This is a project I have been wanting to start for a while now. I will tell you up front that I do not know how often I will be updating this. It could be once a day, once a month, or never (probably not never).
The idea behind this project is to create a community-inspired Alternamorphs fanfic. I will post a segment of an original Alternamorphs story here (editing in new segments when the time comes). After each time I add another segment, I will post a notice to inform readers what the latest choice was, as well as give them the choices for the next story branches.
I reserve the right to edit these guidelines as needed.Adam's Morphs: Siamese Cat
Cassie's Morphs: Horse
Jake's Morphs: Dog (Homer)
Marco's Morphs: Chinchilla
Rachel's Morphs: Rosy-faced Lovebird
Tobias's Morphs: Tabby Cat (Dude)
Part OneMy name is Adam. I can't tell you my last name, or what school I go to, or even which state I live in. It's too dangerous. If
They ever found out... I don't even want to think about what would happen.
The important thing to know is that we aren't alone in this universe. There are aliens among us. And let me assure you, they do not come in peace.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. It all began one night at the mall.
I was sitting outside at the bus stop, scolding myself for having missed my departure. I was trying to decide if I wanted to take the long walk home, or call my parents and ask one of them to come and pick me up. As I pondered, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of some kids from my school leaving the mall. They were walking in the direction I needed to go, so on a whim I decided to see if I could tag along. It wasn't something I would normally do, but it somehow felt like the right decision this time.
"Hey, Marco," I yelled as I caught up to them. Marco was in my homeroom class. "You guys going through the construction site? I'm headed that way too. Mind if I join you?"
Everyone stopped and turned to look. It looked like the group included Marco and his friend Jake. It was hard to know one without knowing the other. I guess they have been friends for a long time. Then there was Rachel, the blonde beauty. I considered asking her out once, but never did. She was too intimidating and I couldn't work up the nerve to actually ask. Cassie, the girl who hung around Rachel a lot, was also there. And finally there was Tobias. I only knew his name because his locker was three doors down from mine.
Marco waved me over and we all continued walking together. "You're Adam, right?" he asked.
"Yeah." Everyone introduced themselves and we got into a typical conversation about school. Who the worst teacher was, who is dating who, that sort of thing. Marco was doing the majority of the talking, followed by Rachel and Jake. Cassie would occasionally provide some input and Tobias seemed to be off in his own little world.
I was just starting to get into the conversation myself when Tobias stopped and pointed at the sky. "Look," he said. There was something odd about the way he said it, and when I looked I understood why.
"What is that?" Rachel asked.
"A meteorite or something?" I suggested. Even as the words left my mouth I knew they weren't true. Whatever that was, it was not natural. The unearthly white-blue sent tingles up my spine. I had this incredible urge to blurt out what I thought it was, but I just couldn't let myself on the off chance that I was mistaken. Luckily Cassie didn't have the same hang-up.
"It's a flying saucer," she said.
Marco laughed, but he soon stopped as the... craft, got closer. It landed not far from us and we approached with caution. It was unlike any manmade aircraft I had ever seen. It was round and smooth, almost cute. But then there was the sharp curving point at the rear. Definitely a weapon of some sort.
"What do we do?" I asked. "Should we call the police? The newspaper? The National Guard?"
"I say we get out of here before whatever is inside gets us." Marco, of course. But he did have a point.
"Are you kidding?" Rachel asked. "This is history in the making. We should at least try to communicate with them."
Before anyone could object, Tobias stepped forward. "We mean you know harm," he said to the ship.
<I know.> We all looked at each other in surprise. No words had been spoken, but we all knew we had "heard" something.
And then the side of the ship opened.
Light appeared around the door as it swung down. Light flooded the ground nearby and I had to squint a little to see what came next.
An alien stepped out. And not a typical alien either. You know, those ones on TV that are basically human, but with blue skin or pointy ears or something.
Well, this alien had pointy ears, and its fur was blue, but it also had four hooves, extra eyes, no mouth, and a wicked scorpion-like tail. Definitely not from Earth. <My name is Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. Do not be alarmed.>
As it exited its ship, the alien stumbled. "It's hurt!" Cassie exclaimed as she rushed forward. She was apparently more concerned with helping the alien than she was concerned for her own safety. Before I knew it we were all huddled around the creature, myself pretty much just gawking.
"We have to help him," Tobias.
<My wounds are fatal. I will die.>
Cassie seemed upset. "No, you are the first alien to visit Earth. You can't die."
