Alteramorphs #0: The Alteration

[Vickie1]

Author Note: Okkk, so I've decided to post my story up here. I'm currently in turmoil because I tend to think like Marco. Yeah. Liek this: Seriously! Why!? What possessed you to post this, girl!? No one's gonna read this crap! It's full of junk and errors, dammit!

Then I headslap myself and regain my confidence. Yes, I am paranoid. >_< My life is making me that way.

ANYWAY, moving on. This is a project of mine and a revamping of a very old fic. Completely, revamped. It was because I kinda found I could do better in that one. Much. But I do expect that even with heavy editing, there's bound to be mistakes, grammar or horrible stuff. Or deadly cliffhangers. In any case, I truly hope that I am following completely to the style of the books and not immediately introduce new things too quickly. Any suggestions, opinions, comments, criticism (any harsh one, I can take it! X_x ) would be greatly appreciated in any way of improving this story.

And pls don't compare this to the Alternamorphs books. It's not. It's completely different. Really. XD There's a reason for that being spelt like that because of later chps.

Lastly, please please PLEASE don’t read my original cuz it's horrible and you can't at all until Chp Fourteen! For new readers, there will be a guessing game on an anonymous person's identity which will be revealed in this story in the same way I had in my original.

Actually, if you do plan to peek at my original, it’ll lose the fun in what’s different between them so HANDS OFF MY ORIGINAL FIC!

And so without further ado, please enjoy my prologue of “Alteramorphs #0: The Alteration” and comment.

Seriously, what have I done...

Ok...no turning back. -push POST button and runs away-

ALTERAMORPHS #0: THE ALTERATION

Prologue

From the Memory of a Child

I feel cold...

Something’s dripping on my cheek... Is it rain? Why is it raining?

I weakly open my eyes. It’s so dark everywhere. I could hear cricking sounds somewhere. I wanted to see what was around me but the water keeps stinging my eyes when I try to open them wider.

Where am I? I don’t know this place.

...I don’t remember how I got there.

I’m shivering. My neck hurts and it’s so cold. I feel filthy too. I rise my small hands up. They are wet with something green, blue and red. I don’t know where these colors came from.

How come I don’t remember where I got these colors?

I’m scared. Where are Mommy and Daddy?

Wait...what do Mommy and Daddy look like...? I can’t remember.

...I don’t even remember anything. Who am I? Where am I from...?

...What’s my name?

Why can’t I remember?

I hear the sound of leaves crackling. I look up and see a black figure. Someone is standing in front of me. I can’t see her face clearly. She hides it in something that glimmers with colors of orange, black and blue.

Clank! She drops something from her hand.

Crack! She breaks it with her foot.

What was it?

She then turns around and walks away. Is she leaving me?

I don’t want her to go. I have so many questions to ask. But I’m so sleepy. So tired. My eyes won’t stay open.

I want to ask her before everything goes dark...but my mouth won’t let me.

Who are you? Why am I here?

Do you know who my mommy and daddy are? Where they are?
 
Where are you going? Can you take me with you? Because I don’t like this place.

Why do you have to leave...? Please, don’t go.

And also...

Do you know who am I?


From the Analogs of E-bzzzt- Van-bzzzt-d

...Analog 001. Time...XX September XXXX, 1:36 AM. Location...unknown. Possibly somewhere in British Columbia. Conditions...

Rain...

It beats heavily on the screen of my helmet. My tension has mellowed from its unfazed rhythm as I gaze up to the trees, loosening my finger off the trigger. I found it amusing...that the drops resembled bullets. Yet, they have a calming effect on me, washing the blood off my suit.

A foreigner. A stranger. An outsider of this ‘time’. But the weather seemed to be welcoming this ‘alien’, cleansing the ugly part away. Sadly, I know it will return again once the rain has passed.

Had I had this soothing sensation before? I don’t remember such a thing, not even from my robbed childhood to my present as nothing more than a constructive tool. I did not reject the feeling nor fear it. Instead, I accepted the invitation...a pleasing end to a blood-bathed calamity.

Some time ago, an unfortunate accident happened that led to an unplanned discovery, one nobody was to know. A six-year-old child was alone as one of the invaders approached her, whipping blood off his tail.

I...I did the unthinkable. I stepped in and rescued the child. I took her somewhere safe. And in an hour, someone will find her and take her far away from the terrible scene...from the blood-soaked memory...

I returned to the aliens and readied my weapon.

I mercilessly slaughtered them. I gave them no chance to shoot their Dracon beams or slash me with blades. Not for what they did to the child’s family and their attempts to forcefully recruit her to their growing army. A child, at that, and to be one of them.

The humans were quickly disarmed and fled in horror. The reptilian aliens were beheaded and the large worms were swiftly cut down to size. I was not stop by their choking pleads. I tore them apart pitilessly.

At last, only one remained. Their leader stared at me, terror in all four eyes.

Then, I ended the fight. I lowered my gun from his forehead and walked away. In anger, he cursed at me, as if I was mocking him. The alien tried to pursue after me, flicking his scythe tail at me. However, I had already chopped it off seconds before I put him at gunpoint.

The alien demanded I fight him, to come back, calling me a nothlit coward. But I ignored him, leaving him to recover. Why should I continue? Fear was enough for the likes of him. And death was out of the question.

Once I no longer could hear his shouts, I was where I am, watching the rain drizzle.

So...here I am.

I am known as many things. And yet, I don’t know...what is the real me. I have been through many hardships to the point I have long lost my old self. My old self has become nothing but a fade memory. Now, I was my new self.

I stand today and shall be forever an instrument, given a mission that I cannot fail. I am marked as disposable; regardless if I live or die after the completion of my task, I cannot return back. I am an executioner, tasked to kill if necessary. I am hardened to the core and divested of emotions. I am a monster in many tongues and yet I am suitable for this position. I am one who is not bounded by emotional, mental and physical materials. I am someone who has nothing to lose.

I am the perfect subject for the mission. I am the perfect red pawn on this chessboard.

I am not a saint or savior...and yet, I saved her.

Now, I have something to lose. And they will come.

But it doesn’t matter to me. Let the aliens come and I will eliminate them without mercy. Let the one know as the traitor approach me and I will fight him. Let the two high-and-mighty appear and test me as they had before, trying to enlist this tired puppet to one side.

Let that eyeball come to taunt me again and again. Let that old man come to judge my intrusion into their game. Let them try to control this trump card...

They can move me but they won’t improve me. They can damage me but they can’t kill me. They can slow me down but they won’t stop me. They can win but I won’t let them be triumph.

Their game, their war can bring me to a halt but those won’t prevent me from completing my mission. Nothing they can do to stop me from securing her existence...

So let them come...

I am ready for them...


P.S Note: This chapter has two different POVs but the two are in the same location after a terrible event. Hope that’s not too confusing. Prologue revamped and inspired by the song, “What Become of Us?” by Cinephile from CSI Season 5 Episode 13, Nesting Dolls. I’m surprised the song fits.

[Noelle]

Very interesting, it definitely leaves a lot of questions, which I guess is what the prologue is meant to do.    It definitely leaves me wanting to read some more about it.  I am a little bit confused as to the second part of the prologue, I am *guessing* that the Andalite is Visser Three since he is fighting with Taxxons (the worms) and the reptilians (Hork'Bajir)  yet he calls whoever is narrating a "nothlit," which leads me to believe he is Andalite and would know what these creatures are.  Though of course, he/she could be something different, I guess we'll find out more.


There were a couple of grammatical/spelling errors, but I will get to those in the morning when I make a more complete review, my brain is a little bit fuzzy from tired now, so I'll do it in the morning. 

Very good start.

[Vickie1]

Phew I was worried cuz I only just posted this in under a few minutes with little editing cuz I had to hurry for art class. XD But despite the possible errors, I'm glad the story tells its prologue well (in a mysterious way).

And considering this is the first reply on this fic, yes. Yes that guess(es) is/are right. :> And you will learn more about the anonymous person in the future. Slowly but surely. Also, if the confusion part is a little unclear, let me know and I'll try to edit it. I didn't intend to make it clear but if this doesn't work, I can still try to do something and keep the mystery at the same time.

I look forward to your complete review and hope you have a good morning. Most of all, thank you very much for this first review, Noelle.



MESSAGE TO ALL READERS: I am thinking of making this prologue as a preview to my story and future chapters as google documents so that links will be included in this thread (as I am referring to this thread by Angel Bunny. link: http://animorphsforum.com/index.php?topic=8765.0). However, I'd like your opinion if you readers don't mind having links or you want me to post them like my prologue. Let me know what you'd like to see.

[wildweathel]

Certainly, the RAF standard is to post straight to thread.  Don't worry too much about accommodating me.  If I want to copy-past over to gDocs so I can go line-by-line, I'll do that.

[Vickie1]

I know but I'd like to give options. I guess that comes with the course I'm doing so it's kinda hard to break from it.

In any case, I found time to make my next chapter as google docs so it's alright. I probably won't be able to update till my term is finished. Which means I'll go off again. Hurrah.

Damn you education.

In the meantime of my short absence, enjoy Chapter One and hope to get comments here. Thank ya all.

Chapter One: Runaway - link removed

[NateSean]

Please, stick with the copy and paste. It makes it easier than having to click on thirty different links to read the same story.

The prologue is pretty interesting so far. I think you would do better to have the child's thoughts done entirely in italics so when the POV changes readers aren't confused by the switch. You do a great job of explaining it in a short amount of time, and your narrative isn't needlessly bogged down, which is good, but it can still be confusing to people who aren't used to your writing style.

[Vickie1]

LOL XD Ok ok everyone really has different opinions on the copy past thing. And while I agree with the different methods, it's actually more easy for me to update than to do google docs then update cuz of my schedule so I'll stick with the pasting. I hope my jumping from one to another method won't make you guys angry or what not.

Blame my course instead. It has altered me to be like a salesperson or something in the game industry.

To NateSean, thank you for your comment. And I guess I could do that but I thought it was a little clear with the line divider and the headings I gave for each POV. Also italics I had originally planned them for thought-speech and sounds but hm, I'll have a look at the switch again and see what I come up. In all, I'm glad to heard my narration is good.

Then again, it probably was because of those English classes that nearly destroyed me...and reediting this story over and over again... ANYWAY, I'll be careful with my writing style. My prologue is the only chapter that's 'discreet' so my other chapters will hopefully not be confusing to readers. If not, I hope to do something about that.

