do the math. I was able to climb up the cliff and follow the trees. I could see the tall trees ahead. I could see the narrow passageways. I could see the small passages that served as shelters. I broke into a run, flapping my wings hard. I flapped and with luck came a plucked branch. I stumbled over a rock, replacing my wings. I flapped hard and landed hard on the rock. Suddenly, I was in the thick of the forest. Trees were rushing up behind me, up behind me. I flapped hard and landed hard. My wings beat with speed and I caught the breeze and I soared toward the clearing below, where I could see the clearing. I landed on the edge of the clearing. It was a steep ascent, a steep slope. There was just no way I could climb. I was sick with fear. I’d seen enough horror movies. I’d seen enough scary stuff. I’d just never gotten around to the Chapter 18 I could see the tiger’s eyes glaze over. I could see the force field we used to hold the trap. I could see the area in front of us. We were all in the dark, and a mile away from the trap, in a dark, open space. The tiger leaped. It was fast and strong, but it was not able to pull the ropes we had. But it was faster and stronger than it had been at the first time. It was running at full human speed. The tiger swiped at the ropes. It missed and rolled, half-morphed, half-fell on its face, and then stepped over ropes the size of mountains. The ropes were all the way over the ceiling of the cage, and we were at the ceiling. And looking around, I could see that we were in a lot more places than we thought. I asked the tiger. “Uh-huh,” the tiger grunted. “Where?” “Um ... ooh, there!” the tiger grunted. The ropes were all over the floor. I could see the floor below, but I could not see the floor upward. The tiger was faster than the two of us, but it broke loose from the trap and was blown over the concealed Hork-Bajir. The ropes we used to hold the trap were all gone. “I don’t see anything,” the tiger moaned. “I don’t see anything!” I looked at the ceiling. It was dark. But I could see that we were in a lot of places. I could see the trees and the trees behind us. I moved closer and began to morph. The tiger was faster than me. But it was still too fast. I began to shrink. “You’re a tiger in here!” “Yeah, but you’re a tiger in here, too!” I went to my face. I knew what was going on around me. I knew what was going on around the floor of the cage. I was either going to fall in. Or I was going to hit the floor. “You’re a tiger, right?” I said. “Sure,” the tiger grunted. “Oh, man! I’m a tiger, right?” I was going to fall and fall and fall. I was going to hit the floor. “You’re a tiger!” the tiger cried. “I’m a tiger!” I yelled. I went into my own morph, and began to shrink. The tiger was almost entirely human now. The human parts were all gone. I was more human than the tiger. I was almost completely covered with fur. I could feel the tiger’s intense fear, its fear of me. But then I saw the tiger’s human eyes. They were growing wide and bulging, as if they were growing from the bottom of his sleek tiger mouth. “I’m a human,” he said to me. “I’m a human being. But I can’t leave you. It’s my fault.” I looked at the ceiling. “I can’t do this.” “Just a little,” he said. “Just a little.” I was now almost entirely human. Now I was also almost entirely gray, with a few small eyes like Cassie’s. “You’re starting to have gray hairs all over you,” the tiger said, sounding angry. “I’ll get a big, fat gorilla!” I yelled. “Bull!” the tiger yelled. “All right, tiger,” I said. “Now, morph!” The tiger bit down hard on the tiger’s hardening human teeth. His teeth were growing ever smaller. The tiger started morphing as his human mouth and nose replaced the tiger’s own mouth and nose. He was now shrinking at an incredible rate. And it was like being blind. A tiger that was shrinking! “I can’t stop!” I cried. “Shut up!” the tiger yelled. “I’m going to morph!” I cried. “I’m going to do this! Chapter 6 I was out of there! Out of the fight, out of the fight! I was out of my morph! Out of my morph! I was out of there! Out of my own body! I was out of the fight. By the time I was out of the fight, I was too far down to even see the others. I had to morph! I dove down into the ocean. Down into the deep, calm sea. Dive down and survive it. My eyes saw only darkness. I knew it was me, but I couldn’t see the ocean right now. I could only constantly feel the waves. Slowly, reluctantly, I morphed to dolphin. I was still not completely human. I was still the same human I’d always been before. I was still no human. But I was alive. I dove down and around, deep underwater. And below me! A mid-cretan ship! I saw the tanks flaring up in the air and then, with a sickening, twitching sound that reached across the sea, down, up into the sea, and, in a second, the sea! Up into the sea! I was right in front of the Sea Blade. The Sea Blade ... I whirled. I was up and running. My hind legs were cradling my dolphin body. I was a thousand feet and right in front of the Sea Blade. Then, I saw a flash of light. A steel tube. The Sea Blade was moving. It was moving, faster than the rest of the ship. But it was moving at a slower speed- faster than a human-Controller could. No way it was a human. It was moving! I was in the water! Up and out of there! But I was in the sea. And I was not alone! I was in the middle of a sea! I was just above the Sea Blade. It was almost horizontal. I opened my eyes. I could see the sea below. I could see the water rising toward me. But I couldn’t see where I was. I gaped up at the sky. I was a dolphin. I was a dolphin not much bigger than my body. I was a dolphin not much bigger than my own body. I was the only dolphin in the world. The Sea Blade was no more than fifty feet away and I saw the light of a hundred and fifty shades of gray. I said. I started to say, but I was too far away to help. My other mouthparts were dry. My legs were numb. I was definitely not human. I was alive! I was in the sea! I dove down and around and around. But it wasn’t enough. I was still too far away to see well enough to make thought-speak. I was in the water! I was in the sea! I was underwater! I was in the ocean! I was in the water! I was drowning! I was blind! I was drowning and being sucked into the water, and now I was floating in the water. I said. I said. I said. I cried. But now I was the only one who could use the term “human.” I could not morph to dolphin. I could not morph to dolphin. And I could not morph to human. I was human again. But I was no longer human. I was still the same dolphin, still in the water. Chapter 11 We worked up a plan. We morphed into cockatiels. I had to get them away from the barn. They were on the move. And we had to get to the barn fast. The plan was to grab the first two roach tracks by the time we got to the tunnel. Dak was the first one to come to the rescue. He leaped. He landed on the ground. I ducked out of the way, fumbling for the door. I was too shaky to keep my hands on my hands. I was running for the stairs when I heard the first loud splash of a door slamming. I jumped in and yelled, “Hey! Hey! Are you awake?” The roach was still crawling on the floor. But it was morphing well. It was growing smaller and smaller. I saw a flash of the big, bulky thing crawling across the floor. It was still morphing and I was definitely growing. The roach was growing smaller and smaller, even with the door still in its body. I shot up the stairs in a rush and headed all the way back to the barn. “Hey! I’m awake. I’m in a nice dark windowless structure.” I looked up and saw the big flat roof of the barn and the room that had just become a space. It was raining. And I had to be careful. We were in a dark, very dark place. “Hey! I can’t see you,” I said. “I’m Marco.” “Oh, shut up.” “I know. I’m awake.” “I’ll come out,” I said. “Marco.” “Okay. I’ll come with you. You’re not coming out of this window.” “Oh, man.” “I’ll come out and pet you.” “I’ll come out,” I said. “But then I’ll see if I can help you.” “I’ll just stay here and pet you.” I couldn’t believe I was so sure. I’d already started the process. I’d already morphed the roach. But from this time on, I was sure I was on my way to becoming a cockatiel. “I’m okay,” I said. “Just a few drops of water.” “I’ll come out and pet you.” “I’ll come and pet you.” “I’ll come and pet you,” I said, breaking the spell of concentration. “But first, I’ll also come out with a nice, big cockatiel.” “Okay.” I stepped away from the others. It was a long walk to the barn outside. My dad is at work in the yard. I’d already done the morph. Marco was at his work, too. “Now,” I said, “I’m going to put on my beard and put on my hair.” “It’s not going to look right,” Marco mumbled. “Okay. Okay,” I said, “I’m going to put on my shirt and put on my shoes.” “No problem-o.” “Okay. Clean up.” I was on my way to getting my shaving cream. I was going to shave my own nose. I was going to succeed. “You’re going to the grocery store?” I asked. “Yes.” “Then I’ll be in a hurry.” “Okay.” I was sorry I’d let Jake take my shoes. I was afraid I’d leave him. I was worried he’d decide I was too scared to come. But I didn’t know how I could trust Jake. I knew I had to do my absolute leap. I knew I couldn’t let my parents know I was coming. “You’re pretty sure Jake will let you go to the gas station?” “I know he will. But what about my parents?” I said, trying to sound calm. “I just talked to my mom. She says if I say no, she Chapter 9 I dug my nails into the wood and plucked up the other hooves. I timed the morph and began to craft. The Yeerks are a very, very odd species. But they are not the least odds in terms of number of hosts. They are the third-largest living thing on Earth, with an average weight of almost two hundred and twelve tons. That works out to a mass of about three hundred trees. Marco, on the other hand, is a much smaller creature. He has no eyes. He has no mouth, but he knows what to do when he wants to. He eats by scraping bark with his feet. And I have the least unusual of all the Hork-Bajir. I have a mouth that can chew bark. I have a tail that ends in a claw or hoof. I had the chance to see Jake move when Visser Three attacked, to see the Dracon beam he had aimed at me. I had the Hork-Bajir try to escape when the Yeerk had a chance to shoot it at me. It was pathetic. It was pathetic. Jake had been a fool. He had thought I was a human. He had set me up to be a Hork-Bajir blessed. But he had failed. The Yeerk had struck me with a Dracon beam in the chest. She was right. I was hit. Cassie jumped to her feet. She was running up the back of the truck, trying to grab the receiver. I barreled into her and she was in a ditch, knocked down. I cried. Cassie was right. I saw it. I saw a pair of Hork-Bajir on the floor. I shouted. The Time Matrix! I had not heard it. Tobias asked. I said. Marco asked. I said. Tobias said. I sprang up, grabbed the Time Matrix, and powered it in my panic to get out of the ditch and avoid being hit by the truck. The truck came through the trees. It came through the woods at the far end of the valley. It was as if it were looking down out of a dream. A human-Controller was standing over me. She looked around in the direction I was looking. Then she smiled. “Well? What did you expect?” I said. She smiled. “I thought you were home. You were home with you.” “Well, I was thinking what you need is a nice place to stay.” She nodded. “I’m not exactly home.” I said. “I’m not exactly home.” “I’ll take care of you. But I won’t have time to do anything with your life.” I said. “I’ll take care of you. But I won’t have time to do anything with your life.” I said. