lol Made me think of something...
(Beginning of the story, in Tobias's uncle's house)
"Get the mail, Tobias."
Tobias went to get the mail. Two things lay on the doormat: a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and -- a letter for Tobias.
Tobias picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no relatives except his uncle and his aunt -- he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:
Mr. Tobias
House of his uncle
******, California
The envelope was small and white, and the address was written by a collegian. There was no stamp.
Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Tobias saw a blue picture made with a stamp, showing four animals; a tiger, an elephant, a gorilla, and a horse surrounding a large letter A.
"Hurry up, boy!" shouted his uncle from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.
Tobias went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed his uncle the bill, sat down, and slowly began to open the white envelope.
Tobias was on the point of unfolding his letter, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by his uncle.
"That's mine!" said Tobias, trying to snatch it back.
"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered his uncle, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.
"Get out," croaked his uncle, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.
Tobias didn't move.
"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.
"OUT!" roared his uncle, and he took Tobias by the scruffs of their necks and threw him into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind him. Tobias promptly go to listen at the keyhole.
"What should I do? Should I write back? Tell them I don't want -- No," he said finally. "No, I'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer ... Yes, that's best ... I won't do anything ... I'm not having one in the house! Didn't I swear when I took him in I'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"
Next morning at breakfast, when the mail arrived, his uncle went to get the mail. There was another letter for Tobias. With a strangled cry, his uncle cut the letter in pieces.
"Go to your bedroom," he wheezed at Tobias.
During a week, Tobias received a letter per day and could not read it because of his uncle. But on Sunday morning...
BOOM.
The door shivered. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.
BOOM. They knocked again.
"Where's the cannon?" his uncle said stupidly.
He came, holding a rifle in his hands.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you -- I'm armed!"
There was a pause. Then --
SMASH!
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.
An elephant was standing in the doorway. In its trunk, a letter like the other ones. His uncle was too shocked to approach the animal, but Tobias made a step and took the letter. He opened the envelope and read.
ANIMORPHS, HUMAN GROUP OF REBELS FIGHTING THE YEERK INVASION
Leader: Jake
(fearless leader, Prince Jake, brother of a Controller)
Dear Mr. Tobias,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted in the Animorphs. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary equipment.
The war has already begun. We await you by no later than this evening.
Yours sincerely,
Cassie,
the peacemaker.
Questions exploded inside Tobias's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "Where will you await me?"
< In front of our school,> said a voice in his head.