Thanks again!

Also, to everyone, I've reposted my Chapter one, copied and pasted. XD And I've decided to make this thread decorative and like an advertisement. I'm refining my book cover I had lying somewhere in this forum for this thread so look out for some art too.

P.S. I now somehow am afraid this thread will be long in word count cuz of my chapters. :/ Which I only plan to write around 24-25 chps with app. 6000 words each.

[Vickie1]

Chapter One: Runaway
 
From the Diary of Kelly
 
...When I was very little, I remembered looking up to a clear and starry night. It had stopped raining. But it was still cold.
 
I couldn't remember a lot of things. What had happened before I looked up... Who I was, who or where my family was and more importantly, what was my name... I didn't even know why I had these stains and soot on me. All was a total blank in my head.
 
I then heard something. It wasn't the crickets or the owls hooting somewhere far away but the wet leaves being crunched. Someone was coming. Was it the woman?
 
No. It was someone else. An old man, dressed in baggy clothes and a shawl. I did not get up and run away from a stranger. I wasn’t afraid of him. Maybe because he reminded me of a quiet grandfather...if I had one.
 
The old man kneed down. I saw his large, wrinkled hands come close and felt myself being lifted up.
 
The rest became black.
 
I didn't know how long I was out but when I opened my eyes again, I found myself on the old man's back, arms wrapped around his neck and away from where he found me.
 
Yes, I know. What I’m writing sounds weird. But it’s the truth. Nine years ago, I was discovered alone and with no memory in a forest by the old man named Chogan. A weird childhood.
 
But it was the very first memories I was given. And for that, I cherish them deeply. Chogan was the first person in my memory. A Native American from an old group called the Métis took care of me for a whole week. He taught me about survival in the woods, animals I never knew of – both real and spiritual – his tribe’s culture, history and languages, and so much more.
 
He was my teacher, my guardian and my close friend. Then one day, we left the woods and he handed me to the rangers.
 
That was the saddest day of my life. I didn't want to leave my only friend. But Chogan insisted with a mild smile, saying "You have a life to live...but not here. You must move forward, Kimi."
 
That was the name he gave me since I couldn't remember mine. It meant 'secret' in Algonquin.
 
It was the last time I ever saw him again. But I would never forget him and his teachings.
 
After that, I was brought to an orphanage and adopted by a family the next year. My foster parents gave me a first name and let me keep the name 'Kimi' as my middle name.
 
For the next eight years, I grew up happy with my new family and in my new home... But now...I have left all that behind.
 
A lot of things have happened since I ran away from home this year. Things you'd probably wouldn't believe. I'm writing these things down because I want to...and if one day, you'd find this diary, you have to believe it. In this diary, I will write everything, why I ran away and how I got involved in this cluster of events.
 
All because of these dreams and nightmares...


Ax
 
My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.
 
You might be wondering why that is an atypical human name for me. That is because it is not for a human. It is an Andalite name.
 
What is an Anadalite, you ask?
 
Some humans, if they saw me for the first time, would consider me as frightening. A quadruped with four eyes, no mouth and a bladed tail is who I am but I guess the tail does startle them. Of course, I enjoy being a human on occasions. Humans have the astounding experience to indulge in food. And cinnamon buns too!
 
How I can become a human is because I am equipped with morphing power, a technology the Andalites invented. This power can allow me to biologically acquire the DNA of another species and transform into that, but only for limited durations.
 
I am not the only one. My human friends can morph too, thanks to the Escafil Device and to my brother who broke our rules and gave it to them.
 
There is one other who can morph. But he is not a friend. He is our enemy, who holds the rank of Visser Three, and one of the Yeerks who are invading Earth. And we are fighting them.
 
The Yeerks are a parasitic species from another planet. They have evolved to invade the brain of a host where they dominate the host body. The hosts are completely controlled by them, unable to do fight them, to do anything as they take over all of their thoughts, memories and actions. They are called Controllers.
 
Five human children – "Animorphs", as they call themselves – and one Andalite. The only resistance that stands in the Yeerks' way. It sounds impossible and it has not been easy but we pull through to sabotage their invasion.
 
The Yeerks have taken a number of species in their control: Hork-Bajirs, Taxxons, Gedds. Now they are after humans. They want them because of their capabilities and the humans have no idea what is happening. Anyone could be a Controller, a Yeerk-infested human.
 
It is difficult to know who is one. Then again, it is also difficult to know the outcome of meeting – as what Marco would describe – "an oddball".
 
<I wonder if Friends has already started.>
 
It was late in the afternoon. That day, there was no news of Yeerks trying another quick attempt to infest humans so Prince Jake decided we all could rest for the day.
 
<Ax, you do know that even if you miss one episode, there are reruns later on,> Tobias explained.
 
Tobias is my shorm and one of my friends on this planet. However, he is technically not a human at present. He was born a human but is now a red-tailed hawk, a type of Earth bird.
 
There is the price of the morphing power. Stay too long in morph and you are trapped in the body of the animal you morph. However, he can morph like the rest of us but must always return to his hawk body after two hours. That is because of the intervention of an Ellimist.
 
Being trapped in another body might be a catastrophic outcome to others but Tobias prefers the life of a hawk over that of a human. This is one of the reasons why we are very close. Another is that I am, in Earth terms, Tobias's uncle.
 
<Yes, but I only watched half of yesterday's chapter and I have been wondering which Phoebe will choose between 'Chandler' and 'Joey' for one of the triplets. Personally, I do think the name 'Chandler' is a strange name.>
 
<Oh, that one. You can find out again this evening. And Ax, it's called an episode. Not a chapter.>
 
After our usual meeting with the others, I had decided to head back to the scoop, a sort of home I constructed. I possessed a few things in there. All were important to me but among them, one thing has been very useful to me. For didactic reasons.
 
A television. Or as most humans say TV!
 
I could not wait to that day's array of programs.
 
<Well, I'm off>, Tobias said. He had come along with me in search for a meal at his territory, where I believe has many rodents. <See you later, Ax-man.>
 
I watched him soar off and continued my way to the scoop.
 
Until I stopped...
 
My two stalk eyes instantly circled when I spotted something in the distance. I quickly hid from sight once I realized it was a human in the woods.
 
I peered out one eye. I had not noticed the human because he came from the opposite direction. I doubt Tobias would have been aware too. Thankfully, the human did not seem to have noticed me as he moved on. And he was going unusually fast. How strange. I wanted to see what was making him go swift but kept myself hidden.
 
It would be foolish if I let myself be seen by an unfamiliar human, and if a Controller as well.
 
Still, my eye extended as far as it could go. The human rode on a bizarre mode of transportation with hands on two long handles. It was bright yellow but metallic and thin, mounted on two black circular objects. Strapped to the back of the transport was a backpack. It was a unique carrier humans put on their backs to transmit their items around manually.
 
The contraption he rode amazed me. I had not seen it before. How could the human ride on such a thing? It looked like it was easy to fall on either side. But the human looked courageous, riding that machinery on a rough terrain.
 
I soon noticed the human was not alone. A rope was tied to his hand and connected to a heavily-furred quadruped, walking beside him.
 
It was a creature called a dog but not like the one Prince Jake kept as his pet. It did not have a golden shade but a mixture of three shades. Mostly black, white along its chest and brown on its nose and legs. And with peculiar brown eyebrows.
 
KA-CRANK! THUNK!
 
"WHOA!"
 
It was, as humans would say, "out of the blue". As he rode, one of the circular objects suddenly went into a hole. It instantly brought the machine to a complete stop, sending the human off the transport.
 
THUD!
 
He landed a few feet away, nearly taking the dog with him.
 
Truthfully, I had thought the human was a male. The face was mostly hidden by a covering over his head, connected to his thick artificial skin. I remembered Rachel called it a 'hooded jacket'.
 
When the human fell and landed, the covering slipped off. It was then I had made an error.
 
It wasn't a male but a female.
 
As she slowly got up, groaning in pain, I took a better inspection of her.
 
She was shorter and smaller than all my human friends. The shade of her skin was also lighter. Human skin comes in a variety of shades, as a performance for humans to attract the other. The terribly light shade, however made me wonder if she was unhealthy, perhaps unable to be in a constant state of attraction.
 
The human had light brown hair, longer than Cassie's but shorter than Rachel's. Abnormally, while their hair did not reach to their eyes, this human covered her left eye with long strands.
 
The human brushed the dirt off her artificial skin and strolled to her trapped contraption. Grabbing the handles, she pulled. I was surprised that she took on the task with such a small body.
 
However, the machine would not budge. Her hands slipped and she fell down once again.
 
Her animal friend whined and nuzzled its nose at her. Another groan came but this time, the human did not attempt to get up. She instead lied on the grass with arms spread. She was unbothered by the soreness from her falls and glanced up calmly. I did not know why. All that was above her was the atmosphere.
 
She reached out her hand and tried to grab the sky.
 
I thought that was a useless effort. You cannot take hold of an inaccessible article of oxygen. But the female human did not seem to care as she balled five fingers together. She smiled, laid down her arm and closed her eyes.
 
I have experienced many emotions as a human myself and have seen expressions among my human friends. But I have not seen a human in that emotional stage for a long period of time.
 
The multicolored animal rested close to her shoulder. It seemed quite odd to bring an animal to this location. Then again, she herself was odd on many standards.
 
This was a very strange human, even stranger than any human I know.
 
A smell lifted in the air. I immediately knew what it was.
 
It was food.
 
But what kind of food, I wondered. I darted all four eyes about, searching for it. It was then I notice her backpack had been opened from the sudden stop and out had come two triangular substances.
 
I had never seen food in that kind of shape or smelt this delicious scent. It was a blend of many aromas nicely put together.
 
Curiosity got the better of me, I admit it.
 
I decided to morph into human and sneak one away. Perhaps she would not notice it missing. I was also well out of sight for her to see me morph.
 
She then got up, looking re-energized from her relaxation. Again, she attempted to break free her moving machine.
 
Now was my chance.
 
My human morph might be unusual. This is because when I first met my human friends, they allowed me to absorb their DNA and create a different person so I could fit in on this planet.
 
I began to morph. My internal organs were the first to shift this time, following a melting and nauseating feeling. It was quite uncomfortable as two of my three hearts stopped beating, melding into the third one. My blue fur slowly faded away, replaced by my own particular hairless beige shade.
 
