Animorphers

I can hear the angry voices of Cole and Jinx before Dan and I even make it onto the porch. I step through the front door just as Riley and Emma head out the back door, escaping the argument.

"I'm telling you! I saw the people who were shooting at us and they were asian!" Cole yells.

"Cole, I saw one of them up close when they tried to grab me. They weren't asians! They were americans. Don't you think I would have been able to tell? I was face to face with one of them. How far were you? Thirty feet?"

"Dammit, Jinx! I know what I saw!"

Dan frowns at the argument, then looks down at Neon, whose looking at them like they're the biggest idiots in the world. Dan points to the roll of film on the coffee table and Neon nods, as if to agree to help him with it, then they both head into another room, trying their best to avoid the drama by working on the film.

I sit down next to Charlotte on the leather sofa as we, along with Michael and Gwen, continue to watch. Oh, boy. Here we go.

"I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense! What the heck do asians have to do with anything?" Jinx yells back.

Cole throws his arms up. "How am I supposed to know? I was a little busy running for my life. But tensions are really high between the US and China and Japan. Maybe they're involved somehow!"

"Why the hell would China care about some secret American experiment. Just because we were at war with them doesn't mean they have anything to do with this!"

"But, I know what I saw!" Cole snaps back. He's on the edge of fuming now.

"So do I!"

"Well, quite frankly I don't think you know what you saw. You're blind in one eye, and it was dark out! How could you have seen anything?"

Jinx clenches his hands into fists. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"If. The Tiger Paw. Fits," Cole says with a taunting tilt of his head.

Jinx takes a step toward him and lets a tiger growl rise up from deep within his throat.

"Guys, come on," Gwen tries, but they completely ignore her.

"Get away from me, man!" Cole shoves him backwards which only makes him madder. Jinx growls louder and steps closer again which prompts Cole into raising his fists to his face.

The second Jinx's eyes flash orange, we're all on our feet and Michael steps between them. "Move, Michael!" Cole snaps. "It's about time I've taught this arrogant jerk a lesson."

Jinx takes another step closer and Michael pushes him back with his hand to separate them. "Stop! What are you doing? This is the last time we should be fighting! And about something as stupid as who's right or wrong."

"Get out of my way, Michael, or I'll make you," Cole says, fuming.

Michael doesn't say anything, doesn't move. Nobody does. Everyone holds their breath. After a moment of tense silence, Cole grabs Michael's arm who whips his head towards Cole and roars in his face, Michael's own eyes turning golden.

Cole's eyes widen a little. He puts his hands up and takes a step back, startled. Jinx takes a step toward him and Michael turns his attention to him, growling so deep it makes the floorboards rattle. They stare at each other for a long moment, and ironically, it reminds me of two cats trying to figure out who's going to pounce first. If they had tails, they would be lashing.

Finally, Jinx shakes his head and storms into the kitchen and Cole leaves out the back door. Michael's eyes fade back to their normal blue-green color, but his body is as rigid as stone.

"Nice going, Michael," I say.

"Someone had to do it. They were being idiots." Michael looks just as mad at this point as Jinx and Cole did. He storms out of the room and leaves out the front door, then the three of us are left alone in the living room with the vibe of hostility still hanging in the air.

No one says anything for a while, still shocked into silence. Then Gwen smirks a little and quietly says, "They were Asians."

I give her an amused look as I stand up from the couch. "I should probably talk to Cole. Calm him down before he does something stupid."

Gwen and Charlotte stand up in a rush and at the same time say, "And I'll talk to-" Gwen's mouth snaps shut. Charlotte's cheeks flush.

"You know... Jinx probably needs to be calmed down more than Michael does," I tell them. "Why don't you guys help him scrounge together some food or something."

They nod and both head for the kitchen, relieved to have gotten out of an awkward situation so easily. So with all bombs defused for the moment, I head out the back door after Cole.

~ ~ ~

About two hours later, Dan and Neon call everyone back into the living room where they've set up an old film camera and pointed it at a white wall where a painting once hung. Everyone sits down on the various sofas and chairs. Neon grabs the leather recliner that swallows his tiny figure and claims it as his. Cole and Jinx have calmed back down, but I notice that they choose to sit in opposite corners of the room from each other, as do Charlotte and Gwen.

Dan turns to face us. "Ok, whatever happens, at least we'll know the truth. Is everyone ready?"

We all nod, and Dan flips on the power. For a moment, the screen is blank, then an image of one of the M.I.C. rooms flashes into focus from the angle of one of the ceiling corners, looking down on the chair.

The room is empty for a few seconds, then Dr. Liam, Mr. Neil, and Charlotte walk into the room. She glances back at Mr. Neil as he closes the door behind them and gives her a reassuring smile.

It's clear that she's nervous, both on the video, and sitting next to me. I give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Just take a seat, and I’ll walk you through everything," Dr. Liam says.

Charlotte hesitantly lowers herself into the chair and leans back. The L.E.D. lights begin scanning over her body just as he says, "It’s a completely natural side effect for patients to fall asleep during the procedure, so don't worry if you dose off.”

Before he can finish his sentence, her head lolls to the side and she goes out cold. Then Dr. Liam turns to Mr. Neil. "You've succeeded in your task better than expected."

"I know these kids. If anyone would be up for trying out the chairs, I knew it would be them."

Dr. Liam shoves his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat. "And you were right, as usual. By the looks of it, they will all be perfect candidates for our plans for the future."

"I couldn't agree more."

He peers back at Charlotte and holds a walkie talkie up to his mouth. "Prepare the serums. Proceed with the procedures. Project Miles Eximius is a go."

Everyone watches the screen in total silence. I realize that I'm tense now too. Everyone is.

We watch for several minutes without anything happening. Dan stands up and starts fast-forwarding through the footage until they come back in, promptly at the ten minute mark, with a rolling tray with various syringes and bottles on it. This is definitely not some ten minute check up like they told us it would be.

Dr. Liam and his assistant begin strapping down her arms and legs with velcro and hooking her up to various wires and IV's, as well as placing nodes on her forehead. The assistant takes her blood while Dr. Liam picks up a small vial with blue liquid and inserts it into the chair.

"Which animal DNA is that again?" his assistant asks.

"Thomson's gazelle."

His assistant nods and writes it down on a clipboard. Dr. Liam presses a button and a moment later, the blue liquid begins running through one of the clear tubes into her arm. Still unconscious, she lazily fights against the restraints.

"What did they do to me?" Charlotte says quietly. Dan fast forwards again, through a half an hour of scientists and doctors leaning over her. Some things are easy to see, while some hard to catch at all. Eventually, they remove all of the IV's and wires and Dan stops fast forwarding just as an assistant brings Dr. Liam something that looks like a syring gun.

"Ready for the tracker stage?" his assistant asks.

"Yes, thank you." He takes the device from his assistant, then clicks a button on the chair and it straightens up, forcing Charlotte into a sitting position. He pulls the head cage away and lets her head fall forward, then places the device at the back of her neck and injects something just under the skin.

Charlotte winces next to me, then reaches up and feels the back of her neck with her fingers. She lets out a shuttered breath. "I can feel it." She looks at me with wide, glossy eyes. "They put a tracker in my neck."

I reach up and feel my own neck. My stomach sinks when I too feel a nearly unnoticeable lump under the skin. "Mine too."

Dr. Liam lowers the chair back down and leaves, then comes back in a minute later and turns off the machine. Charlotte slowly comes to. “Rise and shine, Charlotte!” he says. “You’re all done!”

She lifts herself out of the chair with shaky arms. He tells her her results and she leaves the room.

Charlotte's hands shake next to me. "Are you okay?" I ask. She nods reluctantly.

Dan fast forwards through the other footage, which is all more-or-less similar to each other. He stops as each person wakes up. Cole falls into a counter. We find out that Ryker's animal is a Panda, then he sits in his chair for a minute, trying to recover. Riley whispers his name under her breath with sorrow in her voice, but she pushes it aside when her own video comes on and Dan stops it just as she's getting up.

The scientist stares at her, but before they can speak, she says, "Lemme guess. Everything fine except... A heart defect that causes the subject to lose consciousness after long periods of exertion. I know."

I draw my eyebrows together. A heart condition?

Everyone looks at her as she sinks down a little in her chair. She risks a couple side glances at the people around her. "What?" she says defensively. "It's not that serious and you guys were bound to find out eventually." She crosses her arms over her chest. "So, can we just forget about it?"

Everyone turns their attention away from her when Dan stops on the next set of footage with Emma. In the video, she takes a minute to gather herself.

"Can we skip mine? Please?" Emma asks us.

"Emma, we've watched everyone else's. Yours is the last one," Dan says.

"I know, just... can we end it here?"

"Emma, it'll be fine," he assures her.

Before she can protest any further, the video shows her head for the door and she collapses onto her knees as soon as she makes it there.

The scientist rushes over and asks if she's okay. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I just...kind of blacked out I guess," she tells her.

“That's normal in some patients. I'm sorry if I would have known I wouldn't have done it," the scientist says. "I see you’re on a few strong anti anxiety medications. That could also be the source.”

Riley looks over at her. "Emmy?"

Without a word, Emma shoots up from her place on the couch and storms out of the room, sniffling. Riley and Gwen get up and follow after her. "Nice going, Dan," Gwen says as she disappears around the corner. Well, this is going well.

The tape runs out, and the screen cuts to black. Everyone sits, staring at the empty wall and trying to take it all in. Both trying to process the new information and disturbed at what we saw... at what was done to us. My stomach is in knots. So we were right. The bastards turned us into lab rats. Literally. Does this classify as animal testing? I run my fingers through my hair. How can they justify turning us into science experiments and essentially ruining our lives without so much as telling us? There's a thought that keeps struggling to the front of my mind. What am I? Which is something I never thought I'd have to question, and it's terrifying.

Cole looks up from his phone. "Guess what. Miles Eximius isn't the name of some scientist who named a lab after himself. It means Super Soldier in latin."

"What does that have to do with us?" I ask.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Cole says with a shake of his head.

Dan wipes a hand across his face as he sits down on a footstool. "Man, did we got played."

"Like a fiddle," Neon says, angrily. I doubt he's been tricked very often in his life.

We're quiet for awhile, unsure of what to say. Or do, or think...

Finally, Michael is the first one to break the silence. He stands up and says, "Well, first thing's first. We need to get those trackers out of our necks."

As my video played, I felt my stomach drop. Everyone was looking at me, and I rubbed my arms self consciously. Riley turns to me, her face sad.

“Emmy?” She says concerned.

I can't do this.

I bolt from my spot on the couch, and I quickly make my way out of the room. I burst through the door to the cabin, and start removing my regular clothes.

“Emma! What are you doing?” Gwen yells running up to me.

“Getting away from here!”

“Emma stop! It's okay. Dont go! It's almost dark outside.” Riley tries to argue. I ignore her suggestion, and start running. Faster and faster until I feel my body begin to shrink. Suddenly my feet are no longer colliding with the ground, and I’m soaring farther away. Behind me I hear the distant yelling below.

“Emma!!” Riley yells. “We’ve got to go after her! She can't be alone out there by herself.”

“Riley...I don't really think there is much we can do. Both of us can't fly, and she is too small to see with the naked eye in the dark.”

“What are we gonna do?” Riley asks. The rest of the conversation is left unknown, as I continue zooming away. The cool air beneath my wings makes my head spin, and my heart beat faster.

I don’t realize how long I’ve been flying until I see the moon shining brightly over my head. I take leave in the crook of a large tree branch surrounded by large leaves. I snuggle my tiny body closely against the rough bark, and listen to the sounds of the forest echo all around me. I can feel my senses heightened, which means my fear is also heightened. Every sound makes me turn my head quickly. The sickening reality has finally come to my mind.

I don’t know how to get back.

The night air was cold and clear all the way up in the mountains, but it didn't clear my head like I'd thought it would. I listlessly pushed myself on the porch swing, staring out at the moon.

How could we have been so stupid?

"Hey." It was Cole's voice. I turned around, fixing a small smile on my face.

"Hey!" I replied in what I hoped was a convincingly upbeat tone. Cole came over and sat next to me on the swing. He takes a sideways look at me.

"Can we...talk about earlier?"

I sighed.

"Cole, I'd really rather not. It's...it's personal."

Cole looked down at his hands. For a while the only sound we heard was the buzz of night insects. Cole was the one to break the silence.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

I slouched in my chair, clenching my hands together in my lap.

"I did tell Emma..."

"You could have told me."

I looked up at him, hesitating.

"I know. I just--I dunno, I--I guess I just didn't want anyone to worry about me, that's all."

"I'm not worried. And actually, I kind of already knew."

My eyes widened a little and I sat up straighter.

"What? How?"

"I heard your mom and Emma talking about it the day you fainted." Cole chuckled. "Emma was so surprised to see me there, you should've seen the look on her face."