<I am not the first.> Something about the way he said it sent chills through my body. <There are others. Many others.>
"What, who? Where?" Jake asked.
<They are called yeerks.> The alien told us about the yeerks. How they enslaved people by crawling in through the ear. How they could be anyone and you would never know. About how we had to stop them and he could only give us one weapon.
Jake was sent into the ship to get a box. Cassie tried to comfort the alien while he was away, but it didn't seem to be working. The andalite, as he called his species, was obviously in a lot of pain.
Then Jake returned and handed Elfangor the box. <This device is one of the andalite's greatest achievements. This device is able to give you the ability to become any animal you are able to touch. But only for two hours at a time.>
"What hapens after two hours?" Rachel asked.
<If you spend more than two hour in one morph, you will be trapped in that form permanently.> The alien's stalk eyes swiveled up to stare at the sky. <They are coming. You must decide quickly.>
We discussed it and eventually came to the conclusion that we had to at least try. Some of us were more reluctant than others, but in the end we all found ourselves touching a side of the blue box. A pleasant tingle went through my body and the alien said, <It is done. Go now, before it is too late. And remember, do not stay in any form for more than two hours.>
The ships in the sky were getting close now and we ran for cover. Tobias seemed the most reluctant to leave the andalite's side, but even he was out of sight by the time the yeerks arrived.
Even as Elfangor's end was nearing, he continued to supply us with knowledge. He told us about the hork-bajir, the walking razor blades. He told us about the taxxons, the ever-hungering giant centipedes. And he told us about Visser Three.
Visser Three was the only andalite to ever be made into a controller. And thus, he was the only controller with the ability to morph. An ability that was demonstrated in the most horrifying way possible.
The Visser morphed a huge monster he called an Anterean Bogg and literally ate Elfangor. The sound of the prince's dying screams in my head would be something I could never forget.
But the next thing I knew, Marco was throwing up and the sound caught the attention of one of the hork-bajir. It raised an alarm or something and before I knew it we were running for our lives.
"Split up!" Jake yelled.
I didn't have to be told twice. I turned right and made a B-line for the nearest crumbling wall. I was by myself and apparently that made me less of a target since the aliens went after the other two groups first. But they would be after me again soon enough.
Part One Question (edited due to added content)
[spoiler]How should Adam try to evade the aliens chasing him?
A. Make a run for it.B. Try to find something to morph and blend in.
C. Other (make up your own option).[/spoiler]
Part TwoI dove over the crumbling wall and promptly discovered that the ground was much lower on the other side. I fell about six feet before landing hard on my elbow. I heard a crack and pain shot through my arm. I let out a yelp, but quickly reigned it in. Aliens were still chasing me. I didn't have time to be in pain.
I tried to keep low as I ran across the muddy ground of the half-finished basement complex. It must have been a layout for offices or something because the hallways were narrow and never went too far before turning. If I didn't find my way out of this labyrinth soon, the aliens would...
Noise. The sound of footsteps a murmuring. The voices were speaking English, and getting closer. I ducked into a nearby room just as light from a flashlight filled the hallway I had just been in.
"And then when you finish searching all the halls, check the rooms one by one. You start at that end and I'll start at this end. The miscreants could be hiding in any one of these rooms. If we let even one escape, Visser Three will have our heads." The voices trailed off again as they split up.
I was trapped at both ends. And if I tried climbing back up over the walls, I would probably find myself right in the middle of their search efforts. I gripped my hair in frustration and leaned against a wall. This was not good.
But then I heard a hiss behind me. Near the ground there was a space with a few bricks missing, and sitting inside the hole in the wall with its ears pulled back and fangs bared was a
stray cat.
"Just what I need. Rabies before death," I muttered under my breath. But even as I said it, a thought was forming in my brain. Elfangor gave me a weapon. A weapon he meant for me to use. But would it work?
There was only one way to find out.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty." I reached my good arm toward the battered old cat and it instantly slashed at me with it's claws. I instinctively pulled my hand back. "Man up, Adam. This is no time to be worried about scratches." And with that, I lounged at the cat. It tried to bolt, but I got my hands around its waist and held on tight. The stray wiggled, squirmed, snarled, and dug a tooth or claw in wherever it could get a hold on me. But then as I held it, the cat suddenly became calm and cooperative. It was almost like it was in a trance. I took that to mean I had successfully acquired its DNA.