My shoulders broadened to support my arms, now getting thicker and stronger. A grinding sound could be heard as my spine began to shorten. My front legs shriveled away, soon endangering me to fall on my face. But my hind legs grew sturdier as I perched unsteadily on them, trying to regain my balance. I could never understand how humans could easily walk with two legs and no tail, continually on the threshold of falling down.
 
My additional fingers disappeared, mending together to form ten strong fingers. My stalks eyes retracted into my head and I no longer could check on the human. I also could not see behind me without either turning my head or entire body and the light around had intolerably dimmed. Having only two eyes is very restrictive.
 
I felt a hole open on my human face. Lips encircled it. Teeth and a tongue grew inside.
 
The mouth is both a wonder and a strange tool. It is used for eating and for forming mouth sounds. And taste is a tremendous practice. However, the other functions human do with the mouths, like kissing, belching, vomiting and such, seems rather useless.
 
At last, my spine finished shortening and with it, my tail simply sucked into me.
 
I was now fully human. Of course, the only disadvantages were being awkward, slow and devoid of natural weapons, fur and excellent sight.
 
When my body changed, my skintight morphing suit also appeared. But this alone is not enough. My human friends tell me I have to put on my artificial skin every time I am a human. The same goes that I cannot eat cigarette butts. I obey these human rules but they do not make very much sense.
 
My artificial skins, however, were at the scoop.
 
Humans walk very slowly on two legs. It would take me some time to get my artificial skin. Luckily, I remembered Cassie had hid away a set somewhere nearby after one of our missions.
 
I found them twenty meters away and quickly put them on.
 
When I returned, the little human was still pulling her machine free from the hole. Although I knew she might see me sooner or later, the desire of tasting those triangular-shaped rations was too great. It was making my mouth fill up with liquid.
 
Slowly, I lied my body down and crept to some bushes, close enough to the food.
 
The multicolored animal twitched its ears and turned its head. I know that these animals called canines have excellent scent of smell.
 
Did it sense my smell?
 
I quickly seized one. I presumed that this was her only rations so it would seem discourteous if I took both.
 
Instantly, the smell grew stronger, making me wonder what it would taste like. Was it like a burger? Chocolate? Oh! Maybe cinnamon buns!
 
I could not control my excitement any longer. I hurriedly took a bite.
 
At first, there was no taste. I questioned myself why that was but then detected that the food was wrapped in a shiny transparent material. And it looked like it could easily be peeled off.
 
I tore off its material and studied the food. It had two white malleable substances and between them was a combination of different and colorful elements. I bit into it.
 
The texture was soft and squishy but crunchy inside. And the flavor! So many flavors in one! All made it delicious! It wasn't like a burger yet it was slightly like pizza. But it was remarkable!
 
A white creamy and gooey solution squeezed onto my fingers. I licked them clean. Incredible! It tasted wonderful!
 
"Grrrrrrr!"
 
I froze.
 
"Horatio?"
 
I swallowed nervously. I did not like this.
 
The human turned away from her machine. "What's wrong?"
 
The four-legged companion kept on growling. I believed he was snarling at my direction. Immediately, it dashed forward but was held back by the rope. That nearly pulled the human foward.
 
"Whoa! Stop! Stay, Horatio! Easy, easy." She looked to the bushes. "Who's there?"
 
This could not be good.
 
"Hello?" the human called out anxiously. She tied the rope to a root and slowly approached my hiding place. The animal whined and tried to follow but could not, relentlessly jerking on the rope.
 
"Please don't be a wolf. Please don't be a wolf," she kept on repeating tensely.
 
I had to get away. I was not sure if she was a Controller but I did not want to take that chance. If I could back away and looked for another hiding place quietly and quickly, she would not see me.
 
Suddenly, the rope slipped free and the multicolored animal headed straight towards me.
 
"Horatio! No!" she yelled and grabbed for the rope.
 
The dog did not stop. It dove under the bushes and came nose to nose with me. I jumped.
 
"AAHHH!" I shouted.
 
"GAAHHH!" she screamed.
 
My heart pounded inside. It took both of us a moment to steadily breathe. But now I had a problem. I have exposed myself out of my hiding place and my human friends were not here to help me.
 
What was I going to do?
 
No, I had to stay calm.
 
"Jeez!" the human uttered. "You scared me half to death! I thought it was a wolf... What were you doing down there?"
 
"Uh..." How should I answer that? I stared at the half-eaten food in my hand and brought it up. "I was eating?"
 
She stared at me for a moment. I had commonly seen that when I encountered other humans. They would alarmingly say words at me and leave. Strangely, she did not. Instead, her mouth stretched upwards, her cheeks puffed and her body arched.
 
She then suddenly burst into laughter.
 
"What is amusing? A-muu-sing." I asked. I had expected she would show the same expression as other humans did to me. She did not.
 
"I'm s-sorry... But I've never met anyone so gullible." She went on laughing, clenching her stomach.
 
I have heard many types of laughter. Even I myself have laughed some times. But I have never heard a human laugh like hers. Her amusement at my inexperience was...peculiar.
 
She stopped laughing and wiped her right eye with a sleeve. "If you wanted to eat, you could have asked. Not scared me."
 
"I did not mean to frighten you. Fry-gh-ten."
 
"Well, it was a very good scare. My name is Kelly," she introduced herself with her human name. "And this is Horatio."
 
"Kel-ee. Nice sounds. Kel-ee. Ho-ray-shee-o. Ho-RAY-sho."
 
"Um, thanks, I think. What about yours?"
 
"I am Phillip," I replied. It was the name I use for my human morph.
 
She giggled again, covering her mouth.
 
"What is wrong?" I asked.
 
Kelly pointed a finger at my face. "You got a smudge on your cheek. Not a very neat eater, are you? Here."
 
Unexpectedly, she approached me, drawing a part of her artificial skin to my face. I backed away, wondering if this action was a new form of attack.
 
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you."
 
She cleaned off the smudge around my mouth slowly. Normally, I would prefer to lick the last bits and savor the taste while it last. However, I let her perform the strange ritual.
 
I examined her closely. Originally, I had thought her physique was similar to Rachel's. However, her artificial skin had fooled me. The skin was very loose-fitting on her. Her neck was so thin, it looked as if only skin and bone. The hand cleaning my face was very small, attached to a very lean wrist. She was relatively thinner than Rachel.
 
Her hair still covered her left eye. I wondered if she had something to hide under her hair. I turned to the other eye. The iris was an abnormal color – it looked to be a green shade but with a little brown in it. And underneath her eye were black circles.
 
I next noticed her face was starting to turn red. It was then she hastily reared her arm away and scratched her head shamefacedly. "Sorry, my bad. I'm so used to cleaning my brother's mouth. My brother always gets sauce on his face so I always wipe him clean."
 
"It is alright," I told her.
 
"So, Phillip, what brings you here?" she asked.
 
"Nothing brought me here. Hearr."
 
"No, silly. I meant what reason did you come here? Hiking?"
 
"Yes, I was hiking. Hi-king," I replied. I did not know what this 'hiking' was but it was a reasonable answer to give.
 
"Ah-ha. Hiking barefooted," she said, spotting that I was not wearing any artificial hooves. I had forgotten about those. Again, she laughed. This time, softer than before. "You have a weird sense of humor, you know that. So, is your family with you?"
 
"No, I am alone. A-lo-neh," I said, trying to act as human as I could while taking small bites.
 
Kelly laughed softly again. "I see you like my sandwich."
 
"So that is what this is called. Saand-wich. Sand. But this does not have any sand."
 
"Um, no. Sandwiches don't have sand in them."
 
"Then why is it called a saand-wich?"
 
"Uh...I'm not really sure about that," she replied and began to think, placing a finger on her chin.
 
"If there is no sand, what does a saand-wich have?"
 
That snapped her away from her thoughts. "You sure ask a lot of questions. I'm beginning to wonder if you've never tried a sandwich before."
 
That was true. This was my first time tasting a sandwich.
 
"Well, it has chicken, lettuce, cheese, apple, lemon juice, butter, mayonnaise–"
 
"May-no-naisse. What is may-no-naisse?"
 
"A white sauce?"
 
So that was what the white fluid was called. "Ah. May-no-naisse. Taste like salt. Salt-tuh. But it is not. Knot.”
 
Her mouth stretched again. A smile, it was called. "You really are an odd person." She then went to her contraption. "Could you help me with my bike? It got stuck in this hole."
 
So the machine is called a bike. I was learning a lot of new words from Kelly.
 
"Okay," I said, finishing the last pieces of the sandwich.
 
"Thanks." Kelly took hold of the handles. "Grab the other end we'll pull it out together."
 
I was not sure what end she meant. I assumed it was where her backpack was so I walked over there and clutched a metal frame of the 'bike'.
 
"Ready?" she asked and I nodded. "1, 2, 3. Pull!"
 
We yanked on the 'bike' but it was wedged tight. Although my human arms have become stronger, it was actually my first time using them to tow something like this 'bike'. However, Kelly – though her arms looked like they could fracture – did not give up. Seeing that, I too did not give up. With all our might, we heaved.
 
CLANK!
 
Finally, it budged out.
 
"Good," Kelly uttered and we placed the bike away from the hole.
 
She kneed down and examined one of the circular objects. Did something happen to it?
 
"Hope the tire didn't blow," she moaned, running her fingers along the black bumpy edge.
 
For three minutes, Kelly did not speak, turning the circular object around as she inspected it.
My hearing was still as good as before. There were animal sounds and the resonance of the wind around us. But her silence somehow was...awkward. I wanted her to speak more to me.
 
I did not like the quietness. Perhaps I should ask a question.
 
"Kel-ee?"
 
"Hm?"
 
It got her attention. But now I needed a question to ask her. "I...I was wondering... What about your family? Fa-ma-lee."
 
"Ah, mine. Well, I don't have one," she said, turning back to the machine.
 
I was surprised when she easily answered. It also puzzled me why she would say so.
 
"But you said you have a brother. Bro-the."
 
"Yeah but he's my foster brother. What I meant was that I don't have a biological family. I was adopted. My foster family took in me and raised me."
 
That was a surprise. I did not know humans could have two families. But it made me wonder. Why did she not have her first family?
 
"What happened to your biological family? Bio-log-gee-cal."
 
"They died a long time ago," she replied.
 
Ah, so that was why.
 