Despite myself, I felt myself smiling a little. You could call that his gift.

"I bet I was more surprised than she was." I rubbed the back of my neck self consciously. "I didn't think you'd be so concerned about me."

Was it just me, or was there a bit more color in his cheeks than usual?

"Well I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I was concerned...but I drove you there, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Yeah, it's just me.

I forced out a small chuckle, then my smile faded. I pulled my feet up onto the bench, resting my cheek on my knee. I could almost feel Cole's eyes on me.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head, laughing dryly. "We're all such idiots..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we let them do" I held out my arms in a universal gesture "Whatever the heck this is to us!"

Sure hope I didn't hit him in the face or anything...

"Well, we didn't exactly let them. They lied to us."

"That's exactly it! They lied to us! They could have done so much with an invention like that and they decided to do this instead. And we don't even know why!"

Cole is silent for a moment, an unsure look flickering in his eyes."I...might have an idea about that."

I furrowed my brow, an uneasy fluttering entering the pit of my stomach. "What?"

Do I even want to know?

Cole takes a deep breath. Oddly enough, this kind of reminded me of the time he'd been preparing to ask us if we'd morphed into animals.

"After you and Gwen ran out after Emma, I looked up who Miles Eximus was. Turns out it's not a someone, but a something. Miles Eximus is Latin for Super Soldier. And that's what they called our...experiment. Miles Eximus."

"our experiment"...

I scoffed. "So we're soldiers now. Wonderful."

Cole shook his head. "I don't know what it means. But I have a feeling that Dr. Liam
had more planned for us than just turning us into lab rats. But hey." He puts a hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

I'd expected to feel better after that, but I found myself getting angrier.

This is all so stupid.

I shrugged his hand off, blinking my eyes as my body began to heat up.

"We wouldn't have to figure anything out if we'd just stopped to think!"

"Stopped to think that our science teacher was secretly an evil scientist plotting to turn us into super soldiers on a high school field trip? Yeah, I have no idea how we didn't see that one coming."

I felt tears start to prickle the edges of my eyes. I jumped up from the swing and whirled around to face him.

"You don't understand! I had so much riding on those chairs! And they turned out to be fake!" The tears that had been threatening to fall were now cascading down my cheeks. I didn't bother wiping them away.

"Riley, what are you talking about?" Cole asked, rising from the swing.

"If those chairs did what they told us they did they may have found some sort of cure! They could've found out what's wrong with--" I caught myself before I could say any more, wiping some of the tears away with the back of my wrist. Cole took a step forward, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"A cure for what, your heart?" He asked softly. I took a few steps back.

"No! I--"
I gotta get out of here.

"I don't want to talk about it!" I turned away and started to rush down the steps.

"Riley, stop."

I stopped, still not facing him.

"Cole, just leave me alone."

Silence.

"I...was just going to tell you you left your phone."

Whoops.

I turn and he picks up my phone and holds it out to me. I started feeling a bit guilty.

"Oh...right. Sorry."

I walk back over to him and take the device. I began to turn back again, but stopped. I shifted from foot to foot, biting my lip a bit.

Oh to heck with it.

I close the rest of the distance and hugged him. I felt him tense for just a second before I felt his arms around me. Felt his hand stroking my hair.

"We're all gonna get through this."

Dan paced the room like a nervous wreck. It had been an hour since Emma had disappeared, and she was nowhere in sight.

“She could be anywhere!” Dan cried, curling up his fists in desperation. “She could be captured, she could be lost, she could be injured, she could be cornered by a wild animal... And it’s all my fault!”

Layla stood and lifted a sympathetic hand. “Calm down, Dan. Should we try to find her now? It’s been long enough, and she’s probably just lost. A few of us could go and -”

Dan spun on his heel. “No, just me. I’ll find her. I have wings.”

She raised her hands. “Alright, I thought so. Traveling together would be safest, but you’re right, you have wings.” She winced, rubbing her side. “And being carried in your talons is not something I’d like to experience again.”

Dan nodded and turned to leave, but Jinx stopped him at the doorway. “Remember the telepathic thing we can do with each other? Use that to your advantage. Look for her with your mind, and maybe you’ll be able to talk with her when you’re close enough.”

“Right. Thanks, guys.”

A minute later, Dan the eagle climbed the sky and swept off, flying deeper into the forest. We watched him from the front porch until he disappeared.

“Now,” Michael said, “the trackers.”

I winced, rubbing my bandaged arm. Getting grazed by a bullet offered enough injury to satisfy me for a lifetime. “Gosh, Michael, why do you have to keep bringing that up? What are we going to do, cut them out with a steak knife?”

Mike shrugged. “Well, that’s not a bad idea.”

I froze. He was being completely serious.

“What else could we do, really?” Layla asked, fingering the back of her neck. “The trackers aren’t very deep and they’re very small. Shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”

My heart started pumping so hard, the jugular vein in my neck felt like it was going to burst. “Are you guys crazy? We need professional doctors or something to cut these out. We could slice a big vein, or damage our spine!”

“Charlotte...” Layla said.

“What about all the blood? Don’t we need a sterile environment? Don’t we need to be knocked out or something? Isn’t it going to hurt?” I turned to Michael and tugged on his hoodie strings. “You guys aren’t thinking about really doing this, are you?”

In my blind fear, I didn’t notice the meaningful glances Layla and Michael were exchanging with one another.

Michael looked down at me and smiled a little. “You’re right, Charlotte. The knife thing is kind of crazy. Let’s take a walk outside so you can calm down, alright? Then we’ll come back and talk it over as a group.”

I almost collapsed with relief. “Yes, yes. That would be good.”

Cole and I jumped apart the moment the door opened. Our heads snapped around. Charlotte and Michel were standing just outside the doorway.

"Oh. Hey guys." I smiled.

Michel gave us a weird look.

"You may want to help Layla out. We still haven't figured out how to get these trackers out."

"Yeah, okay. I was just about to head in anyways. Coming, Cole?"

I turned back to the house and Cole followed me in. I glanced back at him.

"Hey...thanks."

"Yeah. No problem."

I smiled. "I guess it's what any good twin brother would have done."

"Who told?"

My smile widened. "The desk lady."

...

Layla was sitting on the couch with Gwen and Jinx. Neon was in his recliner, still looking slightly pouty. I perched on the arm of the couch next to Jinx and Cole took a seat on a footstool on the other side of the room. Oh good grief.

"Any sign of Emma yet?"

Layla shook her head. "She hasn't come back yet. Dan just went out to look for her."

"On his own?"

"He wanted to go out alone. He is the only other person with wings."

I suddenly felt a little colder and I rubbed my arms. "I don't like this. She's been gone for almost an hour. And Dan's all alone... I don't like this at all."

"Riley, they'll be okay. Emma probably just got lost. They'll be back soon."

You don't know that. I pushed the thought from my head. She was probably right. I smiled a little.

"Hope so. Now, I dunno about you, but this whole tracker thing is really getting under my skin."

Jinx groaned. I grinned sheepishly and Cole smirked at me.

"Alright, be honest. How long have you been waiting to use that?"

"All day."

Layla shook her head, a smile playing on the ends of her mouth. "Well, we should probably wait for Charlotte and Michel to start figuring this out."

There was a general mutter of agreement and the room went silent. I watched the window. The moon was high above the treeline and I could see the tops of the trees and the reflection of the sky in the lake, but nothing that looked like two birds flying towards the house. The door opened and soon enough Charlotte and Michel joined us. I waved them over. "That's pretty much everyone, right?" Except Emma and Dan...
"Let's start figuring things out."

...

Cole rested an elbow on his knee. "I don't see any other way." Charlotte began wringing her hands.
"But we can't do this ourselves!"

"Relax. It's not like we're gonna just hack it out with a knife."

"That's exactly what you're saying!"

I shrugged one shoulder. "I'll have to agree with Cole on this one. We'll have to cut them out."

Charlotte gripped Michel's arm tightly. "You guys can't be serious. This is a really, really bad idea!"

"Charlotte, calm down. The trackers are just beneath the skin, so all we have to do is slit the skin open and slide it out."

Charlotte didn't look convinced.

"Look," I hopped off the arm of the couch and flopped down on the other side of Charlotte. "normally I wouldn't be pressuring you like this, but as long as these things stay in we're in...well, more danger than we're in already. Here. I'll go first. Cole, could you--"

Neon jumped out of the recliner before I could finish. He dashed out of the room, the tails of his scarf flicking behind him as he sprinted into the kitchen. Cole folded his arms. No doubt if there was a wall near where he was, he'd have leaned against it.
"What. Does he not trust me with sharp objects or something?"
I put on a thoughtful look. "Now that you mention it, he may be on the ball with that one."

"Har. Har."

I made a face at him, puffing out my cheeks and sticking my tongue out at him. Charlotte let out a breathy sort of laugh. I pulled up a footstool as Neon came back into the room with a small pocket knife. I sat with my back to him and lifted my hair away from my neck. I felt the cold metal poke against my skin for a second, and then the stinging as Neon quickly cut the slit. A sort of odd tingle snaked down my spine as he slid the tracker out.

"Victory!" He announced grandly, holding the tiny chip aloft between two fingers. I plucked the tracker from his fingers and quickly snapped it into four jagged pieces. I could feel a bead of blood begin to slide down my back.

I leaned over and plucked a tissue from a box on a small table and swiped it quickly across the cut. "See? Nothing to worry about." Charlotte took a deep breath.

"Alright."

I smiled at her, wiping the tissue across the cut again. I think I may need a Band-Aid.

...

"Riley."

"Mmgph." I rolled over in bed, burrowing my face into the pillow.

"Riley, come on. It's ten in the morning. You missed breakfast."

"Grrmph."

"Riley, wake up!"

I slowly rolled over onto my back, groaning. "Fine, fine I'm--" I opened my eyes just as the door opened, Gwen stepped aside so I could see who was in the doorway. I was out of bed and running to the doorway in about half a second.

"Emmy!" Emma yipped in surprise as I jumped, catching her in a flying bear hug. (Or flying Lynx hug, I guess?) We toppled to the ground with a thud. Emma rapidly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Riley...I can't...breathe..."

I let go and crawled off her and she sat up, looking a little dazed. I gripped her shoulders.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

I let out my breath in a relieved sigh, letting my head drop. Then it snapped back up.

"What the heck were you thinking?!" I yelled, shaking Emma by the shoulders. "I hardly slept at all last night! Do you know how worried I've been?!" I stopped shaking. "Yeesh. I sound like my mother." Emma hugged me.

"I'm sorry, Riley. I'm really sorry."

I hugged her tighter. "Hey, you're safe now, aren't you? It's alright." I took her shoulders again, and held her out at arms length, giving her a stern look. "But don't you scare me like that anymore." I hopped up, then held out my hand to her. Emma took my hand and I pulled her to her feet.

"You got your tracker out, right?"

"Yeah. Just this morning."

"Well then we're all microchip free. Great!"

I bounced back into my room and rummaged through my bag, gathering a dark purple tee and a pair of jeans in my arms along with my black suit thingy and headed into the bathroom. I changed quickly and shot out of the bathroom to my room. I snatched my journal from the bed and took a glance out the window. The clouds were starting to get dark. I rifled through my bag and pulled out my black jacket. My eyes flicked to the pocket. It was bulging a little. I stuck my hand in and grabbed the whatever-it-was and pulled it out. A wadded up, bloody tissue. Gross. Wait. Didn't I--? I hurriedly unwrapped the tissue. There sitting in the center of the paper, was the four pieces of the microchip.

Crap on a stick.

I shook the pieces out into my hand, and stuffed the tissue in my pocket. I zipped up my jacket and hurried back out to the landing and down the stairs.

Emma was sitting on the couch, reading. She looked up when I hurried past.

"Hey. Where're you off to?"

"Just forgot to get rid of this." I showed her the broken chip. "I know it's probably useless now, but I'll feel a lot better one it's gone."

"I know what you mean. What are you planning to do with it?"

"I dunno. I was thinking I'd throw it in the lake."

Looming trees and assortment of noises were echoing in the night as both Charlotte and Michael began walking. He suggested it, almost thinking it could calm down the girl. An awkward silence was between them both, enough to be sliced by a knife. He was trying to think of something to say, anything, to bring some form of communication between the two. Every now and then, Michael would look down at Charlotte's wound. A sickening feeling crept in his stomach. He didn't like the thought of some form of injury to Charlotte and why he wasn't there to stop it from happening. Sighing, Michael changed his view to the starry skies above him.

"You can see the Big Dipper from here," Charlotte muttered.

"Huh?"

Charlotte laughed softly before raising her left arm and pointed in front of them. "Right there." Michael followed her finger to see the stars aligned to form a ladle.