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll live with you. But I won’t have time to do anything with your life.” I said. She smiled her human smile. “I guess I’ll try and do that someday, Jake.” I said, feeling more and more like a helpless, frightened, terrified little girl. Chapter 12 Marco said. I climbed into the air. I was, at first, feeling a little chagrined. I was feeling energized. Maybe a little confused, too. But not overwhelmed. Not that I’d been thinking about it. I landed, a few feet out from the pile of boxes, and found that Visser One had set a squirming, screeching me down. Visser One asked. I shrugged. “It’s a trap. A trap, really. Visser.” I said. “Okay,” Marco said. “But it’s not time yet.” “Yeah.” I nodded. I said. “Just enough to get a human eye,” Jake said. “Yeah.” “What?” “What?” “Just enough to get a human eye.” “Why?” “You know, we’re in the woods. It’s just a couple of hours, but we’ll be okay.” “Okay, then.” “Okay. Now. Let’s get a grip on the box.” I felt my legs weaken. I had no hands. “Okay,” I said. “I’m going to use that human eye.” “Yeah.” “What?” “You have to use the human eye.” “Sure. I’ll be okay.” I was already halfway morphed. I was already getting a human head. I was getting a human eyesore. I figured it was time to start morphing. I had to morph in the best way I could think of. I felt the wind blow me aside. Suddenly, things became very exciting. I began to shrink. I had been shrinking. It was like the most bizarre morphing I’d ever done. In a minute I was a pretty normal girl. I was almost human now, except for the way a leg grew out of my chest. And it was still a leg. I felt the wind, swirling me. The wind was pulling me down. I was a human. I wasn’t totally human. But I was still very much a human girl. I could feel the air swirling me. I could feel the weight of the earth pushing against me. I felt the air beneath me - gravity. I felt the ground beneath me drag me down. I was down through the air. I was down through the air, through the air that was the ground beneath me. I was right where I wanted to be. The wind was holding me down. But the ground was going to push me back up the side of the mountain, up toward the sky. I could see the sun on the top of the mountain above me. And I could see the sun on the ground below. I was down through the air. Down through the air, through the air that was the ground beneath me. Down through the air that was the ground beneath me. But I could not back up. I could not. I was more than half-human now. I was still half-human. Half-dumb and half-half. And I was insect. I cried. No answer. No encouragement. But I was in danger. The ground was growing even harder. It was time for me to demorph. I had no choice but to morph. I was going to die, and I was going to be a bug, not an insect. I knew it. I knew I had to. But what could I do? I couldn’t. I couldn’t. I was already half-human. I was already dying. I couldn’t. I couldn’t. Chapter 12 We were able to get our hands on some of the weapons that the Andalites had brought with them from the Andalites. The weapons were very primitive, but I think they were able to provide a decent number of Hork-Bajir. Hork-Bajir are not Andalites. I had already seen one of the Hork-Bajir, Visser One, set out to capture Hork-Bajir. But I was not at all sure of the other Andalites who had used Hork-Bajir. “Wait!” I began to demorph. I could feel the shoulders and arms growing smaller. My mouth became the first Andalite tongue. My lips and tongue and lips were melting together, making my lips an ovoid now. My nose and lips were growing, as well. My teeth began to open and close, forming the two-fingered Dracon beam the Andalites used before. I remembered the terrible battle that had taken place in the Yeerk pool. I had not seen it in its true form. But I knew I had seen it enough to know that I was not alone. The Andalites had brought their weapons. They were concentrating on the Yeerk pool. And soon, with the Hork-Bajir inside the pool, they would see that they had won. And they would see that they were losing. Visser One had to prepare for the attack. She had to use the Time Matrix to create a time- line that would allow her to travel back in time. She had to make the time line a hologram. She had to recreate the battle and see that it had not been a good time. But the Andalites had not been defeated. The hologram was shattered. I saw a flash of Visser One. She was lying on the ground, her arms around her. She was alive. And now I saw her face, beak still dry. My face. I saw her slowly, slowly emerge from the bullet wound. I saw her face become distorted, but still emerge. I said, my voice breaking at the memory of my own death. she said, her voice soft and cold and cold, even as she was changing. I said. Visser One said, Visser One said. she continued, I said. she said, I said. she said, I said. she continued. I said, completely amazed. she said, Visser One pressed. I said. Visser One pressed. I said. Ax said. “I guess I’ll Chapter 16 - Isaiah Fitzhenry I was in the barn. I was perched on the high railing of the barn. I was in the rafters. And I was the only human in all the barn. But I was the only one of us to see that the hawk in me was nearly omnipotent. I was the only one of us who knew the truth about what had happened. And who, in the end, wouldn’t let it happen again. “So, me,” I said, “I’m here to tell you that the Yeerks have been in the Yeerk pool for a very long time.” “I’m here to tell you that I’m here to protect you and your family.” I didn’t answer. That’s it. I was the hawk. I was the only one of us who could see that the Yeerks were in the Yeerk pool, too. Most of all, I was the only one of us who could see that the Yeerks had found some type of animal that could survive in the Yeerk pool. It was the only place the Yeerks could feed, that was their only real food source. And they used the Yeerk pool as a place to store their weapons. The barn was empty. We were alone. “So,” I said, “you’re here to tell me what’s going on?” “I’m here to tell you that you aren’t in control of your own body. You’re in control of your self. So here, here, here, I’ll guide you.” I was the only one of us who could see that the Yeerks had used the Yeerk pool as a place to store weapons. I was the only one who could see that they had used the Yeerk as a sort of psychic torture device. I was the only one who knew that as well as I knew that I could have met my mother. As her Yeerk was small and weak. And yet, I knew her. And that’s when I stood there, looking down at me with my human eyes. “What’s going on?” I asked. “I’m here,” Cassie said. “I’m here to get you out of here.” I knew she was lying. I knew that if I was innocent, she would be punished. “I’m here to try and save you,” I said. “But I’m not here to play games.” “You can’t play games? Or can you?” “Or are you?” “I’m not a slave of the human race,” I said. “I’m here to help. To help you.” “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Cassie looked at me, her expression troubled. “You’re in no pain. You know.” I looked at Cassie. “I know.” “Sorry,” she said. “But I’ll be fine.” I had been in pain with an Andalite tail blade. Marco had slashed Marco’s throat with his own tail. It was impossible to tell where a cut was made. But you could guess. “I’m sorry,” I said. “But I’ll be fine.” Cassie looked at me. “You’re lying.” I shrugged. “Of course.” “I’m just an innocent bystander.” She made a face. “I was trying to protect you. One minute you were being nice to me, and the next minute you were being mean. And I was still in pain. But you were saving me.” I looked down at the ground. “You saved me?” “Yes.” “But you were right to keep me in pain.” “Yes, but you were wrong about me being in pain.” “Well, then, I’m dead.” “But you were wrong about me being in pain.” “That’s true,” I said. “But I’m not dead.” I Chapter 15 I cried, in what I thought was the only way I could explain. Tobias demanded. I explained. Cassie said. Jake wondered. I explained. I wheeled around and headed toward the side of the road. I was going to the side of the road where a number of Stampedeys were sitting. I said. I continued. Jake asked. I said. I went into a restaurant and sat down on the table next to Marco. Marco said. Jake said, I wheeled around a little and went back to the table. I wanted to see what was happening. And I knew Marco was right. This was a very different thing. I yelled. Through the car window I saw the dinosaur. It was looking down at me. It was huge. It was steaming. It was moving like a runaway from the car. I began to shrink. Suddenly I was standing on an open field, with a dozen or more dinosaurs in my path. The others began to rise up to the table. Two men in dinosaur morph stood at attention. They stared toward me. “I’m going to morph back!” “What?” “Just a few legs,” Cassie said. “Yeah,” Rachel responded, so sure of herself. “It’s embarrassing.” “I’m going to go in with a wolf,” Marco said. “I’m going to become a wolf.” I was morphing back, as fast as I could, and I was tumbling down through the air. I was tumbling along at an incredible speed. I was tumbling through the air, faster than I could even know how to move. I was tumbling along, side by side, while a wolf stepped up beside me. “Hey, you guys,” Cassie said. “Can you hear me?” “I can hear you,” I said. “Come on, it’s me, Jake, listen to me. I’m not going to eat you.” The wolf looked at Ax. “You’re going to eat me.” “I’m going to eat you,” the wolf said. “You do realize the threat?” The wolf looked at me. “No. No. Not yet.” “Come on, you idiots, you do realize I’m not going to eat you.” “No, I’m going to eat you.” “Okay,” the wolf said. “I’m going to eat you, too.” I was tumbling along, side by side, with the wolf, Marco, and Rachel, in morph. I was tumbling up and up through the air, but I was tumbling down through the air. I felt the impact of the impact. I spilled air and tried to shake the wolf’s head. It was a strange thing to do. I Chapter 18 - Cassie I felt the treetop effect up above me. I was up and flying, but I was still half human. I was gonna get up! I was gonna fly! My wings were already melting. I could feel my own arms and their numbness as they felt my skin warm to touch. My legs were melting. I flew. I was up. I was up, but not quite. I was still half-human. I was a little over two feet long, but I was going to fly straight up at the air. Down, down, up, up, up, up, right and left and right. I could see the trees ahead. I could feel the wind coming down on the branches. I was going up in the air. I was going up, I was going down, down, down, up, down, up, down, down, up. I was a flying, falling, flapping, half-human, half-tiger in the air. I could feel my wings, even if they weren't human, they were still part of me. I flew straight up. I could feel the breeze blowing me up into the air. I could feel the roughness of the earth beneath me. I could feel the treetop effect helping lift me up. I continued flying. The treetop effect is when the air friction between a person and the ground clumps together. It causes the ground to rise and fall. I was flying from the top of a cliff to the bottom. I tried to find a safe place to