"Did you hear that?" a voice down the hall asked. "I think it came from over there. Check the rooms."
If I didn't morph now it would be too late. I crammed myself into the darkest corner and focussed on becoming a cat.
Now, not surprisingly, I had no idea how I was supposed to go about turning into a cat. So you can imagine my surprise when long luxurious whiskers sprung out of my face. I almost yelled again but restrained myself. It was actually working!
The sounds in the hall were getting closer so I tried to hurry along the process, but even so the changes was still painfully slow. In the shadows of the partially built basement, I could feel my body getting shorter. Hair sprouted on my arms underneath my shirt. A shirt that was becoming much too big. By now the real cat had snapped out of it and decided it had better get out of here. I couldn't blame him. I was turning into a one-man freak show.
My ears slid up the side of my head, and my nose flattened out. In my spine I could feel new vertebrae forming. A long tail extended from my tailbone and started wiggling around. My hips realigned and I fell forward onto my hands. Except by now they were paws. The transformation was complete. I had turned into a siamese ally cat.
And not a moment too soon. Not a second after I had finished escaping from my pile of clothing, there was a person standing in the doorway with a flashlight. She swept across the room with light and paused when she shone the light on me. I stood frozen like a deer in the headlights. "What do we have here," she asked, stepping closer. This was it. She knew what I was. She would take me away to have me killed, or worse.
I decided to do what the cat brain was telling me to do. I bared my teeth and hissed. "Shoo cat. Scram." I didn't have to be told twice. I went to the far wall and leaped to the top. A six foot leap!
"Find anything?" a voice down the hall asked.
"Naw. Just a stray cat laying on some old rags."
"Well keep searching!"
I left the mind controlled humans to their searching and made my escape. I stayed clear of the other aliens as best I could, but I doubted they would have paid much attention even if I crawled right beneath their feet. Once I cleared the construction site, I stuck to the shadows and made my way home.
Part Two Question
[spoiler]When will Adam contact the others?
A. Call them when he gets home.B. Call them in the morning.
C. Wait until they contact him.D. Other (make up your own option).[/spoiler]
Part ThreeIt took me about half an hour to get home as a cat. It turns out they can make pretty good time when they want to. And it probably helped that my mind was too preoccupied by all that had happened to get distracted by the animal's senses. When I reached my front yard I was almost expecting it to be swarming with aliens that came to abduct my family, but it wasn't. It was just the plain old suburbia household that it had always been. I could see the light from the TV behind the front curtains where my dad was probably watching the news, and a lamp was on in my mom's office where she was usually doing paperwork. There was a nightlight on in the room I shared with my eight year old brother. Yup, everything seemed normal.
Except I was a cat.
I started to wonder how I would change back, and as I did I realized I had left my clothes back at the construction site. Just one more thing to worry about.
I made my way over to the garage. Our washer and dryer were inside and there were always piles of clothes next to it. I just had to find a way inside. I walked around the outside and quickly realized I wouldn't be able to open the side door or the garage door. Not without changing back first, and I didn't want to risk the neighbors seeing me. During the transformation or otherwise.
I was about to give up and risk it anyway when I remembered we still hadn't fixed the garage window I broke with a slingshot when I was ten. It was too small for a person to fit through, but a cat?
I went back to the side of the garage and peered up at the window. All I could see from the ground was the sill, but I knew what was up there. I readied my legs then launched myself straight up. I barely reached the sill, but managed to dig in my claws and pulled myself up. There was only about two inches of rim for me to stand on, but it was more than enough. I poked my nose through the jagged hole in the window and carefully slinked through.
Once inside, I dropped down onto my dad's meat freezer, then to the floor. I went to the side of my mom's car that was opposite the door into the house (in case anyone came out into the garage) then concentrated on my human self. I let out a huge sigh of relief when the changes began.
All of my hair began to recede and revealed the skin below. The skin that was now bulging as the muscles and organs grew underneath. There was a couple times as my bones were grinding and stretching that I thought I would burst right open, but though there was discomfort, there was no pain. I bulged and shifted and contorted until finally I was myself once more.
Now that I was human again, I was aware of just how dark it was I the garage. Cats don't see much in the way of color, but man can they see in the dark. I felt blind as I stumbled around my mom's car to the clothes dryer. And sure enough, when I got there I found huge stacks of unwashed laundry. I put on the first t-shirt and sweatpants I could find that fit, then went inside.