"I don't know much about constellations. I always used to stay indoors when it was a night like this," Michael explained. They both stopped walking and were now looking up at the stars. Charlotte seemed contented with this plan, marveling at the stars. She's so cute, Michael thought, looking at her.

"Oh! Look over there," Charlotte exclaimed. She pointed left of the Big Dipper, to another group of stars that were in a form of a hunter. "That's Orion. Named after the famous Greek Hunter." Michael laughed before sighing again.

"How do you know so much about stars?"

Charlotte shrugged, letting her arm fall. "I went through a phase where I would look up the different constellations. Canis major. Draco. Little Dipper. All of them. For my tenth birthday, I was given a telescope. I forgotten about it, though." She smiled shortly. "I've always have a fascination with space. What is out there. That kind of stuff." Charlotte gazed at Michael.
"I wanted to be an astronaut."

"What stopped you from doing so?"

Charlotte shrugged, looking back at the stars. "I guess my mind thought that books were more important than space itself. I think, though, both are similar. They hold secrets and stuff that is beyond our imaginations. It's a little thrilling." Michael slowly walked until he was beside her.

"Space is also unpredictable. You don't know what could happen up there," Michael stated. Charlotte nodded. Their fingers lightly brushed against each other.

"I know you're scared of getting the chip out of the back of your neck, Charlotte. Hell, I'm a little scared but we've got to do it."

Charlotte only sighed. "I know. It is just... life's so unpredictable. Much like how space is. I want to do it but at the same time, what'll come out of it, you know." She slowly turned around to face Michael. "I'm scared of what is going to happen next. I mean, I nearly died." She slowly lifted her wrapped arm. Michael gazed at her raised arm.

"I'm really sorry," Michael whispered. Charlotte only smiled a sad smile. She slowly reached out to grab onto his hand and looked down shortly after.

"I've always longed to be as strong as you, Michael. You've always had some form of courage and caring for everything. In all honestly, I'm a little jealous."

"Charlotte..."

She chuckled before sighing. Her voice cracking from choked tears. "You were kind enough to walk out here, to get my mind off of the stupid chip. In that single moment, I was happy. Whenever I am around you, I feel the confidence to do anything. A cliche type of feeling, I know. That's the only way I can describe it."

Michael tightened his grip on her hands. They almost felt as if they were made for his hand, snug nicely against his larger ones. The lion and the gazelle. Two enemies in the animal kingdom. One chases the other continously without fail while the other runs away. At this moment, though, they seemed to think running was a failed instinct.

"I'm not always as strong as you may think, Charlie." Michael said, breaking the silence. Charlotte looked up, her eyes watering. "Even though they say the lion is the strongest, I beg to differ. Even the greatest of beasts can have their downfalls."

"Michael..." And with that, he slowly leaned down and kissed Charlotte. A gentle one. A hopeful one. Though it lasted for two seconds, it felt like an eternity to both of them.

"We should head back," Charlotte suggested afterwards. Michael smiled, intertwining their hands as they began the journey back.



The journey back was a pleasant one. Michael and Charlotte both smiling real smiles for the first time in their lives. They both felt giddy but nervous. What did the relationship hold ahead? The future would only tell. As they both neared the cabin, Michael gave some form of prep talk to Charlotte before she went under the treatment of getting the chip out of her neck. Though painful the operation, it was over within a minute.

Afterwards, Michael and Charlotte were laying on a wood swing. Charlotte was curled under his left arm, while Michael's hand was cupped around hers. They were staring at the same stars as before, a blanket over both of them.

"Was it really that hard?" Michael asked. Charlotte rolled her eyes, lightly jabbing him in the side.

"I'm just glad it is over," Charlotte muttered before snuggling closer.

"I'm as glad as you are."

I must have fallen asleep. It’s still dark outside, but time has passed. The air is quiet. Almost too quiet. I have not yet morphed back, and I feel the cool breeze against my wings. I jump from branch to branch looking around. Looking for any indication of familiar surroundings. Suddenly I hear the sounds of footsteps behind me. I whip my head to see a dark figure approaching. I prep myself to fly away, but that is just what they wanted. I fly straight into the confines of a small net. I struggle to move my wings as I fall towards the ground.

“Help! Help!” I scream in my mind, but no one is close enough to hear. The figure approaches with a smile on his face.

“Hello Emma. We need to have a little chat.” The voice is familiar, but before I can even think I suddenly feel the sharp prick of a needle the world begins to slip away.

-----------------------------

I wake up unable to move. I shake my limbs to find my hands and feet bound with rope. I must have morphed back in my sleep. I still feel groggy from the serum, but I can see that I am still in the woods and it is night time. A small portable camping lantern sits by me, and in front of me the dark figure sits on a seat made from a fallen tree. Behind him a man stands with a gun on his hip. I struggle to move again, but it's no use.

“Who-Who are you?” I ask timidly. My throat is dry, and my heart beats faster with every minute. The sitting figure looks up into the white light, and his face is revealed. My eyes go wide. “Wait-what?”

Its Mr. Neil…

“Calm down Emma. I know you have a lot of questions, but not all of them can be answered right now.” My hands shake in my lap.

“Why-Why did you tie me up? You disappeared. Are you working for the people who did this to us? Why did you do this to us?”

“Enough of this! Just get to the point Neil, and shut her up.” The man behind him finally speaks. There is a trace of a Japanese accent. Mr. Neil sighs.

“Emma, I tied you up so you would not run away, and yes I disappeared and it will stay that way. I have my agenda when it comes to who I am working for, and I did this to you because of many reasons. You all were not just chosen randomly out of a mass of teenagers. Each one of you was chosen for a specific reason. You care about your friends yes? And your family?”

“Yes-yes I do.” I say trying to stop my voice from wavering.

“Then you will do me the favor of not telling anyone about this meeting. We have a lot planned for you kids, and I don't intend for any of you to die. But it will come to that if you so much as say any of this to anyone else. Do I make myself clear?” I nod in understanding. “Great. Now we have two matters to attend to. First, it appears your friends have discovered their tracking devices implanted in their necks, but we expected this of course. Due to this we need to come up with a replacement option...so we are putting another one in you. We assume you all will mostly be together all the time so one should be enough. And we will take extra measure to make sure this one does not get taken out.” He explains.

The Japanese man walks towards me placing his gun over his shoulder. He takes out a tiny knife, and places it against my forearm. I shiver, and whimper a little as the metal slices my skin. I watch blood swell from the cut, and my stomach flips. He forces a small object deep into my arm making me scream in pain. Afterwards, he wipes the blood and stitches it shut. Lastly, he wraps a bandage over it.

“Why?” My voice cracks. “Why are you doing this?” I ask suddenly feeling sick. Ignoring my question the Japanese man continues the explanation of the chip.

“It's about the size of a grain of rice, and its close enough to the artery that if an untrained teenager tries to cut it out of you, you will die. Understand?” I nod. “Good. Continue Neil.”

“The second point of business is this. You will be..let's just call it our little inside spy. When we contact you, you will tell us what you know.”

“Why me?” I ask.

“Because, you have always been the little actor Emma. Hiding your disease from everyone else. Acting happy. Acting alright. You lie to the ones you love everyday to protect them. Why is this any different?”

“I won't do it.”

“No no no Emma. I will not have that attitude. Remember earlier when I asked you if you cared about your friends and family? This still applies, because if you do not comply then I will kill those you love. We can easily finish this experiment with a new group of candidates, but we don't want to waste time doing that. So I would prefer you don't go against my wishes.”

“How do I know you're not calling bluff.” I say suddenly earning a feeling of bravery. He stays silent a moment walking closer and closer to me. He kneels down next to my ear, and whispers.

“Do you really want to put your friends and families lives on the chance of a bluff?” I stay silent tears falling from my eyes. “That is what I thought. Don't doubt my threats Emma.” He spits. He stands now turning to his comrade. He whispers something to him, and starts walking off.

“Don't forget what I told you Emma. Do. Not. Disobey me.” He turns to the Japanese man and nods. “We will be watching you miss Tanner.” He says with a smile.

Then just as soon as he was there he was gone. The Japanese man walked towards me, and began cutting the ropes. His face was cold, and distant. I tried to hide the tears, but it was no use.

“I suggest you run. You have a friend nearby, and I would hate for them to meet me.” My eyes widened. I stood, and started running. Even though I knew the man wasn’t chasing me, I still felt the feeling that he was. I ran straight into something…someone, nearly knocking them over. I screamed as they grabbed my arms tightly. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to see that it was Dan, and he hugged me telling me it was alright. I hugged him back feeling my knees give out from under me. He came down with me holding my face.

“God Emma, what happened to you! We were all worried sick…” I stayed silent not sure what to say. He hugged me again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I- I shouldn’t have had everyone watch the video when you told us not to. I didn’t know that-I didn’t know you-” I pulled away grabbing his face shutting him up almost instantly. His eyes were worried, and we were close enough that I felt his warm breath against my cheeks. His eyes traveled across my face. I felt my cheeks become warm. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to fall into him. I wanted him to hold me and tell me it was gonna be okay. But then, the words of Mr. Neil filled my mind.

If you do not comply, I will kill those you love…

I had a job to do, and that was protect the ones I love. I had to do that by distancing myself as much as possible. I slightly smiled pulling away from him even though every muscle in my body tried to contradict me.

“No. I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have overreacted...Let’s go home.” He tried to say something, but I stopped him by standing up, and holding out my hand. He grabbed it skeptically, and we started walking back towards the cabin in silence. Thankfully he knew the way. He grabbed my hand, and even though I knew better... I let him.

And I don’t know if I was imagining it, but I could almost hear the distant shuffling of someone watching us. Someone making sure I was doing what I was supposed to...and I had no intention of failing them.

The rickety old bed creaks under me as I roll onto my side, slowing coming to. The bedroom Michael assigned me is small. Just big enough for two twin beds, an end table between them, and a closet at the end of the room, next to the door. Early morning light streams through blinds, dappling the quilt draped over me in glowing yellow spots.

My eyes flutter open to see Neon sitting on the opposite bed from mine, feet together on the ground, hands gripping the edge of the mattress, staring at me. It startles me, and I shoot up in bed. Too many movies start with a group of teenagers going to a cabin in the woods, and waking up to the kitten of darkness glaring at you isn't a good start.

"Neon, how long have you been watching me?"

"We need to talk..." He strokes the red scarf wrapped around his neck. Does he ever take that thing off? "I saw you talking to Riley last night."

I shake my head at him. "So?"

"I thought I told you to stay away from her." His jaw is tight. He looks like a little kid who's trying to look all mad and tough, the expression they give you when do something to annoy them--like holding a toy above their head, just out of reach--and they're not amused.

"Hey, I never agreed to anything, Squirt."

He blows a breath out of his nose. "Don't call me that!" He's silent for a moment, then hesitantly asks, "Did you kiss her?"

I shrug. "Maybe."

I squints his eyes at me, trying to figure out the truth. He leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. "You didn't."

I get up and head for the closet. Pull on a black teeshirt. Pull on a pair of jeans over my boxers. "Okay, sure. We'll go with that."

It takes everything I have not to laugh as I leave the room. His eyes wide. His body stiff. Man, is it fun messing with that little dude.

The smile fades the second I slide my foot into my sneaker. Squish. Toothpaste. The little dude put toothpaste in my shoes. Why, I'm gonna...

Neon walks out behind me, points two fingers at his eyes, then directs them at mine. I'm watching you...

You're not the only one who can pull pranks, Neon. So, You're on, Little Man. You're on.

+ + +

I wash my sneakers out in the kitchen sink, then head out the front door to put them on the porch railing to dry. These are the only shoes I brought...

Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone sitting on the dock, looking out over the lake. It's Riley.

I head toward her, my bare feet brushing through the green mountain grass. Neon's threats have nothing to do with it; he doesn't scare me. I just figure I might as well say hi.

Coming up behind her, I see that her feet are dangling over the edge, her toes brushing the water. She's looking down at a book. Reading or writing, I'm not sure. Then I get a glimpse of it. A notebook with a faded cover and a spine falling apart to the point where it's been reconstructed with several layers of duct tape. I know exactly what it is. It's her journal.

I remember when I'd seen Riley with it on the field trip, holding it so tightly that you'd think it was the key to life. I made it my mission that day to find out what was inside.

That mission still stands.

I quietly walk up behind her and peer over her shoulder. She's listening to music through earbuds. No wonder she hasn't heard me.

Lots of hand written words fill the pages, but I can't quite make out what they say from so far away. Riley continues writing, calm and unaware of my presence. I lean down a little closer. She starts flipping back through the pages, looking for something, and with this, she sees me in her peripheral vision. She jumps a little, slamming her journal closed and pulling out an earbud. "Cole?! You scared me. What are you doing?" She narrows her eyes at me. "You were trying to get a look at my journal, weren't you?"