"I am sorry. Sor-ree," I apologized.
 
"Don't be." How curious to say that, even when she was smiling at me. "It's not like it was your fault they're gone. It's nobody's fault. Things just happen." Her shoulders slowly sank down. "To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what my real parents look like or how they died...Not even sure if I had siblings too..."
 
Again, it was the bothersome silence. Then, Kelly stood up.
 
"Hey, Phillip, what do you like to do in your free time?"
 
It seemed she purposely 'changed the subject', as Prince Jake would say. I think it was right to do so. I pitied this human. She did not know who her parents were or what happened to them. But I somehow felt I should not persist on the subject when she was smiling optimistically.
 
"In my free time. Tie-meh... I like eating. And watching the TV. TV. And tasting food. And words. Words."
 
"Well...those are nice hobbies. I think."
 
"And you? Uuu..."
 
"Me? I like to draw and cook."
 
"Cook. Yes, you are an excellent creator of food. Food. F-Oo-dd."
 
She laughed. "Strange way to say it but thanks. I'm glad you liked my food." Kelly then gazed up. "I also like to listen."
 
"Listen to what? List-tun." I asked and thought if she meant the rhythmic noise my human friends hear from small devices. "Music?"
 
"No. To nature. If I stop and listen to it, it's like it's talking to me."
 
In my human morph, I gave a confused face. I did not completely understand. How could you hear the environment? It did not make sense.
 
"What do you mean? The environment cannot speak to us."
 
Kelly gave another soft but hearty laugh. "I guess it's a little different. But in a way, it can. The natural world has its own words to speak. An old friend of mine told me that only a few can really understand. And when they understand, they know what it is saying.
 
"I do not get it. The natural world is a person? With its own dialect? Dia-lack."
 
"Hee-hee! Not really as a person. My friend said that his people believed there is an interconnection between nature and the Manitók."
 
"Ma-ni-tock?" What a strange name. I had not heard that before.
 
"Ah, sorry. It's an Algonquin word meaning 'spirits'. And Algonquin is a foreign language Native Americans speak."
 
Oh, yes. I have once read in a book about Native Americans. They are humans but appear to be of a separate race. They also appear to follow a similar lifestyle of living in plains or ecological locations like the Andalites. Of course, the pictures in the book showed these humans placed a different kind of artificial skins on their bodies, lived in cone-shaped homes and possessed primitive tools.
 
"He told me that we are surrounded by the Manitók in the natural world. The spirits communicate to us either by our dreams or by the sounds in nature." The wind slowly picked up. Kelly's medium-length hair blew along with it.
 
I still could not comprehend what she meant. I wanted to ask her for a better explanation.
 
But I was stopped by her stretched mouth. She remained smiling for a long time and did not tear her eyes away from the sky.
 
Kelly was truly an odd human. Her body looked so fragile to the touch and yet she stood still, confidently smiling without a concern of her own flaws. She was enjoying herself, hearing for the 'Manitók'. It was as if she was given infinite strength in that feeble body from an unknown source and ignored her vulnerabilities.
 
She closed her eye. "The wind, the birds, leaves shaking and moving water... When I listen to them, it makes me wonder what the Manitók are saying. If they are saying, "Hello" to me. Because of that, it makes me feel relaxed. It also makes me feel...that I'm not alone. That...I am not different."
 
She was indeed a weird human. Everything she said did not make sense. It was more confusing than human rules.
 
"Hey, Phillip." She opened her eye and turned to me.
 
I nearly gasped. As she turned, the wind lifted up her hair, revealing her other eye. Originally, I had believed that both her eyes were the same color but I was wrong. Instead, I was astonished at the sight before me.
 
Her eyes were remarkable. The right eye was a mixture of green and brown while the left one was a complete blue color, like my blue fur.
 
I have seen many eyes, each pair in one different color: brown, black, blue, green and gray. But I have never seen eyes with two different colors.
 
It was stunning, like I was the first Andalite to make this new discovery about the human body.
 
"What do you think they're saying today?"
 
All of a sudden, staring at her made me feel...funny. Light-headed. I quickly turned away.
 
"Something wrong, Phillip?" Kelly asked.
 
"...I-I...I still do not understand."
 
I was having difficulty speaking. It was not because I was playing with my words. There was a new giddy feeling inside me. It was as if something was pitting in my stomach. I had not experience it before. What was this? A human reaction?
 
"Hee-hee. It's ok. I didn't really understand it the first time. But my friend said that if I feel lonely or sad, I should stop and listen to the spirits," she said.
 
I tried to shake off the feeling. This was nothing but a human function and the cause was meeting a human with anomalous characteristics.
 
"You are very strange," I blurted out.
 
Kelly simply smiled. "Yes. Yes, I am."
 
She agreed with me and still, she laughed? I was beginning to think she was deliberately trying to exasperate me. Possibly to exhaust all of my cognition.
 
Maybe I should have left when I had gotten the chance.
 
She stared up again and gave a sigh. The blue sky was gradually amending to a deep orange shade.
 
"It's getting late. You should go home before it turns dark," Kelly said and started untying her backpack. She pulled out a large soft material, rolled-up like a Puff pastry. I have tasted one before.
 
"Are you going to your home too? Home," I said.
 
"Nah," she answered. "I like it here. I can camp out here and listen to the sounds. Do some stargazing. It'll be fun for me."
 
"I do not get it. Get. Why do you not want to go home, Kel-ee?"
 
Her hands stopped moving.
 
"Kelly?"
 
She did not answer. She carried the backpack off and placed the 'bike' by a tree. Putting the backpack on the ground, she looked at me and smiled. But this time, it was a delicate one.
 
"Let's just say...there's something I need to get away from."
 
"What is it you need to get away from?
 
"Ah, well...it's not because of my foster family," she defensively stated. "I love them very much! And they love me too. But...I have my own problem. And I don't want to make them worried."
 
"What problem? Pro-burn."
 
"...You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kelly said worriedly.
 
"Why would I not believe you? Be-leave."
 
"B-Because...! Well...you'd probably think I'm crazy or something."
 
"I would not think that," I told her.
 
Her face became meaningful but somewhat troubled. She sighed once more and her eyes were directed to the ground.
 
"I... Do you ever have dreams...that are frightening?" I did not know how to answer that. I had mostly pleasant dreams and the occasional nightmare. Nonetheless, Kelly continued. "I have bad dreams every night...about things that don't make much sense. And yet they all look real to me. They're so real...that it scares me to think that these dreams I'm having...might be true. And they might hurt someone if they are..."
 
Her explanation was rather inexplicable. I did not understand how phantasms have any effect on reality to the point someone could be physically harmed.
 
Kelly shook her head and stretched her mouth again.
 
"I'm sorry. It's stupid, isn't it? Dreams are dreams. They can't come true."
 
Again, she changed the subject and laughed. But I could tell from just her eyes. Humans are extraordinary beings. They can display many expressions with just their faces. But sometimes, if I look pass that, I can tell that it is not their real feeling. What some were displaying was to hide their true emotions.
 
I could tell... She wasn't happy.
 
"I think you should get going. It's gonna be nighttime soon and your parents will get worried," Kelly said, taking note of the orange sky.
 
She was partly right. I had to leave. I was close to the two-hour time limit. It surprised me how exactly one hour, forty minutes and twenty-nine seconds went by so quick.
 
I needed to demorph but...
 
"I would like to see you again."
 
I was shocked when I realized what I had said. I did not know why I said it so easily and pleadingly. I just did.
 
She was surprised when I said that, then thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon. Sure, how about tomorrow? Right here?"
 
I could not believe my luck. "I would like that."
 
"Okay then. It's a date."
 
I nodded and soon took my leave.
 
"Phillip?"
 
I turned back.
 
"Thanks for talking with me. It means a lot to me," she said.
 
I was taken aback. Just by talking to her made her happy? But for some reason, seeing her now gratified was like an accomplishment to me.
 
I was glad that she was too.
 
"You are welcome."
 
As I departed, I watched her wave goodbye to me. Once I could no longer see her, I demorphed, with minutes to spare.
 
Then I ran.
 
What was I thinking? Of all the humans on this planet, I was having an effect from one human, a very odd human at that. Was something wrong with me? I had no such reaction with Cassie and Rachel when I am in human morph. So why did this human make any difference?
 
I should hurry and see Cassie about this. She might know. And once at the barn, I should inform the others about Kelly's presence in the woods.
 
I continued on without hesitation. Until at the corner of my stalk eye, I spotted something.
 
I halted and quickly gazed at the direction with all four eyes.
 
There, far away from where I was, had stood another human. Observing me.
 
The human was a female from the looks of it but was much taller and leaner than my human friends. An adult. She had a black artificial skin placed completely over her body. It looked out of the ordinary from the usual skins I have seen on this planet. I could not see her face because she had a head covering – round, hard, and shiny – that entirely concealed her features. Was it for protection or to disguise her identity?
 
She had stood there, unaffected by the sight of a running Andalite some distance away. Was it a Controller?
 
But by the time I had turned, the tall human had already disappeared.
 
Were my eyes deceiving me? A human could not move that fast. No... It had to be my imagination...
 
I really needed to see Cassie.
 

For the past eight years, my foster family and I lived in this city. I had come to learn that I couldn't stay in that forest for the rest of my life. This was my home. This was my new life.
 
I think I understood why Chogan did what he had to do.
 
It has been somewhat a normal life for me. I attended school and did alright in homework. I had many friends and liked spending time with them. There were times some people would pick on me...because I looked different. However, I decided to hide the one thing that makes me apart from everyone else. So that no one would see it and judge me for that.
 
I enjoyed doing art and economics classes. I didn't really like it when some girls would pry into people's privacy and gossip about it. And the cafeteria food.
 
I love my foster family. And they love me too.
 
Dad was an ex-photographer and is now a writer at heart. He is gentle-hearted and compassionate. Despite being in a wheelchair for a long time, he never let his disability get him. Even though I was trying to look normal, Dad would tell me not to allow my differences to get the better of me. He would always say kindly, "It's alright, Kelly. It's alright to be different."
 
Mom is loveable, flamboyant and sometimes overprotective. She works as head of a community center and in charge of the art sessions there. She sees everyday as a bright and happy day, showering me and my brother with lots of love. When she has her mind set on something, she never gives up on it. I guess her optimism has rubbed on me too.
 