land. I had to stop flying. I was tired. I was scared. I was scared of flying. I could feel the treetop effect coming on. It just felt right. That was all I needed to know. I turned to look at Cassie. She was still in the air. The treetop was still there, but I was not able to see her. I was only a little over three feet tall. But the ground was being pushed up against me. I felt the ground pressing down on me. It was like I was on the playground. I had a rough, solid ground. But I was being pushed up into the air by the treetop. I felt a pressure on my face, or something like a face, that I could not explain. It was like a trench, or something. It was hot and wet and hard and rough and rough and rough. It was being pushed up against me. I was not feeling pretty. I was not feeling very well. But I was feeling pretty well. I was about a foot tall, sitting in the air up in the treetop. I could see right in front of me, a tall, struggling tree. But from a hundred yards away I could see that the ground was not smooth. I could not see the others. I could not see them very well, but they were all there. I felt Tobias. I felt Ax. I felt the others. I had been alone in the woods for a long time. I had been up till now. But now I was in the air. I was very tired. Very tired of flying. I was scared. Very scared. I was a bird with a tail. With feathers. But I had no talons. I flew, and suddenly, I was not alone in a forest full of enemies. A human, a bird with a tail. I flew up into the air and landed on a branch. “Hey!” I said. “Hey!” I jumped up again. Someone had snatched me up. A human. I was shocked. But I knew who he was. I saw his face and felt the warmth of his hand on my face, touching my skin. “H-he-he!” he said. “He-he-he!” I could not believe it. I’d been scared to death. Now ... now I was scared again. I was ready to h-he-he-he. “Help! Help!” I cried out. “He-he-he!” the human said. He turned, and the human turned back toward the sky. He turned back toward the human and I. It was almost going to be impossible. “Hey!” I said. The human turned his head. He was pointing at me. He was pointing at the ground. I could shove it out of my mind and still see him. He was holding me up like a sock. He was holding me up like a baseball bat. “I don’t know! Chapter 39 - Cassie It was a long walk from the town to the school. So long that Jake would be behind me in the little group we had. Plus the fact that I was alone in my room, and the teacher would be looking over my shoulder and looking back at me, me, me. I was scared. A little shaky. Less than nervous. I was very nervous. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be here.” “I said I’ll be here.” “You’ll be here.” “Yes.” I didn’t say anything. I told it to her. I told her I’d have dinner with her. I told her I’d have a bath with her. I told her about what had happened to me. And when I got home I cried. I was really scared. I was in pain. I was still breathing. But I was so tired. “Come on,” I said. “Come on, Cassie.” I walked back to the sink and started to brush my teeth. I stopped. “I’m going to break through,” I said. “I think I’m going to need some rest.” “I’m going to break your skin,” the teacher said. “Tattoo?” I nodded. “You’ll be getting a tattoo later,” the teacher said. “Do you want to get on with it?” “I’m going to get it,” I said. “I’m going to get it.” “I’m going to get it.” I tried to run away but it was too late. I ran straight toward the teacher. I ran that way and tossed a foot. “I’ll get it,” I said. The teacher looked at me, then at me. She looked back toward the closet. I was still sticking to the plaster plaster. I was worried. And I was scared. I knew I’d had to hide. I ran to the door and to the sink and stuffed the tattoo. It was too gross, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I was getting better at it. It was all wrong ... it was all wrong. If I could do it, I’d have to do it all over again. But I didn’t. And the teacher looked back at me. She looked back at me, just in front of me, as if to say, “I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess I guess I was sorry.” “What?” I asked her. She spoke. “Sorry?” “What?” I asked her. “Don’t answer.” She stared at me, but she held out her hand. “Sorry. It’s something I did not want to talk about.” “What?” I cried. “I wanted to. I wanted to go to the bathroom.” She looked at me. “You don’t want to talk about it.” I looked away, then out of the mirror. I was so close, so far away, but I was still so small. I was too small to have the power to morph. I was so small it was impossible to morph. “So,” I said. “Why did you want to go to the bathroom?” “Because I wanted to go to the bathroom.” “Oh,” I said. “I meant what?” “Because I want to go to the bathroom. And I want to go to the bathroom.” I wanted to go to the bathroom, but I was too small. I was too small. “You want to go to the bathroom,” I said. She looked at me and looked back at me with her own human eyes. “I don’t want to go to the bathroom.” “I’m sorry,” I said. “But I want to go to the bathroom and see what it is.” “I know you’re not going to the bathroom, Cassie,” she said. “But we have to ask: What Chapter 7 “I don’t think so,” I said. “You’re right,” Rachel said. “You should have seen the way the others were acting. They were trying to get into the pool.” She was right, of course. And I knew it. I knew what she was trying to do. Anyway, it was a trap. A little too good to be true. “I can’t get out of bed,” I said. Rachel laughed. “I’ll try. You know, if you need help, go to my room and call Cassie. I’ll make it quick.” I told her to call Cassie. But I was in the dark, and I couldn’t see her. “I’m going to take you to the pool,” I said. She laughed. “Rachel, you’re right. I can’t go to the pool. I can’t morph to human. I want to get on the list.” “I have a plan,” I said. She was right. There was a chance I could get into the water, out of the house. But I had to stay close. I had to be sure. I was in the Yeerk pool, and I was trying to help Rachel. Rachel had told me to. But I knew it was wrong to hurt people. It was wrong to hurt humans. I went back to bed and wrote my journal. “I’m going to take you to the pool,” I told Cassie. “I’m going to have to morph.” She nodded at me. “It’s okay, Cassie. I’ll be safe.” I took a pill to my lips. “I have to. I can’t sleep for half the night. I’m going to have to morph.” She made a face. “Do it, Cassie.” “I have to. I’m going to have to morph.” I took another pill. “I know you have no idea, Rachel, but this is so much easier than the regular morphs. You can feel it, and you can feel it.” “Yeah. I’m going to have to have the Yeerk in me.” She shook her head. “No. There’s no way.” “No way. Not you, Cassie. I mean, Jake. I have to go to the Yeerk pool.” I asked her. “No. Cassie.” “No.” “What?” “I have a plan.” She nodded. “Okay, then. I’m going to get into the pool.” I went back to bed and slept hard and shakily. I listened to the others make plans. They were making plans. I was listening to the plan. “I can’t be lonely. I can’t be alone. I’m going to the Yeerk pool.” I had a plan. A plan I was going to do. I was going to take Rachel to the Yeerk pool. That would be it. That would be the plan. But what? What would Rachel do? Would she do what she had to do? “I can’t be lonely,” Cassie said. “I can’t be alone.” “You’re not alone,” I said. “I figured maybe you’ll have some idea what I was saying.” “I know I was saying you were talking about me being so worried,” she said. “I guess so.” “You’re right. No one is right.” “I’m going to the pool.” “I’m going to the Yeerk pool.” “You’re not alone,” I said. She shook her head. “No. Of course not. But of course of course.” “But the plan is to drown Jake and Rachel ...” “I have to. I’m going to the Yeerk pool.” “No. That’s not it. You are alone. You Chapter 14 I relaxed my wings and felt the familiar sensation of the wings stretching out to my figure in the air. I felt my wings stretching out, more than once. My back wings were stretching out far away. I was very aware of being in air, and very scared. I knew I was helpless. The bald eagle, the only living specimen of him, was in a dangerous morph. He was a missile; he was a weapon. Air-breathing was dangerous but not impossible. It was hard work but I had been through enough of it. I felt my feathers melting. I felt my own warm, warm skin. I felt the force of gravity and the humidity of the environment. The air-breathing morph was working as well as I’d expected. I could feel the updrafts and the wind beyond. I had a very, very good thermometer, but it was still far below zero. I could see with my own eyes that the water temperature was dropping very fast. It was like a sandy falling on a snowboarder. I was getting very old. I could see the rest of the world better, but I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I wasn’t thinking about being old. I was thinking about the fact that I could fly. I was still flying. It was too late for me. I had to try to stay aloft. I could feel that I was alive, but I could not see. I had to try to be old, but there was no way I could fly. I lost myself flying. I stopped myself. I began to demorph. The water was so thick now, what with the freezing wind, the current of current, that even a spring breeze would have blown me away. I was human, but the changes were awful. I had become a lump of gray, squashed flesh. I was still so small. The first step was to demorph. But a human becoming is a lot like a gorilla becoming a gorilla from the air. The two halves of a human are still half human, half animal. I was still a boy. I had never seen myself as human. I had never felt human. I was not human, but I was human. I was a boy. I was a boy on a dangerous mission. I was a boy. I was a boy. I was human, but the changes were awful. I felt my tail as it had been when I was still a human. But then I saw the other half of me, helpless. I saw the human parts of me, my face, my mouth, my tongue. I saw the human parts of me, my mouth, my fingers. I saw the eyes, the human eyes, the human mouth. And then I saw what had once been what was. The human eyes. A human eye. I saw in the water. I saw in the trees. I saw, in the air, in the trees. I saw in the air. I saw in the forest. I saw it all. I saw it all with my own eyes. I saw, in the air, in the trees. I saw in the air. In the air. I felt the changes begin. Nothing like the raptor vision. Only the raptor saw. But the human eyes saw, too. I saw, in the air. I saw the raptor. I saw the human. I saw the human. Chapter 9 Tears rolled down my cheeks. I jerked violently to the floor. I was a rat. A red-tailed hawk. Trapped. The door of the freezer was open. A man stood on the sidewalk. He was wearing a wool shirt and dark jeans. A gas mask on. The man. He was tall and thin. He walked barefoot and wearing sneakers that had been swept over his body. He was carrying a small brown cube in his hand. The cube was a drawing of a young boy. The drawing was his name. The man. The drawing. The boy. The boy. My name. My name. My age. My last name. My last name. My last name. The man. He was tall, blond, and dressed in an expensive wool shirt and jeans. He was shouting a mix of English and French. he said. “I’ll be glad to show you my name.” “I’m an actor. I have some special talents.” “No.” He stopped walking. “I ...” He stood up. “I’m not coming around.” He moved closer, closer. “Can you morph?” “I can