I shrug. "No... not at all. I just walked up. I wasn't looking at anything."

"Sure..." Riley gives me a look, then looks down at her iPod, pausing her music. I sit down next to her, letting my own legs dangle over the side.

"Emma's back," I say.

"I know. I saw her this morning. Back safe and sound," she says with a smile.

"Neon put toothpaste in my shoes."

Riley snickers. "Sorry, but... Knowing you... You probably deserved it."

I shrug. "Touché."

When we're silent for a moment, she opens her journal again, turns it slightly away from me. She gives me a look. "Can I trust you?"

"Me?" I say, pretending to be offended. "Who do you think I am?"

Riley stares at me for a moment, then goes back to her journal. I find myself watching her. How content she looks as she gets lost in whatever it is she's writing. The way a musician gets lost in music or a painter gets lost in their art. I slowly lean to look over her shoulder, trying to see what she's writing.

Riley catches on. "Hey!" She shoves me, half playfully, but it's enough to make me lose my balance, and I fall off the dock into the lake.

I gasp at the shock of suddenly being submerged in water. It's cold. When I resurface, Riley's standing, slightly panicked. "Cole, I'm so sorry!" She seems genuine, but I can tell she's fighting back a smile. I just stare at her, my jaw tight, my hair sending water running into my eyes. She covers her mouth, trying to keep from laughing.

"This is the only shirt I brought," I say, holding up the soaked black material.

That does it. Riley bursts into laughter. "I really didn't mean to do that," says between laughs.

Yeah, I can tell you're real torn up about it.

Payback time.

"Well, you could at least help me out," I say, wading closer to the dock. I lift my hand up for her to grab. She takes it, and I pull her in with me.

Riley lets out a scream as she falls into the water. When she comes up, she glares at me. "You didn't."

"I did."

"My iPod is in my pocket."

This time I laugh. Whoops.

"Well, you shouldn't have pushed me in," I retaliate with a shrug.

"You shouldn't have been snooping. If I recall correctly, we had a deal that if you tried to look at my journal again that you'd be out of the band."

"Alright, but Battle of the Bands is this Friday. How ever will you find a replacement on such short notice?"

She opens her mouth, then closes it again. I pose a good point.

I wade closer to her, looking into her eyes. "Admit it. You need me."

This seems to startle her; catch her off guard. She stares into my eyes, her lips quivering with unspoken words. Then she gets a mischievous grin, dunks down in the water enough to let water into her mouth, then comes back up and squirts it into my face.

I retaliate by putting my hand on her head and playfully pushing her back under the surface.

"Hey!" she says when she comes back up. She splashes me. I splash her. Riley's smiling. I like her smile.

"Hey! Guys!" Michael calls from the shore. Riley and I both turn to look at him. Neon trails closely behind him. "Breakfast!"

We nod and wade back to the dock. I put my hands on Riley's hips and hoist her back up onto the dock. She's light as a feather. Then I hoist myself out, sending gallons of water onto the dock, turning the wooden boards a darker shade of brown. Riley grabs her journal and hurries back to the shore, also dripping wet.

I follow after her, and as I near the shore, I see Neon staring daggers at me. Riley hurries into the house with Michael just as I get to the end of the dock. I shrug. "What? I didn't kiss her."

Neon nods slowly, then shoves me back into the lake.

The wind rustled through my feathers as I flew through the air. My golden eyes darted here and there, looking furiously for Emma's small barn owl form. I was getting more and more desperate the later it became, and not just for Emma. The light was dimming rapidly, and the eagle's mind had a primeval fear of the dark.

As I moved rapidly through the air, dodging trees as I flew, my eyes caught sight of an owl on a branch some way ahead of me. As I flew closer, swiftly and silently, I noticed with a relief that it was a barn owl, and immediately assumed it was Emma.

I slowed my flight so as not to startle her, and steadily approached. Suddenly, I noticed movement in the upper branches, and saw that I wasn't the only predator in the area. A large great horned owl had taken position above the barn owl, and was preparing to attack.

"Noooo!" I tried to say, but it came out as a loud screech as I flew straight at the Great Horned Owl, and it gave a surprised hoot as it fled from the much larger bird.

The Barn owl flew up in surprise at the turn of events, and fled. I attempted communicating with it in my mind, but after it didn't respond I realized that it wasn't Emma.

Feeling a sense of defeat and depression, I alighted on the closest branch and thought about what had happened that day, and everything I had done wrong. I never should have shown everyone Emma's tape. I thought. I've ruined everything, just like always. Once again, I felt myself falling into a now familiar sense of depression.

In fact, I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I never heard what was creeping up to me before it was too close. Suddenly, I heard a sound above me, and looked up to find that I was staring down the barrel of a rifle, with an emotionless asian face staring at me above it.

"Die, American." he muttered in an accentless voice, and I watched him pull the trigger, frozen in fear. But just before he shot, an arm knocked it to the side, and it fired into the tree's lower branches with a crack. I stared, transfixed, as my attacker struggled with another man wearing a ski mask who had appeared out of nowhere.

After a few minutes, it was clear that the masked man had the upper hand as he grabbed the man's throat and pressed a pistol to the side of his head before firing.
He then glanced at me for a moment before climbing rapidly down the tree, dragging the body along with him.

I shook my head, shaking myself out of a daze before i flew after the guy, catching up with him at a small clearing where I arrived just in time to see him getting into the helicopter before flying away.

I demorphed as I watched him flying away, and gaped as soon as my mouth had formed. What had just happened had shocked me completely. However, before I could completely process it, Something-or rather someone-ran into me, driving the air out of my lungs. I looked at it, immediately recognizing her as Emma, and embraced her, happy to finally see her again, and know that she was okay.

I noticed her eyes tearing up as I held her, so I said, "It's okay, you're gonna be alright..."

She fell to her knees, and I fell with her. I held her face, still shocked that I had actually found her.

“God Emma, what happened to you! We were all worried sick…” I said, but then noticed her frightened silence, and feeling myself start to tear up as I remembered what I had done, I hugged her again.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I- I shouldn’t have had everyone watch the video when you told us not to. I didn’t know that-I didn’t know you-” i muttered, but then she pulled away and grabbed my face, and I immediately stopped talking.

I glanced over her, and started to slowly lean closer until I could smell her breath, and was about to sum up the courage to kiss her, when she suddenly pulled away.

“No. I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have overreacted...Let’s go home.” she said, not looking at me, and I got the sense that she was holding herself back. There were so many things I wanted to say, but they died in my throat.

We got up and started to walk briskly towards the cabin. As we walked emotions churned within me. After a while, I finally summed up the courage to hold her hand. When i did, she turned to look at me, smiled and...let me.

As we walked, i felt a warm feeling in my heart. But even that was quickly cut off as my senses picked up something nearby. Ever since I had first fully transformed, my senses had been greatly heightened, as if that part of the eagle stayed in me even after I demorphed.

And now my senses were tingling. I could tell that something was following us. To make sure, i changed my pace, and heard distinct, but slight and hard to hear, footsteps before the person adapted to my new pace.

I had a feeling that it had something to do with what Emma was hiding from me, and I didn't like it. But i decided to let things lie...for now.

~~

The next day, I woke up in cold sweat on the couch in the living room. I pulled out my phone from my pocket as soon as I had my eyes open, and shot up as I realized that it was nearly noon!

"Good Morning Sleepyhead." said Gwen with a smile, as she sat in a chair nearby. She put the book she had been reading down..

I shook my head before remembering what had happened the day before, what with the the Japanese assassin and my savior.

"Stay here, I need to talk to you." I told her. "I'll just go and call everyone else."

Luckily, as I had slept in my clothes, I didn't need to change, and just brushed my teeth before going around the cabin calling everyone, before coming to Michael who was sitting on the porch, lying back.

"Hey!" I called out.

He opened his eyes for a moment before saying, "Oh, go away wimp."

Usually, I'd take that in my stride, but that it struck a nerve. The eagle in me could no longer accept such comments, and for the first time, I felt the need to stand up for myself.

I slammed my hand on the side table, causing a glass of water to fall over and spill on Michael's shoes. Michael looked up at me, "What the-?" he said before I cut him off.

"You've been calling me that ever since I first knew you, and it's really starting to piss me off!" i growled. "Just because I'm bad at sports doesn't mean I'm weak. Now, you either start treating me with some goddamn respect or i will fly in at an opportune moment and crush your skull with my talons. Got it?"

He nodded rapidly as he stared wide eyed at me. "Good." i said, moderating my tone. "Now, come into the living room. I need to talk to you and the others."

And as i walked into the living room, I felt a sense of accomplishment, having for the first time, actually stood up for myself. but i pushed that to one side as I took a deep breath and prepared to tell everyone what had happened, and the news of the threat that was all around us.

Neon ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it as chaotic as his mind. Burying his chin in his scarf, he stared at the food in front of him. The pancake was badly burnt at the edge, his brunch tainted by the blackened crescent. His glare threatened to crisp the rest of the pancake.

“Pancakes again,” he muttered, eying the empty box of instant-mix in the trash bin.

Michael eventually noticed his look, and sighed. “Neon, I know it’s not a royal feast, but it’s all we have.”

“You could have at least done a proper job,” the kitten murmured.

“Would you prefer cat food?”

After a moment’s silence, Neon simmered, sticking his fork into a chunk of pancake and eating it. Chewing poutily, he glanced around the table at his cohorts.

He himself was sitting at the head of the table. Directly across from him was Michael, flanked by two smiling girls. Gwen and Charlotte talked cheerfully to and through Michael, but seemed to deliberately avoid conversation with each other. Neon swallowed, yawned, and looked elsewhere.

Jinx was eating solemnly, his good eye staring right through the table. Riley and Cole were joking around with each other, much to Layla’s annoyance while sitting right next to them. Riley’s smile was wider than Neon had ever seen it, in all the time he’d known her.

Realizing that he was staring, the kitten of darkness turned his gaze to the last two members at the table. Emma sat beside Gwen, watching everyone and smiling kindly. But there was a certain tiredness to her eyes; she’d probably undergone the most stress through all of this.

A spark of guilt crackled through Neon’s chest, and he stared down. Up until now, he’d taken her for granted, treating her as a background character, a minion through which he’d accomplish his goals. For someone who would take over the world, blind destruction was unacceptable, and he made a mental note to be more conscious of her from then on.

Daniel was sitting with a pensive look, nodding slightly to himself. He was the one who’d called their meeting, and seemed to be running over the facts to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Eventually, the Indian boy looked up, staring around the table. “We’re not alone out here.”

His words were forceful enough to silence the chatter, and all eyes turned to him. Emma went rigid, staring at him. Dan noticed this, and blushed, coughing a bit.

He took a deep breath before continuing. “Last night, when I went after Emma, I saw someone in the trees. And he had a sniper rifle, pointed straight at me.”

A week ago, that line would’ve earned scoffs and laughter across the board. But now, the room was deathly quiet.

“Before he could shoot me, though,” said Daniel, “some other guy came up from behind and grabbed him. He had a gun, too, and...used it.”

Cole blinked, leaning forward in his seat. Emma was getting paler by the second. Even Jinx was visibly disturbed. Nobody said anything. Nobody could.

Dan kept talking. “After that, the guy - the killer - ran away, dragging the body with him. I tried following him, but he got into a helicopter and flew away, too fast to fly after. Besides, I had, um, other priorities.” He coughed, trying to keep the red from his expression.

Neon glanced at Emma, but rather than being embarrassed, she was staring down as if the world had crashed upon her shoulders. Dan noticed this too, and wilted, falling silent.

It was a long time before anyone could say anything. “So,” said Cole finally, arms folded, “in other words, we’re screwed again.”

“That’s not what Dan said,” Jinx countered from across the table. “Someone was aiming a gun at him, and some other guy killed him. That means the other guy was protecting him. Protecting all of us, maybe.”

“But if he left in the helicopter, that means he won’t be protecting us.” Cole waggled a finger, then turned to Dan. “By the way, this sniper guy: Was he American, or Japanese?”

Dan thought for a moment before replying, “Japanese, I think.”

Cole smirked at Jinx, who furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.

“Anyway,” said Layla, regaining control, “I think the most important part is that these people know where we are. Probably because of those trackers.”

Michael sighed. “We were never safe to begin with, were we?”

Layla glanced at him. “No, I guess we weren’t.”

The meeting table was punctuated with dead silence. Eventually, it was broken, by soft, cruel chuckling.

Riley was smiling bitterly, clenching her hands. “So, does anyone want to take a guess at what the hell is going on?”

“Miles Eximius. In English, super soldier,” mused Neon, tapping his fingers on the table. “That’s what we are, apparently.”

“Maybe the scientists developed this to fight the Japanese. That would be why Japanese snipers attacked us, right?” Daniel spoke, surprisingly composed for the situation.