My brother's name is Baxter. He is a year younger than me but acts like the oldest. Sometimes, he stands up for me if I am picked on or can't defend myself. I think it's his way of looking out for me. But sometimes, I happily become the oldest for him. Like if he gets lost on homework or needs help when it comes to tools. Or when he eats untidily and I take my sleeve and clean his face.
 
We take care of each other, even if we're not related.
 
He was the only one who knew I was going to run away. Even though he kept asking why I had to, I never gave him an answer. Instead, I asked him to promise not to tell our parents.
 
It was a selfish thing to asl. And it was even more selfish of me to leave everyone who loves me.
 
Before I left home, Baxter promised me and we said our goodbyes.
 
The last one of our family is Horatio. He has been with us for nearly two years as the family pet. What's more, he is closest to me and follows me like a shadow. He is declared a guardian angel by my mom.
 
He still follows me. He would go after me, even if the path I was riding on was going to be a long and hard one for a big dog like him. Even if I would say to him, "Don't come after me. Stay, boy. Stay," no matter what, he would chase after me. He would never leave my side.
 
My life had been somewhat normal. But you can't totally call a life normal when you're in my shoes.
 
I was very happy to have one. To have a family, friends and these fortunate memories. But as the days went on, so did the dreams grow more terrifying. And with each passing night, they became scarier than the one before. Sometimes, they were peaceful but in almost every one, I would see monsters in them.
 
They became worse a week ago. And so on and so forth. Only yesterday...
 
I decided to run away...
 

Vickie: HELLO EVERYONE! I have posted the first chapter of this fic. Inspired by two songs, Runaway by Pink and Waltz from the anime, Honey and Clover! Although some parts may seem similar to my old version, it's actually a big improvement!

The aim of my fic is to have a different direction from what you'd normally see in fics with OCs in them and I hope I do achieve that. Say someone finds the box again that reveals the Animorphs' secret and that will lead to recruitment by giving him/her morphing power. BUT what if it were a different reason of recruiting them cuz it's something much bigger than the box? And what if it's not about the morphing power? In both my old one and my new improved one, I am attempting to write a fic but with a different path in mind. One I hope will blow your mind. Of course, I had a lot of things to change and correct.
 
In my old version, there were some research mistakes I made. Originally, I had planned Native Americans for the fic and just randomly picked names for extra characters. However, when I was remaking this version, I found out the names I had originated from Central and South America and the Natives American I had created was supposed to be one living in North America or Canada. So my old choice names conflicted with my story location...lol.
 
So I went back to do more research on Native Americans and decided to look into the groups. I chose the Métis people as it is a collection of different types of Native Americans. This offered a lot more in language and culture since Métis contains Cree, Ojibway, Algonquin and other types of indigenous people. And the new names I picked, Chogan and Kimi, are better because of their meanings.
 
Speaking of names, I have named my OC Kelly. Of course, in the old fic, it was a different name but I wanted to change it to something that would fit her. But I think I may have chosen badly as from what I hear a lot of people called Kelly hold exactly to the meaning of the name and my OC here...well, ok, not really a strong person. Since Kelly means "bright-headed", "Brave warrior", "war, strife" or "church". However, I find that with this name for my OC, it's a challenge to see how her personality can grow to the meaning as I write more. Because in future chps, she will have to face both physically and mentally obstacles so it'll be a surprise if the name and her characteristics do fit together.
 
Plus, I have been watching too much NCIS lately.
 
Marco: WHAT? You took the name from there?
 
Vickie: Ah come on. Everyone loves NCIS. If it were the Yeerks vs them, I'd still pick them. Because it's Gibbs! He'd instantly know what's going on and take them out with his cool Gibbs-ness! Go Special Agent Gibbs and team!
 
Marco: ...Uh-huh. Like they can do anything to an inva-
 
Vickie: QUIET! Do not question my favorite TV show! –pulls a rope-
 
Marco: Oh no. Not this again. –an octopus lands on him and attempts to squeeze him- AAAAGH! Get this thing off me!
 
Vickie: Now then, on with the author note.

Also, I hope that she is in no way of a Mary Sue mainly cuz of her Heterochromia, a genetic condition with two eye colors and her oddness. I always tread carefully on character design but I wasn't sure if an optimistic oddball could be classified as one and I purposely did give her an odd look. Also I hope Kelly's description through Ax's POV is good. Kinda been thinking that you may assume she's as skinny as a skeleton...which she's not. She IS thin but not like that!
 
And lastly, I have brought from the old one Ax's starting crush on the OC. Actually, I didn't intentionally plan for an Ax/OC. Sadly, my old one contains a more mushy approach on the pairing, which wasn't what I wanted. So now in the new one, I'm gonna improve it. Thanks to a great friend in FFN, Ayla Pascal, I am attempting a more reasonable relationship between an Andalite and a human. Rather than immediate love (no sobbing!), it'll be this: Ax is stubborn so he believes that as a human, he only is affected by Kelly's unusual self by internal reason. Like how teenage hormones are the culprit in playing with you when you see the opposite sex. Of course, who's to say it doesn't affect him as an Andalite. And he will deny it. So it's a conflicting internal fight for Ax, whether the feeling is real or not. Which also becomes one of the first steps for his friendship with Kelly.
 
However, I personally think he will not realize his growing feelings straight away, disagreeing with them and that Kelly is sometimes clueless about certain things. =_=;
 
I'd like to thank Ayla Pascal for her help on my old one to make this new one improved and better. Hopefully, I did write Ax properly that he, true to his Andalite self, is arrogant of his new experience that's starting to develop.
 
Also, there will be no love scenes. Ax and Kelly will start as odd friends and there is no time for other pairings when there are Yeerks and new enemies in this fic.
 
Audience: Awwwww!
 
Vickie: You and you need for romance... Also, I'd like to dedicate this chp to Ayla for her brilliant help! If you are reading this, Ayla, thank you so much again for everything on my fics!
 
And now, thank you readers for reading Chapter One of Alteramorphs #0: The Aleration. Please review and look out for the next chp!
 
PS. Yes, that is a Bernese Mountain Dog in there.

[NateSean]

Yeah, I definitely think the diary entries work best in italics. It actually helps the narrative abit. One thing I would suggest is if you're going to do an "authorial intervention" which is how I tend to refer to bits like what you've written, is to put it in a side thread. The way the RPG's have OOC threads to discuss their projects so it won't distract from the story.

A few things popped out at me. One small mistake was in Ax's opening pages.

Humans have the astounding experience to deluge in food.

The word you want there is "indulge". As a noun Deluge means to rain and as a verb, it means to overflow with water.

[Vickie1]

Chapter Two: Mixed Emotions

From the Diary of Kelly

Dreams. They are strange things in your head. They only come when you close your eyes and sleep peacefully.

Some people say that dreams are your imagination shaping a picture story for you. Others say they are a channel to your subconscious mind. Dreams can be enjoyable or downright terrifying. And when you wake up, the dream is over. The nightmares are gone and you are safe in your bedroom.

Then why...? Why am I so afraid of them? Why did it result to running from home? They were only dreams. Why on earth would I ever think they could come true? I must be ridiculous to think that.

Then let me ask you something... Have you ever had a dream of taking a school test and the next day, you’re given a pop quiz? When that happened, were you surprised? Did you wonder that if you had taken the dream seriously, you could have hit the books in advance? Maybe get an A on the quiz?

Has that ever happened to you?

...Should I tell you what happened three weeks ago? Maybe, you’ll understand better.

Three weeks ago, I dreamt I was alone and in front of a house.

The door creaked open by itself. It gave a terrible creaking sound. Inside the house was completely dark and no matter how hard I tried to look, I couldn’t see what was inside the shadows.

Immediately, I knew it was like any dream I always had.

Something bad was going to happen.

I was shaking. I wanted to run away but my legs wouldn’t budge. I kept on staring into the darkness.

Out from the darkness, a girl appeared. She was tired, as if she had struggled with something inside the house and only managed to escape. She looked at me, begging me to help her.

Suddenly, skinny but shadowy and monstrous arms reached out, oozing from the darkness and grasped her shoulders. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She tried to break free but couldn’t. The fingers began melting, slowly covering over her torso. Then her legs and arms. Then slowly but lastly, her head.

Like she was being devoured. To become part of...whatever was in there.

Soon, her eyes turned completely black.

I wanted to scream! I wanted to move! I wanted to grab her arm and pull her out!

I wanted the nightmare to stop!

Then I woke up. Sweating. Crying. And in my room... But the time on my clock still read 3 AM.

Three hours. Three more hours left of this torture.

I hated it.

I didn’t go back to sleep for three hours. And when I didn’t sleep, I was thinking of what the dream meant.

I would always ask the same questions. Why did I have such a dream? What was it trying to tell me? What did it all mean?

I didn’t know what the darkness or the shadowy arms meant. But I knew whose house that was in my dream. I knew who the person was.

She was my best friend.


Cassie

Living close to the woods has some good points besides being the closest animal clinic for any wounded, captured or sick animals. There’s no noise pollution or a lot of cars from the city limits. And at night, I can hear sounds from the nocturnal animals coming out of their homes.

I walked out of my house, greeted by the evening breeze. It was nice and cooling for a nice stroll but not that night. I had already finished dinner so I decided to check on the animals. Even though Jake said we could relax, I couldn't find myself to take a break.

So I'm a bit of a workaholic. It can’t be helped when I’m helping my parents with the clinic and the barn.

There are two severely injured animals that needed attention. A baby squirrel was brought in yesterday, with no mother. And a raccoon needed clean bandages on its nearly burnt tail.

As I walked into the barn, I saw Ax inside. I was surprised to see him again. Earlier, he had said he would head to his scoop to watch his programs. Luckily, it was late and my parents were staying inside so it was safe for him to be here.

However, his visit this time was different than usual. Ax looked greatly worried. His eyes were wide open. His tail whipped about anxiously. He also seemed extremely tired, like he was heavily trying to catch his breath. Did he gallop all the way here at high speed?

“Hey, Ax. What are you doing here?”

His two stalk eyes gazed at me. It took a while longer for his other eyes to face me.

“Ax?” I called. I started to get concerned.

<Ax!> Tobias also arrived, flying into the barn and perching above us. <Ax, are you ok? You were running so fast. You didn’t even stop when I called out to you.>

<I...I am not fine...> said Ax. <I’m...not sure if I am.>

Ok, now I was worried. “Ax, did something happen? Did someone see you?”