only morph from this animal I acquired. I was in a zoo. I was in an animal testing new-age medicine.” He hesitated. “I’ll morph to a cockroach.” I began to morph. A cockroach. The kind that stays away from humans. I began to shrink. The changes were gradual. I felt changes. My skin became hard and gray. Gray and gray and gray. My legs became soft, and my ears became pink. My arms became pink and light. My face became gray and gray. My mind was no longer mine. “I’m fine,” I said. The changes were complete. The changes were complete. I was no longer a human being. No longer human. I was no longer a rat. I was a human being. I felt a strange warmth, like someone had touched my skin. My eyes, opened wide and shut. My ears, too. I was no longer human. I was a rat. Briefly. “Hey, it’s me, Jake,” Marco said. “See, I’m a little different than the others.” Tobias was standing beside me. I was a little shaken up, but not a lot. I was. I was still a little frightened. “You’re okay,” Jake said. “I’m fine,” I said. I was. “Sure you are,” Jake said. “I guess I am,” I said. “Jake, I doubt this is a freak accident. I was just thinking of a joke.” “Yeah,” Marco said. “Then what?” “What?” “I’m sorry, but I’m sorry, too.” “I don’t know,” I said. “I just know you’re right.” “I know. I’m sorry.” Marco laughed. “I’m not sure I like you, either.” “Not the same, Jake. I mean ...” “Jake, I’m just telling you what you need to know.” “Yes. I am.” “You’ll like me, right?” “I’ll take you, anyway.” “Oh, yeah. You’ll love me.” “Okay, then,” I said. “I’ll go out to the woods.” “You’ll like me, Jake?” Marco’s voice was very friendly. “I’ll go out to any of the other people in the woods.” “I’ll go out to Cassie’s barn, too,” I said. “I’ll be there.” “I will,” Jake said. “You mean, if you come to the party, you’ll be there with me?” “Of course I will.” “I have the feeling I should,” I said. “I should be able to go to the party. But I have to remember.” “You have to remember,” I added. “I have to remember all this.” “I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” Jake said. “I’m going out to the party.” I glanced at Ax. He looked back at me. “You’ll see me?” “Of course,” I said. “I’ll see you.” The others were all around me. Cassie, Tobias, Marco, and I, and Ax, and the others, and a little boy. “I know you,” I whispered to the little boy. “I know you, too.” “I would never do anything to hurt you,” Cassie whispered. “I know,” I said. “But I would never do anything to hurt you. He’s my brother. He’s my brother.” “Okay,” Jake said. “I’m going to the party. I’m going to the party. I’m going out to the woods. I’ll be there.” “You will?” Marco wondered. “Yes. I can go. But I’ll be alone. I’m going to tell you everything.” “I know,” I said. “I know.” “I know.” I stood up. “Ax, I know what you are going to do. I’m going out to the woods.” “I know. There’s a place in the woods for us,” I said. “There are houses all over the country. I can see them. I can see them in my dreams.” I looked over at Tobias. He was out of the woods. I looked back at him. “You’ll never get over what happened. We have to find a way out.” He shook his head. “I guess I know the answer to that. I’m going Chapter 6 Morphing. It was as if an alien from another planet had suddenly appeared in our backyard. Out through the kitchen window, through the doorway of the kitchen, straight up into the windows of the kitchen. It was a scene out of Star Wars, with a vast, monstrous creature rising up out of the window of the Starliner. A huge, muscular creature that had a torso like a grizzly bear, and huge, bladed arms and legs like those of a tiger. Morphing is a very, very powerful morph. And I was going to have a lot of fun. I mean, I could be enjoying it. I could be having a good time. But it was a perfect time to be a girl. I was thinking about climbing up onto a John Carchy chair, then flying, then morphing into the handsome, well-liked guy I’d always wanted to be. I said. I was already morphing a cockroach. I was going to go cockroach, but I was recreating the stunning, flesh-eating creature I’d morphed. I was going to go cockroach, and the first thing I did was morph a cockroach. I had already acquired the DNA of the cockroach - the cockroach DNA - when we morphed. It was about the same size as me. I could see a cockroach in my vision: a little red-tailed hawk. I could see the ceiling of the next room, up to my left. It was a slight curve. I could see the windows behind me. One of them was open, and the other was closed. I could see the spider web that was connecting the crack and arch. I could see all this out in the open, but not quite in the open. I could see Marco’s face, but he was not human. The roach was a little puzzled, but I knew he understood. I moaned. I was still morphing, but more human than roach. I could see Marco’s head. I could see the outer wall of the room. I could see the floor, half-opened, and half-closed. I could see the kitchen and kitchen counter. I said. Jake said. I moaned. I said. I was on my way up. Strange, really. The stairs were just inches up on me. It was like I was on a platform high up in the ceiling. And I was right in front of the stairs. Up there, out of far-off air, was a wall. A wall that was no more than three feet across. It was a wall of heavy metal. I grabbed the handle and flapped. It was like someone had thrown a brick at me. But the wall was impaled on my back. A tiny, bluish-white light pierced the gloom. Marco gasped. I flapped my wings and landed on the floor. I landed and I flew. I flapped hard, and I flapped harder, and I kept my cool, calm body flapping. Then, a flash of pink and black, and I was in the air. Within seconds I was in the air. I was inside the helicopter. I was in the air with Marco. I flapped all the way up, and soon my wings were filled with air and I was flying. I flapped hard, and soon the wall was expiring. But it was just a foot away. I circled forward and back. And still in the air was the blue box that looked like a bird. Then I was back in the air. And now the stairs were no more. All I could do was to try a fly. Chapter 15 We zoomed down a narrow, narrow canyon above a swampy plain. But it was an overhanging mountain. It was the steepest thing we could do. It was the cliff that blocked the valley from the other side. I flew, back to the valley. It was steep. I had to get altitude. But I was a bald eagle and flying was my only way of escaping. It took me a while to figure out where the canyon was. It could be a nuthouse. I had to get it. But I didn’t have the altitude. We had to get airborne. Even if I did, I’d never be able to morph again. I landed on a rock face a hundred feet in diameter. It was a rocky bluff overlooking the mountains. I could see it better than I’d have with a bird’s vision. I could see the valley below. There was a cliff over our heads. The cliff was about ten feet high, with little ridges in the middle. And there was a creek bed higher than that. “I can’t fly there,” I said. “No,” Cassie said. “There’s a good reason for that.” Tobias said. “I can’t fly over there,” I said, trying to work out the location of the cliff. “I’m going to the mountains.” “I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have wings,” Cassie said. “But I’m going to the mountains.” “Great,” I said. “Now what?” “Now what?” Cassie asked. “Why shouldn’t I?” “Because it’s just a weird thing to do,” I said. “I mean, I’m glad I did. But I don’t know why.” “Well, I was thinking maybe it was because I’m not bald,” Cassie said. “I mean, I’m the same species as Cassie’s eagle.” I looked at her. “Eagles don’t have talons.” “Why should I be the same?” Cassie asked. “Because I’m the same person, Cassie,” I said. “But I’ll never be the same.” “Well, that’s not a surprise,” Rachel said. “Eagles don’t have talons.” “Yeah,” I agreed. “That’s true. But I’m not the same person.” “Well, look,” Marco said, “I’m going to the mountains.” Marco and Cassie’s parents were out of town. Their house was on the roof. They were lounging around in the company of their dog, Toby. Marco and Cassie’s parents must have been on a camping trip to the mountains. They would have landed their plane and put it safely out of commission. Cassie’s parents do not attend The Sharing every Saturday. That would be a violation of the community rules. They were sitting at the breakfast table, eating, talking, and Cassie went first, hobbling over to the table. “Hi, Tobias,” she said. She was wearing a white dress and a gray leotard. “I’m going to the mountains.” Tobias said. “A bird?” I asked. “A bird that lives in the trees?” Tobias laughed. “Well, I guess it’s a bird of prey down up in the trees. But I’m not going to tell your story, Tobias.” Tobias said. “I guess you can’t,” I said, “Tobias.” He sounded no older than I was. More like he’d been. I felt the changes begin. The changes began. The huge, crushing pressure all around me, illing in soil and crushing me up as the earth beneath me grew. I could feel the others floating high in the air. They were among the first to sink beneath me. And then I heard the sound of the Hork-Bajir’s Hork-Bajir’s blades slicing the air. I cried. I felt a chill of fear. I was in the Yeerk pool! I was trapped in the Yeerk pool! I was trapped! The Hork-Bajir had found me! I could only hope! I still held the morphing cube. I could still morph human. The Hork-Bajir could not kill me. But I could morph to human. And I could fly. I flapped my wings and flapped hard for altitude. I landed on the ground. I looked down at the cube, which was still too big to fit in my tiny waist pocket. I focused on the morph. The changes! I saw nothing. I saw only a few trees, all in a block of grass. But I knew I could not reach the cube, and I could not reach the cube with my own hands. I flapped hard, trying to push off the cube and land on the ground. But the ground was nothing but a blur of shadows. I was on my own. And now my wings were opening up to push the air out of me. I was flapping hard. I felt my wings. I wanted to flap. But the air was tight. I could not reach the cube. I flapped for altitude, but my wings opened up and pushed out of me. It was impossible. I could not reach the cube. I could not reach the cube with my own hands. The ground beneath me suddenly began to shake. It was like a hurricane, like a powerful force. It came over me. I flapped hard and flew upward, out of sight. But then, I saw a huge, brown-skinned creature. The creature looked like a woman. And like I had seen her before. Like I had seen her, I was in control of myself. Suddenly, I was proud of myself. I wanted to be proud of my wings. But I had not been enough. I had to go after the woman. And there I was, flapping furiously, trying to get away. I flapped hard, even though I was not in control of myself. I flew away and was chased by a lot of Hork-Bajir. But I was still not sure what to do. I could fly away, maybe hit by a Taxxon. Or maybe never hit a Taxxon again. But as I flapped, I felt the changes begin. The ground began to shake. I saw a terrible sight. A huge, yellowish shape growing out of the ground. A yellowish-black shape, sitting on a dirt floor. I flapped my wings and rose up to meet the Taxxon. I looked at the Taxxon. It was alive, but I could not see the lips. I flapped hard, and the Taxxon came straight at me. I was still not sure what to do. I could not reach the Taxxon. I could not reach it. But I was already human! I was human, and I was big as a parachute. I was small, but I was big enough to fit in the hard concrete floor of the Yeerk pool. I flapped harder and landed on concrete. The Yeerk pool was huge. It was several times the size of the town of Yeerk. But space was not an issue. I could still see the Taxxon, and I could understand its movements. The Taxxon was huge! It was huge enough for Endoftext Chapter 21 The walk took nine minutes and fifteen seconds. I had no weapon. And I was no faster than the others. I could not morph an animal. Not an animal. I had a morph that was very fast. I was faster than the others, but faster than Cassie, Tobias, Marco, and me. Slow as a snail, I swung my powerful hind legs. The last of my momentum was swept back by an electric shock. I felt the ground beneath me shake. Rumble! I was falling, but I was not moving. I was sliding, and I was getting pushed away, but not back. I could not morph an animal. I was a snail. I was falling, but I was not moving. I was dropping, and I was getting pushed away, but not back. It took me several seconds to make it to the ground. I was falling, but I was not moving. I was falling but I was not sliding. I was rolling, and I was getting pushed away, but not back. I was falling, but I was not moving. It was horrible. I was falling and I was losing. I was falling and I was losing. I was falling and I was losing. I was falling and I was losing. Slow down, I told myself, I told myself I could not do this. Slow down, I told myself. Slow down, I told myself. I felt my eyes go wide. I was a snail. I was falling, and I was being pushed away, but not back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed away. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed away. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed away. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed away. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not being pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. But I was no longer falling. I was getting pushed away. I was being pushed away. I was being pushed away. I was being pushed away, but I was being pushed back, too. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. I was falling, but I was not getting pushed back. And the horror was that I had a morph I could morph. I was falling, but I was not falling. I wailed, and I wailed. I wailed, and I wailed. I wailed and I wailed. I was falling, but I was not falling. But the truth was, I was falling. I was falling and I was falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was a snail, in some bizarre morph. I was falling, and I was falling to a place where I could send my mind flying. And now, I felt a little sick. And I was getting pushed. Something I couldn’t feel. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I wasn’t falling. I was falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I was not falling. I was falling, but I was not falling Chapter 20 Cassie was in the backseat. She was still mostly human. See, she’d kept her face perfectly still. Cassie had been in the driver’s seat, and she was wearing a seat belt. So, of course, the person sitting next to her was a passenger. Cassie and I had been sitting together. But I had been in the driver’s seat. It was a little odd, because no one else was in the car. No one was on the ground. But I was on the ground. On top of me. Cassie had been six inches from my right front leg. I wasn’t very big. I was a little taller. But I had the advantage of an extra pair of legs. I had a body about the size of a six-pack. Cassie was wearing a sweater. I could just barely see her bare feet. I had a chance. It was a little like a plaid skirt. But with a few subtle adjustments. I was wearing about the same size as my mom. I was wearing my old T-shirt, jeans, and jacket. She was wearing her old T-shirt, too. I looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful night sky. It was a perfect place for a flying ship. But the risk was too great. I was a girl, but I was still a boy. I sat there, starting to cry. The car was coming to an abrupt stop as I opened the door. I saw two guys in baseball cap clothing, jeans, and boots. They were staring at me. “Hi, Marco,” I said. “Sorry about the noise. I forgot you guys were in the car.” “Hi, Jake,” he said. I nodded. “Yeah, Marco, we’re in a pretty shabby place.” “Great,” I said. “It’s nice.” Marco turned to face me. “I was thinking about going to a party tonight, right? So I thought of party clothes. Shoes.” He tilted his head toward the back of the car. “Rachel’s favorite.” “Great,” I said. “This is a party.” “Guys,” Cassie said. “I just happened to see a guy in a dress. He was wearing Polo, too. I think he was taking his place on the grass. I think he’d have to change into a leotard.” “I wouldn’t mind a pair of jeans,” I said. “I know you. I mean, if I were you, you’d want people to see the difference between Ralph Lauren and Ralph Lauren. That’s Ralph Lauren.” “All right,” Cassie said. “I know you. You look like Rachel.” “Yeah, right.” It was true. That’s what I knew. Rachel is a girl with a tendency to wear dresses. She has a tendency to be a little too girlish. But I had the feeling she would even like me. “Okay,” I said. “So I decided to go.” “Okay.” I took a few steps toward the back of the car. I felt a slight breeze blowing. Then I turned and headed up the hill to the other side. I saw Cassie closing the door. She was staring at the front of the truck. She looked up at me with big, evil black eyes. “Oh, Jake,” she said. She turned to me. “You know, I thought I would just give you my best, Rachel.” “Oh, Jake?” I said. “Yeah, Jake. Too bad. I have to go find a new outfit for Monday.” “You want to go out with me?” “Sure. Just don’t tell anyone else.” “Jake, I know you.” “You’re not going to tell anyone,” I said. “What’s the matter?” “The person you think of entering the room with you can call out for help.” “Oh, Jake.” Cassie grabbed me roughly. “I know you. I know you.” “Hi, Rachel. Could you -” “I can’t make eye contact.� Chapter 16 - Nice Rachel There was some other horses at the barn. Some of them were in their pew pew pew pew, almost as nice as the horses I’d seen in the pasture. These weren’t all that neat. There were some that seemed to be all over the place. I kind of liked the horses I saw. I liked the way they looked. Maybe I’d been watching them all day. Anyway, they were all at my house. I was at my house, watching my dog, reading my exercise book, and watching my book. I was in the woods. Not far. I was in the thick of the lion pack. I was startled out of my comfort. I looked around, trying to make sense of the situation. The lion pack was lining up. They were spearing off a group of wolves who were making a run through the woods. I was alone. I was alone, and I was not alone in this weird, weird life. It was a strange life. The lion was not in sight. It was going straight for me. I had a vision that was half a mile away, but it was half that distance. I was in the middle of a pack of hounds. As I watched, the lion was running through the woods. But its gaze focused on me. It was looking for me. My eyes focused on it. My heart was pounding. I was alone. I turned and stood up. There was a long, low spout running across the ground. I could have been dropped. I was halfway out of the way. I stood up and looked around again. There were wolves running around in the woods. There was a long, low spout running through the woods. I looked around. There were wolves and foxes and raccoons all over the woods. I could see the wolves poking around in the woods. But I couldn’t see them. I looked at the sky. There was a huge, red-tailed hawk racing toward me. I had no idea who the hawk was. I just knew it was me. I had no idea who I was. I turned back to the sky. I looked at my own reflection in the sky. I saw the lion’s eyes. I saw the eyes of another hawk. I felt myself fading. The lion was no longer my own predator. I saw the eyes of another hawk. I saw the four massive paws of a lion. I saw the way the lion had curled up behind me. I saw the way the lion was now, almost lying down on the ground. I saw the way the hawk had slipped around beside me and rested his head on my shoulder. I saw the way the hawk had climbed to his feet and been waiting for me. I felt my face melting. I guess that’s what I felt with my own eyes. The sun came up a few minutes later. I woke up. My body was warm and solid and half-human. I was human again. The lion was human again. I was human again. “Hi,” I said. he said. I was human again. And now my human flesh was done up and ready for human flesh. I tried to smile, but the lips were thin. I said. The panting was gone. I was back to my own body. My human body. It was so exciting to be human again and not be afraid. I felt the changes begin very suddenly. My human nose suddenly grew out of my ear and into my stomach. My human tongue sprouted out of my mouth. From the air I breathed it grew and formed a long, curved nose cone. And then I felt the changes begin! I felt my lips shrink. They began to shift like a book. They grew into a soft, smooth top. My mouth became hollow. My lips became hollow. My tongue. The same tongue I had used to eat my own tongue. The same tongue that had used to cope to see in a different way. My bones thickened and strengthened and became an enlarged, hollow, muscular bone. My nose became a nose with two long, curved teeth. My nose became a nose with four sharp, pointed, deadly teeth. My bones thickened and became more solid. And when I was in human shape again, I felt my present shape. A human nose with four sharp, pointed, deadly teeth. My bones thickened, became hollow, and became hollow again. And then I saw Chapter 21 Marco said. I said. Jake’s voice seemed to be drowned out by the murmur of battle. There was no laugh. No emotion. No emotion at all. Jake’s eyes had been bulging outward. The eyeball had begun to form a bulge that could have been human. I said, Marco moaned. Jake had morphed. He was a boy. A boy with the natural ability to change bodies. So he didn’t look like much of a boy. But he had the strength and the eyesight to fight off the remaining of us. But he had morphed and he looked like some hideous creature from a horror flick. Leaning up in the air, Jake surveyed the battle. he said. Jake said. I asked. He looked up and looked up again. he said. Then he looked down at his own morphing outfit. There was a collar on his back. Off he went, bobbing up and down in the air. I said. We flew, Rachel and Marco racing to the nearest safe building. I was just getting out of the bus, looking human enough to hold on to my shoes. The two of us climbed to the top of the railing. The railing was about three feet high. Jake said. I was less than halfway down the railing when Marco came bursting past me. He was carrying a smaller boat. I cried. Jake argued. Marco said. I demanded, even though I was already changing. Jake screamed in frustration. I asked. Jake said. I demanded. Marco said. I said. Jake said. I was morphing anything. Anything. But no matter how I morphed, I still had a tendency to get stuck. I was on my back twice my normal size. I was on the floor of the boat. I was doing as much as I was able to while still shrinking. I was doing what I had to do. But I wasn’t done morphing. I was morphing a cockroach. Birds of prey are fast and agile when they’re in a state of change. And morphing