“Carpe Terrarum,” the kitten of darkness agreed. This technology was obviously part of that war.

“But why us? What possible reason did they have to test it on a bunch of high schoolers!” Riley spat, anger filling her voice.

It was Charlotte who spoke next. “Maybe...Mr. Neil.”

The room darkened significantly, the reality sinking into their minds, festering with hatred. Layla just nodded. “Maybe,” she said.

Cole let out a low whistle. “The Japanese, the scientists, and now the helicopter guy. Gotta say, I’m flattered by all the attention.”

Neon smiled sharply. “Yeah. Looks like things are finally getting interesting.” Finally, someone who truly deserved devastation had appeared. He had a whole arsenal of potato-based weapons ready to assemble and use, including but not limited to potato-EMP, potato-cannon, and french fries.

“So, what now?” Gwen asked, staring around at them, the teenage super-soldiers, the helpless fugitives who held the fate of the world in their hands/paws/etcetera.

Michael shrugged. “I dunno. Parcheesi?”

--------------------------------

Surprisingly, they did just that. Michael brought out a stack of dusty board games from the closet, and soon everyone was playing in the living room. Dan hung his head as he rolled a four in Monopoly, landing him straight on the Go to Jail square. Michael dangled a Get Out of Jail Free card in front of him, grinning.

Gwen was tearing up the Parcheesi board with flawless rolls while Charlotte barely kept up, and Jinx stayed silent due to being hopelessly behind. Riley, Cole, and Emma were playing an impromptu game of blackjack, except every time Cole said “hit me,” Riley would bonk him on the head with a foam bat she’d found in her room.

Neon was draped over the couch, watching the games unfold. Layla seemed to be frighteningly good at Monopoly, cheating Michael out of his red properties in one fell swoop. The room was alive with victory and despair in equal counts, all blending into careless abandon.

The kitten fought a yawn, smacking his lips drowsily. Sleep permeated his body, begging him rest. He hadn’t slept much last night. In fact, he hadn’t slept at all.

His mind still churned with loads of information, the cortex spinning and scrapping plethoric theories. The people who’d attacked them were Japanese, and they were probably the ones who bombed the lab, too. Where were the scientists then? Dead? In hiding? If the situation was this bad, they should have recaptured them by now. But they didn’t, so...were they out of commission? And if they were, who was the person Dan saw? Maybe...a third…

He was jerked out of his thoughts by snorting laughter. Cole had keeled over, his tongue lolling out from the “killing blow”. Riley and Emma were laughing at him, and he eventually admitted defeat, sitting up. Riley bonked him again as he bowed his head.

“And I knight you, Sir Cole of Losing at Blackjack,” she said, hitting him once on each shoulder with the bat. Cole stood up and took a sweeping bow, prompting the girls to burst into laughter again.

Neon’s eyelid twitched, and he stood up. Grabbing a chessboard from the stack of games, he walked over and thrust it in Riley’s face. “This is my thrown gauntlet, Riley West,” he said airily. “Do you think you can defeat me?”

“That’s my line, Romeo.” Riley shifted to face him as he plunked down haughtily. Emma went to sit by Dan in his jail cell, while Cole left to hype up the Parcheesi.

The kitten of darkness flung the pieces into their places, slamming his king down squarely on his end. “I look forward to this match. If you’re as skilled as you think, then I won’t hold back.”

“Wait!” Riley held up her hand, stopping him.

Neon cocked his head. “What?”

“I don’t, technically...know how to play chess.”

Neon fell over. “What!”

“I’m a fast learner, I promise!”

She wasn’t lying. Five minutes later, both players had completely decimated each other’s forces. Neon thumbed his chin thoughtfully, mulling strategies from behind his battered armaments. Riley was huffing confidently, though she was three pieces behind.

Eventually, Neon pressed his knight forward, unexpectedly cornering Riley’s king. “Check,” he proclaimed.

“Right.” Riley leaned close, examining the board closely before giving Neon a thumbs up. “Yep, that’s definitely a legal move.”

Neon practically exploded in place. “Not...that...kind...of...check,” he eked out, shaking with frustration.

Riley gave him a knowing smile. “Of course it isn’t.” She cut back in with her bishop, taking out the knight while targeting Neon’s king with the same move. “Check that,” she taunted.

“I will,” Neon replied, swiftly grinding his rook down the board, slamming the bishop off of the board. “Body check!”

This continued for some time, the threats piling up, each combatant keeping each other’s moves in check.

“Check this out!”

“Cashing the check!”

“You might as well check out!”

“Victory, check!”

“This may be chess, but I’m the checker!” Riley cried as she blazed her queen straight into Neon’s territory. At this point, Neon was pinned down, his mind and troops exhausted by the match. The only way to deflect this attack was to move his own queen into the line of fire.

Neon thought for a moment, imploring his genius mind to find a way around the lock. Sleep, his tired brain replied. Sleep now. Sleep with Riley.

He immediately punched himself in the side of the head, knocking himself to the floor. Riley gave him an odd look, and he blushed. “Never mind that,” he said, sitting back up, “anyway….” His finger flicked out, knocking his king over with a plink. A definitive surrender.

“Huh?” Riley backed up, surprised. “Wait, you - you’re giving up? But you didn’t even move your queen!” It was the truth. His other pieces had fought and died, but his queen had stayed right on her throne for the entire game.

Neon shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. For today, I concede to you, Riley West.” He folded his arms and nodded. “An army exists to protect a king, but a king exists to protect his queen.”

The girl rested on her elbows, grinning. “Aw. That’s sweet.”

Crimson blasted up Neon’s neck. “I wasn’t talking about you!” he shouted, the heat from his scarf suddenly doubling

Looking around, he saw that the others were crowding behind him, their games having finished while he wasn’t looking. “What’re you looking at?!” he yowled, glaring at all of them.

Cole smirked. “Nothing, nothing, just...a Kingsley and his queen.”

Neon sputtered, his face rising into molten red. “Y-you...all...are my nemesis!” He stood up, bristling, and stalked off as fast as his short legs would carry him. Still, he wasn’t quite out of earshot when the living room burst into laughter.

The hallway was dark except for the squares of light shining in from the windows, and the creaky floorboards were silent for his footsteps. Neon walked away to his room, fumbling the tails of his scarf between his fingers. “That was exceptional, right?” he mumbled under his breath. “That was extraordinary.”

He nodded, reassuring himself. It was fantastic. The morphers needed to laugh, especially when things were this bleak. Some of them were barely holding it together as it was. It was good.

He poked his head into the bathroom, flicking the light on to look in the mirror. His complexion was flawless, his eyes a charming blue. He attempted a smile; it appeared as sinister as ever.

The kitten of disaster walked into his room, scouring it for nothing in particular. Eventually, he crawled into bed, ready to cat-nap until the Japanese blew his house down.

He closed his eyes and shrank, cat ears sprouting from his head. Fur grew on his feline form in patches of white, orange, and black, while a short tail flicked out from behind him. A fuzzy calico kitten wriggled out of the folds of Neon’s scarf. Already, he’d mastered the change.

The kitten curled up on the pillow, sleep falling like a curtain. Neon pushed his problems to the back of his mind, because for now, rest was enough. And a part of him knew that this was the last peaceful sleep he’d get in a very long time.

Wed, Jan 12th - 8 Days After Field Trip - 15 Minutes Before M.E.L. Is Bombed

Mr. Neil took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes as he waited for Dr. Liam to finish looking through the progress reports on his students. Everything was going better than expected… he just wished his superior saw it that way.

It was a clear, cool night in January, and despite the fact that Mr. Neil needed to be to Silver Creek High in less than five hours, Dr. Liam always insisted they meet in the dead hours of the night. It was less likely for others to overhear their conversations that way.

Mr. Neil’s gaze wandered over to the security footage on the screen behind his superior. One by one, scientists were starting to come in for their early shifts. Mr. Neil remembered when he, too, had to come in at four o’clock in the morning to work on the chairs, and he hated it.

Finally, Dr. Liam looked up from the files and leaned back in his chair, regarding Mr. Neil carefully. "Alright, what did you want to talk about?"

“I thought we could discuss the part of our deal you've been conveniently avoiding.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“When you first came to me, I made you agree to one condition, or I said I wouldn't help you,” Mr. Neil began sternly. “And that was, if I enhanced the technology in the chairs, recruited the test subjects, and the technology worked to turn them into super soldiers, that I would be put at the top of the list to get in one of those chairs and be turned into an Animorpher myself. I've held up my end of the bargain, Liam. It's time for you to hold up yours.”

“Ah, yes... It does seem like I agreed to something along those lines. The thing is... You didn't hold up your end of the bargain.”

Mr. Neil shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

“The technology didn't work to turn them into Animorphers. Not all of them. Ryker rejected the panda DNA you put into him and because of that he's in a coma, which he may never come out of. And if I’m not mistaken…” Dr. Liam sifted back through the files and pulled out Gwen’s. “Subject 3 hasn’t shown any signs that the procedure did anything at all.”

“Ridiculous,” he spat. “It worked on everyone else. How many times do I have to tell you that it was expected for at least one of them to have rejected the treatment?” Mr. Neil sat back in his seat. “Hold on... This has nothing to do with Ryker and Gwen, does it? Not really. You're just trying to find an excuse. Well, I'm tired of playing games, Liam. We had a deal.”

Dr. Liam sighed in agitation. “You want to know the truth? I never intended to let you anywhere near those chairs after they were finished.”

“You bastard." Mr. Neil shot up from his seat. "You would be nowhere without me! You'd still have a stupid chair that was only strong enough... that's only purpose was to put cat ears and fox tails on stupid rich people that were willing to pay to be part of a new fashion fad. I made it into something useful. Something powerful!”

“We have to be selective with who we allow to sit in the chairs," Dr. Liam said. "And right now, those we're selecting are young recruits. Gullible, bright, strong kids whose minds and bodies are just waiting to be molded and manipulated into perfection.” Dr. Liam stood up from his seat at his desk and looked Mr. Neil in the eye. “And if I remember right, you told me teens bodies had the best chance of surviving the treatment. So what makes you think you would even be able to survive becoming an Animorpher, let alone surviving the chair treatment to begin with? You want to know the total truth? The total truth is that I don't trust you with that kind of power and we can't risk you dying in the middle of the project. We need you."

Mr. Neil curled his hands into fists. “You stab me in the back and then you tell me you need me? That's not how deals work, Liam. You need me for what you want, and I need you for what I want. So why should I continue to hold up my end if you're not planning to hold up yours? What's to keep me from walking out of here right now?”

“Well, like I said, Terek…” Dr. Liam pulled open a drawer in his desk and placed a handgun on the smooth mahogany top. “It would be a real shame if something were to happen to you before the project was over.”

Mr. Neil stared at him, jaw clenched and face red with anger. He had a bad feeling about Dr. Liam from the second he met him. He should have known that extortion wasn’t below him. In this moment, he wondered if much of anything was below him.

“Don’t you have some kids to be watching over?” Liam said, prompting Neil to leave. But he didn’t move. He was afraid if he moved so much as a muscle that he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself from attacking his superior where he stood. “I would probably check in on their trackers if I were you.”

Mr. Neil stared at him for another moment, fuming, then flung the door open and stormed out of the office without another word.

« « • • » »

He headed into M.E.L.’s most secret laboratory, where he had spent many months and sleepless nights putting his blood, sweat, and tears into those chairs. And for what?

Sitting down in front of the computer connected to the subjects trackers, he stared down at the keyboard. Furious, defeated, frustrated. In an outburst of anger, he swept his arm across the desk and sent everything on it crashing to the floor. Papers danced in the air around his head before settling softly to the cold white floor.

Mr. Neil wiped a hand across his face and turned on the screen. The eleven red dots were right where they were supposed to be; safe and secure in their own homes.

A red flashing “WARNING!” window popped up in the middle of the screen, in front of the tracker map. Concerned, Mr. Neil clicked on it, which pulled up a larger flashing window that read: ‘Warning! Impending Missile Threat. Incoming Missile expected to hit in: 10 minutes and 27 seconds. Evacuate The Building Immediately!’

Panic shot through him. Instinctively, Mr. Neil yanked the phone off of the hook and brought his finger to hover above a red button. The button that would warn the entire laboratory of the impending attack.

His finger stopped. Mr. Neil looked up at the security feed of the M.I.C. rooms on the computer next to the one he was using, then back at the 'Warning' window, which continued to count down by the second. There was no way they would be able to get the chairs out in time. And like hell he wasn't going to get a shot at becoming an Animorpher. He created the very word. And worst of all, he was trapped now. Dr. Liam had shown his true colors, and there was only one way to get out from under that.