He shook his head. <No! No...I made sure of that...>

<Then what’s wrong?>

Ax was still trying to catch his breath. Or maybe to calm himself down. Something must have really alarmed him to such a state. Could it be the Yeerks?

<Cassie,> he said. <There is something wrong with me... I think I am ill again.>

“What?” I uttered.

That was indeed bad news. I was kind of hoping we wouldn’t have to worry about anymore Andalite sicknesses for a while.

Recently, Ax suffered from an inflamed gland that nearly threatened his life. And it also affected the others, making them gravely ill. I was the only one left unaffected, not only to save a Yeerk freedom fighter from Visser Three but also to do a successful brain surgery with the help of the same Yeerk I rescued.

And to hear he has come over with another illness...

<Oh boy,> Tobias uttered. <I’ll get the others.>

He took off, leaving me and Ax alone.

“Tell me the symptoms,” I asked him.

Part of me was hoping it wouldn’t be another inflamed gland or organ. I don’t think I could take another operation. Even on Ax, at that.

No, I shouldn’t think like that. This is Ax, our friend. And I’ll do whatever I can to help him get better.

<Um... My face started to feel hot and wet. My heart was beating very fast...and I had this rotating feeling in my abdomen,> he explained, placing a hand on his stomach. <I thought I was feeling unwell again...>

“When was that?”

<I only experienced this unusual feeling when I was in human morph today.>

Huh. I wondered if it was ‘our’ kind of sicknesses. But most of us have never been sick during our time as animals. Except if we were ‘allergic’ to our morphs. And I doubt Ax was allergic to his human morph.

<It happened when I met this female human on my way to the scoop. I suddenly felt this way when she talked and smiled at me.>

Wait... Did he say what I think he said?

There was a long pause between us.

<Cassie, why is your mouth stretching like that?>

Yes, I was smiling. I was smiling so broadly at the news. I still couldn’t believe what had happened. I also couldn’t believe Ax thought this was an illness.

I never thought this day would come.

“Ax, you’re not ill,” I told him. “You’re lovesick.”

He relaxed a bit from my diagnosis. But he was also puzzled.

<Is that something bad? Should I worry?>

I almost wanted to laugh. How do you tell an alien what lovesick is?

“No, of course not. It’s nothing bad.” I waited, giving him time to prepare. “It means you really like someone.”

His four eyes blinked. <Like...someone...?>

I could tell the information was slowly registering in his head. It was a moment later that his eyes finally grew big. His expression was like he had gasped out of shock.

He freaked out right in the barn.

<What!? That cannot be true! I am ill! Not...not...!>

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He couldn’t say “in love”.

I have to admit, it was sort of cute that Ax was experiencing love. Maybe for the first time. But I also wondered if it wasn’t a good idea to explain his feelings. Ax was totally baffled that he could possibly have feelings for a human.

“Ax, calm down. It’s natural to like someone.”

<It is not when I am an Andalite and she is a human! This is absurd! So...wrong!> he hollered.

I wasn’t sure if I could agree with him there. Love between two different people, um, I mean species, didn’t sound ridiculous to me. In a way, it sounded romantic.

Then again, it could turn messy.

<This has to be a human thing!> Ax continued. <Yes, that is it! I read a book that humans become attracted to another for companionship because of a chemical release in their bodies! That is correct, right?>

“Um, yeah?” Where on earth did he read that?

<So all I need to feel better is to clear away this chemical release when I am a human! Cassie, do you know how to prevent it?>

Ok, I did not know how to answer that. I mean...this sort of thing just happens...

When you meet someone you like...time seems to stop around you. Maybe it’s because what he looks like. Or how he talks to you. How he looks at you with those eyes. And all you want to do is...to be with him more.

...Um! Putting that aside!

“W-Well... If you stop seeing this girl, I’m sure you’ll get better in no time.”

It sounded harsh but that was the only solution I could think of. And it would be better. While it was fun to see Ax liking someone other than cinnamon buns, it might not be safe. There was no telling if the girl he liked was a Controller or not.

And worse, if she were to discover our secret.

Ax’s shoulders quickly slugged down. Like he was dejected at the idea. <But...I cannot stop thinking about her.> He then folded his arms stubbornly. <Of course, I was certain she was somehow testing my patience. And she was a very strange human.>

Excuses. They were all excuses. Why are guys like this?

<But...> Ax relaxed himself. <I like listening to her talk... And I find her unusually colored eyes fascinating... She is unlike any human I have met.>

Aw, that was sweet. One minute, he was giving excuses why a relationship between an Andalite like him and a human wouldn’t work. The next, he was saying the good points about her, whoever she was.

This was a classic sign of a crush. I still couldn’t believe I was here to see it happen. An alien was having a crush on someone. And it was a human.

Then again, if Marco was here to joke about it, I think Ax would be humiliated beyond doubt.

Hang on... What did he mean she had unusually colored eyes?

<B-But that is not to say that she is a better human than all of you!> Ax exclaimed. <You and the others are my close friends here. It is just...>

“She’s a new friend to you.”

He stopped and stared at me with bewildered eyes.

From what I had gathered, it seemed to me that Ax has made another friend. Other than us. I was happy for him because most of the time, any person he met as a human would quickly leave. And it didn’t seem like he would easily accept his new feelings for a human. Not yet, anyway.

Gradually, he looked more satisfied to the idea that the girl was a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Good, because if he believed otherwise, he was for sure going to keep on coming up with assumptions about hormones and attraction between the opposite sex. Just to rebuff his feelings.

<Yes... A new friend. She is a friend,> he stated and looked at me for help. <Cassie, what should I do?>

Maybe, it was better that way. If I had fallen in love with someone outside my own species, I would think I have gone out of my mind. And it would probably be nerve-racking for this girl too if she’d find out an alien had a crush on her.

“It’ll be okay,” I told him. “We’ll figure something out.”

His eyes became meaningful. He let out a deep sigh of relief. <Thank you, Cassie.>

Once he loosened up, we waited for the others to arrive. In the meantime, I went to attend the two injured animals.

It actually didn’t take too long. The time the others took to get here was awfully quick. They had raced to the barn in bird morph. Flying as fast as their wings could take them to reach the barn. They looked like they had panicked uncontrollably when they first heard the news from Tobias.

“Is it true he’s sick again!?” Jake instantly yelled the moment he pushed the barn doors open.

Yup. They lost their nerves.

“He’d better not be!” Marco shouted. “Because baby aspirin is the one thing I don’t want coming to haunt me anytime soon! Ax! You better have a good reason to be sick!”

<Uh...>

He was reluctant to speak. So I shrugged my shoulders and gladly stepped in.

“It’s alright, everyone,” I told them. “It was a false alarm. He’s not sick.”

“Then what?” Rachel demanded. “Seriously! I do not want to go starving to death for another whole week!”

“And why are you smiling, Cassie?” Jake questioned.

I had not realized myself I had been smiling the whole time since they arrived. I actually couldn’t wait to tell them, wondering what their reactions would be if they heard about Ax’s new friendship with another person.

But I knew that once they heard, there would be issues.

That Ax met a stranger alone – even if he was in human morph. That whether or not if she could be a Controller. And if it would be harmless or not to allow Ax to continue meeting this girl.

“Come on, Cassie! Out with it,” Marco uttered impatiently.

But for now, what the heck. I’d tell them.

“Well, Ax has a crush on a girl.”

I swear all four pairs of eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

“WHAT!?”

Ax nearly jumped when everyone shouted all at once.

“You got to be kidding us!” Rachel hollered in disbelief.

“Nope,” I said with an honest smile.

“No way!” Marco shouted. “Excuse me but Ax-man likes a human being!? A normal person that may be prettier than Xena here? A normal down-to–earth individual that’s WAY more-”

A stomp on his foot quickly shut him up. He hopped about in agony.

<Ax, is this true?> Tobias asked.

Ax didn’t answer. He looked a little embarrassed to admit it so he nodded his head instead.

“Unbelievable! And I thought it was impossible for you to interact with people.” Jake let out a laugh.

“Unless this person is blind. Or just plain nuts. This is Ax here. Everyone who meets him thinks he’s abnormal with his word playing and gluttony over food. Which is absolutely true!” Marco exclaimed, rubbing his sore foot.

“Oh, be quiet,” Rachel spat. Turning to Ax, she grinned widely and asked, “So who’s the lucky girl you’ve fallen head over heels on?”

<I did not pull my head over my heels, Rachel.>

“No. What she means who did you fall in love with?” Jake explained.

That stopped him. His eyes once again widened. Uh oh. He was about to blow out his denial again.

“He didn’t fall in love with anyone, guys.” I stepped again. “He just made a new friend.”

Ax glanced at me and was thankful for the save.

<Yes. A new friend. That is what it is... Just a friend.>

<Wait. What about the crush?> Tobias asked, confused.

“He only experiences it whenever he’s in human morph,” I answered. “And with this girl.”

<Yes, that is it. It is just a new human experience. Nothing to do with my Andalite self. I truly cannot see myself feeling affection for a human.>

“Ax, you shouldn’t feel ashamed just because you really like this girl,” Jake pointed out.

“Never mind about that.” Rachel was now the one impatient. “What’s this girl’s name?”

<...She calls herself Kelly,> Ax replied, still looking embarrassed.

Kelly... I’ve heard the name before. Was this girl the same one I knew from school?

“Kelly!?” Marco suddenly yelled, bolting from his seat.

“You know her?” said Rachel.

“The Kelly from school? As in THE Oddball Kelly!?” he continued to shout.

“Oddball? Isn’t that a bit harsh?” I said.

“Oh, right. That Kelly,” Rachel said. “So you do know her?”

“Of course I know her! She’s in the same Science as I am! Ax! Don’t go near her. She’s devious! What’s more, she could be a Controller!”

“Marco, are you still angry at her?” Jake questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Angry?” Rachel uttered. “Ok, what did you do to make her look the other way?”

“What are you implying I did anything? SHE was the one who did turn a nice conversation to a painful one.”

“Well, any girl would do that to you. You must have said something pretty corny to her and she turned you down for that.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Right, just keep saying that. So Jake, tell us exactly how it happened.”

“You don’t remember? Two weeks ago.”

She thought for a moment. “Oooh,” she sang wickedly. “That was her? She saw you and rejected you straight away, am I right?”

“She did no such thing! I didn’t even have a chance to show her my charming side,” Marco snapped.