"How was the mall?" my dad asked as I walked behind the couch to get to the stairs. "Buy anything?"
"I just window shopped," I replied quickly, wanting to get up to my bed. I did not feel like getting into the whole alien invasion and morphing thing right now. I didn't even know if I should. It was something I would need to sleep on.
"Is that my bowling shirt?" Dad asked. I looked down. It was.
"Um... yes?" My dad gave me a questioning look. "I went bowling. I didn't think you would mind."
He obviously thought it was strange but his only reply was, "as long as you don't wreck it." Then he went back to watching his news program. I took the opportunity to leave and went upstairs. I probably should have called the authorities or something, but instead I crashed on my bed.
* * *
I had the weirdest dream that night, where I was a cat being chased by a blue alien with a scorpion tail. The further I ran, the more the alien turned into a horrifying monster, and the closer it got to eating me. It was about to bite down on my tail, but then the whole world started rumbling. Someone was shaking me awake.
"Mom says get up." It was Jonah, my little brother. Having delivered his message, he left the room to go do whatever it was eight year olds did at - I looked at the clock - nine in the morning.
I let out an instinctive groan, then sat straight up in bed as the previous night came back to me. Had it been real? It certainly seemed real. My eyes darted toward my hamper. There was Dad's bowling shirt draped over the edge.
Suddenly my head hurt. I pulled myself up and dragged my feet to the bathroom. Inside I locked the door and stared into the mirror. "It can't be true," I told myself. I wasn't very convincing.
As I gazed into the eyes of my reflection, I thought about the cat from the night before. About changing into it. About
being it. Sure enough, the changes began. "No way..." I reversed the process then splashed some water on my face. I stared at myself for a long time as I tried to let it all soak in.
"Everything alright in there?" It was my mom.
"What? Yeah." How long had I been standing here? I checked my face quick to make sure I wasn't part cat, then opened the door. "I need to make a call. I'm just trying to figure out what to say."
"Who? That Jake fellow who called last night? I told him you already went to bed."
"Yeah, Jake. He was at the mall last night. Did he leave a number?"
I spent the next hour calling Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias. We made plans to meet up later to discuss the whole situation, figuring it was best not to talk over the phone. We agreed to keep quiet at least until we figured some stuff out. And there was
a lot to figure out.
Part Three Question
[spoiler]Where will the Animorphs decide to meet?
A. At Cassie's barn like in the books.B. Back at the mall.C. Other (make up your own option) - Cafeteria.[/spoiler]
Part FourIt was Saturday, and there was a wrestling meet going on at school, so I suggested we all get together there. It was a public place, so nobody would be suspicious if we were all there at the same time, but with all the activity going on in the gym, we would be able to talk in the cafeteria without having to worry too much about eavesdroppers. The only people who would be in the cafeteria besides us would be people getting concessions, or the occasional person taking a break from the commotion inside.
I was first to arrive, it seemed, so I bought a giant pretzel from the concession stand, then went to sit down at a table away from the crowds. I didn't have to wait long until I was joined by Tobias.
"Did you try it?" Tobias asked as he walked up behind me.
"Try what?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"You know," he leaned in close to whisper, "
morphing."
I looked around cautiously to make sure nobody was paying attention, then said, "How do you think I got away last night? I turned into a freaking cat."
Tobias's eyes went wide. "Me too! Well, not last night, but this morning. I became my cat, Dude. Jake freaked when I showed him. Isn't it cool? The power, the Grace?"
"Yeah," I responded without enthusiasm. I spotted Cassie and Rachel just then and waved them over.
"What's up boys?" Rachel asked as she slid into a seat across the table. "You read the paper this morning?" She slid a newspaper across the table and pointed to a story on the front page. It was a story about what happened in the construction site the night before. I started to get excited that the aliens were discovered, but then Rachel said to keep reading. Apparently the whole thing was being chalked up to some kids playing with fireworks.
"That doesn't make any sense," Tobias stated.
"What doesn't make sense?" Jake asked. He and Marco had just arrived at the table. I passed the article over to them and they read it.
"That makes perfect sense," Marco claimed as he finished reading. "If these... these aliens. If they take over peoples' minds, it makes sense that they would infiltrate the authorities, or at least the newspaper reporters. Control the information, control the public opinion."
Cassie looked shocked at the revelation, but Rachel just looked angry.
"We need to do something," Tobias said. "We can't just let them come in and take our minds. We have to fight back."