Slowly, he put the phone back on the hook. Dr. Liam had made his decision, and so had Mr. Neil. He knew that a dozen scientists wouldn't make it out because of him, but he didn't care. Maybe he was stooping even lower than Dr. Liam had, but he didn't care about that either. The only thing that mattered was himself, and the experiment succeeding. He stared at the number counting down for a moment, then he bolted out of the chair.

He flew into his office and downloaded all of the M.I.C. blueprints onto a data stick, then yanked a dozen files out of his cabinet titled "Animorpher Serum."

His hands shook as he loaded a tray of vials filled with blue liquid into a foam lined briefcase. He then threw it into a small cardboard box, along with the other things he had collected.

Lastly, he ripped apart one of the M.I.C. chairs, leaving pieces scattered all about the floor. Finally, he reached deep into one of the back panels and carefully pulled out a microchip the size of a dime--the key to everything--held carefully between the tips of needle nose pliers.

Checking his watch, he had three minutes to get out of there. Mr. Neil yanked the box up off the floor and hightailed it out of the laboratory. He threw it in the back seat of his car and jumped into the drivers seat, then turned on the engine and slammed his foot down on the gas.

He made good distance, the laboratory quickly shrinking in his rearview mirror. Then he saw a missile fall from the sky, right over the laboratory. Upon impact, the building exploded in every direction, a blazing ball of fiery light. Steal was ripped apart, concrete pillars crumbled to their foundations, glass window panes blew apart in a million shards... and the Miles Eximius Laboratory was no more.

« « • • » »

The dark circles under Mr. Neil's eyes were even more prominent in the early morning light streaming through the windows of the diner in which he sat. His hands shook as they were wrapped around the mug of bitter coffee which he'd ordered over an hour ago, and had since gone cold.

The TV anchored to the wall a few booths down from his played a breaking news report. A woman in a red blazer and sparklingly white teeth droned on. "It is believed that an accident occurred inside the laboratory, starting the fire and that no foul play was involved..."

"Pssh..." Mr. Neil took another sip of his coffee. What a joke. They weren't just keeping the details from the public, they were burying them under a pile of lies.

"So far, twelve of the scientists inside the lab have been confirmed dead. The three who remain have been confirmed missing. Dr. Marcus Blum, Dr. Brooke Hazleton, and Dr. Neil Terek."

He abruptly turned his face away from the tv as his picture came up on the screen. He had already flipped his hood up and slid sunglasses over his nose to conceal his appearance, and just before he'd gotten to the diner, he'd shaved off his beard and removed his glasses, hoping it would change his appearance enough to keep anyone from recognizing him, but he could never be too careful.

Just then, a man he'd never seen before slid into the other side of the booth. He looked warily around, then leaned in close and said, "Neil Terek?"

He stiffened and tightened his grip on his coffee mug. The man had almond eyes and short black hair. He was tall but thin and fit. "Who are you?" Neil asked.

"A friend. I know about the bombing, the experiment, and what roll you played in both of them."

"Who are you?" Neil said again, more sternly.

"My name is Hironori Cho, But you can call me Hiro."

Mr. Neil narrowed his eyes at the man. "How do you know so much?"

Hiro nodded toward the TV behind him. "Dr. Brooke Hazleton was a spy for us. She relayed everything she could find out about the experiment to us."

"Us?"

"I'm with the Japanese government. Specifically, the branch that was working to develop the blueprints for the chairs which Dr. Liam Bishop stole from us." Hiro put up his hands. "Now, before you say anything, know that I'm on your side."

"You... you didn't blow up the laboratory, did you?"

Hiro chuckled. "No, but I know who did." He looks around again, then lowers his voice. "I was one of the scientists hired to work on the original project. My superiors didn't know who stole the research until a couple weeks ago. They sent in their spy, Dr. Brooke Hazleton, to infiltrate your project and find out what you were doing with the research. When she did, my superiors were outraged, and quite frankly, afraid. They weren't happy about the research being stolen, and they saw what you did with it as a major threat. My superiors decided the best course of action was to destroy everything and everyone having to do with the experiment."

"How are you different from your superiors?" Neil asked him.

"I thought what you did with the research was brilliant. Exciting. Revolutionary. I didn't believe that everything needed to be destroyed or that anyone needed to get hurt. The way I saw it, if we aligned our countries as allies and worked together on the project, it would produce results and be better for both of our countries than we could even imagine," he said. "Some of the scientists agreed with me, but most of them didn't, and they initially decided to go through with bombing the lab. I tried to get into the United States fast enough to warn you before it happened, but I was too late."

"So, if you were too late, then why are you here now?"

"The lab was only the beginning," Hiro warned. "Their next target is the Animorphers, and they're not going to stop until every single one of them is dead. My allies and I want to keep the Animorphers safe at all costs. None of this was their fault, and I believe in what you're trying to do. Those kids are the future, and there's nothing I believe in more than securing our future. And somehow, I have a feeling you feel the same way."

Neil stared at the man for a while, trying to decide if he could trust him. It seemed strange that he just came out of nowhere, but at the same time, Hiro seemed genuine. And honestly, Neil had suddenly found himself short on allies, and he needed someone on his side. Especially if someone, whether it be the Japanese or American government, were going to be coming after them.

"Mr. Terek, there is nothing my allies and I want more than to protect these kids," Hiro lied. "I will do everything in my power to keep them safe from my superiors... but to do that, I need your help. All of the research was destroyed in the bombing, and the kids trackers became ineffective as soon as the computer they were connected to was destroyed. You are the only one who knows these kids identities and where they are." He held out his hand. "I can't protect them without knowing what you know, and you can't protect them without my help. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

Neil stared at the man's hand for a long while, then he set down his coffee mug and shook it.

The next night, Neil would lead Hiro to Michael's lake house and help him inject one of the Animorphers with a new tracker. "The only way we can be sure they're safe is if we know where they are," Hiro told him. "We'll say whatever we have to to make sure this one lasts, even if we're falsely threatening their families."

Something felt off about the man, Neil decided, but he couldn't put his finger on what, and he knew he needed allies. And if there was one thing he cared about nearly as much as himself, it was seeing the experiment succeed. Too much had been put into it to have it fail now. Hiro's story checked out, in his mind, and he found himself ignoring that feeling and trusting the man more and more with each passing hour.

He did not suspect that Hiro's story of disagreeing with his superiors was a lie, or that the bombing of the lab had actually been Hiro's idea to begin with.

And he certainly didn't notice that, as he watched his student, Emma Tanner, flee from them into the woods, terrified and cold, that Hiro was texting the coordinates of the cabin to the very superiors he claimed to betray... or that they planned to send assassins into the lake house that night to take them out, one by one.

Nikko gulped before walking into his superior's tent, knowing that the news he bore would depress him even more than he was already.

"Captain?" he said, popping his head into the tent. "May I come in?"

Captain Tanaka Koto, who had been placed in charge of eliminating the Animorphers, raised his pale face and replied, "Yes, fine. What is it, lieutenant?"

Nikko entered and took a deep breath before saying, "Sir, Sugai has gone missing. I've got the men searching for him, but...I doubt we will, if his disappearance is anything like the others."

The Captain frowned mournfully and said, "That's the third gone this week." before grabbing a bottle off his desk before putting it to his mouth and gulping.

Nikko looked with concern at the depressed man and said, "Don't you think that's enough sake for today, sir? You're on your fifth bottle now."

The Captain stroked his beard and mustache thoughtfully before replying, "No, boy, I don't. I have a much stronger stomach than yours, kid. i can take it. Plus, I need the stuff to numb how badly my superiors are gonna berate me about this."

Nikko sighed at that. "May I leave, sir?" he asked. The Captain nodded as he started to open another bottle, and Nikko left the tent.

~~~~

Nikko wandered around the camp observing things, and ignoring hostile looks from the soldiers under his command. He knew they resented him for his post at the early age of seventeen, and knew exactly why he had gotten it; his family connections.

Nikko's father, Nikko Kasumi, had been a General during World War III and had made great gains against the American Armies with his troops. His father now worked as a military adviser to the Japanese Government, and Nikko had no doubt been promoted by an official to win favor with his powerful father.

Nikko sighed as he thought about this. He only wished that he could prove himself to the soldiers so that they would stop treating him with hostility. However, he pushed these thoughts to the side as he noticed Dr.Brooke Hazelton at the edge of the camp, talking to someone.

The man's face was turned away from him, so Nikko couldn't see him, but Nikko's instincts and training told him something was wrong. Dr.Hazelton seemed to be talking to him softly, and Nikko started walking towards her to find out what was happening.

Noticing Nikko's approach, Brooke said something to the man, and he ran into the forest.

"Hello, lieutenant." said the young scientist with a smile. "How may I help you?"

Nikko's eyes bore into her as he asked, "Who was that man?"

She replied, "Oh, one of our scouts. I was telling him to stay below the top branches of the trees to make sure that he's not spotted by the flying Animorphers."

Nikko observed her carefully, and felt instantly that she was hiding something. He was about to start questioning her when a man ran up to them and took a breath before saying, "Sir, the Captain wants you. He says to come fast. You too, Dr.Hazelton."

Nikko nodded. His instincts screamed that the Doctor was hiding something, but he decided to let things lie...for now.

~~~~

Nikko's heart rose as he read the text on the Captain's phone. He breathed deeply as he handed it to Dr. Hazelton. "This is...stupendous!" he exclaimed.

The Captain looked at him, his face bearing the same expression. "Yes." he said, "Now we can end this once and for all! Not to mention that this just might get my superiors off my back about the missing men."

Brooke handed the phone back to the Commander and grabbed Nikko's arm. "This is wonderful!" she said, smiling flirtatiously at him. "Why don't we go and celebrate in my tent? I have some wine that I've been saving for just this occasion!"

Nikko glanced at her warily. She had been making advances towards him ever since she had joined the camp, him being the closest to her age there (him being less than two years her junior, and the rest being grizzled and much older veterans) and rather good looking. And truth be told, Nikko was interested in her, as she was intelligent and quite attractive.

However, Nikko had decided it was in his best interests to keep his distance to avoid his reputation with the men declining even further. So he was relieved when the Captain said with a grin, "As much as I'm sure that the lieutenant would enjoy that, Doctor, he will be busy. I have some new orders for him."

At that, Brooke frowned. Nikko smiled apologetically at her as he said, "Sorry, Dr.Hazelton. Perhaps another time?"

Brooke smiled and replied, "Of course, lieutenant. For you, any time." before walking out of the tent.

Captain Tanaka smiled knowingly at the lieutenant after the Doctor had left, and said, "Anything you'd like to tell me about you and her, boy?"

Nikko blushed and replied, "No, sir. Nothing to tell."

The Captain chuckled and replied, "Very well, boy. I won't pry into your private life. In any case, I have a job for you to do."

Nikko nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I'm ready."

The Captain smiled. "Good! I want you to lead a team of assassins into the Animorphers' house and eliminate them. You may pick any two men from our section to assist you."

Nkko felt as if a cold hand had gripped his heart at that. "Sir.." he croaked. "Sir, you know I'd do almost anything for Mother Japan, but...they're kids, and even younger than me!"

Th Captain slammed his hand on the desk angrily. "They're Americans!" he yelled. "And they'll be our doom i we don't take them out!"

Nikko nodded rapidly and replied, "Yes, sir, I understand but...I've never killed before! How could I get the stomach to kill kids?"

The Captain calmed down at that and looked at Nikko sympathetically before saying, "I understand your hesitance, lieutenant. But don't think of them as kids. think of them as what they actually are;Weapons. Have you forgotten what happened two mere decades ago? They USA attacked our side. They started a war which ravaged our country and our allies. And those hostilities have never ended. There's a reason why the period in which we live is called the Second Cold War! And they will do worse if they manage to use the Animorphers for their own ends. So, for the sake of our motherland, do it."

Nikko swallowed and replied, "But sir, why me? There are plenty of veterans in camp who would be happy to lead this mission."

The Captain sighed before saying, "I'm making you do this because this is your chance to prove yourself to the men. This is your chance to get them to show you some respect. Don't mess it up. Now, you are dismissed."

Nikko nodded. He felt scared, but he steeled himself for what was to come. "I won't fail you, sir." he said resolutely before striding out of the tent to prepare to attack the Animorphers.

The open window lets the cool mountain breeze through its opening, tossing the curtains lazily around. Rolling onto my side, I look over at Charlotte sleeping soundly in the bed on the other side of the room. So not fair. She's the biggest worrier of the group and she's sleeping like there's not a concern in the world. And here I am, staring at the ceiling, wide awake and have been for hours. I've never slept well under stress.

I sigh in agitation as I flop back over to the other side. I just can't get comfortable. Looking down at the blue glow of the moon reflecting onto the polished floorboards of the bedroom, I catch the tail end of a shadow flicker at the corner of the light.