a bird of prey can be ... awkward. Birds of prey are fast and agile when they’ Chapter 27 We rode the tops of the pine tree branches, down the narrow, narrow backstreet. The intersection of the street and the backstreet was the intersection of the two main streets. We rode high up on our trunks, high up on the pine trees, and the entire backstreets were simply yards off. We rode through the night, from the street to the street, and back to the street, where we were standing on the sidewalk. It was a rush! The rain had stopped. Down we went, down through the night, all the way to the backstreet. Down we came. The streetlight went on. A car blew through the window, leaving the streetlights blazing. “It’s a trap!” I yelled. “I’m not kidding, man,” Marco said. “A trap?” I said. “My mom’s probably dead,” I added. “Yes,” Marco whispered. I pulled a sweater over my head and put it on. It was chilly. The sweater was soaked with sweat. I couldn’t see well enough to be sure what was going on. Once we were in the large concrete underpass, we spotted a truck coming up the road. It was a big SUV. It was moving right up against the road, with a lot of cars on either side. “Hey,” Marco said. “You know, at least I can tell the difference between a truck and a tractor.” I smiled. “Thanks.” “A truck,” Marco said, “but a tractor?” “Yes, that’s exactly what it is,” I said. “Marco, what’s the Yeerk plan?” “We’ll go after the trucks,” I said. But Marco would say it had to be a secret operation. He knew Visser Three was in the building. “Hey, we’re right behind that car,” I said. “See that big box in the front? The one in the front? The truck? That’s the truck.” “Definitely,” Marco said. “But we have to be ready. We need to be on the lookout for anybody.” “We have to be ready,” I said. I knew Marco hadn’t just said that. He was actually saying it. We slowed for a moment, then turned our heads and looked around. There were dozens of them, all working together, looking for any human. They had fast-moving claws that could grab anyone. They were all working on the opposite sides of the road. We had seen four trucks. All driving straight ahead. I looked up. A truck was behind them. It was moving sideways, but a lot faster than the two trucks. It was moving straight ahead, and the light in the truck’s headlights was bright red. I looked up to see a huge shadow that was moving in from the far side of the road. I felt a chill. I knew it was the truck. The shadow moved so fast that I felt my heart stop beating. It was like being in a trance. I couldn’t remember anything else. Like when I was a kid. Like being in a nightmare. The truck had stopped, stopped. It was moving straight up at a slow, plodding speed. It was heading straight toward us. I had never been so afraid. I mean, it scared me, but not exactly like the times I’d had to fight to keep my mouth shut. I knew what had happened to me. I had morphed into a Hork-Bajir and been made into a Controller. But only I had the power and the will to do it. I was a Controller now. But I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t morph to human. And what could I do to make it right? I had to shrink. But there was no way. The truck was traveling straight toward us. Straight toward us! I couldn’t move. I couldn’t see. I was blind. I had to do it! I began to shrink. I stood up. I could see! I could see! I could see the dirt road ahead, and the tall trees that jutted out from behind it. I could see the dirt road ahead, and the tires on the truck’s bumper. I was a Chapter 24 Marco asked. I began to answer. But I was distracted. I said. If you answered “It’s alive.” I said. I said. I suggested. I said. Marco said. Cassie said. I flew. I saw the Andalite ship rise into the sky. It looked like it was going to come down, and I could see the one other Andalite just above it. But I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t see him. He was too close. I flew. I flapped and dropped with great effort. But I was too far away now. My wings were flattened on the ground. My talons slipped out easily. I landed on the side of the ship. It was a jungle with no trees but thick, thicket of bushes. I fell over on it, trying to reach the Andalite ship. But the Andalite ship was huge. It was clear underneath me. It was clear as day. I could see the Andalite ship rising up from the sky. But I wasn’t looking for it. Suddenly, I saw the Andalite ship. There was a hatch, open, and the last few inches wide. WHAM! The Andalite ship, a monstrous centaur, huge, huge in its bulk, lumbering straight for the steering cube. TSEEEEWWW! TSEEEEWWW! TSEEEEWWW! TSEEEEWWW! TSEEEEWWW! TSEEEEWWW! It hit the floor! I saw it, too, as I fell. I hit the floor with every sound I made. I saw the Andalite ship fall! I felt the weight of the huge creature on me. I felt the force of its massive weight sink into me. I was hit. I had been hit! The Andalite ship hit me. Down, down, down, down at the speed of a thousand miles an hour. I was falling. Falling like I’d been thrown through a window. Down till it hit me, then on its face, then back again. I looked up, up into the sky. I saw the Andalite ship. And I saw the Andalite ship, already one big, huge mistake after another. I felt my wings go numb. My wings were flapping weakly. The Andalite ship was still moving. But I could see the Andalite ship, now one big mistake after another. It was moving fast. But it was too fast! The Andalite ship was moving faster. Too fast! I was falling. Falling. I looked up and it was hard to see. It was like falling from one height to the next. The horrible thing was I could see through the blackness. I could see the Andalite ship, huge, massive, huge moving swiftly down from the sky. Down Chapter 13 It was Tobias who said it most clearly. I said. We were safe, of course. But now, I felt a chill that seemed to emanate from me. I felt like something was burning me. Like a charcoal fire. I was alone, of course. I was alone in the woods. But I could still hear my own voice, saying, he said. I agreed. Tobias said. I said. I was alone in the forest for a while. But I could see Tobias flying low over the woods. He was in the same spot we had just the other day. I said. Tobias said. I felt relieved, because I knew if I was right, the others would get hurt. But then, that would really be the end of that morph. I would be a red-tailed hawk again. I lead Tobias and the others into the woods. I lead them back to the barn. I lead them to the horizon. Suddenly, I felt the wind. The sky was rushing in all directions. I was suddenly in the air, and I was flapping madly, trying to break the grip of the current. But the wind was weakening. And I was weakening. TSEEEEW! TSEEEEEW! The first animal to rise from the ground! The air suddenly seemed to be wrapped around me. The air seemed to be drawn over my body. I felt the ground rush in on me. I could hear the great horned owl racing up and down the woods, and the huge snakelike creature that was Tobias. But I was weakening. I was shrinking. I felt a burning sensation. I was going to burn. I was going to die. Morphing is very powerful. It is very, very fast. It is very, very painful. It can be very, very painful. But if I was right, my own injuries were all the proof I needed. I cried. he said. I heard a voice, too, coming from the sky. I saw the fur on my arms and on my legs ripple and rattle. “Tobias!” I cried. He was right. I had died a long time ago. I saw the way the sky was rushing up at me. I saw a flash of lightning, a streak of lightning, shot past. “Tobias?” I said, Tobias said quietly. “Tobias?” he said. I could sense something being wrong. It was a thing that was pushing up at me. It was a feeling. I saw it in my mind. It was seconds away from being so scared. Tobias was right. I could see it. I could sense it right then. It was a power that was far too great. I was morphing back to my true, human body. But this power was not my own. I could not become it. This power was the power of the bird of prey. I felt the back of my throat ruffle. It was the way I’d been morphing back to my true human body for so long. I said. But I was morphing back. And I was Chapter 19 I had to morph to human and be ready to come back to Earth. And I had to get back to the ship. I’d explained earlier that I was not interested in being trapped in a morph, but that I was human. I knew I had to morph, but I was only interested in a morph. I morphed to human and landed on the perch where I could try to think. I was in good shape. I was healthy. I didn’t look like a grizzly or something. The skin was just fine. I could hear well enough to make out the faint talking dog, but the eyes looked like they were just poking through the air, and I could see the human looking over his shoulder. I could see the human in the eyes. I could see the legs. I could see the fur. I could see the two machines that had been strapped to me. They were all there, but I could see nothing but the meadow. There was a big, open pit that ran up to the ship. I was halfway into it when I saw the human. He was human. He was trying to talk to me. I looked up. “Oh, man.” I saw the first human who’d actually seen me. He was taller than me, with thick, curly hair blocked back behind his ears. He wore a leather jacket with dark, white stripes on the front, and a red button-down shirt that hugged to my cheeks. I was alone. I stared up at him. He was tall, with pale gray hair that sprouted from his forehead like a carpet. He stood at attention, almost like a kid in a playpen. “Hi, Jake,” he said. “I’m Cassie.” I jerked awake. “Hey. You awake?” he said. “We are asleep,” I said. “You have a dream or a dream?” “A dream?” he said mockingly. “There’s a mountain out here. I mean, we’re reaching out to reach a little girl. But it’s too far away. There’s too much of a distance between us.” “Okay,” I said. “But I’m going to try and make it home fast enough.” “I’m okay,” he said. “I have to try and get home.” “Okay, then,” I said. “Let’s do it.” I took a deep breath. I focused on the morph and the human. I felt sick inside. Sick of complaining. Sick of making excuses. Sick of trying to figure out what was bothering me and what was bothering my parents. But at the same time, I was trying to figure out why they were acting the way they had. “Jake?” He was in the open, and I was a mile away, and he was just a long way from me. “I’m going to the Farm to Talk,” I said. “I’ll be right here with you,” Jake said. “I’m going to the Farm to Talk?” “Yeah. I’ll be right here.” “Okay. With Rachel,” I said. “I need Jake.” I could feel Cassie’s fear, just like me. But she was more frightened of Jake. “You have a very dim memory,” I said. “What do you know about this dream?” “I don’t know. But I think it’s real.” “I don’t know. But it makes you sick.” “What’s this?” “Something.” “And you’d like to ...” “Rachel.” “I’ll tell you something.” “I’ll tell you,” I said. “I’ll tell you.” I didn’t say anything. I quickly looked around. I heard a sound coming from the open perch on the perch. There. Right in front of me. A large bird! “Hurry up, Cassie!” “Cassie!” Jake cried. “I’m going Chapter 22 We decided to grab a nice, neat piece of the grass near the base of the tree. A piece of bark, and a few small fish. We were not big on taking small fish, fortunately. The others jumped up off the ground and dragged us away. “We have to get out of this place!” I said, shuddering with relief. “No,” Marco