"Amen," Rachel agreed.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Marco asked snidely. "Six kids versus an alien invasion? No thank you. I don't like those odds."
"They're right, Marco," Jake said. "We can't just sit by and do nothing."
Marco crossed his arms defiantly. "How then, Jake? How are we supposed to stand up to something we can't even see?"
It was Cassie who answered. "We morph. The andalite gave us the power for a reason, so we should use it."
"You actually believe we can turn into animals?" Marco asked. He sounded honestly curious, if a bit skeptical.
"I do," Cassie replied. "And I have. I became a horse today." Rachel nodded to back up Cassie's claim.
"I turned into a cat," I added.
"And I became Homer, and Tobias became his cat Dude," Jake added. "It works."
"If he doesn't believe us, maybe he should try it," I suggested. "We should probably all try it at least once."
Marco looked like he was about to object, but Rachel cut him off. "Let's do it."
Part Four Question
[spoiler]Where should the Animorphs go to find morphs for Marco and Rachel?
A. Head to the science wing of the school.
B. Head to a nearby pet store
C. Other (make up your own option).[/spoiler]
Part FiveThe six of us left the school in search of animals to acquire, and it didn't take us long to reach that goal. Rachel knew of a pet store within walking distance. Apparently it was near a sports apparel store where she sometimes shopped for gymnastics equipment or something. Fifteen minutes and a few blocks later and they were staring through a big window at the pen full of puppies on the other side.
"They're so cute," Cassie said in delight. "How about turning into one of those?"
"I think I'll pass," Rachel replied. "No offense to all the cuddly creatures, but I think I'll shop around a little more." She pulled open the front door and we followed her inside.
There was a clerk reading a magazine behind a counter, but no other customers. "Let me know if you need help," the clerk said without even looking up from her newspaper.
There were a lot more animals on display in the store than I expected. There were the puppies, of course, but there were also kittens, lizards, rodents, snakes, spiders, fish, birds, rabbits, and others. It was practically a one room zoo!
"So many choices..." I finally said in awe. If I was the one trying to pick what to acquire, I probably would have been there all day. But as things were, that was not the case.
"How about a cat, Marco?" Tobias asked. "Those are cool, right Adam?"
Marco scrunched up his face in protest. "All they have are kittens. No thanks." He walked over to the bird cages. "How about a parrot instead. That way I can still talk to you guys and look fashionable at the same time."
Rachel walked over to the cage Marco was eying up. She gave a smirk. "The label says Rosy-faced Lovebird, Marco. If that isn't manly, I don't know what is."
Marco got a little rosy-faced himself before grumbling and heading off toward the rodents.
"Actually," Rachel continued, "he has a point about them looking good." Without even bothering to ask an employee, Rachel opened the cage and stuck her hand inside. One of the birds nipped at her fingers playfully and a look of concentration crossed Rachel's face. The bird became still and moments later Rachel pulled her hand back out. "There. I think that should do it."
Cassie gave Rachel a congratulatory pat on the back and we headed over to where Marco now had his arm armpit deep into a wire cage on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Jake asked, amused.
"Trying to catch this weird rabbit-rat. It keeps hiding in its cardboard tunnel though."
I thought he was joking, but just then what appeared to be something half rabbit, half rat, ran out from a large tube in the cage. It was gray and fuzzy, and a little tubby. It was a chinchilla.
"Gotcha!" Marco exclaimed as he grabbed hold of the tail. The critter whined and scrambled about, eventually turning and biting Marco's hand. "Ah!" he yelled, pulling his hand from the cage.
"Stop harassing the animals," said the cashier from behind the counter, seemingly uninterested in what was actually going on.
"You're going about it all wrong, Marco," Cassie offered. She nudged Marco aside and reached into the cage. With a little coaxing, Cassie got the rodent to allow her to pick it up. "See? You just need to be a little more gentle, that's all." She held the grey ball of fluff out so Marco could acquire it. Marco looked unsure if he wanted to do this anymore.
"Come on, Marco," Jake prodded. "You've come this far."
"But this... After this I stop being a normal kid. After this there will be no going back to the way things were."
I could see his point. It wasn't like he could unacquire something. I had acquired a cat and now I would have the ability to become one for the rest of my life. There was no changing that.
Tobias spoke up. "You need to do this, Marco. For Elfangor." Marco looked skeptical. "For the human race."
"Besides," Jake added, a grin on his face, "how can you go back to being normal when you were never a normal kid to begin with?"