I figure it's probably a bird, but with everything going on, we really shouldn't assume anything. So, I swing my legs out of bed and step up to the window.

Nothing's there.

I tug on the collar of the jumpsuit under my shirt and pull the window closed, then slip back into bed. Just as I feel myself finally start to drift off, the door slowly creaks open. Through half closed lids, I watch a figure emerge. Face covered and dressed in black, a rifle is strapped to his back and a silenced pistol is held tightly in his hands.

My heart starts to pound. Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god. We're screwed.

I don't move, don't give any indication that I'm awake. The figure creeps toward me, no louder than a mouse. He comes to hover over me at my bed side, and raises the gun up to aim it at my head.

In one fluid motion, I kick my leg out and hit his hand, knocking the gun out of his grasp. He staggers back and lets out a grunt of surprise. I'm on my feet before he can even process what's happening and I shove my foot into his chest, sending him crashing into the wall. He hits a picture frame and they both fall to the ground, one with a soft thud, the other with a loud shatter.

"Layla?" Charlotte says, still half asleep. She prompts herself up on an elbow and squints at me in the dim light, her glasses still on the end table.

"Charlotte, run! Get out of here. Wake everyone up."

"What's going--"

I grab her glasses and throw them at her. She barely catches them and juggles them in her arms for a few moments before getting a grasp on them and sliding them over her nose. Her eyes shoot open. "Oh my god!"

The man struggles back to his feet. "Charlotte. Run. Now." She bolts from the room just as he pulls a ten inch blade from his belt. He lashes it at me, and I just barely dodge the swipes, taking a step back and ducking my head backwards each time. Finally, I hit the edge of the bed and lose my balance, falling back onto it. He jabs the knife toward me and I roll out of its line of attack just in time, sending it plunging into the mattress. I shove him backwards with my feet again and flip over to the other side of the bed, away from him. Then I crawl as quickly as I can to get behind the second mattress, putting myself between the bed and the far wall, and as far away from him as possible.

He grunts angrily and swings his rifle off of his shoulder into his hands, then lets loose. I duck down behind the bed and bullets explode into the wall behind me, sending dust and drywall raining down on top of me. The mattress bursts apart, sending feathers flying in every direction.

Then it stops and everything is completely silent. My heart pounds so hard I think he must be able to hear it. How could he not? It's like a percussion of sonic booms.

Slow footsteps start toward me, the floorboards creaking under the man's weight with each step. I'm trapped, and cornered. There's only one thing I can do.

Gosh, I hate doing the thing.

I yank my teeshirt off to expose the special jumpsuit, then begin shrinking. Tan fur spreads across my arms, and my fingers shrink back into my hands. The world grows around me at the same time the colors of it dull to near black-and-white.

With tiny fox paws, I scurry under the bed, my ears brushing the underside of the mattress, then under the end table between them. The man abruptly shoves the first bed with his foot, then takes a couple steps and shoves the second, which would have pinned me against the wall, had I not moved.

I don't wait to see what happens. I run under the first bed and scurry out the door just as he realizes I've disappeared, and starts spitting out curses in Japanese.

Running down the hall, towards the stairs, I gradually morph back into my human form. Someone practically runs into me when I get there and I grab them to see that it's Charlotte, in a complete and total tizzy, on the edge of tears. "I can't find him! I can't find Michael!"

"Calm down! We'll find him." Just then, someone on a rope crashes feet first through the large window beside the staircase sending shards of glass flying towards us. We both scream. Then out of nowhere, the guy is hit with a bullet square in the chest. His chevalier lining catches it, but the impact is strong enough to knock him back out the window.

We whirl around to see a third guy standing down the hallway. He's different from the others. He's not Japanese, and while our attackers are decked out in black tactical uniforms, complete with bulletproof vests and a special mask that only covers the bottom half of their faces. This guy wears camouflage pants and a slick grey jacket. A black ski mask and sunglasses conceal his face, and he holds a gun in his hand, but he doesn't shoot us.

He holds something like a walkie talkie up to his mouth."Get out of here," he says in a deep, mechanical-like voice. The walkie-talkie must change his voice. "There's a second car parked next to the shed. Take these keys..." He pulls car keys out of his pocket and tossing them our way. I catch them, totally bewildered. Who is that?

"Go!" he yells again. Then my original attacker charges out of the bedroom behind him and he whirls around only to have the butt of the Japanese guy's rifle slammed into the side of his face, and he goes down.

"Run... Run!" I shove my hands into Charlotte's back and she stumbles forward, towards the stairs.

Just as we reach the bottom, two guys burst out of the swinging kitchen door, one tackling the other and sending them both crashing into the wooden coffee table. The guy on top is in a tactical uniform, and the guy struggling under him... is Michael.

Charlotte squeaks in surprise next to me, but before either of us can react, Neon shoves his way between us from behind and yells, "Michael, get down!" Then he lifts up a potato cannon that's nearly bigger than he is and launches a potato at the guy, knocking him off of Michael.

Michael gets up fast and bolts away, just before the potato explodes in a giant cloud of smoke, completely hiding the guy from view. Michael takes Charlotte's hand and they head for the front door. "What is it with you and potatoes?" I yell.

Neon shakes his head. "Where's Riley?"

"Here!" she calls from the top of the stairs. She hurries down with Emma. Cole and Gwen fly down right behind them, him trying and failing to get his arm in the second sleeve of his jacket. Near the bottom, he jumps over the railing and lands on the other side, then shoves his feet into his sneakers.

"Dammit, Neon!" he yells. "Toothpaste! Again?!"

Dan flings the front door open from the outside. "Come on! Michael and Charlotte are outside with the car!"

Everyone heads for the door. I'm the last one out, the door closing just before I get there. Just as I place my hand on the handle, I hear a round being racked into the chamber of a gun behind me.

"Turn around slowly," a voice said, strong with a Japanese accent.

I do as he says, putting my hands up. A man stands there, surprisingly young. A bullet is wedged in the center of his bulletproof vest; this is the guy that fell out the window.

I try to stay calm... to keep my hands from shaking. And I do a better job at it than he does. We both stand, completely frozen. Me with my hands up, him pointing a gun at me. What is he waiting for?

"Who are you?" I ask. "Why do you want to kill us?"

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" His breathing becomes quicker, his hands shaking more vigorously. He shakes his head and repositions himself.

Just as I begin to wonder if he's ever killed someone before, and think that he won't be able to kill me, he's tackled from the side in a flash of orange fur. The gun goes flying from his hand and his head knocks against the floor, leaving him unconscious. The tiger looks at me, and although I know it's Jinx, it's still startling to see up close. The last time I saw him as a tiger, he tried to eat me.

Then the yellow glow of his eyes fades and he morphs back into human form, the skintight jumpsuit making his muscular frame look even more distinct than usual. "Thanks," I say.

"No problem," he replies.

Michael honks the horn outside and yells, "Let's go!" And just as the assassin up stairs staggers to the railing and Michael's attacker starts to come to, Jinx and I bolt out the front door.

Michael, Charlotte, Cole, Dan, and Gwen are already inside the car. "We're not all going to fit and we don't have time to figure out riding arrangements like we did the first time," Riley says.

I hold up the keys. "There's another car. I'll explain later." I run around to the back of the shed and find a black SUV parked there. I throw the keys to Jinx and he gets in the drivers seat. Riley takes shotgun and I jump in the back with Emma and Neon.

Jinx backs the car out, then slams on the gas, leaving the lake house behind us and following closely behind Michael as we head towards the main road. "Who was that?" Riley asks, looking directly at Jinx as if he knows.

"Sorry, I forgot to ask them when I was trying to keep from getting killed!" he exclaims.

Neon puts a piece of bubblegum in his mouth and starts chewing it.

Riley shakes her head and looks in the rearview mirror. "Well, who was the other guy?"

"All I know is he saved Charlotte and my lives and he gave me the keys to this car," I say. "I... I think he was protecting us."

Neon blows a bubble with his gum and it pops!

"What I want to know," Jinx buts in, "is how they found us. We all took our trackers out, right?"

Emma stiffens next to me. "Emma, you took yours out, didn't you?"

"Yes, of course! As soon as I got back," she says, avoiding looking at me. My eyes wander down to a bandage wrapped around her arm.

"What happened?"

"Oh, this? I, ah... scratched it on a tree branch. I'm fine." She lets out a nervous chuckle, and I'm not convinced, but I leave it be for now.

Neon blows another bubble. Pop!

"So, what happens now?" Jinx asks, growing calmer the further we get from the lake house.

"I think we need to be a lot more careful from now on," Riley says. "I don't think we should ever be alone. Not until we have a better idea of what's happening. We should go everywhere in pairs, no matter what."

Pop!

"I don't know about that, Riley." Emma shrugs. "I mean, won't that just put more people in danger at the same time? If we split up, they'll have a harder time tracking you gu- Us. A harder time tracking us."

Pop!

"I don't know, I think Riley has a point," I say. "We're more vulnerable when we're alone."

Pop!

I've had it. "I swear to god, Neon! If you pop another bubble, I'm going to strangle you with your potato launcher!"

The color drains from his face. He swallows it.

"How far should we take this?" Riley asks. "Should we stop going to school? Because I don't know how I'm going to explain that to my parents."

"No, that'll only draw more attention to ourselves," Jinx says. "We have to act like nothing is going on. We don't know how much those guys know about us. For all we know, they tracked our trackers there before we removed them and they don't even know who we are. We need to blend in, no matter what."

"What about Neon?" Emma asks. "He got expelled, remember?"

Riley looks over her shoulder at us. "I've got an idea for that."

Nikko woke up to find that he was lying on the floor of the lodge where the Animorphers were staying at. In a flash, he remembered everything that had happened, including, all too well, the tiger that had slammed into him. Not to mention that he had failed to kill an Animorpher, even when he had the chance. he cursed himself for that.

Nikko rubbed the sore bump on his head from where he had hit the ground and stood up, and a small piece of paper fluttered down from where it had lain on his chest.

Frowning, Nikko bent down and picked it up. On it were scrawled a few words which read:
Let this be a lesson to all who cross the protectors of peace.

Nikko considered the paper as he walked out the door, before gasping as he saw what was there.

The bodies of his two comrades lay on the ground outside the door. One had a bullet wound to the head, and lay senseless, his staring out lifelessly. The other had taken a bullet to the stomach and lay with his eyes closed.

As Nikko watched, the man with the stomach wound gave a cry of pain and strirred to life. Nikko gave a sigh of relief as he went to the man's side, and tore a piece off the shirt he wore under his armor to bind the man's wound.

While he did so, the man whispered to him, "He came...too fast...flash and then gone...couldn't stop him."

Nikko nodded to the man several times before helping him to stand and putting the man's arm around his shoulder so that Nikko could bear the brunt of his weight. They then stumbled into the forest, towards the camp.

~~~~

Nikko and the man (who he remembered was named Suto) were stumbling along at an uneven pace through the forest, when Nikko thought he saw a grey flash out of the corner of his eye. At once, Nikko grabbed out his silencer pistol and pointed it around him.

Then he saw it again and Nikko cried out, "Show yourself!"

"I thought the tiger had killed you." said a soft voice with a deadly edge, ignoring Nikko's demand.

"And I thought that I had finished off your friend. Well, now I have to complete the job."

Nikko felt frightened and his heart beat accelerated. "What do you want?" he cried out, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "You saved the Animorphers already, why can't you just let us be?"

"Oh, I wish I could." said the voice wistfully, and Nikko got the sense that he really meant it.

"But orders are orders," he continued, "And I was ordered to kill you all to teach a lesson to the breakers of peace. So, as much as I wish I didn't have to, I'm going to have to finish you off."

Then Nikko heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being prepped to fire and grabbed Suto and pulled him behind a tree as the attacker started firing rapidly. A few bullets clanged off Nikko's Kevlar vest before he managed to take cover, his blood pumping rapidly.

Bits of bark went flying from the trees around him as Nikko tried to keep himself covered as much as possible.

Then, all of a sudden, the fring stopped, and Nikko heard the sound of a gun chamber being opened to reload, but Nikko didn't let him finish.

He grabbed his rifle from his shoulder, and leaped out from behind the tree. He still couldn't see his mysterious attacker, but while he had been firing at them, he had listened and now had a good sense at where he was.

He lifted his rifle and fired at the spot where he thought the shots had been coming from and was rewarded with a cry of surprise as his attacker dropped down from the trees to save himself.

Now, finally he could see the masked figure with a grey jacket. He tried to load his weapon but Nikko wouldn't let him, firing rapidly in his direction. His hand was shaking, so bullets were spraying everywhere, and not hitting his target, but it was enough to deter his opponent.

Suddenly, he got a lucky shot, and a bullet grazed his enemy's right arm, causing him
to drop his pistol with a cry of pain. At once, Nikko took advantage of the situation and charged forward, firing continuously, forcing his attacker to flee throught the forest.

Nikko picked up his enemy's gun and went back to where Suto was slumped against a try, staring wide eyed at him.

"That...was amazing." he muttered, stunned.

Nikko nodded his thanks, and supported Suto once more so their journey back to camp could continue.