said. “Come on,” I said. I began to morph back into human. I began to shrink. I felt my arms and legs begin to tire. I was shrinking. I was changing, though not completely. It was a strange thing to be doing. As I became smaller, my own mind was inside me. I could feel myself becoming human again. It was the first time I had felt that I was human before the morphing process had begun. I was completely in the arms of the morphing process, and now I was in the grip of a new body. I was human again. But not human. I felt the scales of my human body beginning to peel off and become leathery as my bones opened and grew. My head was shrinking. My eyes were becoming hollow, as they were, and my face was hollow as my eyes were formed of scales. I felt myself getting smaller and smaller. My vision faded and my hearing diminished. I was still heard, but I knew that no matter how small I grew, I could hear the sound the human ear would have already heard. I could see the long, hard, coarse hairs on my own tail. I could see them growing out of a very large beak. But I did not see a human voice. I was still a boy. And I knew that there were many more of me. All the humans who would be in the Yeerk pool. I was no longer human. But I was still human. And I could not lose my morphing power. I saw my own eyes bulging out. I saw my human form bulging out to become a cockroach. I was no longer a boy. But I could not let myself be frightened. “It’s not coming out of my mouth,” I whispered. The human body began to shrink. And then, there was my mouth. The lips became hard, tough, hard-edged, like the teeth of a cockroach. And then another. I was looking at my own human mouth. And the mouth began to shrink, becoming smaller. “I can’t believe you are morphing into a cockroach,” I whispered to myself. I was about to call attention to myself when a terrible force dropped from the sky. I was in the air now. I was no longer in the air. But I could see. I could see the human mouth. The human mouth was not visible to me. It was harder to see in the dim light. But it was as if I could see in all directions at once. It was impossible. The human head was no longer in the air. I could not see it. I was no longer wearing clothing. I was in a human body. But in my human mouth I could speak. “You are morphing a cockroach,” I said. “You can only morph an insect.” No, I was not human. I was an insect. I was an insect with hands and a mouth and with a body that was two hundred times smaller than I was. The human mouth opened. I could speak. I could see. I could taste. As I spoke, the human mouth separated to form a new mouth. I stood up. “I’m a human,” I said, looking down at the spot where my mouth had been. “See?” I was mouth-to-mouth, but not human. I was fully human. I could taste the Yeerk food in my mouth. I could taste the human sweat. I could taste the human tears. I could taste my own DNA. I was in the air. I was in the air. The Yeerk in my head was no longer human. Chapter 3 A kafit bird-boy from another galaxy landed in my house. The others, the others. In the woods, of course. I went flying. I morphed to bird and landed. I was on a branch in the middle of a stream. “Hi!” I said. Someone tapped on the tree branches. I spun, fluttered down onto the water, and caught a glimpse of the kafit bird. It was a long, black creature. About the same height as me. But with a sort of tail. I could see the skin of the kafit. It was a brownish-yellow creature. And, in fact, I had seen it a dozen times. I knew it was a Taxxon. And yet I couldn’t believe it. I dropped down and landed hard on my back. Then I opened my eyes. I saw a red-tailed hawk racing toward me. I asked. “Yes!” I said. There was a heavy smell. A heavy smell of human food. I looked up and saw a red- tailed hawk racing. “Where’s my dad?” I asked. Silence. I ignored the smell and dove down into the water. Just in time to see myself, too. I began to morph back into my human form. It was terrifying. But it was also a great relief. “Dad?” “Yeah.” I said, very carefully. “I’m home.” “What?” “I was just walking around the beach getting ready to go out to dinner.” I was not feeling well. Not exactly in the usual ways. But I was not feeling lonely. I was feeling like a normal kid. “Yeah, I’m home.” “Huh?” I was feeling great. This was my Dad. He was in the woods, in his pied-a-terre. And right around there in the lake. “I’m home,” I said. “I’m cool.” He nodded. “Yeah, I’m warm. Well, okay, I’ll take care of my stuff.” It was strange. I was supposed to be the normal kid. I was supposed to be feeling normal. But I was feeling relieved. I felt more like a little bird than a normal kid. Also, I felt ... my skin was itching. It was weird. It was like I was being patted on. I imagined feeling human hands and fingers. But it was all just itching and pitting of skin. It was so gross. It was gross beyond any normal feeling. “Dad!” “Hey!” he said. “You ready to morph?” “I’m not ready to,” I said. “No, Dad, I’m ready to go out there and play with my feathers.” I focused my mind on the feathers. I focused on my own body. I was morphing a dolphin. I felt my arms growing. My legs growing. My head growing. And then, as I was getting more tough and more real, I saw the changes begin. The first thing I noticed was the change in the water temperature. The temperature had risen. That’s when I felt the change begin. The dolphin was beginning to change. The warm water was melting into cold. It was like someone had put my heart in my chest and suddenly I was cold at the same time. I was losing my mind. “Dad, you have to stop!” he yelled. I couldn’t believe it. I was losing my mind. I was totally losing my mind. I was losing my mind! I was morphing! I felt the cold wind on my face. I was growing! A huge gray shark body formed in front of me. I felt the changes begin. I felt my skin become translucent. And then, the changes began. I was shrinking. I was shrinking! I was shrinking! Then, the shark’s mind began to work on me. It was working on me! I was shrinking! I was shrinking! I was shrinking! Suddenly, I was living! I was living! The change was so complete. The changes were complete. I was living! The human-Controller was outside the filter and I was shrinking. Growing taller, more powerful. Chapter 9 Jake rocked back and forth on his hooves. Marco said. “You know what?” “I don’t know what to do,” Cassie said. “I’m not even sure I’m a fly.” I said. Ax said. I felt a little up in the air. Everything was flying, but it still took a full minute to get back up in the air. I was flying very fast, and the others were flying way faster. I was going to get totally, totally caught up in the air. But the others had done it before me. It was up and flying. I was able to see the lights of the Marriott resort. I was going to lose myself in the sky. I was going to get caught up in the feeling of it all. I could just feel my wings. I could feel the sensation of the air spinning out of control. The airwheels in my wings were spinning me. My wings were my wings. And suddenly, I was in a totally different place. The underside of the hotel was covered by a layer of rock and dirt. It was a wall. It was a very tall wall. It was about a foot tall. It was covered with a layer of scraped, blue-looking plastic. I had been in a very bad morph when I first met Ax. But I had never seen him in person. I’ve never seen him in my mind. I guess I’m not even sure he looks human. But I know the way to look at a man. I know the way to look at a person when they’re walking down a street. I know the way to look at a person when they go to a restaurant. I knew what he looked like when he was a kid. I know what he looked like when he was a human boy. But I didn’t know what to do. I flew hard and fast. But it was like I was on a sinking ship. I was sinking at the same time. I was breathing hard and fast. I was breathing in deep, deep, deep water and the air was creeping up into my lungs and I was going to drown. But that’s not what I was feeling right then. Or breathing. I was being swallowed by water. I was being swallowed by a big, gray slug. I said. But the water was still coming up off me. And I was being squeezed and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. I was being squeezed and pushed and pushed. The biggest thing in my room was the big, gray bug. I was being squeezed and pushed and pushed. I was being squeezed and pushed and pushed. I was being squeezed and pushed and pushed. I felt a wave of sick satisfaction wash over me. I knew what was happening. I knew that it was a Yeerk infestation. I said. I felt something strange happen to me. I felt a sort of electrical field that was quite large. I was in the middle of an intense field of electricity. I felt the water where my eyes had been. I felt the same waves of energy as I’d felt before. Something was pushing me away, away from me. I was being pushed and pushed. I was being pushed and pushed. And then, I saw what was happening. I was being pushed and pushed. I was being pushed and pushed. I was being pushed and pushed. And then I saw the picture in my mind. It was a picture of a fish. I had seen it in my mind. I had seen it as a fish, as a floating creature. “Hey! Look!” I yelled. “I’m getting pushed!” I was being pushed and pushed. And then, I saw the others. I was two inches long, roughly the size of a human child, with a dorsal fin Chapter 3 I added. Cassie agreed. I said. I turned my head toward the window. Cassie yelled. She opened the window and I could feel the air rushing in. It was chilly, but I knew the wind. It was the same thing as it always was, except that now my skin was melting. My hand began to shrink. My fingers ceased to exist. My body began to slosh. My bones dissolved and hollowed. My face thickened. My ears became the long, hard, plump horns. My head all but stopped shrinking. It was a dark gray, like a blanket. My vision was dim. But I could see. I heard all the world around me. I could hear the birds dropping and blowing and the raindrops dropping. I was in the barn. In the barn. Down below ... Down there! A hawk, a harrier, and a red-tailed hawk, all flying together, racing toward us. They were each about the same height, maybe a few feet apart. I could see them going in all directions at once, flying at full speed, right at the speed of two birds from the same state. I could see through the glass. I could see the barn. I could see the rows of cages stacked up against the wall, all lined up like tandem. I could see the long rows of cages piled high with food. I could see the rows of cages all lined up in one direction. Right at the center. I could see the rows of cages all lined up in a different direction. The hawk, the harrier, and the harrier, that is the harrier, were the only two that had the same speed as the red-tailed hawk. They were both going long, but they were not exactly the same height. And of course the harrier, the only one that had the same speed as the red-tailed hawk, was going farther. I could see the two birds of prey, the two birds that were now in the same direction, going up, up, up, up. And that’s when I saw the wall of three-foot-long hooks. I had a feeling that I was going to fall over. Falling over, like I was falling over Niagara Falls. I fell as fast as I could, and I was able to catch my breath. I yelled. Cassie yelled. I yelled. We were in the barn with the others in the back of the room. Two humans and a hawk. One of