“As if you had one. You weren’t even her type.”

Now I was curious about what happened between this girl and Marco. “So what did happen?”

“Can we not have a flashback? I’m still recovering from the incident,” he begged.

Rachel, however, ignored him and told the story. “Remember the dance last Friday?”

How could I not remember? Rachel was the one who had to push me and Jake together before the dance. Then it had to end badly when Ax was starting to demorph in a hall full of people because of an Andalite illness.

I could tell Jake remembered as well as I did. His face became red.

“Well, two weeks ago,” Rachel continued. “Marco here found out Kelly had no one to go to the dance and decided to ask her out before we all got sick. When he finally got the courage to ask her, guess what her answer was? She said no and left. The idiot just stood there, frozen with his mouth wide open.”

“My mouth wasn’t gapping!”

<And now we know that,> Tobias declared. <So, Ax how did you two meet?>

<Well...we didn’t exactly meet at first. She came unexpectedly and I was not in human morph then.>

All five of us were horrified to hear that. And we feared the worst.

“Ax! What were you thinking? She could have seen you!” Jake hollered.

<No, no! She did not see me. I quickly hid before that could happen.>

That was a relief.

“So tell me you weren’t dumb enough to approach her as an Andalite and not as a human,” said Marco.

<Of course not. I would not do such a thing to expose us. But I did not morph and move to her yet. She was riding on a machine she called a ‘bike’ before she fell off. A very dangerous contraption, it was.>

Jake took a seat on a bale of hay. “We never told you about bikes before, did we?”

<No. But I hope you can explain to me more about them later. Nevertheless, I approached to her as a human after I saw these triangular-shaped food that had fallen from her carrier and–>

“Wait, there was food involved?” Rachel asked.

<Yes. Very delicious food. Why do you ask?>

She nearly burst out with laughter. Marco slapped his face and Jake shook his head with a weak smile. I giggled.

Ax would do just about anything to get a taste of something edible. He even tried to eat popcorn off the floor last time. It was obvious how Ax met Kelly.

“Nothing. Go on,” said Jake.

<I wanted to try the food so I morphed and took one. I have never tried anything like it. It was magnificent! Kelly called it a sandwich.>

“You took her food?” I cried out.

“Whoa, Ax-man. Didn’t know you had it in you,” Marco said, snickering.

<I had what in me?>

Marco rolled his eyes. “You know, stealing.”

<I would not be that low, Marco. And she had more than one food. However, she also had an animal for a pet present. A dog. When I took one, the animal discovered me and... Well, I got terrified. I jumped and she jumped too.>

“What happened next?” The more I listened, the more I felt excited to hear the next part.

<It became strange after that. She was not angry at me for taking her sandwich. Rather, she laughed uncontrollably and told me I could have asked if I wanted one. I did not understand why she found it amusing.>

“And then what?” Rachel asked eagerly.

<We...just talked. Then, I left.>

“That’s it? No fireworks?”

<No. There were no fireworks in the sky. It was not nighttime yet.>

“She means did anything special happen?” said Marco.

<No...but it was interesting talking to her.>

Rachel looked disappointed. I guess she thought there would be more to that. Maybe, she wanted to hear kissing or hands being held. A romantic ending between Ax and a human girl.

<Also, at the same time, she puzzled me. When she was on the ground, she reached out her hand and attempted to grab the sky, which I know is an illogical objective. And she spoke of things that did not make sense. Like ‘Manitók’–>

“The what?” Marco uttered.

<Manitók. Kelly told me that it meant ‘spirits’ in Algonquin. A language of a human race, the Native Americans.>

Huh. I was surprised to hear that Kelly knew a lot about Native Americans. Then again, I’ve never really heard Kelly ever talk about things like that.

I didn’t know Kelly that well. Just that she was in the same English class as I was. We did talk a bit when it came to asking help for composition but other than that, she hadn’t told me much about herself.

But she was a nice person. Even if we didn’t talk much, she’d gladly start a conversation. And when she talked, I didn’t feel uncomfortable around her. That was the same with almost everyone I saw her with. She would talk candidly with a friend or two.

Kelly had a talent for making lots of friends. It was no wonder why she didn’t back away from Ax like people normally would do.

I wondered what made her not think Ax wasn’t a weird person to retreat from in the first place.

<About half of the time I spent with her, she explained to me to some extent but the other half, I had a hard time understanding her. Kelly is a very strange human.>

“That’s what I’ve been telling people!” Marco exclaimed. Rachel shoved an elbow to keep him quiet.

<However, I do find her strangeness and her food intriguing... I have never seen a human like her before.>

<But you like her?> Tobias asked. <As a friend?>

Ax hesitated for a moment and thought deeply. Gradually, his eyes smiled.

<Yes... Yes, I like her. I find her peculiar and I like that about her.>

“Finally,” Rachel uttered. “Someone that doesn’t run away from Ax after the first five minutes. Unlike Marco here.”

“Oh, sure! The oddball goes friendly on the alien but not me! What am I, chopped liver?” Marco yelled.

<I am positive you are not chopped liver, Marco,> said Ax.

“Geez, thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”

<By the way, what is an oddball?>

“It means someone with an odd personality,” Jake explained.

<Ah. That term does suit her. She is a very odd human indeed. She was constantly delighted the entire time we talked.>

“She was happy?”

<Yes and for what reason, I do not know.>

“Huh. Guess she’s not depressed anymore.”

“Depressed?” Rachel repeated. “Did something happen to her?”

“Well, I noticed she had been looking miserable lately at school.”

“Come to think of it, she looked down in the dumps when I was asking her to the dance,” Marco pointed out.

“You sure it wasn’t you?” Rachel intoned.

Jake and Marco weren’t the only ones who noted something different about Kelly. I noticed it too.

Kelly had always smiled cheerfully at school for as long as I could remember. She was the most positive person I know. She would hardly ever be sad, angry or irritated. So it was a shock to see her expression changed one day.

I could still remember. It was three weeks ago.

She was brought to class by her mom. It was also the first time I saw one of her parents with her. But I think I understood why her mom went along.

Everyone in class immediately noticed the complete change.

Kelly was different that day. Her clothes were wrinkled, like she had slept in them for days. She had such a deep sad eye, staring aimlessly at the floor. She barely moved to her desk that her mom had to help her out. Her mom constantly told her that it was alright but it didn’t look like Kelly was listening.

Her mom then talked to the teacher. I couldn’t hear much but from the look and his reassuring nod the teacher gave, I could tell something terrible had happened to Kelly.

Kelly’s mom thanked him, gazed at her daughter worriedly and said her goodbye before she left.

I had the urge to ask what was wrong but her friends got to her first. Asking “Are you alright, Kelly?”, “Was that your mom? How come she brought you to school today?”, “Did something happen, Kelly?”or “Kelly, do you hear me? You’re started to worry me.”

Kelly didn’t reply. She didn’t say anything. Not even when class started and everyone went back to their seats.

I was the only one who could not turn my attention from her to the whiteboard. Kelly didn’t take out her books or listen to the teacher. Instead, she glanced up to the window and stared endlessly for the entire period.

She reminded me of a lifeless doll. She was lethargic to even care about anything. I was afraid she would collapse soon.

It was as if she wasn’t in this world anymore.

I wanted to go up to her and talk. But instead, I believed that even if I tried, she might not speak to me too. I believed that if I left her alone, she would go back to her old happy self.

But she didn’t for three weeks. In English class, I would see her stare at the window again and again. During lunch, she wouldn’t be in the cafeteria but sitting in front of her locker with arms wrapped around her knees. At the beginning, a lot of her friends would approach her, asking questions and trying to make her feel better.

Gradually, one by one, they stopped talking to her. Maybe thinking the same thing as I was. She would be alright if they gave her time alone.

But now that I think about it, it may have been the wrong thing to do.

“Hey,” I called. “Did you guys notice that her parents came to school yesterday?”

“Now that you mentioned it, yeah,” said Jake. “They were looking for Kelly, right?”

“Actually, I just realized something. I haven’t seen her in Science for two days now,” Marco pointed out.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Rachel agreed. “One of her friends asked me if I’ve seen her too. And her parents, too.”

I didn’t like where this was going. “They handed you a picture of Kelly, right?”

“You got one?”

I nodded. Now I knew I should have talked to her.

Two days ago, Kelly stopped going to school. There were rumors that the reason she was depressed was because of a relative or friend who passed away recently. I was so used to seeing her in high spirits that it suddenly felt awkward when she didn’t come to class.

What was more, I saw her parents restlessly waiting outside the school yesterday, handing out flyers and asking questions to everyone. And everybody shook their heads.

Her mom came up to me and asked, “Excuse me. Have you seen my daughter, Kelly?”

She gave me a flyer. And on the flyer was a picture of Kelly. With her jolly smile. Below the picture was the word, “MISSING”.

I was shocked. Kelly was missing?

Her mom gazed at me, wretchedly hopeful.

“No,” I regretfully said to her. “I haven’t. Sorry.”

Her hope was quickly replaced by sadness.

Kelly’s father soon joined us, moving his wheelchair closer. On his lap were a thick stack of flyers. He grasped her hand to comfort her with a light but troubled smile.

“Honey,” her mom whimpered, biting her lower lip. “There’s still no sign of our little Kelly! Where could she have gone?”

“It’s alright, dear. I’m sure she’s fine,” he assured her. “Horatio is with her and that’s good enough. You said it yourself. That dog is her guardian angel.”

“But how can I not worry? She hasn’t come home yesterday!”

“Did something to Kelly?” I asked them.

“...A very bad incident happened some time ago...and it affected her a lot,” Kelly’s dad explained as best as he could. But I knew he wasn’t telling the whole story. “We believe she’s missing because of that.”

“My poor little girl! She is out there on her own and those good-for-nothing police cops aren’t doing anything to find her! What if she doesn’t have enough to eat? And it has been cold these few nights! Oh, Kelly! Where are you?”

This was a very overprotective parent. Kelly’s mom was greatly concerned, shaking her free arm up and down uneasily.

She then settled down. “I should have seen it. I’m her mother and what did I do? I let this happen...”

“It’s not your fault, dear. Don’t blame yourself,” Kelly’s dad reassured her again and turned to me. “How much do you know Kelly? What is she like at school?”

“Um...I don’t entirely know Kelly that well... But in school, she is a very cheerful person.”