~~~~

Nikko stumbled into camp with Suto, and immediately they were surrounded by people asking questions.

"What happened?" asked one.

Suto replied, "This guy saved my life. He pulled me all the way through the woods and sent a Protectorate agent running." before gasping for breath, that one sentence seeming to have exhausted him

"Really, this guy?" asked another incredulously, and Suto nodded, causing a number of other soldiers too murmur excitedly and look at Nikko with surprise and amazement, and even some with a little respect.

As Suto was led away by medics, Captain Tanaka Koto walked up with a fearful loook on his face.

"I take it the mission failed?" he asked warily.

Nikko looked back sadly at his Captain and replied, "Yes, sir, I'm sorry but it did. We were attacked out of nowhere by a Protectorate agent, who killed my other soldier."

At that, the Captain's face crumpled in sorrow, showing his sadness at the loss of his men, not to mention for the damage to his reputation.

"Then I'm doomed." the Captain muttered listlessly.

~~~~

Nikko walked into the board room with fear and trepidation beside his Captain. Once in, he blinked at the bright lights. The room was small but functional, entirely done in white marble.

Right in front of them was a crescent table on a low platform, set so that anyone sitting there would be able to look at where they were standing now with ease.

Sitting along the table were five people in swivel chairs. In the middle was Yasutake Kenishi, head of the Japanese Secret service. He was dressed in suit, his slightly receding black hair styled neatly as his piercing grey eyes bore down at his subordinates.

The other four were distinguished military commanders, tacticians and spies, who had been selected by the Government to help Yasutake head the service.

"Well," said Yasutake, his glare focused on the Captain. "We shall begin."

One of the other board members brought out a file and placed it on the desk in front of Yasutake. Then Yasutake slammed his hand on the file, and narrowed his eyes at the Captain before saying, "We are not impressed with your performance, Captain Tanaka Koto."

The Captain turned his face down in shame as Yasutake continued. "You sent an inexperienced novice to lead a vitally important mission, when you had your pick of veterans to choose from. If you had had a more experienced man to lead the mission, this might not have even happened! Not to mention that three men went missing under your command, and one was found dead! That's four lost in one week, Captain. Given your record, we expected much more from you."

As Yasutake continued to scold his Captain, Nikko felt he had to speak up. "It wasn't his fault!" he said, "I failed the mission. It's on me."

Yasutake turned to the lieutenant, who withered under his gaze. "Your support for your commander is admirable, lieutenant." he said, "But you are not at all experienced, and Tanaka should have thought twice before sending you."

Nikko replied pleadingly, "He was just trying to give me a chance to prove myself to the men, sir."

"It's alright, Nikko." said the Captain resignedly. "I'll accept my fate."

Yasutake nodded and turned back towards the Captain, and said, "Captain, you allowed sentiment to come in the way of your mission. Now, you are one year away from mandatory retirement However, we feel that you are growing too sentimental with age to continue your duties."

At that, Tanaka looked up in shock and started, saying, "But sir, I-" before he was cut off by Yasutake.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but our decision is final!" he snapped. "You are, as of now, retired from active service. You will stay here to serve as a military and tactical advisor, and nothing more. As such, your salary will be cut. However, given your previous good record, your pension will remain unchanged. Is that understood?"

The former Captain nodded listlessly at that. Then. Yasutake turned to Nikko. "Under normal circumstances," he started, "You, as lieutenant would be promoted to fill your superior's post. However, given your lack of experience, we have seen fit to keep you where you are. We have called for a replacement from Japan, and he will be here within a month. However, until then, you will be Acting Captain. You may select your own acting lieutenant from your men. However, we want you to get started on a the task we have for you first, which is that we want at least one Animorpher dead within a month. Is that understood?"

Nikko nodded listlessly, still shocked at what his strong, stern commander had been reduced to.

Yasutake then nodded, and said, "Good. Then you are dismissed. Now, leave us to fill in Tanaka on his new duties."

Nikko then saluted and left the room, his heart sinking with sorrow for his old Captain.

~~~~

Nikko stared desultorily into his cup of coffee as he thought over the events of the day while sitting in the soldiers' cafeteria. His captain had been removed from office, which Nikko felt he hadn't deserved.
His Captain had been the only one who had sympathized with Nikko, and understood that he was just a kid, who had been thrust far out of his element. And now he was gone.

Not to mention that I'm now in charge of the Hunting Section. he thought with a frown. He knew that now he had to accomplish the mission, or be sent back to his father in disgrace. And he couldn't bear to have his father disappointed in him. Plus, he also had to do justice to his Captain, and do it for him. I won't hesitate this time. he promised himself angrily.

Japanese folk songs played from the speakers, annoying Nikko. He knew that the Government back in Japan had specifically ordered that music to be played as they thought it inspired patriotism in their spies and soldiers overseas, but they weren't even good tunes, and Nikko felt that playing the same tunes over and over again was just irritating.

To distract himself, Nikko turned to look out the window he was sitting next to. The Secret Service Headquarters was on the edge of town, and the only tall building amidst dozens of two and three story structures.

It was disguised as an ordinary office building, with hired American mercenaries (with little to no sense of patriotism besides that to their own greed) as guards and receptionists. Also, most people lived in the building, so people didn't notice huge numbers of Asians leaving the building every day, and no non-agent was allowed to enter the building.

The window Nikko was looking through gave a good view of the city and the forest on the other side, and Nikko scanned it with boredom until he heard a particular song being played on the speakers, and sat up, listening intently.

The song was of the sakura blossoms floating away on the wind, and the beautiful butterflies and fairies and that flew among them, and the song transported Nikko back to the day he left Japan.

Nikko breathed in the scent of the sakura trees that lined the park path he was walking along. Occasionally he would turn to the girl next to him and make a joke, and she would laugh, lighting up the world around her. Eventually, they came to the end of the path, where a car was waiting. In the background, a woman on the street side sang an old folk song, of the sakura blossoms and the beautiful creatures that flew among them

Nikko turned to his long time girlfriend, whose lip was trembling as she knew what was about to happen, but still hated it.

"Chiyo...I'm going to miss you" he whispered, using her familiar name, instead of her first name, as people were spoke to generally in Japan.

"Takumi..." she whispered back, her eyes filling up with tears, and pulled his face down to kiss her, and they held there for a few moments before braking apart.

Her hand went down to his arm, where she gripped tighter. "Why do you have to leave?"

Takumi smiled sadly at her as he replied, "You know, Chiyo...I have to do my duty to our country.

Chiyo hugged Nikko tightly and whispered, "I know. And I also know that your parents pushed you to do this."

Nikko smiled wider at that, "Yeah, that too." he said.

"I'll miss you." she whispered to him. "And when you get back, I'll be waiting for you."

"Don't." Nikko replied, straightening up.

"What?" asked Chiyo confusedly.

"You know how I feel about you, right?" asked Nikko.

"Yeah..." replied Chiyo, frowning.

"Well, I don't want to keep you waiting for me as I go across the world to the enemy's home for God knows how long. You deserve better."

"What are you saying?" said Chiyo, crying now.

"I think you know." replied Nikko, looking in her eyes. "It would be unfair to you to keep you attached to me. I think it would be best, now that I'm leaving, for us to separate. And I think you knew that this was going to happen."

Chiyo turned her face down at that, and said, "Yeah, I knew it was hopeless to continue our relationship like this...I just hate it when good things end."

Nikko looked sadly at her. "You'll always be my friend, Chiyo. No matter what happens."

Chiyo nodded and replied, "Of course. And when you get back-and you will come back, I'm not hearing anything to the contrary-get back in touch. We could get a meal together, but as friends." and then she smiled mischievously and said, "And maybe, who knows? Anything could happen...even us getting back together."

Nikko smiled back and said, "Maybe." and then embraced her before saying his last goodbye and walking towards the car. Right before he got in, he dropped a coin at the feet of the woman who was singing the folk song.

"You okay, sir?" asked the driver (an old driver for the family, who had grown close to them ) with concern he looked at Nikko's sad face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." replied Nikko, and he turned his face down so the man couldn't see that he was crying.

Niko shook himself out of the memory and realized that his eyes were starting to well with tears. He quickly blinked to get rid of them, and walked away to prevent any involuntary displays of emotion from ruining his newly forged reputation with the men in his section.

Once he was out of the room, Nikko's thoughts turned back (or rather, he turned his thoughts back) to the task at hand, which he knew he had to accomplish to do his duty to his country: Killing the Animorphers, any way possible. He knew it was the only way to save his country from destruction.

"I will not fail." he muttered to himself, as he marched off to his quarters.

Its strange how only a few days can change everything.

Everything feels different now that we are back.

We weren't gone that long, but it's all strange now. The way people maneuver through the halls, the way people whisper and laugh at their lockers, the looks teachers give students who pass by, but most of all the air feels different. School was always suffocating, but not like this. With every step I take down the hallway I feel like the tile is cracking under my feet. Like, at any second I am gonna fall through the floor right into a cage.

For most of our first day back I have avoided pretty much everyone. I know I shouldn't throw up red flags like this, and I know it's selfish but I can't help it. Hiding is what I've always done in the midst of fear and confusion. When Riley tried walking with me this morning, I turned away pretending I left something in my locker. Then, Gwen asked me to hang out after school and I lied to her telling her I had a study session with Dan.

I never lie to her.

I skipped lunch today, and went to the music room by myself. Then, in science (with our unnerving new substitute) even Dan tried to ask me how I was doing, but I just kept my head down and kept my answers short. I couldn't seem to look at him. Like, if he looked in my eyes he would know the truth. He would know that I'm trapped between my friends lives, and the barrel of a damn gun. I have no intention of letting my friends get killed. Even if that means I hurt them all in the process.

I know questions will start being asked soon, but the screaming in my gut pushes that thought aside for now. For now I have to do my best to do this on my own.
------------------------------------

On my way home I couldn't stop fidgeting with a small piece of string that came off my sweater that day. I would wrap it once...twice...a dozen more times around my finger until it would turn purple. Then, slowly I would unwrap the string letting the blood flow back into the tip of my index finger. Even though the weather was warm and humid I still kept my arm and bandaged covered.

After a few blocks I had this strange feeling I was being watched from the nearby brush. Without thinking I grabbed a large rock by the sidewalk and threw it into the nearby bushes. I heard a soft whining sound, and the leaves began to rustle. A small golden fox appeared from the brush, and transformed into a face I knew quite well.

Layla.

“Were- Were you following me?” I ask suspiciously.

“Psh! Of course not.” She brushes a strand of hair out of her face. “I uh- I was just trying to get home. I am faster as a fox you know.” She laughs trying to play off the fact she had been caught.

“I thought you had a car?”

“Cole asked if he could borrow it for some reason today. Something about taking Riley to this cool music shop across town.”

“Oh. Alright. I guess I'll see you around then.” I start off again when she interrupts me.

“Look Emma. If there is something you need to talk about...you know we are all here for you. I mean you’re not exactly alone in all this craziness. I admit the first day back was hard, but if we don't stick together then it's going to get harder…” She assures. I sigh turning back to face her.

“Layla…”

I knew I would regret this the moment I said it.

“Please just...Leave me alone. I never asked for this. I don't want this. I don't want to be apart of this! I don't care whatever club you think we all are apart of, but I'm done getting dragged into all this. I'm done with all of you. Now leave me alone!” Layla looked at me in confusion and shock.

“I don't buy that stupid speech for a second, and you know it. I know something else is going on here and I don't intend to let it go. But fine Emma. If you want to choose to be alone for the rest of your life then fine. If you honestly think that shoving people away for the rest of your life is gonna protect you then you are wrong! We are all apart of this together. It's not like any of us chose this. It's not like you’re going through harder stuff than we are! We have to stick together to make it through this, and you know that…right?”

“Yes Layla I know. This experiment has bonded us all together! And yes, it has made us some kind of screwed up misfit family. And you know what? You do whatever you can to protect your family, and that's what I'm doing. Now like I said. Leave me alone!” I felt myself beginning to cry, and for once I didn't care if anyone saw. I turned away from her once more, and she grabbed for my arm. I winced as she touched the still tender incision. I ripped my arm from her grasp, and she stared at me with a still confused but newfound understanding.

“What are you so afraid of?” She asks.

“What am I not afraid of?” I walk off ignoring her completely. She returns the favor, and doesn't come after me.

Questions came a lot sooner than I expected, and questions come with consequences.

Spoiler

@LeftyWriter let me know if I got Layla wrong. I also mentioned @TheFantasy14 and @LordZeus