"Very funny," Marco said at last. "Hand that thing over here. I got a chinchilla to turn into."
Marco acquired the animal and Cassie put it back into its cage. With our task complete, we left the pet shop, but I looked over my shoulder as we left and something about how the cashier was staring at us made me uncomfortable. She hadn't given us a second glance when we walked in, but now she was suddenly interested? I gave a half-hearted wave, then exited the store.
My worry was soon forgotten once we started discussing where to try out morphs. Cassie's barn was brought up, but Rachel didn't want to wait that long. She wanted to go into the ally behind the pet shop and sports apparel stores and morph right there. But when it was brought up that they would morph right out of their clothes, she gave up that idea.
However, apparently when Rachel and Cassie practiced Cassie's horse morph earlier that day, they discovered that it was possible to morph skin-tight clothing. And with a sports apparel store right there, it was hard to argue against going in to buy some bicycle shorts and leotards right then and there. After all, they would probably need the clothing eventually.
Part Five Question
[spoiler]Where should the Animorphs go to practice morphing?
A. In the alley behind the storesB. In the dressing rooms of the sports apparel store
C. Other (make up your own option).[/spoiler]
Part Six"Alright," Jake said. "Everyone find something to wear and meet up by the dressing rooms." He paused to give Rachel an accusing glance, as if he was giving her a preemptive warning. "And don't take all day. We just need something tight-fitting. I imagine simpler is better in this case."
Needing no further instruction, we spread out and started sifting through tables and racks of clothes. I started by the swimwear, but quickly moved on. The only skin-tight male options were speedos. Even if I wasn't completely against the thought of using one as a morphing suit,
I still wouldn't have been allowed to try it on in the store. It was against the store's policy to let people test drive the swimwear.
Next I moseyed on over to where a lot of the school sports equipment was. I spotted a wrestling unitard that looked like it would fit. I picked it up and considered purchasing it, but eventually decided it would look a little silly. There were other options.
I found a pair of compression shorts that looked decent and grabbed a matching under armour shirt, then went to wait by the changing rooms.
Marco and Tobias were already there, each holding what appeared to be a cheap pair of bicycle shorts. Jake was there too, but with a wetsuit that was trimmed at the biceps and thighs. It was another moment before Rachel and Cassie strolled up, Rachel holding a new leotard and Cassie with her hands empty. "You aren't getting anything, Cassie?" I asked.
Slightly embarrassed, Cassie pulled the shoulder of her shirt down to reveal leotard fabric underneath. "I never took mine off from this morning," she explained. "I know it works, so I figured I didn't need a new one."
"Fair enough," I conceded. "So how are we doing this?" All eyes subconsciously turned toward Jake.
"What, I'm in charge?" he asked. Not looking too far into it, he continued. "I suppose the girls go into the girls' changing rooms and the boys go into the boys' changing rooms. Cassie, you can help Rachel through her... changing." Jake looked around to make sure nobody from the store was paying attention. "I'll help Marco do the same. Test out your outfits to make sure they will work, then we come out and pay for them. Lets not drag this out any longer than we have to."
With our plan laid out before us, everyone headed for their respective stalls in the changing rooms. In the men's side there were only three stalls, but that was alright. Jake and Marco were sharing one. I went into the first open stall, Jake and Marco went into the middle one, and Tobias entered the third.
As soon as I closed the door and locked it behind me, I turned around and winced at the sight. There was a full length mirror on one wall. Normally a mirror is beneficial in a changing room. But normally in a changing room people don't turn into animals.
It only took a couple minutes to change into the clothes I had picked out, and they seemed to fit well enough. They were snug, but not so tight that they would be uncomfortable. I looked in the mirror and let out a sigh. "Just get it over with, Adam," I mumbled to myself. Then I concentrated on the siamese cat I acquired the night before.
SHLOOP!
A tail sprouted unexpectedly from my tailbone. Using the mirror, I could see where the long hairless appendage had grown from my own tailbone. Where the morphing suit was touching, the fabric seemed to be fused impossibly to the skin. Even as my stomach was churning, I gave my tail a playful wag.
"Aahhh!" I heard from the next stall over.
"Shut up, Marco!" I heard Jake reprimand. It seemed Marco had finally started his first morph.