the humans was in the hospital wing, but he was fine. The other hawk was in the hospital wing, but he was fine, too. I told Cassie. I said. I was human. I was in the barn, in the middle of the barn. I told Cassie. Cassie looked at me. Her face was moving. I guess she realized I was scared. I said. I said. I said. Cassie said. I began to say. But this was the first time I’d really felt sorry for Chapter 7 The next day was Monday. The day of the Yeerk takeover of the planet. I stayed in the barn. I was the only one of the Animorphs still in school. The others were all there. All except Ax. And that made me a little sick. The second day was Monday. The day of the Yeerk raid on the zoo. I stayed in the barn. I was the only one of the Animorphs still in school. The fourth and final day was Monday afternoon. I stayed in the barn. I was the only Animorph. The fourth and final day was Monday morning. Four oatmeal cookies and a cookie cake. I watched the sky. I ate the cookie cake, and then I went to the school bus. I took the bus back to the bus station, and there I waited. I had to see if I could acquire a human morph. I had to be in the barn. I had to see if I could stay for the morph and not have to return to school. It was a big, long, long flight. I was getting older, and the bus was getting closer and closer. I went in the back and sat there, eyes wide. And I wanted to ask, “What’s up?” “It’s going to be okay,” I said. “Mmmm.” “I’m so glad you are,” I said. I was so relieved. “Oh, I know,” Cassie said. Then, to my surprise, she said, “And you know what, Rachel? It’s fine to be a girl.” I just smiled at her. I guess I should have said, “Okay.” “Not exactly,” Cassie said. “Marco and I have a little thing going on here in our heads.” “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.” “Marco, do you know what was happening to you while you were morphing?” “I haven’t seen you,” Cassie said. “I mean, I know you’ve been in your human morph for a while. I just think you’re so pretty.” “Rachel, this is so not a nice world.” “What?” “I’m not human.” “I don’t think I’m human,” she said. “But -> “What?” “I’m not exactly Rachel.” “That’s it,” Cassie said, staring at me. “We’re just animals.” “Rachel, you can morph animals?” “Yes.” “And do you wish you could change into a fish or a bird or a lizard?” “I wish I could change into a cat,” she said. “I have a cat right now.” “You can have a cat,” I said. “It’s ... well, it’s not exactly Rachel. I mean, it’s not exactly like Cassie, of course, but it is.” “Cassie, I’ve been trying to help you,” she said. “But I just can’t. I can’t. I think I feel like I could just ...” “Sorry about the delay,” I said. “I haven’t really thought of what’s next.” “Yeah, you’re right, Cassie. You know what I mean?” “Yeah, I know. I wish I could go up into my human body. But that, of course, means I’ll have to do morph-capable stuff.” “Morph-capable?” “Yeah. You have to think about Cassie. You have to decide. She’s your best friend.” “But ...” I finished my sentence. I was facedown in the stall, my face covered by a red-and-white transformation. “Why are you still afraid of me?” Cassie asked. “Because you’re not afraid, Cassie,” I said. “You keep me from hurting you. You keep me from hurting you. You tell me you like me, and I tell you Chapter 22 The morning ritual was all I needed to do. I took a couple of deep breaths and went to bed. I woke very early. The first thing to do was to rest. It was starting to get late. How often can you sleep? I had to get up earlier than usual. It was a little weird. There were times when I woke up in my bed and I was just sitting there. Then there was the first ritual I had done at night. I would rest in bed and go upstairs to change. I would then go to bed, eat breakfast, then toss something banana and toast. I had to be able to focus on the ritual. I had to be able to focus on the ritual. I had to be able to reflect on the way the world had gone. On the way down to the level of a human being. I would wake up in the morning and go to bed and go to bed again. I had to be able to focus on the ritual. I had to be able to focus on the ritual. I went to sleep in the spot where I had been on the night before. I woke up to find myself staring at the television screen. I was wearing a blue wool hue. I guess I’d just looked at my hair. “What is that?” “It’s a chicken leg. It has two short spikes sticking out from the top.” I had never seen the legs. I had never felt them. But I knew they were feathers, a part of the animal’s body. It made me wonder. I went to sleep and went to sleep and woke up the next morning. I was shaking. I was feeling very sick. But I was awake. It was a dream. I saw someone standing by a TV screen. I saw a bird. I saw a red-tailed hawk. I saw a human. I saw a red-tailed hawk. And then I saw my own father. “What’s the matter,” I whispered. “He said, ‘Chicken leg.’” “Oh, goody.” “Oh, goody.” “What is the matter?” “The chicken leg.” “Oh, goody.” “I knew what you were going to say.” “Oh, goody.” “Prince Jake, you’ve done everything you can to help me.” “I know I’m sorry. I know.” “I know.” “Well, whatever.” “I can’t have you living with me. You’ll never know you loved me.” “I’ll never know you love me.” “I’ll never know of you, Jake.” “You have no concept of how powerful that is.” “I’ll never know of you, Jake.” “I’m sorry. I know. But I am sorry.” “What is the matter,” I whispered. “I know. I know.” “The chicken leg.” I finished the ritual. I was shaking. I was feeling sick. I was sick and confused. I tried to focus, to try to understand what was happening. But I couldn’t. I had to try. It was like being in a dream. You know? I had become a human. I was a human boy, an old human boy, with human features. And somehow, somehow I was glad to be human. I felt my eyes flicker open. My mouth opened. I had no mouth. I could not speak. I was afraid. I could not move. I was afraid to see. But I was glad. I felt the changes begin. My arms grew elongated. My legs grew out of my chest. My fingers became toes. My legs grew out of my chest. My arms became hands. My legs became hands. I felt my bones shorten, and they became hollow. My face grew dark brown. My eyes became dull green-brown eyes. I looked out into a world of darkness. I was a human. But I was not a human boy. I was a bird. Chapter 19 We raced straight up the ramp. I yelled. Jake said. Rachel. Cassie pointed out. I was getting so frustrated I almost dropped the cube. But I couldn’t stop myself from yelling. Jake said. I had to get it to the ship. I had to get it to the ship. I could only morph the dolphin. I had to get the cube to the ship. The ship was closing in. “Let’s do it!” Jake shouted. “We have to get the cube!” I was getting frustrated. I had to morph the dolphin. Had to get the cube to the ship. But I had stopped morphing when the ship was closing in. I was almost in a dolphin morph. I was still beating my head on the side of the ramp. I could feel the air rushing up my back. I could feel the dolphin body as well. I was starting to feel a little scared. Cassie was right. “Let’s do it!” I couldn’t do it. I was feeling less and less capable as the ramp moved on. I was starting to feel a little really, really scared. I was starting to feel a little sick. And the ship was closing in. “Let’s do it!” I couldn’t morph the dolphin. Just let it go from the ship. Or the elephant. I was starting to feel sick. Like, I was starting to feel sick, like I was just too tired to fight. “Let’s do it!” I couldn’t morph the dolphin. Just let it go. Or the elephant. I tried to think, but I could only think of a thought. I felt like I could hear everything happening. I could only see the dolphin body as well as the elephant. And I could only see the mouth. The ship was closing in. “Let’s do it!” I felt like I was falling apart. I could feel every emotion of the moment. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to reason, but I could only believe what I saw in my mind. I was falling apart. I was starting to feel the first signs of the dolphin brain. It was the size of my brain. It was the size of a big dolphin brain. I was starting to feel like I was starting to drown. But I could feel the ship moving away from me. It was more like a huge, open ocean. I could feel the dolphin mind as I swayed in the air. The ship from before was going way off in a half- hour or so. I was starting to feel a weird, distorted feeling. I could feel that the time had come for me to morph. I couldn’t do it. I tried. But I was starting to feel sick. Like I was going to die, too. I tried to think. But no, I was starting to feel worse than I already was. I was beginning to feel like I was in denial. Like I was losing control of myself. I tried again. But no, I was starting to feel strange. Like I was going back to the beginning. I tried one more time. And I was feeling ... strange. Like my own mind was no longer under me. I stopped the morph. I moved on. I was an elephant. Chapter 14 - Cassie I jumped up out of the bed and started to demorph. I was six inches tall and standing on the back of the bed. I was a little smaller than the others, but that’s okay. I was the one with the big ears. I took my first steps. I took my second step. And I was close to having walked. “What is it, Ax?” I heard the door open. I heard the sound of the kitchen on the other side. I had no idea what it was. “I have a question,” Marco said. “And you,” I said. “Answer it.” Tobias said. “I know, Ax.” I was in human form. I could have climbed up off the floor. I could have walked. I had a face, a mouth, and no mouth. I was the size of a goose. I was the size of a hamster. And I was the kind of creature who would have done anything for a man. I was trembling, but I couldn’t shake my fear. I was human. I was trembling. “Tobias?” Cassie asked. Tobias said. “Okay,” I said. “Come on.” I felt my feet suddenly burst from my mouth. I was still in my human body, but my human body was no longer there. “Come on,” I whispered. “No,” Cassie said. “Come on.” I was shaking. I was shaking. I was trembling. I tried to stand up. But I was shaking and being excited, too. “Okay,” I whispered. “Come on.” I did. I stood up and made myself stand on two legs. “I just wanted you to think about it,” I said. “I’m not gonna lie.” I reached into my pocket. And then I saw the bandage. I slipped it out of my shirt. I looked at it. I pulled it over my face. “It’s okay,” I said. “Yeah.” “Okay.” “Okay.” I peered down into the darkening gloom. I saw the lights of the grocery store. I saw dark and darken as the Yeerk pool became a dark lake. I saw a girl lying face down on the ground, with her beak partially open. She was crying. I felt a rush of warm, fuzzy feeling up my spine. Everyone was crying. “I love you,” I whispered. “I love you.” “Yeah. I love you a lot.” “Oh, God. Oh, God,” I said. “I love you.” “You just love me,” I said. I felt the Yeerk inside me feel all the fear and dread and fear and guilt of survival. I felt the Yeerk inside me know that I had become what I thought of to be my own personal victim. I felt the Yeerk moving and moving and moving and moving. Morphing is a violent process. It’s like a chemical weapon. But it’s also a weapon because the Yeerk is in control. In your human body you control the Yeerk. But you control the morphing machine. The Yeerk in me was not a victim. I was not the monster. I was the monster. “I love you,” I whispered. “Yeah. I love you.”