I partly lied. I should have said she was a cheerful person.

“Yup. That is Kelly, alright,” he laughed. “But...it is true she is not always open about herself to others. And to us, as well... When we want to ask what is wrong, she‘ll hold back. I guess we’re afraid that if we push too hard...Kelly might close up forever.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that. I had always assumed Kelly was just a optimistic girl who loved to chat. But from her parents, I have learnt that an unbreakably happy-go person like her...was actually brittle.

Kelly’s dad sighed deeply. “We are her parents. We love her very much. But we should have tried harder for her... I’m sorry to take your time.”

“It’s ok.”

“...I am glad Kelly has many friends, including you.”

On the spot, I was guilty. I had no right to be called a friend. I didn’t even come up to her and help her.

But the father’s serene smile seemed to tell me that it was alright, even if I did nothing at the beginning. Just hearing about his daughter was enough.

“Thank you,” he said gratefully. “And, if it’s alright with you, could you ask your friends if they’ve seen her-”

All of a sudden, Kelly’s mom grabbed the pile of flyers and tossed them up into the air. I was stunned she did that but also upset that she was littering. But as I watched them fly about, I noticed they were catching the attention of people around us.

The paper flying somehow gave me an impression.

It was like snow at the end of summer.

When I turned back, I saw Kelly’s mom grinning widely but weakly at me. Her eyes then watered.

A grown woman was crying in front of me.

“Please. If you see our little girl, tell her to come home,” her mom pleaded. “Kelly is family to us.”

I realized then, Kelly’s doting parents would do anything to search for her. I could only imagine how my parents would feel if I went missing. And they would stop at nothing until they found me and we were reunited.

As the flyers drifted slowly to the ground, her husband smiled gently at her and held her hand tight. Kelly’s mom lowered her head, enough for him to reach and wipe away her tears. And with that, they left to continue their search.

And now, we have found out Ax has met Kelly in person.

“Ax, where did you meet Kelly?” I asked.

<In the woods. That is where she is currently staying tonight.>

Kelly gone missing. Her bike. Staying in the woods...

“I think she’s running away from home.”

“Why would she do that?” Rachel asked me.

“Maybe she found out her parents are Controllers and she’s on the run,” Marco exclaimed.

“Yeeeah. I don’t think they could be Controllers. Kelly’s dad is on a wheelchair. And her mom is...somewhat a little eccentric,” Jake pointed.

“Jake, how could you say that about her mother? She was really worried about Kelly when I saw her,” I scolded lightly.

“Yeah, but that’s what some people call her,” Jake admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “And we don’t know if she could be one. Of course, I can’t tell if a Yeerk would or wouldn’t take the time to act exactly how she would.”

“Kinda agree with you there. This morning, she literally went through all the dumpsters and trash bins, screaming, “Kelly, are you there?”,” said Rachel. “I know. I saw her taking the lid of my bin.”

“Did she find a dead body in yours?” Marco intoned.

<Kelly did not run away because of her parents. She had another reason for that,> Ax clarified.

“Which is?” Jake uttered.

<She told me that she has her own problem and did not wish to worry her parents. She explained it was because of her dreams.>

“Dreams?”

<Yes. Apparently, they frightened her.> Ax’s eyes grew concerned. <She would not admit it but I could tell she did not like her dreams.>

“She ran away because of nightmares? But dreams are a natural thing. We all dream,” I stated.

“Like how Rachel dreams of being a gorgeous model,” Marco droned, twitching his eyebrows up and down.

“Oh, shut up,” she hissed.

<Yes. Dreams are pleasant mental images we have. However, they seem real and startling to her that she is afraid of them. She believes that they may come true and hurt a person. I do not understand why.>

“Hurt?” Rachel repeated. “How can something from your head hurt someone? Are you sure you heard it right?”

“Okay, it’s officially. She’s like her mom. Crazy mom and crazy daughter. Ax, I suggest you stay away from her. We’ll just scare her away as wolves and we can go back to our normal lives,” Marco said.

<Since when have our lives ever been normal?> Tobias muttered.

<She is not crazy. She is distressed,> said Ax, sounding defensive. <She may be a strange human but I only know that that is her reason for leaving behind her family and her home.>

“Somehow, it sounds more like an excuse to skip class to me,” said Rachel.

“Still, we’d better keep watch over her. Now that she’s in the woods, who knows what she might do. If she sees Ax, that’s the end of it,” Jake explained.

“We’ll be having another member in this group,” Marco intoned. Rachel punched him. Hard.

“Let’s not think about that,” Jake groaned. “For now, we’ll watch her. Hopefully, she’ll return back to her family without any problems. Tobias, you keep an eye on her tonight.”

<Sure thing,> Tobias said.

“And Ax, from now on, stay away from Kelly. Don’t go near her until this whole thing blows over.”

<But-> Ax started but Jake cut him short.

“I mean it, Ax. We’re happy that you’ve made a friend but you can’t keep meeting her. She could mean trouble.”

Ax quickly became unhappy. It almost broke my heart to see him like that. It felt as if we had suddenly punished him by taking away his favorite cinnamon buns. But he understood the situation at stake.

<...I understand, Prince Jake.>

After that, Jake dispersed us and everyone left for the night. Tobias flew off to search for Kelly and Ax went straight to the scoop.

Just as I was about to close the barn doors, I swore I saw something at the corner of my eye.

Not too far away, there was a person standing amidst the trees. I wasn’t sure if it was a man or a woman but the person looked like a motorcyclist. Or I think it was. The black helmet and suit were...unnatural. A faded neon blue color glowed from tube-like streamlines over her legs, arms and shoulders.

And that person was looking straight at me.

It startled me. I immediately flung the doors open. Was she there when everyone left? Had she seen us?

But the person was no longer there.

Was it my imagination?


Her name was Roxanne.

We have been friends for a long time. She lived next door to me and we went to school together.

We are completely opposite but somehow, that made a good friendship. I used to afraid of new things, meeting new people. But it was Roxanne who came up to me and pushed me forward. Thanks to her, I am more confident talking to people now.

Roxanne was different from me. She was never afraid of what people thought of her. If she had something in her mind, she would speak it out without being humiliated.

I think...I was a bit envious of her. Roxanne was more strong-willed than me. She didn’t care if people had an opinion about her. I, on the other hand, have many things about myself to care. She was even good-looking than me. Maybe it was because she was in the swim team and I didn’t do any sports.

However, I was no longer green with envy when I understood that she was like me.

She sat beside me in every Maths and Science and always, she said one guy in Science class was cute. I had teased her once that she didn’t have the guts to ask him out. She laughed boldly and said, “Perhaps I should do that. But you know me, I’m just yellow.”

She’d admit it without feeling ashamed. But I realized that she was really afraid to go up to the guy she liked. Just like I would be if people were to what makes me different.

Roxanne was that type of girl. Proud and energetic. And I was happy to have a friend like her.

Then one day, on our way to school, I told her about the dream. At first, I was scared that she’d think I was a weirdo. Although she didn’t think that, she found my imagination funny. Roxanne then said not to worry about her. If she saw the monster in my dream, she’d punch its lights out.

She told me that she was my best friend and she’d never leave me.

So I smiled. As usual, I would later forget about the dream. I have always ignored them before. I mean, they were just dreams...

Three days later, Roxanne’s mom called me. That day was Friday movie night for me and Bax while our parents left for dinner together. We’d have something you’d call a sibling tradition. We’d trade tasks every Friday: one makes the popcorn and the other rents a very good movie.

I had wondered if she was calling me about Roxanne. She didn’t come to school the day before.

But I never realized it would be anything bad from that call. It began alright at first. Her mom asked how I was and all. Slowly, she started to sob between sentences at the other end.
 
But soon...she went to the point.

Roxanne died the night before.

It came unexpected...like a train had hit me hard. But it felt worse. All my life, I’ve thought that they were just dreams. That nothing bad could come from them...

I was so wrong. I was in my own world until reality struck... And it was too late to realize that.

I had lost my best friend.

The following week, I attended Roxanne’s funeral. The rain was bringing back an old feeling. The same one I had when I was a child.

Alone. Terrified. Tired. And with no memories.

I was back where I had started nine years ago...before Chogan found me. And looking down at the grave didn’t make things better.

I had enough of this pain. I wanted it to end. I wanted the nightmares to stop. That was why I ran.

That is why I am scared. I have come to realize these dreams aren’t normal. But even if they were true, I know nobody would believe it.

Even if someone was in my dreams and I could warn them, they’d think I was crazy. Even if I could keep on ignoring the dreams, something could happen to someone.

Either way, I knew they were going to hurt someone.


Vickie: YELLOW ALL, I'm still not dead and uploaded Chapter Two.

Marco: Wait a minute! I got a no in the old version and this version, I get another NO for an answer! ? WHY THE HECK ARE YOU MAKING GIRLS DISLIKE ME! ? I’m supposed to be the loveable one!

Vickie: Yes but in all of the books I’ve read, you’re the comedy guy. Plus, like Rachel said, you’re not exactly Kelly’s type.

Marco: ...You’re evil, aren’t you?

Vickie: I am.  Now go to your corner and sulk at your dejection like a good little boy.

Marco: I AM NOT DEJECTED OR SULKING! –goes to a corner anyway–

Vickie: Riiight, keep saying that. And now this author note. Hopefully, I captured better on Ax’s very weak progression in the love department without taking away his egotistical Andalite self. And I think he’d easily like the idea that Kelly is a new friend rather than a love interest. It would have problems if it was.

However, I am happy that I’m writing a slow but hilarious friendship between them. XD

Cough, anyway, hopefully you readers are enjoying this chapter of an Andalite’s growing friendship for another person BESIDES the Animorphs. And I’ll hurry with the next chapter, which I think will be a much different take than the original one.

And to NateSean, thank you for the review. I'm glad you you find the diary entries interesting and the way I want them to go. Although, the diary entries are intended for each chapter and the events. My further chapters will have links with the diary entries. It might make be confusing for readers to have two threads and frustrating if one entry isn't together with the specific chapter and makes no sense. Thank you for the proposal but I'd like to keep the entries together with the chapters.

Wait...what RPG? No really, I've been away from RAF for too long. ASK ANYONE.

Yeeeeah, that I think I had intended to write indulge but wrote it wrong...cough...yup ....corrected it... Thank you for pointing out.

And now, to end my note, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL IN RAF AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! :3