I did my best to block out the sounds coming from next door and focused on my own morph. Fur began sprouting in patches over my body. On my shoulder, by my feet, down my nose, everywhere. Next came the grinding of bones as my skeleton started to shrink and rearrange itself. Before long my knees reversed and I was thrown forward onto all fours. The newly formed pads on my hand helped to cushion the fall. The last thing to change was the sharpening of my teeth and my tongue becoming rough as sandpaper. For the second time in my life, I was now a cat.
<Whoa, this is so cool! I'm a bird!> I was surprised to hear Rachel's voice in my head. It was just like how the andalie had talked
<It is!> Tobias chimed in.
<How are you guys doing that?> I wondered.
<The thought speech?> Tobias asked. <You can direct your thoughts to other people when you are in morph.>
<Cool,> I said, still not quite sure what exactly I was doing.
"Marco, no!" My acute cat ears could hear the scuffle next door like it was rush hour traffic. "Get control!" A second later I saw movement on the other side of the gap below the door. It was a chinchilla scurrying past out into the store.
Before I knew what was happening, my own cat instincts kicked in and I was chasing after the big furry critter. My cat mind hadn't decided if it would be food or foe yet, but either way it needed to be confronted. I chased the oversized rodent into the store and under a table full of pants, running between a customer's legs in the process.
"A rat!" he yelled and hurried to distance himself. Apparently the sight of a cat wasn't worth getting excited over.
"Where did it go?" I heard Jake yell. He was in his wetsuit looking around frantically for Marco. I came to a screeching halt as I finally realized what I was doing. I had been unprepared to control the cat's instincts, just as Marco was with his chinchilla morph.
<He is in the front corner of the store,> I said sheepishly. <Under the surfer mannequin.>
<I see him,> Rachel said. <Next to the surf board.> I looked up to see Rachel flitting over the clothes racks and wondered why she was out here too. Judging by the frustrated look on Cassie's face as she exited the changing area, she wasn't supposed to be.
"You aren't allowed to have pets in the store," a manager told Jake sternly. "Get those filthy things out of here immediately. If there are any damages, you will be paying for them."
Jake largely ignored them as he tried to find his friend. "Marco. Marco, snap out of it." He finally reached the surfer mannequin. He reached out to Marco, but Marco ran under a table full of shirts.
"Not like that," Cassie said as she caught up to Jake. "Like this." She kneeled down and coaxed Marco over to her just like she did to the real chinchilla in the store. "There there, Marco. Nothing to be afraid of. Think you'll be okay?"
<I- I think so.> Marco still sounded a little unsure.
"Just... get it out of here," the manager said again, obviously not hearing Marco's words. "Take your other pets too," he said, pointing to me, Rachel, and Tobias who was just now peeking his tabby head out of the changing area.
Cassie whistled and held out a finger. Rachel swooped down and landed like a bird out of Snow White. Then she pat her leg indicating for Marco, Tobias and I to come her, which we did. The manager seemed impressed that we were so well trained. "I'll watch them while you get changed, then you can watch them while I get changed," she suggested. "Don't forget all your clothes." Jake nodded, taking the hint to get everyones' things.
We sat patiently by the checkout as we waited for Jake, the manager never taking his eyes off us. It was during this uncomfortable silence that I first noticed the faint sound of police sirens in the distance. I thought nothing of it at first since sirens weren't exactly out of the ordinary, but they kept getting louder and louder. And of course with a cat's sense of hearing, it was even worse.
By the time Jake returned it was obvious that the sirens were close by. <I wonder what is going on,> Tobias commented.
Cassie was about to go take her turn in the dressing room when through the glass doors at the front of the store we could see about ten cop cars pull into the parking lot. However, I didn't start getting really nervous until they parked in a semicircle in front of the store.
"You called the cops on us?" Jake asked the manager in disbelief.
"No," he replied, confusion in his voice. "No way they would send a squad like that for some loose pets anyway."
As we watched through the window while the police organized themselves, my heart sank when I saw someone walk up to talk to them. It was the clerk from the pet store! He couldn't tell what she was saying, but she while she explained something to the cops she held up six fingers and pointed to the store they were currently in.
With a lump in my little kitty throat said, <I... I think we are in trouble.>
Part Six Question
[spoiler]How will the Animorphs handle this situation with the police?
A. Try talking to the police
B. Try running from the police
C. Other (make up your own option).[/spoiler]
Discuss in your responses which choice you want to see incorporated. You are free to argue your position. Note: it may be possible for a write-in option to win even if it doesn't have the most votes, although votes will certainly help.
